Canon's EOS 1Dx - First Impressions

Well the long awaited 1Dx showed up this Monday.  Thank goodness I'm a member of Canon Professional Services, otherwise I would likely have seen the thing in October.  It is seriously constrained and backorders are substantial. So to first impressions.  Start lifting weights.  Or at least curling dumbbells cause this critter is serious.  When Canon says built tough, it feels tough.  It is heavy, solid and fits my hand perfectly.  It is heavier in the hand than my 1D Mk IV and it doesn't yet have the RRS L bracket on it (because they are backordered too).

I am taking things slowly and have now read the manual through cover to cover twice.  Once in the little paper book you get and once using the PDF version loaded into iBooks on the iPad.  The manual is decently laid out and the language is clear.  None of the common translation bugbears is present.

Having owned the 10D (sold), the 20D (traded in on the 40D), the 40D (traded in on the 5D Mk II), the 5D Mk II (traded in on the 1Dx), the 7D and the 1D Mk IV hats off to Canon's people who are starting to get the concept of User Interface when it comes to menus.  Much less is buried in Custom Functions and more is readily available as a menu item.  The completely new autofocus system has its very own menu subsystem and while the nomenclature sounds like bafflegab until you read the documentation, you can get around pretty quickly and get things done in the menus with great efficiency.

I noticed right away that Canon put some thought into the target market that would by the camera.  In addition to shutter releases, AF lock and AE lock on the battery grip for vertical orientation, they have also created separate button sets for Mfn1, Mfn2, Depth of Field preview and the joystick itself to make vertical orientation fast and easy.

The viewfinder shows full coverage and is bright with easy to read indicators.  You can set the AF success indicator to appear in frame or out of frame.  I tried it in frame and found it distracting but it is less informative out of frame.  There has been a complaint that the focus point indicators are hard to see in low light (because they are black) and I have to agree.  Hopefully Canon can address this issue that also plagues the 5D Mk III in firmware.  It's a UI mistake that someone needs a smack for.

Canon changed their plan to use a completely different battery post announcement and prerelease so the LP-E4 batteries from the existing 1D Mk IV are compatible.  I'm glad they did as I like many photographers are sick to death of getting our pockets picked for tiny changes in battery configuration.  The new battery is called the LP-E4N and has gold labelling.  Other than that I cannot tell the difference.  Canon has a nasty history of making silly mods to make customers buy new.  For instance the only difference between the battery grips between the 5D Mk II and the 5D Mk III is that the first grip has a little post that is not on the new one which prevents you from mounting the old one.

One of the callout features of the 1DX is the top ISO of 204,000.  It sounds ridiculous but it actually works.  I found that the performance at 25600 was better than 12500 on the 1D Mk IV.

The new focus system is as fast as they claim, although the real enhancement is found when you use it in AI Servo mode.  Canon provides six pre-defined AI Servo focus "cases" that are all customizable and while I surely have not stress tested them yet, initial looks are very promising.

The camera has in camera RAW processing, in addition to the usual ability to shoot RAW and/or JPEGs.  The JPEG options are similar with plenty of predefined "styles" and size options.  Since I never shoot JPEGs, I haven't spent any time in this area except to set the style to Neutral so the LCD panel shows images with as little modification as possible.  I'm sure that there are good reasons for the in camera RAW processing but I am quite happy doing so on the computer when importing, either directly into Lightroom or via Photo Mechanic (which unlike Lightroom makes use of the JPEG that exists inside every RAW file).

Since I work during the day, I really have not done anything to put stress on the camera yet.  I have found some little things that I really do like and one of these is the ability to set the frame count in burst mode.  I don't need 12fps (or 14fps) very often but 3fps in low is a bit light so being able to make a simple menu setting to make it 5fps is just brilliant.

Some folks are complaining about the fact that it is 18MP vs the 22MP in the 5D Mk III.  To each their own.  I'll take a slighter lower pixel count for the rocking low light capability thank you very much.

This is only a first impression set, more to come.

Where are my edited HDRs? Challenges with HDR and Lightroom Collections

If you are like me and really getting into trying new things with HDR, then you have

probably gone out and spent good money on Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro or Photomatix Pro.  And you may use Lightroom and work with Collections as a way to subdivide and work with your potentially mammoth photo libraries.  But you've probably also then encountered the "where the hell did it go?" question when you save and exit back to Lightroom from your HDR tool.

Yeah, happens to me too.  I tend to create collections right after an import event so as to find things more easily.  Unfortunately, when you Edit | Export with Preset (as you do for HDR with multiple source images) the created HDR does not come back into the Collection where you started.  The trick is within the Library module to go back to the Folder where the originals live.  That's where the new HDRs got dropped.  Now if you only work from Folders, you won't have run into this issue, but if you use Collections, you likely will.  Once you find the new HDRs in the folders, simply drag them onto the Collection you wanted them to be in in the first place and away you go.  Extra work and goofy in my opinion but now solved until Adobe changes the behaviour of Export with Preset.

Canada alternative to the Flashpoint beauty dish for small flash

At the recent Joe McNally seminar he advocated using the Flashpoint beauty dish for small flashes.  Flashpoint is available from Adorama, and they do ship to Canada but you don't have to go that route if you don't want to.

I discovered a modular kit called Easy-Go at the local Henry's.  They carry a number of pieces for the Easy-Go flash modifiers.  For this kit, in addition to your small flash, you need the proper mount adapter for your flash.  In my example I am using a Metz 58 AF-2, which is the same size head as the Canon 580 EX II flash it is labeled for.  The mount slips over the flash head and grips with rubbery "fingers".  It's quite stable and doesn't slide off readily.  The first image shows the dish itself, the mount (with clip side up) and the Metz flash.

The mount has replaceable clips that clip onto the rim of the beauty dish and hold it securely.  You can remove the dish of course to use the mount with other accessories.  I have not yet found an Easy-Go grid for the beauty dish as is available for the Flashpoint at extra cost but I have a couple of ideas on how to make one, so more to come on that.

The beauty dish retails for about $40 and the mount for about $20 so $60 all told.  Just be sure to get the right mount for your flash.  Now I have tried this before and returned the unit because the TTL system was consistently getting the exposure wrong.  In his seminar, Joe made the simple point that the default TTL flash exposure is often fooled so if one considers it a place to start and then uses the flash exposure compensation function found in most all digital SLRs that use TTL flash.  I admit I had not looked at things that way and had readily used FEL to correct other TTL challenges.  More fool me.

So if you want to go the route of a small portable beauty dish for small flash, you don't have to order across the border (presuming you are in Canada) and can get the Easy-Go through your Henry's outlet or your local photo retailer.  The distributor in Canada for the product is Nadel so they can likely direct you if you don't have a friendly local retailer.

Building a small flash extension pole

I attended the Joe McNally One Light Two Light in Toronto yesterday and learned a ton of stuff.  One of Joe's tips was to use a painters pole to make a low cost small flash boom.

Joe recommended the extensible pole by Shurline.  When he went to demonstrate it, the nail pin he was using, that had an SB900 on a bracket and holding a Lastolite 12 soft box took to the air and bounced off an attendees head.  So when doing my own, I wanted to try an alternative.

The Shurline has an aluminum insert that is threaded for a paint roller handle.  This makes the outside diameter of the adapter too large to fit into a small flash bracket.  The solution I saw involved removing the insert and replacing it with an Avenger nail pin.  I had a hunch that the outside diameter at the inside of the thread was pretty close to the inside diameter of a flash bracket.  So I went and bought a Shurline at Home Depot for $30 to see what I could do.

Using a micrometer that measured inside and outside diameters, I found I was right.  The outside diameter of the fitting at the inside of the thread was a bit smaller than the inside diameter of the flash bracket I was testing, which happens to be the Joe McNally Tri-Flash bracket from Lastolite.

In the first image you can see the ground down thread section. Its pretty close to flush but not entirely, but is ground from the tip to the mounting ring.  This allows the tip to fit deeply into the flash bracket mounting hole.Since I did not want to go the nail pin route, I took the pole into my shop and went at the fitting with a grinding wheel in the bench grinder.  Going reasonably slowly I ground down the threads to be mostly flush.  I didnt smooth things out completely because I wanted it to be easier for grip screws to grab on.

The Shurline is collapsible and unlike many other options has a simple trigger release and pinhole locking notches so you arent rotating friction locks like on a tripod.  While this fixes the expanded lengths to fixed distances, it makes extending fast and easy.  Also nice is that holding the handle while pressing the trigger release and pulling apart, the pole expands both ways so its easy to control.

In the next image you can see the pinholes in the pole expanded to the first notch.  Youll note that the visible pinhole provides a locking notch for when the pole is completely compressed.

The final image shows the pole expanded a bit with the McNally Tri-Flash bracket mounted on it.  Its a simple enough project and much less expensive than the flimsier booms sold for around $200.  Total cost was the $30 for the pole and about 10 minutes of my time on the bench grinder.  You could use files of course but that would take more time.  Some poles have plastic fittings instead of aluminum which will be modifiable more quickly, but would also be more fragile than the aluminum fittings.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 25

This episode I touch on new firmware for the Nikon D4, updates on grip issues with the T4i, problems for the S100 and other Canon news.  I close with a quick review of the Joe McNally One Light Two Light tour event.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 24

This episode I note firmware updates for Nikon as well as the availability of two new lenses.  We hit the Canon rumours as usual and confirm last episode's rumour of new firmware for the 7D.  I share a story on how SD cards can cripple performance on the 5D MK III and touch on the state of the 1Dx and DP Review's samples from the 40/2.8.  I refer to a month old story about the power of photographer and blogger support, check the updates from Apple, Ricoh and Leica and talk about the Fuji X lens roadmap.  I close with a list of books and a web site recommended by Joe McNally.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 23

This episode we look at lens and sensor information from Nikon, touch on some firmware updates from Canon, reveal that the 1Dx actually exists and discuss the rumoured Canon mirrorless.  There's a quick not about the M mount adapter for the X-Pro 1 and news of the release of ACD See Pro for Mac.  We close with a review of the Lastolite Joe McNally Triflash.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 22

This episode I look at news and rumours from Nikon starting with leaked pictures of the apparently real D600.  Nikon looks ready to release a second firmware upgrade for the D800 and announces two new lenses.  Canon has updated Digital Photo Professional to support the new Rebel T4i and STM lenses and shows a patent for a 14-24.  Canon Japan announces a release date for the 1Dx.  Sigma updates their walking around zoom and Schneider Kreuznach announces intent to build micro 4/3 lenses.  Leica announces fall availability of new lenses for the S series and Apple announces a MacBook Pro with retina display.  We close with a synopsis of my written review of Westcott's ICE Light.

REVIEW : Westcott Icelight

Much was made at the announcement of Westcott's Icelight about size, portability and softness.  All true.  Sort of. The Ice Light comes from Westcott and is designed by respected photographer Jerry Ghionis.  Specifications are located here.

The device comes in a simple kit as shown;

The case is lightweight and easy to handle, the charger attaches quickly and the gel clips, well they allow you to put a gel in front of the light source.  Yes it actually does look like a short lightsaber, but without the interesting audio additions.  The switches are on/off and variable brightness, all clear and simple to work with.

At first glance the thing should be brilliant.  And it is.  Sort of.

The Good

• Lightweight
• Mounts to a light stand tilter bracket with a standard fitting
• Hangs at the end of a boom without needing a giant counterweight
• Very soft light
• Portable
• Recharges reasonably quickly
• Colour balance is very good

The Not So Good

• Seriously underpowered if competing with any volume of ambient light
• You have to get it REALLY close to your subject
• Battery life ok, not great
• Hard to get by with just one
• Needs a stand, voice operated or not
• Needs a tilter bracket
• Durability a concern
• Expensive - Really expensive

In fairness, my use cases may not fit the device well.  I wanted one for a number of reasons

1. To use as a tool when I teach lighting techniques
2. To use as a supplementary source to fill harsh shadows or soften closeups when shooting outdoors
3. As a "one light" fast portrait source
4. Convenient like a flash, but with a softer look
5. Reasonable depth of field control

I'm afraid that the relatively low output, the requirement for extra kit to position it and that one just isn't enough doesn't cut it for me.  Doesn't make it a bad product, but I would need it to deliver a lot more than it does for what I feel is an outrageously high purchase price.   It is version one of the device.  I did shoot models with it (several its in actuality) at Photoshop World and the light is nice, but for the cost involved, I could get a set of Spiderlite TD6s that while larger and more cumbersome do the soft light job much more effectively and with enough power to permit useful depth of field control.  It's going back to the vendor.  I am hopeful that the price comes down out of the stratosphere so its ROI improves and I am hopeful that future versions have a lot more output.  As it stands, I cannot make a business case for it.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 21

This episode I look version one of Photostitcher and more details of limitations photographing at the summer Olympics.  I then have some quick news from Nikon.  I share rumours about the coming v2 firmware for the Canon 7D.Most of the episode is focused around this past week's announcements from Canon of the 4Ti/650D and the new STM lenses.  I close with a review of the Think Tank Airport Accelerator backpack

The Canon T4i

Canon has announced the replacement for the venerable T3i. The T4i should be available in stores in Canada by the 20th, with the new lenses available likely in July. The new camera still has the 18mp sensor as seen in the 7D and the 60D. What is new is the Digic 5 processor that is driving the processing in the camera that provides 14 bit depth compared to the 8 bit depth in the predecessor. That's a significant enhancement. The new camera has 9 cross point autofocus and 63 zone metering, similar to the 60D. The burst mode is to be 5 fps and that's very quick for decent resolution in a consumer oriented camera.

Unlike most DSLRs, the T4i will have continuous autofocus for video, but there is a small catch. For the continuous AF to work, you'll want to be using one of the new lenses announced at the same time.

First up is an EF-S 18-135. This new lens incorporates a stepper motor which gives very fast focus movement. Second is a 40/2.8 pancake lens also with a stepper motor for AF with video, but this lens is an EF mount so it can be used on full frame bodies. The new lenses as noted likely won't be available until July so we'll have to wait to see them to give a fair performance assessment.

Look for sales on the T3i to make space for the T4i which is a replacement. Prices are still in flux but the new camera will likely retail pretty close to the older one.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 20

This episode I look at the court decision around the ASMP and Google, check in on Leica and refer you to Steve Huff.  I'm surprised at the market value of IKEA's cardboard camera and relate a funny story about a stolen iPhone.  Then I suggest a couple of web articles, one from Pixiq on hyper-focal distance and one from Petapixel on the photography of Jack Robinson.  Next I cover news and rumours from Canon and Nikon, hit the updates from Adobe and close with a joint review of the Gary Fong Lightsphere and the Stroboframe.

Lightroom 4.1 Available

FULL DISCLOSURE:  I am an unabashed champion of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.  I generate personal revenue from training people on Lightroom.  Readers should expect me to be enthusiastic about Lightroom. Now that the mumbo-jumbo is out of the way, I wanted to let all the members know that Adobe released Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.1 today.  Existing Lightroom 4 users will be prompted to install the update.  In addition to bug fixes and other enhancements it adds support for a number of new cameras including the Canon 1Dx, Fuji X-Pro 1, the 5D mark III, the Nikon D4, the Nikon D800 and D800e, the Leica M Monochrom, the Leica X2 as well as lens profiles for the new Sigma lenses for micro four-thirds.

At its new retail price of $149, imho there is no more feature rich and powerful image management and editing software on the market.  Photoshop CS6 is certainly a powerful tool, but even Adobe says it is a designer's tool first and a photographer's tool second with Lightroom being their flagship tool for photographers.  Even Apple Aperture evangelist, professional photographer and noted curmudgeon Scott Bourne is switching to Lightroom.

It's available in lots of places, online and in retail stores and comes to run on both Windows and Mac OS X.

If your photo editing software is older, or you don't have a catalog management system for your photographs and would like a great one with an integrated editor, you cannot lose with Lightroom.

Prime or zoom? Thoughts on a common question

I met a couple of club members at the Exposure show this weekend and one, who is really committed to constantly improving his skills, was saying he needed a new lens to shoot a wedding.

He shoots a Nikon DX camera and loves his Sigma 70-200/2.8 but found that after crop factor he wasnt able to do groups.  His other lens is the 18-55 kit lens.  After talking to a representative at a couple of the booths he had concluded that he needed an 18-200.  Its not my money so not my place to tell him that spending money on a lens like this will turn out to be a mistake.

He, like many photographers, is discovering that the kit lens is not cutting it for him.  But he does need a quality wide angle lens for group settings.  The challenge as we know is having effective depth of field control when going wide.  

I made the suggestion that he rent a prime or two, along with a second body rather than investing in a lens that duplicates the range he already has.  The Sigma is faster and edge sharper than the kit lens or the 18-200.

One of the challenges of a DX body is that getting wide becomes a problem.  Nikon does a really nice 20/2.8 and 24/2.8  When we calculate the effect of the DX sensor that 20mm becomes 30mm and the 24mm becomes 36mm.  So if he has a big group, neither really suits.  If he had an FX sensor, the 24mm would work well for larger groups without fall over effect.

If he has to stay with a DX sensor, his options become more limited.  Presuming that the 18-55 wont do the job, I will suggest either of the Sigma 10-20/3.5 EX zoom or Nikons own 12-24/4 IF-ED.

Theres no simple answer to these kinds of questions.  The DX/FX or crop/full frame body choices have a dramatic impact on future agility when it comes to glass.  This is why I see more and more serious photographers going with both crop sensor and full frame bodies to provide coverage on the wide and the telephoto.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 19

In this episode, I look at news from Canon, the new 75/1.8 from Olympus, news and rumours from Nikon, provide a quick Leica update, recommend the Apple Camera Raw update, advise on DxO Optics Pro 7.5, touch on the NEX Proshop Shadow Shoe, discuss a WTO appeal on DSLR video duration and offer up a hands-on with the Fuji X Pro 1. Sponsored by Daytripper Television

VIDEO : Introduction to Night Photography

I recently prepared a class to help people get started on Night Photography.  Response was very positive so I am including it here for anyone to watch.  

I would also like to recommend Lance Keimig's book as a terrific resource for Night Photographers.  You can support the site by buying it through the Amazon link here.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 18

This EpisodeNikon G1X competitor? Nikon drops XQD cards from the D4 packaging D800 wins the Camera Grand Prix 2012 Award Canon wins lens of the year for the 8-15/4L Rumours about the EOS 650D/T4i Canon 200/2 800/5.6 make noises on 5D Mk III Joe McNally and David Hobby suggest grids for hot shoe flash Sony announces the NEX-F3 and new E mount 18-200/3.5-6.3 Fuji announces WCL-X100 WA adapter REVIEW : Honl Flash modifiers

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 17

This episode, we touch on updated rumours on the D600, look at Nikon's financials and the DP Review in-depth on the D800.  Then we chat about a new RC of Adobe Camera Raw and touch on Adobe's subscription service.  Then we spend the bulk of the podcast on the Leica announcements on May 10th including the V-Lux 40, the X2 and the M-Monochrom.  We close with film news from Canon.

The Photo Video Guy Podcast - Episode 16

This Episode we discuss the rumoured Sony NEX-F3, look at the Nikon D800/e D4 Lockup Fix, an Ikelite Housing for the D800/D800e, some released Nikon Lens Patents, a Nikon Battery Recall, check out News from Adobe, the Trigger Trap Remote, some new Travel Backpacks from Think Tank, Canon Lens Patents and potential Canon mirrorless specs.  We have news for the 5d Mk III, the DP review on the OM-D, our first look at the Tamron 24-70/2.8VC, updates from Fuji and the release of the new Mamiya Lead Credo digital backs  

Why Google Drive may NOT be where you want to store your images

Regular readers know that I am a very strong advocate of your work remaining yours.  I've been fairly critical of web services that through their End User License Agreement require you to give all your rights away to your own property.  While I know that there are workarounds for some photo sharing sites (use only small low quality thumbnails), in general I only recommend sites that protect your intellectual property and most times there is a fee involved. Recently the folks at Google opened a new service called Google Drive.  Ostensibly it looks like it competes with Dropbox and to a lesser extent with Microsoft's SkyDrive.  I am not snubbing SkyDrive, it's only that Dropbox is the 800 pound gorilla at the moment.  I like Dropbox.  One of the many reasons I like Dropbox is that their EULA specifies that what is mine is mine and that I can have everything on their myriad servers encrypted.  I pay for the privilege of lots of reliable cloud storage.

Google Drive provides an initial 5GB of storage for free.  A decent offer to be sure but if you care about your intellectual property, don't just click through the "by clicking here you agree to the license agreement that is really long and hard to read and located at this other place..." because when you click ok, you grant Google irrevocable rights forever to anything you put on Google Drive.  That might be just fine with you, particularly if you buy into the argument that Google has a zillion customers and won't have the time to look at and redistribute your stuff.  If it's not fine with you and you still want to use Google Drive for something then DON'T put your photos or videos or screenplays or anything you want to remain private up there.

The latin phrase Caveat Emptor has existed for centuries for very good reason.  And as Robert Heinlein said very clearly over 50 years ago, TANSTAFFL.

(There ain't no such thing as a free lunch)

I definitely credit Google for making the service available and also for having an understandable if a bit lengthy EULA.  They are far from the worst offenders and consistently let you know up front their intent.  I have read an article that says they do this in their EULAs because people can email things from their account and since there is no way to know how many hops an attachment will take and where it will be stored en route, they have to do this.  That email and attachments are stored (and are retrievable at any time) in myriad waypoints is factually correct, but the EULA makes no explicit commentary on this point, and is much wider ranging.  Google has a business to run and are very clear that they could use anything you put on their services to foster that business.  You do have freedom of choice.  To say as the other writer did that the EULA exists to handle the risks created by unencrypted email is akin to using a 10 gauge shotgun to hunt sparrows.  It's a spurious argument.  Google is a business and provides services that someone has to pay for.  If you aren't paying for them, someone else is.

If you don't like this reality, don't participate.  That's your choice.