The Photography Thread

[miokomioko]

I never said fixed lenses were the way to go for everything. What I meant was that the more you shoot within the same genre, the more you find yourself sticking to the same general focal lengths for a limited set of different tasks. Once you've discovered those focal lengths that you regularly rely on or just prefer for your usual style or spin on things, I suggest investing in fixed lenses of those 2~3 lengths. They will be of superior quality that is noticeable far smaller than at a "poster-sized" print when you're printing at 300dpi. I've had enough experience with both types of lenses and doing a majority of my own printing over the past 10 years to be well aware of that. I also specifically mentioned that I fall back onto a decent 24-105mm for its notable versatility if the situation is particularly troublesome... which is usually when the client has done a poor job of preparing/choosing a suitable location that I was unable to scout out before hand (that's what I get for trusting someone else's competence). Photography is my profession/career, I am coming from and usually talk from quite a different angle than a hobbyist who wants versatility over all. This is why I said that the more you shoot, the more you will realize the value of a fixed lens, which is when you discover the lengths at which you primarily shoot at. There's always pros and cons to lenses and even camera settings in the photographic world, but when some cons stop applying to you, the decisions are a lot easier.

Also, 50mm in someone's face? Huh? Maybe with a wide-angle, you would be up in someone's grill trying to fill the frame with their head, but that's obviously going to give them a rather large nose. 50mms are perfectly fine for portraiture, especially when you're shooting 15MP+ and have ample space to crop in.

(Also, clients are impressed when you hand over a massive file that's actually sharp at 100%.)

[Zansho]

I don't call you crazy. I had a 5D also, but now I'm using a 1D Mark II body, and I honestly have to say sometimes I miss my 5D. The 1D has a very bright viewfinder, fast as hell autofocus, and can write to both SD and CF cards, which was somewhat attractive to me since I shoot weddings and am constantly paranoid about losing data lol.

5D sounds like the way to go for you. you might even want to call canon up and see if they will sell you a refurbished one.

[Salodin]

When doing portraits with a blurry backround, i want to set the aperature as low as possible, In my case 2.8? Would shutter speed affect the picture too, or should i keep it around 60-100 like i do now?

[Headspace]

When doing portraits with a blurry backround, i want to set the aperature as low as possible, In my case 2.8? Would shutter speed affect the picture too, or should i keep it around 60-100 like i do now?

I could be wrong, but lowering the aperture would let in more light, so you should be able to go even faster than you are now, if you wanted.

[miokomioko]

If you're opening your aperture as wide as possible (smallest number), you're letting more light in, so you'd have to balance that out by making your shutter speed faster so you don't overexpose.

Open Up <> Speed Up
Close Down <> Slow Down

Other than that basic concept of balancing exposure, keep in mind that if your camera is not mounted on something like a tripod, an excessively slow shutter speed will result in camera-shake blur or your subject moving during the exposure.

Think of light coming into your camera like a fluid. The aperture controls how much flows in at a time and the shutter speed controls for how long it is allowed to flow in. You need a very specific amount of light to get in to expose the image correctly, so you can either have a tiny aperture opening for a long period of time, or a large opening for just a split second... or anything in between.

The tricky thing is the numbers are backwards to what you would think they would be.

Large Opening > 2.8 > 4 > 8 > 11 > Small Opening
Fast Shutter Speed > 1/1000 > 1/500 > 1/30 > 1/4 > Slow Shutter Speed

[Salodin]

Yeah I'm finally keeping in mind that everything is reversed, it's just the balance I can't seem to get so far; and neither are those awesome blurred out backrounds! lol, I'm just having a blast playing with this thing though, so happy it's digital though and I'm not actually going through hundreds of rolls of film...

[Zansho]

Imagine if you learned on Medium format . Film and developing for that was cost prohibitive for many, and was actually one of the major obstacles that prevented many serious amateurs from entering the professional ranks. Now, anyone and their momma can get a decently good DSLR, and take "good" enough pictures with digital cameras nowadays.

I think of Aperture and shutter speed (and ISO) a bit differently. I view ISO as the size of the sink in the bathroom (big sinks = low ISO, small sink = high ISO), Shutter speed as the length of time you leave the faucet running water, and aperture the size of the opening in the faucet that allows water to flow lightly or heavily (and in-between.)

Now, If you have a small sink (high ISO), you can fill it up relatively quickly using a combination of a wide open aperture (all the way open faucet) and a fairly quick on/off of the faucet (fast shutter speed). Given that the aperture is big, your shutter speed can be faster, and since your ISO is high (small sink), it doesn't take as much time to "fill up." However, the trade off is that since you're using a high ISO, you're likely to get grain on your images, and that can be undesirable.

To combat that, you would need to reduce your ISO to a smaller number, but in doing so, you're increasing the size of the "sink." You CAN leave your aperture wide open (full faucet blast), but due to the increased size of the sink, you need more time to fill it up, thus leaving the faucet on longer (increased shutter speed time).

So you can take the explanation above, and see there are literally tons of combination that fit every situation. Big sink + small aperture = longer faucet on time. Small sink + small aperture = longer faucet time (you need more time to allow for the small aperture to fill up the sink). It goes on and on.

Bear in mind, however - that aperture doesn't just affect how your images exposes - it also affects your depth of field. A lot of people refer to it as "Bokeh" - and it's generally common knowledge that a wider aperture (bigger - 1.4, 1.8, 2.8, 4) will throw out the background more, and render your subject isolated. It's also affected by the distance of the camera to the subject, but that's an entirely different discussion altogether.

Shutter speed also affects your sharpness - trying to handhold a camera that's got a 1 second shutter may not sound all that hard, but it will most likely result in a blurred image - the simple act of actually pressing the shutter button can be enough to blur your image - or even the subject moving too fast to allow for the shutter to get a clean image. It's generally accepted that most photographers can hand hold at shutter speeds greater than 1/125th of a second - although, with the advent of Image Stabilized lenses, that can drop even lower provided your subjects aren't moving too fast for the shutter speed to handle. If you need to go any less than 1/60th of a second, I recommend at least a monopod, and if it's anywhere below 1/15th, a tripod or something you can rest your camera on to prevent camera shake.

[Doombear]

Imagine if you learned on Medium format . Film and developing for that was cost prohibitive for many, and was actually one of the major obstacles that prevented many serious amateurs from entering the professional ranks. Now, anyone and their momma can get a decently good DSLR, and take "good" enough pictures with digital cameras nowadays.

In college I used a Pentax 67 for about 3 months straight, I miss her. My dream camera back then (and still to some extent is...) a Mamiya 645. I know most would much rather a Hasselblad or maybe a Rollei, but it was always a Mamiya 645 for me.

[Salodin]

Wow so I should mess around with an even faster shutter speed. Any one got any links where I can read up on more related items? Also like that sink explaination lol, I had a general understanding of shutter speed and aperature, but iso was just kinda like "Brightness meter" from a tv to me until you explained it lol.

[miokomioko]

I did some work in Paris a few years back, and I made this (in retrospect) stupid decision to "get back to my roots" and shoot the whole thing medium format transparency film on my bazooka of a Mamiya RZ-67 ProII. God damn that ended up being a headache. I had 3 120 backs and I had to have an assistant constantly loading them the entire shoot as I burned through them. 10 exposures per roll at 6x7... lol. Not to mention I thought I would get creative with some 3200-speed black and white for some ultra-grain and that was a headache getting it through customs in a layover in Germany as anything faster than 800 ISO will be damaged by X-ray.

In the end, my favorite images from that project were from the 1 roll in my Holga that I kept around my neck for the hell of it.

Also, when it comes to ISO, I would start with something in the middle-ground (200~400) and do not change it until you get the hang of things. By then, you'll understand simply enough that ISO = sensitivity. Also, high ISOs on the average DSLR will look like shit. 100 is my preferred sweet spot unless the natural lighting is severely lacking, but I usually use strobes so it's not an issue.

[Doombear]

Just realized that I know shit all about CF cards, anyone want to recommend a good Class I/II card for my upcoming 5DMKI? I am thinking a 16GB, if not 2? Brand preferences? Do those of you that use CF use card readers or direct-connect for transfer?

[miokomioko]

I have some SanDisk CF cards that have lasted through the tests of time, rain and sleet, etc. etc. I don't consider a CF card's manufacturer or brand or whatever something that ever matters. 99 times out of 100 some random piece of shit card (probably made in the same factory as a Lexar) will work forever. Simple solid state shit is hard to do wrong these days.

Also, CF card "speeds" are only going to marginally affect your download time and not the camera's write speed. Not something worth caring about either.

As for readers... I've been using this type of multi-removable-media drive in my tower(s) for years as well and have had zero issues with it whatsoever. Not this exact one, but very similar.
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/5456.jpg
(mine is probably a Lian Li, but it's just all black aluminum)

My girlfriend has gone through 2~3 USB/Firewire CF card readers that just inexplicably flake out... and they are always fucking ugly and bulky. You kids and your laptops.

[Zansho]

I agree that you should stay with 200-400 until you really understand your shutter and aperture relationships (give and take). ISO can also be thought of as in "stops" - that is, for every "doubling" of ISO (200 to 400 to 800..) you're gaining another stop of exposure. It's not the exact same thing as going from F4 to 2.8 (a full stop) but it's very close, and most photographers accept that as the rule.

Terminology like "open up" (increase your aperture size - e.g. going from F8 to 5.6) "stopping down" (decrease your aperture size, e.g - going from F5.6 to F8), are very common nowadays. Understanding that will help you get better when you see what other photographers talk about.

Also, take your light meter's readings with a grain of salt. A lot (or I should say all) light meters that meter in the "middle" are basically trying to render the scene a neutral gray. In other words, whites will be slightly underexposed, and shadows will be slightly underexposed also, quite possibly causing a bit of loss of detail. You need to be thinking about what you're shooting too, and the tonal values/ranges that subject has to really render it the way you want. Some things in an image are more important the the others, and if you trust your light meter as the final word, it'll most likely give you the reading of the entire scene, and not your subject. Bear this in mind. There are ways around this, but later on as you go forward, you'll figure it out.

As for CF cards, I use Sandisk and Hoodman RAW cards. Never had a problem with any of them. Love them, and I usually go in 8GB configurations, although I do have some 1GB cards laying around lol. As for my card reader, I use a Belkin card reader - which is this one - http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Univers...6045663&sr=8-1.

[Fhqwghads]

The card's speed does play a significant role in how quickly the camera can dump from its buffer to the CF card. I do a lot of combat sports photography, and if I had a slower card, such as 30MB/s, I'd lose a lot of shots simply because the camera would have to wait before capturing more images due to the card writing slower than the camera can dump its buffer. Of course CF speed isn't as important if you're never taking continuous bursts at 5FPS or higher. But shooting RAW in large bursts? ...can't live without it.

I have three 16GB SanDisk 60MB/s ultra UDMA CF cards. Not the fastest out there now (90MB/s is the fastest as far as I know), but even when shooting combats sports I don't find myself snapping so many pictures in a row that the camera stops taking images. They work great in my D700. Your needs and your camera's specs will determine how fast your CF card has to be.

Also to blow the background out: a large aperture coupled with a focus point that is close to the camera is how you get those really "blurry" backgrounds. The larger the aperture and the closer the subject/focus point is, the shallower the depth of field will be. You can use a huge aperture like f/1.4, fill the frame with someone's face, focus on their nose, and their eyes will be out of focus because the depth of field is so shallow. It also depends on the focal length of the lens, but this is generally how it's done.

[Doombear]

Unfortunately looks like someone snatched up the 5D Body that you showed me from Precision, Zansho. Not to worry. I will be going to look at a local pro shop tomorrow, they have a Body + Grip for 1295. A bit high, but we will see how it looks. In addition I have found another local seller, original owner selling their 5D with Grip and a couple batteries for $1100. I hope to be meeting them in the next day or two. Them being the original owner and a photographer has me excited. I have asked them for an estimate on actuations. Oh and also, they have paperwork showing that the camera was fully serviced by Canon about 4 months ago. That is also a plus.

All that said, anything I should be looking at in particular when I get some hands on time with the camera? I will likely just bring my wife's 50mm 1.8 with me, there is a 512MB CF card in the bundle as well so I can at least test on that.

Thoughts? More than a little nervous, and want to make sure I don't get screwed of course. I don't want to jump on the $1295 camera just because the store offers a 30 day return policy... which seems a little on the small side to me but it isn't a huge store.

[miokomioko]

Also to blow the background out: a large aperture coupled with a focus point that is close to the camera is how you get those really "blurry" backgrounds. The larger the aperture and the closer the subject/focus point is, the shallower the depth of field will be. You can use a huge aperture like f/1.4, fill the frame with someone's face, focus on their nose, and their eyes will be out of focus because the depth of field is so shallow. It also depends on the focal length of the lens, but this is generally how it's done.

Yeah, there are 3 variables that affect your depth of field.

1) focal length: longer = shallower, shorter = deeper
2) aperture: wider = shallower, smaller = deeper
3) distance to subject: closer = shallower, further = deeper

So, it's easy to not get the shallow depth of field that you're looking for if you're not taking all 3 of those into consideration. Also, all three of those variables are going to affect other aspects of the image as well. For example, long focal length and large distance to your subject will also "compress" the background, making the image look flat depth-wise. Obviously aperture is going to affect your exposure as well, and longer focal lengths are going to often require you to mount your camera to avoid blur/shake.

I think the "rule of thumb" that I always heard about hand-holding, is that you should mount your camera if the denominator of your shutter speed is smaller than your focal length. I just don't even recommend hand-holding a camera if you're not working with flashes/strobes or some harsh direct sunlight.

[haifa]

Nice sharing.......................

[Zansho]

Grae, if it's a refurbished deal, go look on Adorama.com for used 5Ds. Can also call up B&H to see if they have anything there for you.

Additionally, if it's a consignment type thing where your pro shop sells other people's used gear, ask them if they'd be willing to ask the seller if they'd take 1100. Often times, if an item has been sitting there for a while with no bites, people are more willing to negotiate a price. For 1.3k, that's a bit high - you could just about get a brand new 7D body for that much if you look around, so why get a 5D if you can get a new 7D?? 5D is a great body, no question about that, but it doesn't make sense to price a used body almost as much as a new one that's very comparable.

You can also check out KEH.com, they sell lots of used camera and lighting gear, and will also take your used gear off of your hands. Good luck!

[Doombear]

Thanks Zansho, actually I am meeting a woman today that is selling her 5D locally. She is selling the camera, the grip, 3 batteries, the strap, a 512MB CF card (lol) and has the original box. She is the original owner. In addition, the camera was overhauled by Canon in August of last year. She has the paperwork to prove it. She has used it very little since, as she and her husband are now Nikon users. So it has a new shutter block and a new Mirror block. That sounds quite good to me.

The serial (I believe, from checking out a few of her flickr images) is one of the ones that starts in 1, so a 2006 model that has been prone to the greenish LCD issue. Minor wear on the flash shoe, and a couple scuffs on the top. She IS a wedding photographer, however (and this may or may not mean much) she isn't your hardcore, shooting every day of the week type as far as I can tell. She is young, and makes money in addition to her day job as a Wedding Photographer. This may or may not be less important anyway since the camera has a new shutter and mirror.

ANYWAY, I am looking at it today. I plan on shooting some quick pics with it (bringing my wife's 50mm) and then bringing my laptop as well so i can check for any sensor dust/dirt and hot pixels, not to mention making sure that it connects fine to my laptop.

Anything else in particular i should look for? I am going to shoot at every shutter speed, then take some shots with the lens cap on at like a 1 second exposure (looking for pixel issues). Anything else?

I don't think I would spend 1100 if it was on Ebay and I couldn't actually LOOK at the camera before I checked it out. Original owner is nice though, as is the Canon paperwork on the Mirror / Shutter 4 months ago.

Thoughts? I am pretty excited actually...

[Zansho]

Shit, a new shutter? I'd take it lol.

Personally, if she hasn't used it in the last year or so, and it has a new shutter, and it looks good both cosmetically and performs fine in terms of shutter speed, I'd take it. Listen to the shutter, make sure the LCD functions and you can go through all the menus, all that stuff. 5D's are built really well, so the body should look good. Make sure the charger works, LCD ontop of the camera (where it tells you SS/F-stop/ISO etc etc) works, both dials work - the rear dial and the trigger dial, and autofocus should be a snap in a bright area.