General Photography banter thread

[bueller]

Originally Posted by compuser

Banter, banter, banter...
Looking at 50's, the 1.2L is too pricey, I've had the 1.8 and the slow unresponsive AF shits me. I have read a bit about the Canon and Sigma 1.4, it seems the general consensus is that the Sigma is the better of the two, would the guys with practical experience with both of these lenses agree with this view?

And how common is the Sigma's focusing issues? They seem to be documented quite a bit online, is this something I am likely to run into if I go the Sigma?

Cheers

50mm's for Canon bodies are definitely tough to decide on, I've been there. Over the years I've used all four and have owned all three of the Canon's and to be honest I'd go with the Sigma.

Canon 50mm 1.2 - Amazing lens, much too pricey though.
Canon 50mm 1.4 - Optically good but focus isn't so great for the price and it only has a micro-USM motor.
Canon 50mm 1.8 - Great for the price but poor AF, poor build quality.
Sigma 50mm 1.4 - Probably the best of the bunch when it comes to price to quality ratio IF you can get a good one.

Borrowed the Sigma a few times off a friend and found it to be great optically and AF wise however I definitely wouldn't buy one without trying it out first. Sigma QC is still pretty shitty at times - I remember when I was selling cameras I tried about 5-6 of them when I was interested in buying one and it seemed to be pretty hit or miss when it came to back/front focusing issues. Get a good one and you'll love it though!

[Modafroman]

Originally Posted by compuser

Banter, banter, banter...
Looking at 50's, the 1.2L is too pricey, I've had the 1.8 and the slow unresponsive AF shits me. I have read a bit about the Canon and Sigma 1.4, it seems the general consensus is that the Sigma is the better of the two, would the guys with practical experience with both of these lenses agree with this view?

And how common is the Sigma's focusing issues? They seem to be documented quite a bit online, is this something I am likely to run into if I go the Sigma?

Cheers

See my thread here: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/....php?t=1109889

General consensus seems to be the Sigma is better, AF issues are possible, if worst comes to worst just get it calibrated from CRK.

Also keep in mind this post just popped up: http://www.canonrumors.com/2011/11/n...-imminent-cr1/ Interesting

[theicemagic]

I can't say I've used the sigma but value wise it's a pretty clear winner. I do have the 1.2 though, and it's wonderful, but it has its faults. I will say it's sharper then my old 1.4 but only by a small amount, even at f/1.2.
But the clips that hold on the front shroud have snapped, causing it to come loose (it won't fall out, but so much for weather sealing). At first I thought I was the only one, but I've met quiet a few people who've experienced the same problem. It's easily my most used lens though.

On a banter of my own... PhaseOne are very slow dealing with them. Apparently the new cam is leaving tonight, but it took them almost a week to get back to the sales rep. ^O^

[compuser]

Thanks guys, I will see if I can try the Sigma before I pay for it, if I get it calibrated through CRK will that completely fix the focusing issues? And will it come at a cost to me or will they do it free of charge as it is their fault a large amount of their lenses are not of an appropriate quality coming out of the box?

That is interesting moda, however even if that rumour is true I don't want to wait till 2012, also I would prefer the extra 2/3 of a stop.

[bueller]

Originally Posted by compuser

if I get it calibrated through CRK will that completely fix the focusing issues?

The focus should be fine once you get it calibrated however you'll still find variations from copy to copy, some of them can be pretty soft wide open while others are sharp as a tack. Best to get a good one to begin with.

[compuser]

Originally Posted by laidlow

The focus should be fine once you get it calibrated however you'll still find variations from copy to copy, some of them can be pretty soft wide open while others are sharp as a tack. Best to get a good one to begin with.

From your experience in camera sales, how many lenses do you think a store like Ted's would let me try out before I choose one, if any? I'm sure they wouldn't like me opening up 5-10 brand new lenses? And will I be able to determine if one is a good copy from the 3" lcd? Or am I better off bringing one home, testing it, if unsatisfied take it back for an exchange?

[bueller]

Originally Posted by compuser

From your experience in camera sales, how many lenses do you think a store like Ted's would let me try out before I choose one, if any? I'm sure they wouldn't like me opening up 5-10 brand new lenses? And will I be able to determine if one is a good copy from the 3" lcd? Or am I better off bringing one home, testing it, if unsatisfied take it back for an exchange?

Best bet is to just explain that you've heard this lens has some variation from copy to copy and ask - some of them will be cool with it, others not so much. I know when I was doing it I had no problem letting a user try out a few different copies.

Not so sure on the LCD really - if it was me I'd probably take some test shots and note down the corresponding serials for each shot, then go home to check the shots on a PC. A laptop might be a good idea for this sort of thing too, at least that way you can just dash out to the car to quickly check the shots.

If you're planning on buying one and hoping for an exchange I'd definitely clear that with the store before you put any money down, I know my old work would get very funny when people tried to bring in lenses exhibiting softness as it is pretty hard to pin down just how sharp a lens should be at any given aperture. Would definitely recommend trying them in-store instead.

[Sir.Eos]

This one popped up on Scot Kelby's G+ page.

[zach]

More banter, some very pretty pictures.

Photographer Kim Keever messes with our minds with his intriguing works of art. His large-scale photos are created through the construction of topographies inside a 200 gallon tank that is filled with water. Keever brings the dioramas to life through colorful lighting, which in turn makes for amazing atmospheres. It is all about timing as he must quickly capture the results before it’s too late.

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/...r-filled-tank/

[TomJ]

Originally Posted by Sir.Eos

This one popped up on Scot Kelby's G+ page.

image

Is that the difference between owning a PnS and owning a Photography business?

[Sir.Eos]

Originally Posted by TomJ

Is that the difference between owning a PnS and owning a Photography business?

It's the Theory vs. Reality of Being a Photographer

[Statitica]

Two things.

1 - I just freed up around 65GB of HDD by finally culling a lot of old crap photos

2 - I had to introduce myself as 'the photographer' the other day. That was weird.

[NismoR31]

You should have introduced yourself as Iron Photographer


i'm still getting used to telling people i'm the tog. I get asked a lot even when I'm not as i usually have a camera with me anyway

[wisie]

Vent - I'm rather sick of certain people who only come here to promote their own work without contributing anything to the community.

[Deftone2k]

Originally Posted by wisie

Vent - I'm rather sick of certain people who only come here to promote their own work without contributing anything to the community.

^ kinda squashes the community spirit of giving back