[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by maven

Thanks Sparkled. i thought of grad filter because it was a recommended option. would make clouds look more interesting(?) usually they always look monotonous. But i have found getting hold of filters a huge issue.
The other i have is the CPL i got for the 18-55 but that wont fit the 77mm ring of the 17-40.

I guess by interesting clouds what you mean is bluer skies, right? A good CPL will do the same job and also eliminate reflections from brightly lit subjects. Good deals on filters are available from an ebay site based out of Hong Kong. I got my 77 and 52 mm Hoya thin filters from them. Prices are better than B&H and Amazon and the likes.

[anainar]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

I guess by interesting clouds what you mean is bluer skies, right? A good CPL will do the same job and also eliminate reflections from brightly lit subjects. Good deals on filters are available from an ebay site based out of Hong Kong. I got my 77 and 52 mm Hoya thin filters from them. Prices are better than B&H and Amazon and the likes.

And they deliver to India as well? No customs issues?

Nainar

[maven]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

I guess by interesting clouds what you mean is bluer skies, right? A good CPL will do the same job and also eliminate reflections from brightly lit subjects. Good deals on filters are available from an ebay site based out of Hong Kong. I got my 77 and 52 mm Hoya thin filters from them. Prices are better than B&H and Amazon and the likes.

Correct thats what i meant. If i am not wrong -- For the CPL to work the sun must be out. not so for the grad ND

[SPARKled]

I am not sure if they do or dont as I had got them delivered in USA where no duty was charged. Inspite of the overseas shipping it was way cheaper to have it delivered from HongKong than buying from internet retailers.

Originally Posted by maven

Correct thats what i meant. If i am not wrong -- For the CPL to work the sun must be out. not so for the grad ND

A polariser will anyway reduce light by around 2 stops, and so effectively work like a 0.6 ND filter and will give almost the same effect as 0.6 grad ND filter. So I suggest a 0.9 filter if you can get it. Another thing to consider for dramatic clouds, is bracketing your shots and then using a HDR software.

[maven]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

....

A polariser will anyway reduce light by around 2 stops, and so effectively work like a 0.6 ND filter and will give almost the same effect as 0.6 grad ND filter. So I suggest a 0.9 filter if you can get it. Another thing to consider for dramatic clouds, is bracketing your shots and then using a HDR software.

may be nitpicking, i think the difference would be that the grad ND would have bottom half as the neutral coat and the top half really is coated to give the "effect", whereas in the cpl the entire filter is coated to give the desired "effect" when held 90deg to the sun.

[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by maven

may be nitpicking, i think the difference would be that the grad ND would have bottom half as the neutral coat and the top half really is coated to give the "effect", whereas in the cpl the entire filter is coated to give the desired "effect" when held 90deg to the sun.

You are rght. My only intention was that 0.9 is better than 0.6 if thats the only filter you will own or buy a CPL in the future. Besides the CPL effect of bluer skies and reduced reflection, the CPL will still reduce 2 stops of light whether held at 90 degrees or not w.r.t the sun.

[s0uljah]

Ok guys, I have decided it is alright to sell my other kidney

Do I *need* to buy? Nope! But then I did not need the camera nor that watch or subwoofer or...

Currently my 40D mates with :
18-55is
55-250is

I always imagined that my next investment would be a good used telephoto butever since I bought my cam I have hardly had the opportunity to use the lens. I have done about 3 wildlife/birding trips lack of time and commitment mostly, so for now this can take a back seat.

The 18-55 on the other hand has been put to more use. I bought it used and has served well, bokeh is nice and round. Experimented with portraits too, works fair enough in the indoor confines too.

Sometime ago I toyed with a friends 50mm 1.8 and the performance at the price had me sold. In the end something came up and I put aside the purchase, mind you this is dirt cheap for a lens that offers a lot.

In august I used the Canon 85mm 1.8 which gave me some excellent pics, sorry she wont let me post them!

Since im not on a FF sensor the drawback on the 85mm would be a tight fit most times and headshots in confined spaces... for now. Seeing the way this is going I am sure that in a couple of years when FF becomes more affordable I would make the switch, but the upgrade definitely later than sooner as I have a lot to grow into in the 40D.

Other options is the 50mm 1.4 since its in the similar price bracket. This also has a legendary status behind it no personal experience. I have been reading reviews and they are pretty much stellar but yet Im not able to decide on this.

Also my 18-55is covers that focal length, results of course vary. So more of a draw towards the 85mm.

Yep Im putting down a bundle for a portrait lens not really multipurpose or walk-around but this is what seems like a good investment.

Ok let the confusion begin

[HellwratH]

s0uljah,

I have the 50mm f1.8 and I must admit, it's the best bang for the buck. I really don't see a point in investing about 8-10k more and getting a f1.4. I don't know much about the IQ difference, may be there is.

A 50mm lens would be 80mm on an APS-C sensor, and it's a short telephoto. I find this FL pretty good for all my portrait needs. Even when you switch to FF, 50mm serves as a nice "normal vision" lens. I would say go for the 1.8.

[SPARKled]

If portraiture is what you are looking for, then yes the 85mm is a bit of an odd focal length on crop DSLRs. I would whole heartedly recommend a 50mm as then it almost reaches 85mm which is the classic portrait focal length. A 50 would also be much more useful as a light travel short telephoto. My 85 1.8 gets the least use of all my lenses though its one of my sharpest lenses, due to the odd focal length. But for low light situations and tight head shots its unrivalled.

About the differences between a 1.8 or 1.4, I would personally choose the 1.4 as my 1.4 is much sharper than the 1.8 at wider apertures upto 2.8. I also prefer the contarst and the resolution of the 1.4 over the 1.8 and the build of the 1.4 is also better. Mind you, I speak of the Nikon version though I am not sure if the Canons would be any different.

[PiranhaBoy]

If you are not professionally into portraits, go in for the F1.8, you can invest on more storage/flash/battery-grip with what you save.

[rkbharat]

read from Page 30 to Page 118 from tomorrow, I am scared to even ask a question here, forget about asking for comparison between

Nikon D90 looks a very tempting options as I am a Nikon fan (and lately Olympus Fan - Own Olympus SP-560UZ)


Though I have very little budget in hand with 35K at present, I am not really in hurry to compromise for body.

So I am thinking for waiting for little more, save some more money and go for D90. I am a fan of Nikon but do not want to ignore Canon if I get something similar for less money.

I guess I will wait for now, but I am hooked to this thread, there is is tons of info here

[ArunV]

I am planning to buy Canon 500D. What is the approximate cost of this model in India? Checked out a few places in Bangalore and everyone is quoting around 49k.

I will be travelling to Singapore recently. So is it better to buy it in India or in Singapore? Do we get warranty(international warranty) for camera that we buy in Singapore.

Pls help.

[phamilyman]

body = country, rest all = intl warranty

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by ArunV

I am planning to buy Canon 500D.

Slightly OT but:
When 500D was launched, experts concluded that it does not offer anything significantly more than 450D, so they were expecting 450D's prices to come down and make it a more juicier deal!

[Samurai]

Canon rarely lower their prices, I remember how 20D prices never went down. Olympus on the other is very notorious for crashing the price of even a 6 month old dSLR. The E3 was available for $500 less 6 months after I bought it.