Photography Discussion

#52
#52
orange parmejohn said:
Is using the manual focus on lenses an extinct art?
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Its is on DSL cameras except macro work. There are a group of us out there who prefer rangefinder style cameras stripped to the bone. The lenses available are manual focus only, aperture is manual, shutter has AV mode. Manual focus is perfect and picture sharpness is very apparent. People don't realize how inaccurate auto focus really is, we have just gotten used to it. Get a focus chart and micro-adjust your 70-200 to your Mark III. You will see what I mean.
 
#53
#53
l3rewski said:
That wasn't me, that was IpleadInsanity. If you're interested in looking, I post my work occasionally on flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54380082@N05/. And I keep my best shots on my portfolio site: Andrew Bruckse Photography. It's pretty much 95% Vol sports... I need to diversify.:)

As far as settings, I'm manual probably 75% of the time, but then again, I'm usually shooting in places where light is somewhat constant. If the light is changing rapidly (i.e. annoying partly cloudy day), then I'll switch over to aperture priority. Whichever setting, I just keep an eye on the histogram every once in a while. Metering systems are still easily fooled in some situations.



Oh, it is. That lens is pretty much perfection.
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Nice work. Too many great pics to even try to comment on any one of them. You have a good eye.
 
#56
#56
Thanks for the EXIF, Andrew. What are your thoughts on 16-35mm in terms of sharpness, color, etc...?

Also, OP, the live view feature can be helpful with manual focus. You can zoom and adjust as necessary. The 5D III's autofocus system is supposed to be pretty stellar though. Would love to pick one up.
 
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#57
#57
zidanefan said:
Thanks for the EXIF, Andrew. What are your thoughts on 16-35mm in terms of sharpness, color, etc...?

Also, OP, the love view feature can be helpful with manual focus. You can zoom and adjust as necessary. The 5D III's autofocus system is supposed to be pretty stellar though. Would love to pick one up.
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Yeah I don't know enough yet to have an opinion about the 5D autofocus but it seems no focus in a camera ever quite agrees with what my eye wants.
 
#60
#60
zidanefan said:
Thanks for the EXIF, Andrew. What are your thoughts on 16-35mm in terms of sharpness, color, etc...?
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I have no complaints about it. It could be sharper on the corners, but for my needs, it's fine. I usually stop it down quite a bit anyway. I've never tried a 17-40mm.... that would probably be better for my needs since I'm stopping down (for stadium/arena shots mostly) anyway. I'm hoping to try the new 11-24mm at some point. With Nikon, the transition from ultra-wide to wide angle was easy with the 14-24/2.8 and 24-70/2.8. With Canon, it's hard to decide which lens to use sometimes.

orange parmejohn said:
Yeah I don't know enough yet to have an opinion about the 5D autofocus but it seems no focus in a camera ever quite agrees with what my eye wants.
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The 5DIII's autofocus is excellent. In daylight, it will hold its own against the 1DX or the 7DII, and in low-light, it's not too far behind. The AF system is extensive though and requires a bit of reading to understand.

For now, I would just understand the basics, like AI SERVO vs. ONE SHOT, Single point vs. spot vs. 4/8 point expansion vs. zone. I would also configure the shutter and AF-ON buttons to your liking. I use back-button focus no matter the type of photography I'm doing, so all the cameras I use are configured that way. It's really personal preference though.
 
#61
#61
The 5DIII's autofocus is excellent. In daylight, it will hold its own against the 1DX or the 7DII, and in low-light, it's not too far behind. The AF system is extensive though and requires a bit of reading to understand.

For now, I would just understand the basics, like AI SERVO vs. ONE SHOT, Single point vs. spot vs. 4/8 point expansion vs. zone. I would also configure the shutter and AF-ON buttons to your liking. I use back-button focus no matter the type of photography I'm doing, so all the cameras I use are configured that way. It's really personal preference though.[/QUOTE]
I'm definitely going to switch to back button focus. I read up on the 61 point autofocus its no joke. I've been playing with the shooting modes this weekend, and although I have a basic understanding of aperture and ISO, I still have no idea what situations require for the best possible photos. Its my first weekend shooting though.
 
#63
#63
orange parmejohn said:
Is white balance a function that photographers use often?
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White balance is very important in getting correct color tone in your pictures. You should get in the habit of setting the white balance in your camera to match the conditions you're shooting in. Some photographers carry a gray card to meter off of to more precisely set white balance to the conditions they're shooting in (helpful if you're going to be shooting a lot of images in the same lighting conditions).

Related note, if you save images in RAW instead of JPG you can adjust white balance during post processing if needed.
 
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#65
#65
orange parmejohn said:
Thanks for your response, Freak. I have placed an order for a Canon 5D Miii and a Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens. Much of my uncertainty lies in the world of lenses. There are tons of them of all sizes and price ranges. New and used, you name it. I'm curious about other's go to lenses and what they use them for.
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Damn nice camera and lens too. What other lenses are you getting?
 
#66
#66
jjay2518 said:
White balance is very important in getting correct color tone in your pictures. You should get in the habit of setting the white balance in your camera to match the conditions you're shooting in. Some photographers carry a gray card to meter off of to more precisely set white balance to the conditions they're shooting in (helpful if you're going to be shooting a lot of images in the same lighting conditions).

Related note, if you save images in RAW instead of JPG you can adjust white balance during post processing if needed.
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I always just use a blank white piece of paper. Should I not?
 
#67
#67
I have an older model 12 megapixel Canon. Rebel Xsi I think. I don't have any of the L lenses. I have a 50 1.8 and 28-135 3.5-5.6. There is a 24-70 2.8 lens by Tamron I wouldn't mind having and the Canon 85 1.8 either. With the 5D III I'd probably just stick to the L lenses except the 85 1.8. that is a pretty good lens unless you could spring for the 85 1.2 L lens. They say the lens to die for is the 70-200 2.8 L lens.


Also, have an older 420EX flash. Works great.
 
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#68
#68
If I sprang for a 5DIII and had the extra cash I'd probably get the 24-70 2.8L lens, the 50 1.2L lens that you have, the 85 1.2 L, and the 70-200 2.8L (ISM).

Of course that puts you at about $10,000 in camera and lenses.
 
#70
#70
Sandvol said:
Damn nice camera and lens too. What other lenses are you getting?
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Thank you for your affirmation. Although I have suffered about 6 years of shooting with my phone, with some really remarkable images, I feel a little awkward getting equipment that most photographers have to spend years scraping for. At this point, I am getting a really nice flash then I will be hustling for lenses like the next guy. I want a good macro lenses, although I will look into a gadget listed earlier in this thread. I also would like to gain a wide angle lenses at some point. Right now, I am just trying to figure out the Miii and 50mm which is more than a hand full for me!
 
#72
#72
orange parmejohn said:
Thank you for your affirmation. Although I have suffered about 6 years of shooting with my phone, with some really remarkable images, I feel a little awkward getting equipment that most photographers have to spend years scraping for. At this point, I am getting a really nice flash then I will be hustling for lenses like the next guy. I want a good macro lenses, although I will look into a gadget listed earlier in this thread. I also would like to gain a wide angle lenses at some point. Right now, I am just trying to figure out the Miii and 50mm which is more than a hand full for me!
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Canon has two great Macro L lenses- the 17-40 or the 16-35. With any of these or that 50 1.2 you are going to be able to shoot a pretty wide angle. I think they make a prime 35 L lens too. That 5DIII is a full frame camera. The things you'll really like are the shutter speeds and the ISO capabilities. I wish I had the money to blow on a camera like that but I have my money prioritized elsewhere with expensive hobbies. That is a camera you'll be happy with forever. Very jealous.
 
#75
#75
jjay2518 said:
Short answer as I understand it is that white paper will get you close enough for most situations. Here's a long explanation of why gray is more accurate...

Robin Myers Imaging: Gray or White Card for Neutral Balancing?
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That's interesting. A lot of great photographers espouse a white piece of paper. I'll try that. (I'm not a great photographer. I have to shoot about 50 shots to get one good one. But, I do know a good one when I see it.)
 
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