Messages

1

Sports / Re: Photographing martial arts

« on: May 22, 2013, 07:39:19 PM »

Well, the "proper" way to do it would be to gel the windows with PlusGreen or WindowGreen to match the fluorescent temperature, set the camera to that temp in K, gel strobes that way also and shoot. That's how I shot a promo for a dojo locally. I was pumping about 8000ws of strobe power to stop large group sessions. And, I shot these on Hasselblad - 0 fps. Zone focused, waited for the action to be in the focus zone and fired. Slides were used for posters, ads, etc. Almost shot it all with my 1D/Ds 3's, but decided to challenge myself and use film...no chimping and 12 shots per back!

However...can you shoot at night? That takes the daylight out of the equation, making it pretty much so you can shoot using the ambient fluorescents and gel your 580 (and/or 600ex borrow) to match. Drag the shutter out at short DOF (the background can be black, blurred, etc without care) and use the flashes to stop motion. Use something like 1/8-1/30 for the shutter and f/5.6 or less - the flash is fast enough to stop kicks, jumps, etc. Full manual, that way, bright spots and dark spots don't affect the metering. It's about setting the flash to be above ambient and the ratio that determines how much blur vs sharp is recorded. Your shutter speed controls the background/environment brightness and the flash compensation/adjustment (or chosen aperture) controls the subject illumination.

You can also be creative and incorporate motion into some of the shots. In roundhouse style kicks, let the motion of the movement create fluid patterns and the rear-curtain sync to stop the moment of contact for sharpness. Done properly, the subjects can appear to be in a "beam" of light - distance to subject to background.

2

Canon General / Re: Desired fantasy gear

« on: May 20, 2013, 03:06:52 PM »

Only one thing... a 1Ds Mk IV - full frame, 48mp, 10fps, NO video anything. The 1 series is pretty much perfect for what I need, but I could care less about anything video on it. If I wanted video, I'd go get a CineAlta or ARRI Alexa.

That, or it'll be a Hasselblad H5D-200MS that uses autofocus Zeiss lenses (instead of the Fujiblad lenses)...ah, I miss my MF digitals!

3

Software & Accessories / Re: question for RRS/Acratech (high-end) ballhead users

« on: May 17, 2013, 05:48:16 PM »

I spent a lot of time looking into ballheads and reading various reviews before opting for the Markins which I have to say is awesome.
I was a little put off by the elliptical ball on the Arca swiss being prone to locking up.
I liked the simplicity, cost and weight of the Markins.
I have been using mine in the field now for some time and it has never missed a beat. It has a brilliant system for quickly setting the sweet spot on a camera lens combo and then locking it in on a small dial so you can turn the main knob to unlock / lock very quickly.
I have no experience of RRS but they certainly look well engineered
I would certainly look into Markins there is a youtube clip of a Nikon 800mm lens and camera being used with one.
I have to say mine locks absolutely solid when you tighten the main knob with the ball in any position.
There are different weight rated ones to suit most cameras & lens.
They even do a titanium one
I ordered mine from light n space on ebay from Korea as it worked out cheaper than buying from europe even with import duty. (I didn't have to pay any anyway as it happens)

My Arca-Swiss Z1 doesn't lock up, ever, with massive loads on it, at any angle. And, it doesn't slip either. I've had 25+ lbs hanging off of it and it is smooth as butter. Now, for the users who have the drag set wrong, or try setting it too far when the lock knob is cranked, that is where it's known to freeze up. But, you aren't supposed to screw with it like that.

I think the people who have problems with that are like the Hasselblad owners who complain about the camera locking up and that Hasselblad's are "junk" - usually caused by out of maintenance/damaged/neglected gear and/or really lacking in skill (not knowing how to use the camera). In all the years and all the Hasselblads I've had, never had one lock up. Some enterprising third-party even sold a tool for recocking the camera - never known anybody to own one, though.

When I had Manfrotto ballheads, they slipped like somebody had greased them with bearing grease, even a 70-200/2.8 could make them move on their own - straight junk.

The Markins are pretty much a knock-off of the AS heads - had a Q20 for a short while. It didn't like the cold and had some big issues with the drag not working, so I went to the real thing and the Z1 is great, even in -10 with blowing snow and high wind.

4

Technical Support / Re: An error occurring randomly

« on: May 10, 2013, 01:18:49 AM »

Forget the cleaning of the contacts.

If you had a chance change the lens aginst an other or send it in for repair.

To 95% it´s the lens, to 5% it´s the camera.

My 24-70 used to have an issue with random comm errors on my 1DsII. Cleaned it and was fine for the rest of the time I owned the DsII, and, still using the lens on my DsIII. Can't hurt to try something free before sending it off...

Just like the server that I was working on at the beginning of the year that was randomly locking up. New RAM, etc didn't resolve it. Reseating the proc (BGA style Xeon) 3 times, didn't help. Rubbing the contacts on the proc with an eraser fixed the issue - been on continuously since then (> 4 months) without a reboot and without problem hosting 2500+ users on a large SQL Server daily.

5

Technical Support / Re: An error occurring randomly

« on: May 10, 2013, 12:50:33 AM »

Cleaning the contacts rarely works, and using a pencil eraser is extreme bad advise.
 
Something is wrong with either the lens or the camera, send them both to Canon to see if they can fix it.

That's funny...been cleaning gold plating for 20 years with an eraser...SIMMs, DIMMS, BGA, etc. Rule is don't press hard and don't use a filthy eraser coated with graphite. Always seems to work quite well - it resolves the problem and isn't seen again.

6

Technical Support / Re: An error occurring randomly

« on: May 09, 2013, 06:33:56 PM »

Try doing exactly as the message says: take a rubber pencil eraser over the gold-plated contacts on the back of the lens and the ones inside the lens mount (gold pins). The gold plating used in electronics nowadays are cheap, and oxidize easily.

If the error persists, get some DeOxit Progold (pen dispenser is cheapest and ideal), run over the contacts with it, then wipe with a cotton swab.

If it persists after that, I'd send the lens and body in for a service checkout at Canon.

7

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Any risk of 1DC overheating on a 1 hour 4K video?

« on: May 09, 2013, 06:16:14 AM »

Going further in my investigation, I am trying to discover the amount of heat generated:

1DX Instruction manual page 400: With a fully-charged Battery Pack LP-E4N, movie shooting time approx. 2 hr. 10 min. at 23 degrees Celsius. Notice that this does not say anything about continuous time.         
Battery Pack LP-E4N rated voltage 11.1 V DC, Battery capacity 2450 mAh --> 27,2 Wh --> 1DX power dissipation during movie shooting: about 12,6W on average.

1DC Instruction manual pages 28 and 84: "With a fully-charged Battery Pack LP-E4N, the total movie shooting time (with 4K shooting) will be as follows: approx. 1 hr. 25 min. at room temperature (23 degrees Celsius)". Notice that this does not say anything about continuous time. This also implies that 1DC power dissipation during movie shooting would be about 19,2W on average. No wonder if a better heat sink is required on the 1DC.

The 1DC camera is weather proof and has no cooling vents like some of the C cameras have. Imagine a small plastic covered magnesium alloy box with a hot 20W light bulb in it.

How long will it take before the internal temperature rises enough to shut down the camera?
Any experiences? Any rumours? Or any official wisdom?

That calculation doesn't mean that the unit will produce 12.6 WATTS of heat. That just means that the CONSUMPTION of the camera. Heat is wasted power during consumption. If the circuit is efficient, it will produce very little heat. Since most processors nowadays have some sort of internal throttling/stepping, which can allow the cores to slow down a bit and remain cool during period of lower usage, thus reducing heat generation, it is fairly hard to calculate what the actual heat generated would be. Not sure if the Digics throttle, but the cooling for processor would (should) have a sink capable of handling that heat. It probably dissipates into the chassis if it sinked (sealed, meaning no airflow). Still, if the system is efficient, the heat produced would be less than calculated.

The sensor, on the other hand, can generate much heat during operation, and since heat=noise, is sinked heavily. That is probably also sinked into the chassis. Maybe removing the rubber grips and using a heat absorbing/transmitting gel against the body to transfer heat to the dive case would get that heat away from the camera. The case should be metal if you want it to transfer to the water. If it is polycarb or another plastic, it would not transfer well. If that is the case, maybe modifying the case with a few passthrough ports and a heatsink outside (in the water) to pass some fluids/alcohol around the gel to transfer heat (like a secondary cooling loop in a nuclear reactor) would get that heat out.

You might be able to rig something using the liquid cooling system for a computer. There are copper dies that attach to processors for running the ethylene glycol through. You might be able to stick some of those to the camera body (without the rubber grips) and pass them through a dive case to some cooling fins/radiator outside. Using the passthrough ports would keep the case watertight and still let the cooling solution circulate effectively transferring the heat to the water (which should be cooler than the camera and air inside the dive case).

8

EOS Bodies / Re: AF "Cases" for use with Dance Photography

« on: May 07, 2013, 02:28:00 PM »

Flash is cheap.


That's terrific information, but didn't answer her question really at all, in any capacity.  She is asking about AF tracking cases.

And, giving me an ulcer, the OP didn't tell us which camera she has, so who the heck knows which AF case she should use, since we don't know the camera.  I'm going to bed.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could suggest optimal settings for Dance Photography.  I will be shooting in ambient/available light,no flash is permitted.  There will be "decent" light coming in through large windows, and the construction of the building is off-white marble.  I have a Canon 5D Mark III, and available lenses include a 24-105L, 70-200L.  Again no flash is permitted.

The OP has given us the camera model, and said Flash is not permitted.

You misinterpreted the poster - they meant that flash STORAGE, as in memory card storage is cheap...

Anyways, shooting large dance sessions, on stage or during practice sessions, I always zone focused...look at the floor, manually focus for a spot and determine your depth of field. When a subject was within that zone, I'd wait for good form and expression, then fire away.

I first shot this with a Hasselblad, 180CFE, and Delta 3200...no auto-focus needed and usually nailed all 12 frames in a roll.

9

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Do you trust your camera?

« on: May 06, 2013, 08:08:50 PM »

Coming from large format and medium format, I learn to trust my cameras quite well. When you have 1, 2 or 12 frames max per roll, you tend to be careful when hitting the release. That's carried over and I learn the limitations of my 1D/1Ds 3's and still treat them like it was film. Of course, I still carry a L-758 when I'm really worried about exposure and when I switch over to the 1VHS, it comes in nice to keep the good habits!

10

Lenses / Re: Which is the best?

« on: May 05, 2013, 06:16:34 PM »

Nah, here's a wildlife lens:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/13/carl-zeiss-creates-over-five-foot-long-telephoto-lens/

just need a Rover or Jeep as a tripod to with it!

11

Lighting / Re: Lighting question

« on: May 05, 2013, 03:40:50 AM »

Ok, so I could see using gels/filters to make the light on the subjects match (or at least approximate) the proper color temperature of a setting sun.  And off axis lighting definitely makes sense.  Can you folks toss up a couple of pics of it being done right?  Because thus far, everything I've seen looks unnatural (ie, color temp is off, wrong lighting angle, light too strong and the subject is overexposed compared to the scenery, etc.).

Thanks!!!!

That's the thing - done right, you wouldn't notice it at all. It would look natural and effortless. Look at some wedding work by Clay Blackmore, almost everything he has is fill flashed, and you'd probably never notice it. It doesn't matter if its a sunset, cloudy day, high noon, in shade or not, or even in a snowstorm. Dialing down the fill, matching (or un-matching) color temp, diffusion (and source size), as well as proper angle makes the difference.

12

Speedlites, Printers, Accessories / Re: Tripod and multiple camera straps

« on: May 04, 2013, 04:21:47 PM »

I could never stand the crap-rapid strap system, or any other tripod mounted junk...I use a tripod way too often and switch between a 1Ds3, 1D3, and 1VHS constantly. Even as far as mounting a 4x5 on the fly. I prefer to use the Op-Tech sling system with Arca Swiss plates on the bottom. The op-techs are much more stable than swinging on a 1/4-20 thread - I've ripped out the bottom of a 1DsII with a regular plate, and very little weight. The tripod mount is cast pot metal and is fairly easy to strip. I actually mount a modified Hasselblad Winder CW wrist strap from the right top strap lug to the lower right (under the grip), then add the buckles to that webbing line. Then, I grabbed some Velcro cord wrap (double-sided velcro) around the buckles if I plan on the bodies swinging around a lot.

I've never had one of the buckles fail, even with full loads. I just bandolier the two over my body and hike away. Without the Velcro "secondaries", I can even quickly unbuckle the cameras for tripod usage if I don't want a strap hanging around the tripod. The design behind all the tripod-socket mounted ones is obviously for people who never use a tripod - I know way too many of them. Fine for some applications, but these same people later complain about their landscapes not being sharp...hmmm.

13

Lighting / Re: Lighting question

« on: May 04, 2013, 01:00:09 PM »

Flash with the sun, done improperly, does look unnatural and horrid. BUT, done properly, it's great. That's why I carry a ton of gels and a color temp meter to match it up. I can even emulate a cooler "reflection" on the subject if I want...

The BG shots that look unnatural are usually done by somebody who's not as skilled in lighting. It's easy to photograph nowadays, given the amount of technology (put the camera in (P)erhaps mode and let it shoot), but lighting still requires thinking (and in harsh light situations, a lot of it!).

14

Black & White / Re: Portraits of Poverty...

« on: May 03, 2013, 12:21:40 PM »

There is the opposite extreme also...I'm sure that an "after hours" shoot of some rich and famous would reveal that they are slobs with bad, nasty habits. Look at some models before the makeup and lighting (or actors who spent too much time under an Arri Sun), some of them are down right hideous. Most of the "media" nowadays tailors the menu of what viewers see.

That's why some photographs are shocking - I have a friend who is from urban Florida and came for a meeting in the midwest. He got scared when he looked out his hotel room at 3am and saw lights moving around in the corn field behind the building. He thought it was some children-of-the-corn sh*t going on and didn't realize that it was probably kids playing (or a new meth lab going up).

15

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Is there a way to simulate 1dx C.Fn6 on the 5d mark III

« on: May 03, 2013, 12:14:33 PM »

It was around in the 1D/Ds II and IIIs also...one of the reasons I could never shoot anything but the 1-Series (that and better viewfinder)!