Topic: Let's talk Canon digital SLRs...

[Jimna]

like the picture

time to clean that sensor 

how do i do that?

[stirinthesauce]

like the picture

time to clean that sensor 

how do i do that?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/388983-REG/Giottos_AA1920_Rocket_Air_Blower_.html

Everyone needs one of these.  The most used tool in my bag.  Blows dust off my lens and off my sensor.  I don't use the chemicals or the swabs on my sensor, ever.

To clean your sensor, take off your lens, go to your menu and select sensor clean.  This will lock your mirror up.  Then a few good blasts from your giottos rocket to get all that dirt off, then just turn the camera off.  The mirror will drop back down.  Re-attach a lens and your good to go.  All in under 1 minute.

[Ryan Sims]

Thanks for that, Jon. I haven't been shooting a lot lately, but my sensor definitely needs a clean.

[BJ]

like the picture

time to clean that sensor 

looks more like smudges/specs on the filter to me  , but I am sure they both could use a good cleaning!

nice photo!

i need to get my camera out, its getting lonely

[Brian Skalinder]

Love my Rocket Air Blower!  For the occasional stubborn dust or smudge, I use a LensPen to gently brush, or wipe, the lens - but I only have to do so very rarely.

[bluntforcetrauma]

Just my .02

I should be getting my new lens tomorrow arriving

EF 24-70L f2.8

[MattD]

Thinking of switching up my gearbag. I use a 5D and my current lens lineup is 50/1.4, 17-40/4L, 35/2, 70-200/2.8L. I am thinking of dropping the 35/2 as I rarely use it on the full frame body. I could drop others, depending on where I want to go with this.

Some possibilities:
1. 16-35/2.8L, 24-70/2.8L, and keep my 70-200/2.8L (no primes, but the 2.8 on the 5D should handle most indoor environments as well)

2. 24-105/4L IS, 100-400/4.5-5.6L IS, and maybe a 14/2.8L (slower lenses, but adds reach and IS)

3. 14/2.8L, keep the 35/2 and 50/1.4, add an 85/1.8 and keep the 70-200/2.8L (I tend to be bad at zooming "with my feet," but this would improve image quality and probably teach me to be a better photographer)

4. 17-40/4L, keep the 50/1.4, add an 85/1.8 and a 100-400/4.5-5.6L IS (zoom at the extremes, primes in the money range)

Any thoughts on the above or some other combination? I shoot nature/landscapes and urban scenes for artsy stuff and family/friend events for fun.

[jdawg]

like the picture

time to clean that sensor 

how do i do that?

Definitely looks like it's on the sensor. What settings were you using for that shot? f/16, f/22? Guessing you were stopped down pretty much. This is when you notice sensor dust on your pics. Probably don't see it when you're hovering around f/2.8 - f/8

Good luck with the cleaning.  I need to get one of those Rocket blowers, too. Thanks for the link.

Cool shot, nonetheless.

[Jimna]

thanks guys!

big thanks for the lesson too, jon.

[stirinthesauce]

Brian, that lens pen looks cool.  I think I will pick one up for the gear bag.


MattD, I like your option #1.  This mimics mine (except I'm on the hunt for a 17-40L as I sold my last super wide).  The canon L glass is tack sharp.  Only if I was doing studio portraits do I think I would keep primes in my bag.  For the field stuff, 3 lenses is more than enough gear to lug around and looks like the superwide, mid and mid-long zooms cover 90% of the needs.  I have found though, that the 70-200 is a bit short now on a full frame.  Would love to pick up a true long range zoom but now thinking I may just get a canon 2x extender.  The times I would need it, I would be using a tripod or monopod so hand shake wouldn't be an issue.  Plus, as rare as I need the extra distance, I can't seem to justify the several k drop in coin for the most potentially unused lens in the arsenal.

just my .000002.  I'm sure there are prime fans here that would think my suggestions are ludicrous  

thanks guys!

big thanks for the lesson too, jon.

no problem

[stirinthesauce]

Double post file but, here is one for the B&W fans.

Been playing around with some older files and converting to black and white.  This one I finally got to, 4 months later.  It is Natural Bridge, here in Sewanee, TN about 10 miles from my house.  Cold dreary morning but the sun came out about 15 minutes after I left.  Got there just in time before the shadows reeked havoc on me.


Oh, to add, you have to walk across the top of that to get to the bottom where I shot from.   

[jdawg]

Nice, cool shot. There's a natural bridge near Payson, AZ that we used to go to when we lived out there.
Do you have the raw, looks a little dark. Maybe it's just my monitor as I'm on my old linux box right now.

Prime fan here, 50, 85, 135 

[stirinthesauce]

Looks fine on my monitor, and it's calibrated.  Disclaimer though, I tend to be a fan of "underexposed" shots.  Just my preference, and it shows in my work.  Though, I use the term "underexposed" loosely.  It was a dreary dark morning and I wanted that conveyed onto the winter scenescape.

Thanks for the kind words.

Figured there were some prime fans here    All primes on my ae-1, 35, 50, 100.

[jdawg]

much better on this monitor.

yeah, I kind of took a liking to primes. Actually the only zoom I have is the 17-40. You'll love that lens!  Next lens will probably be the 70-200 f/4.

[stirinthesauce]

much better on this monitor.

yeah, I kind of took a liking to primes. Actually the only zoom I have is the 17-40. You'll love that lens!  Next lens will probably be the 70-200 f/4.

When I went full frame, I sold my tokina 12-24 ATX f4.   That lens I loved, sharp as a razor.  However, 24mm is now pretty darn wide so I have been getting away with not really needing a superwide except in a few circumstances.  But, wider would be nicer.  Especially really wide