ishdakuteb said:
sorry, i am not and will not believe it though
i do own some L lenses, plus 50 f/1.4, one of them is the one that you were using to take that pic which is 70-200mm is ii. why do i not believe it? very simple to me since i am having been studying about digital zone and lighting (still continue to learn with flash). i do not have that much experience but i might be able to tell what exposure should be used by taking a look at current lighting condition (will force myself more into this area when having more time.)
i am not talking about white balance, i am talking about skin tone of your subject (unless there is a problem with his skin), his outfit and black color on chair makes me hard to believe it.
Lol...I don't know what to say..lol other than hopefully you find a combo-match the wields the results you're after. As for me, I get this kind of result with my 40D/70-200 2.8 II just about every time. Because of the crop factor, I don't generally use it often as it's too long of a focal range for some of the work I do. Plus, with my 5D, there's no need for me to use it...as my images with the 5D and 70-200 are just brilliant.
I like Charlie B's comments about L Glass....especially the last part of "Get the lens that does the job" I completely agree...100%
I love using my 70-200 for portraits, however, to be honest, unless i'm trying to impress my clientele or something...I generally stick with my 85 1.8 - and shoot between F2.0 and F4. It's a magnificent lens! It's quality rivals and surpasses just about any "L" lens. Plus, unless I feel the need to constantly use it at F1.2, then there's no need to get the 1.2 and spend an extra 5x's the amount.
I've been fortunate enough to work as a Studio Photographer and work beside the manager who studied at the Art Institute of Seattle and learn how to approach people and get the facial expressions....the posing...the lighting...everything. However, it was not easy!!! Let me be very clear - here was a lesson on lighting I received:
"Luis - How do I get the lighting to look like this magazine?"
"J, take this light and put it here....take that light...put a grid on it and place it here...your fill light, flip it around so it bounces off the wall at 1/2 power, place your hair light off to the side...Oh...I'm getting a phone call, Um...J, let's continue this lesson in a few days from now...?
These were my lessons. lol ....So after he left, I would practice that light set-up for about an hour until I achieved the look I was after. And so on and so on...until I realized I didn't need him or anyone else to show me how to light a subject. I could just look at a magazine and instantly know how and what was used to achieve the lighting.
Now, to get back to the topic....When I would use a non fixed zoom lens, for indoor studio work, the fluctuating FStop between different focal lengths drove me CRAZY!! I wouldn't use a 50mm on a FF Camera, because I would be right up in their face a few feet away to get the same perspective/ on a step ladder shooting down....the 70-200 would've been great except I wasn't just shooting headshots all day long...It was a full Studio...They didn't have an 85....instead they figured EF-S 18-135 lenses would suffice....Don't get me wrong...that's a wonderful lens, however, the fluctuating F stop on that drove me crazy. So until I started bringing my lenses because I couldn't stand theirs....image quality was decent....Once they saw the brilliance in quality with the 85 or heck..even my 24-70 ( I don't care what people say about this lens...my copy is TACK-SHARP) they went bananas.
Some people take wonderful images with mediocre equipment...and that's OK. But one lesson I learned early on....is that if someone is paying you $2,000 + for a photo-shoot, you ought to have better equipment than the they do. Otherwise...unfortunately, they start telling everyone that they have the same equipment as you and that they should've taken the photos themselves...and saved a few thousand dollars. This happened to one of my friends and they got some bad rap for it. If you're a professional and use mediocre equipment, then make sure your ( you know what) doesn't stink, because I guarantee they will look and hire someone soley based on their equipment. And if you think i'm wrong...than prove it! Take a $400-500 camera to your next $3,000 wedding and see what kind of looks you get.
Anyways, great posts everyone! I appreciate all the wonderful feedback!
J ( And i'm based out of Washington State.)