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Digital SLR / DSLR Camera Question / DSLR Thread 2

cycle61 said:
After reading a bazillion reviews and comparisions (VR II has better corner sharpness vs VR I maintains focal length at close distances) I think the older version would be a better fit for me. Corners aren't as critical for what I do. And the little landscape shooting I've ever done with a 70-200 certainly didn't seem to suffer from softness at the periphery. Maybe I just had a really good copy? You tell me...unacceptable in the corners?
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a couple if sports shooter are complaining about the focal length of the 70-200 VR II. It shorter as what some sports shooter say...
 
afmotorsports said:
btw, I'm working out the details to get one of those L series lenses (70-200mm F4) but I've read in more than one place that image stabilization is not necessary for sports photos and even Joe (com3) used to shoot with one of them. Considering how much cheaper that lens is than the IS version, it sounds like a pretty good bargain for about $600.
Click to expand...

if you're using this for sports i suggest spend the extra to get the 2.8...
 
zypher said:
a couple if sports shooter are complaining about the focal length of the 70-200 VR II. It shorter as what some sports shooter say...
Click to expand...

Exactly. At infinity, it's an actual 200mm, but at shorter distances (anything under ~20 feet) the focal length is decreased. I think it's been calculated as low as 128mm. Makes kind of a tough call for those considering an upgrade.
 
afmotorsports said:
Thanks guys... I already picked up a used Canon 40D last night. I posted this on SBR but would also appreciate any input you guys can provide:

"It's been a "Canon week" for me: first a SX20 IS came for Christmas, then I had so much fun playing with it I decided I also needed a boat anchor DSLR so I used some Christmas money to pick up a used Canon 40D with the kit 28-135 IS lens ($700 seemed like a fair price). The SX20 is a breeze and that camera will go with me to lots more places then the "boat anchor" but the 40D takes some ridiculously awesome pics - for sure I'll be taking that to the track and other places where the weight of it is not a concern.

So the questions:

1. Camera came with a Kingston 2GB 50X Elite Pro CF card and I also have a Sandisk Ultra II 8GB CF card - are those adequate or should I be looking at the Ultra III or Extreme? What would be the benefits of getting a faster CF card?

2. Flash... I won't be using it very often but it would be nice to have... and I don't want to spend a bunch of money on one, so what would you recommend?

3. Canon 28-135 lens is pretty cool and it seems to be fine for the indoor shooting I've done so far - maybe I'll get a wide angle lens someday but that's not a priority since my "focus" is on outdoor pics, wildlife and motorcycle races. The guys at San Jose Camera recommended the Canon 75-300mm IS lens for about $600 but I noticed you can pick them up used on Adorama and ebay for about half of that - how smart is it to buy a used lens? There's also one on CL for $400.

4. BG-E2N battery grip - worth it? Twice the battery life but makes the boat anchor even bigger. New for $128 on Adorama, used maybe under $100. I'm sticking with Canon brand accessories just to be safe.

5. This may sound stupid but neither the SX20 or the 40D give you very good options for storing the lens cap while in use. What do you guys do? I know it's just a matter of time before I sit on my lens cap if I keep sticking it in my back pocket. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any help or guidance you can provide. I'm jumping into the DSLR world with both feet and I'm sure I'll be looking at photography classes at De Anza or West Valley for next year (unless anyone has other suggestions for classes). My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner when the kids were even younger... "
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1.) i used a ultra II on 1dmk2n shooting sports and i have no problem with it...
2.) i would go with a stronger flash (580exII) it's good to have that power and fast recycle time...
3.) Highly suggest the 70-200 2.8 for sports.
4.)The grip makes your life easier when shooting portrait style plus extra juice wouldn't hurt...
5.)Leave your lens cap in your bag. Get hoya Super HMC filter for protection.
 
Baptistro said:
If you want, you are welcome to try out any of my lenses before you buy. I will most likely have my whole setup with me at the races this coming season. :thumbup
Click to expand...

Thanks, I really appreciate that but to be honest I would be really freaked out to borrow anyone's big $$$$ lenses. I'm the same with other people's bikes. I try to do my "homework" on stuff before I buy it and I haven't made too many bad decisions. It also seems like lenses hold their value fairly well so even if I end up not liking one I probably won't take a bath on a lens when I sell it... unlike bike stuff.

Happy New Year and I will see you at the track! :thumbup
 
zypher said:
if you're using this for sports i suggest spend the extra to get the 2.8...
Click to expand...

Can you recommend a good divorce lawyer?? :laughing

Seriously though, what's the advantage of the 2.8? I know I won't do any indoor events with that lens, so what scenario would I encounter where the 2.8 would be superior?
 
The IS effectively gives you two full aperture stops from what I hear, making the lens much more usable when tracking moving objects laterally. The IS comes with two settings IS2 being the preferred mode for action sports. It will also allow you, to a certain degree, to use it without the need of a mono or tripod. The f/2.8, aside from better performance in low light, also gives you the ability to further soften the background from the subject in focus, and thus gives you more versatility in the images you produce.

Here's an image with the lens on IS1.

751844130_ZRXLz-M.jpg


f/2.8 1/1600s ISO200 148mm(236.8)

This pic and the one above taken around 3:30 p.m. with the sun fairly low on the horizon, which worked nicely when kept to the left and behind me.
 
afmotorsports said:
Can you recommend a good divorce lawyer?? :laughing

Seriously though, what's the advantage of the 2.8? I know I won't do any indoor events with that lens, so what scenario would I encounter where the 2.8 would be superior?
Click to expand...


Go to a regular high school football game on a Friday night. It only seems bright to you. To the camera, you might as well be taking pics in a dark room with only a lit candle.

If you only plan to take pics in bright-ass sunlight in the middle of the day, then you won't need the 2.8.
 
2.8 focuses faster in low light, 1 stop faster, subject isolation, etc...

you never know when you need that extra stop of light...
with your 40d and a 2.8 glass, you will be happy with how
fast your focusing will be. Trust me, i know. I shot NBA game
with a 40d and 70-200 2.8 and it tracks great. now if i shot
the game with f4 then i would have lost a stop on my shutter
speed, then the photo would come out not sharp and with all
these distraction in the BG. So get the 70-200 2.8 "NON IS"
and you will be happy. I've also done portraits wide open at
2.8 and results are great, subject isolation is great...blahblahblah...
well, it's up to you really. if you can get the 2.8 then great.
 
The IS is great when shooting low shutter speeds. If shooting sports in low light, you will still have to pan shoot any action shots, as IS only removes hand shake.

As well as everyone has said about why 2.8 is great, it also allows you to use teleconvertors without problems if need be.
 
BrassPremier said:
The IS is great when shooting low shutter speeds. If shooting sports in low light, you will still have to pan shoot any action shots, as IS only removes hand shake.

As well as everyone has said about why 2.8 is great, it also allows you to use teleconvertors without problems if need be.
Click to expand...

IS works great...i get sharp images at 1/20th...
 
Photoshop might be a bit too complex of an app for the interface, but consider built in panoramic stitchers, HDR calculators, DOF calculators, posting directly to galleries, email, social networking sites.
 
Photo storage

I'm probably asking a stupid question but here it is anyway.

I have i photo on my mac and we have all our pictures stored there.

I also have photos stored on ofoto and photobucket.

Is iphoto good to keep all my pictures stored there? Is there anyplace else you guys recommend?

The most we have done with iphoto is create some slideshows. We would like to do more with it and are looking into taking some Mac classes.

Thanks,
Ren
 
rcad1 said:
I'm probably asking a stupid question but here it is anyway.

I have i photo on my mac and we have all our pictures stored there.

I also have photos stored on ofoto and photobucket.

Is iphoto good to keep all my pictures stored there? Is there anyplace else you guys recommend?

The most we have done with iphoto is create some slideshows. We would like to do more with it and are looking into taking some Mac classes.

Thanks,
Ren
Click to expand...

i burn it onto cd, harddrives fail eventually.
 
Storm Shadow said:
i burn it onto cd DVD, hard drives fail eventually.
Click to expand...

this

Your photos aren't really "stored" in iPhoto, though. They're on your hard drive. And apparently some of them are online. At some point you need to decide what your long-term organization and storage plan is.
 
I'm picking up a Canon 70-200mm f/4 and a 50mm f1.8 today to go along with the 28-135mm kit lens. I really appreciate all the great advice I got from you guys and I was really close to going for the 70-200mm 2.8 but a friend suggested I first spend a few months taking lots of shot and figure out what type of lenses are best for the type of photos I'm taking. If the f/4 becomes a limiting factor I can always sell it and buy a 2.8. I'm also going to take a closer look at prime lenses. Seems Canon used to make a 300mm f/2.8 (non-IS) and that might be a nice lens too, especially if I find myself looking for more than the 200mm telephoto. The really inexpensive 50mm f1.8 will also help me decide if I really like that type of prime lens and then I can maybe decide to step up to the 1.4 or the 1.2 L lens. Mostly I'm just looking forward to taking lots and lots of pics with my kids, my family, our 3 dogs and all the outdoors activities I enjoy so much.

My learning curve with DSLR photography has been like drinking from a fire hose but it's really starting to click in my head. Thanks again to all you guys who shared your knowledge. :thumbup
 
afmotorsports said:
I'm picking up a Canon 70-200mm f/4 and a 50mm f1.8 today to go along with the 28-135mm kit lens. I really appreciate all the great advice I got from you guys and I was really close to going for the 70-200mm 2.8 but a friend suggested I first spend a few months taking lots of shot and figure out what type of lenses are best for the type of photos I'm taking. If the f/4 becomes a limiting factor I can always sell it and buy a 2.8. I'm also going to take a closer look at prime lenses. Seems Canon used to make a 300mm f/2.8 (non-IS) and that might be a nice lens too, especially if I find myself looking for more than the 200mm telephoto. The really inexpensive 50mm f1.8 will also help me decide if I really like that type of prime lens and then I can maybe decide to step up to the 1.4 or the 1.2 L lens. Mostly I'm just looking forward to taking lots and lots of pics with my kids, my family, our 3 dogs and all the outdoors activities I enjoy so much.

My learning curve with DSLR photography has been like drinking from a fire hose but it's really starting to click in my head. Thanks again to all you guys who shared your knowledge. :thumbup
Click to expand...

Hey Alex! :wave

My friend Scott has the 300mm f/2.8L. Not sure if he's parting with it, he just sold his other long L lenses.

The nifty-fifty is great, the downside is the aperture is only 5 blades, to the out-of-focus stuff looks odd if the background has a lot of contrast. That said, just shove it on Av mode, set the aperture to 1.8-2.2 and you can take some lovely portraits.

On another topic, got the chance to use the 5D Mk2 in the studio again for an impromptu 50's themed shoot. Feedback appreciated. Links are not nude, but arguably NSFW:


http://www.yahphoto.biz/hosted/2009_12_27 Lisa Reilly 124.jpg

http://www.yahphoto.biz/hosted/2009_12_27 Lisa Reilly 139bw.jpg

http://www.yahphoto.biz/hosted/2009_12_27 Lisa Reilly 197.jpg

http://www.yahphoto.biz/hosted/2009_12_27 Lisa Reilly 206bw.jpg

http://www.yahphoto.biz/hosted/2009_12_27 Lisa Reilly 235bw.jpg

http://www.yahphoto.biz/hosted/2009_12_27 Lisa Reilly 247.jpg

http://www.yahphoto.biz/hosted/2009_12_27 Lisa Reilly 258.jpg

http://www.yahphoto.biz/hosted/2009_12_27 Lisa Reilly 278vg.jpg

http://www.yahphoto.biz/hosted/2009_12_27 Lisa Reilly 306.jpg
 
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