Canon 5D is on the way--any tips for moving into digital?

[doug_harhai]

Hi All,

Like some of you, I was disappointed that Canon didn't announce any new full

frame slrs today in the 5D range. So...I ordered the 5D, a 4gig card and card

reader from B&H so that I can use digital capture for some of my paying work

this year. I have alot of experience with film, all other formats, and I have a

bunch of Canon EF glass. I am interested in hearing from those of you who made

the move from film to digital (especially with this camera), is there anything

that helped to help make the transition easier? Was there really much of a

transition at all? I have Elements 5, minimal experience with it from the scans

that I have had done. I am computer literate and catch on quickly to those

types of things--aside from learning the interface of the camera, what are some

of the biggest differences/challenges that you have faced in your transition

from film to digital?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Doug

[colinsouthern]

Hi Doug,

 

The best advice I can give is learn how digital exposure differs from film. With film you'd expose for the shadows, but develop for the hightlights - with digital it's the other way around - we expose for the highlights and post-process for the shadows.

 

If you're wanting to get the most out of your shots then shoot in RAW mode. There are a few books on the topic that have reached the status of "compulsory reading" - one is "Real World Camera RAW" (CS2 version by Bruce Fraser; CS3 version by Bruce Fraser and Jeff Schewe).

 

Cheers,

 

Colin

[derek_stanton2]

Get Photoshop CS3, and look into Alien Skin Exposure 2 ? that plug in may help you deal

with the 'digital look,' although 5D files are already pretty nice.

 

Get a backup system for your files. Write them to DVD, and think about a simple

RAID/redundant hard drive system for your active files.

 

I suggest CS3 because the Canon software is generally not so nice to use. The PS RAW

processor is better. As are Aperture and Lightroom....

 

Get a good Photoshop book.

 

Get a comfortable, ergonomic chair. The Aeron is a nice choice.

[PuppyDigs]

If you grew up shooting chromes you pretty much have the digital capture part down: expose for the highlights

and let the shadows fall where they may. The main diff from chromes is digital allows, at least with RAW capture,

you to "dig out" shadow detail later prior to RAW conversion and/or during post-processing.

 

I actually found the transition extremely easy but I had scanned chromes for 7 years prior to switching to digital.

The post-processing skills and techniques for scans and digital capture are basically the same. The big diff is 5D

files need very few tweaks compared to film scans.

 

I really have grown to love Canon's DPP 3 for RAW conversion and minor tweaks. Elegant, fast and easy to use (at

least the Mac version). I only use PS for heavy post-processing (layers, masks, print preparation, etc.). DPP has a

massive advantage over 3rd party RAW apps as it reads Canon camera parameter (saturation, WB, color space, Pic

Style, etc.). So you file opens with your selected settings as defaults, thus saving many mouse clicks. So the RAW

conversions look great outta the camera. Adobe RAW is a grand pain in the arse due to the many adjustments

needed to get where DPP starts.

[mike_earussi1]

Prepared to become spoiled fast as you'll never have to pay for film and processing again. Also your turn around time will increase dramatically. And the amount of shooting you do will increase by several times since you know it's all free. And if you don't already have an EBay account you might consider getting one to dispose of all your "obsolete" film camera equipment you'll never be using again, as the 5D is easily the equivalent of 645 (or larger) in quality.

[jason_hall4]

don't get to hung up on soft ware until you get an idea of what workflow you want to use. certain software works better with certain workflows. The Canon software (Digital Photo Professional, Known as DPP)is not as "nice" to use, however it is thought to produce more detail and some even think better color rendition from RAW files. Personally I like Lightroom. DPP will serve you well to get started and it comes with your camera. Just be sure to update it after you install it from the disk that comes with the camera.

 

Shoot RAW, Learn how to calibrate a monitor, Do not make color management any harder than it is.

 

Personally, I would say don't try to make your own prints right off (unless you already have a handle on that). First work to get the image output you want on screen. Let a pro lab make your prints and when you know you are producing good files, then you can dive into printing your own. That is just me.

 

I will say that Lightroom and Photoshop both have all the tools you need to produce great prints with the right printers (epson tends to be king). You will want PS CS3 in the long run, but elements will get you by until you really start to use layers to thier full potential, and it won't take long).

 

Don't let anyone tell you how it must be done, find what works for YOU! That is the best advise I can give, for what ever my advise is worth.

 

Jason

[doug_harhai]

Derek, pretty funny--re: I am spending 2 grand and I can use this Alien Skin plug in to get the same look that I now get with film, LOL! Actually, it is pretty cool, and I'll look into it.

 

I shoot slides now (sometimes) so the exposure should not be a problem. I also make my own prints, nothing for clients, but I could handle that with a better printer. Based on the answers so far, it seems like I have to really have to learn about color calibration, software differences and post editing (big one). I wasn't even aware that the Canon software was any good but apparently it is decent in at least one person't eyes.

 

By the way, I do have an eBay account, but the film gear is staying with me. It wont be worth much, I'll regret selling it, and I like working in the darkroom too much. However, just about all of my color work (except for 4x5 chromes) will be shot with digital. When i am a grandfather, i can show my grandchildren how to shoot film and develop BW prints in the darkroom, I am sure that will be a rare skill by then.

 

Good answers, everybody, thank you.

 

Doug

[William Michael]

Speaking as a digital three / four year old but having a very rapid learning curve with digital:

 

1. What Colin (and others) said about exposure.

 

2. Photoshop CS3 was a very good investment for me.

 

3. Get filing system: (workflow / archiving / storing / labelling)

 

4. RAW is good (great) some will say the only way to go: I am passionate about obtaining as close to perfect JPEG straight out of the camera.

 

5. Do not throw away your `film` filters: any of them.

 

6. Get another couple of 4 Gb cards, they are cheap, and get a card reader, that is cheap too all are very handy.

 

7. If you were ever hung up on Black and White (and processed and printed them too) keep a film body or two (or another format): other than that you now have nice 135 format paper weights, IMO.

 

8. Learn what the histogram is, and then learn the significance of the RGB histograms: very useful, IMO.

 

9. Get a good monitor and learn what calibration is: and get a good room to view the monitor in (and light it correctly or as correctly as possible) and get a printer or lab which is calibrated such that the whole digital production line understands and interprets each nuances of the digital language as you intended it to be.

 

WW

[yanglee]

Other than what was said above, I will add that Lightroom's capability helped me

tremendously. For extensive editing you need Photoshop, but a good 95% or greater of what

I do is tweakable in Lightroom. Download a trial version and test for yourself if you like it.

Best wishes and have fun!

[saltcod]

Get Lightroom.

[geoff_doane]

I've been using a 5D for almost 2 years, so here are some observations. The histogram is a great tool. Learn how to read it. I came from shooting chromes (and still do), and the transistion was quite straight forward. Having a spare battery ready to go is a good idea, particularly this time of year (it's -14C here this morning).

 

Make sure your computer is up to the job. More than a gig of RAM is almost mandatory, and think carefully about how you will store and organize images. My approach has been to have two internal HDs, and an external USB HD for storage, which is kept separately from the computer. A HD can fail at any time, so images are always on two and often three HDs before the CF card from the camera is reformatted. CDs and DVDs don't seem like a practical backup to me, longevity issues aside.

 

My usual practice is to shoot RAW + small fine jpeg. This only takes marginally more space, but gives me a quick reference that can fill the computer screen, without having to wait for DPP to decode the RAW file. I'm still using Photoshop Elements that was bundled with my old Drebel for editing, so I don't think it's necessary to jump into full blown Photoshop right away.

 

Have fun. It's a great camera, even if Canon hasn't updated it yet.

[jim_rais]

<i>I wasn't even aware that the Canon software was any good but apparently it is decent in at least one person't eyes.</i><br>

<br>I second every word of Puppy Face's about Canon's DPP RAW conversion. That is: elegant, fast and easy to use, also in Windows version.<p>

[doug_harhai]

Response to Canon 5D is on the way--any tips for moving into digital?(Category:EOS Digital SLR Bodies)

It looks like the advice that is pertinent to me is that monitor and calibration are important, along with the histogram reading, and shooting RAW (I already had knew about RAW importance). My storage and archiving abilities, computer and memory/RAM are at least adequate. One thing that I need is to settle on post-processing software--I have elements 5, and I just bought "The Photoshop Elements 5 Book for Digital Photographers" by Scott Kelby book so that I can really learn PSE5. Is CS3 really much better for photo editing? I do portraits, mainly, for paid work. I do, however, hear a lot of people talk about Lightroom, so that may be something to look into after I have played with PSE5 for awhile. BTW, I am keeping my filters, too, all of my film gear, I will still use it ( and my kids will too--how cool is that, a 6-year old walking around Disney with an Eos-3? Give her some ibuprofen at the end of the day for the ruptured discs in her neck, and she'll be fine). I learned my lesson last year when I sold my Canon F-1N on eBay and took a huge bath on that. The buyer is probably still in shock...

 

Great answers, guys. It doesn't seem like there is such a big learning curve for me. It will definitely be easier than learning photography the first time!

[bnyc]

I also suggest shooting for a while and not getting too hung up on the software/post-processing until you figure out what you want from it. I used nothing more than the Canon software for over a year before getting Photoshop. Even now, I "only" use Photoshop Elements, not the "real deal", and mostly I use it for cleaning up scans of old photos, not digital photography - different strokes for different folks. Personally, I'm just too lazy to spend a lot of time on post-processing. You may be the same way, or you may really get into it - no need to figure it all out on day 1. You've got a great camera, give yourself some time to see what it can do.

[Brad_]

>>> I do, however, hear a lot of people talk about Lightroom, so that may be something

to look into after I have played with PSE5 for awhile.

 

Lightroom is for managing your images (you will eventually end up with tens of thousands

of them) and for RAW processing. Photoshop is for performing selective image processing

operations (layer processing, freehand dodge/burn. etc) on images - LR doesn't do that.

Would be good to have both.

 

Really good post processing is what makes images sing (in addition to starting with great

light). I've seen so many poor images here from people who discount that notion.

[William Michael]

>>> My storage and archiving abilities, computer and memory/RAM are at least adequate. <<<

 

 

Hmm: I just bought 3 x 500Gb Drives: it depends upon what % you keep (archive) and how much you shoot.

 

 

>>> One thing that I need is to settle on post-processing software <<<

 

 

Yes but this is not an immediate decision: I agree 100% with Peter B, I bought CS3 after learning & thinking for about 24 months.

 

 

 

>>> Is CS3 really much better for photo editing? I do portraits, mainly, for paid work. <<<

 

 

IMO yes, and because it is `for paid work.

 

 

For the first year or so I had any professional images post processed by an expert, and learnt from her: excessive perhaps, but I only shot relatively few for money; and whilst we all must believe we are good, there is a need to acknowledge limitations we charging $.

 

 

I used to send my colour work to a pro lab and give them instructions, so for me sending the digital to a professional was a natural, if not unusual step.

 

Also this was quicker and more business efficient for me.

 

 

If you are shooting professionally consistently, it would pay to have someone do the post for you in the first instance, and for you to look over their shoulder, you`d get the basics in a few sessions (4 or 5 hours), and depending upon your time availability decide from that point what to do.

 

It really depends upon the volume of work you are doing professionally, and the amount of time you have to `fiddle` in the early stages of learning.

 

Also note the difference between Lightroom and CS3 as Brad mentioned.

 

On another matter, (and realizing you just bought a 5D): as a professional photographer: (`portraits`), and an amateur too (`my kids . . .`): there are great benefits in having a two format digital system.

 

In this regard consider extension and enhancements the 40D would provide to your digital kit.

 

WW

[alan_myers]

Hi,

 

Lots of good advice already.

 

There are a number good alternatives to Photoshop CS2 or CS3, but it's surely the head of the pack. Unfortunately, it can also be pretty overwhelming during the learning curve.

 

Get the book recommended by Colin, to help you decide if you want to go with full Photoshop. Mikkel Aaland's books about Photoshop are also very good.

 

I also highly recommend The DAM Book, Digital Asset Management for Photographers by Peter Krogh. Set your workflow, storage/archiving and backup up right in the beginning, and your life will be a lot easier!

 

Look into alternative image handling softwares such as Phase One Capture One, Aperture and Lightroom. These are designed for RAW conversion, volume file handling, and have many features, but none are as fully featured for individual image optimization as Photoshop is.

 

If you go the Photoshop route, a class might be a very good idea to really "ramp up" as quickly and painlessly as possible. To give you some idea of just how much is "in" Photoshop, friend of mine is currently taking a "basics" course: It's 4 hours a day, 5 days a week for 13 weeks! I've used PS since Ver. 4.0 whenever that was, and still am learning new things almost every week.

 

But, you have made a start on it, just using Elements. It's a good entry into eventually using full version Photoshop. So don't be too intimidated by PS, if you go that route.

 

Yes, you will need lots of RAM (I say 2GB minimum) and lots of hard drive storage space! If you have been scanning film, the RAW files from your 5D will actually be smaller than, say, a 4000 ppi/16 bit scan TIF. Still, you'll find yourself filling up hard drives pretty fast.

 

Fortunately, RAM and storage memory are pretty cheap.

 

Do calibrate your monitor and look into ICC profiles (at least) for your printer as well (whether it's in-house or sent out). There are tools to make your own ICC profiles.

 

There are several softwares (probably Photoshop Plug-ins) available specifically for portraiture and skin tones. I've seen some write-ups recently, in Shutterbug magazine I think. Might be worth checking the magazine's website.

[kanellopoulos]

<p>Many people have already suggested a lot of useful stuff.

 

<p>I would like to say that today, I rediscovered my photos after viewing them with my new monitor: Eizo SX2461W. Although I used to have a decent CRT monitor, this monitor can show 95% of the extended Adobe RGB color space and it is really impressive. I started to notice things in the shadows for the first time after two years of examining the same photos! Most LCD monitors just can't show the right colors!

 

<p>Not having a good (and <b>calibrated</b> monitor) could lead you to make <u>wrong and unneeded "corrections"</u> to your photos. Often, you discover this after processing hundreds (or thousands of photos), like I did. I mistakenly edited many photos to turn up the brightness, instead of properly calibrating my monitor.

 

<p>A very helpful link: http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/monitor_black.htm

[don_chong1]

I advise to keep the case you keep your camera in clean. The 5D is not an airtight camera, dirty storage will increase issues with dust spots on the CCD.

 

Have fun with your new tool!

 

-Don

[doug_harhai]

Fantastic info, guys. Alan, there are a lot of nuggets in your post. I guess I have a lot of learning (and buying) to do, but fortunately most of it can be done over time. As for the camera and shooting, I think that I will hit the ground running. I can't wait for it to get here.

 

Have a great weekend.

[jason_hall4]

Photoshop is for a lot more than fixing photos. It is also for "finishing" them, like this.

 

http://jphotoarts.smugmug.com/photos/245788605-M-1.jpg

 

or this

 

http://jphotoarts.smugmug.com/photos/245787890-M-1.jpg

 

Jason

[doug_harhai]

Thaks Jason--now I see the need for CS3. For a pro, it is the way to go. Nice work, by the way.

 

Doug