Canon Professional Services - Landscape Event

Canon 5Ds + Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II 

On Tuesday 29 November 2016, I happily attended a special Canon Professional Services Landscape Event at Durlston Country Park, Swanage. We were allowed to bring a guest so I brought me best mate Liz along. It was a long drive for us, around three hours there and then another three hours back, but we love a good road trip. Especially when photography is involved. Not only was photography involved but we got to play with some new kit as well. That's always a bonus.

We were greeted with coffee/tea and cakes, treated to displays of gear from Canon, Manfrotto and Lee Filters and enjoyed a talks by Canon Explorer David Norton and Professional Photographer Jon Gooding. A bit later we were given a light lunch and then later in the evening treated to a proper hot dinner. They took very good care of us. :-)

Canon 5Ds + Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II

 There was gear from Canon of course as well as Manfrotto and Lee Filters. I've got a nice basic selection of Lee Filters already as well as Manfrotto tripods and heads so I was more interested in the new Canon gear. Specifically the new Canon 5D IV and 5Ds/r DSLR cameras, and the super wide angle lenses. Canon 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye Lens and 11-24mm f/4L. Of these I managed to get my hands on the Canon 5Ds and the Canon 11-24mm f/4L, but not at the same time. I really wanted the lens first as by the time we swapped gear around I knew it'd be dark, but that wasn't to be, I got the camera first. Two photos above were some of the first photos I took with it. Later I photographed sunset with it.

Canon 5Ds + Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L

The Canon 5Ds is a 50 megapixel full frame camera. I'm not a technical person so I'm not going to go into the spec details, apologies if you came here for that. If you are interested it's easy enough to look up, especially when I made you a handy link to click on above. :-)

I only had the camera for a short amount of time and didn't really have time to put it through it's paces. But what little time I spent with it was enough to fall in love. The camera was already familiar to me as I own both the Canon 5D II and 5D III cameras. It's pretty much set up just like the 5D III, button wise, and I had no problems controlling the camera or finding my way around.

The 5D III is a 22.3 megapixel camera and the 5Ds is a whopping 50.6 megapixel camera! Much larger files means larger prints and more image definition. Again, I'm not going to go into the technical details, these are just the basics. But say you printed an image from the 5D III @ 300dpi you'd get roughly a 19 x 13 inch print. With the 5Ds you'd get roughly a 29 x 19 inch print. I did my best not to drool all over the camera.

Canon 5D mark II + Canon 70-200mm f2.8L

I shot with a 50 megapixel camera a few years ago, in a studio situation. It was a medium format Hasselblad. I'm in love with that camera too. OK, I confess, I'm in love with a lot of cameras. :-) Wish I could have had the Canon 5Ds and the 5D IV for a few days to test under more controlled conditions, but I have to make do with what I can get my hands on. :-)

My thoughts on the 5Ds, I love it. I am seriously thinking about retiring my Canon 5D II and replacing it with the 5Ds. Not only for the image quality and size but because the controls are the same as my 5D III. When you are shooting with two cameras it helps if their buttons are all in the same places and the controls the same. I often get confused between my 5D II and 5D III cameras. As for the 5D IV which I did't get to play with, yes I want, but I'll have to wait for the price to drop a bit before I can afford it. It's very rare for me to run out and buy the latest gear, I have to be a bit more frugal.

On to the night time shoot..

Canon 5D mark III + Canon 11-24mm f/4L with a hint of  the Milky Way.

There were two shooting groups for the evening which we were suppose to all get a chance at, but there was some confusion and Liz and I missed out on nearly all of one of them. There was photographing the night sky and light painting. We only caught the tail end of the light painting group before they packed up for the evening. Shame we missed that, but I have done light painting more than I've done night sky shooting so I went for that first.

For the evening shoots I borrowed the Canon 11-24mm f/4L lens, which is a fabulous lens and one I've been drooling over. Yes I know, I drool so much I should wear a bib. What's so special about the super wide angle 11-24mm zoom? Well it doesn't have all the distortion that other wide angle lenses do. It's not to everyone's taste though, as Liz says, that takes all the fun out!

Canon 5D mark III + Canon 11-24mm f/4L

Using this lens at night really wasn't a great test for the lens, but it's when I could get my hands on it. I still enjoyed using it though. It's definitely on my drool list. Oops I mean want list! I can just about justify it as a business expense so I might eventually get one. I can think of several shoots I have coming up that it sure would be handy on. I'm thinking especially large group shots, like at events and weddings. It has a hefty price tag though, so might take me awhile to save up for it.

Canon 5D mark III + Canon 11-24mm f/4L with a hint of  the Milky Way.

I've been to a few Canon Professional Services Network meetings, and I always enjoy myself. I highly recommend them if you are a CPS or CPN member. This one was exceptionally nice as they fed us and provided us with lots of coffee and cake! I also really liked being able to check out the gear to try in the field. I did already know most of the information given in the talks but it was a nice refresher and provided some much needed inspiration to get out there and do some more landscape photography, both during the day and night.

Here are a few photos from my phone of the event:

We were greeted with cake and coffee! :-D 

The Canon Table (First venue, there was more gear at second venue)

Manfrotto Table (First venue, there was more gear at second venue)

Lee Filter Table (First venue, there was more gear at second venue)

One of the talks at the first venue.

The Canon 5Ds I had on loan, they teased me by putting a 5D IV strap on it. 

Back of the Canon 5Ds

If you are a professional photographer and have a lot of pro Canon gear, I highly recommend signing up with the Canon Professional Services Network. Especially if you enjoying attending free network meetings like I attended above.

Happy shooting!

Just sHy of a Hasselblad...

I finally have a Hasselblad! :-D 

HAHA, OK, not really. ;-)
(Original photo below)

The new Hasselblad Stellar II is basically a blinged up and very expensive Sony RX100 Mk II, which I do have.

My Sony RX100 Mk II

You may have noticed that I photoshoped my camera in the top photo to look like the new Hasselblad compact camera. This is probably as close to owning a Hasselblad as I will ever come, so this amuses me to no end. :-D

Google: Hasselblad Stellar II to see what people are saying about this new tiny Hasselblad. Or you can read what The Photoblographer had to say about it.

A few years ago, back in April of 2010, I got to play with (at the time) one the latest Hasselblad digital medium format cameras. (Thanks to a special invite from Hasselblad via Frasers of Gloucester.) I have to say, I was blown away! By both the cameras and the motorbikes! :-D

It was the Hasselblad H4D-40 that I got to use which retailed at the time I think for around £13,000, body only. If you wanted to buy the latest Hasselblad today you'd need around £40,000 for a body and a couple good lenses. Yea, that's why I don't have one.

Here are a couple of photos that I took with the H4D-40 back in 2010.

I so loved using that camera. So much so that I just stayed up until 1am looking for used ones on ebay. I found one with an 80mm lens, which is what I used above, for only £10,000! Yea, a bit out of my reach. I also found one a bit older with an 80mm lens for £3500. That's just about within my reach, but it's quite an old bit of kit by now. But, with such a large sensor it will be better quality than the camera I currently shoot with. With the large file of the images above you can zoom in and zoom in and zoom in and still have a fabulously crisp sharp image....even zooming in greater 100 percent! Try that with your current camera! Unless you have a medium format camera it's not going to be very pretty.

So, my Sony RX100mII will most likely be as close to owning a Hasselblad as I will ever come, but that won't stop me from dreaming about them. One can dream can't they? Besides, there was once a time when I thought I'd never own a Canon 5D, and now I own a Canon 5D II, I thought that camera was way out of my reach at one time, and here I am today thinking about buying my second one! The mark III....or maybe I'll wait for the mark IV, that should be out before too much longer. If I can't own/afford a Hasselblad at least I can now own my once dream camera, the Canon 5D series. :-D

(Note: What I did to the image at the top of this blog post... I inverted the second image to make the black camera seem silver (Like the Hasselblad), which in turn made all the colours go funny. I coloured the lens back in to make it black again. I then added a photo of a wooden hand grip on the left and the Hasselblad logo on the right over the Sony logo....which now spells sHy. Hence the title of this blog post....Just sHy of a Hasselblad.)

Photographers go to the Circus

Giffords Circus in Lypiatt near Stroud
(Camera used: Canon 5D II w/ 16-35mm 2.8 L)

 I went to an Olympus Image Space photography event with Giffords Circus along with my husband Peter and my friend Jayne. Oh and around a hundred other photographers! We'd signed up for this event and were lucky to have been chosen as three of the hundred tickets they were giving away. For nearly a week I thought that only Peter had won a place on this event and he enjoyed rubbing it in a bit too much. But about a week later I got my ticket. :-D

(Camera used: Olympus OM-D E-M10 w/ 12-40 2.8)

We were treated to special performances by a few of the circus performers and a photography lighting demonstration by Damian McGillicuddy. The Olympus experts were there with lots of the latest Olympus cameras and lenses for us to try. It was truly an amazing experience and loads of fun. We really enjoyed having a go with the Olympus OM-D collection of cameras and various lenses too! And to make things even better they gave us each an 8GB SD card which we could put in the cameras and keep the images we took during the show. Awesomeness!

(Camera used: Canon 5D II w/ 70-200mm 2.8 L)

The cameras and lenses I had a play with were the Olympus OM-D E-M10 & the OM-D E-M1 along with the 17mm 1.8, 45mm 1.8, 75mm 1.8 and the 12-40mm 2.8 lenses. My favourite of the two cameras being the OM-D E-M1.

(Camera used: Canon 5D II w/ 70-200mm 2.8 L)

By now you've probably notice that I've mostly posted images from my Canon camera. No reason behind this, these were just the images I took first mainly. I didn't have an Olympus camera at first, had to wait my turn and I was sharing. Also there were a few times when I used my Canon over the Olympus only because of the focal length. I was actually mostly using the Olympus cameras. After all that was the main reason for going, to try out their kit. :-)

(Camera used: Canon 5D II w/ 16-35mm 2.8 L)

The other main reason for going was for Damian McGillicuddy's mini lighting workshop. He set up a couple shoots and explained what he was using, how he was using it and why. He even let a few people have a go. But he didn't let me have a go. **pokes bottom lip out** But he made up for it afterwards by having a chat with my friend Jayne about cameras and her unique situation. Check out Jayne's blog "Life Beats On" to find out more.

Damian McGillicuddy
(Camera used: Canon 5D II w/ 70-200mm 2.8 L)

I can highly recommend Damian McGillicudy's workshops, I've seen him speak and demonstrate photography set ups a couple of times now. He's very entertaining, informative and easy to understand.

Damian McGillicudy talking about lighting.
(Camera used: Canon 5D II w/ 70-200mm 2.8 L)

I really enjoyed using the Olympus OM-D E-M1. I might have had a play with it before at either a friend's studio or at another Olympus event, I can't remember, but it was only a quick look, I hadn't actually used it before. The fun bit was finding my way around the camera in the dark! But actually that wasn't as difficult as it sounds. The camera controls were easy to navigate and figure out quite quickly. I really like that about this camera.

Damian at work
(Camera used: Canon 5D II w/ 70-200mm 2.8 L)

Now, I was able to get better images out of my Canon at first simply because I know my way around that camera. Knowing your way around the camera you are using is more important than which camera you are using. A more expensive camera does not make you an better photographer, knowing your kit does.

Damian McGillicudy showing us the back of his camera and the image he's just shot.
(Camera used: Olympus OM-D E-M1 w/ 75mm 1.8)

The main things I liked about the OM-D cameras are that they are small and light weight, when compared with my full framed DSLR and pro lenses that is. I found them very easy to navigate without having to ask for help. I picked it up and started shooting right away. And last but not least, image quality is outstanding. Mind you, we were shooting in very difficult situations under the big top.

(Camera used: Olympus OM-D E-M1 w/ 75mm 1.8)

All of the images I'm posting were taken using available light and I was shooting from the stands. I didn't sit still, I was busy changing my location for different view points. In other words I was all over the place. As this was a special photographic event there was space and freedom to do this. I wouldn't have been able to do this during an actual show. Thank you Olympus & Giffords Circus!!

(Camera used: Canon 5D II w/ 70-200mm 2.8 L)

Also all of these images have been processed by me using Adobe Photoshop CC. Some have been processed more than others for creative effect. I didn't have to do any special or extra processing on the images from the Olympus cameras beyond what I normally do for my Canon images. The image above is my most processed image from this day as I removed a couple of things from the image that was bothering me. :-D

 (Camera used: Olympus OM-D E-M1 w/ 75mm 1.8)

In the image above, these ladies are mostly in the dark. The E-M1 handled it quite well and I'm well impressed.

It was nice to see so many ladies at this event. Photography related evens are usually mainly attended by men. The men outnumber the women at the local photography clubs too I've noticed. Among my photography friends though, it's about half and half.

In conclusion this was a fab event for anyone who's interested in photography no matter what kit you use. Especially good if you are in the market for a new camera and you aren't sure what you want. It's an amazing opportunity to have a go with different equipment to see if you get on with it and to see how it performs.

The OM-D E-M1 is an amazing bit of kit and it's now on my 'want' list. It would be great to shoot with it side by side with my other cameras (including an older Oly I have) to see how they compare. It is an expensive bit of kit though, so I'd best get to saving my pennies!

(Camera used: Olympus OM-D E-M1 w/ 75mm 1.8)

Thank you Olympus UK, thank you Giffords Circus and thank you Damian McGillicuddy for an amazing photography day!

Click the links I made in this post for more information and to find out where & when the next photography day like this is.

Happy Shooting!

Night Shot at Gloucester Docks

I am so in love with my new camera and lens! I had a GMG Social Media Masterclass tonight out at Gloucester Docs, so I took my new camera along with me. After class I ventured out to the docs for a few night shots. I took this image with my new Canon 5D II and 24-70mm 2.8 L lens on a tripod. 3.2 second exposure at f9 with an ISO of 3200 <--that's not a typo! This is practically straight out of the camera. I reduced the size to post on the web and I ran a slight high pass filter over it, which really doesn't show on this small image. Clicking on image should open it up for a bit larger view.

I'm so amazed at the quality of images I get with this camera lens combo. :-D

Quick Test of Canon 5D II, Canon 30D & Olympus E3

I did a quick test today comparing the three cameras. It's a cloudy dull day sadly, but I gave it a go anyway. I set all the cameras on AWB, 200 ISO, F9 on the AV setting at 70mm on a tripod...letting the camera do the rest. I zoomed in to 100% on each image and cropped 800 x 600 pixels. Because of the different sensor sizes the images won't be exactly the same. I have done no post processing to any of the images, these crops are from the raw images.

First up the Olympus E3 with the 50-200mm 2.8-3.5 lens set at 70mm. (note: properties says 72mm)

Next is the Canon 30D with the 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS lens at 70mm:

Last is the Canon 5D II with 24-70mm 2.8 L lens at 70mm:

In hindsight I probably should have done the maths and shot these all at the same focal length. Might do next time, but I did want to see the difference the different size sensors had as well.

First thing I noticed is that there is a big difference in size with the E3, as expected with a 4/3rds sensor. Next thing I noticed is that the clarity with the 5D II and 24-70 lens was much clearer and quite a bit more detail than the others.

More test to come.

New Baby!

My new baby has arrived!

This is soooo exciting! Let's open the box!

Well it's definitely packed well. Thanks Dave @ LCE Canon Pro shop in Lincoln! :-D

I also a couple extras.

oohhh sexy, I love how the memory card matches the camera box. :-D Let's look in the big box now!

What I see first is my new lens! YaY! Can't wait to try it out. My friend and business partner Damon has this lens and it's supper fast and supper sharp. :-D

All my new toys! Let's open them! :-D

Camera box first...

Quick, charge that battery!!! Excuse me a minute while I go plug it in. ......

OK, now the lens... Ohhh what's that on top?

oohhh it's a lens case! Cool. :-D

YaY! My new toys! Can't wait for battery to get charged! I want to play!

New baby with lens... Battery still charging. Guess I'd better get some work done while I wait. Maybe it will be fully charged by lunch time. :-D