Canon 40 D and Picture Style Editor

According to Canon USA, the CD shipping with the new Eos 40D will contain a new Software Tool called Picture Style Editor, which allows you to further fine tune your images ( RAW files ) to create the Tone, Saturation and specific Color / Hue response that you want from each file.The interface in PSE lets you choose specific colors in an image and with the help of a Color Wheel, extend or limit the Saturation, Hue, Luminance for an individual color.Your preferences can then be saved as a PF2 file and used by the RAW Conversion Software or by the camera itself to further fine tune the picture style already set on your 40D. This is basically a license to design your own Digital Film, customized for your tastes!

Here is a Picture Style Editor Screenshot from a Japanese Website :

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Measuring The Voltage On A Vivitar 285 Flash

A friend of mine is selling his older Vivitar 285 Flash, 'Good Condition', slightly used, dropped only a few times, I swear ! He only wants $50.00 Dollars ( US ) to part with it forever, so I may have to help him out and add it to my camera bag. The 285 is a highly regarded portable flash, considered a dependable workhorse that has earned its place in photo equipment history. Cheap, tough and easy to use, with accuracy from its non E-TTL sensor that still outperforms some of those fancy newer $400.00 units. And all that for a fitty! That got me thinking about my Canon and the voltage sync compatibility problems with some of the newer Digital Cameras.

I believe it's safe to use the 285 HV unit on any Canon Digital Camera, but the older 285 ( Non HV ) may fry your DSLR. Checking the voltage sync will be the safest and easiest way to guarantee that I don't cook any of my camera's electronics. Head on over to the Kenrick Parish website for a tutorial on testing your flashes voltage sync.

Thanks to Jeff Geerling, a Photo Enthusiast ( quite talented! ) and Seminary Student at the Archdiocese of Saint Louis Missouri for the wonderful tutorial and photos.

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High Dynamic Range ... Sort of !

The Dynamic Range visible in your images is directly related to the various factors of Exposure, Lens Contrast, Film sensitivity and latitude, Color Bit Depth and most importantly the quality of the final Printed Output. Any of these choices can profoundly affect the way an image is perceived by the viewer. Master Photographer and Printer Ansel Adams used combinations of these factors to produce the richest and most luminous prints from each Photographic Situation. His work is widely known for the incredible Dynamic Range present in the Black and White Fiber Prints he made of Yosemite, Grand Tetons and other National Park Scenics. The beauty and luminosity of each Master Print dependent on all the factors of Lens Choice, Film Processing and Printing technique.

Those of us shooting Digital Cameras can benefit from his wisdom and technique by using our tools with the same care and forethought as Adams would on his treks to the wilderness with an 8X10 large format Camera. It only takes a slight revision of thinking.

• Adams chose his film for its ability to capture detail, shadow and highlight. The Digital Shooter can approximate those choices by choosing the best Sensor / Camera combination available within his budget.
• Adams chose his lens and exposure to best record the detail he needed to create the image he had in his mind of the final print. The Digital Shooter should also pre-visualize the final output to lead his / her decision making process. A little planning can make all the difference in your final output.
• Adams chose his film stock and processing to suit the subject and for maximum detail and luminosity. The Digital Shooter can carefully choose the capture settings, ISO, Color Bit Depth, Contrast etc...to produce the cleanest, noise free image with the most shadow and highlight detail possible, with the added benefit of Raw Format and Multiple Bracketed Exposures to capture the brightest highlights and darkest shadow within an image.
• Adams had Dektol ( and many others ) Print Developer, Cyanide Bleach and Toner to finesse each Master Print. The Digital Shooter has Photoshop!

Photoshop's Merge to HDR allows us to combine a series of Bracketed ( Static ) Images from each setup ( Tripod Only ) into a master file with the Dynamic Range of a Super Negative. The final printed piece should benefit from a much greater level of detail in shadows and highlights and possibly even a greater saturation of color in the final image. However, none of this extra Dynamic Range will mean squat if your final output is bad newsprint or a crappy color print on an average printer.

Down and Dirty Version:

Your camera should always be turned on and ready to go, loaded with an empty formatted CF / SD Card, fresh batteries and be pre-set for ISO, Color and other basic parameters before you arrive at the location. You can always change your camera settings if necessary once you have determined your shot, but if Alien Space-Ships land in front of you on the highway ( It could happen! ) on your way to the location, you're gonna be sick if you have an empty camera with no batteries. Be Prepared!

1. Have your camera on a sturdy, weighted Tripod with the remote connected and ready. Don't spool out 10 feet of remote cord if your in a stiff breeze; It will swing with the wind and add unneeded vibration to your camera. Shorten the remote cord to a reasonable working length.
2. Pre-set you camera to an appropriate auto bracket setting. My camera stays on a Normal first exposure, 2/3rds down (Under- exposure) second frame and 2/3rds up (over- exposure) third frame. AV mode ( Aperture Priority Auto ) is your best choice for quick multiple exposures from a static scene. You do not want the aperture to change, only the shutter speed!
   
3. My Exposure compensation dial stays at 1/3 up on my Canon Camera because I have determined that it consistently underexposes by 1/3rd stop. This setting represents my normal first exposure in the bracket as determined by my in camera meter. If I find that the Histogram is over or under exposed in a test frame , I will change my Exposure Compensation to reflect the New Normal Exposure.
4. I am now ready to fire 3 frames with the remote covering the Normal Exposure, 2/3rds down and final 2/3rds up exposure. This will cover my bracketing needs almost 90 percent of the time. When in doubt, increase and decrease your exposure compensation setting to change the base normal and cover a wider range of exposure. Using this method, I can knock out an incredible bracket of a Dozen Images or more in as little as 30 seconds, without hardly touching my camera during the process. The only contact required is a tiny rotation of the exposure Compensation Dial on top of my camera. Remember, If you have to fiddle with the camera after every frame, you are screwing up! The goal is to create seamless, identical files with no camera movement between exposures, the only difference being the highlight and shadow detail captured in each frame.

To be continued...

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Canon Zoom or Sigma ?

After a careful examination of my Google Analytics Data, it comes to my attention that there is a strong correlation between high page views and the word Canon, Canon Camera, Canon lens etc... used in the Blog Post Title. This leaves me with no other choice but to include those three words in various ways in every Blog Title. How about these ideas as Blog Post Banners.

• Happy Birthday to me... and Canon Camera
• 10 things every Photographer should know... about Canon Lenses
• Software to improve workflow...with your Canon Camera
• 15 Photographers killed in tragic tour bus accident...all Canon shooters
• Tokina's latest super zoom... it's not a Canon!

or how about the Ultimate Blog Post Title :

• Canon Releases New Canon Camera with Canon Lens...it's a Canon!

Take that you evil Googlebots!

Now to the real subject of this post as described in the title " Canon Zoom Or Sigma?"

I really and truly intended to discuss my dilemma over picking a zoom lens for my new 12 mega pixel Canon 40D ( That one alone should guarantee at least 1000 page hits tomorrow morning! ) but the whole Google Analytics thing really got me thinking...about Canon Cameras and Canon Lenses, especially the Canon Zooms!

Now that I have assured myself a page in Photo Blog Page Hit History I can ask my friends and readers to help me with a decision on my next big lens purchase. Canon or Sigma? To IS or not to IS?

Here are the contenders:

1. Sigma Zoom Telephoto 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO Macro HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS / No IS ( Image Stabilization ) $889.00@B&H Photo
2. Sigma Zoom Normal-Telephoto 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon Digital EOS /No IS $679.00@B&H Photo
3. Sigma Zoom Telephoto 100-300mm f/4 EX DG IF HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS
4. Sigma Zoom Telephoto 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG APO OS (Optical Stabilizer) Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Price: $ 999.00@B&H Photo
   
5. Sigma Telephoto 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS
   No IS /USA Price: $ 399.00@B&H Photo
6. Sigma Zoom Telephoto 120-300mm f/2.8 EX APO DG IF HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Price: $ 2,699.00
7. Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Autofocus Lens / No IS
   USA Price: $ 1,140.00@B&H Photo
8. Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Image Stabilizer USM Autofocus Lens
   USA Price: $ 1,699.00@B&H Photo (SHA-WING!!)

*Cost is a consideration, f2.8 is the Maximum Aperture of choice and I love Sigma Zoom lenses for the cost versus usefulness factor. But you can't beat a Canon.

All donations will be accepted... comments or cash!

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