[mdash]

This is nowhere near the quality of most pictures in this thread but I am always trolling and figured I'd post something. Seattle on Sunday afternoon.

[Chewy734]

is that a pano or a landscape crop?

[mdash]

Just a landscape crop. There was too much sky in the original.

[Chewy734]

that's cool... what's the large black building on the right again?

[M_Six]

Chicago pano

[Chewy734]

someone should make a pano thread

[mdash]

It is the Columbia Center building. Not sure what companies are in there but it is pretty cool looking building, there is an observation deck on like the 70th floor and it's a pretty impressive view.

Here is another shot of the Space Needle from the same spot but the color turned out kinda funky.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

Ahh, yeah... it looks like AF almost missed the focus on the bird and got the metal supports in the background instead? f/5.6, right?

Actually, f/10, so I think it's not enough shutter speed. I should have enough DOF at that aperture. Notice how the wings are more blurred than the eyes. The structure does show that I did a pretty good job of holding the lens and camera steady (thank you image stabilization) but these birds are quick and I didn't have enough speed to stop the action.

Dave

[The1]

I think after seeing that pictures of the bird, i need a range extender.....

[The1]

Girlfriends eyes. if you look closely you can see she's wearing contact lenses, though with the picture shrunken this much, that might be difficult.

then again, i'm viewing the picture on a t.v. screen.

50D, 24-70 at 70mm and f2.8 ISO 400 1/15sec unedited, but shrunken down to 12%

[Chewy734]

cool pic...

[The1]

lol, didn't get back in time to quote your original comment. I think the look was "damn.... he picked up his camera again..." Just kidding, she loves cameras.

actually she figures if she poses, i don't end up taking pictures of her making funny faces... about 90% of the pictures i take of her are with her face contorted...

it's a very expressive face. i'll see if i can find an example of a common look.

[The1]

she saw me sneak up behind her and this was the result. making faces is her trademark.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by The1

I think after seeing that pictures of the bird, i need a range extender.....

That's certainly a good way to start. Here's one hand held with my 1.4x TC on my 70-200mm f/4L IS on my 7D:


Red-vented bulbul by dcstep, on Flickr

Those people with the 70-200/f2.8 can use a 2x TC to get out to 400mm. On a 300mm f/2.8 prime that'll get out to 600mm. That approach is way cheaper than buying a 500mm f/4 like I did. Still, they don't give away 300mm f/2.8s.

Dave

[Chewy734]

It's important to note Dave, that the 2x extender makes you lose two stops, and the 1.4x loses 1 stop.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

It's important to note Dave, that the 2x extender makes you lose two stops, and the 1.4x loses 1 stop.

True, but the high-ISO performance of today's cameras is so outstanding that this is less and less of an issue. Today's Canon T2i is really good up to ISO 1600. Two years ago the comparable camera would suck above ISO 400.

Dave

[Chewy734]

That's true... damnit, why is Canon taking so long on the 5DmkIII? I want to replace my 20D.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

That's true... damnit, why is Canon taking so long on the 5DmkIII? I want to replace my 20D.

What are you hoping for in the Mk III that's not in the Mk II? The MkII has stunning high-ISO performance. The IQ is close to the equal of 35mm cini film. It's already a great all round image. Look at this hand held shot at ISO 6400:


Anyone for absinthe? by dcstep, on Flickr

The MkIII will likely be out next fall or the fall after that. I bet that the main improvements are on the video side, perhaps providing video AF and a more intuitive interface. On the photo side, maybe a slight bump in high-ISO, the new AF scheme from the 7D and that's about it. Unless your doing sports or wildlife, the AF isn't important and even then it's not a huge weakness.

Dave

[Chewy734]

I think my major issues with getting the mkII right now is that I know the mkIII is around the corner (i.e. sometime this year). If I was going to plop down $2.5k-$3k on a body, I would like to have a better AF system (similar to the 7D), and from the rumors I hear, a 2-stop noise improvement (not to say that it's currently bad).

[dcstep]

I think that a 2-stop improvement in ISO performance on the 5D series is wishful thinking. I really do hope that the MkIII gets the 7D's AF system and the fps burst rate goes up to at least 5-fps. I carry the 5D2 and the 7D most of the time, so I don't miss the 7D's advantages. I don't use those things for travel, street shooting, portraits and archetectural and I use the 7D for all the wildlife and sports. Many can't afford a two-body system, so I understand the desire for an all-in-one approach. Let's hope that Canon agrees with the wishful thinkers.

I think that September is when you'll see it. They usually announce their big upgrades before the big international shows. With the bodies they typically get them out within 60-days of the announcements; however, this latest set of Series II lens and Series III TCs is taking months.

Dave

[The1]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

I think my major issues with getting the mkII right now is that I know the mkIII is around the corner (i.e. sometime this year). If I was going to plop down $2.5k-$3k on a body, I would like to have a better AF system (similar to the 7D), and from the rumors I hear, a 2-stop noise improvement (not to say that it's currently bad).

if you're sitting on a 20D, why not consider a 7D as an alternative, it's got better video and AF abilities then the 5D, but you're losing out on a few megapixels and the full frame ability, which not too many people really fully understand anyhow. The 7D also has a higher frames per second rate then the 5D. So to solely wait for the 5D mkIII might be a waste of your time if you're only looking for huge megapixel counts.

A friend of mine had a print done from his Canon XS (only 10mp) and it was about the size of a 50" televiosion and it was perfectly clear.

Don't get me wrong, but to go to a 5D solely because of the image size is a waste of time and money because where are you going to print an image that big? I understand the ability to do lots of cropping, but you could always just move closer to your object.

Also to print images that size, you're getting into big money or you just like posters on your wall, which with 18 megapixels you'll still get just as nice a poster since it's still smaller then the original picture.

Don't get me wrong, I love my 5D, but if i were to purchase again, i might have considered the 7D a little more closely as i tend to do some more sport photography with horses jumping. It's a great alternative.

Optimally, I would like both. We'll see how the money flow is over the next little while.

[The1]

P.S. if you only view pictures on your computer screen..... you're not going to notice a difference in quality to much of an extent. Considering full 1080p is equivalent to about 3megapixels...

I print a lot of pictures on 4x6 and 8x10 and i can tell you, i don't need 21mp

but i like it....