Canon 5D Mark III

Canon has a new full frame camera and it seems like a great cross between the 7D, 5D II and 1Dx.

• Canon Professional Network has some great info about the new camera.
• DP Review, as always, has some great information too.
• As does Rob Galbraith, but it is more of the same.
• Canon Rumors did a good job of keeping us all informed before the camera was official too. 
• For those that wanted a new video camera with "pro" video features...this article does a good job expelling what you got instead. 

I am excited for this camera and have one, with a grip on order...I can hardly wait for the end of March.

There seems to be a lot of disappointment out there with this camera though. I might be missing something, but what did we all want the 1Ds replacement to be? The 5DII was really just a 1DsIII light and when the 1Dx said it was the "New Flagship" that meant that the 1DsIII needed to be replaced.

My list for the 1DsIII replacement was:

• Drop the weight...check
• Get better AF...(assumably) check
• Get more AF coverage...check
• Get better/more high ISO shooting...check
• Get to 6+ fps...check
• Get to 6,000pix on the long end, but not much more...(close - 5760 x 3840)
• Shoot 1080P with usable features to replace tradition cameras...check (real audio/exposure control and legitimate timecode/monitoring)
• Get internal HDR and Timelapse...we got the HDR half of it
• Get a real GPS option...check (I have experienced the poor reception and battery life of built in versions)
• Get a better screen...check
• Dual multi-selectors...check (if you add the grip)
• Keep dual cards (After the D3x-1Dx I wanted it to stay CF and SD)...check
• Keep a good/consistent Battery...check (same as my 5DII and 7Ds)

It took almost 5 years, but we went from the 1DsIII TO 5D III:

• 5616 x 3744 TO 5760 x 3840 (I really did want to match the D3x at 6048 x 4032, but not much more)
• 100 - 1600 in 1/3 stops, plus 50, 3200 TO Auto, 100 - 25600 in 1/3 stops, plus 50, 51200, 102400
• Less than perfect 45p AF TO 61p AF (with spot AF :)
• 230,000 screen dots TO 1,040,000
• 5 fps TO 6 fps (the 1DsII was only 4fps and the 1Ds was only 3fps)
• Exposure compensation of ±3 EV TO ±5 EV

I used the 1DsII then the 1DsIII, sold mine and have been waiting for the next sense the 5DII proved to be close for landscapes and the occasional portrait. I did want to hit 6,000 pix, but if 5,760 is going to give me better quality it is close enough. I would have happily taken 7-8fps, but I wanted at least 6fps and I would not give up resolution to have more speed. I did want internal time-lapse shooting, but that is a firmware thing that could be added easily. It looks like I got everything else that I wanted/needed.

I have a 5D III and grip on order, and will use it heavily. It is almost exactly what I have wanted for big mile days when I take only one camera and should be a slight improvement for my landscape photography (over the 1DsIII and 5DII, but they did not need much improvement).

I am sure Canon will eventually deliver a 30-50MP, slow, camera for those of you who want that, but I don't think that I would have bought the camera if it could only shoot 4fps in full quality 14-bit RAW, even at 50MP. When I need insane file size for landscapes I use my T/S lens' like a large format camera. I don't think I have ever had a client as for more resolution, ever. I also don't believe current lenses and diffraction limits of optics will make folks happy when they shoot a 45MP camera much past f/8.

For those that wanted "serious" video features, that is the C300 and whatever else they bring out below it in that line. I don't need to produce music videos, TV shows, feature films or even commercials. I am just looking for a high quality way to record footage while I am in the field to shoot stills.

I am happy with what Canon made for us who choose to purchase one, and I hope that those of you who are not happy will soon get a camera that will do what you need in the field.

Happy analyzing, but really you should get out and do some shooting ;)

Ask Dave, February 28th

Once again I have decided to do a weekly blog post called 'Ask Dave.' I get tons of questions each week, and I always respond as quickly as possible; but I have decided that it is about time to also share the answers with all of you too. If you have questions you can email me at Learn@DaveShumway.com.

'Ask Dave' week number two.
Question:
From Britney... Where do you take your cameras and lenses to get them cleaned?

Answer:
Honestly, I do most small cleaning myself; but let me qualify that answer (please read all of this post). I send my cameras and lenses off to Canon Professional Services for a cleaning and checkup. (once a year for cameras and once every other year for lenses) For those of you who are not CPS/NPS members I would suggest that you send your cameras to the manufacturer for periodic cleanings and checkups. (most camera shops send your gear out to the manufacturer) I clean my camera's and lens' outsides weekly. (a clean outside helps promote a clean inside, and makes everything last longer) Sensor cleanings used to be done by me, a trained professional, almost monthly; but that was before cameras got built in sensor cleaning aids. Now if find that I only need to do cleanings, myself, once or twice a year, beyond the CPS clean and check.

Remember when shooting landscapes sensor dust becomes more apparent as we tend to stop down our lenses. I have used dirty sensors to shoot sports, portraits, and other "wide open" things and you would never be able to tell. Also, in my experience, full frame sensors have a tendency to collect and show dust more than cropped sensors. (that is simply my experience, remember that typically I shoot my landscapes with full frame sensors and sports/wildlife with cropped sensors)

What do I use for cleanings? I have tried lots of products; but at the end of the day I trust two to get the job done. For cleanings on trips (in the field) I use and trust Dust-Aid a dry cleaning solution that is fast, easy, effective, and is safe for in the field cleanings. I believe that with Dust-Aid you cannot make things worse, only better. (assuming you don't let more dust blow into your camera while you clean it) For those pre trip cleanings, at home, I use Sensor Swabs as they are "designed for cleaning CCD chips and other delicate or hard to reach optical and imaging surfaces, using Eclipse or E2 solution." This process is a "wet cleaning," and can affix dust to your sensor if not done properly. This is what most manufactures recommend, and do when you send your camera in for a cleaning.

A word of caution. I was trained by Best Buy's service center ages ago and have cleaned around 1,000 sensors, or more. I know what I am doing and I still: read instructions/manuals, watch new video tutorials, and practice before cleaning my cameras. I really believe that normal people can safely clean their own camera's sensor; but they need to be carful and read all instructions/manuals before they start messing around with the image sensor or anything inside of their cameras.

How do you know when your sensor needs a cleaning? That is a second question, and I'll wait for someone to ask it ;)

I buy my cleaning supplies from the NatureScapes.net store. (I highly recommend them; they are great people and they are always willing to help/chat/advise)

I use LensPens and Carl Zeiss Individually Packed Cloths for field cleaning lenses. At home I often simply use some warm breath and a lens cloth; once I blast and dirt/dust off of the lens. If I need to use liquid to clean a lens I use Eclipse Fluid. Canon's new lenses are coated to avoid oils and grime, so I can blast dust/dirt off and not worry about it.

Other important things to remember: replace your lens clothes often, keep them clean between uses, and once you get oils on a cloth how can you expect it to really clean anything?

On a side note, dust spots on the mirror/prism/focus screen drive me crazy, and cause lots of eye strain, for me. I use spent Sensor Swabs or blast them out as soon as I get a chance to. I shoot far too often, for far too long, to strain my eyes with particles in the viewfinder.

Happy Shooting

Ask Dave, February 21st

I have decided to do a weekly blog post called 'Ask Dave.' I get tons of questions each week, and I always respond as quickly as possible; but I have decided that it is about time to also share the answers with all of you too. If you have questions you can email me at Learn@DaveShumway.com.

Question:
From Rick... I did not think that the 17-40/4.0L performed very well with a full frame image sensor. Many of your images indicate otherwise. I assume that most of your landscape shots are with the lens stopped down to f11 or more. Does that account for the apparent good image quality? Also how large of a print are you able to get using this camera/lens combination? What other wide angle lenses do you use with the 5DII?

Answer:
I love my 17-40/4.0L on the 5DII. I used the 16-35/2.8L; but found that it did not have what it takes, Canon agreed and made the new 16-35/2.8L II at it was quite an improvement; but the 17-40 is still better especially when it comes to landscape performance. Take a look at Canon's published MTF charts to see what I mean about the difference in image quality, contrast, and bokeh. Another benefit of the 17-40 is that it takes the same size Polarizer and ND filters as my 70-200/2.8L IS II and 400/5.6L, also it weighs less than the 16-35/2.8L II, while costing much less.

As with most lenses you do need to pull off your UV filter when shooting landscapes to keep flare and chromatic aberrations down.

I also use my 24/3.5L T/S II and it is, by far, the best quality wide angle lens I have ever used for shooting landscapes. The 24/1.4L II is also great; but not even in the same league. The Zeiss wide angle prime lenses are amazing too. The only real problem with primes is when you are backpacking/hiking/biking/skiing a light weight zoom is the only way to go.

As for my settings if you look through the gallery from my month in the Canadian Rockies you can view all of my camera settings. Just click on the blue 'photo information' button and you will see that I spend lots of time shooting landscapes from f/9.0-f/16 and up to f/22 from time to time. From my experience the lens is at its best around f/11-f/13 on a full frame sensor camera and f/9.0-f/11 on a cropped sensor camera.

Print size from the 5DII and 17-40/4.0L... Well, I have covered double decker busses with the combination, I have had two and three page spreads in magazines, and do quite a bit of printing at 16X20 & 20X30. With all of that I have yet to have any issues with a lack of resolution/quality. All of that said I am looking forward to 30-40MP sensors and using more tilt/shift lenses in the future. The reason? From my experience tilt/shift lenses are the only wide angle lenses that show no chromatic aberrations, they also give control over the convergence of parallel lines, and 30-40MP will let me make very large crop/panoramas.

I have also used the 24-70/2.8L and 24-105/4.0L IS; but never found them ideal as primary landscape lenses. I also use my 70-200s for landscapes often, the f/4.0L is amazing, as is the new f/2.8L IS II; but the previous f/2.8Ls never gave me the results I wanted. Heck I also use my 400/5.6L, 300/2.8L IS, and 500/4.0L IS to shoot landscapes on both full frame and cropped sensor cameras.

Medium Format at a New Price

Hasselblad has announced a new Medium Format (MF) camera that brings a full kit to you for $18,000.

The New H4D-40 is a 40mp MF system that comes with an 80mm lens and viewfinder. Costs are coming down more and more all the time. Remember that the sensor size of these MF cameras is about twice that of a Full Frame 35mm DSLR. This means that better quality is becoming available at a lower price. For me (as of now) the MF days are over; but for those who shoot portraits, products, and do commercial work the MF days may be coming back around.

New high quality EVF in production

Here is the full release

Epson announces their mass production of high-quality EVF panels.

What does this mean? It could start to bring in the end of using mirrors in high end cameras. With better quality Electronic Viewfinders we can merge DSLR's and high end video gear easier and really change the face of how we shoot both professional photos and video.