RE: Re: [Leica] Slide mounts/scanner feeders/workflow

["Phong" <phong@doan-ltd.com>]

Jim Laurel wrote in part:
> In the Canon world, f2.8 is considered
> fast, and many of thier lenses just aren't very good wide open.  :-{

Jim,

Have you used the 50mm 1.4, 85mm f1.8 or 135mm f2.0 ?  I would be curious
to hear your (and others') opinion on them.  In mine, these are very
good wide open.  Here's a couple of handheld shot at 1.4 ISO 400:
http://pdoan.home.attbi.com/Thanksgiving/crw_7889l-quang.htm
http://pdoan.home.attbi.com/Thanksgiving/crw_7755l-yen.htm
(In fact the entire Thanksgiving series were taken with the EF 50mm f1.4
lens, handheld on a D30.  USM is on the conservative side for these)

Here's another one, at a Boston LUG gathering last year (apologies to
our own Buzz Hausner):
http://www.pbase.com/image/18373529/original
(USM is more aggresive on this one)

There are faster lenses on the wide side: 24mm f1.4, 35mm f1.4, and 50mm
f1.0,
but I haven't tried them.  I'd like to try the 35mm f1.4 and 200 f2.0 myself
one of these days, soon, and would like to hear from experienced users.

They are not the equals of their Leica counterpart, especially on this list
:-),
but they are very competent lenses.  I agree with you though that the wide
angle zooms (mine is the 20-35mm f2.8) tend to show chromatic aberrations,
though mine is not as severe not as severe as the 17-35mm you mention.
I also, am contemplating the 1Ds.

- - Phong


- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Jim Laurel
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2003 12:19 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: Re: [Leica] Slide mounts/scanner feeders/workflow


Sounds like we have arrived at the same conclusion, Tina.  I have been
scanning since January, and can finally see the light at the end of the long
tunnel.  Scanning is such an incredible drag.  I use iView, which makes
captioning a breeze.  Plus, you can do it after each days' shooting, so the
information is alot fresher in your mind.

You are going to like the 10D - alot.  It is an incredible machine at a very
attractive price point.  Now, I can go straight from the camera into iView,
get everything annotated and filed, sent out, printed or whatever.  And no
captioning with sticky labels!!!  :-)

However, there is a dark side.  First of all, it looks different from film.
The photos are clean to the point of being antiseptic.  To me they kind of
look like really high res video.  They're sharp, alright.  And the colors
are true, but...  Anyway, it's hard to pin down.  But that decadent, rich,
liquid look I'm acustomed to with my M cameras is nowhere to be found.
Maybe one day I'll figure it out and make a "Leica look" Photoshop action.
One thing that is taking some getting used to is not shooting at very wide
apertures like can with an M camera.  In the Canon world, f2.8 is considered
fast, and many of thier lenses just aren't very good wide open.  :-{

To get the field of view of a 35mm lens, which I often use, I have to use a
20mm.  With the 20, everything is in focus all the time, even wide open.  It
depends on your preference, of course, but to me such extreme depth of field
is a distinct disadvantage.  The only way I'll be able to get the shallow
DOF look I prefer would be with the EOS 1Ds, and as you know, it is huge.

Even so, I'm willing to spring for a 1Ds, but am concerned about whether
Canon will update it relatively soon, as it is coming up on 1 year old.
Coming from a technology background, it makes sense to me that Canon would
release a minor upgrade around 12-18 months into the model's life cycle that
addresses issues learned from having the camera in the hands of
photographers for a while.  When that happens, I will feel comfortable
dropping the $7.5k for one.  The 10D will make a good second body.

One more thing.  Beware the 17-35 f2.8L on these EOS digital cameras.  Mine
exhibits pretty severe chromatic aberration at all apertures up to f8, and
at all focal lengths, even with the 10D's 40% crop.  I understand Canon has
made significant improvements in the 16-35.  As an alternative for now, I am
using the EF 20mm, which is a pretty well corrected lens with little visible
distortion.  Unfortunately, it is not the equal of the Elmarit-M 21 ASPH.

Has anyone heard rumors about an update to the 1Ds?

- --Jim


- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html