Dante74

I played the demo on XBL and love it so I'll probably get it.

I sure will. The 24-70 is incredibly sharp, I did have to apply some adjustment to the Auto Focusing though. Good thing the 5D has the lens specific micro-adjustment feature

looks like you got a sharp lens copy dante74. enjoy your new toys!

And now some pics from my 1/48 VF-1A CF taken with the 5D mkII

First, read this article. It'll save you some money by making the right choice the first time around.

I opted for a Gitzo/Really Right Stuff setup because, from what I've read, they make the best support equipment in the world. They're not cheap, but you'll be set for live.

It took me nearly three months to find a tripod that matches my criteria and my budget. I do urban exploration photography, among others things, and I needed my tripod to be as compact and light as possible. The carbon tripods are way out of my budget so I got the Gitzo Basalt GT2941.

It has four leg sections instead of three but that means it's able to fold down to 56 cm which work great when I'm crawling around old abandoned buildings. With the ballhead attached it weighs exactly 2 kg.

The ballhead is made by Really Right Stuff. RRS ballheads are considered to be the best in the bussines (and the most expensive ). a RRS ballhead would normally be out of my pricerange but I got a great deal from my local camerashop that I just couldn't ignore. Like with the tripod, I didn't get the top of the line ballhead which is the BH-55, instead I got the BH-40 which easily matches my criteria (and then some)

I paid €280 for the tripod on sale at a Dutch online retailer

I paid €161 for the RRS BH-40 ballhead at my local camera store (they have since brought the price up to €330)

I got the RRS B2-40 LR quick release clamp from the RRS online store for $105

And the plates to attach the camera/lens to the ballhead cost my around €55 each.

That's about €630. I shopped around for the same setup just last weeks to see if I could still get it for that price, but it would now set me back around €950.

I have to admit, I got a little carried away by spending that much mony on some stuff to keep my camera steady in dark environments. My initial budget was €500, but hey, you only live once right?

Dante74 that appears to be some serious equipment you have there. I've been reading up on tripods and monopods and have heard good things about the Gitzo. What can you tell me that led to your getting one? What did it set you back with the ballhead, if you don't mind me asking?

The first and last pics have the most potential IMO. Very nice.

Here's my two cents.

The first pic is a little too soft.

The last pic can be improved in several ways.

1. Use a larger aperture (lower F number) to isolate the two subjects from the background.
2. Move to the left to make the lady's face visible
3. Move closer or use a tele lens to make the shot a little more intimate.

I know these are photos we are not used to looking at, but I wanted you guys to critique them. I took these at a wedding last Saturday for a co-worker who was getting married. There was one photo of her where I thought the bokeh was really nice so I thought I would share it and a few others. One of our staff photographers at work looked at the pictures and told me that I was making good use of the rule of thirds and that I had an eye; that made me feel good. Anywho, here are a few shots. Feel free to chime in on the good, bad, and ugly of it all.

Doesn't the D5000 have a moveable LCD display? I'd love to have that feature on my camera. I might have to get an angle finder for my Urban Exploration work. I mostly take pics from a low point of view and a a feature like that would really come in handy.

well, i wouldn't exactly call this professional, but i like it...

(taken with a NIKON D5000 DSLR)

oh, and MAJOR FOCKER; that drop ship and APC set is AWESOME...

If I'm totally honest, I would recommend you save up for a lens with superiour optics. Now that I've seen what a 24-70 mm L can do, I regret ever spending any cash on a non L type lens.

Although a 24-70 mm would fit nicely with your 70-200 mm, it wouldn't give you significantly more wide angle coverage

BTW. The new 15-85 mm seems to be better than the 17-85 mm I own and lets not forget the excellent 17-55 f2.8.

kind of tempting, although I'm totally broke right now

(I really could use more range on the wide end and less overlap with my 70-200mm than I have now with my 28-135mm )

wow! so how do you like your new 5d2 + 24-70?

I love the 5D2! I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked through the viewfinder for the first time. It's so large and clear compared to the 40D, you can literally look around in it. And the 24-70 is so sharp, I can't believe how crappy the 17-85 kitlens actually is. BTW. Anyone interested in buying a very sharp, good as new 17-85 mm kitlens?

I'll post some Valk pics this weekend.

LOL!

damn!!!!

That's what she said.

My camera's, flash, tripod and two of my lenses.

My new backpack.

The 17-85 mm on the left won't be used anymore, so there's still some left space for a 17-40 mm f4.0 (or a future 14-24 mm f2.8 Canon might be developing as we speak!) and a 50 mm f1.4 that are on my wishlist along with some RRS equipment for taking good pano's.

Just picked up my new toys!

I'll try to post a couple of pics tomorrow.

::EDIT::

BTW. My new backpack with all the gear in it weighs a ton!

a fast wide angle lens is needed in low light conditions or when you need to freeze fast moving objects. I'll be using my 24-70 mm f2.8 in the pits at racing events.

had a blast with my new camera during my recent holiday. my only regret was not having a wide angle lens so now i'm contemplating getting one.

the thing is, there are still very few lens choices for micro four thirds and the wide angle ones available (or soon to be) are f4-5.6

my limited knowledge tells me this should be okay since landscapes are supposed to be shot at small apertures anyway and ideally with a tripod. so when i read about people clamoring for fast, wide-angle lens, i'm a bit confused as to why such lenses would be desirable and in what instances/applications.

appreciate if someone can enlighten me. thanks.

my 70-200 has arrived!!!!

You're gonna love that lens vegas! Have you still got the 450D? If so, it'll give some nice reach with the crop factor.

My 5D mkII + 24-70 mm f2.8 + accessories should arrive sometime next week. Can't wait!

Nice shots Vegas! Maybe I should get the 50 mm f1.4 too.

Anyone else jealous or am I the only one the want to be in Vegas' shoes. (I know, bad joke, but I couldn't help myself )

I went the the local camera store yesterday to get a price for my 'wishlist'

I'm up to €4400,00, but that includes a Gitzo GT2531 carbon 6x series 2 tripod to replace my current Gitzo Basalt tripod and a Lowepro Vertex 200 AW backpack.

what a better way to test the new lens with a new pair of subjects

no sharpening has been done on these pics and shot them on different f stops

The Digital Picture has something to say about the Sigma 50 mm 1.4.

Basically they say that if you get one that focusses properly it's a better lens than the Canon 50 mm 1.4.

yeah, in general. But most people praise the 50mm HSM in terms of performance and build quality. It's consistently reviewed to be superior to the canon 1.4 50mm.

The HSM is more expensive than either the canon or nikon equivalents. But if you're doing any night photography the harshness of the bokeh makes the sigma an easy win over the nikon and that it's noticeably sharper than the canon @ 1.4 gives it an easy win there too. What's the point of buying such a fast lens if the images are soft?

Damn, lost my jaw again!

Brilliant!!1

From the link David provided.

F22 Raptor 1/72 Die Cast Model 27th Squadron, Langley Ari froce Base, Virginia, 2005

Lowest-price place I know of that is reputable that still has some pre-order slots left:

http://www.aimhigherjets.com/HA2801_F22_Ra...ad_p/ha2801.htm

Awesome! Thanks David!

That Blue Angel flying over the water has a vapor cone following it. I always thought that those were formed because the aircraft is flying +Mach 1, but this one doesn't seem to be going that fast.

The top 10 low (and I mean low) high-speed passes of all time:

We demand pics!

maybe for a 200 F2

sold the lens and just purchased the 50mm F1.4

im so excited now

LOL and good luck on the class man.

btw im selling my 50mm 1.8 to get the 50 1.4 and probably a ST-E2 Transmitter

Why not sell a kidney and get the 50 1.2?

Canon camera's have a 'bulb' function where the shutter stays open for as long as you keep the button pressed down. I'm sure Nion camera's have the same functionallity, just don't know what it's called.

Try ZWCAD.

It's a free Chinese ripoff version of AutoCAD. I personally haven't used it because my company uses Autodesk and Bentley products but I've heard it basically is ACAD, just from China.

Yeah, me too.

Expect some Full Frame Valkyrie Goodness™ when I get my new toy.

My boss just gave me the go-ahead to purchase a Canon 5D mkII, a 24-70 mm f2.8 lens, a Speedlite 580 EX II flash, two 16GB CF cards, B+W 77 mm Slim UV filter, circular polarizer filter, etc etc.

...

wait for it...

...

WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!11

My reason for wanting to go full frame is fairly simple...I think. My next purchase is the Nikon 70-200 VRII. Although reviews are saying it's good on DX bodies it is a full frame lens. I plan to eventually buy a full frame body and do not want to be stuck with selection of DX lenses since glass is where it's at and not bodies. This is an expensive hobby and I'd rather be buying full frame lenses now instead of investing in DX. Rather than learn conversions for DX I'd rather go old school and learn on the 35mm curve. The easier the better as far as I'm concerned.

Eugimon, why the Cannon body over Nikon for full-frame? I'm somewhat paticular about Nikon lenses and for what I plan to shoot will it make all that much of a difference?

I've had an offer to do some nightclub photography on a regular basis and I'm looking for a good portable photo printer. Any suggestions?

If you're going to do nightclub photography (ie. low light and lots of movement) you'll need to use fast lenses and high ISO. Choose the camera that performs best at those high ISO's. Canon also just released the follow up to the 70-200 mm f2.8 IS. From what I've read online, it's supposed to be even better then its predecessor but it's still expensive as hell (up to $3000!). Prices should go down to about half the current amount in about six months though.

If you're going to make a living from photography, get the Nikon D3x. It's currently the best camera on the market.

Good to see you back online mr. March!