** SUGGESTIONS FOR EOS FAQ **

[CyberDyneSystems]

**EDIT Sept. 2004**

For those interested, this thread was started before I was a MOD here.. there has been some progress indeed (thanks to some helpfull very members) but we "stalled out"

I point this out to let you know that there is some info allready typed that may be of use to anyone who wishes to contribute to tackling this project again! :)

**********************************************

O0kay I'll start the ball rolling.

We need to work together to create the

-= ULTIMATE EOS F.A.Q. =-

First, I propose two distinct sections. (maybe we need more?) that may be in two different posts or on the same pag....

SECTION ONE: -= HARDWARE F.A.Q. =-
Here we can compile information based on forum users recomandations for;
* Lenses.... This will be a large topic needless to say
* Memory cards and storage
* Other accesories (tripods? flashes?)

What else?

SECTION TWO: -= HOW TO F.A.Q. =-
* We will need an actual article with links on color management

* RAW Conversion

* Sharpening

.etc...


-= ULTIMATE EOS F.A.Q. =-

Starting with this thread lets have input as to what info we need in the thread. (we are not looking for finished product.. YET,. just Ideas of what the -= ULTIMATE EOS F.A.Q. =- does indeed NEED to address.

So post Ideas here.

Then we will need to get volunteers to tackle different aspects of the FAQ.

ei: "Neo" volunteers to put together a FAQ with a number of "Sahrpening techniques" and links,..

"Gandalf" can assemble an epic tome on colr correction.. (or again, a quick description and working links to detailed help)

So,. anyone who has input post here.

1. Ideas of what needs to be included
2. Volunteers for specific catagories.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Some of the info can literally be goten through research on this forum,.. and should be cut and pasted from some of our more enlightened discussions with quotes.

I think the task of the Lens FAQ may require its own editor and a number of contributors as well,. so that we can include more lens info than any one of us has personal expeirience with and to broaden the field in general.

[Belmondo]

CDS:
Great idea. I don't have the technical knowledge to be much help with the FAQ's, but I would be happy to volunteer my time to 'polish' articles others have written that might need a little editing, spellchecking, and general straightening up. It would be no trouble and would keep me busy.

Let me know.

Tom

[Canuck]

Why don't you separate it into actual sections like this:
** SUGGESTIONS FOR EOS "L"ens FAQs **
** SUGGESTIONS FOR EOS RAW FAQs **
** SUGGESTIONS FOR EOS (fill in the blank) FAQ **
** SUGGESTIONS FOR EOS General Questions FAQ **

You get the idea!

I'd be up for adding my 2 pence as well, and wherever I can add stuff.

Cheers from England,
Canuck

[mwinog2777]

An excellent idea. Long overdue.

I would wonder about the venue. Where would we post it? Should we consult with Pekka?

I would love to help, in any way I could. I would be happy to help edit/proof the FAQ's.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I have emailed Pekka. This one in particualr I was considering for the EOS section.. but if (and we will) wecome up with material that is universal to all cameras (again the non hardware area) maybe that would be stickied in "Talk About Photography" as well.

If we can get the go ahaead.. we could put together other stickies.. likr how to post in the "Share: and Critique" sections.

[EXA1a]

Sounds like a very good idea.

Is it for DIGITAL photography only?
Are camera body-specific issues included?

It should NOT include any:
sarcasm
snobbism ;-)
color-of-the-camera-body distorted stuff

It could include user manual knowledge or textbook knowledge but in a condensed and EOS-related form

just thinking out loud
--Jens--

[mwinog2777]

EXA1a wrote:
Sounds like a very good idea.

It should NOT include any:
sarcasm
snobbism ;-)
color-of-the-camera-body distorted stuff

--Jens--



I quite agree.

[teddynet]

"1. Ideas of what needs to be included"

These seem to come up often enough to be included:

Flash trigger voltage

RAW v jpg

ERR 99

Sensor cleaning

Strange blobs on pics

Infrared

Firmware upgrading

550EX v Metz 54MZ-3

Sigma lens problems

Alternative wide angle lenses

Sharpening and USM settings

Recovering lost images from media


Rich.

[Daytripper]

Also:

Digital Workflow

Exposure control

Hot / Stuck Pixels

(back)focussing myths and tests

Tele - Extender compatibility

[defordphoto]

This is perfect and long needed. Will solve a lot of issues. I am, of course, willing to pitch in for the effort too.

[KarlJones]

[quote]


- Simple troubleshooting and often-overlooked remedies to common problems
- Who to contact for service and how, both in-warrantee and out of warrantee
- Shipping your camera for service
- Traveling with your camera
- The ten most useful accessories for the new user
- The ten least useful accessories for the new user
- Proper handling and use of storage media
- Batteries, chargers, and other power adapters
- Proper handling, charging, and storage of batteries
- Photographer awareness and resourcefulness
- Useful web links and tutorials available for little or nothing
- Some simple exercises in order to illustrate, not so much a challenge

[PacAce]

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
I have Belmondo and Canuck offereing to help where they can.

Anyone else?

You can count me in.

[Belmondo]

Perhaps too broad for a single FAQ, but a general discussion of flash photography would be good.

[Jesper]

Great idea, but I think you should call it EOS DIGITAL FAQ. There are already some very good FAQs for EOS film cameras, such as: http://photonotes.org

I have a whole bunch of useful links on my computer at home (I'm not at home right now), will post them later.

[Jesper]

belmondo wrote:
Perhaps too broad for a single FAQ, but a general discussion of flash photography would be good.

All you want to know about flash photography with the EOS system can be found at: http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash

[CyberDyneSystems]

Good ideas Jesper,. Definately should have the word "Digital" in it :)

And the links will be perfect,. I allways envisioned this FAQ as being some percentage notes and text generated by users of this forum and some percentage links to thorough studies allready available.

What the percentage turns out to be only time will tell.

Keep coming up with Ideas.. if anyone allready has article-like material.. we can start posting things here for eventual incorporation into the final FAQ.. likewise.. links... post them in this thread.

The more we info we gather in this thread the more this can be the "unedited" resource for the final FAQ.

I have a good amount links myself,. but alas.. do to a catastrophic system crash to weeks back I lost all my boomarks on my home PC. I have only those I had bookmarked at wokr now...

[CyberDyneSystems]

Just re-read that post and can see that we will definately have need of a copy edittor!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

[Canuck]

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
Good ideas Jesper,. Definately should have the word "Digital" in it :)

And the links will be perfect,. I allways envisioned this FAQ as being some percentage notes and text generated by users of this forum and some percentage links to thorough studies allready available.

* I have a feeling that maybe if this gets too big for this forum, we could include it in the website I'm going to build.

What the percentage turns out to be only time will tell.

Keep coming up with Ideas.. if anyone allready has article-like material.. we can start posting things here for eventual incorporation into the final FAQ.. likewise.. links... post them in this thread.

The more we info we gather in this thread the more this can be the "unedited" resource for the final FAQ.

I have a good amount links myself,. but alas.. do to a catastrophic system crash to weeks back I lost all my boomarks on my home PC. I have only those I had bookmarked at wokr now...

CDS,
You know you can save all favourites to disk, like go to C:\Windows\Favourites I believe in Win 95/98/XP (have no experience on Win 2000 or ME) and copy that to disk so if/when it dups in future you can recopy that back to C:\Windows. On this computer it is running Win NT so it is a little different. I was having problems with my computer at home, got so fed up with it I fdisk and formatted C:\. I had D:\ working as advertised. I copied it to D:\ and then just reinserted it when Windows was up and running again. Just like new. I don't trust windows any futher that I can toss bill gates from over here. I'm just hoping Linux/Lindows gets going and gives Microsoft the Megashaft! Then again I could also say that Apple is way better and more efficient than the PC, but severely lacks the ability to make your own system element, and are way expensive compared to PCs. I have built/upgraded/messed with probably 20 systems and no two systems are alike! They range from the ill fated P166MMX (the system that shouldn't run but did and very well, only dumped as it was too slow for what I was doing) to the Athlon XP2200.

Cheers from England,
Canuck

[Canuck]

I had another idea, and this would be in deciding to get the 10D or 300D. We could go into the capablities of each one and what one can/can't do vs the other. There have been many posts regarding getting 10D or 300D and maybe it is time we compared/contrasted them.

Cheers,
Canuck

[Jesper]

OK, here are my links:

http://www.normankoren.com
Norman Koren has a very nice website with lots of information, this was my starting point for learning digital darkroom techniques, colour management etc.

http://photonotes.org
Lots of information about the Canon EOS system; especially the EOS Beginners FAQ is interesting and the article about Flash Photography tells you everything there is to know about how flash works with the Canon EOS system. Also there is an interesting dictionary that explains a great deal of photography jargon.

http://luminous-landscape.com
Lots of interesting information, for example the Understanding Series contains pages about the DSLR magnification factor, colour theory, exposure, histograms, resolution, etc.

http://www.photo.net
Interesting community with lots of members, lots of galleries with photos, and lots of articles with useful information and forums.

http://www.fredmiranda.com
Interesting community that has pages with reviews of lenses and other equipment and forums.

http://www.canoneos.com
Canon's EOS home page.

http://www.usa.canon.com/html/eflenses/index.html
Canon's EF lenses home page.

http://www.powershot.com
Canon's PowerShot home page, also has some info (and links) for digital EOS cameras and updates for drivers and other software.

http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/BeBit-e.html
Canon's BeBit home page: this is where you find firmware updates for Canon digital cameras and technical notes.

http://www.dpreview.com
Lots of reviews of digital cameras; however the forums are not too great.

http://www.steves-digicams.com
Lots of reviews of digital cameras.

[Jesper]

Canuck wrote:
I had another idea, and this would be in deciding to get the 10D or 300D. We could go into the capablities of each one and what one can/can't do vs the other. There have been many posts regarding getting 10D or 300D and maybe it is time we compared/contrasted them.

Cheers,
Canuck

Well, "should I get the 300D or the 10D" is certainly a frequently asked question... but ofcourse there isn't one good answer to that question; it's a matter of personal preference. If you want to know what the differences are in detail, have a look at the review of the 300D on http://www.dpreview.com - there is a comparison of the 300D and the 10D there.

And have a look at this page, Canon's own description of the differences between the 300D and the 10D: http://www.cps.canon-europe.com/articles/article.jsp?article.articleId=60003

[Canuck]

Jesper wrote:
Canuck wrote:
I had another idea, and this would be in deciding to get the 10D or 300D. We could go into the capablities of each one and what one can/can't do vs the other. There have been many posts regarding getting 10D or 300D and maybe it is time we compared/contrasted them.

Cheers,
Canuck

Well, "should I get the 300D or the 10D" is certainly a frequently asked question... but ofcourse there isn't one good answer to that question; it's a matter of personal preference. If you want to know what the differences are in detail, have a look at the review of the 300D on http://www.dpreview.com - there is a comparison of the 300D and the 10D there.

And have a look at this page, Canon's own description of the differences between the 300D and the 10D: http://www.cps.canon-europe.com/articles/article.jsp?article.articleId=60003


Yes this is true, but maybe we could step it down a little for the neophites. That is what I was suggesting, kinda like an "EOS (fill in the blank) for dummies" kinda deal. It can be daunting at first like what's APO, EX, HSM, L glass, you get the idea.

[maderito]

Everyone seems agreed on the need for a FAQ. That's fine, but may I suggest a similar but different idea.

I am drawn to the Forum for the often intense and sometimes irreverent interplay of ideas, facts, and opinions. So much of photography is art, style and taste; so too with the flow of ideas on this Forum. FAQs serve a good purpose when there is a discrete body of information to convey. This Forum goes much further in providing superb information, wisdom and insights on how to get the best out of our digital cameras.

My thought is along the lines of a FAQ but with a different approach. How about…

“The Best of the Canon EOS-D(igital) Forum.”

The “Best” would represent discussion threads that addressed specific FAQ-type issues, organized into topics along the lines already suggested. The content would be selected from historical Forum threads. The threads could be edited for readability, but with attention to preserving the interactive style that characterizes many threads (and makes them fun to read). Most topics – e.g. Prime vs. Zoom lenses – would probably have more than one “best” thread.

I’m sure there is collective wisdom on this Forum; I’m less sure that it is best organized as a FAQ.

Just a thought…

[CyberDyneSystems]

Maderito this is exactly what we need to do!!!!

I have allready started earmarking posts and discusions for use in a FAQ.. but the direction you suggest is really a great Idea!

[CyberDyneSystems]

Canuck,

I appreciate your info re: windoews/favorites etc..

I did not and will not go into the details here.. but trust me,.. I know how to deal with windows! I wish I could blame MS for my data loss,. but alas I can not.

I had back-ups... (oh did I have back ups!) but bad timing etc... rendered many many years of the data I had been saving (inccluding everything I have ever written) is lost.

Again the details are to drawn out,. but it involved RAID assemblies,. networked back ups,. etc... and yet all is lost.

Fortunately my photos were left in tact.

[robertwgross]

If a FAQ is assembled, we must make sure that we make the correct recommendations for the new 10D purchaser. We need to recommend a good motor drive for it.

---Bob Gross---

[Canuck]

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
Canuck,

I appreciate your info re: windoews/favorites etc..

I did not and will not go into the details here.. but trust me,.. I know how to deal with windows! I wish I could blame MS for my data loss,. but alas I can not.

I had back-ups... (oh did I have back ups!) but bad timing etc... rendered many many years of the data I had been saving (inccluding everything I have ever written) is lost.

Again the details are to drawn out,. but it involved RAID assemblies,. networked back ups,. etc... and yet all is lost.

Fortunately my photos were left in tact.

CDS,
I understand your pain entirely. I have had a few HDs and floopies fail at the worst time. One of them was in high school that had a final on it and it irreparably crashed and I failed the course. Mind you, I had a 98 avg other than that.

RAIDs can be cool, in fact that is how the XP2200 is set up, 2x120GB HDs. I have an absolutley stupid amount of space available still! I have one partition that is like 220GB and only 20 are touched so far; the other drive has like 10GB and is about 1/2 full with stuff. I need to repartition ithat monster one, that's too much space free and clear! It appears to me that the more you add into a system the chances of something going wrong goes up too! I did some MS bashing on this forum earlier today saying that I hope Lindows, Linux, Mac or something htat is stable take them over.

In general I have been wondering... Was Murphy my father?

Cheers from Canuck,
England

[ilya]

Jesper wrote:
OK, here are my links:

http://www.normankoren.com
Norman Koren has a very nice website with lots of information, this was my starting point for learning digital darkroom techniques, colour management etc.

http://photonotes.org
Lots of information about the Canon EOS system; especially the EOS Beginners FAQ is interesting and the article about Flash Photography tells you everything there is to know about how flash works with the Canon EOS system. Also there is an interesting dictionary that explains a great deal of photography jargon.

http://luminous-landscape.com
Lots of interesting information, for example the Understanding Series contains pages about the DSLR magnification factor, colour theory, exposure, histograms, resolution, etc.

http://www.photo.net
Interesting community with lots of members, lots of galleries with photos, and lots of articles with useful information and forums.

http://www.fredmiranda.com
Interesting community that has pages with reviews of lenses and other equipment and forums.

http://www.canoneos.com
Canon's EOS home page.

http://www.usa.canon.com/html/eflenses/index.html
Canon's EF lenses home page.

http://www.powershot.com
Canon's PowerShot home page, also has some info (and links) for digital EOS cameras and updates for drivers and other software.

http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/BeBit-e.html
Canon's BeBit home page: this is where you find firmware updates for Canon digital cameras and technical notes.

http://www.dpreview.com
Lots of reviews of digital cameras; however the forums are not too great.

http://www.steves-digicams.com
Lots of reviews of digital cameras.



Thought I'd resurrect this thread with an addition of a link to a good review of Photoshop CS' capabilities.

http://www.focusonimagingmag.com/currentissue/nov03/photo.tml

[Pekka]

Just FYI: The FAQ will be a database, so it means there's quite a lot of relational stuff going on, which means a lot of cool ways to browse it, which in turn means that what is needed now is only

1. Questions and aswers. You can mail me or post here, please make it simply:

QUESTION
ANSWER
AUTHOR (+email, homepage, country...)

Answer can be one sentence or a whole essay.

2. Suggestions for categories. Category is what is "attached" to each FAQ, and each FAQ can belong to any number of categories. This is used (as one part) when seeking for right FAQ's. For example, someone may seek FAQ which belongs to category "tips & tricks", "sharpening". Or "shooting people", "low light techniques" and "flash usage". Or "infrared" and "night shooting", or "infrared" and "remote control".

tips & tricks
post processing
exposure
ISO
software
sharpening
shooting people
low light
night shooting
flash
usage
technique
error code
infrared
firmware
lens
focus
remote control
sensor
linear
portable storage
card storage
USB
firewire
bag
strap
filter
mount
format
recover
clean

...

[CyberDyneSystems]

Excellent,. :) This will be a great asset to the forum :)
Thanks Pekka.

[Longwatcher]

I think the response to use of jpeg format needs to be expanded.
The faster burst rate is probably the number 1 reason I will use jpeg on occasion, with ready to go mode the second.

My take on advantages of jpeg.
..................
While it is generally regarded that RAW is a better format to use then the jpeg format in terms of quality and all other things being equal, there are several situations where the use of jpeg will provide a significant advantage over the use of RAW images.

1. The jpeg format provides for a smaller file format, while this does entail some loss of the maximum level of quality; up to the 8x10 (A?) format, this will probably not be noticeable in high or medium modes. This smaller file size results in several secondary benefits.

1A. More pictures per megabyte of storage. Just using the high-fine mode of jpeg will result in three to four times the number of pictures on the same storage device (CF card, hardrive, CD, DVD). Obviously lower quality modes will usually* result in even more pictures that can be taken/stored.

1B. It will take less time for the camera to process the picture and write the file to the CF card , which will result in a higher sustained rate of taking pictures after the buffer has reached its capacity. This is especially important in taking pictures of certain sports such as martial arts matches or other high action activities. It is also helpful in reducing the time between pictures when doing time lapse photography while connected to a computer.

2. Because jpeg is an internationally recognized standard format you gain the following benefits:

2A. Ability for others to view the pictures without further processing. Because jpeg is a standard format family, friends, customers will be able to view the pictures straight out of the camera as they were taken. This means that if visiting family you don't need to take your own computer or software** along if they have a method of reading the files on the CF card (or other storage device you use)

2B. Related to this will be the ability to provide the picture directly to a news or law enforcement outlet, if you happen to get that 1 in a million picture that either shows and event or provides that immediate tip. While they may be able to process the RAW file as well, it may take them some time to find the correct software.

2C. Ability to print at a kiosk/consumer store straight from the camera. By using jpeg format you will be able to take the CF card (or CD/DVD) to most print shops and have the pictures printed with no additional processing. A large number of inkjet printers are also featuring CF card readers that will print straight from the CF card, although some of these can print from RAW files, most will only work with jpeg formatted pictures.

2D. Longevity of the file format. while this is a minor point since this can be done as part of computer processing of RAW files, Jpeg is a standard format and is more likely to be viewable in the future as file formats change then the RAW file formats which tend to be unique to the specific camera. The .TIF file format frequently used for archive and printing is also a standard format, but requires processing of the RAW file to get the pictures into this format.

[intermeadiate level trivia:
*= usually; While usually a lower quality mode will result in smaller file sizes, because of the way jpeg compresses the file, under certain circumstances a lower quality jpeg will result in a larger file. This is most likely when shooting a background with lots of green vegetation in it.

**=software; While it is possible to download the software to convert RAW to TIf or jpeg via the internet, this may take time or get in the way of enjoying the pictures. Also you family and friends may not want their computer cluttered with your software.

.......................end........

I am probably a bit long winded, so feel free to trim and I feel I am still missing something, but this may work better to explain the advnatages of when to use jpeg over RAW.

[pradeep1]

Great! I'll help in any way I can.