SRK Photographers Thread Vol. 1

Media Outlet Image Mishmash
861

I really like the work you guys do. I want to ask for some advice.

Right now, I have a good grasp on manual settings. I use a gray card to adjust my white balance and it seems to be doing a superb job. I even downloaded some pretty nice custom Picture Styles (Canon feature) to give my pictures a kick compared to the standard picture styles. And to the best of my knowledge, I went through every single setting in the menu to make sure my camera is optimized for picture quality and low noise.

Am I missing something? I feel as if I got everything down with camera settings, but my pictures donā€™t feel ā€œproā€ yet. The only thing I can think of is that I have a Speedlite 580EX II that Iā€™m not using yet. I pretty much never use flash. Could that be something that really makes a big difference? I take pictures outdoor mostly under sunny conditions so I never think itā€™s necessary.

Or is the magic of professional photos done in post-processing? I really want that magazine photo caliber look. My method consists of using high-pass for sharpening and abusing the glamour glow (high contrast gaussian blur layer). I prolly could work on post moreā€¦

Iā€™m really stuck at a wall right now and donā€™t know how to improve. Any tips?

862

Yes.

Yes, it really does make a big difference.

You are wrong. Sunny conditions can very much be improved with a flash. If you are already shooting manual, and you have a 580II, put the flash on ETTL w/High Speed Sync enabled @ -1 Flash Exposure Compensation and continue shooting as you normally would. (To enable HSS, press the [~H/>>>] button on the back of the flash until you see the ~H icon on the back, to set -1 FEC, press the button in the middle of the dial, and rotate the dial counter clockwise until the flash displays -1. An alternate way of doing this is to press the [ISO*~+/-] button on your 7D and rotate the back dial until the marker slides over to the -1 on the exposure scale. It is better to set the FEC on the flash, since the default settings let the settings that you put on the flash override the settings you put in for the flash using the body. You can change the way this acts in the custom functions.)

No.

Yes, if you are looking for the glamour type of look, then, if I were you, I would try out a ringflash adapter for your 580 (Something like a Ray Flash, Saturn Flash, O-Flash, Orbis, etc.) That would go a long way towards getting the fashion look straight out of camera, rather than having to do it in post. Then, if you start adding gridded/snooted rim lights and strip lights, you will be well on your way to getting that look out of the camera instead of having to post process.

In fact, you can get that same look that you are currently getting by taking a 580 off camera with a grid, using a ring adapter on camera for fill/master, and using a Minolta 135 STF lens to get that glow, except, you wonā€™t have to spend time in post-process, and will have more time for video games.

In any case, the main thing that you have to understand is that you shouldnā€™t be using your flash as your light source, rather, you should be balancing your flash against existing light to shape the shadows and create something that you want rather than having to live with whatever happens to be there.

Also, my baby girl was born last friday, and I will post some pictures of her when I have a free moment.

863

Love the bottom two.

Rei: Congrats on the baby girl! Your first?

http://www.jeanattesalazar.com/x/ginny/DSC_0241_2.jpg

Ginny w/ Ford Models (SF)

864

Thanks!

First girl, second child.

865

Thanks!

First girl, second child.

866

Thanks for the pro tips, Rei. Iā€™ll be testing out your suggestions with the 580II. I also want to get one of these ring flash dealies, but I havenā€™t even paid off my new lens yet. :xeye:

Congrats with the baby. :tup:

867

Long time, Rei.

Congrats on the new baby!

868

i hope for your sake, she doesnt look like you. HAHA. zing!

869

Oh snap, Reiā€™s back! I just got back on recently, too. Iā€™ve been off the forums for a while cause I canā€™t access the site at work, but Iā€™m on travel and can access it fine for the next two weeks, haha.

Congrats on the daughter! Coincidentally, I have a 6 month old son now. I think your son is about the same age as my daughter, too. Cool stuff.

=====================
Any good places to shoot in San Diego? Iā€™m here till the 9th on business. Brought my camera with me this time :smiley:

Hereā€™s a few recent pics, nothing fancy:

My wife took this shot:

And this panoramic, its a 20 mb file forthe full thing thoughā€¦

870

about to place an order for a 17-40L. does anyone have personal experience with that lens?

871

Yes. I own two of them. Great lens on crop, greater lens on FF. If you listen to the pixel peepers online, they will tell you all about vignetting wide open on FF, and other such things that donā€™t happen often in real world shooting. The one thing that you want to do as soon as you get it if you are shooting on crop is to get the EW-83J hood for it offa deal extreme for like ten bucks.

I can elaborate more later, but I have to go to a newborn dr appt. For now, I will just post a couple of images of my daughter taken with that lens.

872

lol. thanks REI. i remember showing up at work with my 18-55 and you just looked at it and shook your head and told me to use one of your lenses instead. haha. ive been eying this lens for a while and decide to bite the bullet while the rebate is still good.

i heard theres a few lens hoods that can fit the 17-40L better on a crop body. the one you suggested is for the ef-s 17-55, right? i heard the lens hood off the 24L fits too. both look way for practical than the one that comes with the 17-40L

873

I finally have a few minutes, so I will break it down and do some ramblin on gear. IIRC, you have a few primes right? If you have a 50 prime, and you are replacing the 18-55 with the 17-40, then pull the trigger.

The good:
Great lens for landscapes, photos of multiple people, full body shots of people. If you use strobes, the 17-40 pretty much makes the 16-35 useless. Additionally, it has a rear gel holder, so you can drop in the cheap ass 5 dollar rosco ND gels to get that glass look to water on landscapes, and you donā€™t have to spend 100+ on those ND filters. The lens doesnā€™t change size when you turn the zoom ring, so no sucking in sand or dust when you are zooming. Plus the FTM, and other useability upgrades that you get with L lenses will make shooting easier. On crop, it is a 27-64, which is very similar in practice to shooting with a 24-70 on FF.

The bad:
F/4, No IS, shorter focal range than EF-S lenses that are similar. Like I said above, if you are using strobes, F/4 is plenty, but even then, you have to go to something like a 16-35 for double the price for one stop of speed because canon doesnā€™t make any cheap-yet-good ultra-wide primes. As for the IS, again if you are using strobes, you likely donā€™t need the IS, and if you really need the IS, then you are better off getting an EF-S lens, and if you put this lens on FF and need IS, then you need to learn how to hold a camera. As for the focal range, EF-S gots this beat, but they canā€™t do FF, and they donā€™t have the build quality of the 17-40, nor do they resist flare like it does. So it is a trade off.

The ugly:
If you arenā€™t going to use the 17-40 on FF, then you need to save up and get the 17-55, or seriously look at the Tamron 17-50. You can also find 15-85s on craigslist for less than you are planning on shelling out for the 17-40 because people buy the 7D kit and sell the lens. Just donā€™t buy the 17-85. Personally, I donā€™t have much use for the EF-S lenses because as you know, I also shoot film, so the red dot is worth the decreased focal length for me.

I pretty much use this lens all the time. If Iā€™m using strobe, or outdoors, or indoors with an open window, Iā€™m pretty much using this lens combined with a 70-200/4. Indoors, at night, and without strobes Iā€™m using my 35/50 prime combo, and if Iā€™m going into a situation where I need to be light on gear, I use the 28-105/3.5-4.5II.

All this to say, ignore all of what I just posted because if you like the 17-40 and have the money to get it, you should. Buy it, shoot a ton of stuff with it, and if you donā€™t like it, sell it. You wonā€™t be out that much money, and you should be making these decisions based on if it feels good in your hands and produces the images that you like. Test charts and lens reviews wonā€™t tell you if you like something.

Here is the lens hood that you should get. Ten bucks, free shipping.
DealExtreme: $10.34 Lens Hood for Canon (EW-83J)

874

Coronado Island: Tidelands Park, during sunrise you can get the sun rising over San Diego, and during sunset/night, you can get some great San Diego skyline shots. I have some great photos of my son that I took there. Iā€™ve also done some ā€˜realā€™ shoots there. I was wrapping up a shoot there and the guy that runs the learndslr.net classes was setting up there.

875

please do not buy a 17-40. I no longer shoot with canon, but does that lens ever suck.

876

the main reason why i ordered the 17-40 is to replace my 18-55 kit which was a bit lousy in IQ and slow on AF. ive been doing more event coverages(indoors) and needed a more versatile lens, mid/wide zoom. for a little while, i was shooting with a 28 prime, which was pretty good for most situations that didnt require large group pictures. single portraits or candids, the 28 prime got that down. but some events request groups of 8-15 people in a shot, and as much as i would like to just leave the 28mm on my 40D, i couldnt back up far enough or cram all those people into the frame to get a decent picture. so i swapped out to my 18-55 to get those shots. it was doing ok but the AF and IQ was just lacking. i figured the 17-40L was a good versatile range with a good build (work horse) on a crop body.

so i just got back not too long ago from shooting with it. my first impression is that it was a good weight and size to have as a walk around. the f4 is a bit too slow for night time photos but it wasnt too bad if you have steady hands. IS would definitely help tho. anyway, i walked around with my ISO all the way up and a tripod for some city scape pictures and heres what i came back with.

i noticed the edges were a little soft at F4. i cant imagine how much softer theyd be on full frame. but it doenst bug me too much. cant wait to test this during the day. im taking it up to seattle with me this week.

877

I have this lens, and its awesome. the one extra stop youā€™d get with the 16-35 f/2.8 is not worth it in my opinion. Iā€™m using this on a crop sensor, so i donā€™t have to worry about edge distortion but from using my buddyā€™s 5D, i can see that the 16-35 has way more distortion at the wide end than the 17-40 does.

some pics:

878

nice pix chorpie.

and thanks rei, for the suggestion about the lens hood. im gonna pick one up soon when i get back from my trip.

my 350D(XT) burnt, im debating to send it in for repair or not =\ (it was my secondary). i had it since 2006 and probably racked up 80k shots on it easy. if i do send it in for repair, im hoping theyd replace the sensor, focusing screen, and clean itā€¦ tho, that might be a lot to ask for. anyone have experience having canon repair your equipment?

879

How is it broken? If the shutter/mirror assembly is broken, then it will cost around 200 bucks to fix it. If you send it in, as part of the regular process, the sensor will get cleaned, as will the focusing screen and everything else, but I doubt they would replace the sensor. If you are going to be in orange county, they you should walk it into the repair place and get an estimate, otherwise you are going to be out shipping costs if you decide that the repairs are going to cost more than the camera is worth. Right now those cameras are going for around 200~250 dollars, so that is a tough choice. Do you have enough equipment to join Canon Professional Services? If you do, then you want to sign up before you send in your camera for repair, because you will get repair discounts, and free cleaning on your cameras. Also, if you are a member of CPS, repairs take about 3 business days, and if you are not, it takes from 2 weeks to a month.

Iā€™ve had to send in equipment to get serviced/repair to both Canon and Nikon (heck, even Paul C Buff), so I can tell you what to expect, and Iā€™m also a member of CPS, so I can explain any of that to you as well.

880

Thanks! Iā€™m actually working in Coronado and I have access to the naval base there. Iā€™ll checkout Tidelands park.