Mar 10, 2005, 23:02
Hey guys,
I just ordered a 350D from www.centre.net.au (based in Melbourne), but they won't have stock for a couple of weeks so I'll have worn the carpet bare from pacing up and down waiting that long.
Managed to pick up a *black* one with the lens kit for AU$1469 (RRP $1899). A saving like that is worth the inconvenience of waiting a bit IMHO, as the next closest price I could find was AU$1699 (Cameraland Camera-House here in Perth) and they don't have any in yet either!
It is the "international version" I'm getting, not the Aus version (which is why I could specify a black one), but comes with a world-wide warranty and I've bought stuff from these guys before and they seem straight up.
Just thought I'd post that info to assist any other Aussies who might be shopping for a 350D. I haven't seen any other local prices come close to AU$1469.
Now... my questions about lenses and filters.
As well as the 18-55mm kit lens, I ordered a couple of lenses with the camera to get me started (50mm f1.8 prime and 75-300mm f4-5.6 USM IS zoom). These lenses accept filters with a diameter of 52mm and 58mm respectively, and the kit lens also takes 58mm filters.
I have a bunch of 55mm filters I use with my Oly C750UZ, and I bought a step-up and step-down ring to allow these filters to fit my three new lenses.
Using the 55mm filter on the 50mm f1.8 should be no problem I expect, as it is just a step up from 52mm to 55mm. But initially I thought that using the 55mm filters on the two zoom lenses (that require 58mm filters) would give me a bit of vignetting at the tele-end of the zoom, but they should be no problemmo throughout the rest of the zoom's range.
It then occurred to me that the 350D does not have a full-frame sensor, so it shouldn't need to use the very edges of the lens anyway!! The exact same reason that makes wide-angle lenses less wide on most DSLR's (ie the smaller sensor crops the outside of what would normally fall on 35mm film) should also crop out the vignetting from using a smaller filter on the lens!
Am I correct in this thinking? Can I pretty much expect not to see any vignetting at all from using the 3mm smaller filters on these lenses (18-55mm and 75-300mm).
Obviously I'd expect to see some vignetting if I used them on a film camera, but is there any disadvantage in this approach when all I use them for is digital? Does it mean that I can happily get more 55mm filters and use them on both cameras (Canon and Oly) and all lenses? Or should I try to stick with the correct sized filters for another reason?
I'm also thinking of now modding my Oly C750UZ to be an infrared-only camera (ie removing the infrared cut filter from inside the camera and replacing it with clear glass).
I've read a few websites about this procedure, but I'd be interested to hear from anyone here who has had experience with these kinds of things. I realy enjoy taking IR photos, but when every exposure needs the shutter open for at least 8 seconds (unless you want noisy ISO400 rubbish), it can be quite limiting.
Also, does anyone know where in Aus I could buy a 55mm infrared cut filter? If I remove the IR cut filter from *inside* my Oly, it would be nice to have a "normal" type of lens filter I could screw on to replace when I want to take normal shots too.
Thanks!
Adrian
I just ordered a 350D from www.centre.net.au (based in Melbourne), but they won't have stock for a couple of weeks so I'll have worn the carpet bare from pacing up and down waiting that long.
Managed to pick up a *black* one with the lens kit for AU$1469 (RRP $1899). A saving like that is worth the inconvenience of waiting a bit IMHO, as the next closest price I could find was AU$1699 (Cameraland Camera-House here in Perth) and they don't have any in yet either!
It is the "international version" I'm getting, not the Aus version (which is why I could specify a black one), but comes with a world-wide warranty and I've bought stuff from these guys before and they seem straight up.
Just thought I'd post that info to assist any other Aussies who might be shopping for a 350D. I haven't seen any other local prices come close to AU$1469.
Now... my questions about lenses and filters.
As well as the 18-55mm kit lens, I ordered a couple of lenses with the camera to get me started (50mm f1.8 prime and 75-300mm f4-5.6 USM IS zoom). These lenses accept filters with a diameter of 52mm and 58mm respectively, and the kit lens also takes 58mm filters.
I have a bunch of 55mm filters I use with my Oly C750UZ, and I bought a step-up and step-down ring to allow these filters to fit my three new lenses.
Using the 55mm filter on the 50mm f1.8 should be no problem I expect, as it is just a step up from 52mm to 55mm. But initially I thought that using the 55mm filters on the two zoom lenses (that require 58mm filters) would give me a bit of vignetting at the tele-end of the zoom, but they should be no problemmo throughout the rest of the zoom's range.
It then occurred to me that the 350D does not have a full-frame sensor, so it shouldn't need to use the very edges of the lens anyway!! The exact same reason that makes wide-angle lenses less wide on most DSLR's (ie the smaller sensor crops the outside of what would normally fall on 35mm film) should also crop out the vignetting from using a smaller filter on the lens!
Am I correct in this thinking? Can I pretty much expect not to see any vignetting at all from using the 3mm smaller filters on these lenses (18-55mm and 75-300mm).
Obviously I'd expect to see some vignetting if I used them on a film camera, but is there any disadvantage in this approach when all I use them for is digital? Does it mean that I can happily get more 55mm filters and use them on both cameras (Canon and Oly) and all lenses? Or should I try to stick with the correct sized filters for another reason?
I'm also thinking of now modding my Oly C750UZ to be an infrared-only camera (ie removing the infrared cut filter from inside the camera and replacing it with clear glass).
I've read a few websites about this procedure, but I'd be interested to hear from anyone here who has had experience with these kinds of things. I realy enjoy taking IR photos, but when every exposure needs the shutter open for at least 8 seconds (unless you want noisy ISO400 rubbish), it can be quite limiting.
Also, does anyone know where in Aus I could buy a 55mm infrared cut filter? If I remove the IR cut filter from *inside* my Oly, it would be nice to have a "normal" type of lens filter I could screw on to replace when I want to take normal shots too.
Thanks!
Adrian