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[Scott Merryfield]

The incoming info about the 7D II is intriguing but not compelling, so I have no high motivation to upgrade right now.

I read a DP Review opinion about the APS-C equivalents of 70-200 zooms (thus, ~50-150mm) and their advantages for functionality, weight and size. Indeed, those are the main reasons I have used my 70-200 so infrequently, tending to favor the 85mm prime instead. Unfortunately, Canon doesn't have EF-S lenses in that 50-150 range with 2.8 apertures, so I may see what's available with third party lens makers.

Yes, the 7D II could be an interesting camera, but my current 7D just doesn't get used enough to make me want to spend that kind of cash to upgrade.

I have the 70-200 f/4 IS specifically because of its smaller size and weight compared with the 70-200 f/2.8 models. With the better high ISO performance of the newer bodies, I really do not need f/2.8 that much, and I have a 135L f/2 if I do need a faster telephoto. I have even shot ice hockey with the 70-200 f/4 -- I need to use ISO 6400 to get the shutter speed I want, but that is not a problem with the 5D3 body.

I did get to play with my new EOS M camera this past weekend on a family trip to Mackinac Island. I will post some photos after I have a chance to process them (just got home last night). The camera had its pros and cons. I loved the compact size and low light capability (f/2 and ISO 3200/6400 gets you a lot of indoor shots without a flash). My small Speedlite 270EX worked well with it the few times I used it -- I left the Speedlite back at the hotel when walking around the island. I was able to bring the camera along while bicycling around the island (no motor vehicles are allowed on the island), which is just not practical with a full sized dSLR.

The downside is that I really dislike composing and shooting using a rear LCD screen -- so I really missed my viewfinder. It is really difficult to compose outside in the sunlight. I did end up turning on the grid on the back to at least help with leveling the horizon (when I could see the screen well enough). The camera is also a lot slower to acquire focus and release the shutter, so shooting some of the moving horse carriages was a challenge.

 

[Sam Posten]

Alpha 6000 Scott =)

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Alpha 6000 Scott =)

Too much money and too big for what I would use it for, Sam. I am treating the EOS M as a very high quality compact point & shoot that gives me the ability to have more manual control (although more cumbersome than with a dSLR) and shoot RAW for very little out of pocket expense. I can slip this camera in my cargo shorts or coat pocket, or put it in a small case that goes on my belt, and it only costs $300. I would never have paid the money the EOS M kit was going for initially, but since it has been discontinued in the States the lower price makes it attractive as a very compact solution for Canon dSLR shooters, as we can also use our Canon accessories with it, if desired.

I doubt I would have even paid $300 out of my pocket for the camera, but having $200 in Amazon gift cards to apply to the purchase made it even more appealing. So far, the only add-ons I have purchased were a 2nd battery ($8), a small Case Logic case ($8), and a 32GB SD card ($13). I do not see myself buying any more EF-M lenses for the camera. Maybe I'll eventually pick up the lens adapter that allows me to use other my Canon lenses for $60, but even that right now is not a priority for me.

For the price and size, I will just have to live with the limitations of the camera. The results are much better than my wife's Canon S100 point & shoot -- and it's not much bigger in size.

 

[JohnRice]

Sam, I have to admit, if I ever have $700 burning a hole in my pocket, that stupid A6000 sounds kind of fun. Then, I'd probably never end up using it. Being mirrorless, I'm guessing it is functional for video. The D7100 is almost worthless for video because the live view AF just doesn't work.

As I've been getting back into photography and digital has finally reached the point that I find it usable, I'm starting to hope Nikon comes out with a mirrorless body. My main reason is, the kind of photography I like to do could really benefit from it. I wonder how much the extreme detail I'd like to get is sacrificed by the extra vibration as the shutter trips. With a mirrorless body and an aperture lock, there should be no vibration at all and I bet it would make a noticeable difference.

Just a comment on using flash when it isn't absolutely necessary. Sorry if this is obvious or generally known. When there is enough ambient light to get away without the flash, I will often use the slow shutter flash mode, a large aperture and set the flash to underexpose 2/3 stop. That way you get nice, natural looking light, but also have just a little bit of fill to light up faces.

 

[JohnRice]

Scott, those are the main reasons I got a Panasonic LX7, particularly since it can use an electronic viewfinder. I also can't stand those LCDs. The problem is, I never use it. I don't want to shoot something and then wish I'd used the D7100.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Just a comment on using flash when it isn't absolutely necessary. Sorry if this is obvious or generally known. When there is enough ambient light to get away without the flash, I will often use the slow shutter flash mode, a large aperture and set the flash to underexpose 2/3 stop. That way you get nice, natural looking light, but also have just a little bit of fill to light up faces.

John, I use a very similar approach when I do use flash. This past weekend, I usually had the EOS M set at f/2 (the 22mm pancake lens' max aperture), the flash exposure compensation to -1, and was also bouncing the Speedlite 270EX off the ceiling when possible. The ability to bounce the flash is the main reason I bought the 270EX over Canon's 90EX when I was looking for a smaller "travel" flash to carry instead of my larger Speedlite 430EXII.

 

[JohnRice]

Same idea, Scott. It actually works well with the little pop-up flash that many DSLRs have, if you find yourself without a flash.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott, those are the main reasons I got a Panasonic LX7, particularly since it can use an electronic viewfinder. I also can't stand those LCDs. The problem is, I never use it. I don't want to shoot something and then wish I'd used the D7100.

I completely understand, John. There were times I was frustrated using the smaller camera -- especially trying to shoot something in motion that was unfolding quickly. For example, there was a beautiful horse drawn wedding carriage going down the road, and by the time I had adjusted my aperture via the touch LCD screen, framed the shot and acquired focus, I was only able to get the carriage going away from me. I would have got that shot with the carriage coming towards me as I wanted if I had my 5D3 at that time, but it was back in the hotel room.

However, it was also very nice to have a high quality camera I could take to the back side of the island while riding our bikes, or just slip into my pocket to get some shots of the family while in restaurants, etc. Photography equipment is a trade off between quality and convenience. One thing is always true, though -- the camera you are willing to carry with you will always take better photos than the one you leave behind.

Anyway, since I have very little money invested in the EOS M (about $130 out of pocket cost), I will not feel bad if it only gets used occasionally for those times I am unwilling or unable to carry a dSLR.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Same idea, Scott. It actually works well with the little pop-up flash that many DSLRs have, if you find yourself without a flash.

Yes, I used that technique occasionally with the pop-up flashes of my Canon 7D and previous 40D -- even got a great shot that way of my wife and me on a catamaran with the sunset behind us in Hawaii that I still use as the background for my cell phone. Unfortunately, my Canon 5D3 and this compact EOS M do not have any built-in flashes.

 

[Sam Posten]

Nikon has a bunch of mirrorless bodies in the 1 system and they are horrible in my experience but some folks love em. /shrug

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Herre are a couple of shots from this past weekend. The first was with the new EOS M w/ 22mm pancake, and the 2nd was with my 5D3 and 16-35L f/4 IS. They were taken at different times, so the lighting is not identical, and the framing is slightly different.

And here is another sample from the EOS M. The weather was pretty crappy last weekend, so I didn't have very good light to work with.

Here is a fill flash shot with the M plus Speedlite 270EX of my sister and brother-in-law. It did a nice job dealing with the back lighting from the two windows. Not a bad view from our room, btw.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Sam, I have to admit, if I ever have $700 burning a hole in my pocket, that stupid A6000 sounds kind of fun. Then, I'd probably never end up using it. Being mirrorless, I'm guessing it is functional for video. The D7100 is almost worthless for video because the live view AF just doesn't work.

But isn't the live view AF on pretty much all DSLRs pretty useless? I doubt they'll ever become all that reliable.

I don't use that when I shoot videos w/ my DSLRs. I tend to only use DSLR for shooting videos where the focus distance won't change all that much mid-take and use a little bit of MF combined w/ deep enough DoF (set before the shot begins w/ help from regular AF) for mid-take adjustments.No, definitely cannot treat very casually like typically done by consumers w/ camcorders.OTOH, I've seen someone try using a compact, mirrorless camera to shoot videos (semi-professionally?) in similar situations as me. Not sure which model he had, but he certainly went thru much more trouble to set things up than I have been doing, including much better audio setup. Still, he apparently had way more focusing (and exposure) problems than I did w/ my D800 (or D5100) -- maybe the setup was still too new to him(?).

In my case, I could probably use a superzoom lens for videos though (and probably also figure out a way to work around mirror slap noise whenever a DSLR turns off live view in a 2-DSLR video shoot). I'm actually considering buying a gently used Nikon 28-300VR from a close friend toward that end... if I do end up w/ frequent enough, semi-pro, paying gigs shooting recital/concert videos and such...FWIW, I found my Nikon 70-300VR pretty much unusable if I need to do any zooming mid-take. The zoom ring is just too stiff and causes too much camera shake as a result -- that plus the lack of tripod collar magnifies the problem. I leave the VR on, but doesn't seem to help nearly enough for this, if at all. Been defaulting to my long-in-tooth Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 for this instead...

_Man_

 

[JohnRice]

Nice pics, Scott. I'd like to go there.

OK, confession time. I got a wide gamut monitor (Dell 2410U) last summer, but never truly calibrated it. After frustration with prints and sometimes just NOT being able to get color balance right on some shots, I broke down and got a Spyder4Elite today.

Not doing this sooner is one of the stupidest things I've done in photography.

Any of you who haven't done this, the next thing you should do, before you buy any kind of photo equipment, is get a wide gamut monitor and a calibrator.

No kidding!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I have the Spyder3 Express, which worked quite well for calibrating my monitor. I have not felt the need to upgrade to the latest model, although I do occasionally get some tempting emails from the company for decent upgrade pricing.

John, I would highly recommend a Mackinac Island visit if you ever get to Michigan. It is probably the nicest place in the state to visit -- it's certainly our favorite place to get away for a weekend (it's about a four hour drive from our home, and 1.5 hours from my parents home in northern Michigan). I have some photos from previous visits in this thread, if you are interested. Iwas considering adding a few from this year's trip to that thread, but the weather was pretty crappy on this trip, so I have better shots from previous years.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Just playing around with my new Canon EOS M as we went on a bicyle ride around town enjoying the weather on this fine Sunday morning. I would never bring along my dSLRs while bicycling, but the EOS M fits in a small Case Logic bag that attaches to my belt while riding. I do not even feel its weight.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I ordered a 43mm Marumi circular polarizer for the EOS M last night. I missed having one for the reflections on the water in Mackinac and to shoot the fall colors. I have heard good things about Marumi filters, and they are less expensive than the B+W CPL filter I have for my main landscape lenses, so I decided to give them a try. It should be here on Thursday.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I think I bought the Spyder 4 (the mid-tiered edition), and it was a worthy purchase, as it made me more sure that what I was seeing on the screen would be closer to what others would see on their screen too. So my consistency for photo post-processing has risen.

 

[Patrick Sun]

A cosplay shot I took with my EOS M, and off-camera flash (camera-left):

IMG_5843 by Patcave, on Flickr

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Nice, Patrick. I am really liking the image quality that the "M" provides. I am just struggling a little with the ergonomics of using a rear LCD screen instead of a viewfinder. I do love the compact size, though. I can take the camera just about anywhere.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I've shot so many shots with my EOS M now, that using the LCD screen doesn't really faze me anymore as I pretty much just tap on the screen with my thumb to set the focus point when I shoot one-handed nowadays (while holding my speedlite in my left hand), but I still like looking through the viewfinder on my 5D3 bodies.

Here's another EOS M photo from last weekend's convention:

IMG_5662 by Patcave, on Flickr