Support NeoGAF

[Rentahamster]

Thanks for the input.

Hmmm. So slave is where you have a flash off the shoe, right? Do you normally hold it, or place it somewhere? I understand the 7D can act as a master, so I was wondering if I needed 'compatible' flashes. All this stuff is totally foreign to me! BUt I have some links - might go do some reading.

The flash I mentioned is not compatible with Canon's proprietary infrared wireless TTL flash system.. You would need to go with Canon's branded flashes to use the 7D in that way.

You can, however, use the 7D as a "dumb" master, meaning that it can trigger the flash (via the flash's built in optical slave) but not control it.

The optical slave on the LP120 flash is just a light sensor. Whenever it senses a bright burst of light (such as a flash from your 7D) it will trigger. That means you can place the flash off the axis of the camera lens and do some directional lighting which almost always looks better than flash fired directly from your camera.

Since it's kinda hard to trigger the optical slave using the built in flash on a camera body, a more practical way would be to use a $2 PC sync cord to connect camera to flash.

Anyway, like I said, this is all kinda complicated at first. You should read the archives and the lessons at strobist.com to get a better idea.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Thanks for the overview!

I really like my 85mm f/1.8, but kind of want something a bit more 'robust', but don't want to snag for the 1.2L. I'll probably end up just messing about with my 85mm f1.8, but wanted to know what was out there. I understand the EF Zeiss lenses will still give "AF confirmation", which I take to mean it will let you know when it is in focus by beeping/lighting up in the viewfinder. I might try manual focusing with all the af-points on. It seems the 7D is ideal for this, with a large array of af points.

Yep, just choose the AF point and compose the subject over it and it'll beep when in focus. The catch about this setup is that its good for smaller apertures but when you start shooting with faster lenses it may not be as accurate.

I'm a noob at shootan photos and I want a lens for portraiture
would a 50/1.4 for my rebel xti be a good option for someone like me?

Having used and loved the 50/1.4 I would recommend the 85/1.8 instead. The 50/1.4 is versatile but the lens is very fragile (the AF motor) and chances are you'll run into AF issues at some point. The 85/1.8 will allow you to get tighter portraits anyways without having to be right up in the subjects face. There's also the 100/2 that gives you even more room over the 85mm. All of these lenses provide fantastic IQ though.

On another note, I was reading about Honeycomb'ed Snoots (for off camera lighting) and it looks like the perfect flower light/tool. A snoot is a funnel that focuses the beam of light from your flash so it comes out more like a beacon. You can produce cool spot light effects. The photographers that used the snoot very good were able to darken the background and bring a portion of their subject out. Its one of those things that really makes me want to get Canons 430EX II.

 

[noah111]

Not exactly an inconspicuous piece of hardware in any case.

Many tourists wear cameras around their neck.. but yeah I don't think this will work anyway due to it not being capable of auto focusing or having a good mic.. Still worth the ask.

 

[nitewulf]

Here's a question for you guys : Could you give any tips on how to focus on my black cat? Its a strange question, I know, but auto focus just won't work on his fur, and even manual focus can be difficult to get dialed in just right. Thanks

always focus on the eyes. put a focus point on one eye and shoot.

 

[mrkgoo]

Just to see, I shot this on my 7D at iso 6400 and deliberately underexposed by two stops, and brought it up again in post, so it's kind of like a boosted iso 25,600:


EF17-40 f/4L, 17mm, f/8.0, 1/13s, iso "25,600".

Here's a 100% crop. Keep in mind, this is at 17mm.

I think it's ok. It was dusk and overcast, and I did processing on the resulting jpeg, not the RAW. Perhaps more shocking is how many pixels I have to work with. My 100% crop is as big as the resized!

 

[sixteen-bit]

Having used and loved the 50/1.4 I would recommend the 85/1.8 instead. The 50/1.4 is versatile but the lens is very fragile (the AF motor) and chances are you'll run into AF issues at some point. The 85/1.8 will allow you to get tighter portraits anyways without having to be right up in the subjects face. There's also the 100/2 that gives you even more room over the 85mm. All of these lenses provide fantastic IQ though.

On another note, I was reading about Honeycomb'ed Snoots (for off camera lighting) and it looks like the perfect flower light/tool. A snoot is a funnel that focuses the beam of light from your flash so it comes out more like a beacon. You can produce cool spot light effects. The photographers that used the snoot very good were able to darken the background and bring a portion of their subject out. Its one of those things that really makes me want to get Canons 430EX II.

Thanks for the input!

 

[smirkrevenge]

So, I'm looking to get rid of my Canon 135 f/2 and 16-35 f/2.8, both L. I like the 135 a lot, but I want the 85 f/1.2 (mk2). I think I'll get more use out of that. And the wide-angle, I just can't justify having it since I don't take a lot of landscape/architecture.

1) How much do you think I can get in the used market? The lenses are both in great condition and have had UV filters since day 1.

2) Anyone interested in offering a price or a trade? Let me know.

 

[BlueTsunami]

So, I'm looking to get rid of my Canon 135 f/2 and 16-35 f/2.8, both L. I like the 135 a lot, but I want the 85 f/1.2 (mk2). I think I'll get more use out of that. And the wide-angle, I just can't justify having it since I don't take a lot of landscape/architecture.

1) How much do you think I can get in the used market? The lenses are both in great condition and have had UV filters since day 1.

2) Anyone interested in offering a price or a trade? Let me know.

Maaaaan, if I had money to spend I'd so buy that 135L from you! Don't want to rain on any possible buyers parade but you can seriously sell that lens at $850-$950 easy. The lens is going for $1050 new (which is crazy since it used to go for $850 new, a year ago). That lens should easily hold its value (as does most L lenses).

For everyone else, if you want one of the ultimate Portraiture lenses that's equal to the 85/1.2 in its respective focal length, look into the 135L. The Auto Focus is also lightning fast (in contrast to the 85/1.2's slow AF). Fast enough that its a lens that people go to for sports.

 

[smirkrevenge]

BlueTsu: thanks for the kind talk-up. the 135 is definitely an amazing lens, and perfect for capturing candids from a far enough distance. i've also taken some pretty great portraits for it.

i'll probably just end up going to adorama or b&h tomorrow to see how much they'll give me for them, and possibly a trade for the 85.

anyone else want to help a brutha out?

 

[mrkgoo]

I would love a 135L. Before I got a 7D, I was wanting to get a 135L for an inevitable move to full frame, as I love the 85mm FOV.

But now I guess I'm stick ing with Crop for a while, I have to resist. It's just such an awesome lens for so cheap (comparatively).

I thought the 135L was around US$900 new, but prices have gone up so what Bluetsunami says doesn't surprise me. It of course goes both ways - the 85L is probably pretty expensive again (Canon Rebates are live, though).

The really high-end 1.2L are that much out of my price range, though. I can only stick with the f/4Ls

 

[smirkrevenge]

I was crop (rebel) for a few years, but I made the jump to FF just this year. I love my 5D mk2.

Question: why is the newest Canon 1D so awesome, but still crop? are there any advantages to having a cropped sensor?

 

[mrkgoo]

I was crop (rebel) for a few years, but I made the jump to FF just this year. I love my 5D mk2.

Question: why is the newest Canon 1D so awesome, but still crop? are there any advantages to having a cropped sensor?

It's 1.3x crop, so not quite as small as the 1.6x.

It's a compromise in price (yeah, I know that thing is $5000 - but it would be even more if it were full frame). An engineer on another forum was describing how expensive it is to do full-frame, so I'm guessing that's the main reason. Check out the AF and processor features of the 5DmkII, they're nowhere near as advanced as the 1D or even 7D. The 5DmkII is like a 50D with a larger sensor, and that makes it 2.5x the price.

At a guess, that's what I'd say it is.

I guess you could also ask the question - what are the advantages of a full frame? YEah, high iso, narrow DOF etc...but in your images, what does it really mean? less noise, but are people really having so much issue with the noise on other cameras? I asked myself the same question about whether I should get a 5DmkII.

Lastly, you DO get a bit of artificial reach. Apparently birders can sometimes prefer the smaller sensor for filling the frame with the subject from a long distance. It's artificial, so you can crop a 5D to get the same thing, but if you;re always going to crop, why bother with the full frame?

One last thing is the large sensor like the 5D is really high MP. With a high MP, it requires really high bandwidth to process the images. This requires more processor, and results in lower frames per second.

The 1D at 16MP with dual processors can do 10fps. The 7D also has dual processors and can achieve 8fps, and utilize it's amazing AF in between each shot.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Question: why is the newest Canon 1D so awesome, but still crop? are there any advantages to having a cropped sensor?

Probably due to the amount of data that needs to be passed is a lot larger than with a 1.3x Sensor so they went with that instead (to keep the Frames Per Second up). Lots of people are belly aching about this but they need to remember that Canon also has a 1Ds which will almost surely be a FF camera.

Though I can get the complaints when you factor in Nikon's D3S. I guess its just a case of Canon splitting their tiers up (sort of how the 7D is the Sports model, the 5DII is the Portraiture/Landscape model).

 

[smirkrevenge]

these last two responses are the most well-thought out responses i've read online.

fair and honest, kudos.

 

[nitewulf]

what do u want for the 135 f/2?

 

[smirkrevenge]

nitewulf - if i can score an 85 f/1.2 with the funds from my 135 and 16-35, then we can work something out. i've looked on ebay/amazon, and i see it used going for ~$1000.

i'm going to adorama/b&h tomorrow to see how much they want for my wide angle, and i'll let you know. are you definitely set on this?

you can PM if necessary.

 

[Mecha_Infantry]

Hi guys,

I am deciding between 4 camera, but in 2 different ranges:

Canon 450D vs Nikon D60

or

Canon 500D vs Nikon D90

I've been told, and used the D90, so I am liking that a lot. But I am going to be buying my first DSLR, after my Canon IXUS 70 let me down on holiday. I used the PnS camera a lot and it did good shots, but for long canal shots it was really lacking in terms of detail in distance. So i showed the pics to a few photographer friends of mine, and they suggested I take the step to a DSLR. One recommended the D60, the other the D90; but I've always liked my Canons!

I will be doing the following type of shots:

-Holidays (Towns with amazing architecture, scenery, etc)
-Sports (Football &cricket)
-People (At anime/game conventions, work parties, weddings, etc)
-"wildlife" so insects, gardens, fish
-Fashion, my shoe collections etc

That's like all the info I can give for now. The other info I need is about lenses, the ones I had been suggested are 18-55mm (standard) and 50mm f/1.8f, I've seen this lense in action and just love the effect it can give

So if anyone can give me some suggestions, please do!

Anyone ?

 

[BlueTsunami]

Anyone ?

Its hard to recommend between the two systems. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. Generally Nikon has better Auto Focus amongst their bodies and the ergonomics are considered to be better than Canon's.

On the flip, Canon lenses are cheaper (though this is becoming more and more of a moot point as their lens prices increase) and they have wide array of prime lenses (also a very, very good zoom lens, the Canon 70-200/4 Non IS and IS. The Non IS being around $500-$600).

Its hard to suggest now what you may find more important in the systems, you may grow to like primes or you may just care about Zooms. Not that Nikon has a lak of Primes its just that their lineup isn't as robust and multi tiered as Canon's.

The types of shots you'll be using this camera for is very wide encompassing. You would probably feel comfortable starting out with a zoom lens then go from there.

 

[mrkgoo]

Anyone ?

I saw the post earlier, but to be honest, I don't know much about Nikon.

I understand they position their cameras in between Canon's somewhat, so they're slightly more expensive, but have a few more features? Again, I'm not sure.

I can only offer that I went with Canon back in 2005 when I made the move to SLR. I'm not even sure how that happened. I think it was because of the lenses.

 

[Rentahamster]

Question: why is the newest Canon 1D so awesome, but still crop? are there any advantages to having a cropped sensor?

The 1D series was always APS-H cropped sensor from the beginning. It emphasizes high frame rates for sports photographers and photojournalists. The 1Ds series is the full frame uber-megapixel model. A camera's data pipeline can only handle so many megapixels of data per second. 1D series emphasizes high framerate/lower megapixels whereas the 1Ds series emphasizes high megapixels/lower framerate.

In addition, sports shooters and wildlife photographers such as birders like the extra reach a crop sensor gives them.

 

[Rentahamster]

Hi guys,

I am deciding between 4 camera, but in 2 different ranges:

Canon 450D vs Nikon D60

or

Canon 500D vs Nikon D90

I've been told, and used the D90, so I am liking that a lot. But I am going to be buying my first DSLR, after my Canon IXUS 70 let me down on holiday. I used the PnS camera a lot and it did good shots, but for long canal shots it was really lacking in terms of detail in distance. So i showed the pics to a few photographer friends of mine, and they suggested I take the step to a DSLR. One recommended the D60, the other the D90; but I've always liked my Canons!

I will be doing the following type of shots:

-Holidays (Towns with amazing architecture, scenery, etc)
-Sports (Football &cricket)
-People (At anime/game conventions, work parties, weddings, etc)
-"wildlife" so insects, gardens, fish
-Fashion, my shoe collections etc

That's like all the info I can give for now. The other info I need is about lenses, the ones I had been suggested are 18-55mm (standard) and 50mm f/1.8f, I've seen this lense in action and just love the effect it can give

So if anyone can give me some suggestions, please do!

Both Canon and Nikon make decent consumer grade bodies. There isn't really all that much difference between the two.

As for the body, the D90 might be a little too much for a beginner like you. By all means, if you can afford it, go ahead and buy it, but if you want to save money a D5000 would be better than a D60.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00267S7TQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

-Holidays (Towns with amazing architecture, scenery, etc)

Any camera with the 18-55 kit lens should be fine.

-Sports (Football &cricket)

In this area, it's my opinion that the Nikon bodies have better continuous autofocus for sports than the Canon bodies.

You want a telephoto lens that can zoom in. These would be few examples of budget lenses with good image quality and good zoom.
Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G

Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G

These lenses will work best outdoors in daylight. They're consumer grade, so they don't let in as much light as other more expensive professional lenses. At night, indoors, or in cloudy situations, they don't work as well.

-People (At anime/game conventions, work parties, weddings, etc)

D5000 or D90 would be fine. The key to indoor photography (most of these kinds of photo opportunities will be indoors) requires a lens with a wide maximum aperture and a decent flash.

(If using the D5000) get the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G

(If using the D90) get the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D

The wide aperture will allow you to capture more light since it's dark indoors.

A flash such as the Nikon SB-600 will allow you to add your own light and make a dark area light enough to look good. You just gotta bounce the flash on the ceiling or wall.

Also, for good headshot and closeup portraits, use one of the sports lenses I linked to earlier and zoom all the way in. Make sure they are as far away from anything in the background as possible. They'll look nice.

-"wildlife" so insects, gardens, fish

Any one of the aforementioned lenses would be fine for this kinda stuff.

If you want to shoot up really close to insects and stuff, get a macro lens.

This one is good:
Nikon 105mm f/2.8G
You can get really up close pictures of bugs, or any kind of small stuff.

It's also a really great portrait lens and it lets in a lot of light since it has a fairly wide maximum aperture. Sharp as hell too, this lens. Semi-good for sports too, but you may have problems with the autofocus, especially during scenes of fast action.

-Fashion, my shoe collections etc

Any one of the lenses I mentioned earlier is fine. The key is to place your shoes in good lighting.

 

[teiresias]

D5000 or D90 would be fine. The key to indoor photography (most of these kinds of photo opportunities will be indoors) requires a lens with a wide maximum aperture and a decent flash.

(If using the D5000) get the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G

(If using the D90) get the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D

The wide aperture will allow you to capture more light since it's dark indoors.

This recommendation seems a little weird since you seem to be arbitrarily putting the 35mm with the D5000 and the 50mm with the D90. I realize you're probably steering him away from the 50mm on the D5000 due to its lack of autofocus on that body, but I'd argue the 35mm may function better as an indoor lens on the D90 due to it being wider. The 50mm might just be a tad too long depending on how much space one is talking about.

I have the 35mm but am thinking of adding the 50mm too - at the prices the two run at there's really little reason to not have both I suppose.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

This recommendation seems a little weird since you seem to be arbitrarily putting the 35mm with the D5000 and the 50mm with the D90. I realize you're probably steering him away from the 50mm on the D5000 due to its lack of autofocus on that body, but I'd argue the 35mm may function better as an indoor lens on the D90 due to it being wider. The 50mm might just be a tad too long depending on how much space one is talking about.

I have the 35mm but am thinking of adding the 50mm too - at the prices the two run at there's really little reason to not have both I suppose.

the 50mm on a crop camera can be really limiting.

I have the 35mm F1.8 and the distance I may need to move back for indoor photos surprised me a bit so I'd assume if you wanted to take a pictured in a small room with a 50mm it could be a pain.

 

[Rentahamster]

This recommendation seems a little weird since you seem to be arbitrarily putting the 35mm with the D5000 and the 50mm with the D90. I realize you're probably steering him away from the 50mm on the D5000 due to its lack of autofocus on that body, but I'd argue the 35mm may function better as an indoor lens on the D90 due to it being wider. The 50mm might just be a tad too long depending on how much space one is talking about.

I have the 35mm but am thinking of adding the 50mm too - at the prices the two run at there's really little reason to not have both I suppose.

I was optimizing for lowest price. When using a 50mm lens on a crop camera I could get the framing that I want in most cases with careful positioning. It wasn't that big of a problem for me. If he wants to spend more for the 35mm, though, then by all means that's fine too.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

The 1D series was always APS-H cropped sensor from the beginning. It emphasizes high frame rates for sports photographers and photojournalists. The 1Ds series is the full frame uber-megapixel model. A camera's data pipeline can only handle so many megapixels of data per second. 1D series emphasizes high framerate/lower megapixels whereas the 1Ds series emphasizes high megapixels/lower framerate.

In addition, sports shooters and wildlife photographers such as birders like the extra reach a crop sensor gives them.

well couldnt someone with full frame just crop the image on a pc ? its not that you get physicaly more "reach" its just already croped...

never understood these zoo-photographers who deliberatly got a APS-C sensor with the reasoning "i get more zoom" ... because thats not really the case...

no?

It's 1.3x crop, so not quite as small as the 1.6x.

It's a compromise in price (yeah, I know that thing is $5000 - but it would be even more if it were full frame). An engineer on another forum was describing how expensive it is to do full-frame, so I'm guessing that's the main reason. Check out the AF and processor features of the 5DmkII, they're nowhere near as advanced as the 1D or even 7D. The 5DmkII is like a 50D with a larger sensor, and that makes it 2.5x the price..

sony has a full frame cam for ~2000$ the a850, i dont think that the sensor priece is the reason... build quality would be my guess...

 

[Rentahamster]

well couldnt someone with full frame just crop the image on a pc ? its not that you get physicaly more "reach" its just already croped...

never understood these zoo-photographers who deliberatly got a APS-C sensor with the reasoning "i get more zoom" ... because thats not really the case...

no?

Sure, you could crop the full frame image, but you'll be losing resolution because of the crop (unless you're cropping from a crazy high megapixel camera like the 5DMkII or D3x).

Cropping every single picture in post is really tedious. No one wants to do that unless they have to.

Take a 12 megapixel crop sensor camera and a 12 megapixel full frame camera. Put the same lens on both. Put them the same distance from the subject. If the subject is at a distance where it fills the frame of the crop sensor camera, the subject will therefore not fill the frame of the full frame camera. In order for the subject to fill the frame of the full frame camera, the photographer will have to crop the picture in post. This will result in a loss of megapixels/resolution.

Assuming optimal shooting conditions and everything else being equal, the crop sensor camera will have better resolution than the photo (that had to be cropped in post) from the full frame camera, and thus, better image quality.

 

[captive]

Sure, you could crop the full frame image, but you'll be losing resolution because of the crop (unless you're cropping from a crazy high megapixel camera like the 5DMkII or D3x).

Cropping every single picture in post is really tedious. No one wants to do that unless they have to.

Take a 12 megapixel crop sensor camera and a 12 megapixel full frame camera. Put the same lens on both. Put them the same distance from the subject. If the subject is at a distance where it fills the frame of the crop sensor camera, the subject will therefore not fill the frame of the full frame camera. In order for the subject to fill the frame of the full frame camera, the photographer will have to crop the picture in post. This will result in a loss of megapixels/resolution.

Assuming optimal shooting conditions and everything else being equal, the crop sensor camera will have better resolution than the photo (that had to be cropped in post) from the full frame camera, and thus, better image quality.

Great explanation.
Also in the case of Olympus crop cameras, all their lenses are designed around that so they tend to be lighter and smaller (until you get into the ridiculous pro lenses) and easier to produce an image that is sharp across the frame as there is less glass in the lens when compared to a lens on a full frame body.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

but full frame cams have 20+ megapixel, the a900/a850 have 24 for example,
i dont know if 10 megapixel fullframe cams exist...

so i asume that a fullframe crop is = as the 10-15 megapixel on apsc

and with bath processing in photoshop/lightroom for example you can crop all your images/library in a minute...

Assuming optimal shooting conditions and everything else being equal, the crop sensor camera will have better resolution than the photo (that had to be cropped in post) from the full frame camera, and thus, better image quality.

i dont know if i can agree with that...
fullframe cams are beasts, they have a lot "meat" for crop work...

Great explanation.
Also in the case of Olympus crop cameras, all their lenses are designed around that so they tend to be lighter and smaller (until you get into the ridiculous pro lenses) and easier to produce an image that is sharp across the frame as there is less glass in the lens when compared to a lens on a full frame body.

wrong... the glas size is off no matter , the layout/constuktion/curving of the glas is...

if i am not mistaken

i only use fullframe primes on my apsc cam and the lenses are not bigger then any apsc prime lens...

 

[sankt-Antonio]

hey if someone want an y-strap for there cam but dont feel like spending a lot $ for it, or life outside the us where these things cost 40€

get this;

1 climbing sling 60cm

1 carabine

and you have THIS for 10$

cool thing is, that now you can strap your cam over your shoulder and where a backpack and since the cam slides on the strap with the help of the carbine no hassle envolved => win

and it looks badass!

plus with the carbine you can unstrap your cam in seconds!

 

[mrkgoo]

sony has a full frame cam for ~2000$ the a850, i dont think that the sensor priece is the reason... build quality would be my guess...

Yes - there're always companies that manage to. I was just reiterating what I understood was that the sensor on DSLRS is as much as half the production cost, so to keep a certain price point, you have to sacrifice other features or the sensor.

For sure, the full-frame sensor can be made more cheaply, just as demonstrated by Canon with their 5D line, but I would think that if they wanted to make the 1D a full-frame it'd be significantly more than $5,000. Also, as mentioned, they distinguish their lines - their full-frame pro is the 1Ds, which I forget the features and price set.

 

[teiresias]

the 50mm on a crop camera can be really limiting.

I have the 35mm F1.8 and the distance I may need to move back for indoor photos surprised me a bit so I'd assume if you wanted to take a pictured in a small room with a 50mm it could be a pain.

I'm thinking the 50mm, essentially being a 75mm on a crop camera, might be useful as a dedicated portrait lens. I'm sort of interested in doing some of that, so I might look into that. I'm a little worried the 35mm 1.8 might have a bit too much distortion to make a good portrait lens (don't want bulging noses after all!) :lol

 

[mrkgoo]

nitewulf - if i can score an 85 f/1.2 with the funds from my 135 and 16-35, then we can work something out. i've looked on ebay/amazon, and i see it used going for ~$1000.

i'm going to adorama/b&h tomorrow to see how much they want for my wide angle, and i'll let you know. are you definitely set on this?

you can PM if necessary.

I just looked at B&H - they can give you a rough online quote for tradein.

The 135 L is $430 :/, so I'm guessing you'll do much better with someone here. Don't go as high as ebay - not saying anyone here is more/less trustworthy, but at least you have a better feel for who you're dealing with, and in my experience that small peace of mind can mean more than the little bit of extra cash.

I would consider a bid for it, but I don't have paypal or anything.

 

[mrkgoo]

The flash I mentioned is not compatible with Canon's proprietary infrared wireless TTL flash system.. You would need to go with Canon's branded flashes to use the 7D in that way.

You can, however, use the 7D as a "dumb" master, meaning that it can trigger the flash (via the flash's built in optical slave) but not control it.

The optical slave on the LP120 flash is just a light sensor. Whenever it senses a bright burst of light (such as a flash from your 7D) it will trigger. That means you can place the flash off the axis of the camera lens and do some directional lighting which almost always looks better than flash fired directly from your camera.

Since it's kinda hard to trigger the optical slave using the built in flash on a camera body, a more practical way would be to use a $2 PC sync cord to connect camera to flash.

Anyway, like I said, this is all kinda complicated at first. You should read the archives and the lessons at strobist.com to get a better idea.

Not sure what you mean by 'dumb master'. I was looking into the wireless function of the 7D flash as master - I still don't really understand much about it, but it seems like you can control flash ratios and things from the 7D, as well as change flash exposure and so on. YOu can select 1 of 4 channels to stop your master from triggering other photographer's slaves as well.

But like I said, maybe this IS 'dumb master'. I understood there was something the 7D had that other camera flashes did not, however.

 

[Rentahamster]

Not sure what you mean by 'dumb master'. I was looking into the wireless function of the 7D flash as master - I still don't really understand much about it, but it seems like you can control flash ratios and things from the 7D, as well as change flash exposure and so on. YOu can select 1 of 4 channels to stop your master from triggering other photographer's slaves as well.

But like I said, maybe this IS 'dumb master'. I understood there was something the 7D had that other camera flashes did not, however.

Canon is not the only camera company with wireless infrared-based flash. Nikon and Olympus have it too (Maybe Sony too? I dunno.)

Most prosumer and pro Nikon bodies have been able to do this for a while already. The 7D is the first Canon camera to be able to do this with just the internal on-body camera flash (finally). All Nikon and Canon cameras can do this with a 550/580 or SB800/SB900 or one of the dedicated IR commander accessories as commander.

There are many ways to trigger off camera flash. The company's own proprietary brand of IR wireless triggering is one of them.

Another way is to have "dumb" optical slaves. This method is brand agnostic since there is no communication between the commander and slave flash(es). The slave flashes just fire at the manual power they've been preset to whenever they detect another flash firing in the same area.

The 7D (or any camera with a flash, even a point and shoot) can be a "dumb master" because all it has to do is fire the flash to trigger the other flashes. Unlike the proprietary IR wireless system, though, you can't change the power of the slaves using the commander. You gotta walk up to the slave flashes and change them yourself.

 

[Rentahamster]

but full frame cams have 20+ megapixel, the a900/a850 have 24 for example,
i dont know if 10 megapixel fullframe cams exist...

I dunno where you're getting this 10 megapixel number from as I've never mentioned a 10 megapixel full frame camera.

The original Canon 1Ds was around 11 megapixels. The current Nikon D700 and D3 are both 12 megapixels.

so i asume that a fullframe crop is = as the 10-15 megapixel on apsc

It is for the 5DMkII, D3x, and the high megapixel FF Sony cameras. On the lower res FF cameras, it's not. The D700 and D3 crop modes, for example, are only 5.1 megapixels. Cropping in post from full frame to APS-C results in a loss of more than half the megapixels. That's a lot.

and with bath processing in photoshop/lightroom for example you can crop all your images/library in a minute...


i dont know if i can agree with that...
fullframe cams are beasts, they have a lot "meat" for crop work...

You can batch crop, but that assumes that every picture can be cropped in the same way. It's not a one step process anymore if the subject is in different areas of the frame in different pictures.

Besides, pro photographers don't have all the time in the world to crop their pictures in post. One of the basic tenants of good photography technique is to get the framing right in-camera. That way you can optimize the resolution. Always relying on cropping after the fact is bad technique.

i only use fullframe primes on my apsc cam and the lenses are not bigger then any apsc prime lens...

Yes they are.

Full frame lenses produce a larger image circle which is why they require more glass to construct and are resultingly more expensive.

 

[mrklaw]

Not sure what you mean by 'dumb master'. I was looking into the wireless function of the 7D flash as master - I still don't really understand much about it, but it seems like you can control flash ratios and things from the 7D, as well as change flash exposure and so on. YOu can select 1 of 4 channels to stop your master from triggering other photographer's slaves as well.

But like I said, maybe this IS 'dumb master'. I understood there was something the 7D had that other camera flashes did not, however.

I'm assuming that the 7D has the equivalent of an ST-E2 transmitter built in. So you can control EX flashguns remotely, and use different groups for ratios (eg group one at 1:8 power, group 2 on 1:16 power for fill iight)

 

[Forsete]

Ever since my A100 I have been able to trigger any Sony/Minolta flash that is not mounted on the camera with the built in flash, but I miss this on my A900 which does not have a built in flash. When the A900 was released the only way to trigger off camera flashes with the Sony/Minolta wireless TTL system was to get a HVL-F58AM, which costs about 766USD which seems like a waste of money, having a flash like that just to trigger other flashes.

Thankfully they have now released a much smaller flash for the A900/850 which is able to act as a trigger. I got one since I like to use my F36 and F42 in wireless mode, like having one of them mounted on a tripod with a umbrella. Price was not bad, around 200USD.

The flash head can be pointed directly at the subject or bounce, there is a small screen which you can flip forward which will spread the light for wide angle lenses.

When its not in use you just fold it down and it will turn off.

Very handy little thing, only thing that bugs me are the AAA batteries. I dont have a charger for AAA batteries!

 

[captive]

wrong... the glas size is off no matter , the layout/constuktion/curving of the glas is...

if i am not mistaken

i only use fullframe primes on my apsc cam and the lenses are not bigger then any apsc prime lens...

I dont know how it works on canon but I know some lenses work on both full frame and asp c right?

Its different with olympus, if you were to mount an Olympus lens on a full frame camera or even a 1.5x the image circle would not cover the entire sensor.

Also:
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens filter size 77mm 1470g
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG HSM II Macro Lens filter size 77mm 1370g
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di Macro Lens filter size 77mm 1320g

Olympus Zuiko 50-200 f2.8 SWD filter size 67mm 995g

Some of that weight is Image stablilization on the lens. But the front element is a full 10mm smaller.
= less glass.

 

[Instigator]

I dont know how it works on canon but I know some lenses work on both full frame and asp c right?

Its different with olympus, if you were to mount an Olympus lens on a full frame camera or even a 1.5x the image circle would not cover the entire sensor.

Also:
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens filter size 77mm 1470g
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG HSM II Macro Lens filter size 77mm 1370g
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di Macro Lens filter size 77mm 1320g

Olympus Zuiko 50-200 f2.8 SWD filter size 67mm 995g

Some of that weight is Image stablilization on the lens. But the front element is a full 10mm smaller.
= less glass.

Wouldn't a 70-300 lens on ASPC be a closer comparison to the Zuiko 50-200?

 

[BlueTsunami]

Wouldn't a 70-300 lens on ASPC be a closer comparison to the Zuiko 50-200?

I think he's factoring in the maximum aperture of the lens. Most f/2.8 FF lenses are pretty bulky.

 

[tino]

Wouldn't a 70-300 lens on ASPC be a closer comparison to the Zuiko 50-200?

The 50-200's price and weight is on the same class as other mounts' 70-200mm 2.8. However its not constant aperture. So it's not as easy to use.

The same way Nikon doesn't make constant f/4 lenses but they make f3.5-4.5 mid-range lenses that cost you the same as other brands' constant 4 lenses. While optically they are very good it's just not as easy to use with a non-constant aperture lens.

 

[captive]

Wouldn't a 70-300 lens on ASPC be a closer comparison to the Zuiko 50-200?

not sure why it would? I dont know anything about Canon, i just googled 70-200 f2.8 which is the same aperture and same focal length.
I was comparing the apertures. F2.8 telephotos tend to be on the bigger side.

My point still stands though, because the olmypus and panasonic sensors in 4/3 cameras are smaller and they designed the lenses around that, there is physically less glass in the lenses. (outside of the super high grade pro lenses)

 

[UnluckyKate]

Just bought a Canon EOS 450D with 18-55 and a 75-300...

I can't wait to be november 4th to open it and play with it !

 

[mrkgoo]

I'm assuming that the 7D has the equivalent of an ST-E2 transmitter built in. So you can control EX flashguns remotely, and use different groups for ratios (eg group one at 1:8 power, group 2 on 1:16 power for fill iight)

I think so, but again, I'm not sure. I'm wondering what the difference between the 7D triggering slave flashes over any other camera triggering slave flashes.


Forsete: I really like those images. Looks really clean.

UnluckyKate: Congrats! YOu'll enjoy using an SLR. Don't forget to share images, or it's all pointless. Also, hit up the assignment threads!



I just thought of another advantage of crop sensors. The sweet spot on lenses. You get rid of vignetting and soft corners, or at least minimise them. Of course you're paying for a large image circle and only utilising the best part, but for corner to corner quality, it can be a plus.

 

[Rentahamster]

I think so, but again, I'm not sure.

Yeah, it is except that I don't think the 7D has in infrared transmitter, so it does all communication via visible light from the popup flash.

I'm wondering what the difference between the 7D triggering slave flashes over any other camera triggering slave flashes.

Not much, as far as I can tell. It seems on par with the wireless flash capabilities of the Nikon bodies.

I don't think the 7D on body wireless flash control supports high sped sync or rear curtain sync, though. I don't really recall if the Nikons have that capability either from just the body acting as a commander. I use a radio wireless flash solution instead and can't really recall offhand.

 

[WJD]

So can anyone recommend me the best possible SLR Camera for under £400?

I've been looking at this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TOD3YG/

 

[BlueTsunami]

So can anyone recommend me the best possible SLR Camera for under £400?

I've been looking at this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TOD3YG/

I shoot with a Rebel XT, three year old technology. That 1000D should be more than enough for someone starting out.

 

[iamcool388]

What do you guys think even a casual hobbyist should know about photography before investing in a DSLR/taking up photography as a serious hobby. (I think there was a thread for tips and tutorials, but I couldnt find it... searched for 'photography' as well as 'camera.') I'd like to walk around and take pictures, as well as use the camera on trips/vacations. I only know of things like: Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO and rule of thirds.

What do you guys think of this website? I'd prefer video tutorials as I learn quicker that way, any good ones you guys would recommend?

 

[Rentahamster]

(I think there was a thread for tips and tutorials, but I couldnt find it... searched for 'photography' as well as 'camera.'

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=370635

 

[zombi]

What do you guys think even a casual hobbyist should know about photography before investing in a DSLR/taking up photography as a serious hobby. (I think there was a thread for tips and tutorials, but I couldnt find it... searched for 'photography' as well as 'camera.') I'd like to walk around and take pictures, as well as use the camera on trips/vacations. I only know of things like: Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO and rule of thirds.

What do you guys think of this website? I'd prefer video tutorials as I learn quicker that way, any good ones you guys would recommend?

All you need to know is if you like it. If you do pick up a dslr and go experiment. Its the best way to get into it.