Mark's New Toy Thread

[Evad]

Well it can't be too cold your son is wearing crocks. Try that up here and you will know what cold is. 13 degrees today......


Great pics btw and congrats on the new lens...

 

[Gdad]

Mark- I think you may have a seriously defective lens. I can't help but notice that all of the images you posted have a LOT of out of focus areas in them- especially the backgrounds. I don't think an expensive tripod is really going to help that.

Also just a little tip on your photography technique while I'm at it- I notice that for some reason the majority of your subjects are not even looking at the camera and some are not even smiling. Try to let people know you are taking a picture- especially when they might be distracted by something like playing sports. This is traditionally done by professionals by yelling out the alert "Say Cheese!"

 

[dmccarty]

I think Mark had better send the tripod back. Did you see that last photo? Obviously the tripod could not handle the weight of the new Canon. The subject was at an angle in the frame.

Finished the taxes this weekend......

NAS bit me bad.....

Nikon 70-200/F2.8 VR II is on the way.

Should have decided to buy before the end of January and we would have saved a bit of money. <sigh>

<Rationalization On:>
- I have been wanting a 70/80-200mm/F2.8 zoom since the 90s.
- We should make some money on the lens with the events I am shooting.
- First major lens purchase since the 90s. I did buy the 50mm/F1.4 two years ago. Great lens used for 80-90% of the BBall photos I am taking. SHARP lens even at 2.8.
<Rationalization Off:>

Later,
Dan

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Well it can't be too cold your son is wearing crocks. Try that up here and you will know what cold is. 13 degrees today......

It was probably about 60 while we were out there. That was warm for this week. It's been extremely cold lately. It might even get down to freezing tonight. I am completely sick of this frigid whether. My landscaping is shot. At this point, global warming doesn't seem so bad.

Alas, no new video camera from Canon yet. It seems odd to announce a new codec and then not announce any devices that actually use it.

Finished the taxes this weekend......

I'm looking forward to a nice tax return this year, but it will have to wait a bit. I invested in an MLP and probably won't get the K-1 I need to file for another month. I've been trying to figure out how to handle my money for next year, but I'm finding it very confusing. If anyone is a tax expert, let me know because I'm terribly confused.

I got a tracking number on the sidekick. It'll get here on Friday. I've got a new lens on the way that should beat it here. I ordered the Canon 85mm f/1.2. I don't really need it, but I wanted to get it because Nikon doesn't make one. Nikon's answer to it is their very dated 85mm f/1.4. Because Nikon subjects tend to be thicker then Canon subjects, the DOF works out to be about the same.

 

[dmccarty]

snip...
I got a tracking number on the sidekick. It'll get here on Friday. I've got a new lens on the way that should beat it here. I ordered the Canon 85mm f/1.2. I don't really need it, but I wanted to get it because Nikon doesn't make one. Nikon's answer to it is their very dated 85mm f/1.4. Because Nikon subjects tend to be thicker then Canon subjects, the DOF works out to be about the same.

The rumors, or maybe hopeful thinking, is that Nikon will announce new lenses at PMA in a few weeks. I got a note from Nikon in the past few days that they now have a AFS 24mm/F1.4 lens. This was one of the rumored lenses to be updated. The 85mm, 80-400mm and 180mm are also on the rumor/want list.

Got my NAS very satisfied yesterday when the 70-200/F2.8 VR II lens arrived. Saturday will be the big tryout day but the quick tests I did last night left me more than amazed. I took a hand held photo of the dogs face at 200mm with a shutter speed of 1/80 at F2.8 No blur. No nothing but SHARP SHARP SHARP. I think I enlarged the eye to 300% and no blur. AMAZING.

For the price it should be AMAZING. It really was magic. Everything I saw last night is right in line with what all of the reviews have stated.

I think I will sell my 180mm/F2.8. The new 70-200mm/F2.8 VRII is that danged good which I never ever considered. I had some somewhat comparable photos with the 180mm that I took this weekend due to some comments about the zoom. I repeated the shots with the zoom. The zoom beat prime. Not quite the same shot but very close. The zoom is outstanding.

Can't wait to see how it works with the VR set to active mode on the Safari ride at AK.

Later,
Dan

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Got the 85mm f/1.2 today. Like me, it's short and fat. It is so heavy relative to it's size that it feels like it is solid. It's definitely a weird shape.

One dislike is that it has a 72mm filter diameter. Most of my lenses are 77mm. I guess I'll buy a step-up ring. I'm thinking about going with one of those square filter systems because I'll also need filters for the TS-E lens that I plan to buy, which has 82mm threads.

The focusing is odd. Like the 300mm lens that I just bought, the focus ring is electronic. When you turn it, it doesn't move the elements directly. Instead, it tells the camera and the camera tells a focus motor to move the optics. It's sort of a "focus by wire" system. I hope that it doesn't race off in some crazy unintended focus situation. Maybe I should practice shifting it into manual mode just in case.

I've got a lot going on, so I'm not sure how much shooting I'll get in this weekend. I'll take a least a few shots with it and post them here.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Got the sidekick today. Nice stuff. I'm glad that I ordered the longer plate for the 300mm because it needed to be pretty far out to balance. I'm not even sure if it would balance with something as light as a Rebel.

Yet another co-worker bought a DSLR this week. He got a Nikon D90. Of the last 5 co-workers that bought DSLRs, all five have gone with Nikons. I'm not sure if that's because my semi-pro photog co-worker that shoots with a D3 takes much better pictures than me or if they figure they can borrow better lenses from him than from me.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I ordered a polarizer and a better beamer for the 300 today. The polarizer is a 52mm drop in. Instead of screwing it on the front (which would require an enormous filter), you put it in a slot near the back of the lens.

The better beamer is a flash attachment. It sticks a Fresnel lens in front of the flash. The lens focuses the light. My flash can zoom to cover an area equivalent to the range of a 24mm to 105mm lens. When taking pictures at 300mm or 600mm (using the 2x), most of the light falls outside the picture, so the effective power is much lower. The BB concentrates the light where it will be more useful.

So if any of you are thinking about getting a jumbo lens (like the 300mm f/2.8, 400mm f4 or f/2.8, the 500mm f4, 600mm f4. or the 800mm f/5.6), you need to realize that the astronomical price of the lens isn't the whole story. You'll need a hefty tripod. The most common tripods for the big lenses are the Gitzo 3 and 5 series, which start at $700 and go up. You'll need a Wimberly head ($600) or a Wimberly sidekick ($250) and a really sturdy ball head ($400). You'll need a special drop-in polarizer ($150) if you want a polarizer. You'll need a better beamer ($40). You may also want to protect the finish or camoflage your lens with a lenscoat ($80). Something to keep in mind.

 

[IndyShutterbug]

The better beamer is a flash attachment. It sticks a Fresnel lens in front of the flash. The lens focuses the light. My flash can zoom to cover an area equivalent to the range of a 24mm to 105mm lens. When taking pictures at 300mm or 600mm (using the 2x), most of the light falls outside the picture, so the effective power is much lower. The BB concentrates the light where it will be more useful.

I second the better beamer. Great addition to wildlife shots. I wish I would have had one with me on this shot. Would have been nice for some fill light in his/her eyes.

EF300mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
f/14 @ 1/250

 

[MarkBarbieri]

We had our company townhall last week. They announced the size of the new bonus pool. Bonuses will be about triple their norm this year. It was a very good year. I've already heard of two D700s being ordered. Another person is getting a D90 or D5000. Everyone seems to be getting Nikon stuff. Shows how little influence I have.

I've really been enjoying the 300mm on the sidekick. A gimbal head is a bit of a pain to set up, but it is a real joy to use. I can't wait to get this setup out to California.

I'm ready for another round of orders. I'm going to get a set of waterproof, stabilized binoculars (Canon 10x42), a Canon 15mm fisheye, and either a 17mm or 24mm TS-E lens. I'm also toying with the idea of getting a 7D and an 18-200mm lens. The 7D would be a better sports camera than my 5D and with the 18-200mm lens, it would be handy for casual outings.

Still no sign of my new tripod. It sounds like RRS is really backed up on them.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I ordered the binoculars and the Canon 15mm fisheye. I decided not to get the 7D. I decided that I want the 24mm TS-E and will just wait until it becomes available. I'm also waiting on the Lastolite Tri-grip 8 in 1 kit to become available.

Well, that's it for my buying binge:

1) RRS TVC-33 tripod
2) RRS BH-55 ball head
3) RRS TQB-80 tripod bag
4) Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS
5) Canon 85mm f/1.2
6) Canon 15mm fisheye
7) Wimberly Sidekick
8) Wimberly plate for 300mm lens
9) RRS plate for 70-200 f/2.8 IS lens
10) 52mm drop-in polarizer
11) Better Beamer

Waiting on:
12) Canon 24mm TS-E II
13) Lastolite Tri-grip 8 in 1 reflector

I think that's it for my buying stuff thread.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I've been on BH's "notify list" for the 24mm TS-E II for a while. A few minutes ago I thought I'd take a quick check of my wish list there to see if it was in. Sure enough, it was listed as being in stock. As quickly as I could, I placed my order. My order went through and now it is listed as out of stock again. I looks like I jumped in and grabbed one. I'm happy.

Then again, we ordered a wetsuit for my oldest son and, after accepting our order and waiting a week, they e-mailed us that they had to cancel the order because they could no longer get that wetsuit in that size. It was an awesome price because it was discontinued.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I got the reflector and the 24 TS-E. It is one funky lens. It's manual focus. In addition to the focus knob, it has four other knobs and three switches. It has a knob for tilting, a knob for locking the tilt, a knob for shifting, a knob for locking the shift, a switch for locking the tilt (seems kind of redundant), a switch that allows you to rotate the tilt separate from the shift, and a switch that allows you to rotate the whole kaboodle. This is definitely not a point and shoot kind of lens.

I also got the tri-grip kit. I really like it. I much prefer it to my round photoflex reflector/diffuser.

 

[boBQuincy]

I expect to see some really good photos from that lens on your trip to Pacific Grove!

 

[mabas9395]

I expect to see some really good photos from that lens on your trip to Pacific Grove!

Yeah, how about some really good photos this time. Not like the ones we are used to seeing.