Try doing a full reset from within the user menu. If you press the flash button and the flash is not released, the may be some problems with the mechanical actuators. Then your last resort is to send it back to Canon Customer Care.


For those interested in a reliable but affordable tripod, you can try the Profoto EX tripods available at Direct Photo located within the Brunsfield Business Park, along the Jalan Cheras (opposite the old Pat Ye Thin food court). The last time I checked the price it is RM180. It can be considered as the Manfrotto replica. Alternatively, there's a shop within Mutiara Complex, Jalan Ipoh specializing in selling China made replicas of popular brands. Reliable but a little heavy. Don't expect revolutionary materials though.

Yeah. The L lens only has better built, superior optics and weather proofing (only some models). On the 3rd party lenses, I only know about Tamron 70-300mm and Sigma's 18-200mm APO lens (non-OS) solutions. But I can always easily recommend the Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OS. Easily a good all-in-one lens for general purpose photography like traveling and new starters.

Try giving it a gentle shake/knock. Maybe it will unhook the flash release. Could be some dried grease sticking on it.

Red sprayers.... careful there...

---

Added on February 26, 2008, 9:46 amI think 580EX II is more important because it can extend usability of your current lens. But that is just an opinion. I still feel the omnibounce is very convenient and effective for bouncing and still throwing some light to the front. Actually I don't fancy funny funny diffuser designs hahahaha! But generally speaking omnibounce is pretty ok.

However, then the ceiling is ultra high or the ceiling is colored it might give a color cast to your subjects. So this is where the Demb diffuser with its Flip-It reflector is useful. I usually use omnibounce for exposing the environment and subjects like family dinners and parties. I only use Demb when there is no ceiling and I am only concentrating on single subjects like modeling and etc.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Feb 26 2008, 09:46 AM

I got mine from Photo Miami, KL Plaza. The price is a bit expensive though but I couldn't find it elsewhere. Alternatively you can also order from the online store.

Recommended you to go straight EFS17-85mm F4-5.6 IS USM. No point upgrading just the IS. Not worth the time and money. Trust me me on this.

Glad that you love it lar, valho! Haha! The reason I recommend the 17-85 is because it is the next lens you should upgrade from the kit lens. Some people say the optical quality is similar to kit lens but the extra focal range is very useful in my opinion. Then you count in the IS and USM which adds value. Anyway this is the only lens you can find within Canon's range. The 17-55 is usually out of reach. The alternatives are usually 3rd party like the excellent Tamron/Sigma/Tokina 17/16-50.

---

Added on February 27, 2008, 1:10 pmI would recommend you to check out sales thread on Lowyat, ShutterAsia, Photomalaysia and Photokaki. There a lot of people selling these either new or used. The last I check, one gentleman is selling his 3 months old 17-85 (came with as a kit with his 400D) for RM1600 including the original Canon lens hood. Pretty good bargain.

If you want new, be prepared to spend around RM1800-2000 off the retail (estimated). One advice, don't sell of your 18-55 kit lens. Keep it as spare or when you want to sell it in the future, you can bundle it out together.

Tamron 17-50 F2.8 is also recommendable. In fact, highly recommendable if you are upgrading from kit lens. Price can be around the region of RM1400++. For good things about this lens, valho can fill you in hehehehe! If you ask me, it is a no brainer. The only down point is that I feel 50 is a bit too short and without IS.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Feb 27 2008, 01:13 PM

Good luck!

Right to the spot valho. But the F2.8 is only useful IF you don't have an external flash and you rely on sufficient shutter speed to do the job. You will usually realize that F2.8 maybe nice for macro work or single subject photography but if you are taking more than one subject like family portraits of at least two person, you will soon realize that 2.8 is impossible to capture them sharp because the other will be slightly OOF or in bokeh or soft. The Tamron 17-50mm when stopped down to F4 and above is excellent! The color, contrast and sharpness is excellent. But you will be sacrificing shutter speed and need to increase ISO which will increase chances of noise.

Thats when you'll need an external flash to TTL compensate for these situations. An external flash plus the Tamron 17-50 will be a great combination. If there is IS, then you can do a lot more. Kekeke!

Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 is definitely the lens to try out for wedding photography. Match it with an external flash and you can now stop down the lens to F4 for 2-3 person group photo. For group photos where you have 2-3 lines of people, you stop down to F8-11 or you use F5.6 but stand backwards (limited by 50mm though). Use Manual mode throughout. So that your external flash will be set as the main source of light. Any deviation from standard exposure will be compensated by TTL flash function. I usually prefer using Average metering and Average TTL flash compensation. Get a cheap omnibounce or something else if ceiling is too high. If you have white walls near your subject, you can use it to act like a very large diffuser/softbox.

If you don't have external flash, you can use your built-in flash! It works the same but you lack the diffusing qualities and bouncing so flash will be slightly harsh unless you stand backwards where distance will allow light to be diffused enough.

If flash is not permitted or not convenient, then an OS will be good when you need to stop down and sacrifice shutter speed.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Feb 27 2008, 10:45 PM

But he needs wide-angle standard zoom mah hahaha! Actually the Sigma 18-200mm OS is good enough when used alone. Just get a flash to complement it. Unless he wants the Tamron for specialized work lar. Hehehe! I've used the Tamron before so if I ever need 2.8 again, it will be the EFS 17-55mm F2.8 IS USM.

Canon EF17-40mm F4L is a good start. RM2400 approximately.

Great buy mate! Have you got the diffuser too? Very good flash there... I'm sure you gonna love it.

No need get the original one. Cause all of them looks the same you can't tell the difference at all. I bought my omnibounce from MITMIVEC RM50+ for a replica China made version. Used for few months and it doesn't turn brown or whatever. Maybe not enough UV/sunlight exposure. Haha! But it works effectively. So no need to waste the additional RM30 for a piece of plastic.

Yeah, flash does have a steep learning curve. I struggled also when I got my 430EX. Let me help you with this: Go to http://planetneil.com/tangents/ and learn up the articles regarding controlling flash and balancing it with ambient light. It'll give you a rough idea on how to use flash.

Take note that, all the picture modes including Av and Tv utilize the external flash as fill-in mode only. In other words, they will work the same as if there is not flash attached, but now the flash works to fill in your subject only (good for daylight). In low light situations, your shutter speed will still drop and cause motion blur. The 400D has a custom function to set the Av mode to fixed shutter speed of 1/200 (sync speed). Usable but defeats the purpose of complete control.

Basically, we use the external flash in Manual (M) or P mode. This is where you can play around with shutter speeds, aperture and ISO, etc and the TTL flash will compensate. This is where it will act as the main source of light. Good for bouncing and stuffs. This is how I used mine:

1. Examine the subject and determine an appropriate aperture so that everything will be in focus and sharp. Identify ISO too.
2. Set to Av with the desired aperture and meter a few spots to check the shutter speed readings. If too low, you calculate the next best shutter speed where you can prevent camera shake (this is better if you got IS).
3. Set to M and dial in your A, T, ISO, etc.
4. Set camera metering to Average and set flash to Average TTL (from within 400D custom function)
5. Set external flash compensation to +1/3 to +2/3. (depending on your preference)
6. Identify for best bounce angle. Look at walls, or use diffusers, etc (depending on your preference)
7. Shoot away.
8. You can change any of the settings on the fly and the flash will always compensate. Watch the meter on the viewfinder closely to see how far you have deviate from standard exposure. Use it as a guide.

Mr. Neil (from his website) uses the following to control flash with ambient.

T = Use to expose the ambient and background (determines motion too)
A = Use to expose the subject and depth of field (sometimes flash is too hot on subjects, reducing aperture will expose it properly)
ISO = Use to expose the ambient and background (determines noise too)
FEV = Flash compensation
Flash = Use to artificially 'freeze' the subject

I know this sounds like a bunch of bull. I can't understand it either at first. But as I got around with experience, it kinda works together now.

Hope it helps.

P/S: Don't worry about noise or shy to go ISO1600. You can do noise reduction later. A good program to try is Noise Ninja. PM me for details. Others are welcome also.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Feb 28 2008, 10:40 AM

PM me if you require 'assistance' for this one. Kekekeke

Yes and I just found out about it recently. But it is really effective with the pictures I took. I love the camera profiling feature.

You should get a quality UV filter. A decent one could be Hoya UV(N) HMC filter. If you want something better you can look at Hoya Pro-1 Digital UV filter which is roughly double. If you really love this lens and want to spend for the best... then consider B&W MC UV filter. Indisputably the best there is. The multi-coatings are the hardest and is virtually scratch resistant.

Besides protecting the front element, you must also understand that there are other areas unprotected. Since you shoot in dusty areas, there are high possibility that dust could sneak into the barrel cams while you zoom or de-zoom. Also the buttons and controls are not weather-sealed too. The EFS55-250mm IS is not a weather-sealed lens. So protecting the front element is only plays a small part. You should be investing on a weather-sealed L lens if you are doing serious work.

Otherwise, if you only want to protect the front element from scratches, then yes.. a UV filter will do the job. Just don't get cheapo ones that will degrade image quality.

I only know one guy selling B&Ws in ShutterAsia forums. You may check around there.

Yeah only Canon L lens has this 'luxury' item. Total sucks. All other manufacturer of 3rd party lenses comes standard with lens hood, some with a carrying case. Some more if you want one, you need to scout for shops that actually sell them. Not all stock them as on-the-shelf products. You need to order.

It all depends on the user. Some users prefer the standard DSLR for the image quality and the accurate framing. Some wants the ergonomics that other P&S camera cannot provide. Not everyone is as lucky as us here or as enthusiastic wanting to invest in more lens and things. Some prefer to use the standard kit lens. Don't be surprise, they can turn out nice photos too. Some just want it to do the job. Thats it. Remember the quote? Choose the right equipment for the job and not to overkill?

So don't look down on them. DSLR is not only for the serious photographers unlike olden days. Its now free for all to use.

Back to the question, valho is correct. But you guys seems to be willing to spend more and more so I would recommend the 580EX II speedlite (or at least the 430EX) and the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8. This should keep you guys busy.

---

Added on February 29, 2008, 10:17 amYeah. 30D new one also cheap. I heard it from somewhere that the body is only RM2799 new. A used one should be a good buy too. TheVOIP... hows your sale? This is a good opportunity to get TheVOIP's one...

This post has been edited by davidmak: Feb 29 2008, 10:17 AM

Yeah, I would say at least a Canon 430EX. Easily affordable and usable. At least you can upgrade to 580EX in the future and then use the 430EX as a slave. A lot of people follow this upgrade path.

But if you are willing to invest, then 580EX straight.

Nope the 40D (I assume you are referring to LiveView) does not rely on contrast-detect AF to do focusing. It had to flip the mirror down (momentarily blinding the viewfinder) to do phase-detect AF before flipping up and re-activate LiveView. Then you can press the button. It however have a few modes to enable silent mirror flipping operation.

Yes, the Sony Alpha has the optimizer too.

Custom WB was available for 400D so the feature should be brought to 450D as well naturally.