MAY 24, 2004
MORE ON THE CANON EOS 1D MARK II DIGITAL CAMERA BODY
NIKON vs. CANON???
MONGOOSE M-262 UPDATE
COLOR CONFIDENCE by TIM GREY
BOLSA CHICA CLEAN-UP
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Photo Theme: More amazing Mark II images.
Reddish Egret, Fort DeSoto County Park, Tierra Verde, FL
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with handheld Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L lens.
ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/8.
AFPS (45-point AF) in AI Servo AF Mode.
This is the second frame of a seven-frame sequence. The Mark II's ability to make razor sharp images of birds in flight is simply incredible, and being able to use 45-point AF, which holds focus so well, is a huge plus. Here I used 400 ISO so that I could work at f/8 (with a bit of extra depth-of-filed) and still maintain a fast, action-stopping shutter speed.
MORE ON THE CANON EOS 1D MARK II DIGITAL CAMERA BODY
Until I got my hands on my first Mark II, I had never owned a camera that made me a better photographer instantly. With its amazing autofocus system, the Mark II has done just that. For those who strive to create images of birds in flight and in action (and who are fortunate enough to own this most amazing camera), the Mark II will open up whole new worlds.
Reddish Egret, Fort DeSoto County Park, Tierra Verde, FL
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with handheld Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L lens.
ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/8.
AFPS (45-point AF) in AI Servo AF Mode.
This is the last image in the seven frame sequence. It has been cropped to about 60% of the original capture.
NIKON vs. CANON???
Below (in bold-faced type) is my response to George Forrest's recent e-mail (in italics). He wrote asking the age-old question...
Hi George,
It is good to hear from you. Thanks for taking the time to write. You ask an interesting question.
Re:
Just finished reading (and marveling) at the images in Bulletin # 137. Outstanding stuff for sure.
Thank you much.
Chris Dodd's images are awesome.
Agreed.
If I read things correctly, he made these with Nikon gear.
That is correct.
If so, why in the world would he switch to Canon?
Canon offers long lenses with image stabilization that allows skilled photographers to make consistently sharp images with 2X Teleconverters, long lenses, and slow shutter speeds. Nikon does not. Canon offers extension tubes that are compatible with long telephoto lenses. Extension tubes are of great benefit when photographing small birds. Nikon does not offer long lens-compatible extension tubes. The quality of the digital images produced by the Canon EOS 1Ds and EOS 1D Mark II camera bodies is far superior to anything that Nikon offers. (That is why Jim Brandenburg switched). Initial focus acquisition is far superior with Canon lenses, esp. with the 2X TCs, in low light, and in low contrast situations (among others)... (That is why Tom Vezo switched.)
Autofocus with the Mark II is pretty much unequalled in my experience. In addition, the vaunted Nikon flash system was giving Chris fits with his digital images--he had many flash hot spots. The flash exposures the Mark II are the most consistent that I have gotten when using Canon equipment.
I will cc this to Chris and see if he can add anything. (Chris responded just this morning adding that noise at higher ISOs is far less evident with Mark II images than with the D1X, that AF speed in low light even with the 2X TCs blew Nikon away, that upon close examination, the Canon images were noticeably sharper across the board, and that with 45 AF sensors (plus Automatic Focusing Point Selection) to choose from Canon users had many more compositional options...)
White-breasted Nuthatch, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens and 2X II TC.
ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/10 with fill flash at -1 stop.
With the 2X TCs and the big f/4 lenses, only the central AF sensor is active. Here, I placed the sensor on the bird's upper back just behind the neck as this area is pretty much on the same plane as the bird's eye. This is an example of the sharpness that so impressed Chris Dodds.
.....
Are there some flaws in his Nikon images that I am overlooking?
No. Good photographers make good images with whatever equipment they have in their hands. Lenses are just tools. Put me in the latest, greatest woodworking shop with the finest tools available and I would be lucky not to cut my hand off, much less produce a fine piece of furniture...
Or did he borrow Canon equipment to make the images you posted?
No. He just watched and listened and learned.
If these are Nikon images, I can only believe he got a bit carried away by your Canon enthusiasm.
The factors that I mention above are not a creation of my Canon enthusiasm (of which I have plenty and for good reason). They are simply the facts of photographic life at present. And things are not likely to change. Most former Nikon users say simply, "I switched to Canon because I am tired of waiting for Nikon to catch up. They never will..."
Not that there is anything wrong with that. (smiles)
Whenever anyone suggests or infers that I tout Canon because I receive corporate support from the it raises my hackles... I have nothing against Nikon or Nikon photographers. My dear, dear friend Todd Gustafson uses Nikon and it just so happens that he is also a great photographer. He even makes sharp images with stacked teleconverters using Nikon gear. (Note: most Nikon users have trouble making sharp images with a big lens and the 2X TC alone...
I do not care what equipment folks use. All the I go by are the images.
George, An Admirer,
Thanks much! And best,
Artie
Little Blue Heron, pied immature, Fort DeSoto County Park, Tierra Verde, FL
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens and 1.4X II TC.
ISO 250. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/8.
AFPS (45-point AF) in AI Servo AF Mode.
This bird appeared magically for Al Forns and I just as the sun broke through some low clouds right after sunrise. I love 45 point AF with a bit of extra depth-of-field in situations like this as it holds focus far better than if you had selected a single AF point... And it holds well whether the birds is walking left, right, or towards you so there is no need to keep selecting a different sensor manually.
MONGOOSE M-262 UPDATE
As expected, we sold our initial allotment (eight) of the fabulous new side-mount gimbal-type action tripod head in short order. We will be receiving an additional six pieces later this week (but since I started working on this Bulletin we have sold three of those...) After that, the product will be back-ordered for several weeks. We will continue to accept orders and payments and will ship product on a first-paid, first served basis.
If you do not wish to be disappointed, it would be best to order yours immediately via Paypal.
The Mongoose M-262 Action Head is available now for $295 plus $9 shipping via US Priority Mail/Certified/Return Receipt Requested. Florida residents need to add $17.70 for sales tax.
Dunlin in flight with wings raised, Fort DeSoto County Park, Tierra Verde, FL
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with handheld Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L lens.
ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/8.
AFPS (45-point AF) in AI Servo AF Mode.
Do not try to make images like this at home without parental supervision! <smile> My old "toy lens" on a Mark II will revolutionize flight and action photography...
COLOR CONFIDENCE by TIM GREY
Color Confidence >The Digital Photographer's Guide to Color Management by Tim Grey is a great new book from Sybex. With his clear, concise, easy to understand and follow style, Tim really does cover all of the color management bases. The book's first Chapter, "Foundations," which explains color terms and color theory, might well have been titled' "Color For Dummies."
The second chapter, "Photoshop Setup" contains a wealth of can't-live-without information. I opened Photoshop CS on both of my computers, and then simply followed the page by page instructions to ensure that my copies of CS were set up to my individual preferences. Chapters 3-5 deal with the color management issues related to your monitor, your film-scanner, and your digital camera(s). Chapter 6, a gem, is loaded with color management tips that will make the job of controlling color while optimizing your images in Photoshop far easier. My very favorite (and one that I now include in my digital workflow) involves desaturating the single color that is causing a colorcast by first selecting only that color channel in the Hue/Saturation window and then desaturating only that color by moving the Saturation slider to the left!
I cannot comment on the "Output" chapter as I have never printed a single image, but when I do, you should know that Tim's new book will be my bible, and will be open at my side as I work through this next challenging phase of my digital evolution. In the last chapter, Tim sums things up by offering suggestions on how to achieve consistent, predictable color management results by reviewing both his pre-workflow and process-specific workflow checklists with the reader. All in all, this is one book that no digital photographer, especially me, can afford to be without. In the book's foreword, Katrin Eismann compares a digital photographer throwing out prints that displease them to someone standing around ripping up dollar bills and throwing the bits in the trash! She writes that "Tim's book...will help you make prints that look like the image on your monitor... while avoiding the frustration, wasted time, and disappointment that making color prints has too often entailed in the past...
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Point Pelee National Park, Leamington, Ontario
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens and 2X II TC.
ISO 250. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/16 with fill flash at -1 stop.
AF with the 2X II TC is of course noticeably slower than without it, but still quick enough to acquire these fast little buggers if they sit still for even a fraction of a second... The sharpness here is breathtaking. I used Tim Grey's desaturate trick to eliminate the red colorcast that was evident in the converted image.
BOLSA CHICA CLEAN-UP DAY
Canon USA is sponsoring a Clean-Up Day at Bolsa Chica Wetlands Reserve in Huntington Beach, CA on Saturday, June 26, 2004 from 9am till noon. Photographers (and friends and families thereof) who visit the refuge regularly are urged to participate. Meet at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Interpretative Center (3842 Warner Avenue, Huntington Beach, CA). The center is located on the southeast corner of Warner Avenue and PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).
Volunteers are needed for the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Reserve Clean-Up Day. Volunteers will help remove the ice plants that are destroying the refuge and pick up the trash (that sometimes ruins a great image) and usually winds up in the ocean. This is a great chance to learn about the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve and to pay the place back for all the great photo opps that we all have enjoyed there. Your family and friends are also invited to help out this great cause. Clean up supplies and water will be provided as well as T-shirts, hats and gloves. Please remember to bring extra water and sunscreen. After the clean up, lunch will be provided and you may enjoy the rest of the day at the beach or at the reserve. There is no fee for parking.
If you would like to help out, please contact Martha Christine Shull at the following e-mail address: mshull@cusa.canon.com.
Sanderling speeding, Fort DeSoto County Park, Tierra Verde, FL
Image copyright 2004 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens and 2X II TC. ISO 250. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/11.
With practice, photographing running shorebirds with longs lenses and a 2X TC is a snap with the Mark II. Actually, make that with lots of practice...
Best and love and great picture making to all,
Artie
Artie
Note: Arthur Morris has been a Canon contract photographer since 1994 and continues in that role today. Hunt's Photo of Boston, MA is a BIRDS AS ART sponsor, as is Delkin Devices. Do feel free to forward this Bulletin to one or more photographer-friends. Those wishing to subscribe click here: mailto:http://birdsasart.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=94ad23bd96f48a1de2ca612b3&id=bdb4a511a0?subject=subscribe Back issues of relevant Bulletins are archived on the web site at: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn.html