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Forum: Sold Items 07-29-2010, 05:44 AM  
For Sale - Sold: Bigma Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG EX
Posted By emilf
Replies: 6
Views: 3,867
Depending on final shipping weight I'd say $63 for USPS Priority Mail and $65 for Express Mail International including insurance. First option takes 6-10 business days and second option would be there 8/6 if I shipped it today.
Forum: Sold Items 07-28-2010, 07:25 PM  
For Sale - Sold: Bigma Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG EX
Posted By emilf
Replies: 6
Views: 3,867
PM Replied
Forum: Sold Items 07-28-2010, 03:51 PM  
For Sale - Sold: Bigma Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG EX
Posted By emilf
Replies: 6
Views: 3,867
Item for Sale:
Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG EX

Asking Price
$850

Item Location
Atlanta, GA, US

Are you the original owner of the item being sold?
Yes, bought in September 2009

Are you selling or trading this item?
Selling or Trading

Item Condition (Key)
EX+

Shipping Destinations
Worldwide. Outside US/Canada I'd prefer if you have been a member here for a while and/or have some positive feedback in the Marketplace

Shipping Charge
Buyer pays actual shipping costs including insurance

Shipping Services
USPS Priority Mail, UPS, FedEx

Accepted Payment Types
PayPal (with international I might add the extra Paypal fees)

Item Descriptions
As you might have figured out from the other threads I have here in the Marketplace I am jumping ship and switching to Canon :(. Almost all my shooting is motorsports and I just need better performing AF.

I have gotten some great shots with this lens, and have been very happy with it. More recently I started worrying a bit about either the AF being a bit off or some other problem causing a softness in some shots that I didn't notice earlier on. I didn't want to sell it like that so I took it to the local Sigma service center (Camera Repair Japan) here in Atlanta and had them take a look at it.

I just got it back from them today and even though I didn't have any motorcycles going 180 mph to test it on, it appears it is all back to its former glory :) According to the paperwork the following was performed:

- Repaired focusing
- Adjusted autofocus
- General clean and check

They definitely cleaned it well. Previously the lens had accumulated a couple of larger dust specks and now it is probably cleaner than when it left the factory.

It is a heavy lens (1900g/67 oz), and many people claim that it can only be used on a tripod. However I have almost exclusively used it hand-held. When panning the weight is a great help in keeping a constant speed in your movements and in my experience you can go a lot slower in shutter speed than with a lighter lens.

Mechanically and optically the lens is in top condition and as mentioned has just been in for service. Since I have been hand-holding it a lot there is some wear in the finish on the tripod mount and on the Zoom Lock switch. The finish just doesn't seem to hold up very well to a lot of handling, but it is purely cosmetic. Check the photos for more detail.

Everything that originally came with the lens is included in the sale: hood, front and rear caps, carry strap, case, paperwork and box.

Being an EX lens it has a 3 year extended warranty.

I will be posting photos of the lens as well as photos taken with the lens shortly.

Please feel free to ask questions either here in this thread or through PM.

I am also interested in trades for lenses (for Canon obviously). I am looking for either a wide zoom + cash (I really liked my Sigma 10-20 for Pentax), a 70-200/2.8 or some long glass. I don't really have any cash to add to the deal though so I guess a 300L F2.8 or 400L F2.8 is out of the question ;-) Btw. IS is not needed since I do fast action.

---------- Post added 07-28-10 at 06:57 PM ----------

Here are some pictures:

(More here: http://www.racevolutionphoto.com/p782050188)

















---------- Post added 07-28-10 at 07:11 PM ----------

Taken at AMA Superbike Showdown at Road Atlanta back in April:

(More shots from that weekend here: racEvolution Photography | Various Shots - except for a few shots with the 10-20mm, all shots are with this lens on my K7 (also for sale))









Forum: Post Your Photos! 04-24-2010, 10:35 AM  
Sports AMA Superbike Showdown, Road Atlanta 4/16-18 2010
Posted By emilf
Replies: 14
Views: 5,410
I posted the photos above and several more in much larger size on my site here:

racEvolution Photography | AMA
Forum: Post Your Photos! 04-23-2010, 12:00 PM  
Sports AMA Superbike Showdown, Road Atlanta 4/16-18 2010
Posted By emilf
Replies: 14
Views: 5,410
Yeah, and there are several young kids on their way up to the AMA now, so expect more exciting racing in the future.



Thanks. I don't even try to shoot anything on the back straight where the 1000cc bikes reach top speed in excess of 180mph :)
Forum: Post Your Photos! 04-22-2010, 08:22 PM  
Sports AMA Superbike Showdown, Road Atlanta 4/16-18 2010
Posted By emilf
Replies: 14
Views: 5,410
Thanks. I can do most of what the Canonikon guys can with that combo except for getting good group shots and getting unexpected action such as crashes where you really need to have the AF track properly.



Well, most of the guys in the shots above are people I know and not necessarily the top guys. In Superbike it was really Josh Hayes and Blake Young that were fighting at the top with Bostrom, Jake Zemke and Tommy Hayden up there too.
Forum: Post Your Photos! 04-22-2010, 06:37 PM  
Sports AMA Superbike Showdown, Road Atlanta 4/16-18 2010
Posted By emilf
Replies: 14
Views: 5,410
Heh - yeah, but there's still some pretty good racing going on. Josh Hayes and Blake Young were going at it pretty hard both Saturday and Sunday. And Cory West made a crazy pass Sunday in the Daytona Sportbike race:
















You Tube






Thanks. I like shooting bikes because there is so much more dynamics - lean angles, riding styles, varying race lines etc. - compared to cars.



Panning does take a lot of practice to increase your rate of keepers. It also helps that the Bigma is so heavy - the momentum helps you to be much more steady in the pan. I've taken many thousand panning shots in the last year, but definitely see the improvement over time.



Actually I have pretty much given up on AF-C on the Pentax. I have disconnected AF from the shutter half-press and pre-focus to a specific point on the track and snap a series of shots when the bike gets to approx. that spot.

Even in sunny weather the AF-C just doesn't seem to get it sharp enough and when it's cloudy there's just no way to reliably get sharp shots.



Thanks. The weather was perfect. Sunny, high 70's low 80's and a bit of wind.
Forum: Post Your Photos! 04-22-2010, 03:02 PM  
Sports AMA Superbike Showdown, Road Atlanta 4/16-18 2010
Posted By emilf
Replies: 14
Views: 5,410
I've been completely swamped lately, but I figured I'd post a few of the shots I got at this weekends AMA event at Road Atlanta. These are just quick edits of a somewhat random sample of the shots I got. I did these on my new laptop which I have not had time to calibrate the display on yet, and I processed them with Facebook in mind so I didn't spend much time on them since Facebook completely destroys photos with their JPG compression.

Maybe I should just have waited to post them until this weekend when I have time to do a better job, but I needed a little distraction and hopefully I'll get a little encouragement that will help me get through the ~5k shots I took Monday that I still have to sort through :)

Here we go in no particular order:

1. Russ Winkle entering turn 6:


2. David White in turn 6:


3. Melissa Paris coming out of turn 6:


4. Blake Young doing a burnout for the spectators in turn 10 after winning Sunday's Superbike race:


5. Tim Hunt in pit lane during the fan walk:


6. Skip Salenius being interviewed during fan walk:


7. David White posing with his bike during fan walk:


8. David White signing his autograph during fan walk:


9. Josh Herrin in turn 12 during Sunday warmup:


10. Clinton Seller in turn 12 during Sunday warmup:


11. Cory West in turn 12 during Sunday warmup:


12. Tim Hunt in turn 12 during Sunday warmup:


13. Tim Hunt exiting the Esses:


14. JD Beach entering turn 7:


15. Skip Salenius and Jake Zemke power wheelies coming out of turn 10 during qualification:


16. Eric Pinson power wheelie taken through the Suzuki Bridge:


17. Tray Batey coming into turn 7:


18. Cory West going round turn 10b:


19. James Rispoli exiting turn 6:


20. Skip Salenius exiting the Esses:


21. Josh Hayes exiting turn 1:


22. Ben Bostrom exiting turn 1:


23. Josh Herrin power wheelie before Suzuki Bridge:


24. Russ Wikle power wheelie before Suzuki Bridge:
Forum: Post Your Photos! 03-10-2010, 12:31 PM  
Sticky: Pentax Photo Gallery (PPG) entries
Posted By emilf
Replies: 6,218
Views: 1,035,472
Got a surprise when I logged on to the gallery to check on the progress of the 10 photos I submitted just over 2 weeks ago. One had already been accepted and 3 rejected - today one more was rejected and 5 were accepted.

I also got my first car race photo accepted.

These two are probably my favorites of the accepted ones:





And the Corvette that got accepted:
Forum: Post Your Photos! 03-08-2010, 07:56 PM  
Sticky: Pentax Photo Gallery (PPG) entries
Posted By emilf
Replies: 6,218
Views: 1,035,472
I submitted 10 racing photos just over two weeks ago, and just got one accepted and 3 rejected. It seems like people like motorcycle shots more than cars :)

Here's the one that got accepted:


The bike # is a little bit soft, but personally my eyes always end up getting drawn towards the torso and helmet/face that just seem really 'rich' looking (color-wise)
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 03-08-2010, 07:50 PM  
Promotional Postcard
Posted By emilf
Replies: 11
Views: 3,481
Thanks - I appreciate the nice comments - you're almost making me blush ;)



Thanks.

I'm not sure how visible the background photo on the back will actually be on the printed cards, but it was intended to be really light just as you mention. I might have ended up making it too visible.

Drop shadows on the two posters is a great idea - they do look a little flat.

Also a good comment about changing the color on the contact method. Actually I think it should be the website that was in red since that's how I'd prefer them to get in touch with me.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 03-07-2010, 06:25 PM  
Promotional Postcard
Posted By emilf
Replies: 11
Views: 3,481
Thanks and yeah - they'll be on glossy stock. After I sent it off to get printed I did start wondering if the front was a touch too dark, but it's hard to say without a printer profile for that paper stock.

As for the back of the card I just want to make sure people are aware that I can offer more than just sell the photos from the track (thats all most of the other people do).

Earplugs aren't really needed for the bikes - they don't really make that much noise. The worst are some of the cars - particularly the Corvettes at American Le Mans races - they can really make your ears hurt.



Thanks. True about the bugs especially down here in the South.

We had the first race Feb 7-8 at Talladega, AL and I think it was about the worst you'll ever see these guys race. It was mid 30's and we even had some snow flakes here and there. A lot of people didn't even go out because they couldn't get their tires warm enough and the ones that did go out couldn't keep the tire temps up during the races.

I am having my cards printed by printkeg.com and I'll let you know how they turn out. They are really reasonable with their prices. $29 for 250 6x4's + shipping. I ended up getting 1,000 because it was only $12 more and their turnaround is really quick too. They got printed and shipped in one day!

I'll be going to a track day tomorrow, leave Thursday for a race at Roebling Road by Savannah and the week after I'll be going to Sebring for the American Le Mans race (just for fun though - would love to have credentials).
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 03-06-2010, 04:37 PM  
Promotional Postcard
Posted By emilf
Replies: 11
Views: 3,481
Thanks.

I probably should have dropped the "Phone:" and "http://" - I'll have to keep that in mind for when I need to get new ones.

I really wanted to use actual race shots, but with more time to put it together I might have been able to pick a better one or at least done a little more Photoshop work to clean it up.



While both "post card" and "flier" are both technically correct, I think you're right - the more I look at it "postcard" and "flyer" just 'looks' more right.

At the track most likely people won't have their wallet on them so it'll probably end up on a table or in a toolbox, and I hope the postcard will have a little more impact since it shows off some examples of photos etc.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 03-06-2010, 01:45 PM  
Promotional Postcard
Posted By emilf
Replies: 11
Views: 3,481
So I'm trying to grow my business a little, and I want to make sure all the guys at the races are aware of what I do. At first I figured I'd just walk around to everyone and say Hi and give them my business card, but as I was trying to find the best price for business cards I came across an even better price on postcards.

I hope that being able to hand out a postcard with more information and visual impact will help more than a business card.

The next race is next weekend, and I ended having to put together the design in one evening to be able to get them back before then. I would have liked a bit more time to work on the design - especially since I'm not exactly a graphic designer.

Let me know what you guys think.

Front:



Back:

Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands 03-06-2010, 01:23 PM  
Best option for fast action sports? 7D or D300
Posted By emilf
Replies: 18
Views: 7,290
Thanks for that info. And I agree - I hate mail-in rebates.



I do need to be able to crop quite a bit sometimes, and if I end up having to reduce my reach to 400mm I think the 8MP of the 1D II will be a problem.

So far it is still either D300(s) or 7D and from what I gather they are both very capable from an AF point of view. It seems like it might be down to holding both cameras and the fact that the Nikon glass does seem to be a bit more expensive.

Another question about Canon and Nikon... How well do their 2x converters perform with their 70-200 F2.8 offerings compared to the 100-400mm or 80-400mm?
Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands 03-05-2010, 08:32 PM  
Best option for fast action sports? 7D or D300
Posted By emilf
Replies: 18
Views: 7,290
More keepers because of the higher fps or because of better AF?




I'd prefer a decent range zoom since changing lenses at the track is not ideal - that's a big plus with the Bigma. However I think 100-400mm would still work. Are there older non-IS versions of the Canon? And how about a Nikon equivalent?

Anyway - so far I think I'm just as undecided as I was before :)
Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands 03-05-2010, 01:20 PM  
Best option for fast action sports? 7D or D300
Posted By emilf
Replies: 18
Views: 7,290
Thank you for that input - I have a tendency to get carried away with the idea of getting the latest and shiniest gadgets even if I might not really need them :)

I'll probably need more reach than 200mm (more likely 400mm minimum), but I don't need VR with what I am shooting. Any suggestion for lenses to look out for?

I'll have to check out FM and see what prices are there. I also have KEH locally here. Their quality and grading is great, but probably also a little on the expensive side too.
Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands 03-05-2010, 11:44 AM  
Best option for fast action sports? 7D or D300
Posted By emilf
Replies: 18
Views: 7,290
That's kind of the direction I am leaning. Biggest task will be to juggle selling the Pentax gear and getting the new camera between races so I avoid down time. Wish I had the cash to buy new camera first :(

Anyone want to buy K7, k20d, *istD, Bigma, Sigma 10-20mm, F 50/1.7, A 50/1.7, M 50/1.4, SMC Tak 50/4 plus some miscellaneous lenses as a package :)
Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands 03-05-2010, 09:34 AM  
Best option for fast action sports? 7D or D300
Posted By emilf
Replies: 18
Views: 7,290
Initially I was planning on getting a Bigma (which I already have for Pentax), but price of higher end glass is a very good point. I'll have to see if I can find somewhere around here where I can hold both options to get a better feel for the ergonomics.



I guess main reason I was comparing new to used was that the 7D is so new that there aren't that many used ones for sale and the price difference is a lot smaller.

How's the 1D mkII going to stack up? Don't know about its AF capabilities. From what I read the 5D is not as good a choice as the 7D when it comes to fast action. Having a lot of reach can be important at the track, so I like the 1.5x of APS-C cameras - how's a FF camera going to hold up there?

I'm going to a race next weekend and might be able to borrow a 1D mkIV with some high end glass, so hopefully that will give me some more perspective (even though I'd never be able to afford that camera).
Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands 03-05-2010, 08:34 AM  
Best option for fast action sports? 7D or D300
Posted By emilf
Replies: 18
Views: 7,290
I'm considering finally accepting what seems to be the inevitable.

When I first got a dSLR I was taking a variety of types of shots, and it was just as a hobby. Pentax was the best choice for that, and I have enjoyed playing with different types of old glass. However lately I have almost entirely been shooting motorsports and making a little extra money on that.

When you're trying to sell photos from the track you need at least a decent number of keepers of each rider in each race, and it can sometimes be a struggle, especially if it not bright sunlight. The AF-C just can't keep up with the fast moving bikes/cars.

With the keeper rate being on the low side - particularly in low light - I have found that I am going much more for the safe shots as opposed to the slow shutter panning shots etc.

So basically I am seriously considering selling all my Pentax gear and going for either a 7D or D300, and I am looking for some input on what is the best option.

The 7D is at the upper range of my current price, but I have read good things about its dual processors and fast frame rate. AF is also supposed to be good from what I understand. While the high MP is not particularly important, it is nice in the case where you need to crop a lot later. Eventually I'd also be able to buy better glass that can better take advantage of the higher resolution.

The D300 has been around for a while, and I don't care about video or dual card slots, so I should be able to pick up a used one in good shape for about $1000-1100. My concern however is also that it has been around for a while, and I am not sure how well the AF stacks up against the newer 7D.

I'd like to hear any input on which is the best option, both with regards to AF but also any other pros/cons you can think of.
Forum: Post Your Photos! 02-25-2010, 04:16 PM  
Sports Parking lot 'racing'
Posted By emilf
Replies: 9
Views: 2,573
Thanks.



Thanks - somehow it seems like my keeper rate is higher when the stakes aren't as high. Not sure exactly why - if I start over-thinking it too much at the track and the guy I need shots of is coming around the corner?

Anyway - I had fun and the guys are loving the shots. It's cool how panning can make a couple of slow guys in a parking lot look like they're at Bonneville :)
Forum: Photo Critique 02-25-2010, 04:12 PM  
Sports Artistis vs blurry?
Posted By emilf
Replies: 10
Views: 2,896
Thanks - I'll tell him that the he needs to corner a little lower and think more about his line :)



Thanks. It took a little time to get them all staged the way I wanted, but in the end it worked out pretty well :p I guess it's really just one of those freaky shots you don't notice you have until you get home.
Forum: Post Your Photos! 02-24-2010, 09:26 PM  
Sports Parking lot 'racing'
Posted By emilf
Replies: 9
Views: 2,573
Thanks.



Thanks. Since it was more of a 'fun' outing I was more free to play around. Usually at the races the guys want their shots to be more up close.



:) Yeah - quite a bit smaller than usual.



I wouldn't be surprised if they do. Most likely it's just more 'private'.
Forum: Post Your Photos! 02-23-2010, 06:32 PM  
Sports Parking lot 'racing'
Posted By emilf
Replies: 9
Views: 2,573
Took a few shots here recently at a relaxed weekend ride around a private parking lot. Gave me the opportunity to play a little more with shutter speeds and panning since it wasn't as important to 'get the shots'.















Forum: Photo Critique 02-23-2010, 05:01 PM  
Sports Artistis vs blurry?
Posted By emilf
Replies: 10
Views: 2,896
Yeah, I guess I was just curious about other peoples response.



For a standard racing photo it is definitely too blurry, but for some reason every time I scroll past is it catches my eye. I guess it is mostly the surreal aspect of everyone else being blurry - even the guys next to him.
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