thank you for feedback -- with regards to central focus i've actually been going out of my way to focus somewhat off-center, departing from tradition i guess
there's certainly a pitfall with that when too much blank space is created in the picture and that could be a concern with this one for sure.
you know, i've never tried your trick with ad-on, but i'll certainly consider it, to be purely honest i feel like the 5d has way too many settings for me -- i meter and focus on center but still the viewfinder glows with all 30+ focus points and i don't even know how to turn it off. i remember when i had my first nikon n80 it had maybe 5 focus points and it was really neat because you can pre-focus and then use the joystick button to actually move which focusing sensor you wanted to use, i'm sure it's probably possible wight he 5d but as i said i'm afraid of getting bugged down in all the camera techniques as opposed to just going out and shooting pictures
in that sense i appreciate the x100 much more.
btw, the lens is 17-40, probably my most favorite lens for a [d]slr that i've ever had, perfect for walking around and scenery/architecture and even peoples photos (i'm not too much of a zoom-birding shooter). and the picture is taken in WI, about 50mi south of duluth, about 3 inches of snow here, makes for a very pretty scenery.
merry christmas