My 6D MkII Photos - Wildlife! [UPDATE: ISO 12800 Songbird BIFs added]

AlanF

Desperately seeking birds
CR Pro
Aug 16, 2012
12,426
22,820
My 300D Photos - Wildlife!

As there is so much excitement about a new camera that can be used to take photos of birds, I got out my 13-year old Canon EOS 300D. This was the camera that revolutionised digital photography for the masses - the first affordable DSLR. It has everything we want nowadays in a camera: low DR for contrasty images, low megapixels for small files, no RAW so jpegs straight out of the camera, and it has little red focus lights that twinkle. And you can pick them up for virtually nothing. It still worked this morning, and it's as good as a 6DII for a close-up of a duck.

What new models with more modern and advanced features do is to expand the range of possibilities. The 6DII is a step up from the 80D. You are preaching to the converted about dispensing with tripods and shooting at higher isos on full frame because that is what most of us are doing. If you are good at handling noise, you can do the same on APS-C, and if you crop FF down to APS-C size, there is little difference in noise between an FF and APS-C shot.
 

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Talys

Canon R5
CR Pro
Feb 16, 2017
2,129
454
Vancouver, BC
Re: My 300D Photos - Wildlife!

AlanF said:
What new models with more modern and advanced features do is to expand the range of possibilities. The 6DII is a step up from the 80D. You are preaching to the converted about dispensing with tripods and shooting at higher isos on full frame because that is what most of us are doing. If you are good at handling noise, you can do the same on APS-C, and if you crop FF down to APS-C size, there is little difference in noise between an FF and APS-C shot.

Unfortunately, until the 6DII, I couldn't buy a Canon FF camera, because I'd never be able to use it for work stuff -- I absolutely need an articulating screen because I often have the camera high up and pointing downwards, and I must recompose the subject for the next shots. Liveview was always an option, but a pain, because I often have multiple cameras fixed so that each shot can be taken at the same angles. I'd end up needing 3 remote liveview monitors, or 3 HDMI monitors -- no thanks; the articulating screen is much easier to deal with.

With regards to noise, I'm not really willing to go outside of DPP/Lightroom for my hobby shoots, and I don't want to have to deal with TIFFs because of the file sizes. I have fiddled plenty with those controls, and while there are certain types of photos that convert well (ones that naturally hide noise), most, I think, are terrible once ISOs get into 4 digits. If you have a suggestion, I'd be happy to hear. I'd possibly use another tool if the resulting file was a RAW modifier (not TIFF) that could be opened by LR. If you have any suggestions or if there's a guide you have in mind, I'd be very receptive to trying it out. I love my 80D; I just don't shoot it at ISO 1600.

I should mention, the 6DII high ISO noise reduction is *easy*; those photos clean up with no skill or effort required.


AlanF said:
As there is so much excitement about a new camera that can be used to take photos of birds, I got out my 13-year old Canon EOS 300D. This was the camera that revolutionised digital photography for the masses - the first affordable DSLR.

For me, I began birding when I switched from Nikon and purchased the 550D/t2i. I have plenty of nice photos with it, including some with the cheapest kit lenses. Still, it doesn't diminish all the improvements that I got out of t3i/t5i/t6s/60D/80D -- and now 6DII. I still use every body I own that I purchased from the 60D and t6s up. Heck, I still use my PowerShot S110 :)
 
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AlanF

Desperately seeking birds
CR Pro
Aug 16, 2012
12,426
22,820
Re: My 300D Photos - Wildlife!

Talys said:
With regards to noise, I'm not really willing to go outside of DPP/Lightroom for my hobby shoots, and I don't want to have to deal with TIFFs because of the file sizes. I have fiddled plenty with those controls, and while there are certain types of photos that convert well (ones that naturally hide noise), most, I think, are terrible once ISOs get into 4 digits. If you have a suggestion, I'd be happy to hear.

DxO Optics Pro is a favourite here.
 
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