Upgrade from 400D to 5D MKII after 5 years, thoughts?

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ramon123 said:
let us know how shooting the brand new 5D2 is going for you!

:)


Since I've only had the camera for a little while, and I'm not a professional shooter; I've only managed to get a few pictures (portraits) that I really like so far.

Therefore, I attached four of them. Some feedback would be nice :)

They are nothing spectacular, as you see.

My "models" often manage to smile, but apart from that - what do you do to make photos like these more interesting?

Generally, i try to convey some sort of "mood" or "feel" in the images, but that is way easier said than done...
 

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johle said:
Therefore, I attached four of them. Some feedback would be nice :)
The photos are varied and interesting. I think you might need to be careful with composition; IMHO you're leaving a bit too much space at the top of the frame. Think about the rule of thirds, and aim to have your models' eyes at the 'upper third' line. This rule isn't for everything, but it's a start. Just something to think about. :)
 
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smithy said:
johle said:
Therefore, I attached four of them. Some feedback would be nice :)
The photos are varied and interesting. I think you might need to be careful with composition; IMHO you're leaving a bit too much space at the top of the frame. Think about the rule of thirds, and aim to have your models' eyes at the 'upper third' line. This rule isn't for everything, but it's a start. Just something to think about. :)

Well, it's 5DMkII. It is either focusing with the center point and having a less than optimal composition, or focusing and recomposing, or using another focus point and hoping it will be OK.
 
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tron said:
smithy said:
johle said:
Therefore, I attached four of them. Some feedback would be nice :)
The photos are varied and interesting. I think you might need to be careful with composition; IMHO you're leaving a bit too much space at the top of the frame. Think about the rule of thirds, and aim to have your models' eyes at the 'upper third' line. This rule isn't for everything, but it's a start. Just something to think about. :)

Well, it's 5DMkII. It is either focusing with the center point and having a less than optimal composition, or focusing and recomposing, or using another focus point and hoping it will be OK.

LIKE!! hahaha.. very true.. let's also recognize that joh's compositions may be center weighted BECAUSE all 9 of the Mark II's AF points are all smushed into the center of the frame! there ARE no outer points! they used a ASP-C AF sensor on a full frame to save cost.. that was the thing that struck me the most, coming from a 60D where I could frame any way I wanted and use the outer points to accurately focus, as all 9 were cross type..

that's why I can not explain how lovely it is to have the option and flexibility back with the 5D3 AF system! it's a huge upgrade that so many whiners don't want to acknowledge in their pixel peeping, MP counting madness..
 
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johle said:
ramon123 said:
let us know how shooting the brand new 5D2 is going for you!

:)


Since I've only had the camera for a little while, and I'm not a professional shooter; I've only managed to get a few pictures (portraits) that I really like so far.

Therefore, I attached four of them. Some feedback would be nice :)

They are nothing spectacular, as you see.

My "models" often manage to smile, but apart from that - what do you do to make photos like these more interesting?

Generally, i try to convey some sort of "mood" or "feel" in the images, but that is way easier said than done...

For indoor incandescent/yellow/orange lighting with no flash try changing your white balance to the KELVIN mode, use 3000-3100 and see how you like it.. post some shots to compare! :)
 
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tron said:
smithy said:
johle said:
Therefore, I attached four of them. Some feedback would be nice :)
The photos are varied and interesting. I think you might need to be careful with composition; IMHO you're leaving a bit too much space at the top of the frame. Think about the rule of thirds, and aim to have your models' eyes at the 'upper third' line. This rule isn't for everything, but it's a start. Just something to think about. :)

Well, it's 5DMkII. It is either focusing with the center point and having a less than optimal composition, or focusing and recomposing, or using another focus point and hoping it will be OK.
Focussing and recomposing is how many of us 'old school' photographers learned photography, due to the fact that many of Canon's film cameras only had a single centre focus point - maybe I take that for granted.
 
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smithy said:
tron said:
smithy said:
johle said:
Therefore, I attached four of them. Some feedback would be nice :)
The photos are varied and interesting. I think you might need to be careful with composition; IMHO you're leaving a bit too much space at the top of the frame. Think about the rule of thirds, and aim to have your models' eyes at the 'upper third' line. This rule isn't for everything, but it's a start. Just something to think about. :)

Well, it's 5DMkII. It is either focusing with the center point and having a less than optimal composition, or focusing and recomposing, or using another focus point and hoping it will be OK.
Focussing and recomposing is how many of us 'old school' photographers learned photography, due to the fact that many of Canon's film cameras only had a single centre focus point - maybe I take that for granted.
Actually this has worked for me on a 135mm f/2.0 fully open. Assuming the subject stays still of course...
Even so it is better to have additional focus points and just concentrate on the subject.
 
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Liked the last one a whole lot-it has a very fun "mood," as you put it.

Photo no. 2 is very orange. If you are making it orange on purpose in post processing, and that is a color cast you want in there, then disregard this. It's just that "orange" pictures are so commonly produced UNintentionally that I thought I'd ask. You get orange pictures very easily when shooting indoors due to a white balance issue with incandescent lights, or a color cast problem from colored walls. Obviously you could fix that in post-processing with just about any software you are using.
 
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The other thing I'd say on those photos is that a flash would help to keep their faces from being in the shadows. More specifically in shot 3, because she's already in the shade, a flash would brighten up her face and make it the focal point of the image. It would also make her stand apart more from the background, giving the image a more 3-dimensional feel. Image 4 is tougher to tell if it would help, but it might.
 
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Hi guys!

Thanks for all the advice! :D Especially regarding the rule of thirds for the portraits, and using Kelvin-mode to remove the yellowish look of the indoor photos. Regarding the flash to remove shadows... I actually bought the 5D Mk II in order to NOT use a flash; to achieve a more "natural" looking light. But I probably have to master the flash sooner or later, if I'm taking photos in a club or similar. I have the Speedlite 430 EX II, but I have actually not taken a single photo firing the flash. I only use it for the AF-grid in dark environments, which works really well :)

Any quick tips on learning how to use the flash? For the purpose of mainly filling, like in daylight situations when parts of the face might be in the shadow? But as I say, I really want to keep the "warmth" of indoor lighting.

I understand that it's a trade secret in itself, it takes time to master; that's why great photographers can charge what they do. :)
 
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Shoot in RAW and don't worry about color temperature. As for flash, really get to know your flash and it's corresponding metering modes with the camera. Practice at night in the house just messing around. That's what I did with my 600EX-RT's. I just opened my manuals to the camera and the flash and started on page 1 and did all the stuff that was in the manual, hands-on. Flash expsoure compensation is really handy too, just like exposure bracketing/compensation in your 5D II.
 
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