What Camera Do You Used?

[Kevin Tran]

I am actually in the process of changing cameras right now. I have shot on both Olympus 4/3 and Canon, almost all macro coral photos. I have used these macros: Olympus 35mm, Olympus 50mm, Sigma 105mm, Sigma 150mm, Canon MP-E 65mm, and Canon 100mm. I am debating very heavily right now between upgrading to a better Canon body for macro (I use the T2i, I would get the 7D, 70D, or t6s) and switching mounts altogether to M4/3 on Olympus' EM-5 MKII. I have heard incredible things about their 60mm macro, and the crop factor is a boon for macro use.

The 70D have some good review on it. On my behalf, it just a matter of getting the right lens plus my camera skill suck

 

[EricTMah]

Maybe a member with better photography skills and know how should throw together a info session at someone's house? Everyone attending could chip in some money or a frag or two to make it worth while for whoever will be the teacher.

I know I'd be in and would be willing to pay or give frags.

Who's with me?

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

[David Caplan]

I would definitely be interested in something like that. I am sure that different people have different skills that they can share.

I just bought an Olympus EM-5 Mark II and a set of lenses. If you are new to photography, or want a general purpose camera that takes great shots pretty much every time, I don't think I have ever used a camera that was so impressive. It has so many features that make using it a breeze, like the 5 stops of image stabilization built into the camera, or an 11 shot raw burst with a buffer of only a couple seconds. I shot a family event, and it was just a pleasure, with the image stabilisation and the very fast burst, you are pretty much guaranteed to get a good shot just by holding down the shutter for a few seconds.

All it made me realize is that I don't really like taking pictures of people and being a cameraman/photographer, and that my enjoyment from the hobby comes from shooting in studio when I can set the camera how I want and get that single great shot. With only 2-3 macro lenses available on M4/3, the selection is just so much better on the Canon mount. I am headed to return it and the lenses right now, and will probably buy a 70d and pick up some more unusual Canon macros, like the 180mm.

 

[Kevin Tran]

Maybe a member with better photography skills and know how should throw together a info session at someone's house? Everyone attending could chip in some money or a frag or two to make it worth while for whoever will be the teacher.

I know I'd be in and would be willing to pay or give frags.

Who's with me?

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

Location can be at my place, I think I have enough room. Time prefer would be in the fall, lets enjoy the summer lol as it passion by quick. Now we just need some one with knowledge to step up as a teacher

 

[jroovers]

My go to setup now that I have next to no coral lol is the Canon 6D and Canon 100 2.8 macro. I am only familiar with Canon, so only can give you some advice in that department. Moving to the 70D from the T5i doesn't really make any sense - you're better off spending the money that you would in that exchange on a macro lens. Both are crop bodies and the only thing that the 70D really is going to get you for reef photography IMO is a bit of an easier time setting white balance potentially, but really either way you are going to need to learn to WB with both bodies, and strictly for reef shooting not too much of a difference. The 70D does have wifi, but rarely are you going to transfer pictures right out of the body to a phone, Flickr, etc. without doing some WB correction (at minimum) in post first. So not that useful for reef photography (and the 6D has wifi, and I occasionally use it for non-reef photos). The 70D does have some very nice features over the T5i that are going to pay off for everyday, family, sport/bird use. As Jerry pointed out, you aren't going to get extreme closeups without a dedicated macro lens. The Tamron 90 that he has, on the used market, is your best bet.

IMO, if you are going to spend money and jump from a crop body (i.e. the T5i or 70D), go to a FF body (i.e. used 5DI or II, or 6D). The improvement in IQ over the reduced reach from the crop sensor is worth it

My advice in closing would be to keep the 5Ti and buy a used Tamron 90 macro. Learn how to WB and take macros with that combination. Then consider upgrading that gear if you like it eventually.

 

[BIGSHOW]

I believe bigshows camera is the t3i. He uses the tamaron 90mm with canon mount, and I use the same lens but Nikon mount.


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T5i with Cannon 100m 2.8.

No knock off lens for me sir!

 

[BIGSHOW]

My go to setup now that I have next to no coral lol is the Canon 6D and Canon 100 2.8 macro. I am only familiar with Canon, so only can give you some advice in that department. Moving to the 70D from the T5i doesn't really make any sense - you're better off spending the money that you would in that exchange on a macro lens. Both are crop bodies and the only thing that the 70D really is going to get you for reef photography IMO is a bit of an easier time setting white balance potentially, but really either way you are going to need to learn to WB with both bodies, and strictly for reef shooting not too much of a difference. The 70D does have wifi, but rarely are you going to transfer pictures right out of the body to a phone, Flickr, etc. without doing some WB correction (at minimum) in post first. So not that useful for reef photography (and the 6D has wifi, and I occasionally use it for non-reef photos). The 70D does have some very nice features over the T5i that are going to pay off for everyday, family, sport/bird use. As Jerry pointed out, you aren't going to get extreme closeups without a dedicated macro lens. The Tamron 90 that he has, on the used market, is your best bet.

IMO, if you are going to spend money and jump from a crop body (i.e. the T5i or 70D), go to a FF body (i.e. used 5DI or II, or 6D). The improvement in IQ over the reduced reach from the crop sensor is worth it

My advice in closing would be to keep the 5Ti and buy a used Tamron 90 macro. Learn how to WB and take macros with that combination. Then consider upgrading that gear if you like it eventually.

My T3i broke down and I was debating the 70D vs the T5i. You pointed out some good points on the T5i vs 70D and in the end the extra price for the 70D was not worth it to me . I wanted a ff, but that was a quite a leap in price. Maybe next camera

 

[unibob]

Www.snapsort.com

This is what I use to compare cameras straight up.

I'm thinking of getting the Nikon 83x optical zoom cam for non reef stuff


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[David Caplan]

The Canon 100mm is a great macro lens. If you can find a Sigma 150mm or a Tamron/Sigma 180mm on the second hand market, they a smidge sharper than the Canon 100mm, and have a significantly longer working distance for deeper aquariums. I can shoot 1:1 at the very back of my tank with a 150mm. I stopped using my 100mm when I got the 150mm.

The only reason to go with a 70D or similar enthusiast body over a Rebel is the controls. The Rebels lack the 2nd dial and other manual controls that are great to have at your fingertips. The new Canon T6s is just hitting the market. The price may be a little high right now, but it is the first Rebel with dual dial controls.

I am not sure I see the appeal of full-frame that most people do. I don't at all see it as an upgrade, I just see them as being very different. You actually get lower pixel density from FF than you do from crop, which is a hinderance to macro shooting. FF cameras produce lower IQ than their APSC counterparts for macro shooting, which is why you see many professionals who shoot macro using the 7D MKII/7D while shooting FF elsewhere.

 

[jroovers]

I would not upgrade from a T5i to a 70D for simply the controls based on reef macro shooting... you are likely going to have the camera on a tripod, manual focusing (potentially with live view, which both have), while using the timer or a remote shutter in a very controlled environment where time isn't an issue. Seems like a waste to me. If you are going to do a lot of AF macro shooting (shooting bugs, flowers, etc. while on the move), then there would likely be a distinct advantage with the 70D with a given lens given its focusing system.

I am not sure I see the appeal of full-frame that most people do. I don't at all see it as an upgrade, I just see them as being very different. You actually get lower pixel density from FF than you do from crop, which is a hinderance to macro shooting. FF cameras produce lower IQ than their APSC counterparts for macro shooting, which is why you see many professionals who shoot macro using the 7D MKII/7D while shooting FF elsewhere.

That is a very complex argument to make (FF producing lower IQ than CB for macro), and I think there is a lot of subjectivity involved as well (i.e. personal preference). Based on what I've read, some photographers prefer one format over the other for macro, with many considering the argument a wash. In my experience, my FF 6D produces better IQ than my APSC 7D with macro shooting, at a given ISO level with the same lens, complete with cropping. If you can shoot the 7D at a low ISO (800 or less), and don't need to crop, you are going to get great IQ... but if you need to shoot at higher ISOs, the 6D, with relatively less magnification, really shines. It outperforms my 7D IQ wise in all other types of shooting, but I still use my 7D for birds and other distant subjects, as the 1.6 reach vs. FF is still very useful (as with aspects of macro shooting as you pointed out).

Kevin, I would suggest sticking with the T5i, or at least giving it a good go before returning... if you want to try it with a macro lens, rent one for a day or two from Henrys, and you can find out for yourself if you think it will be adequate for your needs. http://www.henrys.com/Rentals.aspx#

 

[jroovers]

My T3i broke down and I was debating the 70D vs the T5i. You pointed out some good points on the T5i vs 70D and in the end the extra price for the 70D was not worth it to me . I wanted a ff, but that was a quite a leap in price. Maybe next camera

Lol, there is always the next camera... I would love a Canon 1DX, but that isn't happening any time soon The $8,000 price tag may have something to do with it...

 

[David Caplan]

That is a very complex argument to make (FF producing lower IQ than CB for macro), and I think there is a lot of subjectivity involved as well (i.e. personal preference). Based on what I've read, some photographers prefer one format over the other for macro, with many considering the argument a wash. In my experience, my FF 6D produces better IQ than my APSC 7D with macro shooting, at a given ISO level with the same lens, complete with cropping. If you can shoot the 7D at a low ISO (800 or less), and don't need to crop, you are going to get great IQ... but if you need to shoot at higher ISOs, the 6D, with relatively less magnification, really shines. It outperforms my 7D IQ wise in all other types of shooting, but I still use my 7D for birds and other distant subjects, as the 1.6 reach vs. FF is still very useful (as with aspects of macro shooting as you pointed out)

It is definitely a very complex argument, and I don't understand half of it. But its good to know that a larger sensor doesn't necessarily equate to better image quality and that megapixels can be deceiving. Also, in this case you are comparing specific cameras and their performance at high ISO, but in general, I don't think that larger sensor necessarily means they will perform better at higher ISO. For example, comparing a 6D to a 7D is probably quite different than comparing the 6D or 5DM/MKII to the 7DMKII.

 

[jroovers]

...in this case you are comparing specific cameras and their performance at high ISO, but in general, I don't think that larger sensor necessarily means they will perform better at higher ISO. For example, comparing a 6D to a 7D is probably quite different than comparing the 6D or 5DM/MKII to the 7DMKII.

I don't want to get too off topic but a full frame camera (6D, 5D, 5DII, 5DIII, Nikon FX cameras) will greatly outperform a crop body in the noise department and IQ department at a given ISO, hands down. That is why these FF cameras are typically used for landscape and astrophotography, as well as portrait photography. The 7D, 70D, and Nikon DX cameras ("crop bodies") typically are cheaper than the "full frame" bodies, and have specific advantages for certain types of photography (e.g. the 7D is well known as a choice for bird photographers). The 6D in high ISO situations will blow the 7D out of the water, but the 7DII's noise improvement has closed that gap.

You can still compare the 6D, 5DII, 5DIII to the 70D, 7D, and 7DII, and I think given that they are all "enthusiast" or semi pro bodies, they are the logical bodies to compare against each other, especially if you only can work within a specific budget. Each subsequent release is obviously going to be a bit better than the last (i.e. the 5DIII will be better than the 5DII given its the same platform, but simply has been improved in a more recent release). There really aren't any "entry level" FF SLR bodies, but that is quickly changing.

To relate back to the original discussion, to jump from the T5i to the 70D would be moving from entry level to enthusiast or semi-pro. When making that jump in my opinion I would compare the 70D most closely to the 6D, 7DI and 7DII, and maybe a used 5DII or 5DIII (at the upper end) and consider what types of photography it will be used for. Usually, by the time a person is willing to spend that kind of money on a camera, they have some pretty specific types of photography in mind. I considered buying the 5DIII, but instead I went with the 6D - its basically the same camera, with a lesser focusing system, for much less money (at the time). I use the full frame, superior IQ and low ISO capability of 6D for landscapes, portraits, and low light photography (focusing system and frame rate not nearly as important), and kept my 7D for birding and wildlife while paired with my 400 5.6L (while utilizing the extra reach of the crop body and wanting the greatest frame rate possible).

I can get shots like this from my 7D:

...and I can get shots like this from my 6D:

 

[jroovers]

...I should add that if Canon made a "body" that babysat kids, I would go to that one next hands down... then I might actually find the time to work on my tank and get out and take some shots!

 

[Kevin Tran]

Some really good advice on cameras, most of all lens. I will follow the above suggestions on my next camera and len purchase. Please feel free to post any other information relate on camera/lens and back it up with a few pic. I am sure myself and other members will pick up a pointer or two, thank