WITHDRAWN: Canon 400d Camera

[jaspert]

Hi jaspert,

No web presence yet unfortunately. The problem with the web is it doesn't really show off the granduer of a very large print made from a 4x5 transparency. Having a gallery space or retail presence is the only way to make such work stand out from the crowd of already talented photographers with smaller cameras. This worked for the likes of Ken Duncan, Peter Lik, etc but it is a BIG financial step to consider down the track.

I am currently using this 6 month period of unemployment to travel around this BIG country expanding my portfolio. My next trip is to Central Australia in October. After that I will spend a few weeks in Tassie and then its back to my life as a research chemist. The next job will be drum scanning the best transparencies for both printing and web display, not an inexpensive proposition at US$80 for the best drum scan possible. A more affordable alternative may be eventuate in the form of the Epson Perfection V700 Photo flat bed scanner with an aftermarket wet mount film holder from www.betterscanning.com.

Sorry for steering your thread off topic JohnA. How long till the Octagons arrive? A truly great speaker system BTW :wink:

Happy listening and picture taking everyone,

Aaron[/b]

Hi Aaron,

Very valid point about web viewing limitation for LF work. Good luck with the upcoming trip to the Red centre.

I used to often marvel at Ken Duncan's huge cibachrome prints at his gallery but i've become less enamoured with the hypersaturated Velvia palette after a while.

Gone are the days when you can take a few days off on a whim and hike to find photos. Marriage and young fatherhood can do that to you. In general,slow delibrate approach was far more enjoyable and worked better for me even with small format. Delibrate tripod placement and framing, using hyperfocal distance with manual focus Zeiss primes on my beloved Contax SLR and careful exposure for Velvia slide or BW films with spot meter on the Sekonic L508.

These days,careless and thoughtless photography predominates with my D-SLR and unsurprisingly, i can only recall getting a few photos that raised a few extra heart beat in the last 3 years.

I'm still interested in seeing your work and if you ever get a show organised at a gallery, give me a heads up.

jasper

p/s- Apology to JA and good luck with your 400D sale. To the buyer,battery grip is a must for this small SLR.

[Spearmint]

Since poor John's for sale thread has gone off the rails now...at least it keeps it at the top!

If anyone is interested these are some friends of mine site.

For some reason Jack's link is not on the first page. It looks like the trio is now down to a duo.

[Jon]

Interesting review and comes out in favour of the 24-105, sounds like a pretty handy lens. :biggrin:

Before you make up your mind, you might want to check out a comparison between the two on Michael Reichmann's Luminous Landscape

Here it is[/b]

[Guest JohnA]

i was taking some photos last night at 800ISO and even at 1600ISO using high ISO noise reduction

at 800 the pics were spot on, at 1600 there was a little noise but you wouldn't notice it on a normal print.

This now has me thinking that the fast lens apart from good dof is not required.

the 24-105 with its IS would be a great walk around lens, and as Keith pointed out earlier, with the money saves i can get the 85mm then i have 2 good portrait lenses for good DOF and low light use

would still like to play with both lenses though and see how bad te weight issue realy is. I have been using the sigma 24-70 which is no lightweight for a long time and the weight hasn't bothered me as yet

[Jon]

Morning John, weight to me has never been an issue, within reason, I've carted my D200 with Nikon 70/200 lens attached (combined weight 2.3 kg) along with a camera bag loaded with asstd lenses, batteries, chargers etc all over the US twice in the last 18 months, sure the gear is a bit weighty but results have been worth the effort.

What I'm trying to say is the 40D with the 70/105 at approx 1.2 kg really is quite a light weight package. :wink:

i was taking some photos last night at 800ISO and even at 1600ISO using high ISO noise reduction

at 800 the pics were spot on, at 1600 there was a little noise but you wouldn't notice it on a normal print.

This now has me thinking that the fast lens apart from good dof is not required.

the 24-105 with its IS would be a great walk around lens, and as Keith pointed out earlier, with the money saves i can get the 85mm then i have 2 good portrait lenses for good DOF and low light use

would still like to play with both lenses though and see how bad te weight issue realy is. I have been using the sigma 24-70 which is no lightweight for a long time and the weight hasn't bothered me as yet[/b]

[Guest JohnA]

I have decided on the 24-70 guys, it seems the obvious choice for what i currently have and future plans

so i have the tokina 12-24 for all landscape photography

the 24-70 along with the 50mm for general stuff and portraits

and will also get the 70-200 2.8 IS with either the 1.4 or 2x extender

this should cover all my needs perfectly even when i go to a full frame camera

[Jon]

Good spread John, all bases covered.

I have decided on the 24-70 guys, it seems the obvious choice for what i currently have and future plans

so i have the tokina 12-24 for all landscape photography

the 24-70 along with the 50mm for general stuff and portraits

and will also get the 70-200 2.8 IS with either the 1.4 or 2x extender

this should cover all my needs perfectly even when i go to a full frame camera[/b]

[Keith_W]

Then the next thing to do is start buying primes My dream list of primes: 35L, 50L, 85L, 135L. Long way for me to go ... I only have the 85L, and i'm not likely to get a 50L given that my 50/1.4 (my third) is such a good one.

[Jon]

Primes are nice to have Keith but you need a trailer to carry them all, certainly not very airline friendly.

When we travel I take my 18/70 and 70/300 f4, and Heather takes her 24/70 2.8 Sigma macro and 70/200 2.8 for her D80, between us we have most bases covered and tend to exchange lenses if and when we need to, works pretty well. :biggrin:

Then the next thing to do is start buying primes My dream list of primes: 35L, 50L, 85L, 135L. Long way for me to go ... I only have the 85L, and i'm not likely to get a 50L given that my 50/1.4 (my third) is such a good one.[/b]

[Young Skywalker]

Hi Keith,

You should see the quality of the 200mm f2.8 L as well, outstanding even when used wide open. Not as versatile as the 70-200 zoom (f2.8 or f4 IS) but amazing for portraits.

Hopefully you can still appreciate the wonderful bokeh in the shot below even after JPEG compression for web viewing.

while this second shot (Admirals Arch on Kangaroo Island at ISO 800 with the 200mm f2.8) shows just how much digital sensors have improved since I bought my Canon 10D many years ago. It is very noisey particularly in the heavy shadows of this scene. A Photoshop plug-in like Noise Ninja would help here but I don't shoot at high ISO often enough to warrant purchasing it.

Enjoy the new camera JohnA, it is a little beauty.

P.S. If anyone has any tips on how to make photos look good on the web I am all ears. I am too much of an analog neophyte it seems. Stupid sRGB colour space is so limiting, sharpening always look overdone (even with Photokit Sharpener) and posterisation is all too evident... grrrr!

Aaron

[Keith_W]

Aaron, will create a seperate thread to answer your questions

[Guest JohnA]

to bring this back on topic now

here are some pics of the camera

http://members.optusnet.com.au/ppiart/can01.jpg

http://members.optusnet.com.au/ppiart/can02.jpg

http://members.optusnet.com.au/ppiart/can03.jpg

am also now selling my sigma 24-70 f2.8 EX DG lens which is 10 months old and in perfect condition

also included with the lens is a hoya 82mm uv filter and a hoya 82mm cp filter

$400

here are some pics of the lens

http://members.optusnet.com.au/ppiart/sigma1.JPG

http://members.optusnet.com.au/ppiart/sigma2.JPG

http://members.optusnet.com.au/ppiart/sigma3.JPG

so $1100 for the camera kit plus postage

$400 for the sigma lens plus postage

pickup is available in Melbourne

[Guest JohnA]

Lens is SOLD

[Super Mustud]

They do make a 17-85 IS JohnA ... people who like double blind tests would be interested to know that some years ago I took some test shots with a 17-85IS and posted it side by side with a 17-40/4L. I stripped the EXIF files of all information, then asked people to vote on which one the L lens was. Result: Slightly less than 2/3 correctly identified the L lens. Sample size was about 100. Perhaps JA can do the statistics - whether it has a meaningful p-value or not

As you know I have a 5D ... and my favourite walk-around lens happens to be my 50/1.4. This is because I am fed up of carrying that great big heavy 24-70/2.8L. So I suppose it's laziness more than anything but the 50/1.4 is a great little lens.[/b]

A very, very, very good lens Keith. As you know, I have quite a few L lenses, and the 17-85 is steadily becoming my favourite, notwithstanding a few adverse comments about PQ.

[steverc]

PM sent.

[Guest JohnA]

SOLD

[Guest JohnA]

well i received the 24-70 today and all i can say is WOW

now i kow why you would pay the big $$$$ for these lenses. Have also ordered the 70-200 2.8IS

As for weight, well so far not an issue at all, but the PQ is simply amazing, deadly silent and super fast focusing, doesn't hunt even indoors. Haven't tried very low light situation as yet.

I think this is going to be a lens that sits on my camera at all times, well untill i get the 70-200 which should be here tomorrow and try it out also

[hired goon]

G'day,

well i received the 24-70 today and all i can say is WOW[/b]

Pics, man, pics!

(wondering if one of these lenses would like way too big on my poor little 350D)

--Geoff

[Jon]

Heh Heh, told ya so :wink: Seriously John, I'm glad your happy with the new purchase, I'm sure you will be just as chuffed with the 70/200 though I guarantee that wont sit on the body at all times, they really are quite a chunk of glass. :biggrin:

well i received the 24-70 today and all i can say is WOW

now i kow why you would pay the big $$ for these lenses. Have also ordered the 70-200 2.8IS

As for weight, well so far not an issue at all, but the PQ is simply amazing, deadly silent and super fast focusing, doesn't hunt even indoors. Haven't tried very low light situation as yet.

I think this is going to be a lens that sits on my camera at all times, well untill i get the 70-200 which should be here tomorrow and try it out also[/b]

[Guest JohnA]

G'day,

Pics, man, pics!

(wondering if one of these lenses would like way too big on my poor little 350D)

--Geoff[/b]

i could take a pic of me standing in front of the mirroe holding the camera with the lens, but i don't want to scare too many people

i used the sigma 70-200 2.8 on my 400D and without the battery holder in place it wasn't nice, the battery holder added a little more balance. The canon version is around 200grams heavier and slightly bigger also

Jon, i am still fairly young and consider myslef sort of fit so i don't think i will have too many problems with the 70-200, but i suppose a day at the zoo with it on al day may change my mind quickly enough :wub:

[Drizt]

i am still fairly young[/b]

compared to who

Kidding mate

[Guest]

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