I'm looking to upgrade to some more expensive lenses for my Canon and I'm selling a few of my normal lenses. I'm discovered that I either shoot close-up or very far, and so some of these lenses get very little use. I need to focus on my strengths and get lenses made for those purposes. I'm keeping my macro, but the rest doesn't get used as often.

I'm looking for fair offers, so inquire and haggle if interested (although I'm starting out pretty fair to begin with), or pass this along to anyone else if they might be interested. All of my stuff is well taken care of, all still have the boxes too.


Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM
(asking $120, new at B&H is $219.95)
A walk-around lens I originally got Nicole until she got the 55-250mm. It's a nice range at 28-105mm and starts at f/3.5. Barely used.
[link]

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM - With lens hood
(asking $320, new at J&R is $468.88)
This has been my normal walk around lens. Starts at f/4, but it has IS which has saved me on many occasions. Will only work with with C-sized sensors. (So no 5D or 1D) Aside from my 180mm Macro, this is my favorite normal lens.
[link]

Tamron SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF) - With lens hood
(asking $750, new at B&H is $899.95)
This is the monster-long lens I shoot most of my birds with. It's a great lens for most purposes, but I'm looking to upgrade to some Canon L-glass @ 300 or 400mm that I can double using my 2X multiplier. The Tamron doesn't work too well with my Canon multiplier.
[link]

So, last Friday my new Canon 7D arrived and it is a fantastic camera body. The new autofocus system is DEEP and will take me several week to master properly. This really is a pro camera, it doesn't apologize, and it doesn't do the work for me. I'm already shot too many bad shots with it already. I have to step up my game now.

The down side is nothing supports the CR2 files yet. Adobe has CR2.6 in beta but I had some difficulty with it, and Aperture support is still MIA for the moment too. Hopefully I'll see both soon. For now, I'm shooting RAW+JPEG. I sure do miss RAW though.

The AF system is still a little buggy. I expect a few more firmware updates to smooth it out. The Micro-Lens Adjustment is nice so I can tweak all of my lenses focus to make them as sharp as I can. I got the battery grip so I can shoot with two batteries. This things is huge. It feels nice in my hand though. Like it's more stable because of the weight.

Expect some pics soon, or at least after I get over being sick and miserable.

Sorry for the photo bomb, but I have shot a lot of stuff and I've neglected dA a bit. So tonight I'm going to update... Prepare!!

Stole this from =Sekai-Okami

Your name?
John Slaughter, Jr.

Your age?
32

When did you start drawing?
Really, around 11ish... That's when I really started taking it seriously.

Which hand do you use for drawing?
Right

Which is easier to draw - male or female?
I think men are easier. You can chisel out a guy and make it believable, but if you don't get female curves right people can tell.

Which is easier to draw - long hair or short hair?
Short hair. You can do more with it, it adds style. Long hair starts out ok, but then just kinda looks blah at the end.

Is it easier to draw the head facing towards the right or the left?
What an interesting question. I've never thought about it. Probably easier to the right. I just don't know though.

Is it easier to draw the side view of the face or the front view?
Profiles (side view) are always easier. Especially if you are drawing a recognizable (real) person.

What do you have problems drawing?
Backgrounds and scenery.

What do you like to draw?
Honestly? Girls. Really sexy girls usually.

Are you a traditional artist or a digital artist?
Both. Most illustrations start out traditional pencils, then get inked and colored digitally.

Where do you start drawing from?
Whole figure, but my detailing and clean-up starts at the face.

What is your drawing habit that you are aware of?
Habit? Well, I don't draw anything particular too much. In fact, I'd say my only habit is procrastination. I rarely finish what I start.

Any tips for coloring/shading?
Pay attention to where the light is coming from. Lay down your flats and work out your highlights and shadows as realistically as possible - it makes the atmosphere more believable.

How long does it take to finish a piece of art?
Rush: 10 hours. Average: weeks.

What music do you listen to while you draw?
Japanese pop/rock or instrumentals. If I can follow the lyrics I get distracted. If I can't, it's just rhythm to keep me going.

How long does it take you to come up with an idea?
Ages... Got any?

Your favorite drawing utensils?
Standard graphite for roughs. Red and non-repo blue .7mm mechanical pencils for penciling/details. And my Cintiq tablet for ink/colors.

Your favorite color/the color that you use a lot?
Blue. Everything in my world is apparently a grey/blue shade.

Your favorite style(s)?
Early 90's comic, or modern Anime style. Or a hybrid of the two.

What kind of artist are you aiming for?
None, I try and draw when I want to, and what I want to. Not aiming to be anything. I don't have a lot of free time to draw these days anyway.


-John

Video turnaround of my first model-a-day submission. I can't guarantee I'll post a video for each one, but it's fun for starters.

[link]