Randy, my understanding is that the six AF assist points are only enabled in servo mode, and not in one-shot mode. Are you suggesting they may play a role in low-light focusing as well? Might be worth an experiment or two to find out.
I personally find that my 5DMkII does a very good job focusing quickly in low light. I've shot HSBB with it in very dark gyms and it has no problems with focus lock, and also tracking in AI Servo. (posted about it here on dgrin a while back - so dark I had to shoot at ISO 12800 - f/2.8 -- pics now gone due to site re-org.) I do use the center focus point though w/the 6 assist points enabled. Even did some non-scientific testing at said games with both a 30D & 40D. Back and forth between two photogs for objectivity. The 5DMkII focused the same as the 40D.
YMMV
The trick with the 5D/5DII is to keep the camera in center point or exteneded center point mode and work on your focus and recompose skills. As far as I can tell, the outer 8 points of the diamond are a waste of space.
The trick with the 5D/5DII is to keep the camera in center point or exteneded center point mode and work on your focus and recompose skills. As far as I can tell, the outer 8 points of the diamond are a waste of space.
...As far as I can tell, the outer 8 points of the diamond are a waste of space.
Ken, it really depends on what you do. I use the outer points almost exclusively and they work just fine. But that's me and my models...
However, I said it before and I agree: for anything really dark, low contrast or fast moving outer AF points on 5D2 suck compared to 30D/40D/50D...
Well, there is the slight problem that focus recompose sucks.
It's a legitimate concern when shooting at close range, not so much for more distant shots.
Regards,
-joel
Re: AF "slowness": "fast-moving" is what I am ususally shooting (including me)in concert photography and it is often abrupt from front to back stage with little time to think because of the action. Although I am usually front row or in the pit (floor) at base of stage, I often have to overcompensate for the light directly overhead or in the case of multiple lights (or light shows) moving from all directions and performer moving across stages, ramps, catwalks, etc. This makes focusing a problem. I am usually working with manual, ISO-800 (and even as low as 400 with major lighting or moving background screens) but seldom more than that. The difficulty comes if I am at foot of catwalk in dark wherein it would be a problem and need additional light since most major light is centered in stage except with that hated overhead bright white spot on performer that also must be accounted for depending upon position. If 5D is a problem for slowness in AF, I could lose best shots by alternating between 5D and 40D. There is no way to "test" before the shoot. I am happy to have this discussion now rather than at venue pulling my hair out! Thanks for the input -- my brains are scrambled for workarounds so that I can use the new 5D but obviously will have the 40D and Sony as well in case.
Ken, it really depends on what you do. I use the outer points almost exclusively and they work just fine. But that's me and my models...
However, I said it before and I agree: for anything really dark, low contrast or fast moving outer AF points on 5D2 suck compared to 30D/40D/50D...
It's a legitimate concern when shooting at close range, not so much for more distant shots.
Regards,
-joel
Due to never having an issue with focus recompose, I have my doubts about this in real use. When I went 5 states over to learn under a phenomenal portrait photographer for 3 days, focus-recompose is the exact method he employs.
I just did a simple test with a 5D & 5DMkII. Three different lenses: 17-40L, 24-105L, 70-200L. All shot wide open. For the first two, that's f/4. For the last, that's f/2.8.
I took a printed page and taped it to a door in upper section. Camera on tripod 7' from door. Took test shots in portrait orientation. Shot said target with upper most focus point active. Then, center point active, locked focus on same target, then recomposed so that the upper most (non-active) focus point was on exactly the same point. Lastly, I focused on the door down by the door knob, locked focus, then recomposed so that the upper focus point (non-active) was in the same location as all other shots. This last test is about how much I would move the camera to recompose a shot.
Results: All of the shots looked the same to me.
Granted, I did not take the time or effort to use a 3D object. Maybe I will someday, but this has never been an issue for me to date.
I think what most people see, if anything, is the difference in how sharp, or how unsharp their lens is away from the center. If your lens has sharpness issues out from the center, then of course the image "target" will not be as sharp as if its in the center. Take a cheap lens and try the center focus then recompose the "target" toward the outside of the lens. It will be quite obvious how this softness could be blamed on anything else, like say, focus-recompose.
If your worried about this, that of course is your business. I'm going to keep shooting with what works for me --- YMMV
Re: AF "slowness": "fast-moving" is what I am ususally shooting (including me)in concert photography and it is often abrupt from front to back stage with little time to think because of the action. Although I am usually front row or in the pit (floor) at base of stage, I often have to overcompensate for the light directly overhead or in the case of multiple lights (or light shows) moving from all directions and performer moving across stages, ramps, catwalks, etc. This makes focusing a problem. I am usually working with manual, ISO-800 (and even as low as 400 with major lighting or moving background screens) but seldom more than that. The difficulty comes if I am at foot of catwalk in dark wherein it would be a problem and need additional light since most major light is centered in stage except with that hated overhead bright white spot on performer that also must be accounted for depending upon position. If 5D is a problem for slowness in AF, I could lose best shots by alternating between 5D and 40D. There is no way to "test" before the shoot. I am happy to have this discussion now rather than at venue pulling my hair out! Thanks for the input -- my brains are scrambled for workarounds so that I can use the new 5D but obviously will have the 40D and Sony as well in case.
Why don't you rent one for a weekend and give it a go at a less-then-uberly-important event? After all, it's you and your events that matter...
Nik, I pick the 5D up on Saturday and leave Sunday night so not much more time between today and Saturday morn. Unfortunately, the "local" color at the university and functions in this area do not have anything comparable to staging to test so I will just get familiar and work around it. I can resort to the 40D with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L and I should be fine but hope to use the 5D for the 21mp which would be stunning. Thanks for your help and suggestions.
It's a legitimate concern when shooting at close range, not so much for more distant shots.
Regards,
-joel
That article rather dramatically overstates the problem. Yes it is an issue, but more often than not it is brought up to excuse other focus errors.
Here is an example where simple focus and recompose would have failed: 35/1.4 wide open, the subject is close in and near the edge of the frame:
Certainly in situations like this, you need to be smart about how you focus. I shot this using the center AF point on my 5D on the fence rather than the boy (it was too dark for manual focus), but I don't think any camera would have gotten it right if used as a simple P&S.
Honestly, though, how often are you really going to shoot f/1.4 with your subject in close and near the edge of the frame? Over 50% of my photography is shot at f/2.8 or wider and, in the real world, focus and recompose errors almost never come up.
thanks
Thanks for the welcome.
Landscapes and Models is exactly what I shoot so the 5d2 is ideal!
Jeff
5D2 is a sweet camera - but not for everything. From my POV - not for anything including super fact action (sports) or where a very long reach is needed (birding). Landscapes and portraiture are where it shines unobstructed. [/quote]
succumbed to temptation
Well the title tells all - I finally gave in and sold my left kidney, right half of my liver and one lung to purchase the 5D MK II.
It's an amazing camera, that I found with a bit of effort setting it up really shines. I love:
1. High ISO
2. Crispy sharp images (once the micro-adjustments per lens were done)
3. HD Video - drop dead gorgeous
4. size and handling are perfect for my hands.
5. Menu's and customization capabilities
I hate:
1. Lack of spare batteries available (here in the Philippines)
2. lack of sleep due to time spent having fun with camera
3. extra time needed to load images due to file size - :-)
Now if I can just upgrade my imagination to take advantage of what this can do.
Just got my new 5dII from a local camera store today! ivar:D
I could have used this Saturday night at the Rick Springfield concert (birthday present for my wife). We had awesome seats on the floor 8th row center. Lots of cameras including DSLRs. I didn't even think about bringing my camera until I was sitting there... The HD video would have been sweet but it was probably way, way to loud to get good sound.
... The HD video would have been sweet but it was probably way, way to loud to get good sound.
One of the rather nice things about the 5D MKII, as a video acquisition tool, is the stereo microphone input port. Compared to cameras that lack this capability, this is a huge improvement.
There are indeed microphones designed to handle this sort of amplitude without loading up or distortion.
One of the rather nice things about the 5D MKII, as a video acquisition tool, is the stereo microphone input port. Compared to cameras that lack this capability, this is a huge improvement.
There are indeed microphones designed to handle this sort of amplitude without loading up or distortion.
So how was the concert?
Not bad for someone who is going to turn 60 in August, as I learned after the show. I would have guessed he may be near 50, but he looks much younger, say in his 30s.
This was a nice present for my wife. She wanted to see him with her older sister back when she was 12 and her parents said she was too young. This concert made up for that, falling on her birthday (one of those big milestone ones).
Finally got around to putting some vids together from a quick Big Island trip with the 5DM2.
Forgive the shakey hand on the mountain, it was 40 degrees (in shorts) with a strong wind and no tripod.<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/eek7.gif" border="0" alt="" >
Give big space to the festive dog that makes sport in roadway.
Avoid entanglement of dog with wheel spokes. - Old Honda Manual
--
If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies,
jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. -- Glenn Clark [FONT=georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif][/FONT]
maybe I better start in getting something done with purpose from the video side of this camera... (not that I've done anything worth mentioning from the still side of things, haha, but still... I should try)
"Paris 26 Gigapixels is a stitching of 2346 single photos showing a very high-resolution panoramic view of the French capital (354159x75570 px)."
From the "... tower of Saint Sulpice." ... "We set up the motorized panoramic head on the parapet of the tower. We Installed on it 2 Canon 5D Mark II (21.1 MP) each with a 300 mm f4.0 with a tele converter in order to get a 600mm /f8.0 needed to beat the record. The use of 2 cameras we simply to reduce the shooting time for half.
The cameras were been set as follows:
300mm f4.0 with a tele converter 2x (equivalent 600mm f8.0)
Manual focus. We used the Live View (zoom and pan) to get a very precise focus control.
Priority diaphragm F13 (to have a bigger depth of field)
Iso 800
Speed 1/800 in order to reduce the heat haze
Recording in RAW
Compact Flash 16GB
The motorized head triggers the cameras."
"Paris 26 Gigapixels is a stitching of 2346 single photos showing a very high-resolution panoramic view of the French capital (354159x75570 px)."
From the "... tower of Saint Sulpice." ... "We set up the motorized panoramic head on the parapet of the tower. We Installed on it 2 Canon 5D Mark II (21.1 MP) each with a 300 mm f4.0 with a tele converter in order to get a 600mm /f8.0 needed to beat the record. The use of 2 cameras we simply to reduce the shooting time for half.
The cameras were been set as follows:
300mm f4.0 with a tele converter 2x (equivalent 600mm f8.0) Manual focus. We used the Live View (zoom and pan) to get a very precise focus control. Priority diaphragm F13 (to have a bigger depth of field) Iso 800 Speed 1/800 in order to reduce the heat haze Recording in RAW Compact Flash 16GB The motorized head triggers the cameras."
What you guys have said about the service from Tallyns is true. They shipped mine instantaneously, and boxed to perfection. They even threw a little unexpected gift in the box. (course it was kind of a big order...)
Cheers,
-joel
I *love* this about Tallyns. And yeah, it's not too-soon to ask them about Canon's 1Dx and get your place in line!
I heard it was getting an ISO in the 7 figures, and even better detail and dynamic range in the sub-pixel dimensions. Chimping will be a thing of the past as the camera will auto-delete all your bad shots as you shoot them.
My Smugmug
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
I the camera will auto-delete all your bad shots as you shoot them.
Plus compliance to new Homeland Security regulations will cause any pictures deemed to be threats to national security and/or obscenity laws to be deleted as well. :cry
Comments
Cheers,
-joel
Link to my Smugmug site
The trick with the 5D/5DII is to keep the camera in center point or exteneded center point mode and work on your focus and recompose skills. As far as I can tell, the outer 8 points of the diamond are a waste of space.
It's a legitimate concern when shooting at close range, not so much for more distant shots.
Regards,
-joel
Link to my Smugmug site
However, I said it before and I agree: for anything really dark, low contrast or fast moving outer AF points on 5D2 suck compared to 30D/40D/50D...
Due to never having an issue with focus recompose, I have my doubts about this in real use. When I went 5 states over to learn under a phenomenal portrait photographer for 3 days, focus-recompose is the exact method he employs.
I just did a simple test with a 5D & 5DMkII. Three different lenses: 17-40L, 24-105L, 70-200L. All shot wide open. For the first two, that's f/4. For the last, that's f/2.8.
I took a printed page and taped it to a door in upper section. Camera on tripod 7' from door. Took test shots in portrait orientation. Shot said target with upper most focus point active. Then, center point active, locked focus on same target, then recomposed so that the upper most (non-active) focus point was on exactly the same point. Lastly, I focused on the door down by the door knob, locked focus, then recomposed so that the upper focus point (non-active) was in the same location as all other shots. This last test is about how much I would move the camera to recompose a shot.
Results: All of the shots looked the same to me.
Granted, I did not take the time or effort to use a 3D object. Maybe I will someday, but this has never been an issue for me to date.
I think what most people see, if anything, is the difference in how sharp, or how unsharp their lens is away from the center. If your lens has sharpness issues out from the center, then of course the image "target" will not be as sharp as if its in the center. Take a cheap lens and try the center focus then recompose the "target" toward the outside of the lens. It will be quite obvious how this softness could be blamed on anything else, like say, focus-recompose.
If your worried about this, that of course is your business. I'm going to keep shooting with what works for me --- YMMV
That article rather dramatically overstates the problem. Yes it is an issue, but more often than not it is brought up to excuse other focus errors.
Here is an example where simple focus and recompose would have failed: 35/1.4 wide open, the subject is close in and near the edge of the frame:
Certainly in situations like this, you need to be smart about how you focus. I shot this using the center AF point on my 5D on the fence rather than the boy (it was too dark for manual focus), but I don't think any camera would have gotten it right if used as a simple P&S.
Honestly, though, how often are you really going to shoot f/1.4 with your subject in close and near the edge of the frame? Over 50% of my photography is shot at f/2.8 or wider and, in the real world, focus and recompose errors almost never come up.
Thanks for the welcome.
Landscapes and Models is exactly what I shoot so the 5d2 is ideal!
Jeff
5D2 is a sweet camera - but not for everything. From my POV - not for anything including super fact action (sports) or where a very long reach is needed (birding). Landscapes and portraiture are where it shines unobstructed.
Congrats and welcome to the family!
NEW! planet5d.com THE 5d Wiki! Follow me on twitter for updates
(includes mk ii info and samples - all in one central location)
planetMitch.com my home site
Thanks!
Now I need to figure out what to do with my 40D and EF-S lenses
Also, has anyone heard of Camera Armor for the 5DII yet? I couldn't find it on Amazon or any other sites i checked.
Maybe contact Camera Armor directly?:
http://www.cameraarmor.com/Catalog/Global.aspx?PageID=CustomerReview
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Well the title tells all - I finally gave in and sold my left kidney, right half of my liver and one lung to purchase the 5D MK II.
It's an amazing camera, that I found with a bit of effort setting it up really shines. I love:
1. High ISO
2. Crispy sharp images (once the micro-adjustments per lens were done)
3. HD Video - drop dead gorgeous
4. size and handling are perfect for my hands.
5. Menu's and customization capabilities
I hate:
1. Lack of spare batteries available (here in the Philippines)
2. lack of sleep due to time spent having fun with camera
3. extra time needed to load images due to file size - :-)
Now if I can just upgrade my imagination to take advantage of what this can do.
My images | My blog | My free course
I could have used this Saturday night at the Rick Springfield concert (birthday present for my wife). We had awesome seats on the floor 8th row center. Lots of cameras including DSLRs. I didn't even think about bringing my camera until I was sitting there... The HD video would have been sweet but it was probably way, way to loud to get good sound.
One of the rather nice things about the 5D MKII, as a video acquisition tool, is the stereo microphone input port. Compared to cameras that lack this capability, this is a huge improvement.
There are indeed microphones designed to handle this sort of amplitude without loading up or distortion.
So how was the concert?
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Not bad for someone who is going to turn 60 in August, as I learned after the show. I would have guessed he may be near 50, but he looks much younger, say in his 30s.
This was a nice present for my wife. She wanted to see him with her older sister back when she was 12 and her parents said she was too young. This concert made up for that, falling on her birthday (one of those big milestone ones).
Forgive the shakey hand on the mountain, it was 40 degrees (in shorts) with a strong wind and no tripod.<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/eek7.gif" border="0" alt="" >
There are full 1920x1080 HD versions in this gallery:
Still not happy with the compression on final upload though, check the full HD versions for best viewing.
http://sacramentoimage.smugmug.com/gallery/7421382_fjxGs#479905211_bdSy8
Jose Bottle:
<object width="640" height="362"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="flashVars" value="s=ZT0xJmk9NDUzNzIxODYxJms9OUhLeG8mYT03MDc4ODc1X204dTdVJnU9c2FjcmFtZW50b2ltYWdl" /><embed src="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf" flashVars="s=ZT0xJmk9NDUzNzIxODYxJms9OUhLeG8mYT03MDc4ODc1X204dTdVJnU9c2FjcmFtZW50b2ltYWdl" width="640" height="362" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>
Full 1920x1080 version:
http://sacramentoimage.smugmug.com/gallery/7078875_m8u7U#453721861_9HKxo-X2-LB
Some mid-def surf shots I took:
<object width="640" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="flashVars" value="s=ZT0xJmk9NDc5OTA1MjExJms9YmRTeTgmYT03NDIxMzgyX2ZqeEdzJnU9c2FjcmFtZW50b2ltYWdl" /><embed src="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf" flashVars="s=ZT0xJmk9NDc5OTA1MjExJms9YmRTeTgmYT03NDIxMzgyX2ZqeEdzJnU9c2FjcmFtZW50b2ltYWdl" width="640" height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>
Full rez of the same (1920x1080)
http://sacramentoimage.smugmug.com/gallery/7421382_fjxGs#479905211_bdSy8-X2-LB
Big Island (Manua Kea):
<object width="640" height="362"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="flashVars" value="s=ZT0xJmk9NDc4Mzc5ODAwJms9RnRhdEsmYT03NDIxMzgyX2ZqeEdzJnU9c2FjcmFtZW50b2ltYWdl" /><embed src="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf" flashVars="s=ZT0xJmk9NDc4Mzc5ODAwJms9RnRhdEsmYT03NDIxMzgyX2ZqeEdzJnU9c2FjcmFtZW50b2ltYWdl" width="640" height="362" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>
1920x1280
http://sacramentoimage.smugmug.com/gallery/7421382_fjxGs#478379800_FtatK-X2-LB
<object width="640" height="362"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="flashVars" value="s=ZT0xJmk9NDc4MzY1ODU0Jms9b0pBNXEmYT03NDIxMzgyX2ZqeEdzJnU9c2FjcmFtZW50b2ltYWdl" /><embed src="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf" flashVars="s=ZT0xJmk9NDc4MzY1ODU0Jms9b0pBNXEmYT03NDIxMzgyX2ZqeEdzJnU9c2FjcmFtZW50b2ltYWdl" width="640" height="362" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>
1920x1080
http://sacramentoimage.smugmug.com/gallery/7421382_fjxGs/1/478365854_oJA5q#478365854_oJA5q-X2-LB
Avoid entanglement of dog with wheel spokes. - Old Honda Manual
--
If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies,
jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. -- Glenn Clark
[FONT=georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif][/FONT]
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
maybe I better start in getting something done with purpose from the video side of this camera... (not that I've done anything worth mentioning from the still side of things, haha, but still... I should try)
"Paris 26 Gigapixels is a stitching of 2346 single photos showing a very high-resolution panoramic view of the French capital (354159x75570 px)."
From the "... tower of Saint Sulpice." ... "We set up the motorized panoramic head on the parapet of the tower. We Installed on it 2 Canon 5D Mark II (21.1 MP) each with a 300 mm f4.0 with a tele converter in order to get a 600mm /f8.0 needed to beat the record. The use of 2 cameras we simply to reduce the shooting time for half.
The cameras were been set as follows:
300mm f4.0 with a tele converter 2x (equivalent 600mm f8.0)
Manual focus. We used the Live View (zoom and pan) to get a very precise focus control.
Priority diaphragm F13 (to have a bigger depth of field)
Iso 800
Speed 1/800 in order to reduce the heat haze
Recording in RAW
Compact Flash 16GB
The motorized head triggers the cameras."
http://www.paris-26-gigapixels.com/index-en.html
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Nice! Being able to see people at the stairs of Sacre-Coeur...
An error:
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
I *love* this about Tallyns. And yeah, it's not too-soon to ask them about Canon's 1Dx and get your place in line!
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
Link to my Smugmug site