Photojunkie Mailbag : Canon vs Nikon

June 9, 2006 By 11 Comments

I often get emails from people asking for suggestions which Digital SLR people should buy into. It’s the continuing debate of Canon vs. Nikon. This is an email I got from fellow blogger and ex-Torontonian Ryan Waddell.

Hey Rannie,

I’m looking into getting my first dslr in the coming month or two, and I was curious to get your input. I’ve spoken at great length with one of my other serious photographer friends, but he’s a Nikon junkie, so I know he’s not the most unbiased source. You seem to be a Canon junkie, at least when it comes to dSLRs, so I thought I’d consult you as well on this front, if you
don’t mind?

So, it basically comes down to this – my budget is looking to be approximately £500 (around $1000 Canadian), and I’m planning on buying over here in Ireland (or the UK, since their mail order shops appear to be much cheaper than shops here in Ireland). I have a buddy coming to visit from Toronto in mid-July, so if I can find it somewhere cheaper in Canada (preferable, since I’m going to be moving back there sooner rather than later, and I’d rather deal with warranty issues here for a Canadian camera
than in Canada for a UK camera) I’ll do that as well. My options are looking like the Nikon D50 with the D70 kit lens, or a Canon 350d. Have ye any input on which is the better system to buy into? Future upgradeability is of course a factor (well, as far as holding onto the lenses and upgrading the body). Any input into the age old Canon vs Nikon debate? Anything in particular that is especially good in the Canon as compared to the Nikon (or that Canon is particularly good at doing as compared to Nikon)? I guess
there’s also the Pentax and Olympus slrs as well, but I’m thinking I’m better off sticking with one of the big 2.

Thanks!
Ryan

Ryan, It’s true I am very much a Canon user, have been for over 15 years now. But that being said, in offering advice on whether to go Canon or Nikon, it’s not a matter of which camera is better. It’s more a matter of which camera is better for you. People can argue all day and night that one brand is better than the other. The fact of the matter is that Canon and Nikon are both very good choices when it comes to Digital SLRs and both will give you excellent results. One of the most important things to keep in mind when deciding on one system over the other is the user interface and it’s usability.

So what does this mean? This can include everything from button placement, user menus built into the camera, the size of the camera and even the weight. As each person is different, we all have varying needs and preferences. My one piece of solid advice to anyone looking to buy a digital SLR is to go into an actual store to handle the camera in person. It is also probably best to go to a store that deals strictly with cameras as opposed to a big box store like Best Buy, so you can ask any questions to an experienced sales representative. Then ask yourself the following questions.

- How does it feel in your hands? too big? too small?
- Do you like the weigh? most people like lightweight cameras, I personally prefer the heftier cameras.
- Does the button placement naturally make sense to you? If changing modes is confusing to you, then you will probably never use them, or easily become frustrated.

The main thing you have to remember is your own user experience. The investment on a digital SLR isn’t one to be taken lightly, and for most first timer buyers, this will likely be a purchase that you will be using for a number of years. It’s great if you get a SLR that has all the bells and whistles, but if it is a pain to use, is it worth the frustration? So you want to make sure the camera is usable for your own needs and feels right in your hands.

In terms of compatibility and being able to upgrade in the future, there is one thing to keep in mind. You have to consider the compatibility of any lens you buy for your new digital SLR. My first SLR was a Canon EOS Rebel S. The wonderful thing about the Canon EOS system is that any EF lens will work on any EOS camera. This sounds fine and dandy however, with the introduction of the Canon Digital Rebel, Canon introduced a new camera mount. The EFS mount was created specifically for digital SLRs to optimize the len to the APS sized sensor found in many of the consumer line digital SLRs. The Digital Rebel, Digital Rebel XT, the 20D or 30D all have this new mount. This means that they can use both EF and EFS lens. However, the Canon 5D, which is a full framed (the sensor is the same size as the 35mm film size) digital SLR is only EF compatible because it doesn’t need to be optimized for a smaller senor size. Personally, I am hesitant to purchase any EFS lens because a) they are not compatible with my Canon A2 35mm SLR and b) because if and when I ever get a full frame digital SLR, the EFS lens will become useless to me.

At the moment, Canon is still pushing the EFS mount because of the number of units sold in their DSLR lineup. EFS also provides an affordable alternative in lens selections. This is ideal for the masses.

The reality is that in the near future, full frame sensor cameras like the Canon EOS 5D will likely become more affordable. That being said, if your plan to eventually upgrade to a full frame digital, then you too should avoid any EFS lens.

Filed Under: Blog, Canon Talk, Mailbag, Photography, Photojunkie

Photojunkie Mailbag : Lighting in difficult situations

April 10, 2006 By 1 Comment

Got this email from my friend Dan who was recently at the SXSW Music festival down in Austin. He came home with the following questions for me.

1) How can I best deal with backlit subjects? Either the background is exposed properly and the subject is underexposed, or the subject is properly exposed and the background is way bright. Any way to fix this, or use it to my advantage?

Because the dynamic range between the brightest thing in the frame and the darkest thing in the frame is so large, your camera won’t be able to capture all the variations of light. So you end up with darks that are too dark or lights that are blown out. If your subject is backlit and your want their face to be exposed properly, you will need to add another light source such as a flash. The flash will act as a filler to reveal more details in the foreground despite the bright background. This is your best bet to remedy this situation.

However, there are creative things you can do with backlight. If you place your subject directly between the light source and yourself, you can create some interesting halos around your subject highlighting their silhouette.

Fefe Dobson

In this photo of Fefe Dobson, I used the backlight creatively to be a part of the composition. Luckily, the spotlights up front were bright enough that I didn’t need to use a flash.

2) At many shows the stage is flooded with red light. Often times this confuses my light meter, and the shot ends up looking splotchy. Any way to avoid this? I also saw a few people using external light meters. I’m sure this stuff is way over my head, but I’m still curious: what’s the advantage of using an external meter, as opposed to just using the one in the camera?

Basically, the meter in your camera is overcompensating the exposure and averaging it to what the camera believes is grey. In darker situations such at a concert, you will need to stop down your exposure. This will require you to basically under expose your image slightly from the in camera meter.

The basic way a meter works is that it will give your the correct exposure for 18% grey. This is fine for most situations but is not ideal when you have a frame that is predominantly black or white. The problem with in-camera meters is that it will average out the exposure in the frame to get you to that 18% grey ideal. At a concert you will have a frame with is mostly black, with a shot of light on your subject. The meter in your camera thus averages out the black to grey and inadvertently over exposes your subject. The opposite is true when shooting snow, the white in the snow often tricks the camera into thinking the scene is overexposed, thus averaging the scene to a point where every thing is underexposed.

Aqueduct at the Horseshoe
In this photo of Aqueduct, there is obvious overexposure. A way to fix this after the fact is to turn down the exposure when processing in photoshop. It is moments like these, where shooting Raw definitely comes in handy.

The advantage of a light meter is that you can judge the light in various parts of a environment to get a sense of the light in that room. Unfortunately, in a concert situation, one can’t hop on stage and take a bunch of readings. This is where having a spot meter can come in handy. with a spot meter, you check the exposure on various objects in a scene. It is best to take note of the darkest area and the lightest areas. In most Digital SLR’s the dynamic range vary, giving you anywhere between 6 and 10 stops. This means that your camera will capture the lights and darks within a 6 to 10 stop range (depending on your camera and ISO). Anything above or below that range will either be totally white or totally black.

Rule of thumb, if your frame is predominently black, your will want to underexpose your image in comparision to your in-camera meter. If your frame is predominently white you will want to over expose your image in comparison to your in-camera meter. You can do this one of two ways, set the exposure manually, or dial up or down the exposure on the exposure scale on your camera.

3) I saw lots of people using flash diffusers on their external flashes. What do they do? Are there different kinds? Any recommendations?


In this photo of Hal Sparks, I used a flash bounce upwards to light up the scene. The bar was really dark and this was a last resort.

Often, a direct flash can be too bright and can overexpose an image, especially in dark situations. Diffusers soften the light to give it more of a natural feel. There are expensive and cheap ways to do this. If the cieling is low enough you can bounce your flash of the ceiling. You can create your own diffuser, still bouncing the light upward and having a white cardboard attached to your flash unit. The other option is to by a diffuser such as an omnibouce (which I have) or a lightsphere (does someone want to buy my one of these? size P1 please).

That being said, if shooting at a concert situation, use flash with caution. You don’t want to be the annoying guy who blinds half the audience with his flashes all night.

Filed Under: Blog, Mailbag, Photography, Photojunkie

Photojunkie Mailbag : Shooting Gigs

January 19, 2006 By 4 Comments

I got this email from my friend Sean.

I’ve been asked to photograph a concert on Saturday night (my first). I noticed that you just posted photos from what, I think, will be similar lighting conditions to what I’ll find at my show. I was wondering what ISO/aperture combos you were using (if you remember)? They turned out excellent.. nice and bright.

CRW_1709
photo of Renee from Easily Amused

Here’s my response to his email.

Last night I was shooting at least 400 iso and 800 iso. Because I prefer not to use flash in these types of situations, I need the higher iso ratings to get enough light into my camera. In the past, I have also shot in the 1600 iso range. I also tend to hand hold everything which also means shooting wide open. 1.8 on my 50mm and 3.5 on my other lens and shooting in the 1/10th to 1/30th shutter speed range.

If you don’t think you hands are steady enough, I would suggest using a tripod or monopod. This will add stability and reduce shake in your shots however make it hard to manoeuver and compose.

When I started out shooting live gigs over 7 or 8 years ago, I used to shoot live gigs all on film. It was a very expensive way to learn, but it forced me to learn quickly what does and doesn’t work. It also forced me to only shoot at the right moment. Luckily with digital, you will have more room for experimentation and error.

Here are some other tips.

a) Get to the venue early – this will allow you to stake out a spot to shoot from. It will allow you to get settled and get accustomed to the angles and lighting. The last thing you want to do is show up late and foorce yourself to the front. That’s a quick way to piss everyone off around you. Once you are a pro shooter with a press pass around your neck shooting for Rolling Stone Magazine then you can pull such antics.

b) Shoot Raw – This is great especially in low light situations. shooting raw will give you the ability to increase your exposure in post processing. This is more easily done with a raw image file than with a JPG file. It’s saved many pictures for me and although shooting raw does create more steps when working on your images, it also garners better results.

c) Stop Down – Do not shoot based on the exposure meter on your camera. Because the artist is generally in a spotlight, and the backgrounds are extremely dark, the rating on your meter will average out so that your subject will actually be overexposed. When I am shooting live gigs, my exposure meter using reads that I am about 2 or more stops under exposed.

d) Tungsten – When shooting, you want to use Tungsten or Auto as your white balance. The spotlights used in smaller club and bar gigs is generally horrible for shooting and often leave red, orange and yellow casts on everything. Often, I will lower the saturations in post processing or totally convert an image to black and white to save the image.

e) Enjoy the music – Most importantly take the time to enjoy the music as well. It is afterall what the show is all about.

CRW_1759
photo of Keith from Easily Amused

Also check out my In Concert and Easily Amused sets on Flickr

Filed Under: Blog, Mailbag, Photography

Photojunkie Mailbag : Prosumer Accessories

November 1, 2005 By 1 Comment

I get a lot of emails from various readers and I thought I would start answering some of them on the blog, lets see how this goes.

Hi. I’ve been a regular visitor to your site for quite a while now although passive. I’ve had an interest in photography and yours is one I visit regularly. I hope its alright if I ask you a question about my next camera. So far I have been shooting with small point and shoot digicams but want to move on to something bigger. Not a full fledged SLR like a 10D anything. But something like a Sony H1 or a Canon Powershot S2 or the like. However, I need to know if these cameras can take filter lenses or maybe even a LensBaby before I make a choice. If you could help me out with this or direct me to a resource where I can find this out. I would really appreciate your help.

Dear Reader

The lensbaby can only be used on various SLR camera systems, even at that you need to purchase the correct mount for the various brands of camera. So for example, if you have an EF mount lensbaby, it will only be usable on a Canon EOS SLR body (film and digital) but won’t be compatible with any other systems.

Currently Lensbabies only come in the following mounts, Nikon F, Canon EF, Minolta Maxxum, Pentax K, Leica R, Olympus 4/3rds (E), Olympus OM, Canon FD, Minolta Manual Focus, Contax/Yashica and The Original Screw Mount which fits older Pentax, Mamiya, Fujica, and Praktica bodies.

In terms of other filters or lens for prosumer digital cameras, you would need to research each camera separately. There will be no universal solution for a prosumer digitals. So basically, any sort of filters or alternate lens, if available may only be useful on that particular camera. I know for example the Canon S2 has a 58mm thread, so you should be able to attach closeup filters and other filters of this size. The Sony H1 on the other hand, also has a couple of lens available for this model of camera as well at filters which also use a 58mm thread. In both these cases, 58mm is a fairly common thread size, however the speciality lens may be of little use to you if you upgrade to an SLR in the future.

Filed Under: Blog, Mailbag, Photography