Messages

31

Lenses / Re: Which to get: 50mm f/1.8 or 35mm f/2?

« on: September 20, 2012, 12:04:23 AM »

EF 28 f/1.8

Reasonably sharp and a better fit to match a normal lens on the crop body. Has better autofocus than the 50 or 35 too.

32

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: For those whose paid full price on 5d III, how do you feel about the price drop?

« on: September 18, 2012, 01:32:56 PM »

I paid full price and have no regrets. Early adopters always pay more and I am 100% OK with that. Hunting and or waiting for bargains just isn't my thing. And I feel more comfortable supporting my local store, who then support me by answering questions and helping out when needed.

33

Software & Accessories / Re: Google Buys Nik Software

« on: September 17, 2012, 03:24:11 PM »

When you are a giant in the software industry (or any business), it is easier or more cost effective to buy patents, technology, or a brand that is well established and works. Software can take years and millions to develop properly and now Google has just leapfrogged its abilities in this category.

They may just leave the management structure and products in tact and use the digital assets to promote their business agenda.

34

Lenses / Re: Need advice on buying equipment

« on: September 15, 2012, 12:52:18 AM »

If you don't know what you want, then your probably not ready to buy anything.

Have you worked with lighting? Do you have a flash meter? If the answer is no  -  I would find someone knowledgable who has strobes and a light meter to show you the ropes before jumping in.

Purchasing a new lense is never a bad idea -  but if I had 70-200 already, I wouldn't upgrade right away unless it was my go to lens. I might invest in a fast prime - especially for weddings where lighting is dim. You can rent to test these or find a friend who will let you try theirs.

35

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 50 F1.2L And EF 35 F1.4L Sharpest Settings

« on: September 14, 2012, 11:36:54 PM »

At 1.2 the depth of field on the 50mm L at close distances is about 4 millimeters. If you or the subject moves the slightest bit, it will not be in focus where you intended.

I usually compensate by shooting at F2 or 2.8 and find it very sharp at those f stops.

Ai Servo on the 1d x takes care of that.

Will the 5d miii do the same in Ai servo?

36

Lenses / Re: Canon EF 50 F1.2L And EF 35 F1.4L Sharpest Settings

« on: September 14, 2012, 05:13:39 PM »

At 1.2 the depth of field on the 50mm L at close distances is about 4 millimeters. If you or the subject moves the slightest bit, it will not be in focus where you intended.

I usually compensate by shooting at F2 or 2.8 and find it very sharp at those f stops.

37

Technical Support / Re: How many dpi (or ppi) would you print a 1,5x3m (59"x118") back lit poster at?

« on: August 31, 2012, 12:25:43 PM »

You are referring to a Duratrans.

Most high end imaging labs will print a lightjet print on semi opaque material for back-lighting. A lightjet large format print is usually printed at 150 pixels per inch. But, it may not be necessary to tile an image. You may be able to res-up the image using photoshop.

You can actually do a test by cropping a portion to 8x10 and having the lab run it on the light to see if the quality is suitable.


Here is a good link:

http://www.duggal.com/connect/possibilities/photographic-printing/what-are-lightboxes-and-what-kind-does-duggal-offer

38

Canon General / Re: Do you feel your photos have improved proportionally to the cost of your gear?

« on: August 31, 2012, 12:09:43 PM »

My first camera was a Pentax film camera. Auto exposure, but manual focus, etc. I learned a great deal with that camera, but I learned a whole lot more when I decided to get serious and buy a Hasselblad. The polaroid back on the Hasselblad and manual exposure, which forced me to understand a great deal more about exposure, taught me more about photography in a short time than I had learned in a decade before on the Pentax.

Every piece of gear I have purchased has allowed me to explore photography in a different way, adding to my abilities and inspiring me to create different images.

Having the right tools will help you develop as a photographer. Does one need the latest/greatest? Probably not. But if you are serious about your art/craft, you should invest what you can to get the best equipment affordable. After all, if you are not serious enough about your art to make the investment, why would anyone else take you seriously?

39

Lenses / Re: 50L vs TS-E 45

« on: August 28, 2012, 08:55:26 PM »

Have you tried a lensbaby for selective focus?

40

Portrait / Re: 50mm f1.4 group photo

« on: August 15, 2012, 08:12:31 AM »

The general rule is to shoot at least 1/focal length of the lens to avoid camera shake from blurring images. For example - if you are shooting with a 50 mm lens, 1/50 sec or round up to 1/60. 200 mm would be 1/250 sec etc. Anything less and your risking a soft image.

41

Portrait / Re: 50mm f1.4 group photo

« on: August 14, 2012, 01:01:48 PM »

Even at f/9 the 50 mm lens would have a fairly shallow depth of field. If the subject was about 5 feet from the camera, you would only have about 1.6 feet in focus (split towards and away from the subject).

This site can help you calculate depth of field to give you a better idea.

http://www.dofmaster.com

Try lining everyone up so their faces fall in line as close as possible or use a wide angle lens to increase the depth of field.

42

Lenses / Re: upgrading to full frame + seeking suggestions on what to replace 60mm macro with

« on: August 13, 2012, 03:19:30 PM »

I have both the 60mm macro used on a 50D and a 100mm L Macro that I use on the 5D Miii.

Both are really sharp. Obviously the 60 can't be used on the full frame, which is why I purchased the 100. I haven't used the non-L 100, but I can tell you that the L version is awesome and the stabilizer helps in a lot of situations were I would normally have used a tripod. If you can swing it, I would opt for the L version of the 100mm.

I also have the 17-40L and while I really like the versatility of the lens (and the price), you will not get the same results trying to shoot close-ups. 40 mm on full frame just doesn't cut it. I use the 17-40 mostly for landscape photos. If I were shooting weddings I would probably opt for the 16-35L for the extra stop in low light.

43

Canon General / Re: Large Prints

« on: August 13, 2012, 01:52:25 PM »

First time posting here – but I have been reading for some time now.

I have worked in graphic arts for about 20 years and file sizing for printing is a reoccurring issue. The 300 pixel per inch (PPI) recommendation comes from pre-press work for offset printing. Most commercial offset printing is printed at 150 line screen and the rule is to double the line screen to avoid seeing individual pixels in the print. Hence the 300 PPI.

Dots per inch (DPI) is a completely different measurement and is device dependent. For example, most consumer ink jet photo printers list a DPI output. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to match your PPI setting to the exact printer DPI setting to see the best results. Most consumer inkjet printers will print perfectly fine prints at 240 PPI. Lightjets will print great results with a 150 PPI files (for a large format print).

The best thing to do is run tests on the device you are aiming to print on and find what works for you. In the end, the results are subjective and as long as you are not seeing individual pixels and the detail looks acceptable, there really is no reason to create an oversized file.