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04-06-2009, 06:10 PM   #31
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Remember, the grass is *always* greener on the Other Side.

04-06-2009, 06:40 PM   #32
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Which "Green" is Better?

QuoteOriginally posted by GaryM Quote
Remember, the grass is *always* greener on the Other Side.
Nope. I like the green colours reproduced by film Pentax glass much better than any Canon L lenses, no matter primes or zooms!
04-06-2009, 07:26 PM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by pingflood Quote
they made the Mk III AF system so amazingly complex very few people actually manage to configure it to act like they want. I've heard from more than a few Mk III owners that they prefer to shoot with the Mk II since you can pretty much grab it and use it instead of fiddling with the AF settings
Sounds like the D700's AF system. I was following a thread on DPR where they were talking about a bunch of convoluted settings that made it optimal for sports??!?

As for grass being greener...depends where the cows pooped the week before

Everything has issues that you have to learn to work around (that's the knowing your tool part and whether you're trying to use a screwdriver as a hammer)...if it doesn't work for you, try something else...there's more than one choice...
04-06-2009, 07:32 PM   #34
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OK. So I'm at PMA and I ask the guy at the Nikon booth "why all the 57 some odd focus points on the D3?" He says "watch this: set the AF to..." and proceeds to rattle off about 6 or 7 settings that need changing. Then, he hands me the camera and steps back a few steps. He says "OK, focus on my face." I raise the camera half-press the shutter and sure enough, a bunch of grey blocks light up around his face in the upper right corner of the frame. Just then he starts to walk towards me and across the frame. The grey blocks follow his face across the frame while I hold the camera stationary!

Pretty cool if you're shooting pictures of President Obama working a crowd.

04-07-2009, 06:53 PM   #35
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Fun, ain't it?

I use the "ring of fire" method on mine for moving subjects. Basically it consists of enabling all points in Servo mode, then placing the subject center and half pressing the shutter (or pressing the * button depending on what you prefer), and the camera just tracks it thereafter. Works like a champ.
04-07-2009, 07:13 PM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by RiceHigh Quote
Nope. I like the green colours reproduced by film Pentax glass much better than any Canon L lenses, no matter primes or zooms!
Heh Rice, a positive comment with no negatives once in a while is kinda refreshing...
04-07-2009, 07:14 PM   #37
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QuoteOriginally posted by pingflood Quote
Fun, ain't it?

I use the "ring of fire" method on mine for moving subjects. Basically it consists of enabling all points in Servo mode, then placing the subject center and half pressing the shutter (or pressing the * button depending on what you prefer), and the camera just tracks it thereafter. Works like a champ.
Suppose you've got the camera's AF system tracking a moving target as you describe, and another moving object enters the frame that you now want to be the subject (think horse or car race). How easy/fast is it to get the camera to "un-track" the old subject and focus on the new?

Sounds like the creative decision making has shifted from the photographer to the camera...

04-07-2009, 07:17 PM   #38
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K10D vs 5D... old news

I find it amusing that people are debating the virtues of two camera bodies that are already DISCONTINUED and replaced by newer models... time to move on.
04-07-2009, 07:24 PM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by creampuff Quote
I find it amusing that people are debating the virtues of two camera bodies that are already DISCONTINUED and replaced by newer models... time to move on.
Apparently you don't frequent the FILM camera forum...
04-07-2009, 08:18 PM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by creampuff Quote
I find it amusing that people are debating the virtues of two camera bodies that are already DISCONTINUED and replaced by newer models... time to move on.
Err...the 5DmkII has the same AF system as the 5D. That's why their users are ticked off. Sort of like the K10D and K20D AF systems w/ minor updates
04-08-2009, 06:42 AM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by OregonJim Quote
Suppose you've got the camera's AF system tracking a moving target as you describe, and another moving object enters the frame that you now want to be the subject (think horse or car race). How easy/fast is it to get the camera to "un-track" the old subject and focus on the new?

Sounds like the creative decision making has shifted from the photographer to the camera...
If your original subject is still being tracked and you want to switch, you have some options. The easiest way is to just release the focus button (for this type of work most people reassign the focus to the rear * button rather than half shutter press), center on the new subject, and hit the focus button again. It'll pick up and track that subject from now on. So it is about as easy and fast as it gets. (You can do some stuff with selecting particular AF points, AF point expansion and so on, but I never get fancy like that.)

Canon published a pretty good PDF on tips and tricks for making the most out of the AF system, and if you're really interested I can send it to you.

As for "shifting the creative decision", the camera still does what you tell it to do, just like with metering and auto exposure. The key is understanding how the camera works so you can use the nice automation to your advantage. Smart AF systems are no more evil or creativity destroying than motor winders or auto exposure. They are just tools.

PS: Would you still be concerned about this if it was Pentax who had this focusing system?
04-08-2009, 09:23 AM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by pingflood Quote
As for "shifting the creative decision", the camera still does what you tell it to do, just like with metering and auto exposure. The key is understanding how the camera works so you can use the nice automation to your advantage. Smart AF systems are no more evil or creativity destroying than motor winders or auto exposure. They are just tools.

PS: Would you still be concerned about this if it was Pentax who had this focusing system?
I guess I'm in the minority, as I don't use AF, autowinders, or autoexposure. They all distract and cause me to think more about controlling the tool and less about the important stuff.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for automation and gadgets and progress - just don't start mixing them into a creative process. They become distracting and creativity suffers.

It doesn't matter to me if it's Canon, Pentax, or something else - I was just pointing out that the effort required to control such a system consistently is (to me) misplaced effort.
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