Canon 5D Mk II Test video with new firmware.

Canon 5D Mk II New firmware 25p from soundimageplus on Vimeo.

Test video shot with Canon 5D Mk II using new firmware at 25p and in Aperture Priority mode.

Lenses were 28mm f1.8 and a cheap and cheerful 55-200 zoom.

N.B. This is a big file and needs some time to load. Its viewable in 720HD on the Vimeo site.

Results do seem smoother at 25p.

Pleasantly bewildered

is probably a good way to describe my current feelings concerning my equipment. The 550D has changed so many things in a short space of time.

In previous posts there was some discussion about the nature of digital photography and the increased workload it places on the photographer. Since using it the 550D has reduced mine for the following reasons:-

Jpgs straight from the camera are sharp, with excellent colour, and provide me with 51MB files with no need for interpolation, or creating multi-image panoramic stitches. The number of files I need to process from raw has significantly decreased.

As of ten days of heavy use, including changing lenses in high winds, there is not a single dust spot on the sensor, thus eliminating the need for spot removal. (I do realise this may change)

I can use up to ISO 800 with no need to use noise reduction software.

All of the above have considerably reduced the amount of time I have to spend on each image. Add in the fact that its a light camera, with autofocus, excellent HD video capability and extremely good high ISO performance and the camera becomes a tool that allows me to spend more time taking pictures and less time editing them.

I didn't expect this, the announcement of the camera seemed to appear out of nowhere, without the usual predictions, and "leaks" that seem to give advance notice of new equipment. I also never expected it to perform so well, some of my previous experiences of Canon led me to significantly underestimate what it is capable of.

So a pleasant, and very welcome, surprise.

So where does that leave everything else I use?

The Canon 5D MK II still gives me the speed, build and high ISO performance that I need for commercial work. Plus the imminent firmware upgrade should take its HD Video capability up a notch. With the new version of DPP I'm able to get better results than before. Its still my most used and longest lasting digital camera. However I am cutting down on my lenses for the Canons. I'm keeping the new 10-22 zoom for the 550D plus the 28mm, 50mm & 85mm f.1.8's for both. I use telephotos rarely and the 85mm on the 550D will work very nicely for me.

The Leica M9 still gives me my "ultimate" image quality. The files it produces are still the best I've seen. It will still be my camera of choice when I don't need AF. I'm going to use it with just two lenses - my 35mm & 75mm Voigtlanders. To provide a light very high quality outfit.

So where does this leave my m4/3 system? Easily the most used of all my cameras over the last year. I currently have 3 cameras plus a lot of lenses, both "native" and adapted.

I am having serious "heart v head" conflict over this. As readers here will know, I am a great enthusiast for m4/3 and I would love to keep the whole system. However even though I can afford to keep it, I am reluctant to hang onto equipment that I don't use. I can say for sure that is what is going to happen. The 550D is light enough for me to choose it almost every time over m4/3. Add in the better performance overall and its difficult to justify leaving that at home and taking out a m4/3 camera. I'm not particularly sensible about what I do, but even I won't deliberately choose to take out a camera with less resolution just for the fact that I think its a "nicer" camera. This is how I make my living after all. When the size/weight/quality equation meant either back-breaking DSLR's or smaller lower-resolution cameras, then I was happy to choose the non-disabling option. However I now have a real alternative, and I can't see myself using my m4/3 system anywhere near as much as I have done previously.

I've come to no firm conclusions on this yet, other than to have decided to definitely keep the GF1 + 20mm & 45mm lenses. I always have a use for a small, discrete camera with decent video and I prefer the results from the GF1 over the Olympus E-P2. I will decide what to do eventually, though I'm in no hurry.

Words - D

Images - D & A

Canon 550D and 5D

Above - A Nikon 135mm f2.8 manual focus lens fitted onto a 550D with me attempting to focus the lens while using the 7x magnification movie crop mode.

A day shooting with the 550D shooting video and stills (Being edited - coming soon) and 5D shooting stills, which was my attempt to re-bond with the camera. This was partially successful as after shooting with Leica and m4/3 for so long it did feel heavy. Particularly when climbing up an extremely muddy slope, and climbing down again due to the path disintegrating into a full-blown bog.

I used the camera on ISO400 for most of the day, which seems to give better results than ISO100, which I've always found slightly disappointing. Certainly noise etc. is non-existent at ISO400 and using it at the lower settings yields no particular advantage.

This was shot with a 28mm f1.8 lens

Three shot with an 85mm f1.8 lens.

Finally a few shot with a Nikon Manual focus 135mm f2.8 lens, which you can see fitted to the 550D at the top of the page. We were testing this lens for video as a 216mm f2.8 (35mm equivalent) and I decided to give it a try on the 5D. Very sharp results. Currently this is the longest lens that I have for the 5D.

Below my personal favourite from the day - again taken with the Nikon 135mm.

Overall an enjoyable and useful day, though I was in bed asleep by 9:30PM!!

Words - D

Images - B & D

Film Pixels Sensors Cameras...........

Sometimes I long for the simplicity of film cameras. You'd make a choice of camera, buy the lenses that suited your way of working and pop a few rolls of your favourite film in the fridge. (For those of you too young to remember this - it kept it fresh. Film did deteriorate with age - unlike photographers who just get better and better!)

That would probably be it for a few years. The occasional new lens appeared that you might be interested in, and companies upgraded their cameras from time to time. You could choose to stick with what you had or get the new model. Ultimately your pictures probably wouldn't look any different. Every now and then a new film was released, and if it suited you then you might switch. The whole process was very slow paced. Consequently I used the same medium format camera (A Pentax 645) for 13 years. I've had some recent cameras for less than 13 weeks!

l always worked on this order of priority to determine the quality of my images. (For the vast majority - transparency film) Film > Lens> Camera. Since with digital the "film" is the camera sensor, the order of priority has changed. Its now Sensor > Camera > Lens. With film there was a fairly slow progression in terms of film improvement. This is not the case with sensor improvement. It moves at a much quicker pace and to take advantage of it you have to buy the whole camera, instead of just buying a new roll of film.

The first "serious" digital camera I bought was a Fuji S2 pro back in 2003. I've often wondered if I should have kept it longer. Would it really have made that much difference to my work? Well thinking back it was difficult to use, it had two sets of batteries, which would run out at different times, so you had to carry two sets of spares. It also pretended to be a 12MP camera, when it was in fact a 6MP camera with a bit of fancy footwork from Fuji. I've certainly bought and sold a lot of cameras since the Fuji. It all seems so complicated, has it all been worth it?

Well for me the answer is a resounding yes. Things move on, and the images I can now create are superior to those I took with those early digital cameras. They are also a good deal easier to use. I've been posting some images I shot on 35mm film recently and people have posted nice comments about them. Unfortunately its difficult to do them justice, since getting a scan that matches the quality of the most basic of my digital cameras has so far eluded me. They look great at small sizes on the web, but reproduction size is restricted to about the equivalent of a 6MP camera for many of them, due to the characteristics of the film I used.

All other things being equal, more pixels = better resolution. The images I'm currently creating are superior for sharpness, noise and colour than the images I was creating a few years ago. Ultimately thats what matters.

I just wish sometimes, that the pace of development would slow down a bit!

Words - D

Images - D & A

Canon 550 and the 48MB barrier.

After spending yesterday editing the large number of files that I shot with this camera on Friday, I am even more impressed with it. The files that the camera produces are a real pleasure to look at. There are also other advantages that using this camera can offer.

There are a number of picture libraries who sell my work, who operate on a minimum file size of 48MB. This is roughly equivalent to A3 at 300ppi. For many years it has been a requirement to supply images at this size, even though until recently no DSLR produced them. This required interpolation which is something I've never been happy with. It results in a loss of quality, no matter what software is used. Many claim to do it better than others, but all the methods and software are very similar. I've tried them all, and there is no difference that I can see between them.

The upsizing of a file results in a softening and degrading of the image. The more an image is upsized the worse it is.

To get round this I have been creating 48MB+ images by shooting multi-images and combining them in either Photoshop or PTgui. This then creates a genuine 48MB+ file, but the downside is the greatly increased processing time it takes to create these, added to the extra storage requirements for all the extra pictures. It can take up to 10 times longer to create a multi-image panoramic stitch than processing one file.

There are now DSLR's that create 48MB+ files.

NIkon have one - D3X.

Canon have three - 1Ds MkII, 5D MkII, and the 7D (Up till now the only APS-C sensor to break the 48MB barrier)

Sony have two - Alpa a900 and Alpha a850.

There is one rangefinder camera that creates 48MB+ files.

Leica - M9

Thats it. All bar the 7D are full-frame. They all have one thing in common, they are heavy!

The 550D now joins that list. Its just over half the weight of the lightest of the DSLR's on this list, and is lighter than the Leica. It also costs significantly less than the others. Also having an APS-C sensor means that it can use lenses created for cropped sensors, which again can mean significant savings in weight and cost.

The 48MB+ file size is important in that it greatly increases the sales potential of your image. An A3 double-paged spread in a magazine is probably the most difficult brief to fill in terms of providing images for publication. The massive billboards that you see are created from files around this size, as they are viewed from some distance away and printed at resolutions such as 50 dots per inch.

Some libraries have been selling 48MB+ interpolated files, including mine, with varying degrees of customer satisfaction. Some libraries have encouraged photographers to upsize files even larger. I once heard of one library encouraging a photographer to blow up his 6MP files (Around 17MB) to 100MB files! He was told that advertising agencies liked files this size! It would have been interesting to see a clients reaction if they bought one of these massively upsized 100MB files. I tried it once, to see what it was like & it the image quality was unbelievably bad.

So the 550D ticks a lot of boxes in terms of my work. Its also making me re-think what I'm going to be using in the future. As I have indicated before, I bought the Leica M9 as an alternative to cameras like the D3X, which I used but ultimately had to sell because of what it was doing to my body! But there are many occasions when I want to use AF. The 5DMII is one of the lightest of these 48MB+ cameras, but even that becomes a problem on a long day involving a lot of walking. During my real world test with the 550D on Friday, I walked about 2 miles carrying the camera + 4 prime lenses. It was a pleasant experience and I really didn't notice the weight. For longer walks I would probably cut the lenses down to 2, making it even more manageable. I'm going to do a test on the Canon 18-55mm IS kit lens that I have from a previous camera to see if its usable. It performed well on the 500D I had, and it is a very light lens.

All of this is making me seriously think about my m4/3 collection of cameras and lenses. Before the arrival of the 550D, this was the best weight/size/quality ratio that I could come up with. Plus I enjoyed using the GF1 and E-P2 very much. However there was always a problem in upsizing the m4/3 files, which is why I shot an awful lot of multi image panoramas with those cameras.

I'm gradually working out what to keep and what to sell, and my inclination at the moment is to keep the GF1 plus the 20mm and 45mm lenses and sell the rest. However I'm in no hurry to do this yet. I have the feeling that the E-P2 in particular will be difficult to part with.

Finally, in the spirit of one my guidelines -

14. Be prepared to stand your ground when you are convinced you are right, but be prepared to admit you are wrong if its proved otherwise.

I have in the past been somewhat scathing about the software that companies release for processing raw files. I always felt that the Canon software was the best of the bunch, but was still

not great. I found previous versions slow and with some odd colour renditions. I've had to use it for the 550D raw files as Adobe haven't yet released a version of ACR that reads the files.

I will admit that I haven't used Canon's Digital Photo Professional for a long time, but its worked really well for the 550D. Yesterday I gave it a try with some of the few 5DMkII files I have left in .CR2 form (I convert most files to .dng) and they also came out really well. Its always taken me a fair amount of Photoshop work to get these files looking as I want them, but running them through the Canon software, they came out with lots more punch and great colour. It actually runs a lot quicker than I remember too. The time taken to convert the Canon files using their software is probably cancelled out by the time saved in post-processing using Photoshop, so I may well be using DPP a lot in the future.

As I've indicated before, things are never set in stone, and if things change I'm always ready to change my mind. Canon have gone up quite a few notches in my "consumer satisfaction experience" recently. Now if they would only hire a decent camera designer!!

Words - D

Images - D & A

As ever this is a personal commentary and is not intended to influence or criticise others personal preferences.

Year Zero.... continued - The KIt

2009 was a year of change, it was also the year of the test! Testing lenses, testing cameras, testing lens/camera combinations. We've all been involved in this.

A few days ago I suddenly realised that this might be at an end. In terms of cameras and lenses the basic "shape" of the system was sorted. Much has been discarded, much has been bought and then sold on again, sometimes very quickly. What is left is a system that I'm happy with and also one that has tremendous versatility.

Canon 5D Mk II

Used for Events, Weddings and commercial shoots. Stills and HD Video

Canon 28-135mm IS lens.

Canon 20mm F2.8

Canon 28mm F1.8

Canon 50mm F1.8

Canon 85mm F1.8

plus via Nikon F > Canon EOS Adapters

Nikon 50mm F1.2 MF

Nikon 85mm F1.8

Nikon 135mm F2.8 MF

Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flashgun

Panasonic GH1

Used for Events, Weddings and commercial shoots. HD Video + Stills backup.

Used for Travel, Location and Stock Photography.

Lumix 14-140 OIS Zoom

Lumix 7-14 Zoom

Olympus 14-42 Zoom

Lumix 20mm F1.7

Lumix 45mm F2.8

Plus via Leica M > m4/3 adapters

Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Heliar

Voigtlander 35mm F1.7 Ultron

Voigtlander 50mm F1.1 Nokton

Voigtlander 75mm f2.5 Heliar

Plus via Nikon F > Leica M > m4/3 adapters

Nikon 50mm F1.2 MF

Nikon 85mm F1.8

Nikon 135mm F2.8 MF

Nikon 55-200 DX VR Zoom

Metz 48 AF-1 Flashgun

Panasonic DMW Stereo Microphone.

Panasonic GF1

Used for Travel, Location and Stock Photography. HD Video Backup.

Lumix 14-140 OIS Zoom

Lumix 7-14 Zoom

Olympus 14-42 Zoom

Lumix 20mm F1.7

Lumix 45mm F2.8

Plus via Leica M > m4/3 adapters

Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Heliar

Voigtlander 35mm F1.7 Ultron

Voigtlander 50mm F1.1 Nokton

Voigtlander 75mm f2.5 Heliar

Plus via Nikon F > Leica M > m4/3 adapters

Nikon 50mm F1.2 MF

Nikon 85mm F1.8

Nikon 135mm F2.8 MF

Nikon 55-200 DX VR Zoom

Metz 48 AF-1 Flashgun

Panasonic G1

Used for Travel, Location and Stock Photography.

Lumix 14-140 OIS Zoom

Lumix 7-14 Zoom

Olympus 14-42 Zoom

Lumix 20mm F1.7

Lumix 45mm F2.8

Plus via Leica M > m4/3 adapters

Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Heliar

Voigtlander 35mm F1.7 Ultron

Voigtlander 50mm F1.1 Nokton

Voigtlander 75mm f2.5 Heliar

Plus via Nikon F > Leica M > m4/3 adapters

Nikon 50mm F1.2 MF

Nikon 85mm F1.8

Nikon 135mm F2.8 MF

Nikon 55-200 DX VR Zoom

Metz 48 AF-1 Flashgun

Olympus E-P2

Used for Travel, Location and Stock Photography. HD Video Backup.

Lumix 14-140 OIS Zoom

Lumix 7-14 Zoom

Olympus 14-42 Zoom

Lumix 20mm F1.7

Lumix 45mm F2.8

Plus via Leica M > m4/3 adapters

Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Heliar

Voigtlander 35mm F1.7 Ultron

Voigtlander 50mm F1.1 Nokton

Voigtlander 75mm f2.5 Heliar

Plus via Nikon F > Leica M > m4/3 adapters

Nikon 50mm F1.2 MF

Nikon 85mm F1.8

Nikon 135mm F2.8 MF

Nikon 55-200 DX VR Zoom

Metz 48 AF-1 Flashgun

Leica M9 - Used for Travel, Location and Stock Photography.

Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Heliar

Voigtlander 35mm F1.7 Ultron

Voigtlander 50mm F1.1 Nokton

Voigtlander 75mm f2.5 Heliar

I must admit I've never had a system before with so many interchangeable options. For example 3 of the Nikon lenses fit on all cameras, including the Leica, though I would have to guess the focus on the M9. They were all bought S/H and have proved extremely useful. The Voigtlander M-mounts work on Leica & m4/3. Both the Nikons and Voigtlanders become very useful fast telephotos on m4/3.

This has all been put together after much trial and error, and is far from typical of what similar photographers and/or companies would use. The m4/3 cameras and lenses, are not something many, or even any, of our competitors would use. In pitching for jobs we usually take the cameras along to demonstrate what they do. The quizzical looks when these are produced gives way to smiles of relief when they see the results however.

One obvious question is how the m4/3 gear will stand up to prolonged commercial use. One GH1 is currently being tested in some pretty demanding conditions at the moment and getting some heavy duty use. It is so far standing up well.

As has been said in these posts many times, the size, weight, quality ratio is very important. This system fulfills much of what I hoped for when I made the decision to substantially reduce the bulk of my equipment. For the future I will upgrade, as and when alternatives appear.

Update 28/01/2010

Due to a lack of interest on ebay (or me wanting too much money!) - I still have a G1 and a 55-200 DX VR zoom. I tried the lens on the camera, there's no aperture ring so I had to use a piece of card to jam the aperture wide open. Boy was it sharp! Its a lens I used on my D3X in 5x4 crop mode & I've always been impressed with it. Have decided to keep it & get one of the Novoflex adapters that lets me change aperture.

I'm not unhappy about keeping the G1 either. I actually never really want to sell anything but do when I find something better or am not happy with the items performance. Thats not the case with either the lens or the camera here. The G1 is a bit surplus to requirements but I will keep it for a while anyway.

Words - D

Images - D, A & B

Resolutions!

8 image multi-stitch panorama with Canon 5DM2 and 20mm f2.8.

Just when you think that you've got things started, turned over a new leaf, made a fresh start etc. etc....... reality steps in and spoils everything.

Went out yesterday with the Canon 5DMkII + 20mm f2.8 Canon lens which I'd previously only used with the Canon 500D. Also took the E-P2 to test the video plus the GH1. Well actually not the GH1 but the G1 which was picked up in error. Knew I should have got different colours. Too many red cameras!

So which had the sharpest pictures, the best colour - yes, the one thats for sale. The G1. Followed by the E-P2.

Panasonic Lumix G1 20mm f1.7 pancake lens

Olympus e-p2 leica panasonic 45mm f2.8 macro

Seeing the results from the 5DMkII brought back many of the reasons it doesn't get used for landscape and location work around here. Flat dull, slightly soft pictures with noise in the shadows at 100ISO. Theres going to be some tests done on that camera to find out what its best ISO rating is. Its absolutely brilliant at low light photography - but when it it should be really doing its stuff, at base ISO it captures these really ordinary images. Still has great resolution and the files CAN be turned into something really impressive, but it should be better than this.

It all came back - the fact that I haven't used it since last May for a landscape shoot, the fact that I bought the D3X shortly after buying it. Despite all my good intentions as to why I should be using it more, its going back to its role as the best low light camera I've ever used, plus a really good HD video camera.

So, dodgy strap lugs and all, its back to Panasonic for "SLR" and autofocus work. Ultimately its the images that count & the G-series Panasonics just deliver, time and time again.

In terms of resolutions, my final one is - don't make any more resolutions!!!

D

All below - taken with Canon 5DMkII

Canon 20mm f2.8 lens.

Test video with 5DMkII and E-P1

river avon from taylorstockwin on Vimeo.

This is a short test video we shot with the Canon 5DMkII fitted with a 20mm F2.8 lens and an Olympus E-P1 fitted with 20mm f1.7, 14-140mm zoom and 45mm f2.8 macro lens.

The Canon 20mm is a lens bought some 6 months ago. We used it on a Canon 500D for stills and video & have never used it on the 5DM2. Today we shot stills (of which more above) and video with it. It performed well for the video, though it would be a lens used sparingly. Its often a question of what to leave out with a wide angle lens.

We used the Olympus to see what its video performance was like, as we had never tried it out. The footage was a bit disappointing quality wise, with the exception of the 45mm leica panasonic lens. This lens likes this camera. We've noticed it on stills & its the same for video.

However overall the GF1 produces better video than the EP-1 and neither is a match for the GH1.

The nicest part of the day was actually getting out to use the cameras on a sunny, snow-free day. It felt like a jail-break!

D & B

Two New Year Resolutions

My first photographic resolution is to use my Canon 5D MkII more! Despite my antipathy towards it.

http://soundimageplus.blogspot.com/2009/12/

why-can-i-love-canon-5d-mk-ii.html
It is a great camera both for stills and video. I have lenses for it I have never used and should be explored. I did shoot part of the snow video with it & having found a way to view the files on my HD TV was blown away by the quality. So, more stills and video with the 5D MkII.





My second photographic resolution involves this post.
http://soundimageplus.blogspot.com/2009/10/g-series-pro.html
Over the new year I visited a friend of mine who had recently returned from a trip to Australia. I had recommended the Panasonic GH1 to him as a combined video and stills camera.

He came back back with some amazing footage and stills, Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney etc. I watched his footage on his new Panasonic Viera HD TV, as he just popped his SD card into the back of the TV and played the full HD movies. The quality was truly spectacular. Every bit the equal of digital HD TV broadcasts.
However his GH1 was minus one of the lugs holding the strap lock to the camera. It had just come away. Since then I have discovered that this is not an isolated problem.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1041&message=34157089
Having seen the problem first hand, I was astonished at how flimsy the holding lug was. Its very shallow & fitted to the camera by inserting and twisting. This could obviously lead to a dropped, and smashed, camera.

My intention to use the G series camera in a "pro" capacity was more a heart than head idea. This incident has caused me to make a serious re-appraisal of my equipment, and how and where to use it.

Since I am now unsure of what other little cheapskate strokes Panasonic may have pulled on their cameras, I am not prepared to risk them in critical situations. This is a shame. I still intend to use my GF1 for my stock work, but am thinking of changing the GH1, which I use a lot for video, for a Canon 7D.

The GF1 has always struck me as being better constructed than either the G1 or GH1. Also the Olympus E-P1 has a very solid feel to it. I have always been aware that the build quality of m4/3 cannot be compared to high-end DSLR's but I did expect a strap holding

lug to be secure.

I will be coming to a decision on this soon. I have always been a great advocate for m4/3 and will continue to use it, but my enthusiasm has been somewhat dented by this basic design fault.
So the resolution is to be a little more realistic in terms of my equipment and more circumspect in its use.







D

Video

Shot with a Canon 5D MkII and 85mm f1/8 lens and
a Panasonic Lumix GF1 and 7-14mm zoom, 20mm f1.7 and 45mm f2.8.
The GF1's AVCHD files were converted into 1080 quicktime movie files using Wondershare video converter and all files were then imported into iMovie. I added a piece of music from my own music library and created a 720 HD file which I then uploaded here. The Canon files are superior for resolution and sharpness but the GF1 files have held their own.

Winter Snow from soundimageplus on Vimeo.

You can view this in High Definition on the Vimeo site.

B

Just how good is the gear we use?

Two things I saw yesterday made me realise just what has been happening to the tools of our trade. To the question "Just how good is the gear we use?" The answer seems to be "Very good indeed"

As a relative newcomer to video, I get all the help I can. I make a lot of visits to the site of Phillip Bloom. Phillip is a cameraman and director of photography, and a great advocate and user of video in DSLR's. He was recently invited to the Skywalker Ranch, home of Star Wars creator George Lucas to put a Canon 5D Mk II & 7D through their paces to assess their usability in future film projects. There is an account of his experiences here:- http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/12/12/the-tale-of-lucasfilm-skywalker-ranch-red-tails-star-wars-and-canon-dslrs/

Its a fascinating piece and I recommend you read it. The end result is that Lucasfilm were very impressed & were happy that the footage shot would stand up alongside the cameras they use already.

So, sitting on my shelf is a Canon 5D MkII. A camera I now know is capable of shooting a Hollywood movie !!! This made me really sit back and think about just how far image-making equipment has come in recent years, and the true impact of the digital revolution.

birmingham university chemistry department from soundimageplus on Vimeo.

Shot on a Canon 5D Mk II. Next stop - Hollywood!

To an extent I'm not surprised. This has already happened in music. For many years I worked in recording studios, running one and also teaching recording technique and music technology. I saw the digital revolution change everything in that world - to the extent that I now have a multi-track recording facility sitting on my iMac. Artists and producers now turn out best selling singles and albums from their bedrooms, garages and lofts. No longer is the ability to make quality recordings restricted to those who can afford to hire expensive recording studios. The music business has been turned on its head and in the process become much more accessible. No longer do bands and singers have to rely on the unreliable and patronising taste of a record company. They can record their music, shoot the HD video & post it on the internet. The laptop album & movie is already a reality.

To someone who grew up in the analogue world and looked on enviously at the creative possibilities that the successful could enjoy by having the money to afford the best equipment, this has been a revelation. Photography was different, in that the gear required to shoot a Vogue front cover cost nowhere near as much as what you would need for your concept double album. However film-making for the beginner was restricted to the grainy world of super-8 or second hand 16mm.

We now take for granted the ability to shoot high-resolution images and movies and even complain that the advances come too slowly. We expect to be able to do more and more with gear that constantly reduces in price. By constantly looking for the next innovation we often forget what we have already and just how good it is.

The second thing I saw made this point very strongly to me. The two albums that I had printed from the recent weddings we shot as a company came back from the printers yesterday. We don't produce conventional albums with prints but make digital story books, which give more freedom in terms of layout. The A3 books that arrived yesterday were just stunning. Most images were shot with the Canon 5D Mk II, though many were heavily cropped. Some were shot on a Panasonic G1. All the images looked really good. The images shot at higher ISO's were no problem and there was no discernible difference between the Canon & Panasonic shots.

So how many more pixels do we need? There are rumours about the future Canon 1Ds Mk 1V having 35MP or thereabouts. There is a Hassleblad MF digital camera + back that offers 60MP.

Just what form of media is it that can make use of this size of file? 48-sheet billboard posters use A3 size files, something a 12MP sensor can provide. For the majority of commercial use we already have more than enough MP. The problem is now the quality of the media that we view our creations on. Can print get any better? Is there more to be got from HD TV?

It strikes me we may be at a watershed. I certainly couldn't handle a larger or sharper HD TV screen. Do we really want to read an A3 sized magazine with A2 double-paged spreads. Just how close do we want to get to our computer screens and how big do we want them to be?

A lot of future development will be in terms of size (smaller) and portability. The gear we can use at the moment is only limited by our imaginations. I for one am determined to use and appreciate it more.

D & B

Why can't I love the Canon 5D Mk II?

canon 5dm2001
Originally uploaded by soundimageplus

Its coming up to a year since I bought a Canon 5D Mk II.
Its about the longest I've ever kept a DSLR.
I've also taken more pictures with it than any other digital camera I've ever owned.
Its my first choice when it comes to commissioned photography.
It produces 60MB files.
It shoots amazing full HD video.
I have no intention of selling it until the 5D Mk III comes out.
It works flawlessly, quickly and efficiently.
Its the best camera I've ever used for low light performance.
Its probably the best value DSLR on the market.

So why don't I like it very much?

The answer to this question is not easy to answer. Particularly if you are looking for common sense!
It should be everything I want in a camera. Its perfect for both stock photography and commissioned photography. It produces huge high-quality, high-resolution files that easily satisfy both clients and picture libraries.

I have a set of the Canon F/1.8 primes - 28mm F/1.8, 50mm F/1.8, 85mm F/1.8. All of which are terrific, fast & cheap (ish) lenses. They are what I use for indoor events and weddings. Again they do the job in an efficient way & produce excellent images.

Between commissions this kit just sits on its shelf. If I'm going out stock shooting I'll pick up any other camera apart from the Canon. I'll shoot multi-image panoramas on my m4/3 cameras rather than use it. I struggled around with my D3X rather than use it, I spent a fortune on a manual focus 10MP Leica rather than use it. I'm going to spend a larger fortune on a Leica M9 rather than use it.

What makes this camera so indispensable to me, and yet so unappealing?

As I said before if you're looking for common sense then stop reading now!

1) Its ugly! I find all Canons ugly. Their cameras, their lenses, everything. They remind me of 1980's cars.
2) Plastic, Plastic, Plastic! They feel plastic, they look plastic. No matter that the lenses are built like tanks* - I don't like handling them or using them.(* I should point out here that I once dropped my 85mm F/1.8 from a substantial height. It still works perfectly and there isn't a scratch on it.)
3) While the 5D Mk II images are better than most, I've never liked Canons approach to image capture. I've always felt that in their quest for low noise they sacrifice a level of sharpness.
4) They are all black, always!
5) I always think of Canons as "Corporate cameras" soulless, identical, conventional.
6) If cameras were cars, Canons would be BMW's - efficient, powerful, uncomfortable. With a BMW you have to fit around the car, not the other way round. Nikons are Audi's. Similar to BMW's but better designed. Leica's are Shelby Cobras, basic but capable of incredible performance in the right hands, and terrible consequences if you don't know what you are doing. Micro four-thirds are like Ford Ka convertibles. Affectionately known as "Hairdressers cars" by some of my friends. However some of us think they look very stylish!!!

So there you are. I did say stop reading if you were expecting common sense!
If I was sensible I would have a couple of Canon 5D MK II's and that would handle everything I ever needed.
Maybe thats my primary dislike of them, they are sensible! Thats not a word anyone who knows me would ever use to describe me.
Impulsive, fickle, opinionated, emotional - yes, sensible - no!

If anyone ever asks me what camera would I recommend to someone looking to make a career in photography, I would answer the Canon 5D Mk II. It ticks more boxes than any other DSLR on the market currently.

Just don't expect me to like it.

D & A