elf's Canon 50D Journal

• Posters for the Berlin Philharmonic showing macro photography from inside instruments.
• "Dear Photograph" Book
• Fujifilm X Pro 1 high ISO samples and AF speed test (The AF is faster on the 18mm than the 35mm but it's still slow compared to that of a DSLR. I would love to have seen a focus-tracking test.)

From Pfoto 2011

How many different ways can you photograph something you see everyday and that millions of people have photographed? I try to photograph reflections of the CN Tower on buildings and in this case, a puddle.

Ansel Adams once said, "A good photograph is knowing where to stand."

These two photographs of the sculpture outside the Hockey Hall of Fame were taken from roughly the same location.

From Pfoto 2011

Updated Wed 28 Mar 12:57 PM; Wed 28 Mar 11:46 PM; Thu 29 Mar 2012 10:27:16 PM EDT

• Sample poses for model photography
• The story behind a famous Stirling Moss photo
• Martin Parr, street photographer (The article includes a four-part documentary (English with Dutch subs). Looking at the photos makes photography look easy. But then you watch the documentary and see his technique and you begin to have second thoughts about your skills.)
• D800 resolution test comparison
• Best lenses for the D800 (the 50mm didn't make the grade; maybe I'll start shooting at 35mm)

The $1800 35/1.4 has a plastic body!

From Friday Foto

Originally in colour, converted to greyscale and levels adjusted. I felt comfortable converting to b&w because the flowers are white. I might do a before/after series of this photo.

Canon has posted a 48 page PDF and detailed how-to articles explaining the autofocus system on the 1DX and 5D3 (which have the same AF system).

One of the faculty has ordered a 5D3 and after speaking with him, I am leaning back towards Canon again. There was a D800 and 5D3 video shootout posted recently; the marketing assault is weaking my resolve to switch to Nikon.

Any AF system is better than what is on my 50D. I loathe the AF on my camera because of missed shots. If the new AF system gives fewer missed shots (and few fewer I mean close to none) for moving targets, and better acquisition in low-light, I might not go Nikon.

One of the usability features I liked of the D800 was that when a picture was taken, the review image could be set to zoom to the focus point and hold so the focus could be checked. I am told the 5D3 has this feature. On the 50D I have to press review and then magnify the image manually.

Isaacson also hinted that Apple will revolutionize the digital photography and television markets in the next two years.
—TUAW

Given that the iPhone is rising in popularity as a camera, I wonder how far Apple will go. Mirrorless full-frame?

I am somewhat shocked at the results of the noise test; the D800 "failing" at ISO800 while the 5D3 managed to get to ISO1600+.

For me, that is another strike against the D800; the first strike being the huge filesizes.

Though I look forward to the results of the DX crop test. Do the massive number of pixels (which are great for resolving detail) hurt the camera's noise handling capabilities?

I got to play with the 5D3 for about 15 minutes today. The most impressive thing is the silent shutter. Just wow in terms of quietness.

The faculty member is still learning to use it so when I tried a test of shooting while tracking a subject walking towards me in low-light, using the center focus point, default settings, sensitivities and AI Focus, the results were similar to my camera— most of the photos were out-of-focus, except for the first.

It definitely requires one to delve into the manual.

I also liked the review-mode feature where the camera can be programmed to zoom-in to the focused-area to let the photographer check for focus. It saves about 2 seconds of manually zooming to the focus point.

• How-to for self-portraits without showing the camera (see update on this below)
• Proof that you can take interesting photographs of even the most mundane things.

Fincher mentions something he learned while working at ILM, that a director should look at a scene with the left eye for composition, because it goes to your right brain. Focus or technical side of a shot should be looked at with the right eye or left brain, as it's more of a technical eye.

I'll have to try this sometime...

Note that if you haven't seen Se7en, the article has plot spoilers.

From Friday Foto

It's just a coincidence that today's (4/20) photo is about weeds.

• Update on the cameraless self-portrait (from last week)
• 24 hour timelapse combined into a 360 degree pano
• Photos and tips on shooting in microgravity

Photoprice.ca has removed U.S. price comparisons from their website because the U.S. companies have requested it. I find that hard to believe given the state of the U.S economy. It's probably due to pressure from Canon HQ via the camera stores in Canada.

What kind of asshattery is this?

I should note that I buy my camera equipment from Vistek, a Canadian store. My original 50D and 50mm lens purchase was at Henrys but I will never shop there again.

Oddly, canonpricewatch.com seems to have taken up the slack.

This begins a series of nature photographs with man intruding.

From Friday Foto

In the distance is the SS Ridgeway, beached at the mouth of the Credit River to act as a breakwater for the marina. I composed this shot so the angle and shape of the log in the foreground would reflect that of the ship in the distance.

Second in the series.

From Friday Foto

• Boring still life objects turned into intriguing erotic images (safe for viewing at work, all you need is your imagination). A couple of those images are baffling to me.
• How to shoot Instagram photos that look like your favorite director's films
• Understanding Lenses— Depth of Field

From 2012

I had to stop and take a picture of this.

Everyplace is ordinary to someone. You need to find out what is extraordinary about where you live and shoot that.
—Nicole Rae

A couple of posts on making the best of a situation. I subscribe to this ethos because I hate travelling.

• Shoot where you live
• One Man's Trash...