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dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

10 Sep

I’ve used a multitude of different lenses over the years, but never one that I have loved using so much as my 35mm f1.4.

This lens fits with my style of photography. I like things fairly natural and unmanipulated. I love isolating my subject and enjoy being able to photograph in low light without a flash. Also, I prefer getting close to what I am photographing.

Buddha Face - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

My 35mm lens gives me a slightly wider field of view than our typical visual attention. Our visual attention is around 55 °, not including peripheral vision, and the angle of view of a 35mm on a full frame camera body is 63 °.

At wide aperture settings, this lens charms me. In most lighting conditions I can achieve super sharp focus and beautiful bokeh in my backgrounds. I am not left shaking in my boots wondering if my shutter speed is too slow.

This is not a review. This is an article about why I love my 35mm f1.4 lens and how I make the most of it in everyday use.

Why I Bought a 35mm f1.4 Lens

Nikkormat FTN with 50mm lens - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

My original Nikkomat FTN and 50mm f1.4 lens

My first camera, purchased second hand in 1983, was a Nikkormat FTN with a 50mm f1.4 lens. After using this lens for 28 years it was no longer consistently producing sharp photos. I think it was just worn out.

At the time I had the popular 24-70mm and 70-200mm f2.8 zooms but was not happy with either of them. They were big, heavy third party lenses that also did not always produce sharp images. For a number of reasons, I was gravitating back to using prime lenses. I’ve always had a collection of older primes and love them.

I became so familiar with my old 50mm. I loved the wide aperture but preferred a wider angle of view. After checking online for example photos produced by the 35mm f1.4 lens, I convinced myself it was worth the money. At US$ 1696 it is not cheap. But I figured that if I use it for 10 years it works out to less than 50 cents per day.

Versatility in Most Situations

Lotus Flowers - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

Capturing a diverse range of images with a single lens is a common reason people often prefer zooms. But I find I can use my 35mm lens to photograph just about anything. It just suits my style. I am not a sports or bird photographer so much.

For travel, street, environmental portraits, and even more standard portraits, I am happy to use my 35mm. At times I’ll need a telephoto to get in closer so I switch to my 105mm or a longer lens.

During the photography workshops I teach, this is often the only lens I take with me now. I can use it to demonstrate and make examples of anything that I am teaching. For the subjects I like to photograph I most often use this lens.

The great photographer Robert Capa said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.”

I find the 35mm lens is the perfect focal length to get close enough.

Street and Travel Photography

Poi Sang Long Festival - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

Whether you’re shooting wide, medium or close-up street compositions, the 35mm f1.4 can capture them all well.

Taking in the feeling of a market or parade with a wide photo is essential to have in a series of images. Often using a 24mm or wider lens can squeeze too much into one frame. Choosing a location far enough back from the scene to include a good amount of it works best with a 35mm.

Medium range compositions, where you photograph some of the environment and one main subject, are perfect for a 35mm lens. You can get in close and still easily show enough of the surroundings to keep your subject in context with your photo story.

I do like controlling how much or how little of the background is in focus in a medium range composition. I don’t always choose the widest aperture setting as too much detail from the story could be lost. Having the widest aperture of f1.4 gives me more flexibility in how far back I can get from my subject and still control the bokeh.

Macro photos are not possible with this lens, but I can get pretty close. The lens can focus down to about 30cm (1 foot). For including some detail in a photo series, this is often good enough. If I need a macro image I swap lenses for my 105mm or 55mm micro.

Malu young Thai girl - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

Environmental Portraits

Portraiture which includes some of the surroundings, telling more of the story, is my favorite genre of photography. I love using my 35mm f1.4 lens for creating environmental portraits. Being able to get in close enough to my subject and still see sufficient background is vital.

Connecting with my subjects is also important to me. Often I will be chatting with them while I am photographing. Other times I will be silent, only communicating with a smile and some gesturing.

Photographing with my 35mm I can create more intimate portraits than when I am further back with my 105mm.

Silver Temple Artist - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

I’ve photographed this guy working on his pressed metal art many times. He’s at the Silver Temple in Chiang Mai that we visit during one of our photography workshops. I know he is comfortable being photographed.

When he’s busy we don’t talk much, if at all. I can be close enough to him to exclude a lot of the clutter in the background and show just what he is working on. Then I can come in closer and capture a little more detail.

Silver Temple Artist close up - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

Regular Portraits

Photographers often prefer a longer lens than a 35mm for making regular portraits. I do use my 105mm much of the time for photographing people in posed positions. However, I like to create a variety of styles during a portrait session and I find my 35mm lens provides pleasing alternatives.

With wider lenses, you start to see some distortion, which is not all that great for portraits. At 35mm there is no real noticeable distortion, but even still, I usually will not place my subject at the edge of the frame.

Working with a model and using a 35mm lens it is important to build a rapport with them first. You do not want them feeling uncomfortable with you being so close. Showing them a sample of the photos you are taking will often help them relax and build their confidence in what you are doing. This is especially so if the model is concerned that being so close to the camera may be distorting their features.

This young woman was very confident and experienced in being photographed. Still, she was a little wary of me being so close. I had started the session photographing with my 105mm lens. Once I changed to the 35mm I made sure to show her some of the pictures I was taking with it and she loved them.

Thai Dancer - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

Architecture and Landscape Photography

It’s not at all uncommon to use a 35mm lens for landscapes or photographing buildings. There’s no huge advantage of having such a wide aperture for these subjects as I will typically want more rather than less in focus. At times I will focus on an element in the foreground and intentionally blur out most of the landscape in the background.

Lack of distortion makes the 35mm a good choice for architectural photography. Having a similar field of view to what we see naturally also helps structural photos look more natural.

Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai, Thailand - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

Loving a Lens

I’ve gotten a huge amount of use out of my 35mm f1.4 lens. The experience of using it frequently and really enjoying it has helped me to get to know it well. Being so familiar with a lens means you can make more creative photos with it.

35mm f1.4 Lens well loved - dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Why I Love My 35mm F1.4

My 35mm f1.4 looking well loved.

I love this lens and I have a feeling for it. I know, often by instinct, how much my background will be blurred. With the 35mm, I can be close enough to my subject to comfortably communicate with them. Also, I am able to include or exclude as much or little background detail as I want.

Lens love is different than lens lust. You can lust after a new lens every day of the week. To build a loving relationship with a lens you must be committed to taking it out frequently and enjoying spending time with it.

Here’s a video with more about why I love my 35mm f1.4 lens. Do you have a favorite lens? Which one, and why?

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dPS Writer’s Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

21 Feb

The Canon 100mm macro lens was on my Want List for such a long time, next to the Canon 10-22mm Ultra Wide-Angle. Oddly, once I did get it, I never used it, and it sat gathering dust in the cupboard for a couple of years. Now it is my go-to lens for doing still life, food and of course, macro photography.

dPS Writer's Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

Why is it my favorite lens?

Sharpness, image quality, color, and versatility – it has it all!

I know when using this lens it is going to pick up absolutely every detail, and when it is sharp it is crystal clear. Unfortunately, due to the combined weight of the lens (625g) on my Canon 7D MK II, I find it difficult to handhold and get sharp shots. So I use it on my tripod to guarantee the focus is bang on.

dPS Writer's Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

Merits of the Canon 100mm macro lens

This lens has a richness to the colors that I appreciate, it gives the best color reproduction of any of my lenses. Also when you are shooting at its native 2.8, the soft background blur is quite delicious as well.

Finally, the versatility of this lens, given it is a macro lens, is impressive. I use it for macro, food photography, flower photography, and other still life subjects. It is also a favorite lens for portrait photographers due to the factors that make it my personal favorite.

It’s quiet, it’s fast and it’s a lovely lens to use. Once I mastered the art of fine focusing with a really tiny depth of field and was able to consistently get sharp shots, the quality of the images impressed me more and more.

dPS Writer's Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

How I use it

1 – Food Photography

Working with natural light in my home studio sometimes means the light is not always abundant. Or possibly you need to filter it quite heavily so you don’t blow out the highlights on some whipped cream or icing. So working in slightly less than ideal light conditions is where I find this lens really comes into its own.

With a 67mm filter diameter, it has a lot of surface area to bring in the available light.  The native f/2.8 aperture captures all the light possible. While I might have to increase ISO a small amount, it is not enough to affect the quality of the image.

With such high image quality, capturing the finest small details really adds character to food shots taken with this lens. Water droplets on fruit or the tiny hairs on a raspberry become things of wonder, brought into view by the capabilities of this lens.

dPS Writer's Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

2. Flower Photography

Doing photography of flowers is what finally forced me to get my Canon 100mm lens out of storage and start using it. I had become interested in still life photography and was using flowers as the subject to base my compositions around.

Flowers offer so many opportunities to be creative with this lens, you can shoot the whole flower, move in to shoot just a portion of it, or really get into the macro side of things.

dPS Writer's Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

The lovely colour and soft bokeh suit flower photography very well, and I enjoy using it a great deal. It is a lot of fun to experiment with areas of selective focus or just using depth of field in unexpected ways.

dPS Writer's Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

3. Macro photography

There is a whole world of things too small for our eyes to see naturally that suddenly become revealed when we shoot with a macro lens. It is fascinating to uncover tiny details in everyday objects.

Playing with abstracts of textures or just exploring the things we cannot normally see are possible with the 100mm macro lens. The ordinary becomes extraordinary when you can get up close and personal. When my camera is mounted on my tripod, I know that I can get sharp focus with a very narrow depth of field on a very small subject.

dPS Writer's Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

 

4. Other options

I am not a portrait photographer but I do have cats, and they are fun to shoot with this lens as it picks up so much detail. I personally struggle to sucessfully handhold my 7D Mark II with this lens and get sharp images, so I don’t shoot with it off my tripod very often.

dPS Writer's Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

Specifications

The Canon EF 100mm F2.8 IS L Macro lens – full specifications on Canon site – 625g, minimum focus distance 300mm, Hybrid Image Stabilization for handheld macro shooting.

Pros

  • Sharpness
  • Depth of field
  • Bokeh is smooth
  • Color
  • Hybrid Image Stabilizing
  • EF and EFS compatible
  • 1:1 magnification
  • Comes with a lens hood and carry bag

Cons

  • Heavy and can be difficult to handhold, requiring a tripod
  • Expensive
  • 300mm minimum focus distance

Conclusion

Overall for me, the pros of shooting with this lens far outweigh the cons. Have you used the Canon 100mm macro lens or one similar? Please share in the comments below if you enjoy it as much as I do.

dPS Writer's Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro

The post dPS Writer’s Favourite Lens: Canon 100mm Macro by Stacey Hill appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: the Nikon 16-35mm F4

12 Jul

The Nikon 16-35mm f/4 lens is the one I use the most – here’s why!

As a full-time photographer, you quickly notice that your camera bag is constantly getting heavier and heavier as you find new equipment or gadgets that you need want. I’m not nearly as “bad” as many other photographers when it comes to purchasing gadgets and gear but I do have two camera systems and several lenses and extra equipment that I use on a regular basis. My main reason for having two systems is to have a lighter camera (the Fujifilm X-T2) for hikes but it’s also comforting to have a backup system in case something happens.

Nikon 16-35mm lens

I frequently get asked about the equipment I use, but the one question that sticks out the most is, “What is your most used or favorite lens?” This question is slightly difficult to answer as I have more than one favorite and it really depends on the situation. For example, if I’m photographing abstract shots I often use a telephoto zoom, while during the night I heavily rely on my ultra-wide angle Nikon 14-24mm. However, by looking at which lens I use the most and have relied upon more than the others, the question isn’t that hard to answer – it’s my beloved Nikon 16-35mm f/4.

Admittingly, when purchasing a Nikon D800 a few years back (which was my first full-frame camera), the Nikon 16-35mm was my lens of choice. For more than half a year it was the only lens I owned for this system. The lens is by far one of the most popular for those who use a full-frame Nikon camera but trust me, it’s not without a reason.

Wide Enough

Nikon 16-35mm

Landscape photography is my main genre of photography. While I’m often attracted to smaller scenes and more intimate shots, the majority of my images are captured with a wide-angle lens as I love photographing grand landscapes. The 16-35mm isn’t the widest lens I own (you’d be surprised how big the difference between 14mm and 16mm actually is) but it’s more than wide enough for most types of landscape photography.

Since it is a wide-angle zoom and not a prime lens, it’s a good option if you’re only able to bring one lens. I often use this lens at 35mm, especially when I’m in the woods and I want to remove unwanted parts from the image. Such was the case with the image below where I zoomed in to remove the blown out sky and tops of the trees.

Distortion is also fairly low with the 16-35mm and even enlarged the image is more or less sharp even in the outer corners. This is something that’s been a common challenge amongst other ultra wide-angle lenses. Vignetting is also close to non-existent even at the widest aperture, which is great for the few times I actually need to use f/4 (quite rare with this lens).

Nikon 16-35mm

Technical Info

If you regularly follow my articles and photography you’ll know that I’m not the most technical person and I rarely spend too much time focusing on the technical aspects of the gear. I’m more focused on the images I can produce with the specific lens and image quality. Anyways, I know many of you are curious about some of these technical aspects so let’s quickly look at the specs:

  • Focal length: 16-35mm
  • Maximum aperture: f/4
  • Minimum aperture: f/22
  • Angle of view: 107° – 63°
  • Closest focusing distance: 0.29 m (1.0 ft.)
  • Filter diameter: 77mm
  • Weight: 680 g/24.0 oz.

Writer's Favorite Lens: the Nikon 16-35mm F4

With a 77mm filter size, this lens is compatible with standard sized square filter systems such as the NiSi V5 Pro Holder (100mm square filters). That means that you don’t need a new filter system in order to use them on this lens. That’s something which is valuable for me personally as carrying more equipment than is actually needed can be exhausting on longer hikes.

Focus and Sharpness

I really love that you can focus almost directly in front of the lens, making it possible to place foreground elements extremely close in order to add extra depth in the images. As a landscape photographer I mostly use manual focus but whenever I’m without my tripod and I use the autofocus on this lens, I’m very satisfied. The lens easily focuses and the image looks sharp even when using a semi-slow shutter speed handheld.

Writer's Favorite Lens: the Nikon 16-35mm F4

Did I mention that it’s sharp? It’s incredibly sharp. In fact, it’s probably the sharpest Nikon lens I have ever tried. Still, several years after purchasing it I’m blown away at times by how sharp the images are when viewing large (zoomed in or 1:1).

The Negatives

I’ve been sitting here for a while trying to think of things I dislike about the Nikon 16-35mm f/4 but there’s honestly not much bad I can say. It’s by far one of the best lenses I’ve ever used and despite it being released in 2010, it’s still considered to be one of Nikon’s flagship lenses.

Writer's Favorite Lens: the Nikon 16-35mm F4

My only negative comment is that f/4 isn’t always enough. For night photography, you want to use the largest aperture possible to capture as many details in the sky as you can. In that case, the Nikon 16-35mm is not the ideal lens. However, we can’t expect everything in one lens, right?

Conclusion

Even though it was the first lens I purchased for my first full-frame camera and is a relatively old lens, it still remains my most used. Unless Nikon comes with a mindblowing update to it, I can’t see myself replacing this lens anytime soon.

The Nikon 16-35mm f/4 will continue to be my most used lens in the time to comes. It’s a lens I highly recommend to anyone wanting to get started with wide-angle photography.

The post dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: the Nikon 16-35mm F4 by Christian Hoiberg appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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dPS Writer’s Favorite Lenses: I’m Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

09 Mar
My Favourite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

I use my 50mm lens almost exclusively when I’m shooting abstract images.

I won’t lie to you, I’m genuinely torn here. There are two lenses that I could probably say were my favorites. One of those lenses became my favorite out of necessity. It was the only one I owned when I first started shooting with a DSLR. The other became favorite because of its versatility and something much more personal than professional.

My Favourite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

This image was shot with my 50mm lens. It was one of my first attempts at fine art photography. It’s so sharp.

My Favourite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

The large aperture of the 50mm allowed me to shoot during low-light situations.

It all started with the 50mm lens

Let’s head back in history to 2006 when I bought my first DSLR. I found a used Canon Rebel for sale online for $ 200. It came with a 50mm prime lens. That was fantastic; it was in my budget. I didn’t have a lot of money at the time as I was raising three kids under the age of six. I struck a deal with the seller, and I was in business.

When I went to my first camera course, the instructor laughed when he saw my gear. I thought, at first he was making fun of my gear. But, I was wrong, he was excited for me. He said having just the one lens would push me to be creative and to learn and find out how to take great photos. I would have no choice but to think about my composition because of the limitations of my gear. He said he wished all of his students were as limited as I was and that relying on gadgets and a zoom lens stunted creativity. They could essentially cheat instead of learning to see the photograph and position themselves correctly. He inspired me to push myself to learn everything I could about 50mm.

My Favourite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

The 50mm lens is ideal for portraits. It’s lightweight and easy for me to move around with.

I shot landscapes, portraits, macros, and everything in between. I love my 50mm lens because it’s light-weight and affordable. But, I love my nifty 50 because my photos are tack sharp. The bokeh with it is beautiful too, and I love experimenting with the larger aperture. The lens offers photographers so many creative possibilities. Seriously, what lens could be better?

My Favourite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

This is one of the rare times that I was able to use my 50mm with my family.

My second love – the 70-200mm f/2.8

I love the bokeh in this shot. The 70-200mm f/2.8 is awesome for this feature.

Well, it’s time for my second love to make an entrance. I love my 70-200mm f/2.8. This lens was also my first big glass purchase. I scrimped and saved for months to be able to buy it. At the time it seemed like an immense sacrifice, but it was worth it.

The lens is very versatile. I can use it for portraits, indoor sports, macro shooting, and candid images on the street. Really, I can use it for anything. It’s not overly heavy so I can hand hold it for extended periods of time, which is very nice. The large aperture is helpful for low light situations or when I need a fast shutter speed. It’s tack sharp, and the bokeh is beautiful. I take it everywhere. My 70-200mm has been on canoe trips and suffered rainstorms (albeit covered with a large garbage bag). It is my workhorse.

dPS Writer's Favorite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

The focal length of the 70-200mm is perfect for so many types of shots including street shooting or silhouettes at the beach.

All the reasons I listed, however, are not why this lens is my favorite. There is one thing about this lens that makes it unique. This one thing is more personal than it is professional. Those of you who have children will totally connect with me on this element. The longer focal length of this lens means that I can capture authentic images of my family.

My kids are very much sick of their mother taking their photos. They’ve been there and done that far too much. I can never get them to cooperate when I use my 50mm. Instead, my 70-200mm allows me to capture them from a distance. I can be discreet and not invade their fun. I can catch them laughing and acting naturally. Some of my most cherished shots have come from moments like this.

I’m sure my family knows I have my camera out and pointed at them, but because I’m not right in their faces they forget about me. Or at the very least they can ignore me. It’s the one thing I can’t do with my 50mm, and for this reason, the 70-200mm wins a special place in my heart.

dPS Writer's Favorite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

I like shooting landscapes with the 70mm range on this lens.

There are emotional ties to this lens

dPS Writer's Favorite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

He was just having fun. He wasn’t aware of my presence with my camera. Yes, his face is a little soft, but this shot is emotional and personal, not professional.

Forget all the features and the specs. I’m not overly worried about chromatic aberration or vibration reduction controls. The 70-200mm holds a place in my heart because it allows me to capture the love and adoration I have for my children. I can make precious memories. My 70-200mm is an emotional favorite. It’s a very personal preference. It is a beautiful, durable, incredible lens that helps me succeed in my business – but it also helps me to capture personal memories.

dPS Writer's Favorite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

Capturing joy; I think it’s a great reason to love this lens.

dPS Writer's Favorite Lenses: I'm Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8

I could have zoomed in more, but I wanted to capture the environment too.

Your favorite lens

What’s your favorite lens? Share it with us in the comments below. Maybe you love your inexpensive 18-55mm kit lens. Tell us why. We want to hear your stories. Forget the specs, what kinds of joy does the lens bring to your life?

My teenager has become so jaded that my 70-200mm is the only way I can capture images of him.

The post dPS Writer’s Favorite Lenses: I’m Torn Between My Nifty Fifty and 70-200mm F2.8 by Erin Fitzgibbon appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens – the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L-Series Lens

13 Feb

Last August I bought the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM L-series lens for myself as a birthday gift. Since then it’s been in almost constant use as I’ve photographed horses and wildlife in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, and Utah. I’ve made more than 14,000 images with it in the last five months! Read on to learn more about why I love this lens so much.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Salt River wild horse yearling with ferns – 5D Mark III, Canon 100-400mm @ 248mm, 1/350th, f/5.6, ISO 8000.

Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM technical specs:

  • Focal Length: 100-400mm
  • Maximum Aperture: f/4.5-5.6, variable
  • Minimum Focusing Distance: 3.2 feet (0.98m)
  • Zoom: Rotation
  • Filter Size: 77mm
  • Weight: 3.62 pounds (1.64kg)
  • Price: $ 2,049.00 USD (at the time of writing this article)

Compared to the Canon 200-400mm

Compared to other lenses of similar focal length the Canon 100-400mm is a bargain, especially since there’s no sacrifice to image quality. Compare it to the Canon flagship telephoto lens, the 200-400mm f/4 which is a whopping $ 10,999. The 100-400mm lens is a moderate $ 2,049. Of course, the 100-400mm is one to two stops slower than the 200-400mm but for an $ 8,800 price reduction, I can handle the loss. I think you probably can too.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Salt River wild horse with bird, monochrome – Canon 5D Mark III, 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, 1/1000th, f/8, ISO 500.

Those of you who know long lenses also know that the 200-400mm has a built-in 1.4x extender. Sold separately, those are about $ 500 so if you invest in one (and you should) your savings between the two lenses is now $ 8,300. In other words, you still save a small fortune by shooting with the 100-400mm lens instead of the 200-400mm.

Lastly, the 200-400mm weighs in at almost 8 pounds (3.63 kg). By shooting with the 100-400mm, you also save your back, neck, hands, and shoulders from a lot of wear and tear. I personally can’t hand hold an 8-pound lens, which means to use the 200-400mm I’d also have to carry a heavy monopod with a gimbal head. My always-aching upper body thanked me for buying the 100-400mm instead.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Peeking Salt River wild foal – Canon 5D Mark III, 100-400mm lens @ 340mm, 1/350th, f/8, ISO 500.

Practical size

For a telephoto lens of its focal length, the 100-400mm is a relatively compact, hand-holdable, and practical lens. I can attach it to my Canon 7DII or Canon 5DIII camera bodies and shoot with it all day long without using a monopod or tripod. The combination with either camera weighs in at about 6 pounds (2.72 kg). Note that that’s a whole 2 pounds (907g) less than just the weight alone of the 200-400mm lens. It’s a lot of focal length, in a fairly small package.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Splashing Salt River wild stallion, monochrome – Canon 5D Mark III, 100-400mm lens @ 278mm, 1/750th, f/6.7, ISO 500.

The 100-400mm lens also easily fits into my Kata backpack (now manufactured by Manfrotto). When I pack for an equine and wildlife photography trip, I cram the 100-400mm, 70-200mm, 24-105mm, extender, both my camera bodies, laptop, hard drives and a slew of accessories into this bag. Yes, it’s a great bag and holds a lot for its size but the point is, the 100-400mm fits in it. Larger lenses like the 200-400mm would not.

The 100-400mm is on the left; accessories like batteries, cards, and a rocket blower fit in the same divider, tucked in at the top of the bag. 7DII is in the middle with 24-105mm attached, the open divider is for the 5DIII camera body (which I used to take the pic). 70-200mm lens is on the right; 1.4x extender fits in the same divider in its own little case, tucked in at the top of the bag.

Same arrangement, top view.

Bag zips!

Features of the Mark II version

If you’ve shot with the original 100-400mm lens, the Mark II has some great new features and I’d recommend upgrading. The original was more of a pumping action when you extended it. The Mark II extends with a twisting action. Twisting to extend is faster and easier to use than the original mechanism. There’s also a ring that you can tighten or loosen, increasing or decreasing the torque on the twisting mechanism. In other words, if you want to rapidly zoom in and out, you loosen the ring to reduce the torque. If you want to keep the lens zoomed at a specific focal length, or locked into its most compact position, you can tighten the ring and increase the torque.

It’s a very intuitive motion. As you use the lens, you’ll find your hand easily moves from the rubber grip used to adjust the focus to the grip used to extend the focal length and to the adjustment ring.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Cumberland Island wild horse in the live oak shadows, monochrome – Canon 5D Mark III, 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, 1/350th, f/9.5, ISO 320.

Built to last

The Canon 100-400mm lens is also built to last. The metal, weather-sealed build is why I always invest in original, L-series Canon lenses. I trip, I fall, I drop things. It’s just part of who I am. When I invest in a lens that I plan to use all the time, it can’t be a fragile little thing that needs to be babied. It has to be able to withstand my clumsiness plus dusty, desert winds, and driving snowstorms.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Antelope Valley wild horse snuggles – Canon 7D Mark II, 100-400mm lens with 1.4x III extender @ 560mm, 1/200th, f/8, ISO 200.

Just a few weeks ago I was shooting in very snowy, wet, conditions in Nevada. When I made it back to the car, I was soaked. My camera and lens were also dripping with melting snow. I toweled everything off and had a moment of panic when the inside of the lens fogged just a tiny bit. Happily, 15 minutes later, the slight condensation dissipated. If the lens hadn’t had such excellent weather sealing, that snow storm might have ended my shoot. A lens with a cheaper build may have been out of commission for days.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Wild horse blizzard in Antelope Valley – Canon 7D Mark II, 100-400 @ 400mm, 1/250th, f/9, ISO 800.

Superfast autofocus

This lens focuses quickly, especially on my 7DII. I rarely miss a fleeting moment. I’ve actually captured images other people in my group are surprised to see. I credit that both to the fast focusing ability and the maneuverability of the 100-400mm lens.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Antelope Valley wild horses snow globe – Canon 7D Mark II, 100-400mm with 1.4x III extender @ 560mm, 1/4000th, f/8, ISO 1000.

On occasion, I do have trouble focusing due to low contrast. Let’s face it, that happens to all of us. With this lens, I pull back a bit to 200mm or 300mm, grab the manual focus ring and dial in until I start to feel like I have an edge. Once I do, I use back-button focus to lock in sharpness. Once I’m focused, I zoom back to 400mm. The focus holds through this transition and I grab the shot. It’s quick and magical. None of the other long lenses I’ve used have quite the same intuitive feel for focusing.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Antelope Valley winter white wild stallion – Canon 7D Mark II, 100-400 @ 400mm, 1/4000th, f/5.6, ISO 500.

Flexibility

One of my favorite aspects of this lens is its flexibility. I use all focal lengths and apertures of this lens without hesitation. For a standard 100-400mm, I attach it to my full frame 5DIII. For a little extra reach, I attach it to my crop sensor 7DII.

On a crop sensor, the effective focal length of the 100-400mm increases to 160-640mm (1.6x). If I need even more reach, I add the Canon 1.4x Extender and the effective focal length on my 7DII increases to 224-896mm. The extender also increases the total weight by about 8 ounces, but I don’t even notice it.

Note: For Canon crop sensor cameras, multiply the focal length by the 1.6x crop factor to determine the effective focal length. Read more here: Crop Factor Explained.

With the Canon 1.4x Extender

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Antelope Valley band of wild horses running in the snow – Canon 7D Mark II, 100-400mm with 1.4x III extender @ 560mm, 1/1000th, f/8, ISO 1000.

I love using an extender with this lens. At 400mm, the minimum aperture is f/8, which is my preferred wildlife setting anyway. Autofocus is still blazing fast, although it is limited to the center focus point when the extender is attached. I haven’t seen a significant loss of quality or sharpness with the extender. Since I can still handhold this combination, even if there was a slight loss, I’d be more than okay with it. A slight loss of sharpness is always preferred (in my book at least) to missing a shot because you were fiddling with your tripod or just didn’t have the reach you needed.

Note: Read more about extenders here: The Pros and Cons of Using Teleconverters (Extenders) on your DSLR.

Stability

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Salt River stallion and son eating eel grass in the river – Canon 5D Mark III, 100-400mm @ 400mm, f/9.5, 1/125th, ISO 320.

My job as a photographer is to put myself in the right place at the right time, to find the beauty once I’ve put myself in that place, and to understand the light and compose my image. My gear gives me the technical boost I need to pull all that off.

I’m going to be honest here, I’ve rarely shot with third-party lenses. I can’t compare Canon lens IS (Image Stabilization) to other brands. But, what I can tell you is that when I find myself shooting at 400mm with a 1.4 extender at a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/250th, it’s not my steady hands ensuring that my shot is in focus – it’s Canon’s. Their IS in this lens is like a super power. It is exactly the technical boost I need to make the images I want to make.

Even works for panoramas

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Ely County Nevada Open Range, panorama – Canon 7D Mark II, 100-400mm @ 100, 1/320th, f/11, ISO 250.

I’ve even used this lens to create panoramas – handheld, no less. If I’m using the 100-400mm and I see a gorgeous vista, I set the lens to 100mm. I create a very secure hold by pressing together my elbows and locking them into my chest. Then I slowly click my way through the scene. Lightroom or Photoshop both do an amazing job of stitching and correcting perspective issues. If you’re a landscape photographer you might be horrified at this method but if you’re a wildlife photographer, it’s truly another practical tool in your photographic arsenal.

Image quality

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Salt River wild mare silhouette at sunset – Canon 5D Mark III, 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, 1/8000th, f/11, ISO 600.

With all this technical talk, you might be wondering why I haven’t said all that much about image quality. I’ve included over a dozen images here and I hope that speaks for itself. Details render crisply. I haven’t discovered any artifacts or unusual aberration in any of the 14,000+ images I’ve shot with this lens.

In wildlife images, I prefer a creamy blurred background rather than a bubbly bokeh background since I find that big, bokeh circles detract from my subject. This lens renders the sort of backgrounds that I prefer.

Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Backlit Cumberland Island wild horse at sunset – Canon 5D Mark III, 100-400mm lens @ 100mm, 1/500th, f/4.5, ISO 2000.

Shooting into the sun for a backlit image produces just the right amount of lens flair. Shooting with the sun at my back or off to my side produces just the right amount of contrast. With bright overcast skies, the lens still shapes the light beautifully.

The Canon 100-400mm lens renders color in a very neutral way. While it’s fun that some lenses render brighter or more vivid colors, I prefer to have a more neutral starting point when I begin to edit my RAW images.

Over to you

In all, this is the absolute best birthday gift I’ve ever given myself. I even wish I’d bought it before I upgraded my 70-200mm.

What about you? Have you used either the original or Mark II version of the Canon 100-400mm lens? Or do you have another favorite telephoto zoom lens? Share your feedback on your favorite lens with the dPS community in the comments below.

Shop for the Canon 100-400mm lens here:

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Favorite Lens Canon 100-400mm

Mom!! – Canon 7D Mark II, 100-400mm lens with 1.4x III extender @ 560mm, 1/1250th, f/8 ISO 800.

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The post dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens – the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L-Series Lens by Lara Joy Brynildssen appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G

14 Sep

A few years ago Nikon started revamping their lens lineup to include faster focusing, better coatings on the glass elements, and for the first time, no manual control over the size of the aperture. This series of lenses was given the “G” moniker, and one of the earliest that went into production is still one of the best: the 35mm f/1.8G.

This inexpensive little workhorse is not only supremely versatile but performs well beyond its price range in almost any shooting situation. It was designed to work for crop-sensor cameras, which Nikon refers to as DX models, but in many circumstances, it works just fine on full-frame FX cameras as well. I enjoy shooting mostly portraits and nature photography and there’s hardly a situation in which this 35mm lens doesn’t give me good results. It’s by far my favorite lens, and I’d like to share a little bit more to let you know why.

favorite-lens-nikon-35mm-seattle-skyline

Seattle skyline, photographed with the 35mm f/1.8G DX on a Nikon D7100.

One of the best features of the 35mm 1.8G lens is something that could also be seen as a significant limitation: it does not zoom in and out. It’s a prime lens which means it has a fixed focal length. So if you are used to twisting your lens to get a close-up view of your subject, you will have to train your mind to think about things a bit differently when using this lens. Since it is permanently stuck at 35mm you have to use your feet and get creative when shooting pictures. But once you get past this limitation you will start to notice that it pales in comparison to one of its most important strengths: a super wide aperture.

Fixed focal length, amazing results

If you’re not entirely familiar with what the term aperture means, it’s basically the opening in your lens that lets light pass through. This is an f/1.8 lens which means it has a huge maximum aperture, or opening, compared to some other lenses, especially most zooms. This feature allows the lens to capture much more light so you rarely have to use the flash, and also helps you get the kind of smooth blurry backgrounds you see in professional-style portraits. The f/1.8 aperture is the one key factor that makes this lens so incredibly useful and versatile. Even though it lacks the ability to zoom in and out it’s a tradeoff well worth making, in my opinion.

I took this quick snapshot of my niece while she was playing with her cousins, but the wide f/1.8 aperture on the 35mm lens gave me a nice blurry background.

I took this quick snapshot of my niece while she was playing with her cousins. The wide f/1.8 aperture on the 35mm lens gave me a nice blurry background.

Avoid dreaded pop-up flash issues

Before I got into more advanced photography several years ago I owned a decent pocket camera. While it did take good pictures in broad daylight, any time the sun even started to get low on the horizon it would fire the flash and bathe everything in a weird artificial light. I noticed the same thing happening to my friends with DSLR cameras too, and couldn’t figure out why even the more expensive cameras were always turning on the pop-up flash when the lighting was dim.

If you have wondered about this yourself, the answer almost certainly relates to the aperture of your lens. Smaller apertures let in less light, which therefore require the use of an additional light source like a flash in order to take a picture. The 35mm f/1.8 lens almost never has that problem because it lets in so much light (when you shoot at f/1.8), which can seem like a miracle from heaven if you are tired of shooting so many of your photos with the flash turned on.

The lighting in this church was very poor, but thanks to the f/1.8 aperture I got several photos of this baby at his baptism without using the a flash.

The lighting in this church was very poor, but thanks to the wide f/1.8 aperture I got several photos of this baby at his baptism without using the flash.

Whether you are out taking photos of nature and wildlife, doing paid portrait sessions, or just snapping photos of your kids playing around the house, the f/1.8 aperture is going to give you outstanding results if you are used to a lens with a smaller aperture. I was blown away when I first started shooting with this and other prime lenses and began realizing that I could use the natural light all around me to get the photos I was really trying to shoot. That, instead of constantly relying on a tiny little pop-up flash.

No zoom, no problem

Many years ago when some of my photographer friends first recommended a prime lens to me I thought they were joking. Why on earth would anyone want a lens that doesn’t zoom in and out? The fixed focal length of a prime lens, I soon realized, forces you to be more creative and puts you in a different frame of mind than a zooming lens by making you work around a limitation. In the years since, as my collection of lenses has grown to include several prime lenses, I keep coming back to this specific 35mm f/1.8 lens as a workhorse not just for daily pictures of my family but for professional photo sessions too. 35mm is somewhere between a wide angle and telephoto lens, which makes it ideally suited for a variety of types of photography. It’s not too zoomed out and not too zoomed in, so it’s kind of like the Goldilocks of camera lenses. It’s just right.

In the years since, as my collection of lenses has grown to include several prime lenses, I keep coming back to this specific 35mm f/1.8 lens as a workhorse. It’s not just for daily pictures of my family but for professional photo sessions too. 35mm is somewhere between a wide angle and telephoto lens, which makes it ideally suited for a variety of genres of photography. It’s not too zoomed out and not too zoomed in, so it’s kind of like the Goldilocks of camera lenses. It’s just right.

favorite-lens-nikon-35mm-olympic-mountains

The Cascade Mountains: shot with the 35mm 1.8G DX on a Nikon D7100

Is like “normal”

On a crop-sensor camera like the Nikon D3300 or D7200 the focal length of this lens is multiplied 1.5x which puts it right about 50mm, or very close to what the human eye naturally perceives. This means that the image you see when you hold your camera up to compose a shot is very similar to that which you would see without any camera at all. There is very little distortion, and everything just tends to look…well…

There is very little distortion, and everything just tends to look…well…normal. I know some people are put off by this type of lens because it’s so pedestrian that it borders on boring, and because it does so many things well it also excels at nothing in particular. However I happen to like the 35mm focal length precisely because of the photos I can get with it, and also because it’s wide enough that I can take pictures at relatively slow shutter speeds like 1/45 second and not worry too much about motion blur.

favorite-lens-nikon-35mm-kansas

Hay bales in Kansas: shot with the 35mm 1.8G DX on a Nikon D7100

Works on full frame too

One bonus feature, of this lens in particular, is that, unlike some other lenses that are designed for crop-sensor cameras, this one performs quite well on full-frame models too. If I put it on my D750 I can get outstanding results provided I shoot around f/4. If I use an aperture much smaller than that, however, it starts to exhibit some pretty bad vignetting on the corners.

This makes the lens ideal for situations where you want to get a little closer to your subjects for pictures that are a little more personal and intimate, and also for landscapes where you want to take in a much broader view of the scene. All this for a lens that costs about $ 200 and you can hopefully see why it is, without question, my favorite lens.

favorite-lens-nikon-35mm-hairless-cat

Even though this lens is designed for crop-sensor cameras, it works fine on full-frame cameras like the D750 if you can put up with some vignetting around the corners. This allowed me to get right in the middle of the action while having a wide enough angle to get several people in the shot.

I recommend this lens often

I often have people ask me for recommendations when it comes to camera lenses, and if they are Nikon shooters my advice is always the same: The 35mm f/1.8G DX. I recently followed up with about a dozen friends and family members to see if my recommendation was to their liking after using the lens for several months. Every single one of them said that yes, the lens was great and did just what they were hoping it would do. Some said that it helped them explore new aspects of photography and while a few had since augmented their collection with zoom lenses or other primes, they all agreed that this particular lens worked like a charm.

favorite-lens-nikon-35mm-fountains

Theta Pond: shot with the 35mm 1.8G DX lens on a Nikon D7100

At this point, it probably sounds like I’m some kind of paid shill for Nikon, but I promise you that is not the case. I buy all my gear the same as anyone else and have never gotten any lenses, cameras, or other gear from Nikon or any other company. I just like this lens so much, and I think you would too, that I can’t help but gush about how it’s by far the favorite one in my kit and the one that gets used more often than anything else. But what about you? Do you have this lens and if so, what do you think of it? What other lenses do you like that you wish other people would learn about? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

But what about you? Do you have the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G lens? If so, what do you think of it? What other lenses do you like that you wish other people would learn about? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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Wanted: Homepage content tips and freelance writers!

07 Jul

We’re on the lookout for freelance writers to contribute news and short feature content for our homepage. If you’re an experienced writer with great editorial instincts who loves ferreting out interesting and unusual photo-related content, we want to hear from you. 

If you’re interested in contributing to dpreview.com, click here and tell us about yourself – preferably with links to published work. If we like the cut of your jib, we’ll be in touch.

If you’re not interested in writing for DPReview, but you’ve found an interesting story that you think we should write about, you can submit suggestions here.

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Is HDR dead? Some dPS Writer’s Thoughts on this Controversial Topic

02 Jun

HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography has been around for quite a few years now. It is a technique that allows you as a photographer to use bracketed images, to capture as much of the dynamic range in a given scene as possible. Dynamic range is the measurable difference between the brightest highlights, and darkest shadows, in a scene that you are photographing.

Lions Gate Bridge Vancouver - HDR image

Lions Gate Bridge Vancouver – HDR from three bracketed images.

HDR became a very useful tool a few years ago as digital cameras were initially really bad at exposing the highlights in a scene correctly. Many photographers (myself included) would expose for the highlights in the scene and then pull back detail in the shadows in Photoshop or Lightroom. This technique caused other problems. When editing afterwards in Photoshop, the shadow areas that had been lightened were really noisy, and looked gritty and low quality. HDR came along and solved some of these issues.

HDR was able to blend the highlights in the scene correctly and show details in the shadows. This was great news, and almost overnight, there were many top photographers singing the praises of this new technique. It was really a huge step forward in the digital photography world. There were a few glitches though. If you wanted to do HDR images, you needed to purchase a third party piece of software, Photoshop did not have an HDR tool at first. Secondly, you had to shoot between three and five bracketed shots to get all the detail into the final image. If you did both those things, and you did them well, you were rewarded with a unique looking image.

The other challenge was that the HDR software often made images look overdone. While the dynamic range in the HDR image was good, there were often halos and artifacting in the image. Sometimes the saturation was erratic and the images looked just a little weird. For a time, this HDR look became quite trendy. Trey Ratcliff became one of the leading voices on HDR, and was a proponent of using HDR wherever possible and on any image. He gathered a strong following and HDR became the new thing to do to your images.

A somewhat overdone HDR image

A somewhat overdone HDR image

Fast forward to today. In recent years, the new camera sensors have improved on their dynamic range ability significantly. Also, improvements in RAW editors and quality means that cameras are now able to capture a lot more information that they did even five years ago, and a good RAW editor can bring back significant detail in the shadows and highlights.

So, the big question is this, is HDR dead or will it make a comeback? To add some insight to this, a few weeks ago, we posed this question to our own dPS writers and here are some of their responses:

What dPS writers have to say about HDR

All I know is, when I shoot my D750 at base ISO I can get more colors, and pull more from the shadows than I ever could on my D7100 with 5 stops of bracketed shots. So yeah…maybe the whole idea of bracketing to get HDR is going the way of the dodo bird. – Simon Ringsmuth

Sun rays wash over Kathmandu, Nepal (HDR by Peter West Carey)

Sun rays wash over Kathmandu, Nepal (HDR by Peter West Carey)

I think the technique has reached a more comfortable point, in that most people can recognize the truly horrible overcooked stuff now, and shy away from it….and more and more photographers are being responsible with it, merely pulling some dynamic range in their images with positive results. Lightroom doesn’t do a great job with the HDR merge, but the one thing it does is limit the super hot, overcooked messes 3rd party software can create. Personally, if I’m bracketing, I use LR to do a very subtle tonal merge. So I think LR will take a bit more of that market, especially as they update and improve the merge tool. So it’s not dead, in my humble opinion, it’s not even reborn. It’s just morphed into something a bit more pleasing, and still relevant. But it’s also true that these sensors are allowing for some really amazing single-file stuff. – Tim Gilbreath

The over processed, halo skies, over saturated look are popular on Instagram! But that’s about it now. HDR has been declining in popularity (at least amongst pro’s) for a while now…medium format users have always had an advantage, though! – Daniel Smith

HDR by Leanne Cole

HDR by Leanne Cole

HDR might not be dead, but the newer DSLR (especially the newer full frames) wider dynamic range makes it needed less. I only do HDR when I can’t get the range I am looking to achieve in the final image. LR’s merge to HDR has made creating HDR much easier. I like the natural look to HDR, and not the overcooked look that some are using. Since switching to full frame I don’t do nearly as many HDR images as I once did. – Bruce Wunderlich

It’s becoming less and less important, and in 5 years it won’t be needed, in that dynamic range and presentation out of camera will be the same as what the human eye sees. Beyond some artistic renderings, once you pass what the eye and brain are used to, it jolts people out of the natural experience and into something else, another form of art. I don’t like having to use HDR techniques and am happy that LR’s version works just fine for most of my uses. I just WYSIWIG straight out of the camera. As a side note, the in-camera HDR in the Canon 7D Mark II is not that usable, and I’d rather do it in post-processing. – Peter West Carey

HDR by Peter West Carey

HDR by Peter West Carey

Cameras will continue to improve. We saw the megapixel war, and the ISO range war, and now maybe there will be a dynamic range war. In regards to software I think we’ve seen both simplified solutions (i.e., Lightroom’s built-in option) and more complex solutions (Trey’s Ratcliffs new software – Aurora HDR) try and tackle the job. In the long run, simplified wins in my mind, especially as cameras become more capable. HDR as a style though, may still persist. I’d argue that overall it will continue to mature as a style, and as a result the over processed, over saturated photos, will become fewer and fewer – but there will still be those that enjoy that type of work – so it could still persist. – John Davenport

I really think the HDR war is going to be the new frontier, at least for the next few years. Even on mobile phones it’s going to be all about how much light you can capture (i.e. shooting at high ISO values, or making lenses with wider apertures) but ultimately the focus is going to be on coaxing as much data out of the image as possible. Whether through automated in-camera software processes, which we already see quite a bit, or using software like Lightroom or Aurora HDR, we’re going to see a lot of emphasis not on how many pixels the image has, but what software can do with those pixels to make the best possible image. – Simon Ringsmuth

I rarely do HDR now, but I still love it for night photography. – Leanne Cole

leannecole-Is HDR dead article-1

HDR by Leanne Cole

When we were browsing real estate listings the other day, the listings were FULL of HDR photos of things like…people’s living rooms. We’re not talking million dollar homes, or spectacular views. We’re talking Joe Plumber’s 1000 sq. ft. starter home HDR’ed to high heavens. It looked so absurd! – Meredith Clark

I have the D750 and its dynamic range is phenomenal! However, I have never been a fan of the over processed HDR effect that seemed popular at one time…or maybe still is! – Sarah Hipwell

HDR processing still has its place. While today’s cameras capture a higher dynamic range than older cameras, there are still situations when blending exposures results in greater detail throughout the range. To avoid the “overcooked” look, which thankfully was a fad, I tend to blend my exposures manually rather than use a plugin. – Anne McKinnell

HDR-dead-dps717px-01

HDR of 6 bracketed images, merged and processed in LR – image by Darlene

HDR isn’t new, it’s decades old. Ansel Adams did it with his Zone System and dodging and burning in the darkroom were also a form of HDR (tone control for more detail). Somewhere along the way it became more about a particular style. To me, HDR simply means what the letters stand for – High Dynamic Range – which represents a scene that your camera is unable to capture the entire tonal range due to high contrast. How that is dealt with that is up to each photographer. Do you bracket and blend exposures, do you use layer masking or luminosity masks to open up detail, or do you just let it all fall where it may and go realist? I’ve gone through all the stages of an HDR photographer and now I tend to lean towards more natural, and using LR’s merge to HDR works for me. – dPS Managing Editor Darlene Hildebrandt

What has changed?

With all the new sensors and updated software (Lightroom, Photoshop and standalone products like Aurora HDR and Photomatix) there are plenty of options to create truly amazing HDR images. The other option is to create a well balanced, and well edited photo, from just one image. This requires a bit of know-how with your chosen image editing suite. But with a bit of practice, you can create some amazing images that have just as much detail as any HDR image. Also, your images will look more realistic, and sometimes that may be necessary (for example, you may be shooting for a client who does not like the HDR look).

Below you will see an example where I have compiled an HDR image from 3 bracketed images. The next image is the best shot edited alone in Photoshop CC.

This image was 3 shots processed in HDR software

This image was 3 shots processed in 3rd party HDR software

This image was a one stop underexposed shot, edited in Photoshop CC

This image was a one stop underexposed shot, edited in Photoshop CC

Depending on what your goal is with HDR, you can achieve a lot with the right editing tool. The single image above, that was edited was done from one image, was shot on a Nikon D800 and edited in Photoshop CC. The details on this image are fantastic and you can see it’s pretty close to the HDR image style-wise. The result is not as random as the HDR image, and for the most part, when I use HDR software, I would edit to get the most realistic results, not a punchy, psychedelic look.

The next two images are of Vancouver Convention Centre at blue hour. It shows how much detail can be pulled out of a single image. The first image is the unedited version, the second image is the final shot. The details are pretty close to what you could get with HDR, but without some of the punchy tones.

Unedited image shot in Vancouver

Unedited image shot in Vancouver

Vancouver-after

Edited image, notice how much detail can be pulled out of one shot

So, what do you think? Is HDR dying? do you still use it or do you use it less? When do you use it?

Let us know what your comments and ideas are, we are curious to know.


Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles this week that are Open for Discussion. We want to get the conversation going, hear your voice and opinions, and talk about some possibly controversial topics in photography.

Let’s get it started here – do you agree or disagree with the points in the article above? Do you have any others to add? Give us your thoughts below, and watch for more discussion topics each day this week.

See all the recent discussion topics here:

  • 7 Commonly Accepted Photography Beliefs Debunked

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The Top 10 Camera Features Wish List of dPS Readers and Writers

17 Apr
Brooklyn Bridge picture taken using a remote shutter release and a neutral density filter, which could be eliminated with camera improvements.

Brooklyn Bridge picture taken using a remote shutter release and a neutral density filter, which could be eliminated with camera improvements.

It is becoming almost cliche, but there has never been a better time to be a photographer. What we can do now with modern digital cameras, without spending that much money, is incredible. Without breaking the bank, you can now get an extremely high resolution digital camera, with low light performance and a dynamic range unheard of just a few years ago, that shoots at speeds measured in multiple frames per second. If that isn’t enough, it will also double as a video camera with HD quality as a bare minimum. It will even send the pictures wirelessly to your phone. It seems ungrateful to ask for more. Still, everything can be improved, can’t it?

And just to be clear – when I say improved, I don’t mean adding more megapixels. Or demanding even better low light performance and dynamic range. Or achieving even faster focus and shooting speeds. The manufacturers know everybody wants that stuff, and they seem to be putting all their energy into those areas.

But doesn’t it seem like there are features that could be added to cameras that wouldn’t require a technological breakthrough? Or that wouldn’t make your camera cost a fortune? It always seemed that way to me. So I started asking around to other photographers, then I started asking readers, and finally I asked my fellow dPS writers.

How would you improve digital cameras?

I got some good answers, and have combined them with my own to create a list of 10 new features (a wish list) that could be added to digital cameras to make them better. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. A Small LCD for the Histogram

The first improvement is a separate, smaller LCD on the back of the camera. Why? Let me explain.

We all know that the best way to evaluate exposure when you are shooting is to look at the histogram. Looking at just the picture on the LCD doesn’t work as well when you are trying to evaluate exposure. But look what happens to the picture on the screen when you add the histogram:

LCD-graphic

On the left, where you have the full picture, you can clearly see it. But once you add the histogram, the picture on the right becomes tiny. It is unusable and tells you nothing. We are essentially forced into a position of having to choose between a picture we can see, or just viewing the histogram (but not both). I’d like to do both.

To fix that, you could just put another very small LCD on the back of the screen. It would show only the histogram, so that you could still have a full sized version of your picture.

2. Three Dials

When you set the exposure level of your pictures, there are three controls: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

At the same time, how many dials do we have to set those three controls? Two – and that’s if we’re lucky. Entry level cameras often only have one. To change all three exposure controls with only two dials, means you have to press buttons while turning dials. It’s a rather cumbersome process, for the most important and commonly used functions of the camera. If we have three exposure settings, shouldn’t we have three dials to set them?

The odd man out is always ISO, and I personally think this is a hold-over from the days of film. Back then, you couldn’t change the ISO except by changing your film. When digital came along, everyone was pretty happy to be able to change the ISO at all, so having to press a button didn’t seem like a big deal. In addition, at that time, available ISO ranges were extremely limited and if you raised the ISO much then digital noise quickly became a problem.

But now? ISO ranges are huge! Even entry level cameras have ISO ranges up to 25,000. ISO is now truly a equal partner in the exposure triangle. It should be treated as such. That means it should have its own dial. You shouldn’t have to press buttons to adjust it.

ISO-controls-graphic

Stop ISO discrimination! Let’s make it an equal member of the exposure triangle by giving ISO its own dial!

Where would you put the extra dial? There are many places you could choose from, but one thought is to get rid of the mode dial. Having a dedicated dial to quickly change the mode is another hold-over from a time when there were fewer camera controls (and no menus). Who changes their modes so frequently that the most valuable real estate on the camera needs to be taken up with a dial for it? Don’t most people just pick a mode and use it most, or all of the time? Even those that change modes don’t do so often enough that it needs its own dial.

Note: It actually appears that this change might be on the way. There are three dials on most Fujifilm mirrorless cameras and one of them is dedicated to ISO. Perhaps others will follow suit.

Supplied by Fujifilm

Supplied by Fujifilm

3. Lower ISOs

Speaking of ISO, in the rush to expand ISO values on the high side, the lower side of the ISO scale has been completely neglected. The camera manufacturers have worked very hard to make digital sensors more sensitive to light. It would seem like a simple thing to make the sensor less sensitive to light. Why couldn’t cameras have ISO levels of 50, 25, 12, and so on?

Why would that matter? It would put us in more control over shutter speed, and avoid the necessity of carrying around neutral density filters. Why do landscape photographers need to carry around a bunch of neutral density filters to slow down their shutter speeds? If we could lower the ISO, that would require a longer shutter speed for a proper exposure. It seems like that could just be built in, and would make it much simpler. Instead of adding a 3-stop neutral density filter to your lens, you could then just reduce the ISO from 100 down to 12 (3 stops).

Why stop at ISO 100? We should see ISO 50, 25, 12, 6, 3, and so on.

Why stop at ISO 100? We should see ISO 50, 25, 12, 6, 3, and so on.

Of course, we might need to talk about the numbering system for these low ISOs. Moving down 10 stops from ISO 100 would result in ISO .09 which may not work.

4. Retractable Remote Shutter Release

Speaking of landscape photographers, something every one of them needs is a remote shutter release, or an intervalometer. It seems like the shutter release could detach from the camera with a retractable cable. That way you could pop it out and trip the shutter, without moving the camera or risking vibration.

TripodAtGoldenGate

Note the remote shutter release hanging down. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a retractable unit?

It would mean that we wouldn’t have to carry around remote shutter releases.

5. Allowing Longer Shutter Speeds

Another improvement would be to allow longer shutter speeds without the need to switch over to Bulb mode. At present, most cameras limit the length of shutter speeds to 30 seconds. If you want to use a longer shutter speed than that you can, but you have to switch over to Bulb mode. It would be nice to be able to take exposures of a minute or longer without having to switch modes.

Why is this important? Largely because of bracketing (or Auto Exposure Bracketing, or just AEB for short). When you bracket, you are taking three (or more) exposures: one at normal exposure, one underexposed, and one overexposed. If you are starting with a long shutter speed, then the longer shutter speed required for the overexposed picture will often need to be longer than 30 seconds.

For example, if you are taking a bracket of three photos, with your starting shutter speed at 15 seconds, and you set the exposures 2 stops apart, the bracket won’t work as you hope. In this example, the overexposed picture of the bracket would need a shutter speed of one minute (starting at 15 seconds, adding one stop doubles your shutter speed to 30 seconds, and the second stop doubles it again to one minute). But your camera will only allow a shutter speed of 30 seconds, so that won’t work. Your camera will take the normal and underexposed photos, but the overexposed one will be limited to 30 seconds.

Here is a pretty common bracket for those who use them (5-shots, with each shot separated by 1 stop). If the original shutter speed is longer than 6 seconds, the camera will not capture the entire bracket because the most overexposed picture would need longer than 30 seconds.

Here is a pretty common bracket: 5-shots, with each shot separated by 1 stop. If the original shutter speed is longer than 6 seconds, the camera will not capture the entire bracket because the most overexposed picture would need longer than 30 seconds to expose.

How often does this happen? A lot more than you might think. Landscape photographers are known for being out before the sun is up, and they all want to use a combination of a small aperture to maximize depth of field and a low ISO to minimize noise. The only way to get a proper exposure in these conditions is to use very long shutter speeds. These are the same people who have very little control over their lighting and often face dynamic range problems, so they are the most likely to bracket their photos.

6. Self-Timers

Why are self-timers on cameras limited to two and 10 seconds? A reader named Jeff Johnson wondered about this (as well as raising some of the other improvements mentioned in this article). Every $ 10 digital watch in the discount store will allow you to set timers of different ranges, why not our digital cameras?

This is another one that seems to be a hold-over from a prior era. Timers were mechanical devices at one time, and it may have made a lot of sense to limit the options. Now, it doesn’t make sense. It seems like we ought to be able to set whatever length of timer we want, or at least have a few more options.

7. Improved Wifi

One exciting recent development in cameras has been the introduction of Wifi. It allows you to transfer your pictures to your phone or other device wirelessly. But it is usually clunky. You have to turn off your phone’s data connection to connect with your camera. Some have raised the idea of using bluetooth for connection to phones, tablets, and laptops (in addition to wifi). dPS writer John McIntire echoed that, and pointed out the smartphone and tablet control for things like timelapse and long exposures.

 8. Hyperfocal Distance Calculator

Despite its name, the concept of hyperfocal distance is not that complicated. It is just the closest point at which you can focus, and still keep your entire background acceptably sharp. It depends on only three factors:

  1. The sensor size of your camera
  2. The focal length you are using
  3. Your aperture setting.

There are charts and apps that will help you calculate the hyperfocal distance for your shot.

Hyperfocal Distance Charts

Hyperfocal Distance Charts

But why should you be forced to calculate it at all? The aforementioned Jeff Johnson had another great idea of having the camera calculate it for you. After all, the camera is a computer. It already knows all three of the variables involved. Why couldn’t the camera just tell you the hyperfocal distance? It could be part of the camera’s display.

Note: Once again the Fuji cameras lead the way, as the X-T1 and possibly others, do indeed have a hyperfocal distance display inside the viewfinder.

9. Internal storage

Storage has changed remarkably fast in a short period of time. Just a few years ago, you might have been carrying around a bunch of 4 GB memory cards with you. After a couple hundred pictures, you’d swap it out for another. But now, the sizes of memory cards are huge. 128 GB is commonplace, and not all that outrageously expensive. There are even 256 GB cards or even 512 GB cards available as well. As a result, most of us just buy a large card and leave it in the camera. We download the pictures periodically, and resume shooting with the same card.

That’s already a better situation than what we had a few years ago, but doesn’t it seem weird that there is no storage at all in digital cameras (at least not in the mirrorless cameras and DSLRs we tend to use)? It did to Leanne Cole, who wondered why we are fooling around with memory cards at all at this point. Given how much storage can fit in a small place, haven’t we reached the point where storage should be built-in to the camera? Why not have a 500 GB drive already added?

10. Your Changes

These are some items we’d like to see. I think some of these are good ideas, but I suspect there are better ideas out there. So what would you change? Are there things you would add? Are there features you’d like to see put on the digital camera wish list?

Please let us know in the comments below.

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Writer’s Favorite Lens – the Canon 400mm f/2.8

20 Mar

Being a sports photographer, covering things ranging from soccer (football) and rugby, to horse racing, I often have the Canon 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM on one of my camera bodies. It’s this lens’ focal length and fast aperture that is most helpful. I love this lens for its image quality and performance, but also its versatility.

Fig 12

Image courtesy of Canon.

So let’s have a look at the specs of this lens:

  • Focal length: 400mm (560mm APS-C approximate)
  • Maximum aperture: f/2.8
  • Maximum diameter x length: 163mm x 343mm (6.41 x 13.50″)
  • Weight: 3.85 kg (8.48 lbs)
  • Image stabilized? Yes, four stops
  • Minimum focusing distance: 2.7m (8.85′)
  • Weather sealed: Yes

PROS

Ideal Sports Lens

The 400mm focal length of this lens is ideal for many field based sports such as soccer (football) and rugby as it’s not too long, such as a 500mm for example, but at the same time it’s gives more pull than a 300mm. Its fast f/2.8 aperture is very handy when photographing in low-light situations, such as at night matches where the light is often quite low, as it allows me to use a lower ISO and still be able to maintain a shutter speed that is fast enough to freeze the action. This maximum aperture is also ideal to nicely isolate the subject from a busy background and make them pop more. Although I don’t always shoot at f/2.8 (generally hovering around f/3.5-f/4) having the ability to use f/2.8 is quite handy.

As far as focussing speed goes, this lens is blazingly quick and spot-on accurate, especially when coupled to a 1D X, for example. It easily locks on to a subject without any search or lag whatsoever.

In the following images, the 400mm focal length has been fantastic at pulling the subject in closer than what a 70-200 or 300mm for example, would be able to offer. These images have still been cropped, but not as much as would be needed if I had used a shorter focal length.

© Daniel Smith / Getty Images.

© Daniel Smith / Getty Images.

© Daniel Smith / Getty Images.

© Daniel Smith / Getty Images.

Versatility

Being quite heavy and long, with no zoom, you may think that this lens would only be suited to use on the sidelines of a sports field, attached to a monopod. However, this lens is much more versatile than that. Being the series two version of this lens, it is significantly lighter than its predecessor. This reduction in weight means that I am now able to use this lens hand-held (if I’m using it for extended period of time, I do use a monopod; it’s not that light!) which opens up more options. For example, I have photographed live concerts with this lens; a lens that is rarely used because of its long focal length. But it’s this focal length, coupled with an f/2.8 aperture, that I love. Photographing through the crowd is fantastic, as I am able to create abstract shapes through the silhouettes created by the audience, and use them to frame my subject.

The longer focal length can also be great when covering conferences, as I am able to photograph further back. This is especially helpful if the speakers are on a stage, as standing further back will reduce the angle in which you look up, and enable you to reduce the distortion that looking up can cause.

Fig 3

This was taken from further back. The speaker was on a stage. By standing back I was able to photograph the speaker and be closer to his level. The aperture also provided some great bokeh with the lights in the background.

Fig 1

400mm, 1/500sec, f/3.2 ISO 6400. The singer raising her hand is made stronger by the abstract hand being raised by the fans.

Fig 2

400mm, 1/500sec, f/3.5 ISO 6400. Shooting through the fans with their hands in the air adds some great foreground interest to this image.

In addition, its fast f/2.8 aperture lends itself to use with teleconverters if extra reach is needed. When adding one, you multiply the aperture and focal length by the strength of the teleconverter; so if you are using a 2x, it would make this lens an 800mm f/5.6. And because its image quality is so good, the degradation to image quality when using converters isn’t really noticeable with this lens. Its AF also does not really take much of a hit, either. So for the price of a couple of teleconverters, I potentially have three lenses in one:

  • A 400mm f/2.8 as it is
  • A 560 f/4 with a 1.4x teleconverter
  • a 800 f/5.6 with a 2x teleconverter

CONS

Cost

This lens is not the cheapest lens on the market; Amazon has it listed at $ 9,999 USD, so this lens is definitely not something many photographers would consider purchasing.

An alternative to this would be the Canon 400mm f/5.6L USM which sells for a much more affordable $ 1,199 USD. The biggest drawback with that lens, however, is its maximum aperture of f/5.6, which would not be very useful in low-light situations, where a wider aperture is much more beneficial.

Image courtesy of Canon.

Image courtesy of Canon.

Size

This isn’t the smallest lens either, and you will generally be very noticeable with it. Using this as a street photography lens would not be ideal, and would make you quite a target! You will also need quite a large bag to carry this in, although it does come with its own hard-case as seen here.

Weight

Even though this is the series two, and much lighter that its predecessor, at nearly 4kg (almost 8.5 pounds) this is definitely not a light lens! You will need a monopod with this lens if you intend to use if for long periods of time. Transporting it also requires quite a large bag; a roller bag being ideal as you don’t have to carry it. I transport all of my equipment in the one bag generally – a ThinkTank Photo Airport Security V2.0 roller bag. This makes carrying not only this lens, but all of my equipment much easier, and saves injuring my back.

ALTERNATIVES

This lens is not for everyone, primarily because of its high cost. If you would love to have one of these in your kit but don’t have the finances available, going second hand is an option. A used 400mm f/2.8L IS USM (non-Series II) is still a fantastic lens and can be found relatively (compared to the new version) cheaply at around $ 4,000-$ 5,000 USD.

If that’s still pushing the financial friendship a little consider these:

  • Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at $ 2,099 USD (or the original for $ 1389)
  • Canon 400mm f/5.6L USM at $ 1,149 USD
  • Or the many offerings from Sigma, Tamron and Tokina which have the 400mm focal length covered

CONCLUSION

While this is the heaviest lens it my kit, the image quality and performance from it is unmatched, and definitely make it worthwhile carting around. With a little practice using a prime super-telephoto, you can create some striking images that you just cannot achieve with shorter focal lengths. The large aperture and the bokeh it produces at 400mm is dreamy, too!

I really enjoy using this lens in areas that it typically would not be used. It doesn’t always work in those situations, but is a lot of fun nonetheless. Do you have a long telephoto lens? What do you shoot with it? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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