jmichaelc

Here are some "working" samples of both the Sigma 30MM and the Canon 50MM.

 

Be sure to view all these at LARGE size and look at the image details for the specific data.

 

I've concluded that both the sigma and canon are fantastic lenses, even when shot wide open. If you purchase a lens that isn't, simply send it back for calibration. The first thing that one must do is perform a 45 degree ruler test on their lenses. Once completed, you know without a doubt where your lens stands in regards to sharpness and focus accuracy. I had to send the 30mm back to Sigma for calibration because it was off. However, when i received it back, it was spot on. So, i have two perfectly sharp lenses when shot wide open because i've taken them through the proper steps to verify.

 

When shooting out in the field, you have to come to some sort of level of acceptance because there are many factors that will contribute to less-than-perfect results. I see my lenses as image makers, not pieces of equipment that can somehow overcome non-perfect user error. If you look at the below linked images, you'll notice that both the 50 and 30 produced similar results, less focal length. They both produced satisfactory images for me that i couldn't be happier with. However, if you zoon in to 100% and pixal peep, you'll notice that only one is tack sharp. The others are fairly sharp and are acceptable by my terms, but there are some user error found in them. I'll take the composition, DOF qualities, and the abient abilities over the lack of complete sharpness as a result of my error.

 

I've used the 30 now well over a year and a half and it has become my favorite lens for my 1DMIIN bodies - highly recommend it. Just be sure to do the ruler test and send back for calibration if needed.

 

By the way, i've also got the 50 1.8. For a $80 lens, it simply can't be beat and is also a fantastic lens in terms of sharpness and functionality. Recommend all three :)

 

Here is the link:

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=891081

<p>In addition to Health insurance, did you come out equal after the 30+% small buisness tax deduction and after expenses? If so, I say take that step.</p>

<p>I have never re-funded a retainer / deposit and we've experienced 3 cancellations. Is she asking for the deposit back? We tell the client that if they need our services sometime within 2 years, we would hold their current deposit/retainer in place IF we have the new date open. You never know, they could get back togeather or they could meet someone new within a 2 year period. $200 isn't a whole lot and i couldn't imagine someone getting too upset knowing that you have lost a day of service due to something that is out of your control.</p>

<p>Spot meter. It's essentially a balanced exposure when spotting the face area. That's why the sky is completely blown. I also love doing this non-flash, into direct sun. However, she could have used reflectors to give a little fill to the faces but i doubt it. When you use a longer lens with a wide aperture, you soften the background and the harsh light becomes part of the creamy bokeh, which eliminates a lot of the distriactions you would find in a small apeture wide shot. You can see the flare throughout his shirt which makes me belive this was simply a soft medium to long shot with the sun blazing just overhead and in the background. Good looking trendy couple which helps the presentation of this image a lot.</p>

<p>The Sigma 30 F1.4 is a fantastic lens for a 1.3X or 1.6X sensor. However, I almost guarentee that you WILL have to send it back to sigma in NY for calibration after initial purchase. It takes about 1 week for them to calibrate it for FREE. It might not be worth the hassle to you but i promise that, once completed, you will continually be impressed and thankful that you didn't spend almost 3-4 times more for the canon equal - 35 1.4. When mine came back from calibration, it was spot on wide open and sharpness was excellent. Another good choice, would be the 20mm F1.8 if you can live with non HSM. It has taken me about two years to really feel comfortable with this lens but, once you fully understand it, it's a must have for me......and really the only one of it's kind in terms of focal length and aperture speed. The 20 is the only sigma lens that i've owned that i did not have to send it to Sigma for calibration. Many of the images on my blog link (community page) was taken with the 30 and 20 primes mentioned here.</p>

<p>I recommend that you get the Sigma 20mm F1.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4, and Canon 50mm F1.4 (these 3 for close to what you would pay for the single 35mm F1.4 Canon - it's a no brainer). I've got these lenses and wouldn't even think about the 35mm F1.4 over the Sigma 30mm F1.4 for a 1.3X or 1.6X sensor. In addition to these three, the 85 1.8 that you mentioned would tie in well.</p>

<p>Inside: Sigma 30mm F1.4 on a 1.3X = 39mm. Turns out, this was my most used lens for documentation in 08 by far.<br>

Outside: 70-200L F4</p>

<p>Limit your BG formals and do the family stuff fast. Also, try to do as much as possible pre ceremony. When doing the BG formals, pre prepare yourself to use at least 3 different locations that require moving at decent distances ie...inside, then outside in back, then outside in front etc... know what i mean? Next, and when moving from one location to another, be looking for those true moments that almost always takes place. This is a good time for a longer lens. Some of my favorite shots are taken as we go from one location to the next. A few examples of these type moments (going from one location to the next) can be seen by clicking on the blog link on my community page.</p>

Actually Moderator, the directions above states this: "500 pixels or less please (even though you have the ability normally to do 700 pixels or less"

<p>

There is no wording that suggests "Width" in the statement above which would default the submissions of many here that exceed the 500 limit vertically.

<p>

MODERATOR NOTE: Jammey - The site rules for the forums is that images should be 700 pixels in width or less. Many people already know this and they do know it has to do with width. <p>

 

The message about that is right on the page when you upload images.

<p>

it says:

<blockquote>If you wish your image to show up as an image and not a link, the maximum file size is 100 KBytes (full-size images from digital cameras won't work). Please crop or downsize to a width of 700 pixels for inline display; larger images and file sizes will appear as a link. You also need to provide a caption for your image. Images without captions will show up as links</blockquote>

 

So - that is why I wanted to make sure that was corrected to 500 for space saving reasons. That is for the people that read the specs for uploading so that when they saw width of 700 - they'd know we are requiring 500. However, Just for You - I've edited the thread intro to be more clear.

<p>Just Curious....what happened to my submittal?</p>

 

MODERATOR NOTE: Hi Michael.. Check your inbox! Hopefully you are using your correct email address on PN. Or, maybe it got caught in the spam filter? I had to delete 18 images from both forums combined because somewhow some people missed the directions at the top of the thread. All IMAGES NEED TO BE 500 PIXELS OR LESS IN WIDTH (I'm not yelling - just posting in caps so other's with new entrees see it too).

Thanks Mr. Church... Hope you resubmit. Deadline is tonight ;-) If you miss the deadline - email me and maybe (no promises) I can open the thread for you.

<p>Top part is the G9 handheld at ISO 800, Bottom was at 100.</p>

<p>Example of the G9 Macro Mode with this mornings coffee cup :) This is a full 12.1 MP frame. Not bad for a pocket camera.</p><div></div>

<p>I do not have much use for macro work but when an occasion presents itself, I use the G9 :)</p>

<p>I pronounce it "not-canon"</p>

If the bride doesn't expect professional work then have fun and experiment and report back to us what you found worked best for you. Try your camera at all ISO's, shoot many focal lengths, go through your aperture's. Try M, AV, and TV (P if you must). Make sure your flash is on only when you need it. I point mine backwards :)</p>

Mauro....was the 40D set on JPEG preferences or RAW? If JPEG, then RAW is where you really need to evaluate the DR of digital capabilities V/S film.

I'm not an expert on dynamic range testing but the logic behind your test is about the best i've ever seen....very interesting. I began with Digital with no professional film experience and, if this is true, there is in fact quite a difference i must say. What i did notice on-screen when viewing your samples is that the digital versions seem to be much more contrasty, which wouild impair the Dynamic Range somewhat verses your scan set at a low contrast setting. Cool comparison.

As far as what does the future hold? I've got two1.6 bodies and two 1DMIIN's 1.3 bodies and they will be the last crop bodies that i purchase. I will simply use these until they absolutly die then i will move on to the FF overings at that time. With the exception of one lens, all my lens purchasas have been full frame lenses. I belive that the crop bodies will eventually fade out over the next 5 years or so. Regardless of your decision, you should have a decent body that offers controls without having to flip through menues. The origional 5D has become a classic that continues to produce some of the nicest images to date. I would bet that it will be the longest withstanding body yet produced by canon. I would think the best decision for you at this point in your investments would be the 5DMII for it is sure to be a long life and liked camera.

I use to worry about everything. Not anymore and i'm much better off this way. I'm hired to observe and capture and am at complete peace with capturing what ever nature throws at me. I've seen beautiful days get destroyed with violent storms.....ok with me, hate it for the couple. I only stress out now over things i should have maybe done that was within my control and didn't....and how my body feels after a 12 hour day :)

Dan,

 

How deep is the church? Most of the time, F8 isn't needed. For two - 3 row tiers, F4 or F5 is sufficient if your shooting 50mm and below. In addition, if you are using a recent Canon or Nikon Pro-Consumer or pro camera, pumping up to ISO 800 shouldn't be a problem, as long as you shoot RAW and over expose just a tad.

 

My suggestion Dan, and is what i do at almost every wedding, is position yourself about 40ft from the alter. At that position, i take one White Lightening 1600W and point it backwards towards the back wall/ceiling junction. You have two 800's, point them both back there. What ever light is available in the church, have someone there turn them all on.....especially around the alter area. It will not hurt, more than likely however, you will dominate those alter lights through this method. Whith this type of bounce, you get a gigantic light souce that travels back to the alter....so big that the shadows are eliminaged due to the size of the source light bounce. It also provides enough light to light up the back area nice and softly.

 

Now that you've got eveything hooked up, begin with, let's say, F5 and ISO 500, and meter the alter area in AV matrix mode. Look at your readings. Now go to to either -2 or -3 stops AV and write that setting down. Dial in that reading in manual mode and begin test firing at the alter and simply increase the light input until you have the desired exposure. If you have plently of light to spare, then you can either incurese your F stop or lower your ISO.

 

Once you have this dialed in (Usually takes me less than a minute), your ready to go for the day. Here is a quick fun sample from past weekend that shows lighting results and the surface bounced off of. If you try this, be sure to shoot RAW so that you can neutralize your dominate color bounce. For this example, i was at F4, ISO 640 with a shutter of 1/100 with plenty of light to spare. Light Equipment needed? One light turned backwards with just the 7" rim :)

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/8289454&size=lg

I hear you David and agree with you to a large extent. Nowadays, it seems like every single guest has a camera and

pictures are firing off every second. It's part of the event where as i suppose back in the old days, you rarely seen a

camera at all. As to wheather a pro is needed or not depends on the expectations of the couple. I'll agree with you

that they could have decent results if they asked all their guests to provide what they took throughout the day.

Compare that against a lot of hired hands that are out in the market place and they probably would not know who

took what. However, there are some true professionals out there that treads the unbeaten path and truly are capable

of producing results that only the professional knows how to produce. If a couple is able to recognize this, then they

will more than likely have to pay for that unique talent to get the results. This is where the filed seperates between

everyday uncle bob's out in the market place and those that have a unique talent and purpose. The choice is theirs. I

choose to drive an old ford explorer non-loaded. I could buy a newer car loaded with automatic features.....but to me,

a car is a car and i could care less as long is it goes down the road and is dependable. A lot of folks think along

those lines when they hire their everyday photographers for photography, when they could have saved money and

just asked their guests to give them the photos they took on that day to receive basically the same results.

 

Here is a photo from a wedding i'm currently editing from a couple of weeks ago.....i wonder what all these cameras

produced at the end of the day?

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/8282940&size=lg

I hear you David and agree with you to a large extent. Nowadays, it seems like every single guest has a camera and pictures are firing off every second. It's part of the event where as i suppose back in the old days, you rarely seen a camera at all. As to wheather a pro is needed or not depends on the expectations of the couple. I'll agree with you that they could have decent results if they asked all their guests to provide what they took throughout the day. Compare that against a lot of hired hands that are out in the market place and they probably would not know who took what. However, there are some true professionals out there that treads the unbeaten path and truly are capable of producing results that only the professional knows how to produce. If a couple is able to recognize this, then they will more than likely have to pay for that unique talent to get the results. This is where the filed seperates between everyday uncle bob's out in the market place and those that have a unique talent and purpose. The choice is theirs. I choose to drive an old ford explorer non-loaded. I could buy a newer car loaded with automatic features.....but to me, a car is a car and i could care less as long is it goes down the road and is dependable. A lot of folks think along those lines when they hire their everyday photographers for photography, when they could have saved money and just asked their guests to give them the photos they took on that day to receive basically the same results.

 

Here is a photo from a wedding i'm currently editing from a couple of weeks ago.....i wonder what all these cameras produced at the end of the day?

I've been using it Bob for about 6 weeks or so now. I think the batch process that you speak of is mainly due to how much RAM you have. I have 3G or ram on my primary workstation and could batch process about 900 images in CS3 before running out of RAM. I haven't had a problem yet with CS4 with batching about 1200 in one shot.

 

CS4 has a few nice features, mainly functionality and the way the image is previewed once one screen. However, it is not a significant upgrade IMO. On the other hand, if you are like me and your a Bridge user, then here is where i see a big difference in performance. The images loads much faster and the rows are locked to fit the screen as you scroll through them. This is very nice when making your selections at large preview. I could certainly do without this upgrade and consider it "Decent".

Steve, i don't think there can ever be a single answer to these type of questions. Lens selections are often made and dependent on realitive-to-subject distance that you have to work with. For instance, if i have a lot of distance between me and my subjects, i love to shoot compressed telephoto shots for large groups. If i have very little distance between me and my subjects, then i'm forced to go wide. It's not uncommon for me to shoot my groupings at the 150-200mm range. As much as i love my primes, and i've got a ton of them, i much prefer the dynamics of a good zoom for formals. Which is why i typically do them with either a 24-70 or 70-200. If however, i choose to do them with primes, i'm fully equipped. I have a Sig 20mmF1.8, Sig 30mmF1.4, Can 50mmF1.4, Can 100mmF2 and a Can 200mmF2.8. All of these are top notch lenses but none of these are a do-it-all prime...absolutly impossible IMO. If i had to say which one would be the most versitile on a 1.6 body....i would probably say the 20 or 30.

I feel your pain, this is one area that i just don't understand. The quietest shuuter that i've experienced to date is the Canon 10D and is the very reason i've chosen to keep this body. I have the 1DMIIN's and they are LOUD (Even with the quite shutter option in personal settings) and is why during most ceremony's anymore i've got the 10D mounted to a tripod with a cable release shooting at around 800. From what i'm hearning from reviews of the 5DMII, it appears as if they've addressed the shutter noise to some degree.