dSLR thread

[udaman]

So I was watching MostlyLisa's vid of the train ride on the Alberta to Whistler section...she's in luv apparently , then I notice her 3hrs ago Twitter post...Canon fanboi, geekgrrl come true Lisa strikes again "now that is sexy" ...on the 4/3rds only @present> Nokto F0.95

http://noktor.com/products.php

 

[ddrueding]

I wouldn't mind a 50mm/0.95, but I bet it is easier to make such a thing for 4/3rds than EF.

 

[Handruin]

I've noticed recently after a photo event that I have one pixel on my 1D MKIII that is stuck with the color red even when shooting at ISO 400-800 with normal length exposures (ie 1/60th and higher). I don't remember seeing this before and I'm not sure if i can do anything about it. Has anyone worked with this sort of thing in the camera or do you just pull it out in post processing?

 

[Handruin]

I wonder if it's just a dirty sensor. I've uploaded a 100% crop of the area and also a zoomed in (600%) from photo shop. This image was a 1/60th of a second at ISO 400 with F5.6. My whole series of images has this same pixel anomaly in the same location. I actually found another one that isn't as bright, but it's consistently in the same location.

 

[LunarMist]

Canon will map out the hot pixels if you ask when you send the camera in for service. I usually send them in once a year for cleaning and checking.

 

[Handruin]

Is this something that would be affected by the custom function:
C. Fn II - 'High ISO speed noise reduct'n'.

I'll give them a call to arrange a service. I've never sent any of my stuff in yet, but it's probably due.

 

[LunarMist]

High ISO NR kills the buffer capacity IIRC. Anyway, 400-800 is not really high ISO. How many frames do you have, 30-50K?

 

[Handruin]

The high IOS setting didn't make a difference; I just did some test shots and there are two consistent pixels that I can see. I also did a manual cleaning of the sensor with an air blowing device (not compressed air) but that didn't change anything.

I don't know how many frames I have, is there a way I can tell? I don't remember seeing these in the past, I'm pretty anal about these things when I see them. Is this normal for them to appear with age? I know that some are already in the camera during longer exposures, but these seem new to me.

 

[ddrueding]

Canon will map out the hot pixels if you ask when you send the camera in for service. I usually send them in once a year for cleaning and checking.

Never done it, but this sounds interesting. What is the cost/turnaround time?

 

[ddrueding]

The definitely looks like a hot pixel to me. The 600% crop is pretty clear that it is an electrical problem and not a physical obstruction.

 

[Handruin]

I'll call them tomorrow and get some info on prices for cleaning/servicing and ask them what the process is for stuck/hot pixels. I read somewhere else online that a censor change is around $900, but I don't know if that's confirmed. If they can map it out and I don't notice it, I'm ok with that. I just hope it doesn't continue to get worse.

 

[ddrueding]

I don't think the one hot pixel will look that bad, if only they can prevent the image processing from affecting it's neighbors.

 

[LunarMist]

It makes little sense to replace the sensor for one hot pixel. Ask them to apply the mirror fixes and whatever other service is required as well. They may very well only charge the $30 shipping/handling fee. FWIW I've had better luck with Canon in Irvine CA than the one in NJ.

 

[Handruin]

I did call them a long time back about the mirror fix and arranged a service but never actually sent my camera in because I had some events come up and I got sidetracked. I wonder if they'll still apply the mirror fix for me without cost since it's out of the normal warranty.

Thanks for the tip about only having the shipping and handling fee. Is there anything special I should ask them to do besides the stuck pixel and mirror fix? You mentioned sending in your gear for service, should I just mention a normal servicing? I haven't sent in my lenses for calibration, maybe it would be worth it.

What specifically about luck makes you lean towards Irvine CA vs NJ? Do I even have a choice when I ask for service? The shipping would cost a bunch more going to CA for me.

 

[LunarMist]

Years ago NJ made a mess of one camera three times in a row until they finally replaced the whole sensor assembly for free. Since then I have used Irvine. Any of the MK III defects such as sub-mirror mounts, side-to-side adjustments for peripheral AF accuracy, oil under the AA filter, ERR 99, etc. will be fixed for free regardless of the camera's age. The invoice will show that the repair is under warranty status with a $0 charge. I send the bodies around once each year for sensor and mirror box cleaning, assuming there are no other problems. Usually there is one free cleaning/check given for each body, but Canon is not exactly consistent.

My experiences are with six 1Ds series bodies. I only had one 1D series (MK II) and that was not for long enough to have it serviced so YMMV.

 

[Handruin]

That's good info; thanks for the help. I was going to call tonight but I won't be home in time. I'll try giving them a call tomorrow night.

 

[LunarMist]

I wouldn't mind a 50mm/0.95, but I bet it is easier to make such a thing for 4/3rds than EF.

Making a good 50/0.95 != simply making a 50/0.95.

 

[ddrueding]

Just out of curiosity, is there a good 50/0.95 (or even 50/1) for EF?

 

[LunarMist]

Just out of curiosity, is there a good 50/0.95 (or even 50/1) for EF?

There was a 50/1 in the late 1980s, but it is not made any more. I recall they were about $1700. None of the fast 50mm lenses are really sharp in the corner to the corner sense, but that is not their purpose.

 

[Sol]

Ball head?

I got a Nikon 300mm F4 AFS just before Christmas, I'm hoping I'll get to use it a bit more than I have been now that the weather should be improving and I can get enough bright days for it but my tripod head isn't quite up to handling the weight... I've looked around and it seems like a good ball head with plates for the lens and my D90 will set me back somewhere in the 450gbp to 600gbp range (Arca Swiss style plates seem to be about 50 quid each so I figure I may as well get a full lens collar and an l-plate instead for 100 - 150 since I plan to get them eventually anyway).

Anyone here have any suggestions for a good ball head, preferably with a quick release that takes the Kirk/RRS/Arca Swiss plates? I doubt I'll be getting anything heavier than the aforementioned 300mm to put on it although I'll probably pick up a 1.4x teleconverter for that lens, but I want something that'll be rock solid and not slip at all when I have it in position. If I have to spend 600 quid then I probably will eventually but if I can get something that will do the job satisfactorily for somewhat less then I'll probably get around to doing it much sooner. Even if I could get some much cheaper quick release plates that would let me get the head without being tempted to get an l-plate and len collar at the same time it might be enough for me to invest in time for Spring...

 

[LunarMist]

Look at the Kirk BH-3, Markins M-10, or maybe some of the Photo Clam (33-40 range) mid-sized heads. There are some other cheapie heads of dubious reliability that I would be very cautious about. You definitely want to go with a head that has an A-S clamp for future compatibility. Unfortunately the 300/4 AF-S has a flimsy tripod ring so it is not a bad idea to get the Kirk replacement with integrated A-S foot.

Personally I prefer at least a 50mm ball head for more precise and easier to control movements. I currently use an Arca B-1 and RRS BH-55, which may be too costly for your consideration. (I don't recommend the smaller RRS ball heads, but that is another story.) However, I have used heads as small as the BH-3 for a D80 and older 300/4 with decent results. Since the lens has no VR (still ), you will want good solid legs.

 

[udaman]

However, I have used heads as small as the BH-3 for a D80 and older 300/4 with decent results. Since the lens has no VR (still ), you will want good solid legs.

Hey, it only took Canon 1 1/2yr after it's lanch, to get the video firmware right on the 5dMkII just this week, what do you expect :reindeer:

Just use the new Canon 70-200L with improved IS, tele converter, then u don't need a tripod .

^hmm, perhaps Mubs has something to the contention that we don't only need T/S lenses? Seems tele come in handy occasionally :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wpUJNkKCE4&feature=player_embedded

^who would have thought in the land of Carnival & thongs, Paris would be too sexy, lol

 

[LunarMist]

Take whatever Uda says about supports with a large block of salt. He doesn't appear to actually own any serious equipment.

 

[mubs]

There are migratory birds that are nesting in some trees about 500 feet away (that's a bad guess). I tried my 70-200mm, but it's reach is still too short. Longer full-frame Nikkors seem too expensive for now. I certainly would like to get one eventually to shoot wildlife, etc.

 

[LunarMist]

Even with a longer lens, you should figure out how to get closer.

 

[Tannin]

Mubs, you need to be about 500 away or less to get shots of medium to large sized birds, closer for small ones.

 

[Tea]

500 what, Tannin?

 

[Tannin]

Inches.

 

[Tannin]

Sol, I don't own a ball head, only (so far as my serious heads go) an old Manfrotto fluid head which is really designed for video and probably not relevant to your needs, and a Wimberley, which is quite superb but probably both overkill for a 300/3 and underkill as well, insofar as that doesn't give you the ability to tilt, only elevate and pan. Perfect with a large lens that has a rotating tripod mount ring, not great for anything else.

For your ball head, consider whatever you like, but actually buy something that Lunar recommends.

 

[mubs]

Thanks guys. The brids are nesting atop a 40-45 foot tall tree that has a huge canopy. I see them only because I am on the top floor of my apartment building, about 35-40 feet up. I'm pretty sure they are not visible from the ground. Every building between me and them is much shorter; that's how I can see them The buildings also don't have terraces and the roofs are the sloping kind. Besides I'll have to convince the residents to let a stranger in. All this is in the midst of a bustling urban area!

They are large birds, all white, with wingspans of about 8 - 10 feet. Being the ignoramus that I am, I have no idea what species they are.

 

[Tea]

They will be storks, cranes, or possibly egrets, Mubs. Try a little googling around one or other of those terms. They are very large birds, so 20-50 metres should be plenty close enough. But that is going to be difficult in your situation, unless you have learned to fly lately. They sound very beaitiful!

 

[LunarMist]

Sol, I don't own a ball head, only (so far as my serious heads go) an old Manfrotto fluid head which is really designed for video and probably not relevant to your needs, and a Wimberley, which is quite superb but probably both overkill for a 300/3 and underkill as well, insofar as that doesn't give you the ability to tilt, only elevate and pan. Perfect with a large lens that has a rotating tripod mount ring, not great for anything else.

For your ball head, consider whatever you like, but actually buy something that Lunar recommends.

I thought about the Wimberley, but that is a bit much for his needs as you mentioned. Using a gimbal head for short lenses typically requires compromises such as using a perpendicular rail on the L bracket. It helps to have a leveling base. Ultimately the whole rig is rather bulky and costly.

 

[ddrueding]

You need to borrow my 500mm

 

[Sol]

Thanks Lunar the M-10 was top of my list already mostly because I can get it reasonably easily, I doubted that there would be a cheaper option that would do what I wanted but there was always the chance I was missing something.
The thing that's really getting me is the quick release plates... Is there an immediately obvious difference between the cheap 10 quid off ebay plates and the 50 quid Kirk/Markins/RRS ones? As in if I plan to get an L-plate and the Kirk tripod ring in the reasonably short term anyway am I likely to regret trying to make do with some cheap plates for a few months?

 

[LunarMist]

You need to borrow my 500mm

I think he is planning to use the 300/4 AF-S to obtain sharp images.

 

[LunarMist]

Thanks Lunar the M-10 was top of my list already mostly because I can get it reasonably easily, I doubted that there would be a cheaper option that would do what I wanted but there was always the chance I was missing something.
The thing that's really getting me is the quick release plates... Is there an immediately obvious difference between the cheap 10 quid off ebay plates and the 50 quid Kirk/Markins/RRS ones? As in if I plan to get an L-plate and the Kirk tripod ring in the reasonably short term anyway am I likely to regret trying to make do with some cheap plates for a few months?

I have no experience with the cheap plates. A cheap lens plate would probably be acceptable with a screw-tightened clamp. However, lever clamps require precision, so I would be more leery. I would not risk the fit or function of a cheap L bracket on a camera. How many lenses and bodies do you have that need plates/brackets?

 

[Sol]

I just have my camera and the 300mm, my plan was to get some cheap plates so I could use the ball head until I could get a good L-bracket (Probably a Kirk or RRS one) and the Kirk tripod ring, just so I could spread the purchases over a few months and have the head a bit sooner than if I waited and got it all at once. (Welsh weather waits for no man and it's pretty good at the moment...)
Since screw tightened clamps are cheaper than lever based ones and can be replaced without tossing the whole head if it gets too annoying I figure I'll go that way in any case so a good head with cheap plates should be a step up from what I have until I get around to getting the rest of the gear I want. (And a teleconverter, and a nice wide angle lens, and a hobby that doesn't cost so damn much...)

With a bit more research I stumbled across the Arca-Swiss Z1 SP which is a little bit cheaper than the Markins M-10 and seems to have a good reputation so I think that's looking like my best option.

 

[LunarMist]

The A-S Z1 has a larger and better ball than the M-10. I'm surprised it is cheaper, since the M-20 is closer to the same size. I have the older B-1, which had a better base than the Z1. I had a Z1 DP for a few days and was disappointed in the panning base smoothness with off-center loads. A Z1 will hold up to 500/4, though a Wimberley is better for handling. I prefer the screw style clamps which are more reliable than lever locks. There is no need for concerns over tolerances or wear in the lever mechanism.

 

[LunarMist]

That's good info; thanks for the help. I was going to call tonight but I won't be home in time. I'll try giving them a call tomorrow night.

Did they service your body?

 

[Handruin]

I haven't called yet, but I'll let you know. I'm planning to call this coming week.