Messages

1

5D MK III Sample Images / NYC images + Timelapse video (night to day)

« on: June 06, 2013, 01:06:44 AM »

Hey guys, 
I took a trip down to NYC from Boston last week for some work stuff, and grabbed a few shots during the day, as well as an 8 hour timelapse (2 minute intervals, Vello Shutterboss)
I didn't have much time to take photos unfortunately, other than while I was asleep

Timelapse was 5D3, 17-40L @ f/8, AV mode, ISO 800.   I used LRTimelapse and Premiere to create the video @ 15fps - in retrospect i should have set shorter intervals to get a longer video and smoother effect.

Make sure you watch in HD!

NYC Timelapse - World Trade plaza	Small | Large

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Third Party Manufacturers / Re: 4K 15 FPS

« on: November 29, 2012, 05:41:46 PM »

oh no, something that only costs 400 dollars and produces superb video isn't perfect? You mean I can't replace my canon C300 with this?

 

God, give some people an inch and they want a mile...

I don't think that's what people are wondering about,  it's that this particular feature doesn't seem to have any feasible application.  If you want to do a timelapse, there's a feature on the camera specifically for that.  The 4k framerate is too low to do anything with, and nobody I know can actually view native 4k anyhow. 

3

EOS Bodies / Re: 5D MARK III lens recommendation

« on: November 28, 2012, 05:57:41 PM »

for landscape work, i'd consider the Zeiss 21mm Distagon f/2.8 as an alternative to the 16-35L.  Considerably better image quality, and it's built like a tank.

If you'd only be buying the 70-200 f/2.8 II for portrait work, maybe you'd be better served with a 135 f/2L or the 100L Macro.

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Lenses / Re: Lenses for Ice Cream Photography

« on: November 21, 2012, 09:38:18 PM »

It sounds like you don't have any equipment at all, and it sounds like you are jumping to the 5d3 right away. While an amazing tool, probably you don't need to spend that money for food photography, especially starting out. Also you'll need to buy lighting, good quality tripod, editing software (if you are doing editing yourself), appropriate background if you don't have a suitable table/wall area, etc.

It like is easier, and possibly actually cheaper in the long run to find a decent food photographer in your area to take the shots you want, and if you see their sample images you'll know you'll be getting a certain quality of output.

If you are going to insist on buying, I'd go for the 5d2, and as neuro said the 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS lens (don't forget to turn off IS when using it on a tripod). Then add a good tripod & lighting, possibly a ring light, and I don't have any specific recommendations on those as I need to research a good tripod myself sometime soon.

I agree, the 5D2 would work just as nicely for still macro work like this.  I shudder to think of how many ice cream sales it would take to cover the cost of a 5D3. One little correction, the 100L Macro (and most newer IS lenses) are tripod-sensing and it's sort of a moot point these days.

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5D MK III Sample Images / Re: Early Shot

« on: November 19, 2012, 01:20:37 PM »

Cool!  Did you run over to the trees to illuminate them during a long exposure?  They seem quite far away from the camera

6

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: some pre-buy technical Q's on 5D3 from a Nikon user

« on: November 18, 2012, 06:33:58 PM »

I'm no expert but I do own a 5D3 and hope these answers are right - please feel free to correct me if they're not.

1)  Yes, you'd have to re-focus to see the AF point again.  Once you lock focus, a quick half-tap on the shutter illuminates the AF layer of the LCD again in red.

2) I believe EC is only available in AV/TV modes. 

3) I've never seen this feature on my 5D3, although it makes perfect sense. 

4) No face-recognition, that's in the 1DX

5)  *correction, thanks Tron!* - Spot metering is not linked to AF point, that's reserved for 1D series.  Evaluative metering IS linked to AF, however.

Hope that helps!   I have my camera sitting right beside me (my precious) so let me know if you have more questions

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Can someone help me with low light settings

« on: November 16, 2012, 02:06:48 PM »

I don't often do club-style photography, but recently I covered an afterparty at a pretty cool lounge here in Boston -  I also use a 5D3, and my first move was setting ISO to 3200, which stayed relatively static all evening (some bumps and pulls here and there).  I had my 580EXII mounted on-camera with a Lumiquest ProMax diffuser (my first time using it).
Lenses were either 50mm f/1.4 or 70-200 f/2.8L IS II for these shots.  I prefer to shoot the 50 near 1.6 or 2.0, and usually opt for more candid and artistic shots than trying to pose everyone and get them all in focus,

Here are two shots with the 50 @ f/1.8, shutter speed 1/160-200, ISO 3200 with FEC at probably -1  (although i had the diffuser on which further lowers the perceived output)

The bottom shot is with the 70-200, at f/2.8 and shutter speed 1/50, ISO 3200

If you're shooting at f/4 you probably want to lower your shutter speed further.  I'd say 1/25 or 1/30.  Also try setting the flash to fire at second-curtain.  Run through a range of FEC settings until you find something that gives a good balance of foreground and ambient light - often i find when reviewing images that the whole image, although it looks balanced, seems sort of dim and generally underexposed - for that you might try bumping up the ISO a notch if you notice it during the event.  If it's too late,  Lightroom works wonders

8

Lenses / Need lens rental advice for group photo

« on: November 13, 2012, 06:55:50 PM »

Hi guys,
The company I work for has a yearly photo (about 60 people this year) and i've got the honor of setting this up.  I did this last year as well, but I want a higher quality result and will spend more time arranging the scene+people this year.

The last photo was taken on a tripod at eye level (over 6 feet) with a 5D2 and Zeiss 21mm Distagon @ 5.6.  Two wirelessly-triggered flashes were used (580II + 430II) cross-firing across the scene through umbrellas.   To further complicate things, the group of people is standing with their backs to a large set of open windows overlooking a city square.  (actually here's a small version of the photo instead)


I know that this year, i want to elevate the camera (5D3, maybe on a ladder) and perhaps move it off-center.  This will help make everyone more visible, and hopefully be more compositionally pleasing.
I also know that the Ziess 21mm, although world-class, isn't the best choice for this situation (horizontal distortion towards the edges). 
Would the 17/24mm TS-E be a good choice for a group portrait?  I'm mostly interested in minimizing distortion/bulging limbs and faces, and keeping things wide enough to capture the whole group.  Sharpness is important as well, since a fair amount of the image will be cropped.
My other choice would be the 24mm f/1.4L, but i'm open to any suggestions.

So yes...any ideas on lenses?   
Thanks!

9

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Convince me to shoot in RAW

« on: November 09, 2012, 11:30:08 AM »

If you need to be convinced about the benefits of RAW shooting, do you really care enough to use it?
It would be like an audio engineer trying to apply EQ to an MP3 file (which is the counterpart of a JPEG in the audio world) instead of opening up the protools session which contains all the high-quality individual performances that went into creating that track.
That's not even taking Lossy to Lossy conversions into account (which degrades quality each time).
IE,  Take a JPEG and edit it, save it to another JPEG - this is significantly more damaging to the file than if you opened the RAW file and exported a JPEG from there.

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Landscape / Re: Beautiful sunsets

« on: October 26, 2012, 12:14:22 PM »

The Charles River, Boston. 
70-200mm f/2.8 IS II, 5DMKIII

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Lenses / Re: Finally got my dream lens- 200mm F2 L

« on: October 11, 2012, 02:04:27 AM »

I rented this lens for some work events and its performance absolutely blew me away  (as did the weight!)
Definitely in my top tier, once I start making enough dough at this.


Tried to find a few bokeh-centric shots to add

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Lenses / Re: A final goodbye to my 50mm f1.4 lens

« on: October 09, 2012, 11:40:33 AM »

I love my 50 f/1.4,  don't know that i'd ever sell it unless I upgraded to a faster 50.  I've considered going with a FD-mount f/1.2, and I don't mind a fully manual lens.  It's all worth it for the beautiful bokeh!  I love how it looks on FF, with the circular warping of the blur at the corners.

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EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 5d Mark III Shadow recovery

« on: October 08, 2012, 05:11:22 PM »

Yes, it recovered the shadows, but can you actually use this for anything above 600px wide?  How bad is the banding and noise in the shadows at 100% view now?
My 5D3 images look absolutely TERRIBLE when i do this.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Shutter Question

« on: September 11, 2012, 12:23:06 PM »

From http://www.steves-digicams.com/knowledge-center/why-digital-cameras-have-mechanical-shutters.html#b :
The  mechanical shutter controls the amount of charge accumulated on the sensor, and this simple mechanical device can be used to simplify the circuitry on the sensor itself thereby generally improving image quality and reducing noise.

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1D X Sample Images / Re: Any Thing shot with a 1Dx

« on: August 27, 2012, 02:55:11 PM »

1DX with a 200 f/2 standing in the pool.

You're a braver man than I ...wow.  That's pretty much the ultimate combo.