That´s a great deal. Even with a seal replacement it´s still dirt cheap.

PM sent regarding the Sigma.

Is this a copy of the Sigma super-wide macro? It looks similar & appears to have all the same specs.

Ha ha! I hadn´t even noticed that bit!

Yes, I would have got a more OOF backgroud if I´d chosen a subject closer to the camera, but I´d have needed more shots to get the same field of view. I might have another go, seeing what I can get with a subject close to the minimum focus distance (around a metre for the M85).

A more involving subject, such as a person, would make a more interesting shot, but as a trial I think this has worked well.

The only difference between this method and a normal panorama is that this technique uses a lens for minimum depth of field, rather than maximum, to isolate a subject using focus, but with a relatively wide field of view. This isn´t possible on APS-C even with an extremely fast wide-angle lens.

I will hopefully rope my girlfriend into posing for me soon to get a more interesting subject.

If anyone has any strategies for making sure I don´t miss areas, suggestions are welcome. So far the only one I´ve come up with is using a wide-angle lens to get a snapshop of the scene first, print it, then check the Breziner shots against it as I go, or when I´ve finished.

I finally went out yesterday afternoon to try my hand at the Brenizer method, which I´ve seen used well by others previously. Someone on here posted a picture of their car a few weeks back, which worked really well. So I wanted to try it out so that I´d be prepared when a situation came along that would work well.

More info & some good examples can be found here: http://blog.buiphotography.com/2009/07/the-brenizer-method-explained-with-direct...

I used the M85 f/2 lens wide open, camera in manual mode to maintain exposure at the same values, WB set as daylight (you can´t leave it on auto for this technique), jpegs at a lowly 2mp. The first pic is the result of 19 photos I think, and the second is from 9, but I left a gap so it´s cropped to about half of what I´d hoped for. I used Autostitch software with a few tweaks to the settings. The sharpness of the M85 is not great wide open, but at just 2mp with each shot being only a small part of the whole, it wasn´t a problem, and as you can see, the colour & contrast of this lens really shines. As the shot wasn´t high-contrast, there were no worries with the substantial blue fringing that this lens can produce.

I think this is a useful technique to know how to do, so that I´m prepared when a good opportunity comes along and I can make use of it. The only thing to be careful about is making sure not to leave any gaps.

[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y232/jonnymacd/Various%202/pano1v2-1.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y232/jonnymacd/Various%202/pano2-1.jpg[/IMG]

As long as you know how to use it on a DSLR, you should be able to get very good quality shots from it. It´s an excellent lens.

I think it´s fair to say that it´s easier to trust Amazon than some guy in china on ebay. I´ve never received any counterfeit cards from Amazon, and have bought most of mine there. I´ll check the new one when it arrives, but I´m not expecting any surprises.

I have a couple of them from when I first got the DSLR, because I couldn´t afford all Extreme (class 6). I think I paid about the same for the Ultras back then, I´m pretty sure they´re discontinued now. They´re a little slow but not bad.

I´ve never formatted an SD card in or outside of the camera, and never had any problems.

Yeah, but I would hope the stock that Amazon get is 100% legit. I think most of the reviews there are posted from people that bought the cards on Amazon, rather than elsewhere.

Either way, I´m happy with my choice, though it cost me more. I´ll sleep better knowing I don´t have a cheapie, though I may be a flash snob...