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Learning to shoot in manual mode

KerryG — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:00:43 +0000

While today’s cameras do a pretty good job when in fully automatic mode, in order to make the most of your camera you should learn how to use your camera on the manual setting. To go full manual you will need to have an understanding of shutter speed, aperture settings, and ISO speed. In this article we will get you going and get you shooting like a pro.

Getting Started
Most cameras, including newer point and shoot cameras will let you shoot in full manual mode. The problem with going manual is that if you don’t have your settings “just right” you can end up with an image that is too dark or too light. Without a basic understanding of the different settings, it can be difficult to get a good shot. However, with a basic understanding of the three variables even the most newbie photographer can learn to take better pictures by getting away from the automatic settings.

ISO Speed
The ISO speed is equivalent to the ISO speed we used to use on film cameras, this describes the light sensitivity of the film that is being used. The higher the ISO speed, the more light the sensor can pick up. For example, if your camera is set to ISO 800 you can take a well exposed image in a darker room than you could with ISO 100. By definition you would always want to run your camera in the highest ISO speed possible. While this may sound like a good idea, the downside is that the higher the ISO speed, the more “noise” will be introduced to the image, thus degrading the image quality. In most cases, you will get excellent results by using ISO 200-400 outdoors and 400-800 indoors. This does not take into account your camera model as some cameras do better than others at the higher ISO settings.

Shutter Speed

Medium Shutter Speed to Show Movement

The shutter speed is one of the easiest settings to understand as it simply means how fast the shutter opens and closes when you press the shutter button. The faster the shutter speed the better the camera will freeze the action of an event. This setting is represented in seconds, a fast shutter speed would be something like 1/2000^th of a second. A long shutter speed such as 1/30^th of a second or slower can result in blurry images if you don’t use a tripod. Like the other settings, the shutter speed also affects the amount of light that hits the sensor. The faster the shutter speed, the less light that comes into the camera. So while a fast shutter speed can freeze action, you need more and more light in order to prevent getting a dark picture the faster you set the shutter. When you cant get a bright enough image, you will need to slow down the shutter speed. In some cases you may want to get a motion blur such as a waterfall or freeway traffic, these shots require a very long shutter speed.

Shallow Depth of Field

Aperture
Understanding aperture is probably the most difficult setting for most people to grasp, because of this we wrote an entire article about it. The aperture is an adjustable opening in the lens that controls the amount of light that can enter the camera. The aperture setting is expressed in f stops with the largest opening having a smaller number so a wide open aperture is going to have an f-stop of around f/1.4. The aperture setting can have a big effect on the depth of field which allows one part of the image to be in focus and the rest of it being blurry which helps to highlight the subject of the photograph.

Starting Points
Without having a light meter or lots of experience how do you know what settings to start with? The way I learned was to set my ISO to what I wanted, typically 200-400 ISO outdoors and 400-800 ISO indoors, and put the camera in P mode and press the shutter half way down. Inside the viewfinder the camera will show the settings it will use to take the picture. Then you can put the camera into Manual mode and adjust the settings to match. After some practice you should be able to set some basic settings fairly close to what they need to be, then, by pressing the shutter half way down the camera will autofocus and then take a meter reading which should show in the viewfinder or on a display depending on your camera. Then you can adjust shutter speed or aperture to change the exposure to get it where you need.

Using the Histogram
If your camera will display a histogram after shooting an image, then you need to take advantage of this feature. By looking at the histogram of an image you can quickly tell if the image was properly exposed or not. With a digital SLR camera you want the histogram to be a nice curve with the curve being just to the right of center like our example one here. This is actually saying that the image is just slightly overexposed. With film, if you overexposed the image, you would lose detail so it was better to slightly underexpose. With digital, shadows will lose detail so it is better to slightly overexpose.

Practice Practice Practice
There is nothing that will beat getting out and getting behind the camera and learning how to use it well. If you plan on making photography a serious hobby or more, you will need to learn how to use manual mode for those times when the automatic or program mode settings just won’t cut it or for when you want to create an effect that you just can’t get any other way.

Get out and practice and be sure to post some comments and post some pictures to our Flickr group.

Podcast #47 – Conversation with Jeff and Dana Sipper – Working with Groups

KerryG — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:33:42 +0000

This week Kerry and David talk to the Orange County Photography team of Jeff and Dana Sipper of Sipper Photography. The main focus of the conversation is a followup to last week’s brief answer to how to work with groups and families to get groups of people to look their best.

Jeff and Dana share their experience with us as we explore this and several other related topics.

Jeff and Dana’s work can be seen at http://sipperphotography.com and they can be found at http://twitter.com/sipperphoto and http://twitter.com/danasipper.

Show Hosts

Kerry Garrison
http://kerrygarrison.com

David Esquire
http://esquirephotography.com

This podcast is also available on iTunes.

Join Scarlett Lillian for a Vegas Workshop at WPPI

KerryG — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:15:40 +0000

Join Scarlett in Vegas for a hot night shoot at WPPI!

From Scarlett:
“I had so much fun last year shooting a sizzlin’ bride and groom session in the glamorous lights of Vegas with Ross of Flosites.com and his bride Leysa, and this year, I want to give you the same opportunity for some rockstar portfolio pieces too! For those attending WPPI this year, I’m hosting a stylish photoshoot in Vegas again. Lyndsay, who won my “I Want to Spend A Day With Scarlett” contest will be the model with her hot husband as we shoot around the city that never sleeps! ”

To join in on the photoshoot, the session fee is $199 and we’ll shoot on Monday, February 16 at 7pm. To sign up, send Scarlett an email at scarlett@scarlettlillian.com! This a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE event, and WILL sell out, so by emailing, you are agreeing to reserve your spot by paying the registration fee!

One of the sponsors, Pocket Wizard, will be at the workshop filming an exclusive BEHIND THE SCENES video of Scarlett and all of you participating in the workshop! So bring your inner rock star and get ready to be on camera! Seriously, you won’t want to miss this!

One lucky winner will get a chance to win a FREE spot in the workshop, so let’s do another CONTEST! The winner will ALSO win a pair of Pocket Wizards, AND the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place winners will all win a Trendy Camera Strap, and Camera Dojo Powertools & Dojo Wedding Tools Lightroom presets! Woo hoo!!

You guys got so creative with the “I Want To Spend A Day A With Scarlett” contest, but this time, let’s call it, “I Want To Shoot With Scarlett in Vegas!”

THE RULES:

1. You have to be in the pic. You are welcome to have others in the picture as well!
2. The pic has to say somewhere “I Want to Shoot With Scarlett In Vegas” whether holding a sign or photoshopped or whatever.
3. Get creative as you want, and try to tie in something Vegas into it! You can dress up like Elvis, or reenact Britney’s quickie Vegas wedding, or show me your winning hand at poker, or whatever you want!
4. Once voting is opened up, you will want to blog/Facebook/Twitter about your contest entry and direct people to come vote for you here on my blog!

Because WPPI is quickly approaching, the DEADLINE for contest entries is next Monday, February 2 when the Finale of my video blog premieres!! Then we’ll have my blog readers vote on the winning photo to award the winner! There is limited availability for the workshop to keep the group intimate for learning and getting the best shots, so for those interested, go ahead and sign up now, and if you win, I’ll refund your session fee!

Thanks to these amazing sponsors! Check them out!!!

Trendy Camera Straps (Scarlett will be hanging out at their booth, more details later on how you can come say hi!)
Pocket Wizard
Camera Dojo
Modern Photographers

Photo Contest – Converging Lines

KerryG — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:01:42 +0000

While it may be the middle of winter for some of you, we are going to launch a new photo contest based on an idea from a recent podcast host, Roberto Valenzuela. This contest is going to be about ‘Converging Lines”. Since an image with converging lines adds a nice dimension to your images, it seems like good practice to go out and shoot some images with this as a theme. The winner will get a nice prize package consisting of:

R-Strap Camera Strap Courtesy of BlackRapid
Fast Track Photographer Audiobook courtesy of Esquire Photography
Dojo Wedding Tools Presets for Lightroom
Dojo Power Tools Presets for Lightroom

All together this is about a $200 prize package.

Example from Roberto Valenzuela

Example of Converging Lines from Roberto Valenzuela

Contest Rules

Please get this right so you do not get disqualified. To enter your image into the contest, upload it to your Flickr account. You will need to be a member of the Camera Dojo Flickr Group and then you can add your image to the Group photo pool. You must tag your image with the words Contest and Lines. This will allow me to find them easily.

You must only upload images that you took yourself. We will post the winner’s pictures on CameraDojo.com but you will retain all copyright to the image. We suggest you have a watermark on your images as well. The deadline for entries is Feb 28th 2009 and the winner will be named on the following podcast.

Here are a few other examples:

Current Entries

Poll Results – How much do you shoot

KerryG — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:00:41 +0000

Time to change out the poll and review the results of the last one. Our last poll was about how many photos do you take per week and the numbers were actually very interesting.

23% shoot 101 – 250 images per week
That is a lot of people shooting a lot of images, good for you! Keep it up and post some in the forums
19% shoot 51 – 100 images per week
That is still a good number of images to be shooting every week.
18% shoot 11 – 50 images per week
Ok, not bad, at least you are out there shooting, keep it up, practice makes perfect right?
13% shoot 251 – 500 images per week
What a bunch of rock stars out there, you guys are burning up the memory cards
11% shoot 0 – 10 images per week
That’s a little surprising, I was hoping for a smaller number here, but its alright, we all lead busy lives
9% shoot 501 – 1000 images per week
Amazing!
8% shoot over 1000 images per week
Do we have that many wedding photographers here or is this one mad group of shutter freaks?

Overall, 53% of you shoot over 100 images per week and 47% are under 100 images, thats an amazing range of people and shooting habits. I just wanted to share this with everyone.

Canon PowerShot line in SX1 IS with 1080p video

KerryG — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:02:08 +0000

Move over Nikon with your piddly 780p D-Movie, Canon attacks back with a consumer grade camera that can do 1080p! The new SX10 IS features a 10 megapixel CMOS sensor, face detection, motion detection, and a plethora of outstanding features.

Press Release:

Canon brings HD moviemaking and 4fps shooting to its PowerShot super zoom series

United Kingdom / Republic of Ireland, 17 September 2008: Canon today supercharges its PowerShot digital compact camera range with two powerful new models: the 10 Megapixel PowerShot SX1 IS and PowerShot SX10 IS, which jointly replace the PowerShot S5 IS.

Both raise the benchmark for compact zooms with an outstanding 20x wide-angle (28mm) optical zoom, with USM and VCM for fast, silent, zooming. TheÂ PowerShot SX1 IS offers a revolutionary series of features never seen before on a Canon compact camera – a 10 Megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, 4 frames per second continuous shooting, and full HD movie capture – while both cameras use Canonâ€™s new DIGIC 4 processor for fast performance and richly detailed, clean images in a wide range of shooting situations.

Unbeatable reach
With a Canon 20x wide-angle (28mm) optical zoom lens, the PowerShot SX1 IS and PowerShot SX10 IS tackle everything from long-range telephoto shots to sweeping landscapes. Canonâ€™s Ultrasonic Motor (USM) combines with Voice Coil Motor (VCM) technology for near-silent operation and the speed for sports or wildlife subjects. And thanks to Canonâ€™s optical Image Stabilizer – which now offers a 4-stop advantage – camera shake blur is avoided even with the zoom fully extended.

10 Megapixel power
The PowerShot SX1 IS and PowerShot SX10 IS feature resolutions of 10 Megapixels, capturing all the necessary detail for poster-size prints or creative cropping in post processing. A Canon CMOS sensor allows the PowerShot SX1 IS to shoot full-resolution JPEGs at speeds of up to 4fps – making it a powerful, pocket-sized tool ideal for capturing fast-paced action sequences.

High Definition moviemaking
For the ultimate in visual quality, the PowerShot SX1 IS delivers 1080p (30fps) High Definition video – ready for instant playback on any HDTV via a built-in HDMI connection. The PowerShot SX10 IS offers fun, spontaneous VGA movie shooting. Movies on both cameras are enhanced with CD quality stereo sound, optical zooming and Face Detection Technology; and if extra reach is required, the PowerShot SX1 IS includes Canonâ€™s Advanced Tele-Converter for an extra 2x zoom with no loss in movie quality.

DIGIC 4: intelligent processing for better photos
The PowerShot SX1 IS and PowerShot SX10 IS both feature Canonâ€™s new DIGIC 4 image processor. As well as ensuring ultra-fast operation and superb, low-noise images, DIGIC 4 drives several intelligent technologies that make great photos easier than ever.

People shots benefit from improved Face Detection Technology, which even detects faces positioned at an angle to the camera, or in profile. Face Select & Track tracks a specific subject even more accurately, while a new FaceSelf-timer function – which automatically triggers the shutter shortly after a new face enters the frame – makes group shots and self-portraits easy.

Canonâ€™s improved Motion Detection Technology delivers fantastic, sharp results by registering camera and subject movement, then automatically adjusting ISO to prevent image blur. Blur is further guarded against by new Servo AF, which continuously adjusts focus on subjects moving towards or away from the camera.

DIGIC 4 also powers Canonâ€™s new i-Contrast feature, which brings out great, natural-looking detail in dark areas of pictures – without blowing out lighter areas.

Total Control
For the ultimate creative precision, the PowerShot SX1 IS and PowerShot SX10 IS offer full manual control over both aperture and shutter speed. A Multi Control Dial offers fingertip access to all key settings. Plus, compatibility with a range of accessories – including Canonâ€™s professional Speedlite EX flash units – extends creative potential even further.

Also included with the PowerShot SX1 IS is Canonâ€™s WC-DC300 controller, which allows wireless control of shooting and playback. This is ideal for tripod shots at slow shutter speeds, or any situation where keeping a distance from the camera is preferable.

â€œBoth of these cameras offer exceptional imaging possibilities,â€ said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. â€œIn particular, the PowerShot SX1 IS genuinely redefines what a compact digital camera can do. This kind of power and versatility must be experienced to be believed.â€

Pricing & Availability
The PowerShot SX1 IS is available from December priced at Â£519.99 / â‚¬679.99 RRP inc VAT
The PowerShot SX10 IS is available from October priced at Â£359.99 / â‚¬469.99 RRP inc VAT

Features at a glance:

20x wide-angle (28mm, f/2.8) optical zoom with optical Image Stabilizer
10.0 Megapixels
Canon CMOS sensor for full resolution continuous 4fps shooting (PowerShot SX1 IS)
Full HD (1080p, 30fps) movies plus HDMI output (PowerShot SX1 IS)
DIGIC 4 for outstanding images and fast response times
Shooting modes include full manual control
Great people shots with Face Detection AF/AE/FE/WB plus Face Select & Track and FaceSelf-Timer
Targets every possible cause of blur with High ISO Auto, optical Image Stabilizer, Motion Detection Technology and Servo AF
Auto Red-Eye Correction in shooting and playback
i-Contrast boosts brightness and retains detail in dark areas
2.5â€ vari-angle LCD II with wide viewing angle plus electronic viewfinder (PowerShot SX10 IS)
2.8â€ widescreen vari-angle LCD II with wide viewing angle (PowerShot SX1 IS)
Multi Control Dial and customizable My Menu
Smooth, 30fps VGA movies (PowerShot SX10 IS)

Canon PowerShot G10 IS Camera Announced

KerryG — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 06:52:18 +0000

Advanced amateur photographers are a discerning group, and they’ve flocked to Canon’s G-Series for its ability to meet and exceed their demands. The third-generation PowerShot G10 is a stunning successor, loaded with uncompromising specs like 14.7 megapixels, a 28mm wide-angle lens, and Canon’s new DIGIC 4 Image Processor for notably improved face and motion detection. This is a camera that supports and nurtures creativity, with a full range of shooting and recording modes and compatibility with exciting accessories including Speedlite flashes.

	14.7 Megapixel digital camera for the highest image quality.
	High powered 5x Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer plus a 28mm wide-angle lens gets you up close and personal to your subjects as well as captures more in your frame.
	New DIGIC 4 Image Processor improves Face Detection, adds Servo AF, Face Detection Self-Timer and Intelligent Contrast Correction for greater flexibility.
	Full range of shooting and recording modes including RAW + JPEG for the ultimate creative control.
	Large 3.0-inch PureColor LCD II (460,000 dots/VGA) with even greater true-to-life color reproduction.
	A wealth of accessories including optional Speedlite flashes, an underwater housing and a Tele Converter lens.
	Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with select PIXMA Photo Printers and SELPHY Compact Photo Printers.

The PowerShot G10 is equipped with a 14.7-megapixel CCD. Combined with unsurpassed DIGIC 4 image processing, this impressive pixel count delivers richly detailed photos that resonate with lifelike depth from shadows to highlights.An important benefit to the G10′s lofty pixel count is the flexibility it lends to the editing process. With 14.7 megapixels of resolution, any portion of any shot is a great candidate for enlargement. Enlarge and crop as your creative vision demands, confident that the detail you need is there for you.

Canon announces EOS 5D Mark II

KerryG — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 06:44:39 +0000

Canon’s update to the wildly popular full frame EOS 5D is here, and it’s better than ever. The EOS 5D Mark II has a stunning 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor, a vast ISO Range of 100-6400 (expandable to ISO L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600), plus EOS technologies like Auto Lighting Optimizer and Peripheral Illumination Correction. It supports Live View shooting, Live View HD videos, and more. It can shoot up to 3.9 fps, has 9 AF points plus 6 AF assist points, a new 98% coverage viewfinder, a 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) and a rugged build. Full-frame shooters rejoice!

21.1 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion (16,384 colors/each of 3 primary color), wide range ISO setting of 100-6400 (expandable L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600).
Full HD Video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution for up to 4GB per clip with HDMI output for HD viewing of stills and video.
Next generation DIGIC 4 Image Processor for faster processing of fine detail and color reproduction as well as reduced image noise.
High performance with 3.9 fps continuous shooting, new shutter with a durability of 150,000 cycles and improved weather-resistant body.
Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video.
3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) monitor with anti-reflective and scratch-resistant coatings for improved viewing and smudge protection.
Updated EOS Integrated Cleaning System specifically designed to work with a full-frame sensor.
Compatible with over 60 Canon EF/EF-S lenses and most EOS System accessories.

The EOS 5D Mark II features a huge, full-frame sensor. A 21.1-megapixel CMOS sensor delivers images of up to 5616 x 3744 pixels. And since it is full-frame, all lenses will deliver the angle of view they would on a 35mm camera without a conversion factor. This comes in handy especially when shooting with wide-angle lenses. For the flexibility to shoot in even the most dimly lit situations, the EOS 5D Mark II offers Canon’s highest ISO sensitivity to date, ranging from 100-6400 (expandable to ISO L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600). Thanks to improved noise reduction technologies, images shot even at highest sensitivity will be remarkably smooth.

Type
Type	Digital, single-lens reflex, AF/AE camera with built-in flash
Recording Media	CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards, via external media (USB v.2.0 hard drive, via optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E4A)
Image Sensor Size	36.0mm x 24.0mm (35mm Fll-frame)
Compatible Lenses	Canon EF lenses (35mm-equivalent focal length is approx. 1.6x the lens focal length)
Lens Mount	Canon EF mount

Image Sensor
Type	High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor
Pixels	Effective pixels: Approx. 21.1 megapixels
Total Pixels	Total pixels: Approx. 22.0 megapixels
Aspect Ratio	3:2 (Horizontal: Vertical)
Color Filter System	RGB primary color filters
Low-pass Filter	Fixed position in front of the CMOS sensor
Dust Deletion feature	(1) Automatic sensor cleaning (2) Manual cleaning of sensor (3) Dust Delete Data appended to the captured image

Recording System
Recording Format	Design rule for Camera File System 2.0
Image Type	Still: JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), sRAW1, sRAW2, RAW+JPEG Video: MOV
File Size	(1) Large/Fine: Approx. 6.1MB (5616 x 3744 pixels) (2) Large/Nomal: Approx. 3.0MB (5616 x 3744 pixels) (3) Medium/Fine: Approx. 3.6MB (4080 x 2720 pixels) (4) Medium/Normal: Approx. 1.9MB (4080 x 2720 pixels) (5) Small/Fine: Approx. 2.1MB (2784 x 1856 pixels) (6) Small/Normal: Approx. 1.0MB (2784 x 1856 pixels) (7) RAW: Approx. 25.8MB (5616 x 3744 pixels) (8) sRAW 1: Approx. 14.8MB (3861 x 2574 pixels) (9) sRAW 2: Approx. 10.8MB (2784 x 1856 pixels) Exact file sizes depend on the subject, ISO speed, Picture Style, etc.
Recording Functions	With the WFT-E4A attached, image recording to the CF card and to the USB external media connected to the WFT-E4A will be possible as follows: (1) Standard (2) Automatic switching of recording media (3) Separate recordings according to image-recording quality (4) Recording images having the same size
Backup Recording	Enabled with WFT-E4A attached
File Numbering	Consecutive numbering, auto reset, manual reset. Possible to create new folders and select folders in the CF card
RAW + JPEG Simultaneous Recording	Provided (RAW/sRAW+JPEG also possible)
Color Space	sRGB, Adobe RGB
Picture Style	Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Def. 1-3

Image Processing
Type	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature setting
Auto White Balance	Auto white balance with the image sensor
Color Temperature Compensation	White balance correction: Â±9 stops in full-stop increments White balance bracketing: Â±3 stops in full-stop increments Blue/amber direction or magenta/green direction possible
Color Temperature Information Transmission	Provided

Viewfinder
Type	Eye-level pentaprism
Coverage	Vertical/Horizontal approx. 98%
Magnification	Approx. 0.71x (-1m^-1 with 50mm lens at infinity)
Eyepoint	Approx. 21mm (from eyepiece lens center)
Built-in Dioptric Adjustment	-3.0 to +1.0m^-1 (diopter)
Focusing Screen	Interchangeable (Eg-D: Grid lines, Eg-S [point of Focus], Eg-A standard focusing screen provided
Mirror	Quick-return half mirror (transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cutoff with EF600mm f/4L IS USM or shorter lenses)
Viewfinder Information	AF information (AF points, focus confirmation light), Exposure information (shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed, AE lock, exposure level, spot metering circle), Flash information (flash ready, flash exposure compensation, High-speed sync, FE lock), Image information (Highlight tone priority, monochrome shooting, maximum burst, white balance correction, CF card information), battery information
Depth-of-Field Preview	Enabled with depth-of-field preview button

Autofocus
Type	TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor
AF Points	9 (Cross-type)
Metering Range	EV -0.5-18 (at 73Â°F/23Â°C, ISO 100)
Focusing Modes	Auto, One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF)
AF Point Selection	Automatic selection, manual selection
Selected AF Point Display	Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD panel
AF-assist Beam	When an external EOS-dedicated Speedlite is attached to the camera, the AF-assist beam from the Speedlite will be emitted when necessary.

Exposure Control
Metering Modes	35-zone TTL full-aperture metering Evaluative metering (linkable to any AF point) Partial metering (approx. 8% of viewfinder at center) Spot metering (approx. 3.5% of viewfinder at center) Center-weighted average metering
Metering Range	EV 1-20 (at 73Â°F/23Â°C with EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Exposure Control	Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Creative Auto, Full auto, Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE
ISO Speed (Recommended Exposure Index)	Automatically set, ISO 100-6400 (in 1/3-stop or 1-stop increments) Basic Zone modes: ISO 100-3200 set automatically Extension settable (with C.Fn.I-3-1): ISO 50 (L), 12800 (H1), 25600 (H2) High Tone Priority settable: ISO 200-1600
Exposure Compensation	Manual: Â±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments (can be combined with AEB)
AE Lock	Auto: Applied in One-Shot AF mode with evaluative metering when focus is achieved Manual: By AE lock button

Shutter
Type	Vertical-travel, mechanical, Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter
Shutter Speeds	1/8000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/200 sec. 1/8000 to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)
Shutter Release	Soft-touch electromagnetic release
Self-timer	10-sec. or 2-sec. delay
Remote Control	Remote control with N3-type terminal

External Speedlite
Zooming to Match Focal Length	Provided
Compatible Flash	EX-series Speedlites
Flash Metering	E-TTL II autoflash
Flash Exposure Compensation	Â±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
FE Lock	Provided
External Flash Settings	Flash function settings, Flash C.Fn settings

Drive System
Drive Modes	Single, High-speed continuous, Low-speed continuous, and Self-timer (10-sec. or 2-sec. delay)
Continuous Shooting Speed	Max. 3.9 shots/sec.
Maximum Burst	JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 78 (CF)/approx. 310 (UDMA CF) RAW: approx. 13/approx. 14 (UDMA CF) RAW+JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 8 (CF/UDMA CF) Based on Canon’s testing standards with a 2GB CF card, high-speed continuous shooting, ISO 100 and Standard Picture Style Varies depending on the subject, CF card brand, image-recording quality, ISO speed, drive mode, Picture Style, etc.

Live View Functions
Shooting Modes	Still photo shooting and video shooting
Focusing	Quick mode (Phase-difference detection) Live mode/Face Detection Live mode (Contrast detection) Manual focusing (5x/10x magnification possible)
Metering Modes	Evaluative metering with the image sensor (still photos) Center-weighted average metering (video)
Metering Range	EV 0-20 (at 73Â°F/23Â°C with EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Grid Display	Provided (Two-type grid displays)
Exposure Simulation	Provided
Silent Shooting	Provided (Mode 1 and 2)

LCD Monitor
Type	TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor
Monitor Size	3.0 in.
Dots	Approx. 920,000 (VGA)
Coverage	Approx. 100% (viewing angle: approx. 170Â°)
Brightness Adjustment	Auto, 7 levels provided
Interface Languages	25 (English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, 15/15 Romanian, Ukraine, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese)

Image Playback
Display Format	Single image, Single image + Image-recording quality/shooting information, histogram, 4- or 9-image index, magnified view (approx. 1.5x-10x), rotated image (auto/manual), image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen, by shooting date, by folder), slide show (all images/selected by date/folder)
Highlight Warning	Provided (Overexposed highlights blink)

Image Protection and Erase
Protect	Single images can be erase-protected or not
Erase	Single image, check-marked images or all images in the CF card can be erased (except protected images)

Direct Printing
Compatible Printers	PictBridge-compatible printers
Printable Images	JPEG images compliant to Design rule for Camera File System (DPOF printing possible) and RAW/sRAW images captured with the EOS 5D Mark II
Easy Print feature	Provided

DPOF: Digital Print Order Format
DPOF	Version 1.1 compatible

Direct Image Transfer
Compatible Images	JPEG and RAW images Only JPEG images can be transferred as wallpaper on the personal computer screen

Customization
Custom Functions	Total 25
Camera User Settings	Register under Mode Dial’s C1 and C3 positions
My Menu Registration	Provided

Interface
USB Terminal	For personal computer communication and direct printing (USB 2.0 Hi-Speed)
Video Out Terminal	(1) Video OUT terminal: NTSC/PAL selectable (2) HDMI mini OUT terminal
Extension System Terminal	For connection to WFT-E4A

Power Source
Battery	One Battery Pack LP-E6 AC power can be supplied via AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6 with Battery Grip BG-E6 attached.
Battery Check	Auto
Power Saving	Provided. Power turns off after 1, 2, 4, 8, 15 or 30 min.
Date/Time Battery	One CR1616 lithium-ion battery
Start-up Time	Approx. 0.1 sec.

Dimensions and Weight
Dimensions (WxHxD)	Approx. 6.0 x 4.5 x 3.0 in./152.0 x 113.5 x 75.0mm
Weight	Approx. 28.6 oz./810g (body only)

Operating Environment
Working Temperature Range	32-104Â°F/0-40Â°C
Working Humidity Range	85% or less

Note: All the specifications above are based on Canon’s testing standards.
The camera’s specifications and exterior are subject to change without notice.

The Canon EOS 5D is slated to ship towards the end of November 2008 at an expected street price of US$2699 in the U.S.

Photowalk winners announced

KerryG — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:30:40 +0000

The Photowalk was a lot of fun and I had a hell of a time trying to pick a winner from the hundreds of images I had to go through. I eventually landed on this image from Maurice Naragon as the local winner for our group. Maurice’s image went on to Scott Kelby who had to choose a winner from 273 entries. Unfortunately, Maurice was not one of the final winners but still, we all had a great time and we look forward to doing more events with this group of people.

Scott Kelby’s Winners
http://www.photoshopuser.com/photowalk/winners.html

Worldwide Photowalk Day – August 23rd

KerryG — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:11:43 +0000

A Photowalk is a group of people walking around a specific area for about two hours taking pictures of the area. Popular photowalks occur inÂ Washington DC, New York, and even in small towns. On August 23rd, in over 100 cities around the world, people of all kinds will be participating in photowalks in their area. Even if you only have a cell phone camera, I encourage you to get out with a group and meet new people, have some fun, and maybe even win some cool prizes.

World Wide Photowalk Day Info
http://www.photoshopuser.com/photowalk

As part of World Wide Photowalk Day, I am hosting a photowalk on August 23rd around the Orange Circle area in Orange, Ca. If you would like to come hang out and get some great photos of this interesting area, just signup to participate. The Photowalk is open to everyone even if you only have a small point and shoot camera or even just your cell phone camera, the goal is to get people outdoors, socialize with new people, and have some fun while taking photos. I only have room for 50 people for this event, so sign up soon!

Orange Photowalk Info
http://www.photoshopuser.com/photowalk/city/orange.html

Podcast #10 – Nikon News, Using a tripod, cheat sheet

KerryG — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:25:58 +0000

This week Kerry and David discuss the new Nikon D700, the new Nikon Tilt-Shift Lenses, and the new Nikon SB-900 Flash.
Nikon Website: http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/index.htm

Are you too “Pro” to use a tripod? Think again as we discuss different tripods types and why you need to have a good tripod.

Assignment: Build a Portrait Cheat Sheet
Take images of someone rotating through 180 degrees to see how the light changes on the person’s face. Post your cheat sheets to our Flickr group.

Picks of the week

Kerry
The R-Strap camera strap
http://www.blackrapid.com

David
Drobo 2.0 Drive Enclosure
http://www.drobo.com

Your hosts this week are Kerry Garrison (http://kerrygarrison.com) and David Esquire (http://esquirephotography.com).

Notable Links:
Prophotolife.com
lensbabies.com
lensprotogo.com

You can listen to this podcast now using our player widget in the right hand sidebar

This podcast is also available on iTunes.