The Eagle Has Landed

If I had a finished project for all the gear I’ve bought, I’d have a lot of stuff done. Instead I’ve been building a small army of photography and video gear. I love toys, and I love good deals even more. I absolutely couldn’t let the deal slip away on this refurb 5D Mark II. Before I hit the “purchase” button I made a promise to myself that I’d stop waiting, stop putting all my ideas off. It’s time to dust off everything and get to work.

One large step for my wallet, one giant leap towards my dreams.

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Tighten Your Budget with FD Lenses

Want some great new glass on a small budget? Check out old FD lenses! This excellent review of these lenses gives us a chance to pick up some new stock without breaking the bank. As Caleb says in the video, there are killer deals out there on manual SLR stuff. I’ve been wanting to pick up a couple more primes, and I think this is a nice way to play around without spending too much. There are some issues noted, like softness when shooting wide open. There is a slight loss of light when using the adapter, but for the price it looks like these can’t be beat.

Take a look at FD lenses on eBay and you can see the great deals. I actually just bid on a 28mm 2.8 Vivitar for $20. Not bad! The adapter you need to use these lenses on our Canons can be bought here. While my 50mm Zeiss is not an FD mount, it is a cheaper alternative due to being older and manual. I love it and think it was well worth the price. These lenses are even cheaper, and it seems like they produce some great results.

Take a look at what’s available and happy hunting!

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Oops, I did It Again

My new baby arrived today!

I still can’t believe it. Monday I decided to order myself the 60D, and it shipped the very next day. I would have had it yesterday but I wasn’t home for the delivery. Today I came home to a very special early-Christmas present waiting for me.

The size difference from the T2i is immediately noticed. It’s larger in general, and heavier. Not a crazy weight difference, but enough to tell. I hope it helps me to shoot a little smoother. The flip out LCD screen proved useful when I wanted to use Cheech as my test subject. He was sitting on my lap and too close for focus. I turned the screen down while I held the camera up above me a bit. I was able to focus easily and see just fine.

The controls are different from the T2i, with an electronic screen on the top of the unit and the picture option wheel on the left. You have to press down a button to move the option wheel, which is a nice touch. I never bumped the wheel on my T2i but I know some people have. The Menu and Info buttons are in a different location, and you can use the wheel to select choices.

I shot a little bit of the dogs, but it’s nothing worthy of a test clip really. I have a family Christmas party this weekend and I’ll be using it then. I also need to test my new Zeiss so that’ll be a good time to do that. I’m super excited about this camera and having a second shooter in general. I love love love my T2i but I felt like the 60D would be a nice upgrade. The price was right and I was able to swing it, so why not?

I’m sure it’s going to take me a while to learn about my new options. I’ll need to spend some time reading the manual and seeing what I can do. I need to attach the second magnetic frame I have for my LCDVF as well. I won’t be able to shut the LCD completely with the frame, but it’s worth more to me to have the LCDVF. I hope to have some more updates and insights soon!

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Diary of a Lens Rental

A lot of novice photographers and filmmakers make the same mistakes. Either we buy expensive lenses we end up never using, or we buy cheap lenses due to limited budgets. I bought the 50mm 1.8 II lens right after my kit lens broke. It’s the only lens I shoot with, and while I’m happy most of the time it does have it’s limitations. Focusing is very difficult. The focus ring is small and I’m almost always grabbing the fader ND ring rather than it. It was very inexpensive, but I know I want something more.

Before I dropped big bucks on a new telephoto, I discovered the world of gear rental. If you don’t know about these services, you’ve got to give them a try. I saw some posts on twitter from local shop Borrow Lenses and had to give it a try.

(more…)

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LCDVF 3:2

I quickly realized I was going to need a loupe of some sort to help me stay in focus when shooting. In bright light the LCD on the T2i is nearly useless, and not much better in the dark. I would have loved to get the Zacuto Z-Finder but my budget didn’t allow for it. I did some searching, read some reviews, and decided on the LCDVF.

This version of the LCDVF fits camera with the 3:2 screens, like the T2i. It’s very easy to install, and is ready to be used in about 20 minutes. The kit comes with the loupe itself, a carrying case, a lanyard, two magnetic plates, and a little cleaner for the lens.

I noticed a change immediately. Not only does the LCDVF make it easier to focus, but it acts a bit like a stabilizer. You’re pretty much using your face to stabilize the camera. My handheld shooting became much smoother, and using a monopod or tripod makes it even better.

The magnification on the LCDVF is not as strong as the Zacuto models, but it gets the job done for the most part. The only time I’ve had trouble is when shooting fast moving objects, and sometimes in very bright sunlight. I think that might be my own learning curve, so I’ll have to wait and see.

If you’re looking for a budget friendly viewfinder, this version is a good start. For an even lower budget, there are exact clones of these available on eBay. Thanks to CheesyCam for the find.

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