> >So, time to make the announcement. After returning my ist D, I now find
> >myself with a C***n 20D, 17-85 f4-5.6IS USM, a 580EX speedlite, a BG-E2
> >battery grip, an E1 hand strap, an extra battery and a B+W MRC UV filter.
I
> >miss my kidneys.
>
> One question. Why? Please answer truthfully.
Because I like the big chunkiness of the body, the plasticky lens, the
unnatural feel when trying to hold adjust the lens while the grip is on, the
fact that I can't depend on freely available AA's, and not to mention the
loudness of the mirror slap makes me feel dangerous.
Or perhaps because CR Kennedy had one of my ist D's for a month, 7 days
after I bought it, and I was leaving Australia for Singapore and Europe
soon, and they still hadn't managed to resolve the issue I brought it in
for, nor were being upfront with me about it. ("oh if we've got any update
we'll call you", "oh it's up to pentax japan", "oh it's up to sigma japan",
"oh we can't ask them what's going on because the more we hassle those
japanese, the more irritated they'll get and the longer they'll take to do
it", "oh the technician's not in" etc.)
> Do yourself a favour and buy a few third party BP511 batteries. The Canon
> ones are expensive and I've seen reports saying the 3rd party's work
> fine. You may notice that you can go for days if not weeks without
> changing a battery pack in the grip.
Now then you tell me.. I did buy one more BP511A for SGD125 (I think the
exchange rate is 1.63 to the USD). I heard the 3rd party batteries are only
SGD40, but my dad recently had a problem with his C***n ixus 400. Some of
the files were half written or corrupted. At first I thought it was a memory
card problem, but later I figured it was probably irregular voltage from an
el cheapo battery.
> It is not a quiet camera. I have a cool facility on the 1D that offers a
> very quiet operation:
Understatement! I would rather say 'it's a noisy b*st*rd'. At least on the
ist D you don't need any 'facility' to make it quiet- it just is! :-(
Speaking of a 1D, there's one in a shop window going for SGD3280.. Not a
mII, but still..
> P.Fn-21 enables a quiet mode when the camera is in Single Frame shooting
> mode by greatly reducing mirror slap noise. This function can be combined
> with the mirror lockup function to further reduce noise and is useful in
> noise-sensitive environments. If you switch to continuous shooting mode,
> this function is over-ridden.
I just checked my custom functions, it just goes up to 18, and at a glance,
I don't think I have quiet mode. Bother.
> Otherwise the noise from the 1D is louder than the 20D.
That's like, loud enough to disrupt 'Stomp' in a performance, ya? ;-)
> >3. The 20D, unfortunately, does have superior image quality. I'm probably
> >not comparing in the same price/spec range that's why. Amazingly, while
the
> >ist D produces significant noise at 1600, the 20D at 1600 produces
possibly
> >the same noise as the ist D's 400. For non RAW shooters, the 20D also
> >provides more control over in camera settings e.g. more range to set
> >sharpness, contrast etc.
>
> Is this why you changed?
It's a bonus. When the ist D was coupled with the SMC F 50 1.4, the images
produced were pretty much good enough. Not to mention the price difference.
But that being said, The 20D produce some swell shots, and I suppose offers
more room to explore and more parameters to control.
> >4. The 20D's TTL with the 580EX seems to provide more accurate exposures
> >than the ist D with the AF360fgz. In low light without AF assist, the 20D
> >with the 17-85 focuses much faster than the ist D with the SMC F 50 1.4.
>
> Or this?
Well, I haven't been up to too much low light photography, and the focusing
speed of the Sigma 28-70 2.8 with a 5n is great in daylight. Regarding the
accuracy of the exposures with the ist D and AF360fgz, it never bothered me
to the point it was an issue. Also, I must note that IS is friggin
incredible- handheld, I made a handheld 1/4 exposure, holding that 1.2kg
monstrosity, look tack sharp, no flash.
> >5. The 20D does not feel like a walkaround camera. Feels like it should
live
> >in a studio. This might present problems when I'm backpacking London and
> >Paris in a few days.
>
> Dahhh, you yunguns, no stamina. My walkaround kit: 1D+14 2.8 on shoulder,
> 24-70 2.8 in the pocket.
Yunguns stay that way through a committed regime of resource preservation.
:-) Plus the 'feel' of a walkaround camera I'd describe to encompass shoving
it in someone's face. I really need to print a big wearable placard with the
answer to "are you filming me with that?".
> Well funny you should mention that. I have a lovely Pentax K50mm f 1.2 in
> an EOS mount that will act just like an 80 mil portrait lens...I was
> going to clean it up and eBay it as a curio but always willing to
> entertain PDMLers first. You can then submit to the PUG and do it with
pride!
Har! Actually, I'd rather see it as the center of a bidding war between some
C***n curio enthusiasts. I get the feeling you'd like that too.
Cheers,
Ry
