Messages

16

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Blinking Red AF Point Information

« on: November 15, 2012, 08:43:00 AM »

Dear Canon,

If you really can't get the red lights to work with AI Servo, please may you hand us something else as an apology. You can do a survey if you like with current users to find out what they may like, but a couple of suggestions spring to mind...

- Sorting out the AF assist beam focus issue
- Higher Auto ISO
- Expanding the minimum/maximum shutter speed thresholds
- An apology
- a couple of hundred pounds rebate??

You know, just something to get rid of the bitter taste I have going on right now.

Many Thanks,

Steve

17

Technical Support / Re: White balance setting and RAW. Also flash sync speed.

« on: November 14, 2012, 10:28:12 PM »

I'm going to be taking many photos of girls basketball in the upcoming months using a 60D, 100mm f/2.8L IS USM, 50mm f/1.4, and maybe a 5dmkii and a 24-105mm f/4L IS if I can find a deal.  There is blue padding along the walls of the gym that I plan on bouncing light from a 430ex ii out onto the court.  So one of my question is... if I'm bouncing light which gives a definite blu-ish tint, do I have to adjust the white balance to combat that?  I suppose I'm thinking that adjusting the white balance would only affect the .jpg image and not the raw image which I will later process in Lightroom.  So am I full of crap? 

Also, the 9 year old girls don't move that fast, so there isn't a ton of motion blur with a shutter speed of 1/250 of a second, but I'd prefer 1/1000 so I can freeze the "action".  And if I kick the iso up to 400, I think I can easily achieve 1/1000.  But using flash, I think it prevents me from using shutter speeds faster than 1/250.  I think I'm being redundant, but I can manually adjust in the settings so I can get a faster sync with the 430ex ii on the hotshoe of my 60D?

Thanks a ton...

Hi Jdramirez,

You will pick up that blue-ish tint if you reflect your flash off it (known as colour cast). You can just correct this, very easily in post, but if set your white balance correctly, you will save yourself sometime by not having to do it in post. The other thing that I would be a little wary about is mixing you light colours. If you are shooting in a sports hall, the ambient light is likely to have that horrible yellow tint that all sports hall seem to have (from the fluorescent lights they use)... polluting this, with a blue cast could end up giving you a complete headache.
If you crank up the shutter speed, past 1/200th of a second, and open up the aperture, this will cut down the ambiently light, and bring out the added flash light. Also in doing this, you will be able to 'freeze the action' as you wanted.
With the 430exii, you have the option to turn on HSS. This is your High Sync Speed setting, allowing the camera and flash to sync above the 1/200th of a second. I'm not going to go into how that works, but it does... The trade off (there is always one) is that this results in a lower full power flash, and kills the batteries a little quicker. Action photographers often bank multiple flashes together to get more power in HSS and improve the recycle times of the flashes, so they can do multiple frames per second. Obviously this is reliant of owning more than one flash, and a way to trigger them all together. Que the 600EX-RT.
Please, anyone feel free to correct me if any of what I have said is wrong, I'm not a complete strobist guru...yet

18

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D3 & 600ex-rt + AF assist beam = slower focus

« on: November 12, 2012, 07:24:27 PM »

Here to put this one to bed...

I owe a 7D and a 5D Mark 3. I shoot with a 580EX2 flash. I am the in-photographer for several nightclubs, including one of the O2 academy venues in the UK.

This problems exists. FULL STOP.

If I'm doing a portrait of an artist, DJ, or just patrons of a venue. I will shoot with my 5D3 (I prefer the camera) If it's spontaneity that I'm trying to capture, I revert back to the 7D. I have shot with my 16-35L2 24-70L2 on both bodies, same night, same venue, and found, time after time, the 7D finds focus quicker.

Day time, different story, as far as I can tell, this is an af beam assist issue, and I further invite any Canon rep contact me, and show me how this isn't a problem

Steve...how about just plain low light without flash between the two?  Have you done that comparison?  As I said, I've had problems with a flash attached, but low available light shooting has been very good for me and I can't believe the 7D would be better with flash off in low light?

First off, can I refer you to a post I made around 5 days after launch (I received my copy on launch day (Keep reading light leak issue not the problem here))
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=4811.msg95784#msg95784
That's when I first noticed the problem... and it was bad enough that I thought that I must have a defect copy, and it went back very quickly indeed.
I had to wait awhile to get a replacement copy as Canon froze shipping, to address the light leak non issue (I sent mine back before I even knew of this, and for the AF reason only) in-between me posting mine back, and receiving a new copy.
Long story short, new copy still has issue... I lived with it, but it's definiately there, to the point, I couldn't do what I do (Professionally, mainly nightclub orientated work) with only the 5D3, soley due to this problem. The 7D still gets alot of lens time. It's a hassle at times, but what can you do?

Secondly, as far as I have experienced (I have shot a few weddings with my 5D3, along with a few other bits and bobs) and camera without flash attached is a dream. AT LEAST as good as the 7D speed wise, and finding focus without any sort of AF assist, where I would have to prey that the AF assist could help my 7D enough.

Remarkable piece of kit in every day use, and low light.... just not really really low light!

19

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

« on: November 12, 2012, 04:12:02 PM »

I had an opportunity to put some of these suggestions into practice. And struggled a bit on getting good consistent results. Maybe someone can tell me what I did wrong.

5D3 with 50mm 1.4 on Full manual at f/4 and 1/60th shutter. 600ex flash on ETTL with Stofen diffuser pointed at 45degrees. I also had +2/3 FEC dialed in. ISO 400
The ambient light was pretty dim. The trouble I was having was with the exposure. It seemed that the flash was getting inconsistent results. Some seemed like the flash was way too powerful and at others it was low.

Any suggestions?

There are a couple of things that jump out here, but to best analyse, is there any chance of posting a picture that you're not too happy with, for us to rip apart.... I mean critique!
One of the best way to find out what it is that isn't working, is just to start changing setting, and find out what effect that particular attribute has on the picture.
F/4 and 1/60 sounds like not a lot of light coming in alreading, on top of that, if you are running ISO 400, you are really working your flash to produce enough light. I'm guessing here without seeing examples that either they are correctly exposed, or underexpose. (None overexpose).
This will be because your flash is pushing so hard, you are running out of power on some of the darker shots. I might be wrong, please anyone jump in an correct me.

20

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D3 & 600ex-rt + AF assist beam = slower focus

« on: November 12, 2012, 04:00:36 PM »

Here to put this one to bed...

I owe a 7D and a 5D Mark 3. I shoot with a 580EX2 flash. I am the in-photographer for several nightclubs, including one of the O2 academy venues in the UK.

This problems exists. FULL STOP.

If I'm doing a portrait of an artist, DJ, or just patrons of a venue. I will shoot with my 5D3 (I prefer the camera) If it's spontaneity that I'm trying to capture, I revert back to the 7D. I have shot with my 16-35L2 24-70L2 on both bodies, same night, same venue, and found, time after time, the 7D finds focus quicker.

Day time, different story, as far as I can tell, this is an af beam assist issue, and I further invite any Canon rep contact me, and show me how this isn't a problem

21

Animal Kingdom / Re: Tiger Cub

« on: October 13, 2012, 01:53:35 PM »

These are amazing... well done guys

22

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

« on: October 10, 2012, 09:13:33 PM »

Try this:

* ISO - anything above 800 (I am with 40D)
* FLASH -3
* Time - above 1/6th. However below 1/25th. Best about 1/15th or 1/13th
* F - 2.8 (on my 24-70Lmm ;-)


However there might be also some exceptions like this one:
1/5 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1250 (40D) @ 40 mm of 24-70L


P.S My website is not ready at all

Hi there Diko,

I'm really loving this picture. You've done really well there. Please can you post when your website is up and running.... I'd love to have a look. Thanks for the useful info. At the minutes, I am shooting a little faster than that, around 1/30 of a second, but with the 5D3 I'm running the ISO up around 5000 so this probably makes up the stop difference.

23

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

« on: October 07, 2012, 12:55:34 PM »

Do y'all use on camera flash?  I've always preferred off camera, but most others i see tend to be using it on camera.  One of the reasons i got to using full manual was a set of cheap radio triggers :-)

I use on camera flash, yes. I do use a Stofen diffuser that I find excellence, and bounce the flash off the roof (Watching out where I can for colour cast if the roof is any other colour than white!).

I did pick up a pair of Pixel's King Radio triggers, or at least I think that's what they are called.. feel free to correct me. But for most of my work, I don't bother with them. If there is a particular shot that I am after, then sure, I will set up the flash wherever... usually on manual, and use the Av for flash, and Tv for ambient, but this is only really if I'm trying to get something for a DJ or something.

My normal work really only consists of being paid to mash the shutter button as many times as possible in a club, and my employers probably don't know the difference from an SLR to a Bridging camera!

24

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5dmark3 custom function setting for 61ptAF

« on: October 07, 2012, 11:59:51 AM »

Is there a way that I can have it set to have single point on One Shot focus, but when I press the DOF button, or whatever I have it assigned to, to bring up 61pt focus, have it shift over to AI Servo?

Or am I just asking a little too much from my camera now?

25

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

« on: October 07, 2012, 07:02:33 AM »

Wouldn't you want faster shutter speeds than these for handheld shooting? Not only for your own tiny movements holding the camera, but also the fact as pointed out -- these people are often crocked and moving  as well?

As mentioned, the flash freezes motion in the foreground, so you can set the shutter speed to more or less what you like.  I find 1 or 2 seconds works quite well if people're glowsticking, for instance as you get them frozen but a nice glow trail where they've moved.

As long as no-one from Melbourne steals my tips (and my business ) then here's how I shoot.

My equipment: T2i, 15-85mm lens, 580 exII (with stofen or Bounce card depending on venue)
this setup is fine for clubs, honestly, only full-frame could look better

Full Manual.
Shutter: 1/10
Aperture: f/4.0 (but set larger for big groups)
ISO: anywhere between ISO 200-800 (big groups sometimes 1600)
Flash either on ETTL, but I mostly shoot manual flash 1/8 or 1/4, second curtain flash

obviously it depends on the venue, but these are the settings i use in most of the clubs,bars and pubs i work in/have worked in.

Sometimes exposures need to be fixed up in lightroom from using the flash on manual, but yeah, thats an easy job.

more or less what i used to run (7D rather than 550D, but same sensor).  Towards the end of last season i started using the Sigma 20mm f/1.8 instead though, as i found it let the camera pull focus out of the near dark.  Still take the actual pictures around f/4 though.

Looking forward to trying the 5d3 out for halloween though - i figure some near flashless shots will really pull out the fluorescent in people's outfits :-)

Also, i'm impressed at how together the people in your photos look... guess you must party in classier places than i do!

-Evie

Hi Evie,

Here are some UV shots from my 5D3 with 580 EX2...

You can really pull out the fluorescent quite well

26

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

« on: October 06, 2012, 06:22:35 AM »

I also shoot nightclubs with the 16-35II and 580EXII on FF.
And for me M with a fixed ISO between 500 and 1600 depending on club-background-brightness works best.
I use the flash in ETTL at around +1 FEC with big difusor.
For the Exposure I use the upper dial for aperture but most of the time it is at 2,8 because sharpness is good enough and DOF is OK, a bit tricky, and for the drunken I korrekt for their movement manual by going back or forward or refocus if necessary.
The back dial is used for shutterspeed. So I first frame the subject then looking for the exposure meter and bring it to something around -1 to -3 depending on strobes, moving heads and scanners. The I get  a exposure time between 1/60 and 1 second.
And then taking the picture the moment I now that there is no direct MH etc. light on the subject for my exposure time. If that is impossible reducing Exposure time.
 And then I have some time after the flash has done his job to get my creativity out to play with the focus and zoom ring

just what I figured out to work fine an give a nice amount of backgroundblur.

If you like I a can also give you a link to  the pictures I take with this technic.

Thanks Timothy_Bruce... I forgot to mention, I am using a Stofen defuser, and have +2/3 EC dialled in... no FEC though.
I'd just like a way to shoot f4, without downgrading to an f4 lens... maybe I should look at the 17-40mm L for this reason?  :S

27

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

« on: October 06, 2012, 06:16:57 AM »

This sort of idea. Hope this helps explain

28

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

« on: October 06, 2012, 03:53:00 AM »

So, this problem has come up from working in nightclubs, where I am trying to get a night exposure for a human subject in the foreground, but have a shutter speed of around 1/30 or so for the ambient background.

I have toyed around with a couple of variations, each coming close to what I would like, but nothing bang on the nail.

Ideally I would like to have control of my aperture and shutter speed, and have the camera work out the ISO for me. The first problem I encounter is once I have mounted my flash (as this point I feel I should talk equipment. 5D3, 16-35 MK2 L, 24-70 MK2 L & EX 580 2) the auto ISO options become constrained. I have read into this a little, and have found a couple of ways around it.

Option 1... I set my ISO 4000, I set the shutter speed 1/60-1/200 and get the choice of aperture I want. Fine, except if I don't want my ISO higher than 4000, but I do want my shutter speed a little longer, say around the 1/25-1/30 mark.

Option 2... I set the Shutter speed to whatever I want 1/30 or whatever, have the auto ISO on (normally locked out at 400 max) but with the safety shift on ISO, with the ISO parameter set to a max of 6400. The problem with this is I don't like having the lens wide open. Drunk people in clubs tend to sway, and the fine depth of field result, inevitably, in people swaying out of the sweet spot. Plus on the 16-35 f4 is noticeably sharper than f2.8.

Option 3... I set the aperture at f4 on Av mode, and have the minimum time value parameter set to 1/30. This seems to work perfectly, until you switch on the flash, at which point, it forgets all about the 1/30 minimum shutter, AND locks out the flash to ISO 400.

Can anyone think of a way to have my minimum aperture set to f4, whilst I retain control of the shutter speed, and have the auto ISO range up to 6400 (or at least higher than 400!)

Sorry if this seems a trivial question, but I can't for the life of me figure it out.

Many thanks

29

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D MarkIII Low ISO performance in shadows

« on: June 21, 2012, 06:00:47 AM »

That reads wrong. Did you mean overexpose, and then pull back the detail from the highlights?

30

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Apple released Raw Update for 5DIII...finally :)

« on: April 06, 2012, 10:20:29 AM »

Aperture Raw Update has finally been released for the 5DIII I'm now a happy bunny again! Go and download