*OFFICIAL* general photography conversation thread

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by MaximusJ

ahah; that will require a lot more assignments

Cash down on my next lens is a good start tho ;p

Start keeping good records. You seem to be at the point where your equipment is tax deductible.

I hope to get there before I buy my next super-tele.

Dave

[The1]

Nice maximus. What's the assignment? and how did you land that gig?

I'm sure that app will work fine in Canada. Not an overly complicated one I expect, but time will tell.


Dave, do you have an experience with the 300-800 F5.6 from Sigma? I'm curious how fast the auto focus is. That is mainly the reason I ended up with the 100-400mm back in the day when I was looking at their 120-500mm.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by The1

...

Dave, do you have an experience with the 300-800 F5.6 from Sigma? I'm curious how fast the auto focus is. That is mainly the reason I ended up with the 100-400mm back in the day when I was looking at their 120-500mm.

No, no direct experience. I have read some reviews somewhere that complained about slow AF speed.

When I put my 1.4x TC on my 500mm f/4, the AF get marginal on my 7D. It might be ok on a 1D MkIV, but not on Canon's pro-sumer bodies. Shooting anything that moves fast, like birds-in-flight, I think that you need f/4 to really lock on and track BIF.

Believe me, I understand the "need" for a super-tele out at 700 to 800mm and that's why I'm considering Canon's latest mega-buck lenses. Getting length and speed without selling the M3 is tough. For now, I've resolved myself to using the 500mm naked for any BIF shooting and only use the 1.4x TC for static shooting.

The reach really does help with detail, so you can struggle with AF and get shots like this:


Great horned owl perches by her nest. by dcstep, on Flickr

And then use a shorter lens and try to get close for something like this:


Big, handsome bald eagle juvenile by dcstep, on Flickr

There's really no inexpensive answer that I know of.

Dave

[The1]

yeah, I hear ya. I kinda figured that the lens would be more for slow moving or static animals and birds. I highly doubt it would keep up with a BIF.

If there are switches like the long and short zooms on the 70-200 or 100-400s then it might be alright as it won't be hunting as much.

it would also be a monster to tote around.


as demonstrated by the 400mm beside it here



but I suspect if I were using this lens it would be in conservation areas where the aminals/birds might be in the middle of water or from across the pond and etc.

[MaximusJ]

Yep that's something I want to look at very soon. I used to do it during my dj years and it was worth it.

I'll probably always spend more then what I'll make but at least It'll give nice tax returns.

[The1]

Originally Posted by MaximusJ

Yep that's something I want to look at very soon. I used to do it during my dj years and it was worth it.

I'll probably always spend more then what I'll make but at least It'll give nice tax returns.

as long as you can offset the price a little, every little bit helps.

It also makes bigger purcheses more justifiable

[The1]

upon reading some more about the sigma, it doesn't have a focus stop on it sadly. But not the end of the world

the part that really worries me is the auto focus. The lens was designed in 2002, so the technology at this point is over a decade old.

from what I read on some sites however, it's sharpness is basically on par with the Canon primes, or at least keeps pace. But weighs about as much as a 600mm with a teleconverter attached. Which doesn't really concern me, fortunately I'm a big guy.

Overall though, I don't know how often or where I'd use such a lens most of the time. It's pretty flat and featureless around here. Bit it might be something I bring on road trips and such.

Either way, it's at the bottom of my list of things to do/get. My boats engine rebuild bill is coming soon, and I suspect cheese and crackers will be my diet for a bit But worth it. Looking at around 500hp per engine

[MaximusJ]

The1: Its for my employer. The usual Photog cant make it because it has holidays planned.

Its my time to shine and to make sure they dont hire him again! This will mainly be portrait and candid shots. Its in 4 months so I have plenty of time to master my 50mm/1.4 and 70-200/2.8 and do some reading to make sure I nail this event.

Also (and that's what trills me the most about the assignment) is that the president of the corporation will be leading the event. So I want to take the opportunity to be known of these people and eventually get a promotion in Ottawa.

This is the main reason why i've accepted the assignment. So much that I didnt even talked salary for this. If they remember my name at the end of the week; it'll be worth a thousand more then what they can give me in cash.

[Chewy734]

Originally Posted by MaximusJ

So much that I didnt even talked salary for this. If they remember my name at the end of the week; it'll be worth a thousand more then what they can give me in cash.

That's cuz Canadian cash is worthless.























obviously, I jest...

[MaximusJ]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

That's cuz Canadian cash is worthless.























obviously, I jest...

Attachment 682070


Wut?

[The1]

Originally Posted by MaximusJ

The1: Its for my employer. The usual Photog cant make it because it has holidays planned.

Its my time to shine and to make sure they dont hire him again! This will mainly be portrait and candid shots. Its in 4 months so I have plenty of time to master my 50mm/1.4 and 70-200/2.8 and do some reading to make sure I nail this event.

Also (and that's what trills me the most about the assignment) is that the president of the corporation will be leading the event. So I want to take the opportunity to be known of these people and eventually get a promotion in Ottawa.

This is the main reason why i've accepted the assignment. So much that I didnt even talked salary for this. If they remember my name at the end of the week; it'll be worth a thousand more then what they can give me in cash.

you will need flashes, soft boxes and tripods/stands

where is this happening? need help

[The1]

Originally Posted by MaximusJ

Attachment 682070


Wut?

lol


I love watching this almost daily.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by The1

...
from what I read on some sites however, it's sharpness is basically on par with the Canon primes, or at least keeps pace. But weighs about as much as a 600mm with a teleconverter attached. Which doesn't really concern me, fortunately I'm a big guy...

No way! That's a rationalization from the people that buy the Sigmas, IMHO. When I search the Sigma zoom shots on Flickr, I can't find any that compare to the Canon 500/f4 images. A few get close, but it's not in the same league.

I send a lot of people to Sigma, for the value at a price point, not for the ultimate in IQ.

BTW, my main peeve about Sigma, why don't they make some fast super-tele primes? With Canon and Nikon going into five-figures now, there's room for some well made, f/4 primes in the 500/600/800 ranges. A $4000 Sigma would seem like a hell of a buy vs. a $10,000 Canon or Nikon. They seem hung up on zooms in the tele lengths.

Dave

[The1]

Originally Posted by dcstep

No way! That's a rationalization from the people that buy the Sigmas, IMHO. When I search the Sigma zoom shots on Flickr, I can't find any that compare to the Canon 500/f4 images. A few get close, but it's not in the same league.

I send a lot of people to Sigma, for the value at a price point, not for the ultimate in IQ.

BTW, my main peeve about Sigma, why don't they make some fast super-tele primes? With Canon and Nikon going into five-figures now, there's room for some well made, f/4 primes in the 500/600/800 ranges. A $4000 Sigma would seem like a hell of a buy vs. a $10,000 Canon or Nikon. They seem hung up on zooms in the tele lengths.

Dave

lol, I think it's cause they spend more time trying to develop a camera then more lenses

But you're 100% correct, they haven't really done any new lenses or supertels in a long time.

[remmib]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

Cool. What GND filter do you use with it?

Something called Formatt Filters.

The plan was to get Lee filters too, but the store was sold out.

[MaximusJ]

Originally Posted by The1

you will need flashes, soft boxes and tripods/stands

where is this happening? need help

I'll bring my tripod, but unfortunately, flash-wise, I'm gonna have to rely on my SB-900 only. But luckily for me, its the best flash I could get if I only had to bring one.

This is more a coverage of a tour and series of visits then actual shooting in a studio or a static place. So the use of heavy and sturdy equipement will only slow the pack down and it could bite me in the @ss. I will rely on my tripod only if group shots are needed.

I am looking for a second SB-900 (used this time) so I can trigger both my Sb-900 on stands using my radio hot shoe transmitter and two receivers on each flash for future shootings, but I will have to travel lightly during this one.

But some locations will be outside, so i'll be ok with just natural light if its sunny enough.

[The1]

Originally Posted by MaximusJ

I'll bring my tripod, but unfortunately, flash-wise, I'm gonna have to rely on my SB-900 only. But luckily for me, its the best flash I could get if I only had to bring one.

This is more a coverage of a tour and series of visits then actual shooting in a studio or a static place. So the use of heavy and sturdy equipement will only slow the pack down and it could bite me in the @ss. I will rely on my tripod only if group shots are needed.

I am looking for a second SB-900 (used this time) so I can trigger both my Sb-900 on stands using my radio hot shoe transmitter and two receivers on each flash for future shootings, but I will have to travel lightly during this one.

But some locations will be outside, so i'll be ok with just natural light if its sunny enough.

you will love being able to trigger 2 remotely.... it evens things out so nicely!

[Chewy734]

Originally Posted by remmib

Something called Formatt Filters.

The plan was to get Lee filters too, but the store was sold out.

does that store happen to have the LEE foundation kit in stock?

[panicos81]

[The1]

pretty.... when do you get yours?

[Chewy734]

no wonder they can cost upwards of $11k per lens.

[Chewy734]

Adobe Lightroom 4.1 RC2 now available!

Fixed Issues The following issues have been fixed in the Lightroom 4.1 release candidate 2 (April 26, 2012):

• Estimated price does not update when switching between books in the Collection panel.
• Postscript Type 1 Fonts do not appear in the Font menu within the Book module.
• Filenames can be used as auto text captions within the Book module.
• Fonts such as Courier New and Times were not displaying properly on books exported as PDF files.
• The Adjustment Brush pin would not properly accept negative values.
• Clarity adds grey tinting to 100% white tones.
• Creating a soft proof does not add a line item to the History Panel.
• Photos with GPS Altitude data will now properly display Altitude within Lightroom.
• Unable to import RAW+ JPEG files directly from Canon 5D, Canon 5D Mark II, Nikon D700, Nikon D90, and Sony NEX5 cameras when connected through USB.
• Unable to import RAW + JPEG files when using the built-in SD card reader on Macbook laptops in some scenarios.
• Lightroom 4 and ACR 6.7 render files differently.