Messages

1

Lighting / Re: Flash Newbie: Flash Photography Concept

« on: June 17, 2013, 07:46:17 AM »

I often use Av mode for flash stuff for candids, etc, because it does meter for the ambient.  I'll typically set the meter to -1 and then adjust FEC accordingly.  Set the ISO manually high enough so that the ambient is about 1/100-1/200.  Enable HSS on the flash in case you walk into a brighter area and the shutter speed goes past the sync speed of the camera.

It might be worth checking out the manual to see if you can override the max iso of 400 constraint.  Is it only with flash attached, etc?  Perhaps there is a setting to remove it.

Will HSS be required if the shooter walks into brighter area? The "bright" ambient light will take care of the black bars when shutter speed goes past the sync speed of the camera - won't it?

And yes, adjusting the ISO manually is the best bet, instead of letting it stay on auto.

2

Landscape / Re: Sunset landscape

« on: June 17, 2013, 06:40:28 AM »

Hello once again!

My latest work from couple days ago!
EOS 7D - 17-55 F/2.8
Shot with:
 - 17mm
 - F/8
 - 1/25th
 - ISO 100

Have a nice day!

Just fantastic (irrespective of my next sentence). I am wondering how you achieved the balance of exposure in the foreground and background. If it is not bracketed and stacked - then I am just spellbound.

3

Lighting / Re: Flash Newbie: Flash Photography Concept

« on: June 17, 2013, 06:17:25 AM »

I do not have either your camera or the flash you are talking about - so take my word with a grain of salt. Have you tried putting the flash in full manual mode? - mount it on camera (or with a cable) and then put the flash into manual mode. The camera will meter the scene disregarding the flash, then manually change the power of the flash (i do not know whether your flash can be fully manually controlled or not). Then shoot. The camera will use its own metering to determine ISO (since you are keeping it at Auto) and shutter speed (since you are in Av). But the flash will fire at whatever power you manually set it to. Just now I tried this technique (assuming I understood your last post correctly) with my Canon 40D (ISO 100, f/4.5, -2/3 EC) and Nikon SB 28DX (set at 1/32 power with ISO 100 and f/5.6) - the camera metered the scene at  0.5 sec disregarding the flash. I took two photos of the same scene - one with and one without the flash firing. Both has the exif (ISO 100, f/4.5, -2/3 EC 0.5 sec). But one has only ambient light and the other has flash plus ambient light. This is probably what you are looking for.

4

Lighting / Re: Flash Newbie: Flash Photography Concept

« on: June 17, 2013, 01:47:12 AM »

If you put your flash on top of your camera (or attach the flash with the camera using an ETTL cable) the camera will recognize the flash fix the shutter speed at 1/200 sec. You can go for a slower shutter speed if you use M or Tv, without any problem. But if you try to go for a faster shutter speed than 1/200th sec (1/250sec in other cameras than 6D) in M or Tv mode you will get a black unexposed part on the frame. To just use your flash as a fill flash you need to reduce the flash power in the flash (or with flash menu in camera). If you want to go for a faster shutter speed than the limiting flash sync speed (1/200) then you need to go for High Speed Sync (HSS) capable flash. There may be other ways of doing it, I do not know. Someone else will probably point you to those directions soon.

Correct. Here a a good video on HSS. It is a PW ad and you do not need PW to make it work when the flash is on the  camera. After about 6 minutes it gets into stuff you don't really need to yet unless you are interested.

 http://www.pocketwizard.com/inspirations/tutorials/pocketwizard_controltl_optimiz/

Good video. thanks for the link.

5

Lighting / Re: Flash Newbie: Flash Photography Concept

« on: June 17, 2013, 01:31:46 AM »

If you put your flash on top of your camera (or attach the flash with the camera using an ETTL cable) the camera will recognize the flash fix the shutter speed at 1/200 sec. You can go for a slower shutter speed if you use M or Tv, without any problem. But if you try to go for a faster shutter speed than 1/200th sec (1/250sec in other cameras than 6D) in M or Tv mode you will get a black unexposed part on the frame. To just use your flash as a fill flash you need to reduce the flash power in the flash (or with flash menu in camera). If you want to go for a faster shutter speed than the limiting flash sync speed (1/200) then you need to go for High Speed Sync (HSS) capable flash. There may be other ways of doing it, I do not know. Someone else will probably point you to those directions soon.

6

Street & City / Re: 5DIII and 1DSIII does Kashmir and Rajasthan

« on: May 31, 2013, 09:18:12 PM »

Nice photos. Checked your smugmug gallery "India" as well. You went to two of the (among around 10-12) most beautiful places of India. I hope you did not limit yourself only to the religious places....

7

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Rear AF button

« on: May 27, 2013, 12:58:07 AM »

I am hobby photographer and started only couple of years back. For the first year of my photography life I used the "normal" shutter-button-do-both everything process. Meanwhile I learnt the focus and recompose technique - and I was so horrible at it with the "normal" use of shutter button. Sometimes I would press a little too much and take a photograph a frame that I never intended to, sometimes I would forget to keep the "half-press" on and after recompose when press the shutter button the focus will be automatically redone. Ok, I admit I might be at fault here for not being diligent and able to master the "half-press" thing even after a year. But then I read somewhere about the back button focusing and changed my canon 40D's setting to do that. And man it was just like "eureka".... why is not this the "normal" process? what is a "half-press" really? Anyway, I now use back button focusing for all the reasons and benefits that the other CRians have written above. and I am happy. The only flip side is if I have to give my camera to someone for taking a one of photo of me in a group photo. I have to explain to him/her how to "differently" operate my camera than he/she normally does his/her point and shoot.

8

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: F/8 Autofocusing impressions

« on: May 17, 2013, 02:50:51 AM »

I haven't used f/8 yet on my 5D MK III coz in order to to use f/8 to AF I first need to buy a tele-convertor ... its funny that for almost a year, there been so many people who were cribbing about not having f/8 AF function on 5D MK III, but hardly anyone is talking about what it is like having f/8 capability, now that it is available. Hope this thread has more entries of people who have tried out the f/8 AF.

Interesting observations Either everyone is busy taking photos with f/8 lenses and have no time to write anything on the forum. Or it was just gear craving. Let's wait and see...

9

Site Information / Re: Membership Approval Now Required

« on: May 10, 2013, 09:55:05 AM »

Please do not delete me. I am human not bot and never send any spams.

And by the way my screen name is the reverse of my actual surname.

10

Street & City / Re: San Francisco Long Exposure Cityscapes!

« on: May 08, 2013, 10:57:10 AM »

Anyone could have taken those photographs as there is nothing special about them.

I just looked up your profile for more inspirational photos and found this one

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=5334.msg103060#msg103060

I guess difficult for anyone to take this?

Wow, that is a penguin? It took me some time to understand, modernistic rendition of a penguin. Probably taking lots of penguin photos in low light will let that get out of the system too.

11

Street & City / Re: San Francisco Long Exposure Cityscapes!

« on: May 08, 2013, 07:36:11 AM »

Anyone could have taken those photographs as there is nothing special about them.

Ah everything aside, that is gonna put some minds and keyboards into hyper activity...

And oh yes, is this forum really a place for posting "special" photographs, or is it to post "non-special" photos for getting helps, critics, and discussions going so that we can learn to ultimately take that "special" photographs?

(ah, my keyboard is in hyperactivity zone now)

12

Software & Accessories / Re: Honda to start selling ONLY stretch limos

« on: May 07, 2013, 10:43:45 PM »

I must be really stupid. It took me reading the entire first two paragraphs of the OP to have any inkling of what (s)he was alluding to.

But once I understood, it is hilarious.

13

Lenses / Re: Lens sharpness and distance from subject

« on: April 28, 2013, 10:52:47 AM »

Thank you guys for all the replies and discussions.

14

Lenses / Re: Lens sharpness and distance from subject

« on: April 27, 2013, 08:27:14 PM »

So it is not "sharpness" but resolving ability. So let me rephrase my question - is there any source to learn about canon (many or most) lens's variable "resolving ability" with distance from the subject. And I am talking about different distances like 2-5 meters, 5-10 meters, 10-20 meters etc. (or there counterparts in feet).

To put it in a slightly different language what I am trying to know is if it is true that every prime lens is optimized (in terms of resolving power) for a particular (or small range) of distance from the subject (not sure how to put it in terms of zoom lenses) and if so is there any source (that you know of) to know which canon lens is optimized for which distance (or range of distance) from the subject?

Thanks for the reference to "atmospheric distortion", I just looked it up. No, I am not talking about that.

15

Lenses / Lens sharpness and distance from subject

« on: April 26, 2013, 01:54:29 PM »

I was wondering whether and how much the distance from the subject affects sharpness of the image taken by different lenses (on same sensor). Is there any website or source where such information may be available for Canon lenses?