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Comment on Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens by Coronet Blue

Coronet Blue — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:05:32 +0000

76 of 87 people found the following review helpful

4.8 stars, March 26, 2012

Coronet Blue (California) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens (Electronics)

Some quick observations on the 5D3. Before I go further I should explain I'll be comparing vs. the 5D2 and second, if you need to know about video, I can't be of any help there.

Received camera body from Amazon on 3/23. Lots of new features (5D2 manual is 259 pages; 5D3 manual is 403 pages). For the work I do, I was looking for two improvements over the 5D2: Ability to bracket more than 3 shots and much lower noise. The first wish was granted. As you probably know, the 5D3 does 7 exposures. Nikons do 9, but 7 is almost always enough. Those who need more will probably have a Promote remote anyway. Noise? Well, the 5D3 images are cleaner but I wouldn't say dramatically so. With the default noise settings and long exp NR set on, I'd say it's 1 to 1.5 stops better than the 5D2. Now, with a little Noiseware or other NR, you can get very clean images at 12800 with very little loss of detail so I don't consider this a problem. I guess it was unrealistic to expect the 5D3 to match the very low noise of my D700 but it would have been nice.

It's true that nearly every feature on the 5D3 is an upgrade over the 5D2. Not all of these will result in better images but it's fair to say that the entire "feel" of the 5D3, the layout, viewfinder, displays are all nicer than the 5D2. The two things that may be game changers, IMO, are the shutter and the AF. If you haven't heard and felt the shutter on the 5D3, you're in for a treat. It isn't just quieter; there is much less kick from the mirror. Add the "silent" mode and, wow. I would not be surprised to see signs in the future that say "Please set your camera to silent mode". As for AF, I never had a problem with the AF on the 5D2 so I'm less impressed here. But if you shoot moving subjects, the 5D3 has it all--predictive, wrap around, sequential, selective. The manual devotes 45 pages to setting autofocus.

A small thing that I've been waiting for, a dual axis electronic level is wonderful. For some time, digital SLRs have had an "artificial horizon" that tells you if you are tilting the camera to the left or right. That's nice but in almost all imaging software, rotating an image takes just a second. What these left/right levelers don't tell you is if you are tipping the camera up or down which can be a real pain with a super wide lens. Well, problem solved with the 5D3.

The in-camera HDR is a mixed bag. Output is jpeg only and even at that, it takes awhile for the 5D3 to register the images. (This could be my cards which are Lexar UDMA 400x & Sandisk Extreme IV). Anyhow, it's a fun feature. This brings me to yet another interesting feature. Since the 5D3 has two cards (CF + SD) you can record different file types to each card. In other words, you could have a RAW-only card and a JPEG-only card. I haven't tried this but I presume this would mean that you could shoot everything RAW except in-camera HDRs which, being jpegs, would end up on the other card. I get requests for jpegs so now I can put them on one card while keeping an all-RAW card for myself. You can also have redundant cards for backup, sequential for extra capacity, etc. As with the autofocus options, the possibilities are endless!

So, to summarize. Pros: Better AF, 100% viewfinder with electronic grid (no more screens), better LCD, faster drive and processor, fabulous shutter/mirror, 7-stop bracketing, 2-axis level, somewhat lower noise and thus somewhat cleaner images vs. 5D2, two card slots, uses same batteries as 5D2. Cons: Still no built-in flash (yes, it's very handy), in-camera HDR so-so, mode knob still feels flimsy (and it locks now, so be careful). All in all, this is a very nice, refined camera and anybody trading up from a 5D2 will be happy. And if you do get a 5D3, the person getting your 5D2 will be happy as well.

Just a footnote. One thing that comes through loud and clear from these reviews is how very different people's needs are and how differently they use a camera. I can only explain how a product meets or fails to meet my needs. I would not dream of saying you do/don't need this feature or "read and decide" as if I was some sort of oracle. You know what is or is not important to you and how much you're willing to pay for it. The web has made everybody a professional and an expert but when it's your money, the only expert is you.

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Comment on Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens by J. Howell

J. Howell — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:04:15 +0000

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful

A home run for the 5D series, finally!, April 2, 2012

J. Howell (Atlanta, GA) -

This review is from: Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS with 1080p Full-HD Video Mode Digital SLR Camera (Body) (Electronics)

I didn't rush to make a review of this camera, as I wanted to really put it through it's paces first. I won't try to list every feature or go over every bullet point (the above description does a fine job), but instead try to go over a few things which make a big difference to me as a 5D Mark II owner. For some background, I bought an original 5D in 2007, a 5DII in 2008 and have been working with these bodies ever since then. I also have experience with all of the Canon 1-series up through the 1DIII and 1DsIII. I currently log about 60,000 photos per year with the 5D Mark IIs as a professional wedding and portrait photographer. I shoot almost exclusively with fast L prime lenses in my work.

So after a week of solid shooting with the camera, here are the areas which are of note relative to previous 5D bodies:

**AUTOFOCUS**
AF is the elephant in the room here so I'll address it first. Good news, we now have a focusing system worth of it's price point. The AF system here is identical to that in the 1Dx and is THE most sophisticated AF system EVER put in any Canon body. It is superior to that in the 1DV and all bodies before it.

I have tested the AF point in servo and one shot mode with my fastest lenses. Speed, accuracy, and consistency have been exceptional and better than anything I have used before. AF gets the job done with zero drama. NO focus jitter, NO frontfocus, NO backfocus, nothing but near-instant, dead accurate focusing with all of my lenses. Even with my Sigma 85/1.4 (which gives my 5DII bodies absolute fits) is 100% accurate with no jitter on the 5DIII. Center AF point and all peripheral AF points are all usable with fast primes. With the 5DII you just use the center AF point and hope for the best (with often mixed results). You could forget using the outer AF points with fast lenses on previous 5D bodies. That has all changed now.

Just to see how far I could push it, I took my most difficult to focus lens (24/1.4 II), put it on the 5DIII, and tried to focus on my black lab in my dimly lit apartment. At a distance of about 2 feet I would able to lock focus on the dog's eye with the far left AF point at F1.4, 1/40, ISO4000. Think about that. I was able to focus on a black eye on a black dog in a dimly lit apartment at F1.4. The 5DII would have hunted all day long trying to do this, even with it's center AF point.

I could sit here and write a book on how happy this performance makes me. For what I do, if this were the only upgrade from the 5D Mark II, it alone would be worth of the $3500 price tag. That said, there is more...

**BUILD QUALITY**
It's hard to put my finger on exactly what changed, but the 5DIII just feels more substantial. It feels like a chopped down 1-series instead of a buffed up 10 series. The contour of the body has changed to fit your hand better. The rubber is also a new compound which is much grippier than before. The 5DIII feels much better to hold and use than the previous 5D bodies.

**SCREEN**
I wasn't expecting a big improvement here, but the screen is drop dead gorgeous. The height is about the same, but it's wider than that in the 5DII and fits the aspect of horizontal images perfectly now. The screen itself has better coatings which allow you to see it easier outside. The contrast, viewing angle, color, and saturation have all improved noticeably. It has a very similar look to a high end smartphone screen. This is a substantial upgrade from the 5DII's screen.

**IMAGE QUALITY**
Image quality is better than the 5DII, but not substantially so. Let me explain.

The 5DIII now natively amplifies the sensor data to ISO 25,600 whereas the 5DII only natively went to ISO 6400. This means that for anything higher than ISO 6400, the 5DIII is better. In RAW you are looking at an improvement of about 1/2 to 3/4 of a stop at high ISO. At lower ISOs, the noise level is about the same.

JPEG quality has improved much more though. The JPEG engine in this camera is staggeringly good and a solid 2 stops better at controlling noise at high ISO than the 5DII. It strikes the best balance of detail and noise control of any camera on the market right now. Note though that default NR in JPEG mode is fairly strong and that you will generally attain a better "look" from your files with the "low" NR setting.

As an aside, the nasty cross-hatch banding present in the deep shadows of 5DII files is now gone with the Mark III. There is still mild vertical banding, but it's similar to the original 5D and only visible when pushed heavily (3 or more stops).

**METERING**
I don't have any hard data on this, but I'm fully convinced the metering of the 5DIII is better than that of the 5DII. I find myself correcting with exposure compensation MUCH less now with the new body than with the mark II. Shooting with the... Read more

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Comment on Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens by David Siegfried

David Siegfried — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:13:59 +0000

167 of 180 people found the following review helpful

Should you upgrade? Photo and video shooters, read and decide!, March 31, 2012

David Siegfried (Chicago, IL United States) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS with 1080p Full-HD Video Mode Digital SLR Camera (Body) (Electronics)

I was able to pre-order and the Canon 5D Mark III arrived on March 29th. I had mixed feelings when the press release first came out with the specs on the new Mark III. Several features that were high on my wish list didn't make it into the camera, but when I started seeing some of the image samples, particularly in low light, I knew I wanted it anyway.

I'm currently an owner of the 5D Mk II and the 60D and my expectations were that the Mk III would inherit many of the superior handling features of the newer 60D. I am an enthusiast and not a professional photographer but I do make my living shooting product photography for online sales. For pleasure I shoot nature, architecture, and the occasional portraits. I'm also an avid fan of DSLR video and the fact that these cameras can literally capture Hollywood quality footage with few modifications is a big deal to me and a lot of people in the independent cinematography community.

The much anticipated release of the 5D Mark III was a bit of a letdown to me initially. One of the things I LOVE about the 60D is the articulating screen. The articulating screen is so handy to have and a joy to use in situations where the camera needs to be at an odd angle, such as low to the ground or high above your head. The other indispensable use for the articulating screen is shooting self-portraits and videos of yourself. As a one-man act, you can't shoot a video and also be in it at the same time if you can't see the screen! So I really couldn't believe it when Canon came out with the specs on the Mark III -- and NO articulating screen!? It's a feature that has been in the lower-grade 60D and T3i for over a year and a half already, and here we're paying three times the price of the 60D we don't get it? COME ON, Canon!

I guess the reason Canon didn't opt for the articulating screen was for better weatherproofing. To remedy this I'm getting the Swivi 5.6" HDMI LCD Screen which is a giant 5" articulating LCD screen that even has FOCUS PEAKING (really cool). I guess I'm making lemonade out of the lemons in this situation. Another feature that didn't make it into this camera that has all the cinematographers grumbling is there is no clean HDMI output which would allow the uncompressed video footage to be captured on an external recorder. This feature would have made this a true high-end movie making machine to rival the $30,000 RED ONE and knock the socks off the Panasonic GH2 and even the AF100. For myself, not a deal breaker.

Probably the most vexing thing that did not make it onto my wish list is the elimination of the rolling shutter problem. It appears that it has been reduced a little, but it has by no means been eliminated, so the jello effect remains an issue and a real headache to remove in post. And so far, there has been NO program that has been able to eliminate it entirely without creating additional artifacts (believe me, I've wasted untold hours trying them all). Rolling shutter has only been reduced by 20% or so and I won't be fully satisfied shooting video until we get the global shutter and eliminate this unprofessional looking artifact altogether.

Continuous autofocus during video? It's not even an option. The Panasonic GH1/GH2 have it, and do it well. And now the Nikon D800 can auto focus continuously during video recording too, and includes face detection to keep subjects in focus. The only option for autofocus with this camera whole shooting video is still to press the AF-ON button, and you'll set a clunky, noisy, re-focus point. So don't think about replacing your camcorder yet. Shooting video with this camera remains a manual focus affair best handled with a rig and follow-focus setup.

Those are my three primary disappointments. Now the fun part: all the great things (and more) that DID make it into my wish list:

1. Live View focusing with half depress of shutter button. The Mk II had a really awkward way of focusing while in Live View mode. You had to depress a separate AF button on the back of the camera, then hold absolutely still while you moved your finger back to the shutter button, and then take the shot. The Mk III acts just like the 60D in that you half press the shutter to focus, just as it SHOULD, which is to say exactly like shooting with a viewfinder.

2. Better low-light performance. Nikon has been beating out Canon in high ISO performance since the D3, then the D3s, the D3x, and the D700. It's taken two product cycles for Canon to finally catch up. The Mk II was the low-light king when it came out, and still performs exceptionally well, but the Mk III takes it to a new level. I can't wait to see how DxOMark ranks this sensor, but my initial test shots show that ISO 12800 on the Mk III has about the same noise levels... Read more

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Comment on Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) by Glenn Przyborski

Glenn Przyborski — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:39:41 +0000

505 of 569 people found the following review helpful

Mostly positive, but mixed feelings, January 1, 2009

Glenn Przyborski (Pittsburgh, PA USA) -

This review is from: Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Camera)

First the good...

If you're looking for an excellent, full-frame DSLR, the 5D Mk2 is very, very good. It's at least 1 full F-stop more sensitive to light than my Canon 1DS Mk2. A setting of ASA 800 or 1000 yields about the same noise level as my older camera at ASA 400. It's autofocus system is very fast and accurate on single shot mode. (I don't think EF-L series lenses are capable of faster focus action.)

The new LCD screen is gorgeous. 3" diagonal with 900,000+ pixels. It's possibly the best quality LCD screen ever put on a DSLR. The menus are easier to understand and navigate than the 1DS Mk2's menus. "Live View" is an excellent way to do critical focusing. If you've never used a DSLR with live view, you'll love it. The only negative of live-view is that it really drains your battery and it can only be used for a certain length of time before the CMOS imager circuitry heats up, adding noise to the image. (In real-life typical shooting, overheating is not a problem and besides the camera will auto cancel live-view if it senses an over temperature condition.)

The huge 21 mega-pixel RAW images are excellent. The camera uses an updated variant on Canon's .CR2 RAW format so if you use an older version of Adobe's Lightroom or Photoshop for image processing, you'll need the latest Lightroom 2.2 or Photoshop CS4 to get the proper RAW converter. I've personally never liked the included software for RAW image processing, but many people are happy with it.

The auto-exposure system seems very accurate... more accurate than my 1DS Mk2.

I never experienced any "black dot" phenomenon. But I've only shot RAW images at less than 1200 ASA. The "black dot" sample images that I've seen on the internet look like simple, in-camera, over-enhancement of highlights. Besides, unless you're shooting sports at night or are part of a CSI team, who shoots at 3200+ ASA anyway? If you're doing a night shot of a city use a tripod, a longer exposure, and a lower ASA. This will yield rich, clean blacks and much higher detail in highlights. Also, although JPEG's are much smaller, every professional photographer that I know shoots only RAW images.

I ordered the camera with the optional BG-E6 battery grip. This grip makes the camera taller and easier to hold. It allows simultaneous use of 2 Canon lithium batteries or 6- AA alkaline or rechargeables. It's a very valuable accessory to consider.

Now the bad...

I primarily purchased the camera for its ability to shoot great looking 1080P HD video for commercial TV projects. I thought it would be a great source for "B-Roll" cutaways and inserts.

The biggest single problem in the video mode is that you have no control over iris, ISO setting, or shutter speed. There's an exposure lock button that will lock the exposure variables to whatever the LCD displays at the time you press the button. There are no on-screen indicators that show the settings that the camera has chosen for you. The only control you have is the color temperature setting. Basically, you pan the camera around in the scene and let the brightness float up and down. When you see what you think is a good exposure on the rear LCD screen, you press the lock button. Since the exposure lock resets after each scene or take, chances are you won't have consistent exposures over multiple takes of a particular scene.

Working with the auto exposure system can sometimes be difficult. I was shooting with my 85mm F1.2 lens. By looking at the iris, it appeared the camera had decided to only open the lens to about an F2.8 and use a much higher ISO setting than necessary to achieve proper exposure. By pointing the camera to some very dark shadows, the iris fully opened. I then panned back to my original scene which appeared to be much cleaner and free of noise. You really need to be able to manually set the ISO & F-stop when shooting video.

I adjusted the camera's custom settings to lower the detail enhancement and contrast. These controls effect the quality of jpeg stills but seem to have no effect on a video recording.

The camera only records at 30.00fps, not 29.97fps. This tiny .03fps difference means that you have to alter each file's header, using a program such as Apple Cinema Tools, before you can edit 5D footage into a normal, broadcast 1080P/1080i, 29.97fps timeline. Failure to do this header alteration requires setting up a 30.00fps timeline or rendering every 5D scene on your 29.97fps timeline which yields periodic skipped frames.

There is no 24P (23.98) setting. As far as I'm concerned, there is no logical reason that Canon chose 30.00fps instead of 29.97fps. No broadcast TV or film standard operates at 30.00fps. Maybe Canon will correct this with a future firmware update. Please note that if you're only shooting high quality videos for web release, the 30.00fps speed won't present a... Read more

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Comment on Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) by Catherine Rodery "Cat"

Catherine Rodery "Cat" — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:53:55 +0000

203 of 213 people found the following review helpful

Great Camera for my First Full Frame, December 27, 2008

Catherine Rodery "Cat" (Millbrae, CA) -

This review is from: Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Camera)

This was my first full frame camera. Prior to it I had owned and operated a 40D, 30D and Rebel XTi. I am a wedding and sports photographer primarily, so I have been able to test the 5D Mark II out under both of these conditions.

For basketball I used it with AI Servo, Center Point focus, but went into custom settings and enabled the AF assist dots. It worked like a dream, focusing faster and more accurately than my 40D ever had. While no, the FPS aren't ideal for sports, if you can lock on focus like this from the start, you can still achieve amazing sports photographs. Plus the fact that I was able to shoot at ISO 4,000 and not have noticeable noise was just incredible. The shots auto-white balanced correctly too which normally in the arena I shoot at is not what happens on my 40D.

My first wedding all I could say all day was wow. I was getting available light photographs I never would have dreamed of before. The new screen also made it incredibly easy to determine if something was in focus or not. When I would switch between my 40D and 5D2 I found out just how spoiled that screen had made me, since the 40D screen looked terrible to me now when previously I thought that had a great screen. I sure was wrong! 920,000 pixels is definitely the way to go on this LCD. I primarily shot with center point (one shot) for my focus and it nailed focus every time. I did a mix up of manual, aperture priority and some program (Program mostly for the formals)

What else do I love about it? The 98% view finder is awesome. I like being able to use UDMA cards in it...

Video! Although I'm not a video / motion person by nature, I prefer stills, I've been testing out the video quite a bit. At Christmas I took a few short clips of my nephew and was really happy with how they look. It's very neat to be able to take high definition video of a little kid and have that awesome affect of a wide aperture blurring out the background. The only downside is that the files are huge. My 1 minute clip was over 300MB, but that's what I get for shooting in 1080!

The batteries this camera use really do hold a charge for a while. I used mine with the battery grip at the wedding, and the two batteries after going for over 500 shots (maybe close to 600 shots that day?) still had about 72% charge each left on them. I could easily have shot 3 times that much and still have had left over charge on the batteries. Also the new battery info screen is really nifty since you can see what serial number battery has what charge, making it a lot easier to keep track of.

So far I've used a 35 1.4/L, 135 2/L, 70-200 f2.8/L, 50 1.4, and 100 2.8 Macro on this camera body and all have performed wonderfully. I don't miss the pop up flash that my 40D has since I never used it anyway, I always throw my 580 EX II on top when I need flash.

This camera really is a gem and I highly recommend it if it fits in your budget!

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Comment on Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) by Grant Brummett

Grant Brummett — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:44:29 +0000

819 of 871 people found the following review helpful

Never Ever: Rent, borrow or use this Camera, if you do, you will have to own it!, November 12, 2008

Grant Brummett (Arizona USA) -

This review is from: Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Camera)

Canon 5D Mark II

Never Ever: Rent, borrow or use the Canon 5D Mark II, if you do, you will have to own it. It's that good!

Pros:

Crazy high ISO performance
Fantastic amazing image quality you have to see to believe!
Great menus, sharper, brighter, easier to read then 40D
Video, did someone say video? I love it! You will need a tripod!
Fantastic rear LCD that you can check actual photo sharpness
Super low light high ISO photographic tool with 25,600 ISO!!!
Feels great in your hands, the grip texture is easy to hold and is well balanced
Low 50 ISO allows photos at F/1.2 aperture out in bright sunlight for shallow DOF

Cons:
No Built in popup Flash
A little slower shooting then the 40D
Very demanding of lenses, high end L lenses are a must have
Huge files: you will need larger memory cards and a larger hard drive
Ultra large bright sharp viewfinder makes my 40D finder seem dim and tiny
Hum... I'm thinking..

Intro:

I have had my Canon 5D Mark II for a little over two weeks now. And I'm having a hard time putting it down.

I tried switching back to my Canon 40D and the very first thing you notice is how small, dim and fuzzy the viewfinder on the 40D is compared to the 5D Mark II. Especially if you are older you will really appreciate being able to easy see and read information in the viewfinder not to mention you can actually manually focus with it. It reminds me of my switch from the Canon Rebel XTi to the 40D. It's that big a difference.

The Images are huge and quite simply stunning. Plus I find that I can get away with very low noise all the way up to 3200 ISO on the 5D Mark II where the 40D was very noisy. In fact I would not hesitate to say the 5D Mark II photos has less noise at 9,600 ISO then the 40D does at 1600 ISO.

Lenses:

I have never had the pleasure of owning a Camera that is this demanding of the lens you use. It's like an instant lens test. I haven't seen much in-depth lens as used on 5D Mark II information on the other reviews and decided this would be good to be included in my review.

All of these lenses are brighter in the viewfinder and focus much better on my 5D Mark II then on my 40D.

So, with that said after several hundred photos I can give you a rundown of my most used, most favorite, best performing and least used lenses that I have used on the 5D Mark II and a few un-expected surprises along the way.

1. Canon 200mm F/2 IS L lens. This lens is my new master of resolving power. Even wide open at F/2 it is sharper then any other lens I have ever used. I could go on and on but here's a few highlights: Lightening fast auto focus, F/2 speed at 200mm, unbelievable perfect 10 Images, public attention hog, otherworldly image stabilization, great build quality, weather sealed, fantastic perfect buttery smooth Bokeh and what a lens case! If you crave attention and demand the absolute best there is the do what ever it takes to get this lens on your Canon 5D Mark II. If you do not like public attention you may want to skip to number 2 in this list as I have never been asked so many questions about a lens as this one. But it's all worth it as the clarity, sharpness, Bokeh and colors are: otherworldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, out of sight, crazy!!

2. Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L lens. Without a doubt at F/4 (after the Canon 200mm F/2 of course) this lens delivers the clearest sharpest and most resolving power onto any photograph you care to take with the Canon 5D Mark II. The clarity has to be seen to be believed. At F/1.2 the Depth of Field (DOF) is scary thin and the edges are super soft which is great for female portraiture. The super soft creamy dreamy Bokeh at F/1.2 is much smoother on the 5D Mark II over my 40D. But stop this lens down to F/1.8 and it gets scary sharp and clear. Step it down to F/4.0 and it's at its sharpest and the only lens I have that gives you 100% pixel peeping razor blade edge to edge top to bottom perfect clarity in every single area of the photo. For some reason this lens is even sharper on my 5D Mark II then my 40D or Rebel, don't know why but it is. Guess it's getting the full resolving power to the 21 megapixel sensor.

Looking at a photo on my iMac taken with a 5D Mark II with this lens stopped down to F/4 is like standing there looking through an open window at the actual scene! You feel like you could actually open up the computer screen like opening a window and climb in!!!

The 85mm F/1.2 is your low light monster on the 5D Mark II, I don't have to harp too much on what an F/1.2 aperture and an ISO 25,600 can do for you at night. Let's just say you can go out into what appears to be a dark night and do hand held photos.

Not all is perfect as it's: expensive, heavy, and hard to focus wide open, focus lock... Read more

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Comment on NEEWER® Macro Ring LED Light – Works with Canon/Sony/Nikon/Sigma lenses Reviews by Juan Carlos Giron Palomo

Juan Carlos Giron Palomo — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:17:14 +0000

444 of 476 people found the following review helpful

Just what I needed, March 25, 2011

Juan Carlos Giron Palomo -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: NEEWER® Macro Ring LED Light - Works with Canon/Sony/Nikon/Sigma lenses (Electronics)

Customer Video Review Length:: 1:30 Mins

I made this video since I couldnt find any when I was doing a research on this item. On the video you see how the 58mm adapter screws into the lens and then how the ring is used on the camera. As you will notice the ring light rotates on the lens. Some will find this an issue but not me. Is all plastic and only the lens adapter is metal. If you take care of it (like I do) you wont have any problem.

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Comment on NEEWER® Macro Ring LED Light – Works with Canon/Sony/Nikon/Sigma lenses Reviews by NowImMad "Jake"

NowImMad "Jake" — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:22:43 +0000

99 of 99 people found the following review helpful

For Price - Amazing, December 7, 2010

NowImMad "Jake" (Earthbound, currently) -

This review is from: NEEWER® Macro Ring LED Light - Works with Canon/Sony/Nikon/Sigma lenses (Electronics)

This unit comes with 6 adapters [49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, and 67mm). The adapters screw into the end of your lens or filter. For me I tested it on my T1i's 18-55mm Kit lens, screwing into my Hoya 58mm UV filter with no problem. The Ring flash then slides over the adapter. The ring attaches to the battery pack (uses 2AA) which itself attaches to your hotshoe (a little loosely but I had no problems) On the battery pack you can choose Off/Battery/ or DC Plug (provided). On the ring light you can choose between Full/Right/Left to determine which LEDs light, either all or half. Obviously the ring can be rotated so that it you can light only Top/Bottom or almost any angle. The LEDs are Bright -I was surprised and impressed. As stated in other reviews they will reflect in reflective surfaces such as Glass/water/eyes. Since I tested them on an EF-s lens which spins the end of the lens to focus I did notice that the ring would turn, however it is easy to hold in place or reposition - I had no problem. The build quality does seem a little weak as it is all plastic but this product is 10% of the price of the Name Brand and works basically the same. The lights Do Not strobe or flash, but simply stay on until you turn them off. If you want to pay $360 more for that feature be my guest I dont need it. For me this is a great product.

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Comment on NEEWER® Macro Ring LED Light – Works with Canon/Sony/Nikon/Sigma lenses Reviews by Random Acts man

Random Acts man — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:11:40 +0000

273 of 275 people found the following review helpful

I don't think you'll be disappointed, April 28, 2010

Random Acts man (USA) -

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This review is from: NEEWER® Macro Ring LED Light - Works with Canon/Sony/Nikon/Sigma lenses (Electronics)

It does what it says, basically. Some of my rechargeable batts will work with it and others won't. That may be related to the shape of the battery contacts.

Having constant illumination is great for focusing, plus it allows you to choose higher shutter speeds instead of aperture if that suits your purpose.

The battery life is decent, but as you shoot if you're tracking insects etc. you may leave it on to be ready at a moment's notice. You may not notice your batteries are draining and you're not getting much out of it. But gee, they included an AC adapter and if you're doing indoor macro stuff, that's a fantastic accessory to have. That more than offsets the downside IMO.

Being so lightweight, it doesn't seem to tax my kit lens's AF motor at all. The only real downside I have seen is that reflections of the ring light may be broken or jagged. That is, instead of a clean circle of light reflecting off a water droplet, you may see individual LEDs. I've been using it at very close range, though, and I think as you move farther from the subject that's less noticeable or nonexistent.

The other issue TBD would be longevity. For my purposes it's fine and I don't beat up my equipment. If you're a pro...well, why wouldn't you invest the money on a serious ringflash setup if you're a pro, right?

This gets the job done for me with little fuss or fanfare; it's well worth the ~$50 I paid for it, easily. I'm very very pleased with it so far.

Update 5/28: I retested my AAs that wouldn't work before. They work now. It could be that the battery compartment is just a bit fussy. I'm a little tempted to rubberband the back cover to the unit because it can come off. I do like the fact that the batteries are separate from the ring because there's no point in adding extra weight to the lens if you don't have to. Also I had a slight issue where the light was weak and I'd just put in fresh batteries. Either the cord is starting to short or the cord at the battery unit wasn't making good contact but that was easily fixed. I've made hundreds (maybe a thousand by now) of shots with the unit though and remain very satisfied.

Update 6/5: I might start by saying that I use this 3-4x a week. Although I've had it about five or six weeks, I have probably used it 25x and made at least 1000 pictures with it.

I'm starting to have problems with it. Sometimes the cord from battery to light doesn't want to seat properly; now I think the cord itself may be thin and not conducting the electricity well. I'll try a quick fix of wrapping the "elbows" with electrical tape or something like that, à la Roger Daltrey and his microphone. If it continues to fail, I'd probably buy another and wrap it from the gitgo, treat it more carefully.

One thing I meant to do and haven't: run a pencil on both sides of the adapter, the idea being to "lubricate with graphite." Sometimes as the lens twists etc. it may strain the cord b/c it doesn't rotate as freely on the front as I'd like (not that it alters picture quality or becomes a hassle---just that it may be what's causing the wire to short). Were it to move freely, maybe I wouldn't have the issue I seem to be encountering.

Should I end up getting a 2nd one, I guess it wouldn't be a total loss. I'd have an "extra" battery holder. Also I haven't used the AC cord much...that may be a tool to see where it's failing, by process of elimination.

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Comment on SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB, SDHC, UHS-1 Flash Memory Card SDSDXPA-032G-X46,Black by Gadget Geek

Gadget Geek — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:37:29 +0000

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Worth the xtra money!, March 26, 2012

Gadget Geek (Phenix City, AL) -

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This review is from: SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB, SDHC, UHS-1 Flash Memory Card SDSDXPA-032G-X46,Black (Personal Computers)

I also own several SanDisk Extreme Memory Cards and the Extreme Pro wins 'hands down'! It is WAY faster than the Extreme card. I used this card in my D7000 and I don't have to stop taking pictures to wait for my memory card to catch up :)

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