Messages

16

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 6D flash sync

« on: January 29, 2013, 06:46:33 PM »

That would be a digital shutter, aka turning the sensor on and off, like on the original 1D, wouldn't it? The old Nikon d50 is the same

Interesting, I didn't know about the 1d method - why don't they do that anymore to gain higher x-sync?

As for the 6d & 1/8000, I have no idea how it's implemented, just picked it up while reading through the ml 6d dev thread - you have to look or ask over there.

Sorry, the Nikon d70 and d40 do this, as well as the original 1D. The actual shutter still can only physically hit the sync speed (1/250 or whatever) but then the electronic shutter takes over at higher speeds. No idea why this is not a standard feature on all DSLRs. Maybe only CCD sensors can do this?

Read about the Magic Chip Cameras on Strobist
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2011/12/q-controlling-sun-when-using-flash.html

17

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: can anyone share a basic easy multicam video set up with 5d3s?

« on: January 29, 2013, 06:42:53 PM »

It sounds like you want to keep both cameras rolling the entire time so that you don't have to sync them more than once in post. I have no idea how to accomplish that with a cam like the 5D, which is not intended for such use. You would need  to jam sync the cams when you start the day, and the timecode would need to continue running after you stop the recording. Most professional cameras have a port that plugs into a timecode generator to be continually fed a timecode. I have no idea if there is a way to do this wireless or not. I'm not even sure you can run a 5D for more than a few minutes without having to start a new clip.

I think your best option would be to look into Pluraleyes software. It automatically syncs video based on audio waveforms. It saved me in a production where I had three rolling cams and one DLSR that was taking clips at random intervals. The software loaded everything and spat out a project in Final Cut X that had the DSLR clips combined into a composite clip that matched the rolling cams. So every time a DSLR clip ended, it had black until the next clip started in the right spot.

Have your external audio running constantly to provide your sync reference, then make sure you are recording clean audio on your 5Ds, either with a shotgun or internal mic. Then Pluraleyes should be able to sync the clips from each camera in post. The key word is SHOULD; please test this before, I believe Pluraleyes has a free trial

http://www.singularsoftware.com/pluraleyes.html

18

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon 6D flash sync

« on: January 29, 2013, 01:48:45 AM »

If i shoot with 6D at 1/200 in studio i will get that black line on the bottom of the frame like the one i get from 7D shooting at 1/250 ( 7D has a flash sync of 1/200) ??

The 7d has a x-sync of 1/250s (like my 60d): http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_7d#Specifications ...

... as for the 6d 1/180s x-sync I wouldn't be so sure, it sounds more like a firmware crippling to me and the 6d might very well go up to 1/200s as the shortest time when the first shutter is down and the second shutter is still up.

If anyone doubts this: The 6d can also shoot with 1/8000 shutter, the Magic Lantern devs discovered this, it's just that the Canon firmware has a "5d3 protection lock" that keeps resetting it to 1/4000 :-o

That would be a digital shutter, aka turning the sensor on and off, like on the original 1D, wouldn't it? The old Nikon d50 is the same

19

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: EVF for Canon DSLR

« on: January 28, 2013, 11:45:15 AM »

I can offer you a much better (and cheaper) solution. First, if your camera takes interchangeable focusing screens (all canon FF cameras except 5D3), install screen Eg-S, which will make subjects really snap into focus vs the stock screen. Zeiss lenses have focus confirmation, meaning even though you rack focus manually, you still get a focus confirmation light / beep. Focus confirmation via the camera's AF system is just as accurate as focusing via live view sans tripod. Enjoy your Zeiss!

Interesting, does using the Eg-S with EF lenses lose you any functionality?

The viewfinder gets a fair bit darker compared to the stock focus screen if you're using slow lenses (f2.8 and faster is the same, f4 is noticeable, f5.6 is much darker). Other than that, no issues at all.

cheers, good to know that

There's also the Katzeye focus screens, which have the same focusing ability as the Eg-S screens, but also have a split prism and a micro prism collar, much like old film SLRs had. I have one, and the micro prism is the most helpful part, in my opinion. The split might distract some people

20

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: 18 Stops of Dynamic Range - RED Dragon

« on: January 16, 2013, 06:04:08 PM »

Can an actual sensor engineer shed light on this matter? It's totally useless comparing a dedicated RED video sensor to a dedicated stills photo sensor, the R&D process is completely different. So what if the RED 4K sensor can capture 18 stops of DR? It's only 8 megapixels (4096x2160) for God's sake, I bet it will absolutely SUCK at taking stills photos.

A couple of years ago I was shooting 8 megapixels on my 20D and doing just fine. Heck, I'm normally on mRAW on my 50D getting 7 megapixels. Go check out some of the photos taken by professional photographers on the Red Epic/Scarlet and see what you think

21

Lenses / Re: Lens firmware update

« on: January 13, 2013, 06:08:39 PM »

Generally OS X 10.7 software will work with 10.8, as 10.8 was not a major change.

22

HDR - High Dynamic Range / Re: Best HDR Software?

« on: January 12, 2013, 06:02:31 PM »

photomatix is mostly crap IMO or possibly too often abused causing heavily over cooked images

LR enfuse is an awesome awesome plugin for inside lightroom
there are some standalone enfuse programs

enfuse is and open source program and is more like an advanced exposure blending algorythm rather than the pure "HDR" that creates a radiance file and then applies false tone mapping to the image

No god awefull halos and cartoon like colour shifts, and it produces much more natural images.

although having said that photomatix can work quite well with night scenes if done right

I've been meaning to try a hybrid combination between an LR enfuse with a photomatix processed image blended into certain areas I think this could work out quite nicely

i've attached an enfuse sample

Thanks for the tip. Enfuse works great when I just want to quickly combine exposures to bring out the shadows and bring down the highlights

23

HDR - High Dynamic Range / Re: Best HDR Software?

« on: January 12, 2013, 01:23:05 AM »

I've tried Photoshop CS5's built in HDR merge with poor results. I've tried Photomatix in the past but didn't like the tone mapping on it very well.

I've mostly used Nik's HDR Efex 2. It's quick, has useful presets, makes sense when you want to tweak, and integrates very well with my Lightroom only workflow. I can get natural looking photos with high dynamic range, or you can crank the detail and get very surrealistic results, which seems to be the more common use of HDR

24

EOS Bodies / Re: 6d vs. 5d mkiii for sports photography

« on: January 08, 2013, 07:11:24 PM »

That is a dark gym! I'm of no use in the auto-focus questions, good luck

25

EOS Bodies / Re: 6d vs. 5d mkiii for sports photography

« on: January 07, 2013, 07:09:19 PM »

Has anyone tried the new 6d on indoor basketball, or something that is going to push the AF system?  I've got a 50d and simply can't get the shutter speeds needed to freeze the action at the local indoor gyms.  I'm looking at the either the 5d mkiii or the 6d.  Not sure about the focus tracking of the 6d, but all tests look like it does better in low light situations.  I've googled around on the internet and can't find too much on the 6d based on indoor sports shooting.  If anyone on here uses the 6d for indoor sports, I'd be very interested to hear what you had to say or could point me to some places that focus reviews based on that.  Thanks!

What are you shooting with/at? I get fairly good results in indoor basketball from my 50D+Sigma 70-200 2.8 at 1/400, f/2.8, iso2500. I usually do AI Servo with all points activated, IS off

26

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Non-Bayer arrays; how is Fuji the only one to have thought of this?

« on: December 20, 2012, 09:09:00 PM »

I would still be shooting Fuji if they had had a cheaper DSLR model when I got my used 20D. I still am kicking around the idea of selling my standard focal length lenses and getting an EX1 with a 35mm

27

Contests / Re: Gura Gear Giveaway!

« on: December 08, 2012, 04:41:02 PM »

I suppose I would like to win this contest

28

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

« on: November 19, 2012, 12:31:32 AM »

Bouncing flash to light a gym probably isn't going to work out well with a speed light. Maybe a studio strobe/monoblock would work, but I'd suggest taking a look at this article on Strobist on using speed lights as direct light.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/04/on-assignment-prep-basketball.html

That said, I get decent results with available light from my 50D and a 70-200. I shoot at f/2.8, ISO 2500, and shutter at 1/400s. I would recommend shooting 5-10 minutes with available light in case your flash experiments don't turn out the way you want. And I shoot RAW, as post-processing is really what makes the photos turn out (noise reduction, tweaking sharpness and exposure)

29

Lens Gallery / Re: Canon 85mm f/1.8

« on: November 18, 2012, 07:27:14 PM »

I love this lens.  It's small, fast, focuses much faster than the 1.2 and it is a great value.  What's not to love?

I prefer the 100mm F/2.

I am thinking about both.... why the 100/2 over the 85/1.8 ?

Does anyone have comparison shots?

CA was the big reason I chose the 100 f/2 over the 85 f/1.8. I never owned the 85, but borrowed it quite often. I also found the focus on the 100 to be better, but I suspect that was because I used the 85 before I had a body with AFMA. I doubt any of my shots would help you. Only reason I sold the 100 is because I acquired a 70-200 2.8, and the 100 now lives a block away with a friend, so it's still available to me.   

30

Software & Accessories / Re: Lightroom Image Management

« on: November 10, 2012, 02:09:01 PM »

I keep the RAW files on my laptop in Lightroom until I have not used them in a while, then I move the RAW files to an external drive (RAID 1, redundant drives, which is also backed up online). I move the files in Lightroom so I can still access them when I have the external drive attached. I don't usually keep an archive of the JPEGs I make because I can re-export them from the original RAW files if I need them. As long as I have a version of Lightroom, my images are archived for the long haul