Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Canon EOS ® 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide Canon EOS ® 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide Brian McLernon Canon® EOS ...

Author: Brian McLernon

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Canon EOS ®

5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Canon EOS ®

5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Brian McLernon

Canon® EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 10475 Crosspoint Blvd. Indianapolis, IN 46256 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN: 978-0-470-46714-5 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http:// www.wiley.com/go/permissions. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEB SITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OF WEB SITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEB SITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (877) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2009929467 Trademarks: Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its afﬁliates. Canon is a registered trademark of Canon, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

About the Author Brian McLernon is a commercial freelance photographer based in Portland, Oregon. Originally from New Jersey and educated in Arizona, Philadelphia, and New York City, he moved to Portland in 1996. He shoots primarily for editorial, commercial, corporate, and lifestyle — such as locations, portraits, products, travel, public relations, weddings, high school seniors, artworks, sports, special events, and more — capturing moments and telling visual stories. A partial list of Brian’s clients include: Albertson’s, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Caldwell College, CBS Records, Coates & Clark, Danskin, EC Company, Ellington Leather, Exxon, Johnson & Johnson, The Lawrenceville School, Lionel Trains LLC, Manos del Uruguay, Manufacturers Hanover, McCarter Theatre, McNeil Pharmaceuticals, Mid-Atlantic Country magazine, Midnight Sun Productions, New Jersey Outdoors magazine, Nike, Paragon Tile & Stone, Pﬁzer Pharmaceuticals, Platt Electric, Premiere Homes magazine, Sierra Club, Sprint, Tower Records, Traeger Grills, the United States Tennis Association, and Weldotron. Brian has often been a guest speaker for several artistic associations, communication groups, and business organizations and always enjoys speaking to student groups. When he’s not photographing in the studio or on location, Brian spends time with his wife and daughter, family and friends, camping, traveling, whitewater rafting, cross-country and downhill skiing, and, of course, photographing nature and all kinds of motorsports. In his spare time, Brian enjoys doing SEO on his Web site (www.brianmclernon.com) and writing blogs about photography (www.blog.brianmclernon.com). This is his ﬁrst book for Wiley.

Credits Acquisitions Editor Courtney Allen

Project Coordinator Kristie Rees

Project Editor Christopher Stolle

Graphics and Production Specialists Carl Byers Jennifer Henry Andrea Hornberger Jennifer Mayberry

Technical Editor Marianne Jensen Copy Editor Scott Tullis Editorial Consultant Charlotte K. Lowrie Editorial Director Robyn Siesky Editorial Manager Cricket Krengel Business Manager Amy Knies Senior Marketing Manager Sandy Smith Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Richard Swadley Vice President and Executive Publisher Barry Pruett

Quality Control Technicians Amanda Graham Jessica Kramer Proofreading and Indexing Indianapolis Composition Services Ty Koontz

To the happy memories of my parents, Jim and Charlotte McLernon, who instilled in me the belief that anything is possible if you work hard and put your mind to it.

Acknowledgments We live in an age of community, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention mine — those wonderful people who answered my calls, spent hours discussing technical details, and volunteered time and equipment to help me create this book. My hearty thanks go out to Bob and Shirley Hunsicker, my early mentors in photography and business at Pharos Studios in Princeton, New Jersey; to the master, Dean Collins, who taught me about light and to Rick Becker, of Becker Studios in New York City, who taught me how to use it; to the staff of Pro Photo Supply in Portland, especially Jim and Kevin; to John Waller of Uncage the Soul Productions; to Craig Strong and Keri Friedman at Lensbaby; and to Mark Fitzgerald, my friendly neighborhood Photoshop and Lightroom guru of the Digital Darkroom who started this whole process with a simple phone call. My sincere thanks to Christopher Stolle, my eagle-eyed editor, for his most appreciated communication and encouragement. To Courtney Allen, my ﬁrst contact at Wiley, for her friendship and unﬂagging patience as she answered my hundreds of questions. May you always rock to the metal. Finally, to the people at Wiley for their skillful editing, marketing insight, and constant support and encouragement.

Contents Introduction

xx

C HA P T E R 1 Anatomy of the Canon 5D Mark II

1

Exploring the 5D Mark II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Camera Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Top camera controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Rear camera controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Front camera controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Camera Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Side and Bottom Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Lens Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Viewﬁnder Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Live View Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Canon CMOS Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 DiG!C 4 Image Processor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

C HA P T E R 2 Using the 5D Mark II Menus Camera Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quick Control screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shooting 1 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peripheral Illumination Correction . . . . . . . . Shooting 2 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dust Delete Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Playback 1 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erase images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Playback 2 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Set-up 1 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Auto rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Set-up 2 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LCD brightness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Live View/Movie function setting . . . . . . . . . Set-up 3 menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Battery information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . External Speedlite control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Custom Functions menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . My Menu settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17 18 18 18 19 20 20 21 21 23 23 24 24 25 25 25 26 27 27 28

CH APT ER 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II Setting the Date and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating Folders on the CF Card . . . . . . . . . . . Setting File-Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing the File Format and Quality . . . . . . . JPEG capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RAW capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sRAW1 and sRAW 2 capture . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing an Exposure Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Full Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Program AE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shutter Priority AE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aperture Priority AE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bulb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C1, C2, and C3 modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creative Auto mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autofocus and selecting Autofocus modes. . . Improving autofocus accuracy and performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AF-ON button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Modifying Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autoexposure Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autoexposure Bracketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exposure compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selecting a Metering Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evaluating the 5D Mark II’s dynamic range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evaluating exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brightness histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RGB histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the ISO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Auto ISO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ISO range, expansion, and Custom Function options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the ISO and extended range ISO . . . Selecting a Drive Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Single Shot mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Continuous mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Self-timer modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viewing and Playing Back Images . . . . . . . . . . Playback display options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jumping quickly among images . . . . . . . . .

31 32 33 35 36 37 37 38 38 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 44 44 46 47 47 47 48 49 51 52 52 52 53 53 54 54 54 55 55 55 56 57 57 59

Index display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Slide show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erasing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Protecting Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Restoring the Camera’s Default Settings . . . . .

C HA P T E R 4 Color and Picture Styles Learning about Color Spaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing a Color Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Understanding and Setting the White Balance . . . What does white balance do? . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing a white balance approach . . . . . . Setting a custom white balance . . . . . . . . . Setting a white balance shift . . . . . . . . . . . . Specifying a color temperature . . . . . . . . . . Using white balance autobracketing . . . . . . Choosing and Customizing a Picture Style . . . . Registering a User-Deﬁned Picture Style . . . . .

C HA P T E R 5 Customizing the Canon 5D Mark II Exploring Custom Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.Fn I: Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.Fn I-01: Exposure level increments . . . . . C.Fn I-02: ISO speed setting increments . . . C.Fn I-03: ISO expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.Fn I-04: Bracketing auto cancel . . . . . . . C.Fn I-05: Bracketing sequence . . . . . . . . . C.Fn I-06: Safety shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.Fn I-07: Flash sync speed in Av mode . . . C.Fn II: Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.Fn II-01: Long exposure noise reduction . . . C.Fn II-02: High ISO speed noise reduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.Fn II-03: Highlight tone priority . . . . . . . . C.Fn II-04: Auto Lighting Optimizer . . . . . . . C.Fn III: Autofocus/Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.Fn III-01: Lens drive when AF impossible C.Fn III-02: Lens AF stop button function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.Fn III-03: AF point selection method . . . . C.Fn III-04: Superimposed display . . . . . . . C.Fn III-05: AF-assist beam ﬁring . . . . . . . .

60 61 61 63 63

65 66 67 68 68 69 72 74 75 76 78 84

87 88 89 89 89 89 89 90 90 90 91 91 91 92 92 92 92 92 93 94 94

C.Fn III-06: Mirror lockup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 C.Fn III-07: AF point area expansion. . . . . . 94 C.Fn III-08: AF Microadjustment. . . . . . . . . 95 C.Fn IV: Operation/Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 C.Fn IV-01: Shutter/AF-ON button . . . . . . . 95 C.Fn IV-02: AF-ON/AE lock button switch. . . 96 C.Fn IV-03: Assign SET button . . . . . . . . . . 96 C.Fn IV-04: Dial direction during Tv/Av . . . . 97 C.Fn IV-05: Focusing Screen . . . . . . . . . . . 97 C.Fn IV-06: Add original decision data . . . . 97 Clear all Custom Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Sample Customizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Registering Camera Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

CH APT ER 6 Selecting and Using Canon Lenses 103 Understanding Canon Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . EF lens mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ultrasonic Motor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L-series lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Image Stabilization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Full-time manual focusing . . . . . . . . . . . . Inner and rear focusing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AF Stop button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Focus preset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diffractive Optics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prime versus Zoom Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Single-focal-length lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . Zoom lenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zoom lens advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zoom lens disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . Using Wide-Angle Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Telephoto Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Normal Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Macro Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Tilt/Shift Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using a Lensbaby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Image-Stabilized Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . Exploring Lens Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Extending the range lenses with extenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Increasing magniﬁcation with extension tubes and close-up lenses . . .

104 104 105 105 106 106 106 107 107 107 107 107 108 108 109 110 110 111 113 114 115 116 117 118 120 120 121

C HA P T E R 7 Working with Canon EX-series Speedlites

123

Exploring E-TTL Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing a Canon EX-series Speedlite . . . . . . Evaluating 5D Mark II–compatible Speedlites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 . . . . . Using Speedlites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Front and Rear Curtain Sync . . . . . . . . . . Flash Exposure Compensation . . . . . . . . . Flash Exposure Bracketing . . . . . . . . . . . Flash Exposure Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High-speed sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flash Techniques in the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . Balancing ambient and ﬂash lighting . . . . Speedlite light modiﬁers and umbrellas. . . Using a Speedlite as a secondary light . . . Working with multiple wireless ﬂash setups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Balancing lighting extremes . . . . . . . . . . .

C HA P T E R 8 Shooting Video with the 5D Mark II

124 126 126 131 132 133 133 133 133 134 135 135 136 136 137 137

139

Preparing to Shoot Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High-Deﬁnition Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Resolution and frame rate . . . . . . . . . . . . Maximum ﬁle size and runtime . . . . . . . . . Using Live View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LCD monitor light sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . Live mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Live Face Detection mode . . . . . . . . . . . . Quick mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grid display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Silent Shooting modes 1 and 2 . . . . . . . . . HDMI Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MOV Format and MPEG-4 Video Compression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steadicams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sound Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onboard mono microphone . . . . . . . . . . . External stereo input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selecting audio devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

140 140 140 141 142 142 143 143 143 144 144 144 145 145 148 148 149 150

Mixing Video and Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Lighting for High-Deﬁnition Video . . . . . . . . . 152 Shooting High-Deﬁnition Video in Lowlight . . . 154

CH APT ER 9 Sports, Concert, and Event Photography

155

Overview and Trends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inspiration and Creative Resources . . . . . . . . Packing Your Gear Bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shooting Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shooting Concerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shooting Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practical Professional Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CH APT ER 10 Landscape, Nature, and Travel Photography

169

Overview and Trends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inspiration and Creative Resources . . . . . . . . Packing Your Gear Bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shooting Nature, Landscape, and Travel Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using natural light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Predawn and sunrise . . . . . . . . . . . . . Early morning to midday . . . . . . . . . . . Sunset, twilight, and dusk . . . . . . . . . . Diffused light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exposure techniques for atypical scenes . . . Shooting in lowlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practical Professional Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CH APT ER 11 Portrait Photography

156 157 158 159 162 163 165

170 170 171 174 177 177 178 178 179 182 183 184

187

Overview and Trends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inspiration and Creative Resources . . . . . . . . Packing Your Gear Bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shooting Portraits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taking outdoor portraits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Getting the best color . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use C modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

188 190 190 192 193 194 196

Taking indoor portraits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Window light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ambient interior and mixed light . . . . . Studio lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practical Pro Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C HA P T E R 1 2 Stock and Editorial Photography

203

Overview and Trends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inspiration and Creative Resources . . . . . . . . Packing Your Gear Bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shooting Stock and Editorial Images . . . . . . . Practical Pro Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C HA P T E R 1 3 Wedding Photography

204 205 207 209 212

215

Overview and Trends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inspiration and Creative Resources . . . . . . . . Slideshows and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Printed and bound albums . . . . . . . . . . . . Packing Your Gear Bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shooting Weddings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Getting ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Capturing the ceremony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . After the Ceremony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Portraits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Professional Advice for Shooting Weddings. . .

A P P E ND IX A Maintenance Tips for Your 5D Mark II

196 196 198 199 200

216 216 217 218 218 219 220 222 222 223 226 227 228 228 229

231

Canon Digital Photo Professional . . . . . . . . . . EOS Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Updating the 5D Mark II Firmware . . . . . . . . Cleaning the CMOS Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Automatic Sensor Cleaning mode . . . . . . . Dust Delete Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

231 232 234 236 236 237

Manual cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Testing for dust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the dry method . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the wet method . . . . . . . . . . . . . Having a clean workﬂow . . . . . . . . . . .

237 238 238 238 239

APPEND I X B 5D Mark II Speciﬁcations

240

Glossary

246

Index

253

Introduction elcome to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide. When the ﬁrst 5D was introduced almost 4 years ago, photographers were overjoyed at the prospect of ﬁnally being able to shoot with a full-frame digital camera with a lightweight, compact design. Canon now ups the ante with the 5D Mark II and a host of fantastic improvements, including a new 21.1-megapixel sensor, a new DiG!C 4 image processor, a larger 3-inch auto-backlit LCD monitor with Live View, Auto ISO, and, probably most impressive to many, the addition of full high-deﬁnition, 1080p video capabilities.

W

This camera seriously heralds a paradigm shift for photographers and videographers alike. With the ability to create stills and movies with one device, untold opportunities have opened up for creative expression and multimedia, never before possible until now. New technologies have been incorporated into the new 5D Mark II to keep the sensor clean from dust, navigate the expanded menu system, create and register multiple custom camera settings, and achieve the highest level of image quality in a 35mm dSLR to date. I’m as excited about the endless new capabilities this camera opens up as many of you must be, and writing this book has been an opportunity to delve into its features like I’ve never imagined. Features of the old 5D that I only dabbled with are now utilized daily and make perfect sense to speed up workﬂow and shooting functionality. Although many trusted features of the previous version of the 5D have been retained, this camera is truly a game-changer, and many of you will push this valuable tool to its limits. If it lacks a little speed in the frames-per-second area from the ﬂagship EOS 1D Mark III, it more than makes up for it in stunningly beautiful images from its larger high-resolution sensor and faster processor. This book is intended for those of us who are ready to embrace a new way of thinking about photography and video and who possess the desire to take their imagery, whether still or moving, beyond what they’ve ever accomplished before. I’m excited to share this journey with you as we explore the many new features, capabilities, and potential of the new 5D Mark II.

C HA P T E R

1

Anatomy of the Canon 5D Mark II he long-awaited Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a revolutionary development in dSLR technology, offering photographers un-precedented capability in digital still imaging, and breaks new ground for a full-frame (35mm) camera. It retains many of its cool features from the 5D and some from the ﬂagship Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (including a similar full-frame, 21.1-megapixel sensor and a bright, full-coverage optical viewﬁnder). However, the 5D Mark II sensor is unique in that it offers an exciting feature found on no other dSLR to date — 30 frames per second (fps) full high-deﬁnition video recording at 1920 × 1080 pixels (1080p) resolution, with sound captured via either a built-in mono microphone or through an external microphone connected to the camera’s stereo mic jack. This chapter addresses the camera controls, buttons, ter- Brenna’s look says it all after a long, hot hike in Escalante, Utah. ISO 100, f/16, 1/125 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8 minals, the viewﬁnder, and the USM lens. new Live View display as well as information on the CMOS sensor and DiG!C processor. Subsequent chapters discuss the other aspects of the 5D Mark II.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Exploring the 5D Mark II The 5D menus have been completely reconﬁgured while still keeping the same familiar groupings longtime Canon shooters have come to enjoy. Button locations have migrated slightly left to make room for the new multicoated, 3-inch (diagonal), 920,000-dot VGA rear LCD monitor, now equipped with a new auto-adjustment backlight sensor. The eight-direction Multi-controller has been given new duties for menu, focus point, and other shooting selections. Shooting modes from the original 5D are back, including three new user-deﬁned custom modes, as are the increasingly popular Picture Styles. With the large full-frame image sensor comes a redesign of the pixel shape and layout, yielding 21.1 megapixels that drive a 100-6400 ISO range, expandable from 50 to 25,600, giving you more choices for precise control in low-light situations. Autofocus performance is improved with the addition of six hidden AF points to aid the nine user-adjustable AF points. Two new sensor-cleaning modes, along with manual cleaning and a Dust Delete Data function, help keep dust out of your images. A new, more powerful battery was needed to support the HD video capabilities, and the 5D Mark II reports its health in a new sixlevel indicator and Battery info area. This chapter discusses the camera’s external features as well as some of its internal functions and capabilities.

Camera Controls The 5D Mark II groups commonly used functions into ﬁve main areas:

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Mode dial. This dial enables you to switch between seven Shooting modes — including two fully automatic modes — and three user-deﬁned C modes, where you can register settings for distinct shooting situations. Turn the Mode dial until the icon you want lines up with the white tick mark to the side of the viewﬁnder. Each mode is detailed later in this chapter.

X

LCD panel and buttons. This panel and the buttons are located on the top right of the camera. The buttons control the Metering mode, white balance, autofocus, Drive mode, ISO, and Flash Exposure Compensation, and the light button for the LCD has been relocated from the far left of the LCD panel to just behind the Main dial on the right. Each button except the light button controls two functions, as noted in Table 1.1. These settings don’t have to be conﬁrmed via the Set button, and they remain in effect until you change them, even if you turn off the camera.

X

Multi-controller. Because of its convenient location in relation to the thumb when holding the camera, the Multi-controller has been given expanded usability and operates in eight directions, with a button at the center. You use the Multi-controller to select an AF point, adjust white balance, move an AF point or magnifying frame during Live View shooting,

Chapter 1 Anatomy of the Canon 5D Mark II

scroll the playback image during magniﬁed view, and operate the Quick Control screen selection. It can also be used to select and set most menu options.

Table 1.1 Main and Quick Control Dials Button

Main dial

Quick Control dial

Metering mode/White Balance selection button

Metering modes: Evaluative (35-zone TTL fullaperture metering) Partial (8% at center frame) Spot (3.5% at center frame) Center-weighted average

White balance options: Auto (2500–10,000° Kelvin [K]) Daylight (5200 K) Shade (7000 K) Cloudy (6000 K) Tungsten (3200 K) Fluorescent (4000 K) Flash (6000 K) Custom (2000–10,000 K) K (2800–10,000 K) Note: All temperatures are approximate.

AF/Drive mode button

Autofocus modes: One Shot (locks focus with a halfpress of the Shutter button) AI Focus AF (monitors subject movement and switches to AI Servo AF mode if the camera detects subject movement) AI Servo AF (full-time predictive focus)

Drive modes: Single Shot Continuous Self-timer (10 seconds; the default) Self-timer (2 seconds)

ISO selection/Flash Exposure Compensation button

ISO options: 50 (L; with C.Fn I-03 Expansion turned on) 100 125 160 200 250 320 400 500 640 800 1000 1250 1600 3200 6400 12,800 H1 25,600 H2 (L, H1 and H2 require C.Fn I-03 Expansion turned on)

Flash Exposure Compensation: +/- 2 stops EV (exposure value) in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments (chosen by using C.Fn I-02)

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

The Multi-controller doesn’t adjust any controls in combination with the top camera buttons.

NOTE

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Camera menus. These are accessed by pressing the Menu button on the top-left-rear side of the camera. Nine menu screens organize camera functions into ﬁve color-coded groups. For more on the 5D Mark II menus, see Chapter 2.

CROSS REF

Top camera controls Figure 1.1 shows the top camera controls, which provide ease of use so that the thumb and index ﬁnger of both the right and left hands control common adjustments quickly without taking the camera away from the shooting position. The top camera controls are:

AF/Drive mode button Metering mode/White Balance selection button ISO selection/Flash Exposure Compensation button Shutter button Main dial LCD panel illumination button

Mode dial

Dioptric adjustment dial Hot shoe/Flash sync contacts LCD panel

1.1 The 5D Mark II top camera controls

X

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Shutter button. Pressing this button halfway down activates autofocusing and automatic exposure metering that then sets the shutter speed and aperture (except in Manual and Bulb modes). Pressing down completely releases the shutter and takes the picture.

Chapter 1 Anatomy of the Canon 5D Mark II

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Main dial. Located just behind the Shutter button, the Main dial selects a variety of settings, options, and menus, including making choices in conjunction with camera buttons.

X

Mode dial. Turning this dial changes the Shooting modes. Shooting modes determine how much control you have over the ﬁnal exposure. The dial offers Full Auto, Creative Auto, Program (P), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av), Manual (M), Bulb (B), and three customizable modes (C1, C2, and C3).

X

Hot shoe/Flash sync contacts. The hot shoe contains the standard ﬂash sync contacts for mounting a Canon EX-series Speedlite or can also be used to hold a stereo microphone when shooting video. The ﬂash sync speed is 1/200 sec. or slower or it can be set to Auto in Av mode, 1/200-1/60 auto, or 1/200 sec. ﬁxed by using C.Fn I-7.

X

Dioptric adjustment dial. This small dial nestled slightly behind the rubber eyecup is used to make adjustments for viewﬁnder clarity to suit your eyesight. The range of dioptric adjustment is -3 to +1 diopters. A white mark in the center of the dial centers the movement within the range. To set the dioptric adjustment, focus the lens by pressing the Shutter button halfway down and then turn this dial until the image in the viewﬁnder is sharp. If you wear eyeglasses when shooting, be sure to wear them when setting the dioptric adjustment.

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LCD panel and buttons. Behind the Shutter button and the Main dial are the LCD panel buttons and the LCD panel. These control and display real-time exposure and metering settings and options. Table 1.1 shows which dial to use with which button to change the option you need for a particular shooting situation. These three buttons are:

• Metering mode/White Balance selection button. This button allows you to choose the Metering modes and the white balance options.

• AF/Drive mode button. This button allows you to choose the Autofocus and Drive modes.

• ISO selection/Flash Exposure Compensation button. This button allows you to set the ISO and Flash Exposure Compensation. X

LCD panel illumination button. The LCD panel illumination button, conveniently relocated on the top-right side of the LCD panel, turns on an amber backlight so you can see the panel options in low-light or dark shooting situations. Pressing this button toggles the backlight on or off. Otherwise, it stays illuminated for 6 seconds before turning off automatically.

Rear camera controls Figure 1.2 shows the rear camera controls, which provide quick access to the menus, various playback and image deletion controls, Picture Styles, and exposure information:

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

X

Live View shooting/Print/Share button. Pressing this button prepares the camera for Live View shooting of still images or movies or returns the camera to standard viewﬁnder operation after using Live View. In addition, when a camera is connected to a PictBridge, Canon CP Direct, or Canon Bubble Jet Direct–enabled printer and the camera is set to Print/PTP, this button in conjunction with the Playback button can also display JPEG-only images for cropping, layout, and direct printing. When connected to a computer via the USB digital terminal, use this button to begin downloading images to the computer.

X

Menu button. Press this button to display camera menus and then use the Main dial, the Quick Control dial, or the Multi-controller to scroll through the settings.

X

Picture Style button. Pressing this button opens the Picture Style menu, applicable in all modes except Full Auto. Choose from six preset styles (Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, and Monochrome) or create three user-deﬁned custom modes (C1, C2, and C3). Press the Information button and then use the Quick Control dial or the Multicontroller to make adjustments to the Picture Style settings. AF-ON button Multi-controller

Live View shooting/ Print/Share button

Speaker

AF Lock/FE Lock/ Index/Reduce button AF Point selection/ Magnify button

Menu button Picture Style selection button Information button Playback button

Quick Control dial Set button Access lamp

Erase button

LCD backlight sensor Power/Quick Control dial switch

1.2 The 5D Mark II rear camera controls

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Information button. In normal viewﬁnder shooting, this button is used to display the standard Info screen and the new Quick Control screen, a handy, adjustable screen of all the main camera settings that can be adjusted by using the Multi-controller, the Quick Control dial, the Main dial, and the Set button. When an image appears on the LCD monitor, press this button one or more times to change how images appear on the LCD during image playback.

Chapter 1 Anatomy of the Canon 5D Mark II

You can display images with only shutter speed, aperture, and ﬁlename information at the top (default display); with the image thumbnail, exposure histogram, and detailed shooting and ﬁle information; or with the image thumbnail, exposure histogram, and RGB histogram and detailed shooting and ﬁle information. In Live View mode for stills, pressing this button displays the AF points and then pressing again displays shutter speed, aperture, exposure level indicator/AEB range, remaining shots, ISO, and battery check. Pressing again adds screen settings, Picture Style, AF mode, Drive mode, color balance, movierecording size, image-recording quality, brightness histogram, AE Lock, AEB icon, FEB icon, and Highlight tone priority, if any of those features were selected. X

Playback button. This button displays or turns off the playback display of the images on the LCD. Pressing the AE Lock/FE Lock/Index/Reduce button on the top-right back of the camera during playback displays nine images at a time in a 3 × 3 image grid. Movies show the Movie and Set icons in the top-left corner of the thumbnail. Use the Set button to control movie playback options and the Main dial to control playback volume, guided by the ascending green bar volume indicator found in the bottom right. You can also scroll through the Index display by using the Quick Control dial or the Main dial.

X

Erase button. Press this button to display options to delete the current image or all images on the CF card. When you press the Erase button during single-image playback, the options are Cancel or Erase (currently displayed image only). Multiple erase settings can be chosen in Playback 1 under Erase images.

X

Power/Quick Control dial switch. There are three positions on this switch. Off does what it says it does: It turns the camera off. In the On position, the camera limits the functionality of the Quick Control dial. This is a great feature I use often during fast-moving shoots where it’s easy to bump the Quick Control dial with your thumb and inadvertently change your f-stop or other settings. The topmost position enables full functionality of the Quick Control dial.

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Quick Control dial. Turning this dial selects shooting-related settings and menu options.

X

Set button. Inset within the Quick Control dial is this button, which serves as a menu selection and conﬁrmation button.

X

Access lamp. To the lower-right side of the Quick Control dial is an access light that glows red when images or movies are being written to the CF card.

X

Multi-controller. The eight-way Multi-controller acts as a button when pressed and as a joystick when tilted in any direction, with a button in the center to make selections. You can use it to move an AF point or magnifying frame during Live View shooting, scroll around a playback image during magniﬁed view, operate the Quick Control screen selection, and select and set most menu options. It can also be used to select an AF point in conjunction with the AF Point selection/Magnify button, select white balance correction, or move the trim frame when printing directly from the camera.

X

AF-ON button. Pressing this button activates the autofocus system in standard shooting and Live View still and movie shooting. In Live View mode, hold this button down until the camera has achieved focus conﬁrmation, signiﬁed by the center box momentarily turning green. 7

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

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AE Lock/FE Lock/Index/Reduce button. On the back-right side of the camera, the left button sets Autoexposure (AE) Lock or Flash Exposure (FE) Lock, displays Index mode during image playback, or reduces the size of an enlarged LCD image during playback.

X

AF Point selection/Magnify button. This button turns on manual AF point selection or enlarges the playback image size. Both this button and the AE Lock button are pressand-hold buttons used in conjunction with the Main and Quick Control dials or the Multicontroller. For example, to manually select an AF point, you press and hold the AF Point selection/Magnify button and then turn the Main dial or the Quick Control dial or press the Multi-controller to select the AF point you want.

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Speaker. A small mono speaker is built in to the back of the 5D Mark II to review recorded sound of movies. When reviewing a movie, turn the Main dial to raise or lower the volume of this speaker. If you connect the camera to a TV set to playback a movie, use the TV volume control to adjust the sound. Turning the Main dial when connected to a TV doesn’t adjust the sound volume.

Front camera controls Figure 1.3 shows the front of the camera, which is one view that photographers usually see only in camera ads. But there are lamps and connections located there that you use often. From left to right, the buttons and lamps on the front of the 5D Mark II include the following:

EF lens mount button Remote Controller sensor Self-timer lamp

Mono microphone

Lens Release button

DC coupler cord hole

Mirror Contacts Lens lock pin Depth of Field Preview button

1.3 The 5D Mark II front camera controls 8

Chapter 1 Anatomy of the Canon 5D Mark II X

Remote Controller sensor. Remote triggering of the camera is possible by using the optional Remote Controllers RC-1 or RC-5 and aiming them at this sensor. It operates effectively up to approximately 16.4 feet but can be thrown off by certain types of ﬂuorescent lights. RC-1 allows immediate or 2-second delay shooting, whereas RC-5 shoots with only a 2-second delay.

X

Self-timer lamp. This red lamp ﬂashes to count down the seconds to shutter release when the camera is set to one of the Self-timer modes.

X

DC coupler cord hole. Lifting this rubber ﬂap allows you to connect the camera to household power by using AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6, which provides a coupling unit that inserts into the battery compartment. This DC power option can come in handy for extended studio shooting, sensor cleaning, or in the unlikely event of battery failure or loss.

X

Depth of Field Preview button. Pressing this button stops down the lens diaphragm to the aperture you’ve set to preview the depth of ﬁeld in the viewﬁnder. The darker the image in the viewﬁnder, the more extensive the depth of ﬁeld is. At the lens’s maximum aperture, the Depth of Field Preview button can’t be depressed because the diaphragm is fully open. The aperture can’t be changed as long as the Depth of Field Preview button is depressed. Also, with Speedlites 580EX, 550EX, and 430EX, pressing this button emits a very handy modeling ﬂash.

X

Lens Release button. Pressing this button disengages the lens from the lens mount so you can turn the lens to the right to remove it. Because the 5D Mark II uses the Canon EF lens mount, all EF lenses are compatible with the camera. EF-S lenses with the short back focus are incompatible with the 5D Mark II, and mounting them on the camera shouldn’t be attempted.

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Mono microphone. During Live View movie shooting, sound is recorded on the camera’s on-board monaural microphone located just below the 5D nameplate. If another type of microphone is connected to the camera’s external microphone IN terminal, this microphone is disabled.

X

EF lens mount index. Use this red dot to line up with a corresponding red dot on EF lenses when mounting and removing lenses.

X

Lens lock pin. This spring-loaded pin, controlled by the Lens Release button, ﬁts into a hole in the back of the lens and locks the lens in place, preventing you from accidentally dismounting the lens.

X

Mirror. Key to the 35mm reﬂex principle is the 45° mirror that bounces the image up into the viewﬁnder prism for viewing and focusing. The mirror swings up at the moment of exposure to allow the image to pass through the lens to be recorded on the image sensor.

X

Contacts. These eight contacts provide various lens communication protocols and serial data communications between the camera and a host of EOS lenses. To operate properly, they should be kept clean and free of dust and residue. For more on EF lenses, see Chapter 6.

CROSS REF

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Camera Terminals Figure 1.4 shows the interface terminals, which are located on the left side of the 5D Mark II under two rubber covers. Each cover is embossed with icons that identify the terminals underneath:

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PC terminal OUT. This threaded terminal connects a ﬂash unit that uses a ﬂash sync cord. The maximum sync speed with non-Canon ﬂash units is 1/200 sec. This type of ﬂash unit can be used in concert with a Speedlite attached to the camera’s hot shoe. The PC terminal can also sync with various studio lighting systems. The recommended maximum sync speeds with studio lighting systems are 1/30 or 1/60 sec.

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Remote control terminal. This N3-type terminal connects with a remote control switch to ﬁre the camera to avoid camera shake when shooting with telephoto and macro lenses as well as when using bulb exposures. The optional Remote Switch RS-80N3 replicates the functionality of the Shutter button, providing half and full depression of the Shutter button as well as the shutterrelease lock to keep the shutter open for longer periods of time, such as when shooting time exposures.

PC terminal OUT

Remote control terminal

Audio/ Video OUT terminal Digital terminal HDMI mini OUT terminal

External stereo microphone IN terminal

1.4 The 5D Mark II terminals

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External stereo microphone IN terminal. This terminal is for external stereo microphone recording. The terminal accepts a 3.5mm stereo mini-plug and automatically adjusts the sound recording level.

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Audio/Video OUT terminal. This terminal allows you to connect the camera to a television set by using the supplied video cable. To view images and movies on the camera’s CF card on TV, turn off both the TV and the camera. Connect one end of the cable to the camera and the other end to the TV’s Video IN terminal. Set the TV’s line input to Video IN, turn on the camera, and then press the Playback button on the camera to view images, movies, Live View, or menus.

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Digital terminal. This terminal connects the camera to a computer for tethered remote shooting by using the Canon-supplied software or printing to a compatible printer. The cable for direct printing comes with the printer, and printer cables must support PictBridge, PictBridge and CP Direct, PictBridge and Bubble Jet Direct, CP Direct only, or Bubble Jet Direct only. Remote shooting uses the EOS Utility and Digital Photo Professional (DPP) and can also be set up to use Watched Folders in Lightroom.

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HDMI mini OUT terminal. The new HDMI mini OUT terminal connects the Type 2 HDMI HTC-100 cable to any television, monitor, or DVR unit with an HDMI input port. As more and more photographers realize the beneﬁts and sales advantages of displaying their

Chapter 1 Anatomy of the Canon 5D Mark II

photos on large HDTV screens or with high-resolution video projectors on larger screens, Canon equipped the 5D Mark II with HDMI connection jacks in addition to the regular A/V jacks. Using an optional HTC-100 HDMI cable, you can now display full HD videos with sound on HDTV systems and slideshows of still images at nearly 2.0-megapixel resolution (1920 × 1080 pixels) on HDTVs or on larger screens via HD-compatible video projectors. When connected, the camera automatically reads the maximum display resolution the HDTV or projector is capable of (720 × 1080p) and feeds it the appropriate signal format so you get the maximum sharpness from the display.

Side and Bottom Features On the opposite side of the terminals is the CF card slot and CF card eject button with standard insertion and ejection functionality. The bottom of the camera includes the release latch for the battery compartment, the tripod socket, the extension system terminal for wireless shooting and remote capture, and the cover for the CR2016 lithium date and time battery. Figure 1.5 shows the side and bottom of the camera. The estimated life of the CR2016 date and time battery is 5 years. NOTE

CF card slot cover

Battery compartment

Date and time Tripod socket battery cover Extension system terminal

1.5 The 5D Mark II side and bottom camera covers, compartments, and sockets

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Lens Controls All Canon EF lenses provide both autofocus and manual focusing functionality via the AF/MF (Autofocus/Manual Focus) switch on the side of the lens. If you choose manual focusing, the 5D Mark II provides focus assistance to conﬁrm sharp focus in the viewﬁnder. When sharp focus is achieved, the focus conﬁrmation light in the viewﬁnder burns steadily, and the camera emits a focus conﬁrmation beep, which you can turn off in the Shooting 1 menu. Figure 1.6 shows the lens controls.

Distance scale Filter mount thread

Focus ring

Focusing Distance Range selection switch Focus mode switch Image Stabilization switch

Zoom ring

Lens mounting index Orientation locking knob Tripod mount

Image Stabilization mode switch

1.6 The 5D Mark II lens controls

Depending on the lens, additional controls may include the following:

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Focusing Distance Range selection switch. This switch can be set to one of two settings to limit the range the lens uses when seeking focus and thereby speeding up autofocusing. The focusing distance range varies by lens.

X

Image Stabilization switch. This switch turns optical image stabilization on or off. Optical Image Stabilization (IS) compensates for vibrations at any angle when you’re handholding

Chapter 1 Anatomy of the Canon 5D Mark II

the camera and lens. IS lenses typically allow sharp images up to 1 or 2 f-stops over the lens’s maximum aperture. Always set this switch to off when using a tripod. X

Image Stabilization mode switch. Offered on some telephoto lenses, this switch offers two modes: one for standard shooting and one for use when panning at right angles to the camera’s panning movement.

X

Focus and zoom rings. The focus ring can be used at any time regardless of focusing mode. On zoom lenses, the zoom ring zooms the lens in or out at the focal lengths marked on the ring.

X

Distance scale and Inﬁnity compensation mark. This shows the lens’s minimum focusing distance to inﬁnity. The Inﬁnity compensation mark compensates for shifting the inﬁnity focus point resulting from changes in temperature. You can set the distance scale slightly past the Inﬁnity mark to compensate.

X

Tripod mount. This handy mount moves the camera’s center of gravity forward to better balance and orient the camera when using a tripod or monopod. It’s indispensible for shooting verticals, as the lens can be rotated inside this ring, keeping the camera balanced and directly over the main tripod shaft. It can also be removed from the lens for handheld shooting if you ﬁnd it cumbersome or in the way.

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Orientation locking knob. This locks the camera/lens combination into the orientation you want when shooting with a tripod or a monopod.

X

Filter mount thread. These threads located just inside the front edge of the lens barrel allow the mounting of screw-on ﬁlters and ﬁlter accessories. To keep these ﬁne threads in clean and proper working order, store your lenses with either a Skylight or UV ﬁlter attached.

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Lens mounting index. Line this red dot up with the camera’s EF lens mounting index to safely mount or remove an EF lens. For more on Canon lenses, see Chapter 6.

CROSS REF

Viewﬁnder Display The 5D Mark II offers an eye-level pentaprism viewﬁnder that displays 98% of the vertical and horizontal coverage. Etched into the viewﬁnder are nine visible AF points in a diamond pattern. When you change AF points by using the Multi-controller or the Main dial or the Quick Control dial, the viewﬁnder displays each AF point in red. When you press the Shutter button halfway down to focus, the selected AF point appears in red in the viewﬁnder. Pressing the AF Point selection/Magnify button reveals which focus points are selected. The spot-metering circle, which is approximately 3.5% of the viewﬁnder at center, is also etched in the center of the focusing screen. Figure 1.7 shows the viewﬁnder display.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

In all but Full Auto mode, the viewﬁnder displays pertinent exposure information, including battery check, AE Lock, Autoexposure Bracketing (AEB) progress, ﬂash ready, Flash mode and bracketing progress, high-speed sync, Flash Exposure Compensation, shutter speed and FE Lock, aperture, ISO, the exposure level indicator with exposure compensation, Flash Exposure Compensation and AEB range, white balance correction, maximum burst, Monochrome indicator, CF card full and error warnings, and a focus conﬁrmation light.

Spot-metering circle Focusing screen

AF points (superimposed display)

ISO ISO speed

2 1

1 2 ISO D+

White balance correction

WB +/– B/W

Focus conﬁrmation light

Battery check AE Lock/ AEB in-progress

B/W Monochrome shooting

Flash-ready Improper FE Lock warning

ISO speed

High-speed sync (FP ﬂash) FE Lock/ FEB in-progress

D+

Flash exposure compensation Shutter speed FE Lock (FEL) Busy (buSY) Aperture

1.7 The 5D Mark II viewﬁnder display

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Max. burst

Highlight tone priority

Exposure level indicator Exposure compensation amount Flash Exposure Compensation amount AEB range Card full warning (FuLL CF) Card error warning (Err CF) No card warning (no CF)

Chapter 1 Anatomy of the Canon 5D Mark II

Live View Display Live View is an exciting new feature for the 5D Mark II many photographers may already be familiar with from point-and-shoot cameras where a live image appears on the LCD monitor and the viewﬁnder isn’t used to take the picture. The mirror ﬂips up to display the image from the camera sensor on the LCD monitor. Working in Live View allows compositional adjustments similar to shooting with a large format view camera where the image is projected onto the ground glass. It’s best utilized when working with a tripod or when you’d rather not use the viewﬁnder and employ one of the optional grid overlays as compositional aids. It’s the only mode you can shoot movies in. For more on shooting video with the 5D Mark II by using Live View, see Chapter 8. CROSS REF

1.8 The Live View display

Canon CMOS Sensor The camera’s new 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor is a single-plate sensor that delivers the highest performance of any sensor in the Canon dSLR lineup. It shares many features with the CMOS sensor found in the ﬂagship EOS 1D Mark III, including its 35mm format 36 × 24mm size with a low-pass ﬁlter/sensor-cleaning design. However, the 5D Mark II sensor delivers increased sensitivity and improved noise-reduction circuitry that enables standard ISOs ranging from 100 to 6400 and expanded ISO ranges from 50 to 25,600. The CMOS sensor’s lower power consumption means that battery packs are smaller, recharge time is quicker, and batteries maintain their working voltages longer. Although CMOS offers the

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

advantages of low power consumption and high speed, the technology has inherent disadvantages, including ﬁxed-pattern and random noise — problems that Canon has, over the course of several years, developed technologies to suppress.

CROSS REF

For more on cleaning the CMOS sensor, see Appendix A. Image courtesy of Canon

DiG!C 4 Image Processor

1.9 The CMOS sensor

Between the capture and recording stages is image-processing that determines how the signals from the sensor are translated into a viewable image. In the 5D Mark II, the processing is performed by the DiG!C 4 image processor. Major advances responsible for the speed, advanced image-processing capabilities, and lower power consumption over the DiG!C II processor include lower noise image development at all ISOs, higher-speed image-processing, improved highlight and shadow details, extended dynamic range, more accurate colors that maintain ﬁne details and improved performance, and zero loss of shooting speed while handling larger 14-bit RAW images. High ISO noise reduction is also improved, yielding higher image quality and allowing cameras to maintain fast maximum shooting speeds and burst rates, expanding the functions and speed of the Auto Lighting Optimizer, and incorporating processing algorithms for Peripheral Illumination Correction data available for 80 Canon lenses. With storage capacity for up to 40 lenses, the camera ships with data for 26 of the most popular lenses from Canon. If need be, you can delete unused lens data via EOS Utility software included with the camera to make room for adding additional lenses. The new DiG!C 4 image processor signiﬁcantly raises the bar with increased ISO ranges in normal and expanded modes and adds an Auto ISO range feature of 100-3200.

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# 2

Using the 5D Mark II Menus ith all the new internal features added to the 5D Mark II, the LCD menus needed to be redesigned to handle all the new shooting options, controls, and settings. The new menu layout is similar to the Canon 40D and the Canon 50D and a design departure from the older 5D and previous EOS digital cameras. 5D photographers should have no difﬁculty getting up to speed with the new menu layout and should also really enjoy the larger type and auto-brightness control on the beautiful 3-inch (diagonal) Clear View LCD. The 5D Mark II keeps the same color-coded groupings as the old 5D but has added more menus within those sections and a green My Menu area for registering your favorite camera settings (C1, C2, and C3) and up to six frequently used menus for quick recall in similar shooting situations.

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This is a restaurant menu that was photographed by setting a Daylight color balance and then shining a ﬂashlight through a wine glass ﬁlled with water. ISO 400, f/1.8, 1/160 sec., with an EF 50mm f/1.8 USM lens.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Camera Menus This chapter discusses the menus and their contents, and the new additions are discussed in detail. Use the Main dial or the Multi-controller to move among menu tabs and then use the Quick Control dial or the Multi-controller to move among menu options. Use the Set button to conﬁrm your choices. These menus aren’t available when the camera’s Mode dial is set to Full Auto mode: Shooting 2, Custom Functions, and My Menu.

NOTE

Quick Control screen With the exception of the Shooting modes, all the main camera controls are accessible and fully adjustable from the new Quick Control screen. Simply press the Multicontroller and then tilt the Multi-controller right, left, up, or down to scroll through the modes and functions. Once you’ve highlighted something you’d like to change, turn the Main dial to make the change. You do not need to press the Set button to apply the change. Pressing the Set button shows you all the options for that particular mode or function. From these control screens, use the Main and Quick Control dials to ﬁnd selections.

1/60

M

F8.0 2 1

0

ISO 100 1 2

S ONE SHOT

286 2.1 The all-new Quick Control screen

The interface is elegant, the type and symbols large and easy to read, and the Multi-controller’s response is fast and accurate. I must say that I was very impressed with this new display on my very ﬁrst assignments with the 5D Mark II — not only for its ability to quickly change major exposure and color settings but to be able to press one button and see an illuminated, adjustable readout of those settings in the midst of a fast-paced shooting session. For more on choosing settings on the 5D Mark II, see Chapter 3. CROSS REF

Shooting 1 menu The Shooting 1 (red) menu contains controls for setting your preferences for how you like to shoot most of the time (except for the Quality setting): X

18

Quality. Large/Fine, Large/Normal, Medium/Fine, Medium/Normal, Small/Fine, Small/ Normal, RAW, sRAW1, sRAW2, or RAW + any one of the JPEG image quality settings

Chapter 2 Using the 5D Mark II Menus

X

Beep. On/Off

X

Shoot without a card. On/Off

X

Review time. Off, 2, 4, or 8 seconds or Hold

X

Peripheral Illumination Correction. Light falloff correction available via EOS Utility for 80 Canon lenses, 40 storable in-camera, the 5D Mark II ships with lens data for 26 popular lenses already loaded onboard

Quality Beep Oﬀ Shoot w/o card Oﬀ Review time 4 sec. Peripheral illumin. correct.

2.2 The Shooting 1 menu

Peripheral Illumination Correction The darkening of an image’s corners due to optical and physical lens characteristics is called vignetting, light falloff, or a drop in peripheral illumination. By setting Peripheral Illumination Correction to Enable, light falloff is corrected when the image is captured for JPEG images and is corrected with the provided software, DPP, in conversion and postprocessing RAW images. When taking JPEG images, you must ﬁrst enable Peripheral Illumination Control because it’s impossible to apply once the image is recorded.

Peripheral illumin. correct. Attached lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L USM Correction data available Correction Enable Disable 2.3 The Peripheral Illumination Correction screen

The camera comes shipped with correction data for 26 popular Canon lenses, and you can add more, up to 40, by using EOS Utility. With EOS Utility, you can check which lenses have the data registered on the camera, delete data from lenses you don’t own, and add the correction data from 80 different lenses. It’s a good idea to do this for all your lenses, including lenses you borrow from friends or rent from time to time. I did this as soon as I took delivery of the camera, and now all the lenses I own and rent are registered in the camera. Peripheral Illumination Correction does have some limitations, though, and offers slightly lower strength when using higher ISOs and is weaker than applying the correction in DPP. If you use third-party lenses, setting this to Disable is recommended even though you’re shown a message that data is available. However, using the best glass you can afford is always the best advice — in this case, to minimize this undesirable optical effect of vignetting.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Shooting 2 menu The Shooting 2 (red) menu contains options for specifying and ﬁne-tuning color and exposure settings for your images: X

Exposure compensation/Autoexposure Bracketing. Adjustable in 1/3-stop increments, +/- 2 stops

Expo.comp./AEB

2 1

White balance Custom WB WB SHIFT/BKT Color space Picture Style Dust Delete Data

0,0/±0 sRGB Faithful

0

1 2

X

White balance. Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten light, White ﬂuorescent light, Flash, Custom, Color temp

X

Custom white balance. Shoot a target and then select that image to set a manual custom white balance

X

White balance shift/bracketing. Nine levels of blue/amber (B/A) and magenta/green (M/G) color bias. B/A and M/G bias 1 level, +/- 3 levels

X

Color space. sRGB and Adobe RGB

X

Picture Style. Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, userdeﬁned C1, C2, and C3 modes

X

Dust Delete Data. Obtains dust mapping data for erasing sensor dust by using the supplied DPP software

2.4 The Shooting 2 menu

Dust Delete Data The automatic sensor-cleaning mode activated every time you turn the camera off and on does a pretty good job for the most part of keeping dust from sticking to the sensor surface and producing dust specs or halos in your images. But you sometimes need something a bit more robust to correct a batch of images quickly. It’s time-consuming to have to retouch dust specs on digital images, and Canon has developed a technology called Dust Delete Data that does exactly this and is repeatable over any number of images.

Dust Delete Data

Obtaining the data for erasing dust with software. Refer to Instruction Manual. Updated :

Cancel

03/21/'09 07:44

OK

2.5 This screen shows the date and time when data was last obtained and options to cancel or proceed.

By using the supplied DPP software, you can eliminate or greatly reduce dust that appears in the same location over several images. When dust still remains, you can append the Dust Delete Data to images to erase the dust spots in post-production by using DPP. Be sure to use a patternless or textureless surface because any detail may be interpreted as dust and affect the accuracy of the data collected.

20

Chapter 2 Using the 5D Mark II Menus

For more on using Dust Delete Data, see Appendix A. CROSS REF

Playback 1 menu The Playback 1 (blue) menu offers controls for printing and protecting images:

Protect images

X

Protect images. Protects image from CF card deletion but not if the CF card is formatted

X

Rotate. Manually rotates still images by 90–270° clockwise for playback only (movies can’t be rotated)

X

Erase images. Select individual images, all images in a folder, or all images on card for deletion

X

Print order. Select images to be printed (Digital Print Order Format [DPOF])

X

Transfer order. Select individual images, all images in a folder, or all images on the card to be transferred to a computer

Rotate Erase images Print order Transfer order

2.6 The Playback 1 menu

Erase images The relocated Erase button on the back of the camera now erases only one image at a time by pressing the Set button each time. Now to batch erase, you need to access this menu, where you’re presented with three options to erase images individually, all images in a folder, or all images on the card. Some photographers won’t like the extra step, but it adds one more layer of security over accidentally erasing images from your CF card and may someday save you some important images. Because the erase functions are so potentially dangerous, follow these steps to delete individual images: 1. Press the Playback button and then turn the Quick Control dial to navigate to the image you want to delete. Alternatively, you can also use the Main dial to move through images. 2. Press the Erase button and then turn the Quick Control dial to select Erase. If you change your mind, choose Cancel to quit. 3. Press the Set button to erase the image. The red access button lights while the image is being erased. The camera erases the image unless protection (detailed later in this section) has been applied to it.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

The easiest way to prevent accidentally erasing key images is by applying protection to them after they’re taken. Protecting the image prevents it from being erased individually or in a batch with other photos. To erase an image that has been protected, you must ﬁrst remove the protection. If you choose to erase all the images on the card that contains some protected ones, only the protected images remain. However, even protected images are deleted if the CF card is formatted. To protect an image, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then turn the Main dial to show the Playback 1 menu. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight Protect images and then press the Set button. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to display the image you want to protect and then press the Set button. A graphic key icon appears to the left of the ﬁlename at the top signifying that this image is protected. To cancel image protection for this image, press the Set button again, and the key icon disappears. 3. To protect another image, repeat step 2. 4. When ﬁnished protecting images, press the Menu button to return to the Playback 1 menu. 5. Lightly press the Shutter button to continue shooting. Protecting images is a good idea in shooting situations where you’re generating lots of images, creating very similar images, such as a portrait session, or just enjoy that extra level of security, knowing your images are safe. If, after all this, you’ve somehow erased images on the card, all is not lost. There are many software programs on the market to retrieve those images from a CF card, even after it’s been formatted. The only caveat is that images that have been written over by new images can’t be recovered. The program I use is PhotoRescue (www.datarescue.com) and has saved one assignment from a reshoot that more than paid for the software. To erase multiple images at a time, press the Menu button, turn the Main dial to select the Playback 1 menu, use the Multi-Controller or the Quick Control dial to navigate to the Erase images option, and then press the Set button. You can then use the Multi-controller or the Quick Control dial to navigate to one of the following options and then press the Set button to conﬁrm your choice: X

22

Groups of images. Use the Multi-controller to navigate to the ﬁrst image you want to erase and then press the Set button. This places a check mark in the box by the Erase icon at the top left of the screen and increases the counter to the right of it by 1. Scroll through the images by using the Main dial or the Quick Control dial and then press the Set button for all the images you want to erase. When ﬁnished, press the Erase button, turn the Quick Control dial to highlight OK, and then press the Set button to delete the images or choose Cancel to quit. If you’re still unsure or change your mind, press the Menu button to cancel and not erase any images.

Chapter 2 Using the 5D Mark II Menus

X

All images in a folder. Use either the Multi-controller or the Quick Control dial to highlight the folder you want to erase images from and then press the Set button. Thumbnails to the right of the folder list show the ﬁrst and last images for that folder. Press the Set button to select the folder, choose OK to erase the images in the folder or choose Cancel to quit, and then press the Set button again.

X

All images on a card. Press the Set button, choose OK to erase all the images on the card or choose Cancel to quit, and then press the Set button again.

NOTE

Erase functions don’t apply to images you’ve marked as protected. You have to unprotect the images ﬁrst in order to erase them.

Playback 2 menu The Playback 2 (blue) menu offers options for viewﬁnder and LCD monitor displays: X

Highlight alert. Disable/Enable

X

AF point display. Show/Hide

X

Histogram. Brightness (displays Brightness values) or RGB (displays separate Red, Green, Blue color channels)

X

Slide show. Three options in the Slide show menu: Images, Set up, and Start. Pressing the Set button on either of these reveals multiple options for each: Under Images, select Folder, Date, Movies, Stills, or All images. Select image play time 1, 2, 3, or 5 seconds and Repeat off/on

X

Image jump with the Main dial. Select between 1, 10, or 100 images or by Screen, Date, Folder, Movies, or Stills

New in the Playback 2 menu are Image jump and Slide show. You can now control the amount of time each image appears: 1, 2, 3, or 5 seconds. No smooth dissolves or fades exist between images, but Slide show does give you some control over the output. Set the timing and option to play the show one time or repeat it by changing options under Set up.

Set-up 1 menu

Highlight alert

Enable

AF point disp. Histogram Slide show Image jump w/

Enable Brightness 10 images

2.7 The Playback 2 menu

The Set-up 1 (yellow) menu offers housekeeping and organization options. Decisions made in this menu affect ﬁle storage and numbering and extending battery life: X

Auto power off. Off or 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, or 30 minutes

23

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

X

Auto rotate. On camera and computer, On computer, Off

X

Format. Formats the CF card, erasing all images (including protected images)

X

File numbering. Continuous, Auto reset, and Manual reset

X

Select folder. Select folder and Create folder

Auto power oﬀ

Auto rotate Format File numbering Select folder

1 min. On Continuous

2.8 The Set-up 1 menu

Auto rotate This setting gives you the option of automatically rotating vertical images on the camera, on the computer, or both. Usually, the assignment determines how I want to play back images on the LCD monitor. I almost always set this to auto rotate on the computer and not in the camera because, most of the time, I like the larger image ﬁlling the frame on the LCD and don’t mind rotating the camera to view it. One instance where I may set this to computer and camera is when I’m shooting with a tripod and don’t want my client to have to crank his or her head sideways to view the images correctly on the LCD monitor. One reason you may want to turn this feature off is if you’re planning to do a large amount of batch-resizing of vertical and horizontal images later on the computer. If they’re all oriented the same way, this is much easier to do and prevents getting distorted images from your batch action.

Set-up 2 menu The Set-up 2 (yellow) menu offers options for several functionality settings:

24

LCD brightness

Auto Date/Time 02/11/'09 11:30 Language English Video system NTSC Sensor cleaning Live View/Movie func. set.

X

LCD brightness. Choose between three auto levels and ﬁve adjustable levels for the LCD backlight brightness

X

Date/Time. Sets the date and time and the format for the date and time

X

Language. Choose from 25 languages

X

Video system. NTSC/PAL

X

Sensor cleaning. Select Auto-cleaning: Enable/Disable, Clean now, or Clean manually

X

Live View/Movie function setting. Opens an expanded menu where you choose speciﬁc still and movie settings

2.9 The Set-up 2 menu

Chapter 2 Using the 5D Mark II Menus

LCD brightness The standard ﬁve-level manual brightness indicator is found here, along with a new three-level auto-brightness control that works surprisingly well in different extremes of lighting. In the type of work I do, more often than not, I’m in darker settings, and the new auto feature really tones down the brightness and doesn’t freeze my retinas by an overly intense LCD screen. The small sensor on the back of the camera accomplishes this feat with surprising accuracy and speed. For more on sensor cleaning, see Appendix A. CROSS REF

Live View/Movie function setting Arguably one of the most exciting new feaLive View/Movie func. set. tures of the 5D Mark II is the addition of Live View shooting capabilities in both still DISP. LV func. setting and movie modes. Point-and-shooters and Grid display Grid 1 1D Mark III users have been enjoying this Silent shoot. Mode 1 beneﬁt for years, and Canon now brings Metering timer 16 sec. this function to the 5D Mark II. This has a AF mode Live mode huge potential to change remote photograMovie rec. size 1920x1080 phy when coupling the camera wirelessly to Sound recording On a laptop via the WFT-E2A wireless transmitter and viewing the results on the laptop’s 2.10 The Live View/Movie function setting screen LCD screen. When connected, it allows you to see through the camera’s lens, change most exposure and camera settings from your laptop, and also critically focus any lens at 10x magniﬁcation anywhere on the image — and, of course, ﬁre the camera. I look forward to using this feature in the studio when several clients are present to approve the shot. At this time, you must use a laptop to ﬁre the camera because remote triggers won’t work in Live View if you attempt to ﬁre the camera with PocketWizards or other remote triggers. Once in the Live View/Movie function menu, you see options for adding your choice of either of two grid overlays, which can aid in getting your landscape’s horizon perfectly level or your architectural images plumb. Additionally, you have the options of selecting Silent Shooting modes and AF modes, whether to record sound, and choosing between high-deﬁnition (1920 × 1080) or standard (640 × 480) movie recording. For more on using Live View option for movies, see Chapter 8. CROSS REF

Set-up 3 menu The Set-up 3 (yellow) menu offers information settings:

25

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

X

Battery information. Shows the percentage of the remaining capacity, shutter counts on the battery, and a three-level display of the recharging performance

Battery info.

INFO. button Normal disp. External Speedlite control Camera user setting Clear settings Firmware Ver. 1.0.6

X

Information button. Choose Normal display or assign it to control camera settings or shooting functions

X

External Speedlite control. Three 2.11 The Set-up 3 menu choices here when certain Speedlites are attached: Flash function settings, Flash C.Fn settings, and Clear all Speedlite C.Fn’s

X

Camera user setting. Register or Clear settings applied to the Mode dial’s C1, C2, and C3 modes

X

Clear settings. Clear all camera settings, Delete copyright information (entered in EOS Utility), or Cancel

X

Firmware version. Displays your camera’s ﬁrmware version; 1.1 is the latest version as of this writing (June 2009)

Battery information Because the addition of high-deﬁnition INFO. Battery info. video increases the power needs of the 5D Mark II, a higher-capacity 1800mAh LP-E6 lithium-ion battery pack LP-E6 is used. This Remaining cap. 96% battery is slightly larger and doesn’t ﬁt the 0 Shutter count chargers used for previous 5D batteries. Recharge performance The new battery has a chip included that communicates its remaining capacity in one of six levels via a battery check icon and in 1% increments by using the Battery 2.12 The Battery info screen displays the info menu. You’re also kept informed of remaining capacity, the shutter count, and battery-health levels by icons displayed on the recharge performance meter for the the Quick Control screen, in the viewﬁnder, battery currently in the camera. and in the top LCD panel. The Battery info menu also displays the number of shutter releases since the battery was last charged and stores this information with the battery in case it’s removed. Recharging the battery resets the shutter count. A three-level indicator reports on battery recharge performance, giving you a better idea of when it may be time to replace the battery altogether.

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Chapter 2 Using the 5D Mark II Menus

Each LP-E6 lithium-ion battery contains a unique serial number, and the Battery info menu allows users to register detailed information for up to six batteries within the camera as well as display the last time the battery was used and its most recent level of charge. This aids your selection of a battery in fastmoving photo shoots so you don’t install a nearly depleted battery at the wrong time. It also works in conjunction with Battery Grip BG-E6 and displays the charge levels of both batteries. It’s also convenient to label each battery with its indicated serial number so you know which battery you’re using.

Battery info. 69eeace7 8cb9d9

99% 03/18/2009 37% 03/18/2009

Register

Delete info.

2.13 The Battery info screen can display the charge level and date last used for two registered batteries. Details on up to six batteries can be displayed on this screen once they’re registered in the camera.

External Speedlite control The external Speedlite control is also new in the Set-up 3 menu, allowing you to use the camera’s menu screen to adjust the ﬂash function settings and Custom Functions for select EX-series Speedlites, such as the 580EZ II or the 430EX II. Change the Flash mode, Front or Rear Curtain Sync, Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB), Flash Exposure Compensation, and zoom or clear all the settings — all from the convenience of the camera’s LCD screen.

Custom Functions menu Custom Functions have long been a staple in Canon EOS cameras, and this new menu offers customizable settings and controls of 25 Custom Functions (with 71 possible settings) that enhance the ergonomics of the camera and easily facilitate your enjoyment of photography. Table 2.1 lists all the Custom Functions and the options offered for each one.

C.Fn I:Exposure

C.FnII:Image C.FnIII:Autofocus/Drive C.FnIV:Operation/Others Clear all Custom Func. (C.Fn)

2.14 The Custom Functions menu

Table 2.1 Custom Functions Menu (orange) Group

Function

Options

C.Fn I: Exposure

1. Exposure level increments 2. ISO speed setting increments 3. ISO expansion 4. Bracketing auto cancel 5. Bracketing sequence 6. Safety shift 7. Flash sync speed in Av mode

1. 1/3-stop, 1/2-stop 2. 1/3-stop, 1-stop 3. Off/On 4. Off/On 5. 0,-,+ or -,0,+ 6. Disable/Enable (Tv/Av) 7. 1/200 to 1/60 sec. (auto)/1/200 sec. (ﬁxed) (continued)

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Table 2.1 Custom Functions Menu (orange) (continued) Group

Function

Options

C.Fn II: Image

1. Long exp. noise reduction 2. High ISO noise reduction 3. Highlight tone priority 4. Auto lighting optimizer

1. Off/Auto/On 2. Standard, Low, Strong, Disable 3. Disable/Enable 4. Standard, Low, Strong, Disable

C.Fn III: Autofocus/Drive

1. Lens drive when AF impossible 2. Lens AF stop button function 3. AF point selection method 4. Superimposed display 5. AF-assist beam ﬁring 6. Mirror lockup 7. AF point area expansion 8. AF Microadjustment

1. Focus search on/Focus search off 2. AF Stop, AF Start, AE Lock, AF Point: M ➪ Auto/Auto ➪ Ctr, One Shot-AI Servo, IS Start 3. Normal, Multi-controller direct, Quick Control dial direct 4. On/Off 5. Disable/Enable 6. Disable/Enable 7. Disable/Enable 8. Disable, Adjust all by same amount, Adjust by lens

C.Fn IV: Operation/Others

1. Shutter button/AF-ON button 2. AF-ON/AE lock button switch 3. Assign SET button 4. Dial direction during Tv/Av 5. Focusing screen 6. Add original decision data

1. Metering+AF Start, Metering+AF Start/AF Stop, Metering Start/Metering Start+AF Start, AE Lock/Metering+AF Start, Metering+AF Start/Disable 2. Disable/Enable 3. Normal (disabled), Image quality, Picture Style, Menu display, Image replay, Quick control screen, Record movie (Live View) 4. Normal, Reverse direction 5. Eg-A, Eg-D, Eg-S 6. Off/On

Clear all Custom Functions (C.Fn.)

Cancel/OK

For more on Custom Functions, see Chapter 5. CROSS REF

My Menu settings The My Menu (green) settings screen is designated by a star and can be set to open ﬁrst whenever you push the Menu button. This fully customizable menu screen can include up to six menu items that you use most frequently, allowing you to register, sort, and swap out any menu option you want: X

28

Register. Register up to six different camera settings and Custom

My Menu settings

2.15 The My Menu settings screen

Chapter 2 Using the 5D Mark II Menus

Functions menus that you use most frequently X

Sort. Allows you to change the order of the registered items in My Menu

X

Delete. Deletes one registered menu item at a time

X

Delete all items. Deletes all registered menu items from the camera

X

Display from My Menu. Enable/ Disable

Quality

White balance Picture Style Portrait Histogram RGB Auto rotate On Live View/Movie func. set. My Menu settings 2.16 The My Menu displaying my current list of favorite functions

Registering or modifying items in the My Menu control can be done manually or by using the supplied EOS Utility software, and multiple My Menu registrations can be saved for an array of users or shooting situations. From a long list of camera settings in My Menu, build your own list by registering up to six setting areas. Once selected, the items are grayed-out in the larger list, and you can add, delete, and sort the items’ order of appearance as often as you want, creating your perfect list.

29

C HA P T E R

# 3

Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II he 5D Mark II comes loaded with all the adjustments, settings, and controls you need to realize your vision and produce stunning images right out of the box. Setting the camera to retain your personal shooting preferences allows you the ﬂexibility and convenience of being able to grab the camera and jump into shooting without having to worry about all the important details of camera functionality because you’ve already set them. Having the camera perform your way speeds up camera operation and allows for a much more enjoyable shoot. As you become familiar with this incredible tool, spend some time investigating all the modes and menus and Custom Functions. They offer convenience and provide the photographer with control over every aspect of the digital capture process. This chapter covers some basic settings you need to consider before taking the 5D Mark II out on that ﬁrst assignment or shooting excursion.

T

Autoexposure Bracketing, +1, 0, -1 setting, in Bryce Canyon National Park. ISO 100, f/8, 1/200 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Setting the Date and Time As digital photographers know, one of the ﬁrst things necessary to setting up a smooth workﬂow involves setting the date and time on your cameras. After image capture, the image date and time ﬁgures into everything from ﬁle-naming and ﬁle-sorting on the computer to ﬁle storage and backup scenarios and retrieval. Time-stamping every single image that comes out of your camera yields many beneﬁts; for example, for larger assignments, such as weddings, where you or another photographer could conceivably be using multiple cameras and generating thousands of images, having each camera synchronized to the correct date and time allows you to chronologically organize images in a snap by executing a time sort on your computer. When you set the date and time, the data is contained in a sidecar ﬁle embedded into each image ﬁle as part of the metadata. Metadata is a collection of all the information about an image, including the ﬁlename, date created, size, resolution, color mode, camera make and model, exposure time, ISO, f-stop, shutter speed, lens data, and white balance setting, among other information. You can access metadata in image-editing and processing programs, such as Adobe Bridge, Photoshop, Lightroom, and DPP. EXIF, a term often used interchangeably with metadata, is a particular form of metadata. NOTE

With the 5D Mark II, you can set the format for date and time ﬁle-naming and then use that format for subsequent ﬁle- and folder-naming on all devices. This approach helps maintain consistency across devices and avoids the need to rename folders on the devices. You can now use the Multi-controller as well as the Main dial and Set button for menu navigation and setting options. Pushing the Multi-controller straight down mimics the Set button, and it works for all menus and selections except for erasing images and formatting CF cards. For now, make some adjustments by using the Main dial, the Quick Control dial, the Multi-controller, and the Set button. To set the date and time, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller or turn the Main dial until the Set-up 2 (yellow) menu appears. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to highlight Date/Time and then press the Set button. The camera displays the date and time options, with the month option activated. 3. Press the Set button, turn the Quick Control dial to change the month, and then press the Set button to conﬁrm the change. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to move to a higher number and vice versa. 4. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to highlight the day option and then press the Set button. 5. Turn the Quick Control dial to change the day and then press the Set button to conﬁrm the change. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to change the year, minute, second, and date/time format options.

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Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II

6. When all options are set, turn the Quick Control dial to select OK and then press the Set button. Pressing the Menu button returns you to shooting.

TIP

When travelling to different time zones, it’s a good idea to change the date and time to reﬂect those of the area where you’re shooting.

Creating Folders on the CF Card Related to image ﬁle-naming is a system for naming folders on the CF card. Creating CF card folders is one of the early steps in managing image workﬂow. Establishing a consistent foldernaming system can help make downloading and archiving more seamless within the total structure of your folder and ﬁle-naming scheme. And at the very least, CF folders help you organize ﬁles by shoot or segments during extended shooting or multiple assignments. You have a choice in how you create folders on the CF card. You can create folders on the camera and let Canon give each folder a number, such as the initial 100EOS5D folder. Alternatively, you can create folders on the computer. But if you’re in a hurry or you’re in the ﬁeld without a laptop, creating folders by using the camera’s default folder names is better than pitching all the images into the default folder that the camera creates. If you use Continuous ﬁle-naming, the folder maximum is 9,999 images. When you reach that number, the camera displays a Full warning even if the CF card has more space. Then, the camera automatically creates a folder to save subsequent images. It’s a good idea to create additional folders so you can maintain your preferred folder-naming structure. NOTE

If you create folders on the computer, you ﬁnd that the ﬁle-naming structure set by Canon isn’t especially ﬂexible, but it is practical. To create folders on the CF card on the computer, follow these steps: 1. Create a folder named DCIM. Create subfolders within it. 2. Begin naming the subfolders with 3 digits from 100 to 999. You can’t use the same 3 digits for two folders regardless of whether the text following the numbers is different. 3. Add ﬁve text letters from A to Z in uppercase and/or lowercase, but don’t use spaces in the ﬁlename. You can use an underscore as one of the letters. Thus, a folder name might be 209BMP_A, where the digits denote the month and year, the letters abbreviate the client’s name, and the trailing letter indicates folder A in a series of multiple folders for a single shooting session. For my folder-naming system, the restrictions on the numerals means that I can’t create multiple folders that begin with the session date (mm/yy) because the same sequence of numbers

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

can’t be repeated across multiple folders. An alternate strategy is to create folders by using a session-numbering strategy or a similar logic. Although the naming convention lacks ﬂexibility, Canon doesn’t skimp on the number of folders that you can create. If you’re so inclined, you can create up to 900 folders. To create a new folder on the CF card by using the Canon default folder-naming system or to select an existing folder on the CF card, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Set-up 1 (yellow) menu appears. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight Select Folder and then press the Set button. The Select folder screen appears, with the default folder selected, along with a Create folder option. Existing folders show the number of images contained in them, along with a thumbnail for each, on the right side of the screen. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial to select Create folder and then press the Set button. The camera displays a conﬁrmation message asking whether you want to create folder 101, where the ﬁnal number is the next-highest ﬁle folder number. Successive folder names are incremented by one digit. 4. Choose OK and then press the Set button. The camera displays the Create folder screen where you can create another folder or select an existing folder. 5. Select the folder you want or choose the Create folder option to create another folder. To return to shooting, lightly press the Shutter button. To create and name folders on your computer, follow these steps: 1. Insert the CF card into a card reader connected to your computer and then navigate to and open the CF card on your computer. 2. Create a new folder named DCIM on the CF card and then open the DCIM folder. 3. Create a new folder within the DCIM folder and then name it by using Canon’s naming guidelines. Folder names must use 3 digits from 100 to 999 followed by ﬁve uppercase and/or lowercase letters. You can use an underscore as one of the ﬁve letters. You can’t use spaces in the folder name. 4. Insert the CF card in the camera and then follow the earlier steps to select the folder that you want. 5. To delete a folder on the card, use the computer to navigate to the empty folder on the card you want to delete, highlight it, and then press Delete. Or you can format the card in the camera and accomplish the same task. Make it a point to format your CF cards periodically. Before formatting the card — and I mean this — download all the images from the card to the computer. Be sure about this, and double-check the card before you format. You don’t want all your creative efforts lost over a ﬂeeting, careless error.

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To format the CF card: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Set-up 1 (yellow) menu appears. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to highlight Format and then press the Set button. The Format conﬁrmation screen appears. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to select OK and then press the Set button. The camera displays a progress screen as the card is formatted.

Setting File-Numbering Another consideration is how ﬁle-numbering ﬁgures into your image workﬂow, and the 5D Mark II offers three options to complement your workﬂow. The default setting for Continuous ﬁlenumbering is the ﬁrst choice for many photographers because continuous ﬁle numbers are often an integral part of importing images for ﬁling, sorting, and archiving images, especially on large-volume assignments such as weddings or catalogs. Besides Continuous ﬁle-numbering, you can choose to reset ﬁle-numbering automatically or manually. File-numbering also affects folder creation and structure on the CF card.

NOTE

Filenames begin with the designation IMG_ followed by the image number and ﬁle extension: .JPG for JPEG ﬁles or .CR2 for RAW images.

X

Continuous. With Continuous numbering, images are numbered sequentially by using a unique four-digit number from 0001 to 9999. With unique ﬁlenames, managing and organizing images on the computer is easy because you don’t have to worry about images having duplicate ﬁlenames. If you insert a CF card that already has images on it taken with the 5D Mark II, the camera then starts numbering with the highest number that’s either used on the stored images on the card or that was last captured. This happens even if you switch to cards from your other cameras. Continuous ﬁle-numbering is the default setting on the 5D Mark II.

X

Auto Reset. If you use Auto Reset, both ﬁle and folder numbering restarts when you insert another CF card. If you prefer to organize images by CF card, Auto Reset is a useful option. Folder numbers begin with 100, and ﬁle-numbering begins with 0001, unless the CF card contains a previous image, in which case numbering begins with the highest ﬁle number in the highest numbered folder on the CF card. However, multiple images on your computer will have the same ﬁlename but are stored in different folders. Because of this, you should create separate folders on the computer and other devices for each download and otherwise follow careful folder organization to avoid ﬁlename conﬂicts and the potential overwriting of images on the computer.

X

Manual Reset. The third option is to manually reset ﬁle-numbering. With this option, a new folder is created with the next higher number than the last and the ﬁle number restarts with 0001. Subsequent images are saved in the new folder. Whichever ﬁle-numbering method you previously used (Auto Reset or Continuous) takes effect when you take additional images.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

To change the ﬁle-numbering method on the 5D Mark II, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Set-up 1 (yellow) menu appears. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight File numbering and then press the Set button. The ﬁle-numbering options appear. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial or the Multi-controller to select Auto Reset or Manual Reset or highlight Continuous if another option was previously set. 4. Press the Set button.

Choosing the File Format and Quality The ﬁrst menu item is ﬁle quality, and here you’re offered three ﬂavors of RAW and six versions of JPEGs or you can shoot and combine RAW and JPEG in separate ﬁles. You turn the Main dial to select the RAW parameters and the Quick Control dial to select them for JPEGs. If you choose the JPEG format, you can choose among different image sizes and among two compression ratios, ranging from low (denoted as Fine) compression to high (denoted as Normal): X

RAW at 21.1 MB

X

sRaw1 at 10 MB

X

sRAW2 at 5 MB

X

JPEG Large Normal/Fine at 21.1 MB

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JPEG Medium Normal/Fine at 10 MB

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JPEG Small Normal/Fine at 5 MB

The ﬁle format you choose determines whether the images are stored on the CF card in JEPG or in RAW format, and the quality level you choose determines the number of images you can store on the card as well as the overall image quality and the sizes at which you can enlarge and print images. Your choice of ﬁle format and quality is usually assignment- and/or output-speciﬁc. For example, I shoot RAW images during portrait sessions, industrial location shoots with mixed lighting, and so on, but then I might switch to Large Fine JPEG format for a wedding or luncheon reception because I know that these images will likely be printed no larger than 5 × 7 inches. But for most other assignments, such as studio portraits and artwork, I shoot only RAW images to get the highest image quality and to have the widest latitude for converting and editing images. It took me awhile to work out storage and workﬂow issues and see the differences in image quality and ﬁle management between the two, but if you’ve always shot JPEG images, you might want to reconsider the differences between JPEG and RAW capture.

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JPEG capture JPEG, which stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, is considered a lossy form of compression but is a highly portable ﬁle format that enables you and your clients to view the images on any computer platform. The lossy ﬁle format means that some image data is discarded while compressing image data to reduce ﬁle size for storing images on the CF card. Because JPEG images are compressed to a smaller ﬁle size, more images can be stored on the CF card. However, as the compression ratio increases, more image data is discarded and the image quality degrades accordingly. Additional image data is discarded each time you save the ﬁle when you edit JPEG images on the computer. In addition to losing image data during compression, JPEG ﬁles are automatically converted from 12 bit to 8 bit and are preprocessed by the camera’s internal hardware/software before they’re stored on the CF card. As a result of the low bit depth and preprocessing, color in general and skin tones in particular as well as subtle tonal gradations suffer. By the time you get the JPEG image on the computer, you have less latitude for editing, with moves in tones and color becoming exaggerated by the lower bit depth. However, the JPEG format enjoys universal acceptance, which means that the images can be displayed on any computer, opened in any image-editing program, and be printed directly from the camera or the computer.

RAW capture RAW ﬁles are stored in a proprietary format that doesn’t discard image data to save space on the CF card. Because the images are stored in a proprietary format, they can be viewed only in programs that support the Canon .CR2 ﬁle format. RAW ﬁles save the data that comes off the image sensor with little internal camera processing. Because many of the camera settings have been noted but not applied to the data in the camera, you have the opportunity to make changes to key settings, such as exposure, white balance, contrast, and saturation, when you convert the RAW ﬁles on the computer. The only camera settings that the camera applies to RAW ﬁles are ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and Shooting mode. This means that during RAW image conversion, you control the image rendering, including the colorimetric rendering, tonal response, sharpening, and noise reduction. Plus, you can take advantage of saving images in 16 bits per channel when you convert RAW images versus the low, 8-bit depth of JPEG images. Simply put, the higher the bit depth, the ﬁner the detail, the smoother the transition between tones, and the higher the dynamic range (the ability of the camera to hold detail in both highlight and shadow areas) in the image. In short, with JPEG capture, the camera processes the image according to the exposure and image parameters set in the camera, converts the image from 12 bits to 8 bits per channel, and then compresses the ﬁle as a JPEG — a process that discards image data and introduces unwanted artifacts to the ﬁle. The result is a pre-edited and much less robust ﬁle than a RAW ﬁle. In the process of converting ﬁles to 8 bits per channel, image data — such as levels of brightness that you may need and want during image-editing — is permanently discarded.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

sRAW1 and sRAW 2 capture Canon has added two new RAW formats — sRAW1 and sRAW2 — for those photographers who still want RAW ﬁle ﬂexibility but in slightly smaller ﬁle sizes. sRAW1 produces an approximately 10 MB ﬁle, whereas sRAW2 produces an approximately 5 MB ﬁle. All normal RAW attributes are retained, but photographers may enjoy greater portability and the ability to store more RAW ﬁles on their CF cards by using these formats. Once again, output and/or assignment considerations determine your ﬁle format choices.

Choosing an Exposure Mode The 5D Mark II Mode dial offers a Full Auto mode as well as the traditional Shooting modes that you’ve grown accustomed to: Program AE (P), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av), Manual (M), and Bulb (B). In addition, the 5D Mark II features a new Creative Auto mode and adds three user settings, denoted as C1, C2, and C3 on the Mode dial. Full Auto, labeled as a green rectangle on the Mode dial, offers camera-controlled automatic exposure, color, and focusing. P, Tv, and Av modes offer semiautomatic exposure control. As the name implies, Manual mode offers full manual control over exposures. Bulb mode, although usually categorized as a shutter speed rather than as a Shooting mode, keeps the shutter open as long as the Shutter button is fully pressed or engaged with either a timer, remote, or wireless controller. To use any of the Shooting modes, follow these steps: 1. Turn the Mode dial and line up the mode you want with the white tick mark on the camera body next to the dial. 2. Set the aperture, shutter speed, or both depending on the mode you choose, except for Full Auto mode.

Full Auto In Full Auto mode, the camera automatically sets the image quality, exposure, Drive mode, Autofocus mode, AF point(s), white balance, and Picture Style. In short, Full Auto mode provides point-and-shoot functionality. In this mode, the camera settings are as follows:

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Image quality: Large Fine JPEG

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Color space: sRGB

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ISO: Auto

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White balance: Auto (AWB)

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Drive mode: Single Shot

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Metering mode: Evaluative

Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II

X

Focus mode: AI Focus. In AF mode, the camera focuses on the closest subject with readable contrast. If the subject is large enough to cover more than one AF point, it may choose multiple AF points for autofocusing.

The only option that you can select in Full Auto mode is whether to use the Self-timer mode. At ﬁrst, Full Auto mode would appear to be a handy mode for snapshots. But my experience shows that it’s not foolproof in that capacity for a few reasons. First, autofocus is controlled entirely by the camera. Automatic AF point(s) selection ranges from the camera choosing a single AF point on an area of the subject closest to the lens to selecting multiple AF points. I always want to control the point of focus, and this mode prevents that. This usually means that in a portrait, the subject’s nose, which is closest to the lens and has readable contrast, is tack-sharp, whereas the eyes are a bit soft. This, of course, is opposite what I want and is my main reason against using Full Auto mode.

Program AE

3.1 In Full Auto mode, the 5D Mark II automatically selects the AF points, white balance, and all exposure settings. ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/30 sec., with an EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens.

Program AE mode, denoted as P on the Mode dial, is an automatic but shiftable mode. Shifting means that you can change the camera’s recommended exposure to an equivalent shutter speed/aperture exposure combination. When you turn the Main dial to shift the aperture, the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed. For example, if the camera initially sets the exposure at f/8.0 at 1/60 sec. and you turn the Main dial one click to the left to shift the program, the exposure shifts to f/10 at 1/45 sec. Turning the Main dial to the right shifts the exposure to f/7.1 at 1/100 sec., and so on. This is very handy when you want to shoot Auto but still retain some control over the exposure. This mode allows you to quickly control the aperture and/or shutter speed with a minimum of manual adjustments. Understandable but inconvenient, after you shift the exposure and make the exposure, the camera then automatically reverts back to its automatic settings for the next image. I rarely set the camera to shoot only one frame. Unfortunately, there’s not a menu or Custom Function to change this.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

The advantage of Program AE mode over Full Auto mode is that you have full control over the camera settings so you can shoot JPEG, RAW, one of two sRAW modes, or set the camera to record both RAW+JPEG images, set the color space, ISO, white balance, and the Drive, Metering, and Autofocus modes, and manually select an AF point. Program AE mode is the mode that makes sense for quick shots at a party, an event, or for personal family snapshots. Typically, you might already have the camera set to your preferred Drive and Metering modes, color space, image quality, and so on, so switching to P mode offers the advantage of semiautomated shooting without much thought. With a quick turn or two of the Main dial, you can shift to a more desirable shutter speed or aperture and keep shooting.

Shutter Priority AE

3.2 For this image, I switched to P mode and changed the aperture to get more extensive depth of ﬁeld. I set the white balance to Tungsten. ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/8 sec., with an EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens.

Shutter Priority AE mode, or Tv (Timevariable) on the Mode dial, is the semiautomatic mode that offers you control over the shutter speed. The 5D Mark II features electronically controlled focal-plane shutter speeds from 1/8000 to 30 sec. In Tv mode, you control the shutter speed by turning the Main dial; the camera then automatically calculates the appropriate aperture based on the light meter reading, the Metering mode, and the ISO. The 5D Mark II displays the shutter speed in the viewﬁnder and on the LCD panel only when you press the Shutter button halfway down. If the exposure falls outside the exposure range, the aperture value blinks in the viewﬁnder and on the LCD panel, letting you know to set a different shutter speed to avoid overexposure or underexposure. If the lens’s maximum aperture blinks, the image will be underexposed. If the lens’s minimum aperture blinks, the image will be overexposed. In either case, adjust the shutter speed slower or faster, respectively, until the aperture value stops blinking or you can set a lower or higher ISO setting. In Tv mode, you can set the image quality, color space, ISO, white balance, and the Drive, Metering, and Autofocus modes.

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Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II

3.3 To show some motion in the background nightscape for this wedding portrait, I switched to Tv mode and then set the shutter speed to 1/13 sec. ISO 400, f/8.0, 1/13 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Aperture Priority AE Aperture Priority AE mode, denoted as Av on the Mode dial, is the semiautomatic mode of preference for everyday shooting because it offers quick control over the aperture and, thus, control over one factor that determines depth of ﬁeld. In this mode, you control the aperture by turning the Main dial, and the camera automatically calculates the appropriate shutter speed based on the light meter reading, the Metering mode, and the ISO. The 5D Mark II displays the selected aperture in the viewﬁnder and on the LCD panel. Pressing the Shutter button halfway down initiates the camera’s exposure calculation based on the aperture you select. If the exposure is outside the camera’s exposure range, the shutter speed value blinks in the viewﬁnder and on the LCD panel. If 8000 blinks, the image will be overexposed. If 30 blinks, the image will be underexposed. In either case, adjust to a smaller or larger aperture, respectively, until the blinking stops or you can set a lower or higher ISO setting. You can preview the depth of ﬁeld by pressing the Depth of Field Preview button on the front of the camera. When you press this button, the lens diaphragm stops down to the selected aperture so you can preview the range of acceptable focus. This button also turns on a Speedlite’s modeling light if you have a powered-up ﬂash attached. TIP

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

3.4 Av mode is great for controlling the rendering of the foliage for this indoor portrait. Because it was raining the day of the shoot, my senior subject posed by a window with foliage in the outdoor background that created great bokeh. ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/200 sec., with an EF 100mm f/2.8 USM lens.

In Av mode, you can set the image quality, color space, ISO, white balance, and the Drive, Metering, and Autofocus modes. For both Tv and Av modes, you can set C.Fn I-6 to enable a safety NOTE shift in exposure. The shift comes into play if the subject lighting changes enough to make the current shutter speed or aperture inappropriate. Enabling this function causes the camera to automatically shift to a suitable exposure.

Manual Manual mode, denoted as M on the Mode dial, is, as the name says, fully manual. This mode gives you complete control over aperture and shutter speed. Manual mode is useful in a variety of shooting scenarios, including shooting ﬁreworks or interiors when you want to intentionally underexpose or overexpose a part of the scene or when you want a consistent exposure across a series of photos, such as for a panoramic series. In Manual mode, turn the Main dial to select the shutter speed and the Quick Control dial to select the aperture. Pressing the shutter halfway down initiates the metering based on the metered value, Metering mode, and ISO. The camera’s ideal exposure is indicated when the exposure level mark is at the center of the exposure level indicator shown in the viewﬁnder. The exposure level meter in the viewﬁnder and on the LCD panel indicates the amount of overexposure or underexposure from the camera’s calculated ideal exposure. If the amount of under- or overexposure is +2 EV, the exposure level indicator bar blinks to show the amount of +/- EV in the viewﬁnder and on the LCD panel. You can then adjust either the aperture or shutter speed until the exposure level you want appears in the viewﬁnder and on the LCD panel. In Manual mode, you can set the image quality, color space, ISO, white balance, and the Drive, Metering, and Autofocus modes.

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Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II

3.5 Manual mode is great for studio shots like this Karen Moyer glass-bead necklace where I know in advance what settings I want to use. ISO 100, f/20, 1/100 sec., with an EF 100mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Bulb Bulb mode, denoted by B on the Mode dial, is a rarity for most EOS dSLRs. On most other cameras, Bulb is an option available in Manual mode, but on the 5D, its status is raised to the Mode dial for easy access. Bulb simply keeps the shutter open for as long as the Shutter button is fully pressed, either by you holding it or by using the Remote Switch RS-80N3 or Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3. Bulb is handy for low-light and night shooting, trafﬁc, ﬁreworks, star trails, and other creative long-exposure renderings. In this mode, you set the ISO and aperture and then use the Timer Remote Controller or watch the elapsed time on the LCD panel for the length of exposure time that you want. The exposure time display ranges from 1 to 999 seconds. In addition, you can use mirror lockup (C.Fn III-06) to prevent shutter slap from the reﬂex mirror being swung up at the start of a long exposure. Because long exposures introduce digital noise and increase the appearance of grain, consider turning on one of the long-exposure noise-reduction options available with C.Fn II-01. For more on setting Custom Functions, see Chapter 5. CROSS REF

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

3.6 Depending on your preference, you can use either Manual mode or Bulb mode to capture ﬁreworks. ISO 400, f/11, 1.6 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

C1, C2, and C3 modes The 5D Mark II expands the convenience of a customizable mode by having three on the Mode dial: C1, C2, and C3. With C modes, ofﬁcially named Camera Settings modes, you can save and recall your favorite or most frequently used camera settings. These modes are ideal for photographers who routinely shoot in the same places, such as a speciﬁc arena, studio, or event location, and want to quickly recall the camera settings speciﬁc to that venue. In this mode, the camera saves and recalls settings, including white balance, Shooting mode, color space, Picture Style, Custom Functions, and more. For more on registering the C modes, see Chapter 2. CROSS REF

Creative Auto mode The new Creative Auto mode begins with the same default settings as Full Auto mode but offers a modicum of control to change certain settings, such as image quality, Picture Style, brightness, and depth of ﬁeld. To use Creative Auto mode, follow these steps: 1. Set the Mode dial to CA. The Creative Auto screen appears on the camera’s LCD monitor. 2. Press the Multi-controller straight down and then use the Multi-controller to select the value you want to change. The display option you choose remains in effect until you change it.

Autofocus and selecting Autofocus modes The speed and accuracy of focusing and the ease of manually selecting an AF point are as critical to camera performance as having a good onboard metering system. The 5D Mark II’s AF

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performance is excellent, and AF selection is customizable. Getting tack-sharp focus, of course, depends on three factors: the resolving power of the lens (its ability to render ﬁne details sharply), the resolution of the image sensor, and the resolution of the printer for printed images. Although the resolution of printers is beyond the scope of this book, I can address the other two factors. The 5D Mark II has excellent image sensor capabilities provided by the new 21.1-megapixel sensor and the DiG!C 4 image processor. In regards to the resolving power of the lens, the 5D Mark II’s new full-frame sensor puts any lens to the ultimate test, revealing any tendencies that the lens may have toward edge softness, chromatic aberration, and distortion. The deduction concerning image sharpness here is that the better the optics, the better the overall sharpness of any camera’s images. For more on available optics, see Chapter 6. CROSS REF

In terms of setting focus on the 5D Mark II, you have two choices: Either you can let the camera select the AF points automatically or you can manually select one of the nine AF points displayed in the viewﬁnder. If you choose to have the camera automatically select AF points and the camera is set to One Shot mode, the camera focuses on the subject or the part of the subject that’s closest to the lens that has readable contrast, whether or not that’s the appropriate point for sharpest focus. Or if you combine AF point selection with AI Servo AF, the camera uses only the center AF point to identify the subject and then subsequently uses all the AF points to track subject movement.

3.7 This diagram shows the six invisible AF points that come into play by turning C.Fn III07 to Expanded when you’re shooting in AI Servo AF mode. Otherwise, the nine AF points that aren’t shaded in this diagram can be manually selected or selected automatically by the camera.

An additional six invisible AF points are brought into play by selecting the Expanded option with C.Fn III-07. Expanded AF point activation uses the six invisible AF points in AI Servo AF mode so that a total of seven AF points track focus on the subject within the center spot-meter area of the viewﬁnder. NOTE

For most day-to-day shooting, manually selecting an AF point ensures tack-sharp focus precisely where you want it. Set your lens to Autofocus and then to manually select an AF point or to choose automatic AF, follow these steps:

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

1. Set the Shooting mode to any mode except Full or Creative Auto and then press the Shutter button halfway down. The current AF point or points light in red in the viewﬁnder and are shown on the LCD panel. 2. Press the AF Point selection/Magnify button on the back top-right side of the camera. The selected AF point lights in red in the viewﬁnder and is shown on the LCD panel. 3. To select a single AF point, turn the Main dial or the Quick Control dial or tilt the Multicontroller in the direction of the AF point you want to select. If you’re using the Multicontroller, you can also press the Multi-controller to quickly select the center AF point. 4. Press the shutter halfway down to focus by using the selected AF point or the camera’s selected AF points. The camera emits a beep when accurate focus is achieved, and the AF light in the viewﬁnder remains lit continuously. 5. In Multi-controller direct or Quick Control dial direct modes, you only need to use those controls to select an AF point and not press the AF Point selection/Magnify button ﬁrst. 6. Press the Shutter button completely to take the picture.

Improving autofocus accuracy and performance Autofocus speed depends on factors including the size and design of the lens, the speed of the lens-focusing motor, the speed of the AF sensor in the camera, the amount of light in the scene, and the level of subject contrast. Given these variables, it’s helpful to know how to get the speediest and sharpest focusing. Some tips for improving overall AF performance include:

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Light. In low-light scenes, AF performance depends on the lens speed and design. Provided that there is enough light for the lens to focus without an AF assist beam, lenses with a rear-focus optical design, such as the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, focus faster than lenses that move their entire optical system, such as the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. Regardless of the lens, the lower the light, the longer it takes to focus. Low-contrast subjects and/or subjects in lowlight slow down focusing speed and can cause autofocus failure. With a passive autofocus system, autofocusing depends on the sensitivity of the AF sensor. Thus, autofocusing performance is always faster in bright light than in lowlight, and this is true in both One Shot and AI Servo AF. In lowlight, consider using a Speedlite’s AF assist beam as a focusing aid. The Speedlite AF assist beam ﬁres twice; ﬁrst, a pre-ﬁre to communicate focusing distance data to the camera and then a second beam to conﬁrm that the subject is in focus. Then, the shutter ﬁres.

X

Focal length. The longer the lens, the longer the required time to focus. This is true because the range of defocus is greater on telephoto lenses than on normal or wide-angle lenses. You can improve the focus time by manually focusing ﬁrst in the general focusing range and then using autofocus to set the sharp focus.

X

AF point selection. Manually selecting a single AF point provides faster AF performance than using automatic AF point selection because the camera doesn’t have to determine which and then select the AF point(s) to use ﬁrst.

Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II X

Subject contrast. Focusing on low-contrast subjects is slower than focusing on highcontrast subjects. If the camera can’t focus, try shifting the camera position to focus on an area of the subject that has higher contrast, such as the edge of a door frame or a clothing detail.

X

EF extenders. Using an EF extender reduces the speed of the lens-focusing drive.

X

Wide-angle lenses and small apertures. Sharpness can be degraded by diffraction when you use small apertures with wide-angle lenses or wide-angle zoom lenses and light strikes the lens front. Diffraction happens when direct light waves pass around the edges of an object and enter the shadow area of the subject, producing softening of ﬁne detail that can’t be corrected during post-processing. To avoid diffraction, use a lens hood and do everything you can to keep spectral light sources from striking the front element of the lens.

AF-ON button The new AF-ON button focuses the camera similar to the Shutter button AF for both stills and movies in P, Tv, Av, M, and B modes. In the new Live View mode, pressing the AF-ON button focuses the camera in whichever of the three Live View modes you set in the Set-up 2 (yellow) menu (Quick, Live, or Live Face Detection). Pressing the AF-ON button during Quick mode ﬂips the reﬂex mirror up, achieves autofocus while the LCD appears black, and then returns to Live View with the focus point shown in red.

Modifying Exposure For average scenes, using the camera’s suggested exposure produces a ﬁne image. However, many scenes aren’t average because of the speciﬁcs of light in a particular scene or dramatic effects you’re trying to create. In those scenes, you can choose from any of the exposure modiﬁcation options, including AE Lock, Autoexposure Bracketing, and exposure compensation.

Autoexposure Lock As noted in earlier sections, Canon sets exposure to the AF point that you select. This approach is ﬁne as long as the area of critical exposure falls within the point where you want sharpest focus. However, that’s often not the case. And when you need to decouple the exposure from the point of sharpest focus, Autoexposure Lock (AE Lock) is the technique to use. AE Lock allows me to get exposures that are biased to the right of the histogram yet maintain detail in the highlights. There’s a bit more latitude in RAW capture because you can recover varying amounts of highlight detail during image conversion. If you shoot JPEGs, using AE Lock is a great way to ensure that the image retains detail in the brightest highlights. For example, I use AE Lock in combination with Evaluative metering and manual AF point selection when exposing to maintain ﬁne detail in the highlights of a bride’s wedding dress, to retain

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

highlight detail in macro and nature shots (although, if you composite multiple exposures, bracketing may be a better technique), and to maintain detail in skin highlights in portraits. However, there are some considerations for using AE Lock. First, it doesn’t work in Full Auto or, of course, Manual modes. And in Tv and Av modes, you have to use Evaluative metering, manual AF point selection, and autofocusing rather than manual focusing (via the switch on the side of the lens). And if One Shot AF or AI Focus AF is set and AI Servo AF isn’t active, pressing the Shutter button halfway down automatically sets AE Lock. Before you set the AE Lock, ensure that the camera is set to Av or Tv mode, Evaluative metering, and manual AF point selection, with the lens focusing switch set to AF. To set AE Lock, follow these steps: 1. Press the Shutter button halfway down to focus on the part of the scene that you want to meter. For example, if you want to ensure that detail is retained in the highlight area on a subject’s face, focus on a bright highlight. 2. Continue to hold the Shutter button halfway down as you press and hold the AE Lock button on the back-right side of the camera. This button has an asterisk above it. An asterisk then appears in the viewﬁnder to indicate that the exposure is locked. 3. Once the asterisk is visible in the viewﬁnder, release the Shutter button, move the camera to recompose the shot, press the Shutter button halfway down to focus, and then take the picture. As long as you continue to hold the AE Lock button, you can take additional images by using the locked exposure. When you release the AE Lock button, the exposure is reset when you focus the lens again.

Autoexposure Bracketing Autoexposure Bracketing (AEB) takes three exposures of the same scene: one exposure at the camera’s recommended setting, an image above the recommended exposure, and an image below the recommended exposure. This is the traditional technique for ensuring an acceptable exposure in scenes that have challenging and/or high-contrast lighting and in scenes that are difﬁcult to set up again or that can’t be reproduced. AEB is also used for image compositing where you take three different exposures of a highdynamic-range scene and composite them in an image-editing program to produce a ﬁnal image that offers the best of highlight detail, midtone, and shadow detail. Using this technique, photographers can produce a ﬁnal image that exceeds the range of the camera’s sensor. Additionally, AEB is a mainstay of High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, which merges three to seven or more bracketed exposures in Photoshop to create a 32-bit image with excellent rendering throughout the tonal range that has to be seen to be believed.

TIP

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You should bracket by shutter speed, not aperture, to avoid slight shifts in focal-length rendering when shooting for HDR.

Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II

On the 5D Mark II, the default exposure bracketing level is 1/3 stop, although you can reset the increment to 1/2 stop by using C.Fn I-01. AEB captures up to +2 stops. Some things you should know about AEB: X

AEB settings remain in effect only during your shooting session. AEB settings are cancelled when you turn the camera off or an attached Speedlite is ready to ﬁre. Also, AEB can’t be used when shooting in Bulb mode.

X

In Continuous mode, you have to press and hold the Shutter button to make all three bracketed exposures.

X

In Self-timer mode, press the Shutter button once to make the three bracketed images in rapid succession. If the mirror is locked up, you have to press the Shutter button three times to get the full sequence of bracketed images.

X

In One Shot AF mode, press the Shutter button three times to make the bracketed sequence.

X

The order of bracketed exposures begins with the standard exposure followed by decreased and increased exposures. You can change the order of bracketed exposures by using C.Fn I-05.

X

AEB is available in all modes except Bulb, and you can’t use AEB when you’ve mounted an EX Speedlite or a third-party ﬂash unit.

X

You can use AEB in combination with exposure compensation.

X

If C.Fn III-06 is set for mirror lockup and you’re using AEB and Continuous mode, only one of the bracketed shots is taken at a time. And with mirror lockup, you press the Shutter button once to lock up the mirror and again to make the exposure. In other words, a total of six presses of the Shutter button are required to get three bracketed exposures.

Exposure compensation Another way to modify the standard exposure on the 5D Mark II is by using exposure compensation, which enables you to purposely and continuously modify the standard exposure by a speciﬁc amount up to +2 f-stops in 1/3-stop or 1/2-stop increments via C.Fn I-01. A common use is to override the camera’s suggested ideal exposure in scenes that have large areas of white or black. In these types of scenes, the camera’s onboard meter averages light or dark scenes to 18% gray to render large expanses of whites as gray and large expanses of black as gray. You can use exposure compensation to override the meter. For example, snow scenes usually require between +1 to +2 stops of compensation to render snow as white instead of dull gray. A scene with predominately dark tones might require -1 to -2 stops of compensation to get true dark renderings.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

I’ve also used exposure compensation in conjunction with a handheld incident meter to set the 5D Mark II’s standard exposure to the incident meter reading when there’s a difference in exposure between the onboard meter and the incident meter. This technique works well especially if the subject light remains constant over a series of images. Occasionally, you may notice that the camera consistently overexposes or underexposes images, and in those cases, compensation allows you to modify the exposure accordingly. If underexposure or overexposure is a problem, it’s a good idea to have the camera checked by a reputable Canon repair facility. Exposure compensation is also useful in other scenarios, such as when you want to intentionally overexpose skin tones for a speciﬁc rendering effect. Some things you should know about exposure compensation: X

The amount of exposure compensation you set remains in effect until you reset it. This applies whether you turn the camera off and back on, change the CF card, or change the battery.

X

Exposure compensation works in P, Tv, and Av modes but not in M, B, or Full Auto modes. If you’re in Tv mode, setting exposure compensation changes the aperture by the speciﬁed amount of compensation. In Av mode, it changes the shutter speed. In P mode, compensation changes both the shutter speed and the aperture by the exposure amount you set.

X

It’s annoyingly easy to inadvertently set exposure compensation by rotating the Quick Control dial. Canon recommends setting the Quick Control dial’s On switch to the On position rather than the topmost setting, but this limits the functionality of the Quick Control dial. Because I’ve fallen victim to this many times, I ﬁnd that the best way to avoid unintentional exposure compensation is to keep the On switch set to the topmost position and always check the exposure level meter in the viewﬁnder before shooting. If the center tick mark is off-center more than the compensation that I set or if it’s off-center and I haven’t set compensation, then I know to reset it.

To set exposure compensation, follow these steps: 1. Set the On switch to the topmost position. 2. Set the Mode dial to P, Tv, or Av. 3. Press the Shutter button halfway down and then turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to set a positive compensation or counterclockwise to set a negative compensation. As you turn the Quick Control dial, the tick mark on the exposure level meter moves to the right or left in 1/3-stop increments up to +2 stops.

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Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II

3.8 Snow-dominated scenes are a perfect example of when to use exposure compensation to counteract the camera’s natural tendency to expose for middle gray. ISO 100, f/16, 1/200 sec., +1.5 exposure compensation, with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Selecting a Metering Mode The 5D Mark II offers a full menu of reﬂective-based metering options. The default mode is the 35-zone TTL full-aperture metering system that’s linked to the selected AF point or points. In this mode, the onboard microcomputer evaluates input from 35 zones and then calculates the exposure from this data. Depending on your exposure needs, you can also choose Partial, Spot, or Centerweighted Average modes. The following is a rundown of the metering options on the 5D Mark II: X

Evaluative metering. Calculates exposure based on data from 35 zones throughout the viewﬁnder area and is based on the subject position (indicated by the selected AF point), brightness, background, and back and front lighting. Evaluative metering produces excellent exposure in average scenes that include an average distribution of light, medium, and dark tones, and it functions well in backlit scenes.

X

Partial metering. Calculates exposure based on approximately 8% of the viewﬁnder at the center. This metering option weighs metering data at the center of the viewﬁnder in slightly

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

less than twice the size of the spot-metering circle. This is a good metering option for strongly backlit or side-lit scenes where you want to ensure that the main subject is properly exposed. X

Spot metering. Calculates exposure from approximately 3.5% of the viewﬁnder at the center. Spot metering is the mainstay of photographers who need critical subject-area metering, such as skin highlights for portraits or concert performers on a stage. For accurate readings for portraits, for example, move close and ﬁll the frame with the subject’s face and then meter a critical area, such as a highlight.

X

Center-weighted Average metering. Weighs metering for the center of the frame and then averages for the entire scene to calculate exposure. The center area encompasses a slightly larger area than that used with Partial metering. Although Center-weighted Average metering is somewhat old school, it can be useful for quickly evaluating existing light scenes.

Evaluating the 5D Mark II’s dynamic range In general terms, a dynamic range is the range of highlight to shadow tones as measured in f-stops in a scene. In practice, you have to factor in the useable range by considering the effect of digital noise. If, for example, during image-editing, using a tonal curve adjustment in Photoshop or some other image-editing program brings up the details in the shadow areas, it also makes digital noise (which is most prevalent in the shadows) more visible. In addition, the grain size of noise also impacts how noticeable the noise appears. So, considering these factors, there’s a point at which this noise becomes intolerable and limits your ability to make highquality enlargements from the image.

Evaluating exposure Following each exposure, you evaluate the exposure by inspecting the histogram. A histogram is a bar graph that shows the distribution of pixels in the image. The horizontal axis shows the range of values, and the vertical axis displays the number of pixels at each location. The 5D Mark II offers two types of histograms: a brightness, or luminance, histogram and an RGB histogram that shows the tonal values for the Red, Green, and Blue color channels.

Brightness histogram A brightness, or luminance, histogram shows grayscale brightness values in the image along the horizontal axis of the graph. The tonal values range from black (level 0 on the left of the graph) to white (level 255 on the right of the graph). This histogram shows you the exposure bias and the overall tonal reproduction of the image. If the histogram has pixels crowded 3.9 This is a brightness histogram from a RAW against the far left or right side of the capture image in DPP. graph, the image is underexposed or overexposed, with a subsequent loss of detail in the shadows and highlights, respectively. 52

Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II

Some scenes force the tonal values more to one or the other side of the graph. For example, in scenes that have predominately light tones, the pixels are weighted toward the right side of the histogram, whereas in scenes with dark tones, the pixels are weighted to the left. But in an average scene, good exposure is shown on the histogram as a fairly even distribution of tonal values across the entire graph, with highlight pixels just barely touching the right side of the histogram. The goal for good exposure is to avoid exposures that have pixels slammed against the left or right edge of the graph. If the pixels are crowded against the right edge of the graph, it means that some highlight values are beyond the limit of the sensor and the pixels are blown; in other words, they’re at 255 — totally white with no detail. Also, you want to avoid having pixels crowded against the left edge of the histogram because that stacking indicates blocked shadows; in other words, pixels at 0 — totally black with no detail.

RGB histogram An RGB histogram shows the distribution of brightness levels of each of the three color channels: Red, Green, and Blue. Each color channel appears in a separate histogram so you can evaluate the color channel’s saturation, gradation, and color bias. The horizontal axis shows how many pixels exist for each color brightness level, while the vertical axis shows how many pixels exist at that level. More pixels to the left indicate that the color is darker and more prominent, while more pixels to the right indicate that the color is brighter and less dense. If pixels are spiked at the left or right side, then color information is either lacking or oversaturated.

3.10 This is an RGB histogram from a RAW capture image in DPP.

Choosing the type of histogram to display depends on the shooting situation and your priority in that situation. For a fashion shoot where color reproduction is essential, the RGB histogram is most useful. For wedding, outdoor, and nature shooting, the brightness histogram can be most useful for evaluating critical highlight exposure.

Setting the ISO The technology of ISO settings on digital cameras replicates the rated speeds of the ﬁlms of yesteryear. In very general terms, ISO is the sensitivity to light of the sensor in the same way that ﬁlm speeds were more or less sensitive to light. But there are differences between ﬁlm and digital sensors; speciﬁcally, as the sensitivity setting increases on a digital camera, the output of 53

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

the sensor is also ampliﬁed. This was referred to as grain when we used high-speed ﬁlms. So, although you have the option of increasing the ISO sensitivity at any point in shooting, the tradeoff in increased ampliﬁcation or the accumulation of an excessive charge on the pixels is an increase in digital noise. And the result of digital noise is an overall loss of resolution and image quality. Partly because the 5D Mark II has relatively large pixels on the sensor and because Canon has done a ﬁne job of implementing advanced internal noise-reduction processing, the 5D Mark II stands out as the top performer even at high-sensitivity settings, particularly at exposure times of 30 seconds or less.

Auto ISO In this smart mode borrowed from point-and-shoots, Auto ISO controls the sensitivity of your sensor depending on the Shooting mode you’re in. In Full or Creative Auto, P, Tv, or Av, the camera selects between a 100-3200 ISO range. Switch to M, B, or add a Speedlite, and Auto ISO locks in at 400. Auto ISO is shown as an A on the LCD panel when selected and is located at the bottom of the scale by rotating the Main dial counterclockwise after pressing the ISO selection button.

ISO range, expansion, and Custom Function options The 5D Mark II offers a wide ISO range, including Auto and settings from 100 to 6400 in 1/3stop increments or 1/2-stop increments, set by using the options in C.Fn I-01. The ISO range can be expanded to include ISO 50 (shown as L), 12800 (shown as H1), and an incredible 25600 (shown as H2) by setting C.Fn I-03 to On. Be aware that ISO 50 reduces the dynamic range in the highlights by approximately 1 stop, which makes this sensitivity less useful in highcontrast light. ISO 50 can be useful in a studio setting by providing ﬂexibility in aperture choice. With the 5D Mark II, Canon offers an option to reduce or eliminate noise in long exposures. Using the long-exposure noise-reduction option, available by using C.Fn II-01, noise is totally or virtually eliminated by processing in-camera that’s very capable but takes almost as long as the exposure to complete.

Setting the ISO and extended range ISO To change the ISO setting on the 5D Mark II, follow these steps: 1. Press the ISO selection button above the LCD panel. The current ISO setting appears on the LCD panel and in the viewﬁnder. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to set a higher sensitivity or counterclockwise to set a lower sensitivity. The camera displays the ISO settings as you turn the dial. If you have ISO expansion turned on by using C.Fn II-01, then ISO 50 is shown as L, ISO 12800 is shown as H1, and 25600 is shown as H2. The ISO option you select remains in effect until you change it again. 54

Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II

To turn on ISO expansion, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Custom Function (orange) menu appears. 2. Press the Set button. The Custom Function screen appears, and the Custom Function number control in the top-right corner of the screen is activated. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial to set the C.Fn I number to 03 and then press the Set button. The ISO expansion control is activated. 4. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to select option 1: On and then press the Set button. ISO expansion remains turned on until you change it.

Selecting a Drive Mode The 5D Mark II offers four Drive mode options: Single Shot, Continuous, or a Selftimer mode with delays of 2 seconds and 10 seconds. Each mode has its uses for different shooting situations. Certainly, the 5D Mark II is built for speed like the ﬂagship cameras in Canon’s professional lineup, but it performs quite well in moderately fast-action scenes, such as wedding processions and youth sports.

Single Shot mode In Single Shot mode, one image is captured with each press of the Shutter button for up to 3.9 fps. Switching to Continuous mode gives you maximum burst rates of approximately 78 Large Fine JPEGs or 13 RAW ﬁles. The actual number of frames in a burst depends on the shutter speed, ﬁle size, the space remaining on the CF cards, and the type of cards you’re using. The 5D Mark II is equipped to handle the latest UDMA CF cards, which signiﬁcantly raise burst numbers and writing speed.

3.11 The 5D Mark II is speedy enough for capturing the action following Tiffany and Cory’s nuptials, such as this recessional. ISO 320, f/2.8, 1/60 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens.

Continuous mode Continuous mode is where you want to be when you want to record fast-action sequences at a peak moment. In Continuous mode, the viewﬁnder displays a busy message when the buffer is full, 55

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

and the number of remaining images shown on the LCD panel blinks. You can press the Shutter button halfway down and then look in the bottom right of the viewﬁnder to check the current number of remaining shots from the maximum burst still in the buffer. If you see Full CF shown in the viewﬁnder and on the LCD panel, be sure to wait until the red access lamp next to the Quick Control dial goes out before opening the CF card door cover or turning the camera off to change cards. If you open the CF card door cover while the access lamp is on, some images might be lost or corrupted. CAUTION

Self-timer modes The two Self-timer modes are last. In these modes, the shutter delays ﬁring by 2 or 10 seconds after pressing the Shutter button or when using a remote trigger. The time stays true to its setting even when using mirror lockup set with C.Fn III-06. The self-timer lamp on the front of the camera blinks, a beep is slowly emitted — depending on the setting — for 1 or 9 seconds, and then the speed of the beep and the lamp blinking increases for the ﬁnal second before the shutter ﬁres. The camera also displays the countdown to ﬁring on the LCD panel. Ten seconds should be plenty of time to run around and get into the picture, and when using one of the remote triggers, 2 seconds allows you to get your hand with the remote down inconspicuously. These modes are useful in nature, landscape, and close-up shooting, and they can be combined with mirror lockup to prevent vibration from the reﬂex mirror action by manually pressing the Shutter button. If you use this combination, you have to press the Shutter button once to lock the mirror and then press it again to make the exposure. To use a Self-timer mode with the camera securely fastened to a tripod, focus on the subject, press the Shutter button completely, and then take your place in the picture or wait for the timer to ﬁre the shutter. Be sure that you’re not standing in front of the camera when you press the Shutter button because that causes inaccurate focus. The 5D Mark II is set to Single Shot mode by default. To switch the Drive mode, follow these steps: 1. Press the AF/Drive mode button above the LCD panel. The camera activates Drive mode selection in the LCD panel. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise one click to select Continuous Shooting or two clicks to select Self-timer. A single rectangle icon denotes Single Shot mode, a tiled, rectangular icon denotes Continuous mode, and a stopwatch icon denotes Self-timer mode. The Drive mode you set remains in effect until you change it. The maximum number of images you can capture during a burst of continuous shooting depends on the image-recording quality and on the size, speed, and type of the CF card you use, along with other factors, such as exposure settings. At a minimum, with the image quality set to Large Fine JPEG, approximately 78 images per burst are possible, whereas with RAW, 14 burst images can be captured. White balance bracketing lowers the maximum burst. NOTE

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Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II

Viewing and Playing Back Images Image review includes magnifying the Clear View LCD image to check for sharpness, reviewing the brightness (luminance) histogram for localized areas of overexposure, and/or reviewing the color histogram to check color saturation, gradation, and white balance bias. And with this unprecedented ability to gauge exposure and composition on the spot, image evaluation can quickly solidify the settings for a commercial or studio shoot or alert you to the need for a quick exposure change before the light changes on a stunning landscape scene. If you haven’t already set the camera so that it won’t shoot without a CF card inserted, do so now: Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Shooting 1 (red) menu appears. Highlight Shoot w/o card and then press the Set button. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to select Off and then press the Set button again. TIP

One of the ﬁrst things you should do is change the default display time, which is initially set to 2 seconds, barely enough time to remove the camera from your eye to preview the image. I understand the display time is intentionally set conservatively to maximize battery life, but given the excellent battery performance, a display time of 4 to 8 seconds is more practical, and such a setting doesn’t signiﬁcantly impact the battery performance. Also, if you’re showing an image on the LCD to clients or subjects and you want the image to stay displayed until you dismiss it, you can set the display time to the Hold option so the image is shown until you dismiss the playback. To change the length of image playback review time, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Shooting 1 (red) menu appears. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to highlight Review time and then press the Set button. The Review time options — Off, 2, 4, and 8 seconds, and Hold — appear. 3. Tilt the Multi-controller to select the Review time option that you want and then press the Set button. If you select Hold, the picture is shown until you press the Shutter button to dismiss the display. Viewing images for a longer time depletes the battery faster. The option you choose remains in effect until you change it.

Playback display options The 5D Mark II offers several image playback display options, including a single-image display with three options for displaying or not displaying exposure information: magniﬁed view, Index display, or slide show (auto) playback. When you press the Playback button, the most recently reviewed image is shown ﬁrst in whatever viewing mode the image was left in. To move through multiple images on the CF card, turn the Main dial or the Quick Control dial counterclockwise to view the previous image or turn either dial clockwise to view the next captured image on the CF card.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

As the name suggests, single-image display enables you to see one image on the LCD at a time. This is the default playback mode on the 5D Mark II. For single-image playback, you can choose three display formats: X

Single image with no shooting information. When shooting a portrait, commercial, or editorial session where you want to show the subject or client the images being captured, this is a good display option because it provides a clean, uncluttered view of the images.

X

Single image display with basic shooting information. With this option, shooting information is overlaid on the preview image in light gray screen areas at the top right and bottom left of the LCD preview. The top-right display shows ﬁle folder and ﬁle numbers, whereas the bottom-left display shows the shutter speed, aperture, and the image number relative to the number of images captured; for example, 11/11, or 11 of 11 stored images. This display option is useful during a quick image review to verify exposures for an AEB series of images or to recall exposure settings for a previous image.

X

Single image with shooting information. This view includes all the exposure and ﬁle information, a black-and-white ﬂashing display showing areas of overexposure, ﬂash exposure, capture time, the histogram you’ve selected, and more. To display this information, the image preview is necessarily reduced to about one-fourth of the full-LCD preview size. This display option is invaluable at all stages of shooting so you can check the histogram, exposure, color, and just about anything else you’d want to verify. If you set AF points to be shown, the AF point that achieved focus in One Shot AF mode is also shown on the image preview. Or if you were in AI Servo AF mode, the AF points that achieved focus are shown.

If you want the AF point that achieved focus shown during image playback, press the Menu button and then turn the Main dial until the Playback 2 (blue) menu appears. Select the AF point display option, press the Set button, select Enable, and then press the Set button. The AF point that achieved focus in either One Shot AF or AI Servo AF mode are shown as a red rectangle on LCD preview images. TIP

Unless I’m shooting portraits or an editorial session where I show subjects or clients the images on the LCD (chimping), I use the single-image mode with shooting information. I like this display because I can check the brightness histogram, and I can magnify the image to verify sharp focus. You can, of course, magnify the playback image with any display. To change the display format in single-image playback, follow these steps: 1. Press the Playback button. If you haven’t changed the default single-image playback display, the most recently captured image is shown with no shooting information. 2. Press the Information button once to display basic shooting information or press it twice to display full shooting information with a histogram. The display option you choose remains in effect until you change it.

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Chapter 3 Choosing Settings on the 5D Mark II Protect AF Microadjustment

Folder number/File number

Aperture Card Shutter speed

1/125

8.0

101-0111

Flash exposure

Histogram

Metering mode

ISO speed

Shooting mode Highlight tone priority

Color temperature if < K > is set

5200

Image-recording quality

11/33

K

WB

A2,G1

S 3 0,

0, 0,

Picture Style and settings Color space

2008/09/16 16:54:27

Playback number/ Total images recorded File size

Date and time

Original decision (image veriﬁcation) data appended

White balance White balance correction

3.12 This is the single-image shooting information shown during image playback.

Jumping quickly among images When a high-capacity CF card is full or nearly full, it’s challenging to ﬁnd a single image among all the images stored on the card. To make searching easier, Canon has increased your ability to jump through images by 1, 10s, or 100s as well as by screen, date, folder, or between movies and stills to ﬁnd the ones you want. To choose how you’d like to jump through images or movies, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Playback 2 (blue) menu appears. 2. Tilt the Multi-controller to select Image jump w/Main dial. 3. Press the Set button and then turn the Quick Control dial to scroll through the options for jumping, selecting the one you want to use. 4. When the option you want appears in the window, press the Set button. If you choose to jump by folder, turn the Quick Control dial to move to the previous or next folder and display the ﬁrst image in that folder. If you choose to jump by shot date, turn the Quick Control dial to move to the previous or next date. If there are multiple images taken on the same date, the camera displays the ﬁrst image taken on that date. 5. Press the Set button to make your selection and return to the Set-up 2 menu. 59

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

To change the method of moving through images, follow these steps: 1. Press the Playback button. The image is now shown with a scroll bar for quickly jumping through the images based on your selections. 2. Turn the Main dial to jump through the images or movies by the speciﬁcation you set. Turn the Quick Control dial to view images within those parameters one by one. Ensuring that you have tack-sharp focus immediately after capturing an image is another advantage that Playback mode offers. This is something I do all the time, and the 5D Mark II uses the actual image rather than the thumbnail for image playback and magniﬁcation. This is one of the more subtle improvements of the new camera over the old. You can magnify the LCD image display and then use the Multi-controller to scroll to verify sharp focus. To magnify and move within the image, follow these steps: 1. In any Playback mode, press and hold the Magnify button. A small screen with a rectangle displays the relative amount of magniﬁcation. If you’re using the single image with shooting information display option, the camera temporarily switches to the basic shooting information display and magniﬁes the image preview. You can magnify the image by 1.5x to 10x on the Clear View LCD. 2. Tilt the Multi-controller in the direction you want to move within the zoomed image. If you want to check other images, turn the Main dial or the Quick Control dial to move to the next or previous image at the same position and magniﬁcation. 3. Press and hold the Reduce button to return to the original image size. If you were in the single image with shooting information display, the camera switches back to that display to show the full shooting information.

Index display In addition to evaluating individual images, you can view multiple images on the CF card as an index; essentially, this is a miniature, electronic version of a contact sheet. Index display shows four or nine thumbnails of images at a time. This display is handy when you need to verify that you’ve captured a picture of everyone at a party or event, and it’s a handy way to quickly ﬁnd a particular image. You can use Index display regardless of which single-image display option you’re using. To display images as an index, follow these steps: 1. Press the Playback button. 2. Press the AE Lock/FE Lock/Index button on the back of the camera. The camera displays the last image or images chimped, and the selected image is shown with a blue border. If the Index display shows only one or a few images, turn the Quick Control dial counterclockwise to move to the previous page of images. If you’re using single image with shooting information or with basic shooting information, the Index display includes your shutter speed/aperture combination with the selected image on the Index display.

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3. Turn the Quick Control dial to move among individual images on a single index page. To display the selected image in single-image display, press the Playback button. You can press and hold the Magnify button to magnify the image. To return to Index display, press and hold the Reduce button until the full single-image display appears and then press the Reduce button again to return to index displays. 4. Press the Playback button to turn off the Index display and return to normal Shooting mode.

Slide show When you want to review all the pictures on the CF card or run through the images with a client or with the people you’ve just photographed, the Slide show option replaces the old Auto Playback on the original 5D. Slide show has a new feature to display the images on the CF card for 1, 2, 3, or 5 seconds. Slide show is also a good option for quickly verifying that you’ve taken all the shots that you intended to take during a shooting session. To use the Slide show option, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Playback 2 (blue) menu is shown. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight Slide show and then press the Set button. A screen is shown to sort by All images, Folder, Date, Stills, Movies, and options to either Start or Set up the slide show. Use the Multi-controller and the Set button to make your selections. 3. Press the Multi-controller to select Set up. Select a duration for each slide to play and whether you want the show to repeat (loop) or play just once. 4. Press the Menu button and then press the Set button to load the images. The show begins to play with your settings. Use the Set button to pause or continue playing the images.

Erasing Images Most of the time after downloading the images to my computer and burning the images to disk, I simply reformat the CF card, erasing virtually all images. But sometimes, I just want to erase certain duplicate images to save editing time in post-production or free up some space on the card. From experience, however, I know that some images that appear to be so-so on the LCD can often be saved with some minor image-editing on the computer. For that reason, along with the inability to recover erased images, it pays to erase images only with care. You may have some luck with image-recovery programs, such as PhotoRescue, but it pays to be vigilant whenever you’re erasing images from the CF card. Of course, if you know that something is wrong with an image you just made, erasing the image helps keep the number of images on the CF card down and makes better use of your time when evaluating images on the computer later.

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If you want to delete an image, follow these steps: 1. Press the Playback button on the back of the camera and then turn the Quick Control dial to navigate to the image you want to delete. Alternatively, you can also use the Main dial to move through images. 2. Press the Erase button and then turn the Quick Control dial to select Erase. If you change your mind, press Cancel to not erase any images. 3. Press the Set button to erase the image. Lightly press the Shutter button to return to shooting. To select more than one image to erase, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button on the back of the camera and then use the Main dial to navigate to the Playback 1 menu and the Quick control dial to select Erase images. 2. Press the Set button. This opens the Erase images menu and gives you three choices: Select and erase images, All images in folder, or All images on card. 3. Press the Set button to make your selection. If you select the ﬁrst option, Select and erase images, the last image you played back appears with the Erase icon and counter displayed in the top-left corner of the image. Press the Set button again to select that image for erasing. A blue check mark appears next to the Erase icon and the counter has increased by one. Should you change your mind and decide to keep the image, press the Set button again to remove the check mark. Scroll through the images with the Quick Control dial or the Main dial, pressing the Set button each time an image you want to erase appears. After you’ve made all your selections, press the Erase button. 4. Use the Quick Control dial to select OK. A progress screen is shown until all images you selected have been erased. The red access button lights while the images are being erased. The camera erases the image or images except those that have protection applied to them. To erase all the images in a folder, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button on the back of the camera and then use the Main and Quick Control dials to navigate to Erase images. 2. Press the Set button. This opens the Erase images menu. Using the Multi-controller, choose between All images in folder or All images on card. 3. Press the Set button to make your selection. When you select the folder option, all folders on the card are listed on the left of the LCD and thumbnails of the ﬁrst and last images in the folder appear on the right. 4. Press the Set button again to select all images in the folder (except protected images) for erasing. 5. Press the Set button to choose OK. Lightly press the Shutter button to return to shooting.

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To erase all the images on the card, follow the same procedure except choose All images on card, press the Set button, and then select OK. Lightly press the Shutter button to return to shooting.

Protecting Images The other side of the coin from erasing images is ensuring that images you want to keep aren’t accidentally deleted. To prevent accidental erasure, you can apply protection to one or more images. Setting protection means that you can’t erase the image when using the All images in folder or All images on card options. However, protected images are always erased if you format the CF card. To protect an image, follow these steps: 1. Press the Playback button and then turn the Quick Control dial to move to the image you want to protect. 2. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller to select the Playback 1 (blue) menu. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight Protect images and then press the Set button. A small key icon appears at the top left of the display. 4. Press the Set button again. A small key icon appears at the top of the image to show that the image is protected. To protect additional images, turn the Quick Control dial to scroll to the image you want to protect and then press the Set button to add protection. If you later decide that you want to erase a protected image, you must remove protection by repeating steps 1 to 3 and then pressing the Set button to remove protection for each image.

Restoring the Camera’s Default Settings With all the different settings, you may sometimes want to start fresh instead of backtracking to reset individual settings. The 5D Mark II offers several restore settings, including a Clear all camera settings option as well as a Clear copyright info option that allows you to clear the information that you entered in EOS Utility. This option is a good way to start fresh, but be aware that it resets all shooting and image-quality settings back to the factory defaults. In addition to the fresh-start advantage, I’ve found that a quick way out of any type of camera setting problem that you might encounter is to use the Clear all camera settings option. I was shooting a commercial assignment after I had changed a variety of camera settings and the method of choosing an AF point via a Custom Function. As the shoot began, I immediately noticed that the AF points didn’t light in red, and the autofocus conﬁrmation beep was

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ominously silent. In fact, the Shutter button didn’t activate AF at all. I suspected that the problem was a conﬂict in the settings. I had recently rented the camera to my local newspaper to shoot a football game, and the photographer had switched the Autofocus mode away from the Shutter button. To keep the shoot moving, I quickly reset the camera to the defaults and then reset the image quality and color space. Resetting the defaults solved the conﬂict, and the camera performed great throughout the rest of the shoot. If you customized the 5D Mark II and want to restore the default camera settings, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Set-up 3 (Yellow) menu appears. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight Clear settings and then press the Set button. The Clear settings screen appears. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial to select Clear all camera settings and then press the Set button. A conﬁrmation screen appears. 4. Turn the Quick Control dial to select OK and then press the Set button. The camera restores settings to the camera defaults.

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Color and Picture Styles etting accurate color has never been as accessible as it is now with digital photography. As digital technology progresses, the options and techniques for ensuring accurate, visually satisfying, or enhanced color become easier and more varied. Color accuracy begins by setting the color space on the 5D Mark II that matches your workﬂow. The Canon Picture Styles have never been easier to employ, and many photographers have begun to enjoy the ability to conﬁgure the tonal curve, sharpness, color rendering, and saturation of images these settings yield. You can choose among an assortment of Picture Styles that replicate time-honored ﬁlm looks or render color in different ways or you can create your own Picture Style.

G

Holiday lights with a major color shift for a surreal effect. ISO 800, f/22, 10 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8 USM lens.

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Learning about Color Spaces The term color space refers to the range of colors that can be reproduced and the system that a device — such as a digital camera, monitor, or printer — uses to reproduce color. Of the two color space options offered on the 5D Mark II, the Adobe RGB color space is richer because it supports a wider gamut, or range, of colors than the smaller sRGB color space. In digital photography, the more data captured — or, in this case, the more colors the camera captures — the richer and more robust the ﬁle. The richer the ﬁle, the more colors you have to work with while converting RAW images or editing JPEG images.

NOTE

The same principle — getting the most that the 5D Mark II image sensor offers — also holds true in regard to image bit depth, as discussed in Chapter 1.

Choosing a color space and keeping it consistent throughout your workﬂow also helps to ensure that colors are accurately represented by devices, including the computer monitor and the printer. Although Adobe RGB is the color space of choice for printing on inkjet, commercial, and many photo lab printers, it isn’t the color space that displays colors most accurately online. Rather, because the sRGB color space produces brighter and more saturated colors than Adobe RGB, sRGB is the color space of choice for displaying images on the Web or in e-mail. Although this may sound like a conﬂict in choosing color spaces, for most workﬂows, it translates into maintaining the Adobe RGB color space for capture, conversion, editing, and printing. But when an image is needed for online display or some print houses, a copy of the image is made and converted to an sRGB ﬁle in an editing program, such as Photoshop or Lightroom.

4.1 The histograms shown in ﬁgures 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4 are based on this RAW image that was converted in Camera Raw and edited in Photoshop. ISO 100, f/22, 1/100 sec. 66

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4.2 A Camera Raw histogram using ProPhoto RGB. Notice the additional headroom in the highlights (right side of the histogram) that this large color space provides. Also notice the rich amount of color in this histogram compared to the following histograms.

4.3 A Camera Raw histogram using Adobe RGB. Notice the highlights and the shadows clip as shown by the spikes on the right and left sides of the histogram, respectively.

4.4 A Camera Raw histogram using sRGB. Here, the shadow spike increases noticeably.

After evaluating these histograms, you can see how much more image data is retained by using a wide color space, such as ProPhoto RGB. And although the image may eventually be converted to a smaller color space, you want to keep this rich image data to use during conversion and initial editing in Photoshop.

Choosing a Color Space Your choice of color space should enhance your overall workﬂow and enable you to maintain color reproduction consistently across all your devices and capture as much image data as possible. Whichever option you choose, remember that you can always change the color space in Photoshop or DPP. DPP supports sRGB, ColorMatch RGB, Apple RGB, and Wide Gamut RGB color spaces. ICC proﬁles can also be attached to TIFF and JPEG images when converted from RAW ﬁles. This allows faithful reproduction of colors in software applications that support ICC proﬁles, such as Photoshop and Lightroom. A set of image adjustments can be saved as a recipe and applied later. If you choose Adobe RGB, the 5D Mark II image ﬁlenames are appended with _MG_ xxxx.type. ICC is an abbreviation for the International Color Consortium that promotes the use and adoption of open, vendor-neutral, cross-platform color management systems. This NOTE group introduced the standard device proﬁle format used to characterize color devices. 67

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Photoshop and other applications that support ICC proﬁles use the proﬁles to produce colors more accurately so that colors are consistent when printed or viewed on different devices. Photoshop also uses proﬁles to convert RGB values to CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) and CMYK to RGB, to display photo CD image color more accurately, and to soft-proof an image at a different setting so you can see how the image should look when printed. To set the color space on the 5D Mark II, follow these steps: 1. Set the Mode dial to any mode except Full Auto or Creative Auto. 2. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller to display the Shooting 2 (red) menu. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight Color space and then press the Set button. The camera displays the color space options. 4. Turn the Quick Control dial to select the color space you want and then press the Set button. The color space remains in effect until you change it or until you switch to Full or Creative Auto mode, which automatically switches to sRGB.

Understanding and Setting the White Balance If you’re out shooting images instead of behind a computer color-correcting images, then getting a handle on white balance is important. Different shooting assignments, the type and consistency of light, and the amount of time you have to set up the camera before and during a shoot are some of the factors that inﬂuence which white balance approach you may want to use. On the 5D Mark II, white balance options give you a variety of ways to ensure color that accurately reﬂects the light in the scene. You can set the white balance by choosing one of the seven preset options, setting a speciﬁc color temperature, or setting a custom white balance speciﬁc to the scene. If you shoot JPEG images, the white balance is determined by the setting you choose. If you shoot RAW images, the white balance setting is only noted, and you can set or TIP adjust the white balance in a RAW conversion program after the image is captured.

What does white balance do? This question is best answered with a comparison to human vision. The human eye automatically adjusts to the changing colors (temperatures) of light. We see a person’s white shirt as white in tungsten, ﬂuorescent, or daylight light; in other words, regardless of the type of light in which you view a white object, it appears to be white. Digital image sensors, however, aren’t as adaptable. To distinguish white in different types of light, you must set the white balance to an approximate or speciﬁc light temperature. 68

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Light temperature is measured on the Kelvin scale and is expressed in degrees Kelvin (K). Once you set the white balance to specify the light temperature, the camera then renders white as white. On the 5D Mark II, a preset white balance option covers a range of light temperatures, which is more an approximation than a speciﬁc setting. A custom white balance is a speciﬁc light temperature that renders neutral color in the image. The white balance options and their corresponding color temperatures (in Kelvin) are: X

Auto (AWB): 3000–7000 K

X

Daylight: 5200 K

X

Shade: 7000 K

X

Cloudy/Twilight/Sunset: 6000 K

X

Tungsten: 3200 K

X

White ﬂuorescent: 4000 K

X

Flash: 6000 K

X

Custom: 2000–10000 K

X

Color temperature: 2500–10000 K

Choosing a white balance approach The 5D Mark II offers three basic approaches to setting white balance. This gives you ﬂexibility to use different approaches in different shooting scenarios. Some examples that provide a starting point for using each of the three methods include: X

Using a preset white balance setting. For outdoor shooting, especially in clearly deﬁned lighting conditions — such as bright daylight, an overcast sky, or in ﬂuorescent light — using a preset white balance setting produces accurate color. The exception is shooting in tungsten light and using the Auto White Balance (AWB) option, which I feel produces less-than-ideal color reproduction. Otherwise, the preset white balance settings have very good color, hue accuracy, and acceptable color saturation.

X

Setting a speciﬁc color temperature. With this option, you set the speciﬁc light temperature manually. This is the best approach to use for studio shooting when you know the temperature of your strobes. If you happen to own a color temperature meter, this is a great option to also use in non-studio situations. I try the color temperature white balance settings in any situations where I’m sure of the speciﬁc light temperature.

X

Setting a custom white balance. Setting a custom white balance produces very accurate color because the white balance is set precisely for the light temperature of the scene. To use this option, you shoot a white or gray card, enter the custom white balance menu system and select that image as your baseline, and the camera then imports the color data and uses it to set the image color. You can use the custom white balance as long as

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you’re shooting in the same light, but if the light changes, you have to repeat the process to set a new custom white balance. For JPEG capture, this technique is accurate and highly recommended. For RAW capture, there are easier techniques. For my work, I alternate between shooting a gray card and setting a custom white balance or shooting a Calibration Target from PhotoVision that has three sections of black, gray, and white and then color-balancing a batch of images during RAW conversion in Lightroom. Both techniques work in the same general way; they differ only in when you set the white balance. With one, you set the white balance before shooting, and with the other, you set it during RAW image conversion. However, if you’re shooting a wedding and showing JPEG images on-site during the event as a slideshow, setting a custom white balance as you go along is a good approach because the color is correct as you shoot. Onboard the 5D Mark II, Canon includes white balance presets for Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, or a Custom white balance. To preset one of these white balance options, follow these steps: 1. Set the Mode dial to any mode except Full or Creative Auto. In Full and Creative Auto mode, the 5D Mark II automatically uses AWB and you can’t change the white balance. 2. Press the Set button and then turn the Quick Control dial until the white balance option you want is highlighted. The white balance settings are shown as icons that represent different types of key lighting conditions. The white balance option you set here remains in effect until you change it. To set a speciﬁc color temperature, follow these steps: 1. Press the AF/Drive mode button above the LCD panel and then turn the Quick Control dial until the K option is shown on the LCD panel. 2. Press the Menu button. 3. Turn the Main dial until the Shooting 2 (red) menu appears. 4. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight White balance and then press the Set button. 5. Turn the Quick Control dial to set the color temperature by highlighting the K icon. The camera activates the White balance control with the K (Kelvin) icon highlighted. 6. Turn the Main dial to select a desired color temperature and then press the Set button to return to shooting. Always remember to press the Set button after making your temperature selection or the camera reverts to the previous Kelvin setting. The color temperature you set remains in effect until you change it.

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4.5 This image was captured by using the Daylight white balance setting and the Standard Picture Style. The colors are neutral. ISO 400, f/22, 1/100 sec.

4.6 By comparison, this image was captured by using the Shade white balance setting and the Standard Picture Style. Notice the strong yellow color cast of this white balance setting that didn’t match the actual light temperature in the scene. 71

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Ensuring Accurate Color with RAW Capture If you’re shooting RAW images, the easiest way to ensure accurate color is to photograph a white or gray card in the same light the subject is in and then use the gray card to set color balance when you process the images on the computer. Gray cards are speciﬁcally designed to render accurate color by providing a neutral white balance reference point that you can use during image-editing to color-balance batches of images. Once an accurate gray point is established for an image, all other image colors automatically fall into place. For greater control, I like to use the Calibration Targets from PhotoVision that have sections of white, gray, and black. They’re utilized in much the same way as standard gray cards. When shooting a portrait, after making all my exposure settings, I have my subject hold the target under or beside his or her face for the ﬁrst shot and then continue shooting without the card in the scene. When you begin converting the RAW images, open the picture that you took with the target. Using the conversion program’s white balance tool, click the gray section of the target to correct the color and then click Done to save the corrected white balance settings. If you’re using a RAW conversion program such as Camera Raw, Lightroom, or DPP, you can then copy the white balance settings from the corrected image and apply them to all the images shot under the same light. In a few seconds, you can color-balance 10, 20, 50, or more images. This technique, also called click-balancing, is a quick way to provide a neutral reference point in any light. For example, if you’re shooting a wedding, the light changes from the bride’s dressing room, to the ceremony setting, and then again in the reception area. Instead of setting a custom white balance for each type of light, you can take a picture of a white card in each of the different areas before you start shooting. Just be sure to expose the card properly so that it isn’t so bright that it registers as the brightest highlight. There are a number of white and gray card products you can use, but my favorites are the One Shot Targets from PhotoVision (http://photovisionvideo.com) or the ExpoDisc from ExpoImaging (www.expoimaging.net) to get a neutral reference point. There are also small reﬂectors that do double duty by having one side in 18% gray and the other side is white or silver. The least expensive option — and one that works nicely — is a plain white, unlined index card or pad, the choice of many photojournalists.

Setting a custom white balance Mixed light scenes, such as tungsten and daylight, can be very difﬁcult for getting accurate or visually pleasing image color. Two options work well to get neutral color quickly in mixed lighting scenes. If you’re shooting RAW capture, one option is to shoot a gray or white card as I described earlier. The second option is to set a custom white balance by shooting a gray or white card image. It doesn’t matter what color balance setting you’re in when you shoot this test image. Setting a custom white balance ensures that white is rendered as white in the speciﬁc light you’re shooting in. It’s quick to set and is a great way to ensure accurate color.

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4.7 This shot was taken by using the Auto white balance setting. The mix of daylight and ofﬁce lighting is evident by the warm yellow tint. ISO 100, f/4.0, 1/15 sec.

4.8 I quickly set a custom white balance and reshot the image. The color is much more neutral and vibrant in this variation with identical editing in Photoshop. ISO 100, f/4.0, 1/15 sec.

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To set a custom white balance, follow these steps: 1. Press the Picture Style button to ensure that the Picture Style isn’t set to Monochrome. To change from Monochrome, turn the Quick Control dial or the Main dial to select another style and then press the Set button. 2. In the same light that’s used for the subject, position a white or gray card so that it ﬁlls the spot-metering circle and then take a picture. If the camera can’t focus, switch the lens to MF (Manual Focus) and then focus on the card. Be sure this exposure is neither underexposed nor overexposed because either could produce an inaccurate reading. 3. Press the Menu button, tilt the Multi-controller until the Shooting 2 (red) menu appears, and then turn the Quick Control dial to highlight Custom WB. The camera displays the Custom WB screen with the last image captured. 4. Press the Set button. Your test image should be displayed. If necessary, rotate the Quick Control dial until the image of your gray or white card is shown. 5. Press the Set button. The camera displays a dialog box asking you to use the white balance data from this image for a custom white balance. 6. Turn the Quick Control dial to select OK. A busy message may appear as the 5D Mark II imports the white balance data from the selected image and then displays a message reminding you to set the white balance to Custom WB if you haven’t already. 7. Press the Shutter button to dismiss the menu. 8. Press the AF/Drive mode button above the LCD panel. 9. Turn the Quick Control dial to select Custom WB. The Custom WB icon is two triangles on their sides with a solid rectangle between them. The custom white balance remains in effect until you change it by setting another white balance. All the images you take from now on are balanced for the custom setting until you change it. When you ﬁnish shooting in the light where you set the custom white balance and move to a different type of lighting, remember to reset the white balance option.

Setting a white balance shift Similar to white balance autobracketing, you can manually set the color bias of images to a single setting by using white balance shift. The color can be biased toward blue (B), amber (A), magenta (M), or green (G) in up to nine levels measured as mireds, or densities. Each level of color-correction you set is equivalent to 5 mireds of a color-temperature conversion ﬁlter. When you set a color shift or bias, it’s used for all images until you change the setting. On the 5D Mark II, color compensation is measured in mireds, contracted from the term micro reciprocal degree, a measure of the density of a color temperature conversion ﬁlter — similar to densities of color-correction ﬁlters that range from 0.025 to 0.5. Shifting one level of blue/amber correction is equivalent to 5 mireds of a color temperature conversion ﬁlter. NOTE

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The white balance shift technique is handy when you know that a particular lighting needs correction, such as cooling down an extremely warm tungsten light source, or in the same way that you’d use a color-correction ﬁlter with a ﬁlm camera for warming up or cooling down outdoor and indoor light. To set white balance shift, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Shooting 2 (red) menu appears. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight WB SHIFT/BKT and then press the Set button. The camera displays the White Balance Correction and White Balance Auto Bracketing screens. 3. Tilt the Multi-controller in the direction you want to set the bias — toward a blue, amber, magenta, or green shift. On the right of the screen, the SHIFT panel shows the bias and correction amount. For example, A2, G1 shows a two-level amber correction with a one-level green correction. To gain experience, start with small adjustments. 4. Press the Set button. The color shift you set remains in effect until you change it. Manipulating the white balance shift and bracketing screen on the 5D Mark II can be a little confusing. The main difference is the control you use — either the Multi-controller NOTE or the Quick Control dial. To set a white balance shift, you use the Multi-controller to set the bias, but to set white balance autobracketing, you use the Quick Control dial. To cancel the white balance correction, repeat steps 1 to 4, but in step 3, use the Multi-controller to set the cursor back to 0,0 — the center of the graph — and then press the Set button.

Specifying a color temperature Setting the white balance for a speciﬁc color temperature is the easiest way of getting neutral color in the least amount of time. However, you must know the temperature of the light to get good results. In most studios, you know the light temperature of your strobes, and you can easily dial it into the 5D Mark II. If you’re fortunate enough to own a color temperature meter, you can use this white balance option with conﬁdence in any type of shooting situation. To specify a color temperature on the 5D Mark II, follow these steps: 1. Press the AF/Drive mode button and then turn the Quick Control dial to select K (color temperature). 2. Press the Menu button and then turn the Main dial until the Shooting 2 (red) menu appears. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight White balance and then press the Set button. A menu opens with all the white balance color temperature options. 4. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to highlight K and then turn the Main dial to set the color temperature. The range of temperatures you can set is 2500 K to 10000 K.

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5. Press the Set button. The speciﬁc color temperature you set remains in effect until you change it.

4.9 Working in the studio, where I know that the temperature of my studio strobes is 5500 K, setting a speciﬁc color temperature is the easiest way to get accurate color by choosing the Kelvin (K) color balancing setting and dialing in 5500. This artwork was created by Karen Moyer. ISO 100, f/11, 1/100 sec.

Using white balance autobracketing Given the range of indoor tungsten, ﬂuorescent, and other types of lights available, the preset white balance options may or may not be spot-on accurate. In addition, you may prefer a bit more of a green or blue bias to the overall image colors. With the 5D Mark II, you can use white balance autobracketing to get a set of three images each with +3 shifts in blue/amber and magenta/green bias from the base white balance setting. This option is particularly handy when you don’t know which bias might give the most pleasing color and when you don’t have time to set a manual white balance bias. The bracketed sequence gives you a set of three images from which to choose the most visually pleasing color. If you’re shooting JPEG and use the Standard, Portrait, or Landscape Picture Style, bracketing can be a good choice to reducing post-processing time. Figures 4.10–4.12 were made with the EF 50mm f/1.8 II USM lens and the EF 12mm II extension tube. The ISO is 100, f/5.6, 1/100 sec., handheld.

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4.10 This is the standard ﬂuorescent white balance setting.

4.11 With white balance bracketing set to +3, this is the magenta-biased white balance bracketed image.

To set white balance autobracketing, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Shooting 2 (red) menu appears. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to highlight WB SHIFT/BKT and then press the Set button. The camera displays the White Balance Correction and White Balance Auto Bracketing screens.

4.12 This is the green bias shift image.

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3. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to set a blue/amber bias or counterclockwise to set a magenta/green bias. As you turn the dial, three squares appear, and the distance between them increases as you continue to turn the dial. The distance between the squares sets the amount of bias. On the right of the screen, the camera indicates the bracketing direction and level under BKT. You can set up to +/-3 levels of bias. 4. Press the Set button. 5. Press the Shutter button once in One Shot mode to capture the three bracketed images. As you shoot, the White Balance setting icon on the LCD panel ﬂashes. With a blue/amber bias, the standard white balance is captured ﬁrst and then the bluer and more amber bias shots are captured. If magenta/green bias is set, the image-capture sequence is the standard: more magenta and then more green. To cancel white balance autobracketing, repeat steps 1 to 4, but in step 3, reset the bias to +0 and a single point on the graph. When you reset the white balance autobracketing, the white balance icon in the LCD panel stops ﬂashing.

Choosing and Customizing a Picture Style Picture Styles have risen in popularity with so many photographers that Canon has given the 5D Mark II a dedicated Picture Style button on the back of the camera. From this menu, you select one of the six preset styles or create your own style and save it as one of three customizable Picture Style settings. Having the ability to create three distinct customized Picture Styles and recalling them quickly for different shooting situations is a huge timesaver. The 5D Mark II attaches a Picture Style to every image you shoot. Picture Styles are the foundation for how the camera delivers tonal curves, color rendering, color saturation, and sharpness in the ﬁnal images. The 5D Mark II offers six Picture Styles, and it uses the Standard Picture Style as the default style. All Picture Styles have speciﬁc settings for sharpness, contrast, color saturation, and color tone. You can also modify the settings to suit your preferences, and you can create up to three user-deﬁned styles based on one of the Canon Picture Styles. Figures 4.13 through 4.18 show the differences in Picture Styles by using a similar scene. Whether you customize an existing style or create a new one, you have sufﬁcient latitude in setting parameters. The 5D Mark II offers the widest range of adjustments, with nine levels for contrast, saturation, and color tone and eight adjustment levels for sharpness.

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4.13 Standard Picture Style. ISO 100, f/8, 1/50 sec.

4.14 Portrait Picture Style. The color saturation and sharpness are much more subdued, but this leaves a good deal of latitude for RAW conversion tweaks and editing in Photoshop.

Besides forming the basis of image rendering, Picture Styles are designed to produce classic looks that need little or no post-processing so you can print JPEG images directly from the CF card that look sharp and colorful. If you shoot RAW capture, you can’t print directly from the CF card, but you can apply Picture Styles either in the camera or during conversion by using DPP.

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4.15 Landscape Picture Style. It offers an obviously modiﬁed tonal curve and saturated colors, particularly green (and blue).

4.16 Neutral Picture Style. Color is neutral, with a lower overall contrast than the Standard Picture Style. However, this rendering provides very pleasing color.

Choosing and customizing Picture Styles is the process of getting the kind of color results from the camera that you need for your workﬂow, whether you prefer the contrasty, saturated-color look of the default Standard or Landscape style or the more neutral color rendition that the Neutral and Faithful styles provide.

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4.17 Faithful Picture Style. It is colorimetrically adjusted to 5200 K. Although not so bad, the color temperature of the scene was higher than 5200 K, giving this shot a slightly cooler look.

4.18 Monochrome Picture Style. The Monochrome option offers snappy contrast but produces a nice overall tonal range in the middle and high ends of the tonal range.

To change histogram displays, press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Playback (blue) menu appears. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight TIP Histogram and then press the Set button. Turn the Quick Control dial to select the histogram you want and then press the Set button.

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Parameter adjustments you can modify for each Picture Style are: X

Sharpness: 0 to 7. Level zero applies no sharpening and renders a very soft look (due largely to the anti-aliasing ﬁlter in front of the image sensor that helps ward off various problems, including moiré, spectral highlights, and chromatic aberrations). Using a high range of sharpening can introduce sharpening halos, particularly if you also sharpen after editing and sizing the image in an editing program. Standard uses a level 3 for sharpening.

X

Contrast: -4 to +4. The important thing to know about contrast is that the changes you make change the tonal curve. A negative adjustment produces a ﬂatter look but helps to maintain the dynamic range of the data coming off the sensor. A positive setting stretches the tonal range. High settings can lead to clipping (discarding bright highlight tones and dark shadow tones).

X

Saturation: -4 to +4. This setting affects the strength or intensity of the color. The key to using this setting is to ﬁnd the point at which individual color channels don’t clip. The Standard Picture Style uses a level 0 for saturation. A +1 or +2 setting is adequate for snappy JPEG images destined for direct printing.

X

Color Tone: -4 to +4. Adjustments to color tone warm up or cool down the color hue. Negative tone settings increase the blue hue; positive settings increase the yellow hue.

With the Monochrome Picture Style, only the sharpness and contrast parameters are adjustable, but you can apply toning effects as detailed in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1 5D Mark II Picture Style Descriptions and Settings Picture Style

Description

Tonal Curve

Color Saturation

Default

Standard

Vivid, sharp, crisp

Higher contrast

Medium-high saturation

3,0,0,0

Portrait

Enhanced skin tones, soft texture rendering, low sharpness

Higher contrast

Medium saturation; 2,0,0,0 rosy skin tones

Landscape

Vivid blues and greens; high sharpness

Higher contrast

High saturation for greens and blues

4,0,0,0

Neutral

Allows for conversion and processing with low saturation and contrast

Low, subdued contrast

Low saturation; colorimetrically accurate

0,0,0,0

Faithful

True rendition of Low, subdued colors with no contrast increase in speciﬁc colors; no sharpness applied

Low saturation; colorimetrically accurate

0,0,0,0

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Picture Style

Description

Tonal Curve

Monochrome

Black-and-white or Higher contrast toned images with slightly high sharpness; RAW images captured in Monochrome can be converted to color by using the software bundled with the camera; however, in JPEG capture, Monochrome images can’t be converted to color.

Color Saturation

Default

Yellow, orange, red, and green ﬁlter effects available

3,0,NA,NA

It seems logical that a zero setting for one Picture Style setting would directly correspond to the same setting in another style. For example, a zero Contrast setting on the Standard Picture Style should correspond to a zero setting on the Portrait style. But that’s not necessarily true, and the differences in the tonal curve are sometimes enough to result in clipping. You can evaluate the effect of the Picture Style’s tonal curve on RAW images by viewing the image histogram in DPP. To choose a Picture Style, follow these steps: 1. Press the Picture Style button. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial or the Main dial to highlight the Picture Style you want to use and then press the Set button. The Picture Style you choose remains in effect until you change it or switch to Full or Creative Auto mode, which both use the Standard Picture Style. If you want quicker access to the Picture Styles screen, set C.Fn IV-03 to option 2 to display the screen when you press the Set button. Alternatively, you can also follow these steps: 1. Press the Multi-controller straight down to display the Quick Control screen. 2. Tilt the Multi-controller to highlight the Picture Style setting. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial or the Main dial to change the Picture Style you want to use and then press the Set button. 4. Lightly touch the Shutter button to return to shooting. After using, evaluating, and printing with different Picture Styles, you may want to change the default parameters to get the rendition you want.

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To modify a Picture Style, follow these steps:

Picture Style 1. Press the Picture Style button.

3. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight the parameter you want to change and then press the Set button. The other options disappear.

Standard 0, 0,

3,

2. Turn the Quick Control dial or the Main dial to highlight the Picture Style you want to modify and then press the Information button. INFO.

0,

S

P

L

N

M

1

2

3

F

Detail set.

4.19 The Picture Style screen

4. Turn the Quick Control dial or press the Multi-controller to adjust the settings and then press the Set button. The other parameters reappear. Negative settings decrease sharpness, contrast, and saturation, and positive settings provide higher sharpness, contrast, and saturation. Negative color tone settings provide reddish tones, and positive settings provide yellowish skin tones. 5. Repeat step 3 to change additional settings. The Picture Style setting changes remain in effect until you change them. 6. Press the Menu button. The camera returns to the Picture Style selection screen with any parameters modiﬁed from the default shown in blue.

Registering a User-Deﬁned Picture Style As you become more familiar with Picture Styles, you can easily create Picture Styles that suit your speciﬁc preferences and workﬂow requirements. Each style you create is based on an existing style. With the ability to create three user-deﬁned styles, you can set up styles for different types of shooting. For example, to create a set of styles for a wedding, one style could be a variation of the portrait parameters that you use for formal portraits. A second style, based on the Neutral or Faithful style, could provide more latitude for post-processing. And a third style, based on Standard, could provide a snappier, more saturated variation for the reception images. To create and register a Picture Style, follow these steps: 1. Press the Picture Style button. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial or the Main dial to highlight User Def. 1 and then press the Information button. The camera displays the Detail set. User Def. 1 screen, with the base Picture Style, Standard. 3. Press the Set button. The camera activates the base Picture Style control. 4. Turn the Quick Control dial to select the base Picture Style you want to start with and then press the Set button. The parameters appear.

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5. Press the Multi-controller to select the parameter you want to change and then press the Set button. The camera activates the control. 6. Turn the Quick Control dial to set the level you want and then press the Set button. 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to change the remaining settings. 8. Press the Menu button to register the style. The camera displays the Picture Style screen. The base Picture Style is shown to the right of User Def. 1. If the base Picture Style parameters have been changed, they’re shown in blue. This Picture Style remains in effect until you change it. You can repeat these steps to set up User Def. 2 and 3 styles.

Using Monochrome Filter and Toning Effects You can customize the Monochrome Picture Style by following the previous set of steps, but only the Sharpness and Contrast parameters can be changed. However, you have the additional option of applying ﬁlter and/or toning effects. X

Monochrome ﬁlter effects. Filter effects mimic the same types of color ﬁlters that photographers use when shooting black-and-white ﬁlms. The general rule of thumb using color ﬁlters with monochrome capture is that the ﬁlter lightens its own color and darkens all others. The Yellow ﬁlter makes skies look natural, with good separation between clear white clouds. The Orange ﬁlter darkens the sky and adds contrast to sunsets. The Red ﬁlter further darkens a blue sky and makes fall leaves look bright and crisp. The Green ﬁlter makes tree leaves look crisp and bright and renders skin tones realistically.

X

Monochrome toning effects. You can choose to apply a creative toning effect when shooting with the Monochrome Picture Style. The Toning effect options are None, Sepia (S), Blue (B), Purple (P), and Green (G).

To apply a ﬁlter or toning effect to the Monotone Picture Style, follow these steps: 1. Press the Picture Style button. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight Monochrome and then press the Information button. The camera displays the Monochrome selection screen. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial or the Main dial to highlight Filter effect and then press the Set button. The camera displays the Filter effect screen with the N. None default setting selected. 4. Press the Multi-controller to select the ﬁlter you want to use and then press the Set button. 5. Press the Menu button to return to shooting. 6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 to set the toning effects you want to use.

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C HA P T E R

5

Customizing the Canon 5D Mark II ne of the ﬁrst things photographers do once they learn all the new features of a camera is to customize it for their own personal shooting preferences, and that’s one of the true beauties of the EOS system. The 5D Mark II offers myriad options for customizing the operation of controls and buttons and the shooting functionality. The 5D Mark II offers two main procedures for customizing the camera to suit your preferences: setting Custom Functions and registering camera settings. This chapter goes through all the settings for customizing the camera, from using Custom Functions to setting and registering a broader range of customized settings to some practical advice for choosing settings.

O

Robin Jackson, a multitalented musician with Vagabond Opera, relaxes with his sax. ISO 400, f/8, 1/4 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Exploring Custom Functions Custom Functions enable you to customize camera controls and operations to better suit your shooting style and thus save time. After you set a Custom Function option, it remains in effect until you change it. Some Custom Functions are handy for all shooting situations, whereas others are speciﬁc to different situations. For example, if you grow weary of pressing the AF Point selection button before manually selecting an AF point or using the Multi-controller, check out Custom Function III-3; it enables you to assign AF point selection to the Quick Control dial or the Multi-controller. This one function has saved me more time than the other Custom Functions combined. The 5D Mark II offers 25 Custom Functions (with 71 possible settings) that enhance the ergonomics of the camera and easily facilitate your enjoyment of photography. Some Custom Functions are more broadly useful than others, whereas some may be more useful for speciﬁc shooting scenarios. Be sure to remember how you’ve set the Custom Functions (even writing them down is a good idea because the list is extensive) because some options change the behavior of the camera controls, and in some cases, they change the functioning of supertelephoto lens controls. To select and set Custom Functions on the 5D Mark II, follow these steps: 1. Set the camera to any Shooting mode except Full or Creative Auto, press the Menu button, and then use the Multi-controller or Main dial to scroll to the orange camera icon Custom Functions menu. 2. Using the Main dial, navigate to the group you want to explore and then push the Multi-Controller straight down or press the Set button. An orange box surrounds your choice and opens that group of Custom Functions. 3. Using the Quick Control dial or the Multi-controller, select the option you want to change and then press the Set button. This selects the option and takes you to a menu screen that presents you with the settings to choose from for that particular function. Tilting the Multi-controller up or down cycles through the options, as does turning the Quick Control dial. 4. Press the Set button. The currently selected choice is shown in blue type and surrounded by an orange box. 5. Highlight your choice, use the Quick Control dial to move the orange box to your desired setting, and then press the Set button. The setting turns blue, and the orange box disappears. 6. Press the Menu button when you’re ﬁnished to conﬁrm your settings and return to the main Custom Functions menu. 7. Press the Menu button again to leave the Custom Functions menu and return to shooting.

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C.Fn I: Exposure The following Custom Functions fall under the umbrella of exposure customization settings. This section contains various settings that control how the camera makes exposures and brackets and then sequences those exposures.

C.Fn I-01: Exposure level increments This setting determines the intervals between settings for shutter speeds and apertures, either 1/3- or 1/2-stop. Because digital capture is highly dependent on perfect exposure for the best results, I keep this set to 1/3-stop increments, giving me greater control over the exposure. Photographers more used to the detents on older ﬁlm camera lenses between common f-stops and used to that language may feel more comfortable making exposure calculations by setting the camera to 1/2-stops.

C.Fn I-02: ISO speed setting increments This is similar to the previous setting, only this one gives you the choice between full-stop or 1/3-stop ISO distinctions. Like the previous setting, a 1/3-stop setting provides ﬁner-tuning of your exposure through ISO.

C.Fn I-03: ISO expansion With this function, you can set whether the camera utilizes its highest and lowest ISO extremes — ISO 50 (L) on the low end and an incredible 12,800 (H1) or 25,600 (H2) on the high end. Setting this to On doesn’t expand the Auto ISO range, which is limited between 100 and 3200 ISO, and if you don’t use the extremes that often, it’s a good idea to just leave this off and only enable it when you need it.

C.Fn I-04: Bracketing auto cancel If you’ve set the camera to shoot any kind of bracketing sequence, either white balance or autoexposure, this Custom Function controls the behavior of the camera to cancel or retain settings: X

On. This setting cancels Autoexposure Bracketing (AEB) and White Balance Bracketing (WB-BKT) when the camera is turned off or if you clear the settings. If using ﬂash, once it has recycled and is ready to ﬁre again, AEB is also cancelled. In other words, it has to be set for each sequence. This is the default setting for AEB.

X

Off. Your bracketing settings are retained for future shooting even if the camera is turned off. Flash readiness again cancels AEB, but the AEB settings are still recorded in the camera’s memory.

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C.Fn I-05: Bracketing sequence This function allows you to control the sequence your images are taken in when using AEB and WB-BKT. It may not seem to matter much, but if you bracket often, you’ll appreciate this function to control the sequence of how images appear in your image-browsing program. The following settings work with both types of bracketing: X

0. This sets the sequence to ﬁre the standard exposure or white balance ﬁrst, the decreased exposure or blue/magenta bias second, and the increased exposure or amber/ green bias last.

X

1. This sets the sequence to ﬁre the decreased exposure or blue/magenta bias ﬁrst, the standard exposure or white balance second, and the increased exposure or amber/green bias last.

C.Fn I-06: Safety shift Your choices here are to either Enable or Disable Safety Shift in Aperture Priority (Av) and Shutter Priority (Tv) modes; however, many photographers are still unsure as to what safety shift actually does. It’s really quite simple. For example, you’re shooting in Av at ISO 1600 outdoors at f/1.4, and your camera can’t go over 1/8000 sec. to properly expose the photo to keep it from overexposing. At this point, safety shift kicks in and stops the lens down to f/4 or whatever is needed to get a proper exposure. Likewise, if you’re shooting in Tv with a ﬁxed speed of 1/125 in lowlight, your lens is only a f/4 lens, and a setting of f/4 and 1/125 would underexpose the photo, safety shift kicks in and slows the shutter speed down to 1/30 at f/4 or whatever is needed to get a proper exposure. Essentially, safety shift intervenes only when you hit the limits of the shutter speed capabilities or aperture limitations of the lenses you’re shooting with in order to attain a properly exposed photo. Its only mission is to provide proper exposure. Focus, camera shake, and sharpness are all left up to you. I ﬁnd safety shift reasonably useful when shooting in Tv mode in lowlight. I set the shutter speed at a reasonable handholding value, and if there’s enough light, the camera stops the lens down for depth of ﬁeld. Only when you run out of light and the lens is already wide open does safety shift intervene and slow the shutter speed down.

C.Fn I-07: Flash sync speed in Av mode Three choices here control the shutter sync speed when using ﬂash in Av mode. With the powerful controls of current Speedlites and the wide exposure control they afford, I almost never want to be locked into only the few shutter speed choices this Custom Function provides, so I keep it set on Auto, which has the most ﬂexibility. X

90

0. Auto. This allows the camera to choose any shutter speed up to the camera’s fastest ﬂash limit speed to obtain correct exposure when using ﬂash in Av mode.

Chapter 5 Customizing the Canon 5D Mark II

X

1. 1/200-1/60 sec. Auto. This limits the camera’s choices of shutter speed between 1/60 sec. and 1/200 sec. Although this is effective for preventing subject blur and camera shake, it can force the background to underexpose while the subject is exposed properly. In certain situations, it almost guarantees an unnaturally dark background.

X

2. 1/200. This effectively limits your shutter speed to one choice — 1/200 sec. — and produces an even darker background than option 1. This may be useful in daylight ﬁll-ﬂash situations, but I would switch modes at that point rather than diminish my choices.

C.Fn II: Image This section contains two new controls Canon has developed to control overexposed highlights and modify shadows and highlights via tone curve adjustments to minimize loss of detail in contrasty lighting conditions, along with newly enhanced controls for noise suppression.

C.Fn II-01: Long exposure noise reduction If you like to shoot long exposures of star trails, urban cityscapes, or f/32 interiors, this is the setting for you. You can use various noise reduction programs after the fact, but they probably won’t do as good a job subtracting the speciﬁc noise signature of your 5D Mark II as the built-in correction. X

0. Off. This means no noise reduction is applied.

X

1. Auto. Noise reduction is performed automatically for long exposures over 1 second if noise is detected. This setting is effective in most situations.

X

2. On. Noise reduction is performed for all exposures over 1 second. This may be a good option if you’re still noticing noise in images shot in the Auto mode. Noise reduction is applied after the image has been taken and may delay the time it takes the camera to return to a ready state, possibly equaling the duration of the time exposure. This also happens in the Auto mode. During Live View shooting, Live View is interrupted, a busy message appears in the LCD panel, and you can’t shoot again until noise reduction is completed.

C.Fn II-02: High ISO speed noise reduction Similar to the previous Custom Function, this setting reduces noise across all ISO settings, with particular emphasis on higher ISO speeds. Digital noise tends to be most noticeable in plain, solid areas of a subject, especially if they’re midtone or dark. Choose between three strengths — Standard, Low, and Strong — or choose to Disable. With all these beneﬁts, you may feel inclined to leave it on all the time, but doing so can diminish burst-rate speed in the Strong setting while the noise reduction is being applied, and in some cases, photographers have reported seeing a slight shift in color in images taken with high ISO noise reduction turned on. Experiment with these settings to see which ones work best for your type of photography.

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C.Fn II-03: Highlight tone priority Highlight Tone Priority (HTP) is available with many current EOS models, including the 5D Mark II. HTP has no effect on the actual dynamic range of the image sensor. It’s just an alternative method of image-processing that preserves more highlight detail than Canon’s standard processing without signiﬁcantly altering midtones or shadows. The effect of HTP is driven by the Canon 14-bit A/D converter, which provides ﬁner tonal gradations than the previous 12-bit system. Enable HTP to control detail in highlight areas, but pay attention to the shadow areas because noise may increase there with this function turned on. Also, the available range of ISO speed settings is automatically limited to 200-6400 when it’s on. HTP affects RAW data as well as in-camera JPEGs, and it’s very useful in high-key outdoor shooting conditions, such as weddings, high school senior portraits, and aerials.

C.Fn II-04: Auto Lighting Optimizer Auto Lighting Optimizer (ALO) is a ﬁne-image-quality tool that analyzes contrast in captured images and modiﬁes both shadows and highlights via tone curve adjustments to minimize loss of detail in harsh, contrasty lighting situations. It can actually lighten dark areas of a scene while ensuring that bright areas maintain tonal detail. In addition, it can increase contrast in ﬂat lighting, such as overcast days and drab interiors, and it’s available in all Shooting modes, including P, Tv, Av, and M. The same setting choices to HTP are also offered here: Standard, Low, and Strong or Off (Disable). ALO can be used at any ISO speed setting and can work simultaneously with HTP to produce properly exposed images.

C.Fn III: Autofocus/Drive There are eight functions under this heading, the most of any of the Custom Function groups, and they all pertain to customizing autofocus features and Drive mode adjustments. Some are fairly basic, and others are highly speciﬁc. Spend some time experimenting with these settings to see which ones match your shooting style.

C.Fn III-01: Lens drive when AF impossible This is a sports shooter’s dream. How many times have you missed an important shot while the camera continues to search for a focusing spot, endlessly going back and forth? This On/Off feature controls whether the camera/lens combination keeps trying to focus or stop after focusing through the range. This can effectively speed up your action photography, especially with super-telephoto lenses, which have the talent to adjust themselves extremely out of focus at the worst possible times. You gain a few seconds to quickly refocus by setting this to Off.

C.Fn III-02: Lens AF stop button function Although provided in-camera, this function controls the AF Stop button, found only on select super-telephoto lenses with Image Stabilization. It allows you to lock the focus and recompose 92

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the composition with your stationary subject off of the active AF sensor. It’s also useful when shooting action where people pass frequently between you and the subject you want to photograph, such as at a soccer match or a hockey game. You’re focused on a particular player, but other players frequently move between you and your subject. If you didn’t use the AF Stop button, the camera would try to refocus on the players between you and your subject each time they moved into the zone. Using the lock buttons, you can lock the focus on your original subject and shoot away, conﬁdent that the focus is where you want it. For lenses that don’t have an AF Stop button, changing the options for this function has no effect. X

0. AF Stop. This stops autofocusing.

X

1. AF Start. Autofocusing begins only when the AF Stop button is pushed and disables AF with any camera buttons.

X

2. AE Lock. Autoexposure Lock is applied, which is especially helpful when you’re focusing and metering different parts of the scene.

X

3. AF Point: M→Auto/Auto→Center. The button immediately switches to automatic AF point selection only when held down and shooting in manual AF Point selection mode. This is advantageous in an AF Servo mode when you fail to track a moving subject with the manually selected AF point. In this mode, the camera selects the center focus point only when you hold the button down. ← 4. ONE SHOT → AI SERVO. The camera switches functions depending on what mode you’re in. In One Shot AF mode, the camera switches to AI Servo AF mode when you hold down the button, and in AI Servo AF mode, it switches to One Shot AF when the button is depressed and held. This is very handy when you’re covering a sporting event where your subjects are both moving and stationary.

X

X

5. IS Start. With this setting selected, IS is achieved only by holding the button down and can’t be activated by pressing the Shutter button halfway down.

C.Fn III-03: AF point selection method To complement the nine selectable focus points are three options on how to set them. They all work equally as fast, and I know several photographers who use all three depending on the shooting situation. Try these out for a shooting session sometime. Although it might feel odd at ﬁrst that pressing a familiar button doesn’t produce the expected results, you may ﬁnd a more intuitive workability and quicker response time with your newer function settings. X

0. Normal. Press the AF Point selection/Magnify button and then use the Multi-controller, the Main dial, or the Quick Control dial to select an AF point. This is the default setting.

X

1. Multi-controller direct. With this selection, there’s no need to press the AF Point selection/Magnify button ﬁrst. Just press the Multi-controller and then scroll around to ﬁnd the AF point you need. Pressing the AF Point selection button activates automatic AF point selection. This is very convenient for fast-moving assignments, such as weddings and sports. It takes only a bit of practice to hit all the points repeatedly and is quite good in speeding up AF point selection. 93

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X

2. Quick Control Dial direct. Same as above, only this time you turn the Quick Control dial to manually select your AF point. In this mode, pressing the AF Point selection button and then turning the Main dial allows you to set the +/- exposure compensation.

C.Fn III-04: Superimposed display If seeing that red AF point light up when focus is achieved is annoying, you can disable it with this Custom Function, but it still illuminates when selected. Personally, I like the focus-point light and, more often than I’d like to admit, have often found I had the wrong AF point selected by seeing it light up. This can be a huge shoot-saver.

C.Fn III-05: AF-assist beam ﬁring The Canon Speedlites ﬁrst emit a beam to determine the ﬂash-to-subject distance and then momentarily project an illuminated red grid onto the subject to assist the camera’s autofocusing system. Most times, this is very quick and convenient, but other times, the beam visually intrudes on the intimate event or surroundings and calls undue attention to the photographer. It’s wise in these situations to turn this beam off, and here’s where you control its operation. As an alternative, you can always look for spectral highlights in your subject and try to focus on them. If the Speedlite’s own AF assist beam ﬁring function is set to Disabled, the ﬂash doesn’t emit the beam even if the camera’s AF assist beam function is set to On. In this case, the ﬂash overrides the camera.

C.Fn III-06: Mirror lockup This is a great function to employ when using tripod-necessary shutter speeds. Mirror lockup greatly reduces camera shake due to shutter slap (vibrations caused by the mirror ﬂipping up and hitting the foam stop) when shooting with super-telephoto or close-up macro lenses. Shutter speeds of 1/15 and 1/8 sec. are especially susceptible to this phenomenon because they’re both not long enough to diminish the vibration blur over time and not short enough to arrest it. It’s highly recommended to activate this function when you’re shooting slow-shutter-speed images or when you’re not using the viewﬁnder to compose and shoot close-ups.

CAUTION

During mirror lockup, never point the camera toward the sun, as this can damage the shutter curtains.

C.Fn III-07: AF point area expansion When shooting in AI Servo AF mode with the center AF point active and you’re having trouble keeping your subject in focus, enabling this function expands the focus point to include the six hidden AF assist points located within the spot-metering circle. This brings the total to seven AF points that now track your subject and signiﬁcantly increase the odds of getting a tack-sharp focused subject. Sports and action shooting especially beneﬁt from using this function.

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C.Fn III-08: AF Microadjustment Most of the time, this adjustment isn’t necessary, but you may occasionally ﬁnd one of your lenses continually back- or forward-focusing more than you want it to. With this function enabled, you can make ﬁne adjustments to the focus of each of your lenses. This should be done only with extreme care and is usually wise to perform when you’re on the particular assignment where you’re noticing focus problems. This is a way to ﬁne-tune a particular lens’s focus or adjust all your lenses at once and offers a +/- 20-step range of adjustment that incrementally varies depending on the maximum aperture of the lens being used. Reaction to this new feature has been mixed in some of the online forums, but if you’re at all concerned about front focus-back focus issues, you would be wise to further investigate this adjustment. I found tack-sharp results with a -5 or +2 adjustment to a few of my lenses. There are three choices under this microadjustment function. When in the AF Microadjustment menu with choices 1 or 2 highlighted, pressing the Information button allows you to make the adjustments: X

0. Disable.

X

1. Adjust all by same amount. Adjusts all your lenses by the same amount of microadjustment. As stated before, it’s atypical that your lenses need much adjustment, but it’s even rarer for them to all require the same amount of focus microadjustment. If that were the case, I’d begin thinking it was the camera body focusing system and have that checked out.

X

2. Adjust by lens. This setting allows you to register adjustment settings individually for any lenses you may own. The camera’s memory registers a total of 20 different adjustment/lens combinations with the ability to add any lens adjustments over 20 by deleting ones you use less frequently. When a lens is attached to the camera, it’s immediately recognized and its AF adjustment applied.

If you make a microadjustment when using an extender in option 2, the adjustment is registered as the lens/extender combination. Also, Clear all Custom Functions resets this setting to 0 but retains all the registered lens microadjustments for future shooting. NOTE

C.Fn IV: Operation/Others There are six topics in this section where options are found to assign tasks to certain buttons and dials, change focusing screens, and append data to an image. Recommended for advanced users of the EOS system, these settings can often confuse the operation of the camera for photographers who are used to shooting with the default settings.

C.Fn IV-01: Shutter/AF-ON button This is a highly customizable shooting option where you control the behavior of the Shutter button and the AF-ON button and reassign the tasks that they perform in the normal Shooting mode 0. 95

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0. Metering and AF Start. This is the normal shooting function where you lightly press the Shutter button and the camera starts AF and exposure metering.

X

1. Metering and AF Start/Stop. With this setting activated, you can stop the camera’s AF when you press the AF-ON button during autofocusing.

X

2. Metering Start/Metering Start + AF Start. This is a very convenient setting for fastaction and erratically moving subjects, such as those found at sporting events. This setting changes the behavior so that in AI Servo AF mode, pressing the AF-ON button starts or stops the AI Servo AF operation. With this setting, you can track the subject(s) and then autofocus and shoot at peak moments in the action, knowing exposure is set the instant the image is made.

X

3. AE Lock/Metering + AF Start. This is a great setting to use when you need to meter and focus in different parts of the scene. Pressing the AF-ON button meters and autofocuses and then pressing the Shutter button halfway down locks the AE exposure settings.

X

4. Metering + AF Start/Disable. This cancels the function of the AF-ON button. It’s useful if you may be hitting the button with your thumb and throwing off the focus.

C.Fn IV-02: AF-ON/AE lock button switch This function is very popular with sports shooters, wildlife photographers, and others who shoot fast-breaking action punctuated with peak moments. By choosing Enable, you switch the roles of the buttons so that with setting 1, the AE Lock/Reduce button autofocuses the lens and the AF-ON button displays the image index or minimizes the image display, a reverse of their normal functions.

C.Fn IV-03: Assign SET button In certain shooting situations, it’s inconvenient to have to wade through menus and Custom Functions to quickly set the camera the way you want. With this function setting, you can assign certain frequently used settings to the Set button while still retaining all of its original duties.

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X

0. Normal.

X

1. Image Quality. Pressing the Set button with this option activated opens the Image Quality screen on the LCD monitor. This is very useful in shooting situations, such as a wedding, where you know the images will have different output options or if you need to quickly shoot images for e-mailing. To use, press the Set button, use the Multi-controller to select the image-recording quality you want to use, and then press the Set button again to conﬁrm.

X

2. Picture Style. Use the same procedure as above, but this time, the Set button calls up the Picture Styles selection screen on the LCD monitor.

X

3. Menu Display. This mimics the action of the Menu button while retaining the Menu button’s function, which is useful in shooting situations where you‘re accessing the menu functions frequently.

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4. Image Replay. This duplicates the action of pressing the Playback button to quickly review images and exposure settings.

X

5. Quick Control Screen. Pressing the Set button with this option chosen opens the Quick Control screen on the LCD monitor. Use the Multi-controller to select the value you want to change and the Main dial or the Quick Control dial to set them.

X

6. Record Movie (Live View). If you’ve enabled movie shooting in the Live View/Movie function settings menu, pressing the Set button begins shooting movies once Live View switches on and the camera is ready to record.

C.Fn IV-04: Dial direction during Tv/Av If you continually make the wrong movement when changing settings in Tv and Av modes, try setting this to option 1 to change the direction. 0 is the default Normal setting, but some photographers feel more comfortable with the directions reversed. In other Shooting modes, only the Main dial’s direction is reversed. The Quick Control dial retains its orientation in Manual exposure and for setting exposure compensation. If you’re unsure you’d like it, try setting it to reverse direction for a few days and experiment shooting with it in a number of changeable situations.

C.Fn IV-05: Focusing Screen To obtain proper exposures, use this function if you install one of the two other interchangeable focusing screens Canon offers for the 5D Mark II. You have choices for the Eg-A, Eg-D, and Eg-S focusing screens. The Eg-A is the Standard Precision Matte screen that comes with the camera, and the Eg-D is a Precision Matte screen with a grid etched into it, which is great for architectural photography and any situations where lining up vertical or horizontal lines would be beneﬁcial. Eg-S is a Super Precision Matte screen that’s popular with photographers who do the majority of their focusing manually because it provides a super-bright screen with which to do so. This is also one of the Custom Functions that can be included if you register your camera settings in My Menu, but you can’t register and recall them by switching to one of the C modes on the Mode dial.

C.Fn IV-06: Add original decision data With this function set, data for verifying image originality is automatically appended to the images. When reviewing images with the veriﬁcation data appended, a padlock icon appears alongside the image. You still need the optional Original Data Veriﬁcation Security Kit to verify whether an image is original; however, the images aren’t compatible with the data encryption/ decryption features of the kit. Depending on your shooting preferences and needs, you may immediately recognize functions and options that would make your shooting faster or more efﬁcient. You may also ﬁnd that combinations of functions are useful for speciﬁc shooting situations. Whether used separately or together, Custom Functions can signiﬁcantly enhance your enjoyment of the 5D Mark II.

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Clear all Custom Functions You may ﬁnd at some point that you’ve lost track of all the Custom Functions settings you’ve made and just want to return to the default setting. I always do this if I’m selling a camera or want to set it back to its defaults for a student to use in one of my digital photography classes. Remember that the camera memory still retains focus screen settings and lens microadjustment settings unless you speciﬁcally change or erase them. To restore all Custom Functions options to the camera’s default settings, follow these steps: 1. Set the Mode dial to any mode except the C1, C2, C3, Full, or Creative Auto modes. 2. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Custom Functions (orange) menu appears. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial to select Clear all Custom Functions and then press the Set button. The camera displays the Clear settings screen. 4. Turn the Quick Control dial to select OK and then press the Set button. Lightly press the Shutter button to return to shooting.

Sample Customizations As a starting point for thinking about speciﬁc shooting situations, two sample Custom Functions groupings are shown in Tables 5.1 and 5.2. Your shooting preferences and the requirements of the speciﬁc scene may mean that the functions and options suggested here won’t work for you. Unfortunately, you can’t save groups of Custom Functions and recall them as a group except when you register camera settings for the three C modes. Setting or changing Custom Functions is relatively quick, so it’s worthwhile to consider creating genre-speciﬁc Custom Function settings and writing them down and keeping them handy for future shooting.

Table 5.1 Custom Functions: Wedding Set C.Fn Group/Number

Option

Explanation

C.Fn II-03: Highlight tone priority

1: Enable

Makes gradations between highlight areas and midtones smoother with more detail. Throughout the course of the day as the lighting drastically changes, I still want to maintain exposure in the ﬁne details of the bride’s dress. This setting allows me to do so while rendering minimal noise in the dark areas of my image.

C.Fn III-03: AF point selection method

1: Multi-controller direct 2: Quick Control dial direct

If you prefer to manually select an AF point like I do, either of these options forgo the requirement of pressing the AF Point selection button to activate AF point selection. If you choose option 2, you can set exposure compensation by pressing the AF Point selection button and then turning the Main dial to set the compensation amount.

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C.Fn Group/Number

Option

Explanation

C.Fn III-05: AF-assist beam ﬁring

1: Disable

For those times when I may be using on-camera ﬂash as a ﬁll or secondary light source, I still don’t want the red grid from the AF assist beam projected on my bride and groom, spoiling the intimacy of the moment from the other guests’ viewpoint.

C.Fn III-07: AF point area expansion

1: Expanded

This expands the center spot-meter area to include six invisible AF points and the center AF point. So, in AI Servo AF mode, you get more accurate focus-tracking of the bride and groom coming down the aisle, the throwing of the bouquet, and other action sequences during the wedding.

C.Fn IV-03: Assign SET button

2: Change Picture Style

As you move from shooting bride and groom portraits by using the Portrait Picture Style, you can quickly press the Set button to change to the Standard or Faithful Picture Style for the ceremony and reception shots.

Table 5.2 Custom Functions: Landscape/Nature Set C.Fn Group/Number

Option

Explanation

C.Fn I-01: Exposure level increments

1: 1/2-stop

If you use AEB to create a series of bracketed images for compositing, you may prefer the 1/2-stop increment to the default 1/3-stop increment.

C.Fn I-04: Bracketing auto cancel

2: -, 0, +/Enable

This option simply changes the order in which the camera makes the bracketed exposure sequence. My personal preference is the decreased, standard, and then increased exposure sequence. Your preference may be for option 1: 0, -, +. The Enable portion of this option means that you can stop the bracketing sequence by turning the camera off, changing lenses, or getting a ﬂash-ready condition.

C.Fn II-01: Long expo- 2: On sure noise reduction

Very often, I use this option if the shooting includes lowlight scenes with exposures of 1 second or longer, whether shooting star trails or waterfalls.

C.Fn III-03: AF point selection method

1: Multi-controller direct 2: Quick Control dial direct 1 or 2

If you most often prefer to manually select an AF point, this function eliminates the need to press the AF Point selection button to activate AF point selection. If you choose option 2 to use the Quick Control dial, you can set exposure compensation by pressing the AF Point selection button and then turning the Main dial to set the compensation amount.

C.Fn III-06: Mirror lockup

1: Enable

This prevents potential blur in super-telephoto, macro, and long-exposure shots caused by the action of the reﬂex mirror ﬂipping up. If you choose this option, you have to press the Shutter button once to ﬂip up the mirror and then press it a second time to make the exposure.

C.Fn III-07: AF point area expansion

1: Expanded

This expands the center spot-meter area to include the six invisible AF points and the center AF point. So, in AI Servo AF mode, you get more accurate focus-tracking of a bird or animal on the ﬂy or on the run. continued 99

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Table 5.2 Custom Functions: Landscape/Nature Set (continued) C.Fn Group/Number

Option

Explanation

C.Fn IV-01: Shutter/ AF-ON button

2: AF/AF Lock, no AE Lock

This option allows you to press the AE Lock button to temporarily stop focus-tracking in AI Servo AF mode to prevent focus-tracking from being thrown off if something passes between the lens and the subject. This is handy if you’re tracking focus on one bird in a ﬂock or an animal in a herd where other animals or birds come between the lens and the subject.

C.Fn IV-03: Assign SET button

3: Menu display

This provides quick access to the menu when you want to use AEB to take a series of images that will later be composited in an image-editing program. This option displays the last accessed menu with the last highlighted menu option, making it easy to access the AEB setting on the Shooting (red) menu.

Registering Camera Settings Canon has expanded the capability to save your favorite or frequently used shooting and menu settings to the C modes — formally known as the Camera Settings modes — from one on the 5D to three on the 5D Mark II. C modes are an efﬁcient way to spend less time adjusting camera settings and more time shooting. Expanding them to three means greater ﬂexibility in shooting choices for the photographer. Shooting settings that you can register to a C mode are: X

Shooting mode (any mode except Full or Creative Auto)

X

AF mode

X

AF point selection method

X

Drive mode

X

Exposure compensation

X

Exposure settings: ISO, aperture, shutter speed

X

Flash Exposure Compensation

X

Metering mode

X

White balance

Menu settings that you can register to a C mode are: X

AF points

X

Autoexposure bracketing

X

Auto power off

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Auto rotate

X

Beep on or off

X

Color temperature

X

Color space

X

Custom Functions

X

Custom white balance

X

File-numbering method

X

Histograms

X

Image quality

X

LCD brightness

X

Picture Styles

X

Review time

X

Shoot with or without a CF card

X

White balance shift/bracketing

Even after you register the modes and settings to a C mode, you can make ad-hoc changes as you shoot without switching out of the C modes. The changes you make aren’t retained unless you register them, essentially overwriting the previous registered settings. You can take several approaches to registering camera settings and using a C mode. One approach is to use C modes for everyday shooting by registering the modes, options, and Custom Functions that you use most often for subjects, such as portraits, close-ups, and so on. No matter what special situations you encounter that deviate from your standard settings, you can quickly return to your usual settings by switching to one of the C modes. Another idea is to register a C mode setting for a speciﬁc shooting genre, such as studio portraits, weddings, or concert venues that you shoot in often. Whichever scenario suits your workﬂow, being able to quickly move to a preset group of settings saves a signiﬁcant amount of time — time that’s better spent shooting pictures. When you register camera settings, the settings are saved and can be recalled when you set the Mode dial to C1, C2, or C3. To register camera settings to any of the C modes (C1, C2, and C3), follow these steps: 1. Turn the Mode dial to select the C mode you want to register settings for. 2. Set all the settings on the camera that you want to register. In addition to shooting and menu settings, you can set Custom Functions for speciﬁc shooting scenarios as detailed in the previous section in this chapter.

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3. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Set-up 3 menu (yellow) appears. 4. Turn the Quick Control dial clockwise to highlight Camera user setting and then press the Set button. The camera displays the Camera user setting screen. 5. Turn the Quick Control dial to select Register and then press the Set button. The camera displays the Register menu. 6. Turn the Quick Control dial or the Multi-controller to select a Mode dial position to register. Assign settings to either the C1, C2, or C3 modes. 7. Press the Set button to select a C mode to register the settings to and then use the Quick Control dial to select OK. 8. Press the Set button again to return to shooting.

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6

Selecting and Using Canon Lenses t’s been said that the incredibly high resolution of the 5D Mark II sensor highlights any shortcoming of your lens’s optical characteristics, and there’s no question that the full-frame 5D Mark II produces the best-quality images when using high-quality lenses, such as the Canon L-series lenses. With a high-quality lens, pictures have stunning detail, high resolution, and sharp contrast. Alternatively, low-quality optics tend to produce softened edges — particularly with wideangle lenses — more chromatic aberrations, and distortion. With the full-frame sensor of the 5D Mark II, the need for the best glass is especially important because at full-frame, 21.1 MB resolution, any defects in the lens performance show up immediately in terms of soft or darker corners. As most Choosing the right lens can help you capture intricate details, photographers know, over time, such as this dew-covered web and its spider owner. ISO the investment in lenses far 1000, f/5.6, 1/60 sec., with an EF 100mm f/2.8 USM lens. exceeds the money invested in camera bodies. For this reason, making studied decisions on lens purchases pays off for years to come in getting great image sharpness and quality.

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Understanding Canon Lenses The 5D Mark II is compatible with the Canon EF mount lenses but not with the EF-S lenses designed for the cropped sensor cameras from Canon. The 5D Mark II has a full-frame sensor that’s equivalent to a 35mm ﬁlm frame, 24 × 36mm, or simply a 2:3 ratio. There’s no focallength multiplication factor, so wide-angle lenses are truly wide angle, and telephoto lenses are true to their focal length just as they would be on a 35mm ﬁlm camera. Although this full-frame sensor allows you to use the lens to its full extent, the cropped or subframe sensors use lenses at their sweet spot, allowing for very sharp frame corners, depending on focal length and aperture. By contrast, on a full-frame camera, the optics must be superb to deliver the same edge-to-edge sharpness while minimizing chromatic aberrations, distortion, and vignetting. When you shop for lenses, the terminology and technologies can be confusing. The next section reviews key lens designations and technologies.

6.1 Although zoom lenses are versatile, prime lenses are often smaller and lighter. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens, shown in the center, is one of the lightest and sharpest lenses in the Canon lineup. This image shows the size comparison of the 50mm with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens (left) and the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens (right).

EF lens mount The designation EF (Electro-Focus) identiﬁes the type of mount that the lens has. The EF lens mount provides not only quick mounting and removal of lenses, but it also provides the communication link between the lens and the camera body. The EF mount on the 5D Mark II is metal, 104

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fully electronic, resists abrasion, shock, and rough handling, and doesn’t require lubrication as some other lens mounts might. These mounts are strong, as I can attest by admitting to dropping a few cameras in my day, and although the lenses may have exploded, the mounting ring stayed securely fastened to the camera. The EF system does a self-test by using a built-in microcomputer so that you’re alerted of possible malfunctions via the camera’s LCD display. In addition, if you use lens extenders, exposure compensation is automatically calculated.

Ultrasonic Motor USM is the abbreviation Canon uses for Ultrasonic Motor. A USM lens has an ultrasonic motor built into those lenses with this designation. Having destroyed a lens or two in my day, I have in fact seen this motor, and it’s indeed tiny. Because the internal focusing motor in the lens is powered by the camera, you get exceptionally fast, quiet autofocus. USM lenses use electronic vibrations created by piezoelectric ceramic elements to provide quick and quiet focusing action with almost instantaneous starts and stops. In addition, lenses with a ring-type ultrasonic motor offer full-time manual focusing without the need to ﬁrst switch the lens to manual focus. This design is offered in the large-aperture and super-telephoto lenses. A second design, the micro ultrasonic motor, provides the advantages of this technology in the less expensive EF lenses.

L-series lenses The Canon L-series lenses feature a distinctive red ring on the outer barrel or, in the case of telephoto and super-telephoto lenses, are distinguished by the well-known off-white barrel material. The distinguishing characteristics of L-series lenses, in addition to their sobering price tags, are a combination of technologies that provide outstanding optical performance.

6.2 The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens is one of the most popular EF lenses of this focal length. 105

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L-series lenses include one or more of the following technologies and features: X

UD/ﬂuorite elements. Ultra-low dispersion, or UD, glass elements help minimize color fringing, or chromatic aberration. This glass also provides improved contrast and sharpness. For example, UD elements are used in the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM and EF 300mm f/4L IS USM lenses. On the other hand, ﬂuorite elements used in super-telephoto L-series lenses reduce chromatic aberration. According to Canon, a single ﬂuorite element has roughly the corrective power of two UD-glass elements. Lenses with UD or ﬂuorite elements are designated as CaF2, UD, and/or S-UD.

X

Aspherical elements. This technology is designed to help counteract spherical aberrations that occur when wide-angle and fast normal lenses can’t resolve those light rays that come into the lens from the center with those light rays that come into the lens from the edge to culminate in a sharp point of focus. The result is a blurred image. An aspherical element uses a varying curved surface to ensure that the entire image plane appears focused. These types of optics also help correct curvilinear distortion in ultrawide-angle lenses. Lenses with aspherical elements are designated as AL.

X

Dust and water-resistant construction. The L-series EF telephoto lenses have rubber seals at the switch panels, exterior seams, drop-in ﬁlter compartments, and lens mounts to make them both dust- and water-resistant. Moving parts, including the focusing ring and switches, are also designed to keep out environmental contaminants. For any photographer who shoots in inclement weather, whether it’s a wedding, editorial assignment, or sporting event, having a lens with adequate weather sealing is critical.

Image Stabilization Many top lenses are also designated IS lenses — short for Image Stabilization. I cover Image Stabilization in detail later in this chapter, but the skinny is that IS lenses allow you to handhold the camera at lower light levels that would normally require using a tripod. The amount of handholding leeway varies by lens and the photographer’s ability to hold the lens steady, but you can generally count on 1 to 4 f-stops more stability than with a non-IS lens.

Macro Finally, you may see lenses with a macro designation. These lenses, covered in detail later in this chapter, enable close-up focusing with one-half to life-size subject magniﬁcation and a maximum aperture of f/25.

Full-time manual focusing An advantage of Canon lenses is the ability to use autofocus and then manually tweak focus by using the lens’s focusing ring without switching out of Autofocus mode or changing the switch on the lens from AF to MF. Full-time manual focusing comes in very handy with macro shots and when using extension tubes.

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Inner and rear focusing The lens’s focusing groups can be located in front or behind the diaphragm, both of which allow for compact optical systems with fast autofocusing. Lenses with rear optical focusing, such as the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, focus faster than lenses that move their entire optical system, such as the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. With both designs, the ﬁlter orientation doesn’t change because the front of the lens doesn’t rotate — a big plus for landscape shooters who rely on adjustable circular polarizing ﬁlters for their images.

Floating system In nonﬂoating system lenses, optical aberrations are corrected only at commonly used focusing distances. At other focusing distances, particularly at close focusing distances, the aberrations appear and reduce image quality. Canon lenses use a ﬂoating system that dynamically varies the gap between key lens elements based on the focusing distance. As a result, aberrations are reduced or suppressed through the entire focusing range.

AF Stop button The AF Stop button is available on several EF IS telephoto lenses, and pressing it stops focusing when an obstruction that can cause the focus to be thrown off passes between the lens and the subject. Once the obstruction passes, the focus remains on the subject — provided that the subject hasn’t moved — so you can resume shooting. For more on changing the function of the AF Stop button, see Chapter 5. CROSS REF

Focus preset This feature, only found on larger telephoto lenses, lets you program a speciﬁc focusing distance into the camera’s memory. For example, when shooting motorsports, you can preset focus on the ﬁnish line and then shoot normally as the racers approach it. You can then turn the focus preset ring on the lens to instantly return to the preset focusing distance that’s set on the ﬁnish line.

Diffractive Optics Diffractive Optics, abbreviated in lens designations as DO, is a process of bonding diffractive coatings to the surfaces of two or more lens elements. The elements are then combined to form a single, multilayer DO element designed to cancel chromatic aberrations at various wavelengths when combined with conventional glass optics. Diffractive Optics results in smaller and shorter telephoto lenses without compromising image quality. For example, the EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens is 28% shorter than the EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM lens.

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Prime versus Zoom Lenses In the ﬁlm days, prime lenses were the way to go but may have lost some appeal with today’s digital shooters. Prime lenses — or lenses that have a ﬁxed focal length, such as the venerable EF 50mm f/1.4 — were once the staple in photojournalists’ and other professionals’ camera bags. Classic prime lenses in the Canon lineup include the EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, a small lens weighing in at only 11.6 oz that provides a whopping 180° view. Other prime lenses include the EF 24mm f/1.4L USM, the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM, the EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, and the EF 135mm f/2L USM. These lenses offer a wide range of choices for photographers who prefer prime lenses or choose to use them for special applications.

6.3 The Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 lens captures a 180° ﬁeld of vision and produces exaggerated distortion, as shown in this headquarters shot.

Single-focal-length lenses Unlike zoom lenses, single-focal-length (prime) lenses tend to be fast with maximum apertures of f/2.8 or wider. Wide apertures allow faster shutter speeds and enable you to handhold the camera in lowlight and still get a sharp image. Compared to zoom lenses, single-focal-length lenses are noticeably lighter and smaller. In addition, many photographers have argued since day one that single-focal-length lenses are sharper and provide better image quality overall than zoom lenses. 108

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Most prime lenses are lightweight, but you need more of them to cover the range of focal lengths needed for everyday photography, although some famous photographers, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, often used only one prime lens. Single-focal-length lenses also limit the options for on-the-ﬂy composition changes that are possible with zoom lenses.

6.4 You should use your fastest lens in low-light situations, such as this shot of TapWater musician Rudy Slizewski. ISO 400, f/1.4, 1/100 sec., with an EF 50mm f/1.4 lens.

Zoom lenses The versatility and convenience that zoom lenses offer are major reasons why prime lenses fell out of favor with the masses. Savvy photographers still prefer primes but acknowledge the beneﬁt of zooms. Zoom lenses offer a variable range of focal lengths within a single lens, allowing you the equivalent of having three, four, or more single-focal-length lenses in one lens. Zoom lenses are available in wide-angle and telephoto ranges. In a zoom lens, part of the lens system moves along the optical axis to change the focal length while another part moves simultaneously to compensate for the resulting shift in focus. As a result, zoom lenses must have at least two lens groups that can move along the optical axis. The ﬁrst group at the end of the lens compensates for focus shift and is referred to as a compensator. The second group is moved to change the focal length and is referred to as a variator. This group achieves focus by adjusting the focal point.

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For example, in a wide-angle zoom lens with two lens groups, the ﬁrst group has negative refraction (divergence), and the second group has positive refraction (convergence). The lens is designed with retro-focus construction. Furthermore, to solve various limitations of this design, to keep the lens size compact, and to compensate for aberrations with fewer lens elements, most lenses use a multigroup zoom with three or more movable lens groups. Some zoom lenses are slower than single-focal-length lenses, and getting a fast zoom lens usually comes at a higher price, usually in the L category. In addition, some zoom lenses have a variable aperture, which means that the lens’s minimum aperture changes at different zoom settings.

Zoom lens advantages The obvious advantage of a zoom lens is the ability to quickly change focal lengths and image composition without changing lenses. In addition, you need only two or three zoom lenses to encompass the focal range you use most often for everyday shooting. For example, carrying a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens and a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens — or a similar combination of lenses — provides the focal range needed for most shooting. Of course, a zoom lens also offers the creative freedom of changing image composition with the turn of the zoom ring — all without changing your shooting position or changing lenses. Most mid-priced and more-expensive zoom lenses offer highquality optics that produce sharp images with excellent contrast.

Zoom lens disadvantages

6.5 A zoom lens like the very sharp EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens offers a good deal of versatility both on location and in the studio. I shot this for a magazine spread featuring holiday desserts by using a lower midrange f/stop to control the bokeh of the background lights and then added a soft vignette in Lightroom. ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/15 sec.

Although zoom lenses allow you to carry around fewer lenses, they tend to be heavier than their single-focal-length counterparts. Add more weight for that fast glass, and you have a lens with some serious heft. Mid-priced ﬁxed-aperture zoom lenses are likely to be slow, meaning that with maximum apertures of only f/4.5 or f/5.6, they require slower shutter speeds, which limit your ability to get sharp images when handholding the camera.

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Understanding Bokeh Characteristics As you’re considering lenses, bokeh may be one consideration. The term bokeh is derived from the Japanese word boke and means fuzzy. The term refers to the way an out-offocus point of light is rendered in an image. Obviously, bokeh can make the out-of-focus areas aesthetically pleasing or visually obtrusive, and the interpretation is almost entirely subjective. In general, you want the out-offocus points of light to be circular in shape and blend or transition nicely with other areas in the background, and the illumination is best if the center is bright and the edges are darker and blurry. In general, lenses with normal-aperture diaphragms create polygonal shapes in the background. On the other hand, circular-aperture diaphragms optimize the shape of the blades to create a circular blur pattern because the point source is circular. Canon lenses that feature circular aperture diaphragms use curved blades to create a rounded opening when the lens is stopped down and maintain the circular appearance through all f-stops. Ken Rockwell provides an article on bokeh with excellent examples at www.kenrockwell.com/ tech/bokeh.htm.

Some zoom lenses have variable apertures. If a variable-aperture f/4.5 to f/5.6 lens has an aperture of f/4.5 at the widest focal length, it has an aperture of f/5.6 at the longer telephoto end. Unless you use a tripod or your subject is stock-still, your ability to get a crisp picture in lower light at f/5.6 is questionable. More-expensive zoom lenses offer a ﬁxed and fast maximum aperture, meaning that with maximum apertures of f/2.8, they allow faster shutter speeds that improve your ability to get sharp images when handholding the camera. But the lens speed comes at a cost: Usually, the faster the lens is, the higher the price.

Using Wide-Angle Lenses Wide-angle lenses are great for capturing scenes like wide-open vistas, sweeping landscapes, and large groups of people as well as for taking pictures in places where space is limited. The distinguishing characteristic of wide-angle lenses is the greater range of the angle of view. Within the Canon lens lineup, you can choose angles of view ranging from the ﬁsheye lens, which offers a 180° angle of view, to the 35mm, which offers a 63° angle of view. When you shoot with a wide-angle lens, keep these lens characteristics in mind: X

Extensive depth of ﬁeld. Particularly at small apertures, such as f/8 or f/22, and without a close camera-to-subject shooting distance, the entire scene, front to back, is in acceptably sharp focus. This characteristic gives you slightly more latitude for less-than-perfectly focused pictures. 111

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Narrow, fast apertures. Wide-angle lenses tend to be faster (meaning they have wide apertures) than telephoto lenses. As a result, these lenses are good choices for everyday shooting when the lighting conditions aren’t optimal.

X

Distortion. Wide-angle lenses distort lines and objects in a scene, especially if you tilt the camera up or down when shooting. For example, if you tilt the camera up to photograph a group of skyscrapers, the lines of the buildings tend to converge and the buildings appear to fall backward (also called keystoning). You can use this wide-angle lens characteristic to creatively enhance a composition or you can avoid it by moving back from the subject and keeping the camera parallel to the main subject or by using a tilt/shift lens (discussed later in this chapter).

X

Perspective. Wide-angle lenses make objects close to the camera appear disproportionately large. You can use this characteristic to move the closest object farther forward in the image or you can move back from the closest object to reduce the effect. Wide-angle lenses can be used for portraits, but if you use a wide-angle lens for close-up portraiture, remember that the lens exaggerates the size of facial features closest to the lens, which is very unﬂattering.

If you’re shopping for a wide-angle lens, look for aspherical lenses. While costing a little more, these lenses use a varying curved surface to keep the entire image plane in sharp focus to produce better edge-to-edge sharpness and reduce distortions. TIP

6.6 A wide-angle setting of 16mm was used for this shot of the Iolani Palace in Honolulu, a hallmark of Hawaiian renaissance architecture. ISO 1000, f/22, 1/100th sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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Using Telephoto Lenses I nearly always choose a telephoto lens when shooting studio portraits but also to capture distant subjects, such as racecars, landscapes, wildlife, and close-ups, and it’s simply a must for shooting sports. Telephoto lenses in the 85-100mm range are ideal for shooting portraits, whereas longer lenses (200-800mm) allow you to photograph distant birds, wildlife, and most sporting events. When photographing wildlife, these lenses also allow you to maintain a safe working distance from the subject, whether it’s snakes in the desert or elk in the mountains.

6.7 Matt and Jackie Wheeler hit the slot in Granite Rapid on the Colorado River. Shot with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens. ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/500 sec.

When you shoot with a telephoto lens, keep these lens characteristics in mind: X

Shallow depth of ﬁeld. Telephoto lenses magnify subjects, yield a smaller ﬁeld of view, and provide a limited range of acceptably sharp focus. At large apertures, such as f/4, you can render the background to a soft blur, but with an extremely shallow depth of ﬁeld, it’s important to get tack-sharp focus somewhere in the frame. Canon lenses include full-time manual focusing that you can use to ﬁne-tune the camera’s autofocus.

X

Narrow coverage of a scene. Because the angle of view is narrow with a telephoto lens, much less of the scene is included in the image. You can use this characteristic to exclude distracting scene elements from the image.

X

Slow lenses. Mid-priced and some expensive telephoto lenses tend to be slow, meaning their widest aperture is often f/4.5 or f/5.6, which limits the ability to get sharp images 113

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without a tripod in all but the brightest light unless the lens includes Image Stabilization. And because of the magniﬁcation, even the slightest movement is exaggerated. X

Perspective. Telephoto lenses tend to compress perspective, making objects in the scene appear stacked together. You can sometimes offset this by changing your shooting or lighting angle.

If you’re shopping for a telephoto lens, look for those with ultra-low-dispersion glass or ﬂuorite elements that improve contrast and sharpness. Image Stabilization, detailed later in this chapter, further counteracts blur caused when you handhold the camera but can add additional cost to the purchase.

Using Normal Lenses Lenses in the 45-55mm range are considered normal lenses because they render the spatial relationships of objects similar to the way your own eyes do and are perhaps the most-oftenoverlooked lens in the entire range of lenses. This lens, long the primary or only lens that photography icons of the past used, remains a classic lens that provides outstanding sharpness and contrast. Normal lenses are small and light, most are affordably priced, and they offer fast and super-fast apertures, such as f/1.4 and faster. When you shoot with a normal lens, keep these lens characteristics in mind: X

Natural angle of view. A 50mm lens closely replicates the sense of distance and perspective of the human eye. This means the ﬁnal image should look much as you remember seeing it when you took the photo.

X

Minimal distortion. Given the natural angle of view, the 50mm lens retains a normal sense of distance, especially when you factor in the subject distance, perspective, and aperture.

X

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6.8 The Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 USM lens is a very sharp lens with excellent contrast.

Creative expression. With a good understanding of the 50mm lens, you can use it to simulate both wideangle and medium telephoto lens effects. For example, by shooting at a small aperture and at a low- or high-angle shooting position, you can create the dynamic feeling of a wideangle lens but without the distortion. On the other hand, shooting wide open and from a conventional shooting angle creates results similar to that of a medium-telephoto lens.

Chapter 6 Selecting and Using Canon Lenses

Using Macro Lenses Macro lenses open up a world of photographic possibilities by offering an extreme level of magniﬁcation. In addition, the reduced focusing distance allows beautiful, moderate closeups as well as extreme close-ups of plants, ﬂowers, insects, water droplets, and other small, intimate subjects. You can further reduce the focusing distance by using extension tubes (detailed later in this chapter) and/or screw-on close-up lenses. The closer you look, the more there is to see. Both normal and telephoto lenses offer macro capability. Because these lenses can be used both at their normal focal length as well as for macro photography, they serve double duty. Macro lenses offer one-half to life-size magniﬁcation.

6.9 As many photographers know, a lightweight macro lens is great during hikes for shooting close-ups of wildlife. This image of a scorpion and her babies feeding on her back was captured in Arizona by using an EF 100mm f/2.8L USM lens and an 580EX II Speedlite mounted on a homemade bracket. ISO 100, f/16, 1/100 sec.

When you shoot with a macro lens, keep these characteristics in mind: X

Extremely shallow depth of ﬁeld. At 1:1 magniﬁcation, the depth of ﬁeld is less than 1mm at maximum aperture. The shallow depth of ﬁeld makes focusing critical; even the slightest change to the focusing ring can throw the picture out of focus.

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X

High magniﬁcation. With extremely high magniﬁcation, any movement causes blur. To avoid this, always use a tripod and a cable release or a remote to release the shutter. If you must shoot handheld, use a ﬂash.

X

Variety of working distances. The working distance factors into your choice of macro lenses. For example, the 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens allows a longer working distance (measured from the tip of the lens to the subject) of 1.6 feet versus the 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro lens with a working distance of 0.8 feet.

Using Tilt/Shift Lenses Referred to as TS-E lenses, tilt/shift lenses enable you to alter the angle of the plane of focus between the lens and sensor plane to provide a broad depth of ﬁeld even at wide apertures and to correct or alter perspective at almost any angle. TS-E lenses correct perspective distortion and control focusing range and are a staple in architectural photography. Tilt movements allow you to bring an entire scene into focus, even at maximum apertures. By tilting the lens barrel, you can adjust the lens so that the plane of focus is uniform, thus changing the normally perpendicular relationship between the lens’s optical axis and the camera’s focal plane. Alternately, reversing the tilt has the opposite effect, greatly reducing the range of focusing.

6.10 The Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L Tilt/Shift lens

Shift movements avoid the trapezoidal effect that results from using wide-angle lenses and pointing the camera up to take a picture of a building, for example. Keeping the camera’s focal plane parallel to the surface of a wall and then shifting the TS-E lens to raise the lens results in the building’s perpendicular lines maintaining a rectangular appearance. TS-E lenses revolve within a range of +/- 90°, making horizontal shift possible and even useful in shooting a series of panoramic images. All Canon TS-E lenses are manual focus only. These lenses, depending on the focal length, are excellent for architectural, interior, merchandise, nature, food, and any photographic composition that presents special focusing considerations.

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Using a Lensbaby On the opposite end of the sharp focus spectrum is the Lensbaby, a bendable, Holga-like lens where the photographer decides the exact point of focus by twisting the front element to throw everything else creatively out of focus, often producing a zooming-in effect. These lenses have found a popular niche with wedding photographers and others who seek to expand their creative vision. The Lensbaby system was created by Craig Strong after he become dissatisﬁed with products currently on the market, and it was introduced to the photographic world in 2004. Lensbaby is currently promoting its third incarnation, a ball-and-socket lens design called the Composer, which replaces the original Muse, and a second version, now named the Control Freak. They derive their optical uniqueness from an adjustable lens barrel, similar to a bellows unit, and utilize a magnetic drop-in system of assorted apertures from f/2.8-f/22. The aperture wand tool/storage unit even features a recycled gray Kodak ﬁlm canister lid to contain the apertures. How retro! For greater creativity, Lensbaby also offers an Accessory Kit that includes wide-angle 0.6x and 1.6x telephoto lenses and a Creative Aperture Kit that allows you to shoot with star- or heart-shaped apertures supplied in the kit, and several blanks are included to allow you to create your own.

6.11 The Lensbaby Composer mounted on the 5D Mark II 117

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6.12 The Lensbaby Composer offers a sweet spot of focus for in-camera special effects.

The Composer is simple to use and surprisingly easy to develop an afﬁnity for. By twisting the lens in any number of positions and locking down with a ring mechanism, photographers are able to dial-in the perfect sweet spot of focus, controlling the viewer’s eye to exactly where they want the focus to be. It can produce dreamlike, almost surreal imagery with even the simplest of subject matter and lends a distinctive look to portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and architecture. If you feel like your photography needs a nudge in a more creative direction, the Lensbaby system certainly deserves a closer look. It can open up new ways of exploring and visioning with your 5D Mark II, and its use in making movies can be nothing short of mesmerizing.

Using Image-Stabilized Lenses Image Stabilization (IS) is a technology that counteracts motion blur from handholding the camera. Whether IS belongs in the lens or in the camera is a matter of debate among photographers. But for Canon, the argument is that stabilization belongs in the lens because different lenses have different stabilization needs. If you’ve shopped for lenses lately, you know that IS comes at a premium price, but you gain from 1 to 4 f-stops of stability — and that means you may be able to leave the tripod or monopod back at the studio. Canon offers a full complement of lenses with its Optical Image Stabilization (IS) technology that makes handholding the camera at slow shutter speeds and in low-light scenes more likely to produce a sharp image.

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The rule of thumb for handholding the camera is 1/shutter speed to 1/focal length. For example, the slowest shutter speed at which you can handhold a 200mm lens and avoid motion blur is 1/200 sec. If the handholding limit is pushed, shake from handholding the camera bends light rays coming from the subject into the lens relative to the optical axis, and the result is a blurry image. With an IS lens, the built-in miniature sensors and a high-speed microcomputer analyzes vibrations and applies correction via a stabilizing lens group that shifts the image parallel to the focal plane to cancel camera shake. The lens detects camera motion via two gyro sensors — one for yaw and one for pitch. The sensors detect the angle and speed of shake. Then, the lens shifts the IS lens group to suit the degree of shake to steady the light rays reaching the focal plane. Stabilization is particularly important with long lenses where the effect of shake is more pronounced as the focal length increases. And, as a result, the correction needed to cancel motion shake increases proportionately. But how do IS lenses respond when you want to pan? IS detects panning as camera shake, and the stabilization then interferes with framing the subject. To correct this, Canon offers two modes on IS lenses. Mode 1 is designed for stationary subjects, whereas Mode 2 shuts off IS in the direction of movement when the lens detects large movements for a preset amount of time. So, when panning horizontally, horizontal IS stops, but vertical IS continues to correct any vertical shake during the panning movement.

6.13 For low-light editorial assignments, IS is vital. Here, I shot at 200mm by using an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens at a shutter speed of 1/60 sec. The ISO is 400.

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The question is whether IS is worth the premium prices for these lenses — and, of course, how much you hate schlepping around a tripod. Comparing the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens and the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, the price difference runs approximately $500; more for an IS lens than for the same non-IS lens. Only you can decide, but IS is worth the price, particularly in low-light situations, such as weddings and music concerts, where tripods are impractical.

Exploring Lens Accessories A variety of ways exist to increase the focal range and decrease the focusing distance to provide ﬂexibility for the lenses you already own. These accessories are not only economical, but they also extend the range and creative options of existing and new lenses. Accessories can be as simple as a lens hood to avoid lens ﬂare, adding a tripod mount to quickly change between vertical and horizontal shooting without changing the optical axis or adding a drop-in or screwon adapter-type gel ﬁlter holder. Other options include using extension tubes, extenders, and screw-on close-up lenses.

Extending the range lenses with extenders You can increase the focal length of almost any lens by using an extender. An extender (formerly called a tele-converter) is a lens set in a small barrel and then mounted between the camera body and a regular lens. Canon offers two extenders, a 1.4x and 2.0x, that are compatible only with certain L-series Canon lenses. Extenders don’t affect the MFD (Minimum Focus Distance) of the lens they’re mounted behind, thus the MM (Maximum Magniﬁcation) of the lens is also multiplied by 2x. Extenders can also be stacked to get even greater magniﬁcation. For example, using the Canon EF 2x II extender with a 600mm lens doubles the lens’s focal length to 1200mm. Using the Canon EF 1.4 II extender would increase a 600mm lens to 840mm. However, a noticeable trade-off occurs in quality over using a lens speciﬁc to that particular focal length. In other words, you generally get better results from a 400mm lens than with a 200mm lens plus the Canon EF 2x II extender. The native lens is also less trouble to mount and dismount. Extenders generally don’t change camera operation in any way, but they do reduce the amount of light transmission reaching the image sensor. The EF 1.4 II extender decreases the light by 1 f-stop, and the EF 2.0 II extender decreases the light by 2 f-stops and you lose a little autofocusing speed. In addition to being lightweight, the obvious advantage of extenders is that they can reduce the number of telephoto lenses you carry. The 1.4 II extender can be used with ﬁxed-focal-length lenses of 135mm and longer (except the 135mm f/2.8 Softfocus lens) and these zoom lenses: X

EF 70-200mm f/2.8L

X

EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

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X

EF 70-200mm f/4.0L

X

EF 70-200mm f/4.0L IS USM

X

EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

With the EF 2.0 II, autofocus is possible only if the lens has an f/2.8 or faster maximum aperture, and compatible IS lenses continue to provide stabilization.

6.14 This is the 1.4 II extender with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens.

Increasing magniﬁcation with extension tubes and close-up lenses Extension tubes are close-up accessories that provide high magniﬁcation from approximately 0.3 to 0.7 and can be used on many EF lenses, although a few exceptions exist. Extension tubes are placed between the camera body and lens and communicate to the camera via the eight electronic contact points. Canon offers two extension tubes: the EF 12mm II and the EF 25mm II. The function of the camera and lens is unchanged, and extension tubes can be combined for greater magniﬁcation. A rough rule of thumb to use for the increased magniﬁcation is: Additional Magniﬁcation = (Extension Tube Length) / (Lens Focal Length) Based on this rough rule, the EF 25mm II extension tube put between the camera body and an EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens results in a .5 magniﬁcation gain (25mm divided by 50mm). I’ve found that autofocus effectiveness is spotty when using extension tubes and not always where I want it when it does work, so I usually just focus manually whenever I’m using them. When combining tubes, it’s especially important to focus manually because of the increased magniﬁcation.

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The EF 25 II extension tube isn’t compatible with these lenses: X

EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye

X

EF 14mm f/2.8L USM

X

EF 20mm f/2.8 USM

X

EF 24mm f/1.4L USM

X

EF 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

X

EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

X

MP-E 65mm

X

TS-E 45mm f/2.8 lens

Additionally, you can use screw-on closeup lenses. I prefer to start with these because you don’t lose any of the lightgathering capability of your lens as you do with extension tubes. For this reason, I usually begin composing close-ups by using one of these close-up lenses. Even though they look and behave much like ﬁlters, they’re technically lenses because they incorporate more than one piece of glass.

6.15 The EF 25 (top) and EF 12 II (bottom) extension tubes showing the eight pin connections the lenses need to communicate with the camera.

You may hear other photographers refer to them as close-up ﬁlters, which they’re not, but in day-to-day usage, the names have become synonymous. Canon offers two lenses that provide enhanced close-up photography. The 250D and 500D series use a doubleelement achromatic design for enhanced optical performance. The 500D series features singleelement construction for economy. The working distance from the front edge of the lens is 25 cm for the 250D and 50 cm for the 500D. If that’s not enough magniﬁcation for your subject, you can always add extension tubes, but just remember to dial-in the appropriate exposure increase for the particular extension tube you’re using.

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7

Working with Canon EX-series Speedlites dding a Speedlite to your arsenal of photography gear can open a whole new way of seeing and rendering the world around you. Speedlites are available for all ranges of budgets and shooting requirements, and because of the camera’s sophisticated circuitry, getting spectacular ﬂash-lit images has never been easier. This chapter details choosing and using accessory Canon EX-series Speedlites. Although it’s not a comprehensive look at all the ways you can use Speedlites, this chapter provides an overview of the technology as well as some techniques you can use with one or more Speedlites and the 5D Mark II.

A

Keegan Mullaney of KM Authorized is a computer IT and network tech wizard — photographed in the studio with three Speedlites — who used this image for his Web site and print advertising. ISO 100, f/8, 1/100 sec., with an EF 100mm f/2.8 USM lens.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Exploring E-TTL Technology The latest Canon EX-series Speedlites employ E-TTL II technology. E-TTL stands for Evaluative Through-the-Lens ﬂash exposure control. In simple terms, E-TTL II technology receives information from the camera, including the focal length of the lens, the distance from the subject, the exposure settings (including aperture), and the camera’s built-in metering system to balance subject exposure with the ambient light. Although E-TTL II works with all lenses, not all Canon lenses communicate distance information that’s used in the algorithm that calculates ﬂash exposure. Generally, lenses with a ring-type USM return distance information. Lenses that don’t offer full-time manual focus, such as the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM, don’t return distance information nor do lenses with arc-form motors, such as the EF 50mm f/1.8, the 24mm f/2.8, the 85mm f/1.2L USM, and tilt/shift (full manual focus) lenses. NOTE

7.1 A 580EX Speedlite at 1/4 power shooting through a small white umbrella and another one at 1/8 power undiffused combined with a third Speedlite for the background provided the lighting for this business portrait. The ﬂash created catchlights that add vitality and sparkle to the eyes. ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/160 sec., with an EF 100mm f/2.8 USM lens.

In more speciﬁc terms, with E-TTL II, the camera’s meter reads through the lens but not off the focal plane. With the Speedlite mounted on the camera, after the Shutter button is fully pressed but before the reﬂex mirror goes up, the ﬂash ﬁres a pre-ﬂash beam. Information from this pre-ﬂash is sent to the camera and is combined with data from the metering system to analyze and compare ambient light exposure values with the amount of light needed to make a proper exposure. Then, the camera calculates and stores the ﬂash output needed to illuminate the subject while maintaining a natural-looking balance with the ambient light in the background. To see what happens when you take a picture with a Speedlite attached, follow these steps: 1. Press the Shutter button halfway down to set focus on the subject and determine the exposure needed given the amount of ambient light. 2. Press the Shutter button completely to ﬁre a pre-ﬂash so the amount of light reﬂected off the subject can be accurately measured and exposed for. The camera quickly compares and evaluates both the ambient and pre-ﬂash readings and then determines the 124

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proper subject and background exposure. The reﬂex mirror ﬂips up, the front shutter curtain opens, and the ﬂash ﬁres, exposing the image on the sensor. The rear shutter curtain closes and then the reﬂex mirror goes back down. Regardless of the focal length of the lens you’re using, the EX-series Speedlites automatically adjust the ﬂash zoom mechanism to produce the best ﬂash coverage and to illuminate key areas of the scene, which conserves power. E-TTL II technology also enables high-speed sync ﬂash with Speedlites that allows ﬂash sync with a shutter speed faster than the camera’s X-sync speed of 1/200 sec. As a result, you can open up the lens and move to a higher shutter speed when shooting a backlit subject to blur the background. High-speed sync extends the ﬂash duration to make synchronization possible by using fast shutter speeds that form a slit between the front and rear curtains as the curtains travel. EOS-dedicated EX-series Speedlites offer this feature. NOTE

When shooting with Speedlites, the Canon ﬂash technology also allows wireless multiple ﬂashes to create studio-type lighting and to set light ratios. Wireless multiple ﬂashes are even easier with the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 so you can set up and identify a maximum of three groups of Speedlites and designate master and slave units.

TIP

The Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX and Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX can also serve as master ﬂash units.

Why Flash Sync Speed Matters Flash sync speed matters because if it isn’t set correctly, only part of the image sensor has enough time to receive light while the shutter is open. The result is an unevenly exposed image. This is easy to get wrong when using studio strobes because the camera has no idea what kind of ﬂash system it’s hooked up to. The 5D Mark II doesn’t allow you to set a shutter speed faster than 1/200 sec. when using on-camera ﬂash, but you can always set the shutter speed to a slower ﬂash sync speed. Some photographers refer to this method as dragging the shutter. A slower shutter sync speed allows the ambient room light to rise to a higher value that looks more natural. Using C.Fn I-07 (discussed in Chapter 5), you can also set whether the 5D Mark II sets the ﬂash sync speed automatically over the entire range of acceptable shutter speeds (option 0), sets the shutter speed automatically in the 1/60 and 1/200 sec. range (option 1), or always uses 1/200 sec. (option 2) when you’re shooting in Av mode.

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Choosing a Canon EX-series Speedlite When choosing a Speedlite, it’s important to evaluate your objectives and how you intend to use the ﬂash unit. Questions you might ask yourself include: Do you need a portable studio for location assignments? Do you want to enhance macro and other nature shooting? Do you need a Speedlite only for occasional use? Additional considerations include the performance and power of the ﬂash unit, such as the guide number, power output, wide-angle to telephoto coverage, wireless and multi-Speedlite capability, recycle time, ability to maintain consistent color, power conservation, shutter curtain synchronization, Custom Functions, and the availability of a built-in PC terminal and external power packs. Once you know your shooting objectives and the type of functionality and performance you need, you can evaluate Speedlites to see which model best ﬁts your needs.

Evaluating 5D Mark II–compatible Speedlites At this writing, three Canon non-macro ﬂash units — the 220EX, the 430EX II, and the 580EX II — are in the stores and are compatible with the 5D Mark II. For macro work, the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX or Macro Twin Lite MT24EX are available and provide shadowless lighting. If you have an older Speedlite, such as the 580 or 550, for example, they perform adequately with the 5D Mark II and can be used wirelessly for multi-ﬂash setups, which I discuss later in this chapter. Even older Speedlites easily found via online auctions can be used in multiple light setups, as long as their output can be set manually and they can be triggered remotely. Here’s an overview of the currently available Speedlites, followed by a comparison of features in Tables 7.1 and 7.2. X

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580EX II. This is currently the ﬂagship Speedlite for all-around general photography. The 580EX II offers a metal foot for reliability and rigidity, a 20% improvement in recycling time, and more weather-prooﬁng than its predecessor, the 580EX. It also features a 180° swivel in either direction, white balance information communication with compatible cameras, an external metering sensor for non-TTL automatic ﬂash exposure control, and a PC socket for use with nondedicated slave triggers.

Image courtesy of Canon

7.2 The Canon 580EX II Speedlite

Chapter 7 Working with Canon EX-series Speedlites

X

430EX II. The 430EX II features the same basic appearance and layout as the 430EX but adds a metal shoe with the same locking mechanism as the 580EX II and 1/3 EV step output control in Manual mode. The 430EX II can also be fully conﬁgured via the rear LCD menus of recent Canon dSLRs as well as from its own LCD control panel. The recycling time of the 430EX II is 20% faster than the 430EX, and recycling is much quieter. Like the 430EX, the 430EX II can act as a wireless slave but not as a wireless controller.

X

270EX. The all-new 270EX is the least expensive and is intended as an entry-level Speedlite, far surpassing the power and features of popup ﬂashes included on board other EOS cameras. This Speedlite features a 90° tilting zoom head. It also offers a near-silent recycling in a time of just 3.9 seconds and a guide number of 27 m. Powered by two AA batteries, this ﬂashgun is compatible with all recent Canon cameras.

X

Image courtesy of Canon

7.3 The Canon 430EX II Speedlite

Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX. This dual-light macro unit alleviates the ﬂat lighting look that a single ring Image courtesy of Canon light ﬂash can create by providing 7.4 The Canon 270EX Speedlite two separate ﬂash heads that you can move around the lens, aim separately, or remove from the holders and mount off-camera. The MT-24EX is E-TTL–compatible with the 5D Mark II and allows wireless ﬂash with one or more 550EX or 430EX Speedlites as slave units. You can also control the lighting ratio of each ﬂash head’s output for more than a 6-stop range.

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7.5 The Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Speedlite

X

Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX. This ﬂash unit is compatible with E-TTL and features two circular twin-ﬂash tubes that can ﬁre at even power or be varied between them over a 6-stop range. You can use compatible non-macro Speedlites, such as the 550EX, as wireless slaves. The controller has an illuminated LCD panel and accepts optional highcapacity battery packs.

Image courtesy of Canon

7.6 The Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX Speedlite

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7.7 Even though it’s said to produce shadowless lighting, the ring light actually does produce a distinctive soft shadow that outlines the subject as long as the background isn’t too distant from the subject.

Table 7.1 5D Mark II–Compatible Canon Speedlites (Non-macro) 270EX

430EX II

580EX II

Type

E-TTL II, ETTL, TTL

Mode: E-TTL II, E-TTL, TTL

E-TTL operation with all EOS dSLRs

Guide Number

72 feet at ISO 100

141 feet at ISO 100; ﬂash head at 105mm zoom setting

190 feet at ISO 100; ﬂash head at 105mm zoom setting

Number of Flashes

≈ 250 to 1,700

≈ 200 to 1,400, with fresh ≈ 100 to 700, with fresh AA-size alkaline batteries or AA-size alkaline batteries AA-size Ni-MH fully charged batteries

Recycle Time

0.1 to 3.9 seconds

≈ 0.1 to 3.7 seconds (AA-size alkaline batteries)/0.1 to 2 seconds (AA-size Ni-MH batteries)

≈ 0.1 to 6 seconds, with fresh AA-size alkaline batteries

(continued)

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Table 7.1 5D Mark II–Compatible Canon Speedlites (Non-macro) (continued) 270EX

430EX II

Flash Range

2.3 feet to 51.5 feet at ISO 100

At ISO 100, with 50mm At ISO 100, with EF f/1.4 lens at f1.4; for 50mm f/1.4 at f/1.4: ≈ normal ﬂash: ≈ 2.3 to 79.7 1.6 to 98.4 feet feet; for high-sync speed (EF ﬂash): ≈ 2.3 to 39.4 feet

AF Assist Beam

Built-in; linked to center focusing point; ≈ 13.1 feet; periphery: ≈ 11.5 feet in total darkness

Built-in; covers all focus points in EOS cameras up to nine AF points; effective range: ≈ 2.3 to 32.8 feet at center; ≈ 2.3 to 16.4 feet in total darkness at periphery

Built-in; covers all focus points in EOS cameras with 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 45 AF (autofocus) points; distance range: 2 to 32.8 feet at center; 2 to 16.4 feet at periphery

Custom Functions

Shoe lock provided; two Custom Functions

Six user-selectable Custom Functions built-in; set on Speedlite’s LCD panel

14 Speedlite Custom Functions built-in; set on Speedlite’s LCD panel

Power Source

Two AA-size/LR6 alkaline batteries

Four AA-size alkaline batteries (6V) or four AA-size NiMH (4.8V)

Four AA-size batteries: alkaline, lithium, or rechargeable Ni-MH

External Power Source

N/A

N/A

External power supply; compatible with dust and water-resistant external power pack, Canon battery pack CP-E3, and Transistor Pack E

Dimensions

2.5 × 2.6 × 3.0 inches

2.8 × 4.8 × 4.0 inches

3.0 × 5.3 × 4.5 inches

Weight (without batteries)

5.1 oz

11.6 oz

13.2 oz

Other

Supports 50mm up to 28mm coverage; basic Speedlite with head that doesn’t tilt, swivel, or zoom; and has no manual power adjustment

Supports up to 14mm coverage. A lens wider than 24mm requires the pull-out and ﬂip-down diffuser panel to be used for complete frame ﬂash coverage. Flash coverage: Fixed condenser lens with inner zoom: (1) Auto Zoom, (2) Manual Zoom, (3) Wide Panel. Zoom positions: 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, 80mm, 105mm; indicated by numerals on the LCD’s focal length display. Image Size Zoom Control: With cameras compatible with auto zoom, it zooms automatically to match the camera’s image size.

Supports up to 14mm coverage. A lens wider than 24mm requires the pull-out and ﬂip-down diffuser panel to be used for complete frame ﬂash coverage. Flash coverage: Fixed condenser lens with inner zoom: (1) Auto Zoom, (2) Manual Zoom, (3) Wide Panel. Zoom positions: 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, 80mm, 105mm; indicated by numerals on the LCD’s focal length display. Image Size Zoom Control: With cameras compatible with auto zoom, it zooms automatically to match the camera’s image size.

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Table 7.2 5D Mark II–Compatible Macro Speedlites Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX

Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX

Type

Macro ﬂash unit with adjustable and Ring Lite, twin circular ﬂash tubes, and removable twin straight ﬂash heads; sep- separate Controller Unit arate Controller Unit attaches to camera’s hot shoe

Guide Number

72 feet at ISO 100 (with both tubes ﬁring at full power)

46.2 feet at ISO 100

Flash Duration

Modeling Flash: 1-second burst at 70Hz in E-TTL or Manual ﬂash mode, showing ratios; with C.Fn IV-01 (on MT-24EX), uniform 1-second burst at 70Hz with any EOS body by pressing the Controller Unit’s test button; a 72C Macro Lite Adapter is required when using the MT-24EX with the EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens

Modeling Flash: 1-second burst at 70Hz in E-TTL or Manual ﬂash mode, showing ratios (possible only with EOS-1v and EOS-3); with C.Fn IV-01, uniform 1-second burst at 70Hz; works in TTL mode

Flash Control System

Flash Exposure Compensation, Flash Exposure Bracketing, FE Lock, FP sync, Ratio Control of left:right (A:B) ﬂash tubes over a 6-stop range (8:1 to 1:8 lighting ratios), and wireless E-TTL with off-camera 550EX and/or 420EX slave units

Controls in E-TTL mode: FP sync, FE Lock, Flash Exposure Compensation, Flash Exposure Bracketing; controls in Manual mode: Flash Exposure Compensation, Flash Exposure Bracketing; Ratio Control in Manual mode: left:right tubes (A:B) in full steps over 1/1 to 1/64 range, full steps; setting method: LCD panel on the Controller Unit (illuminated), similar to 550EX Speedlite

Exposure Control Variable from full (1/1) to 1/64 power; N/A Modes Ratio Control of left:right (A:B) ﬂash tubes from 1/1 to 1/64 power possible Custom Functions

Nine Custom Functions on MT-24EX, in addition to any in-camera); set on MT-24EX Controller LCD panel

Seven on the MR-14EX (in addition to any in-camera); set on ﬂash LCD panel

Power Source

Four AA batteries in the Controller Unit (alkaline, lithium, rechargeable Ni-Cd, or Ni-MH AAs)

Four AA batteries in the Controller Unit (alkaline, Ni-Cd, Lithium, and Ni-MH type AAs)

External Power Source

Compact Battery Pack E or E2 and Transistor Pack E

External battery packs, Compact Battery Pack CP-E2, Transistor Pack E

Weight (without batteries)

20.6 oz

15.1 oz

Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 In addition, Canon offers the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, a small ﬂash control unit that ﬁts on the camera’s hot shoe. The ST-E2 offers wireless control of multiple master and slave Speedlites, and it’s a handy way to control multiple ﬂash setups.

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Some features of the ST-E2 include: X

Control up to three groups of Speedlites, with the ability to control the slave units’ IDs.

X

Modeling ﬂash. This ﬁres at the ﬂash ratio that you’ve set and is triggered by pressing the Depth of Field Preview button on the camera.

X

An AF assist beam compatible with 28mm-and-longer lens focal lengths. The AF assist beam has an effective range of approximately 2.0 to 16.5 feet along the periphery (in total darkness).

X

Flash ratio control as well as adjustment and channel control. The ﬂash ratio control for the A:B ratio is 1:8 to 8:1, in half-step increments, or 13 steps.

X

FE Lock, Flash Exposure Bracketing, Flash Exposure Compensation, stroboscopic ﬂash, and high-speed sync (FP ﬂash) in HighSpeed Sync mode for ﬂash synchronization at all shutter speeds. Flash Exposure Compensation during FE Lock is indicated when the ﬂash exposure level icon is lit in the viewﬁnder. If the ﬂash exposure is insufﬁcient, the icon blinks. After the ﬂash ﬁres, the ST-E2 ﬂash conﬁrmation lamp lights in green for 3 seconds.

X

Image courtesy of Canon

7.8 The Canon Speedlite Transmitter

ST-E2 Infrared pulse transmission system with a range of approximately 39.4 to 49.2 feet indoors and approximately 26.2 to 32.8 feet outdoors. The ﬂash transmission coverage is +/-40° horizontal and +/-30° vertical.

For multiple off-camera Speedlite shooting, the ST-E2 is invaluable because it gives you cableless operation and precise ﬂash ratio control. The unit is powered by CR5 lithium batteries. I prefer to use rechargeable CR5s for the ST-E2, which provide approximately 1,000 to 1,500 transmissions per charge.

Using Speedlites Depending on the Speedlite that you use, there are a variety of ways that you can control or modify ﬂash exposure, either by making on-camera adjustments or by using the Speedlite controls. In addition, both the 5D Mark II and the Speedlite’s Custom Functions enable you to customize various ﬂash functions to suit your shooting requirements. Because Speedlites differ in functionality, following are some general ideas about the ways in which you can control and modify ﬂash exposure. For speciﬁc steps in setting exposure modiﬁcation, see the instruction manual for the Speedlite(s) that you’re using.

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Front and Rear Curtain Sync All Canon EOS cameras have two moving curtains in the shutter mechanism. The front curtain opens the shutter, and the rear curtain closes it. The normal operation of the shutter and ﬂash causes the ﬂash to ﬁre immediately when the front curtain opens. This is Front Curtain Sync, and it’s ﬁne for most general ﬂash applications. But say your subject is moving and you’re panning the camera by using a slow shutter speed to pick up some ambient light. Flash photography in this mode produces motion trails out in front of the object you’re tracking to make it look like it’s moving backward. The trick is to get the ﬂash to ﬁre right before the shutter closes, thereby showing the motion trails behind the object, and this is exactly what Rear Curtain Sync does. You can set this feature either on the camera or on the Speedlite, but the Speedlite takes precedence over the camera’s settings.

Flash Exposure Compensation Flash Exposure Compensation is much like autoexposure compensation in that you can set compensation for ﬂash exposure up to +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments. A positive compensation setting increases the ﬂash output and vice versa. Flash Exposure Compensation helps reduce shadows in the background, balance unevenly lit scenes, and is a highly effective tool for producing natural-looking images. Generally, you can set compensation on either the camera or the Speedlite or both. If you set it on both, the Speedlite’s setting overrides the camera’s setting. Flash Exposure Compensation can be combined with Autoexposure Bracketing (AEB). If you’re shooting a scene where one part of the scene is brightly lit and another part is much darker — for example, an interior room with a view to the outdoors — setting AEB to -1 and setting the Flash Exposure Compensation to -1 makes the transition between the two differently lit areas more natural. This technique is illustrated later in this chapter.

Flash Exposure Bracketing Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB), like AEB, takes three shots with different ﬂash output for each shot up to +/-3 stops in 1/3-stop increments. On most Speedlites, FEB is cancelled after the three shots are taken. You can also combine FEB with Flash Exposure Compensation and FE Lock.

Flash Exposure Lock Flash Exposure Lock (FE Lock) is much like Autoexposure Lock (AE Lock). Flash Exposure Lock enables you to meter and set the ﬂash output for the area of critical exposure in the scene. FE Lock can be used in a variety of ways. One technique is to identify the area of critical exposure in the scene, meter for that area, and then lock the ﬂash exposure. In a food setup, for example, the critical exposure is on the food as opposed to the background, so FE Lock is set on the food. The camera then balances the exposure with the background light.

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High-speed sync High-speed ﬂash sync (FP ﬂash) allows you to take ﬂash images at any shutter speed instead of limiting the fastest shutter speed to the 5D Mark II’s X-sync speed of 1/200 sec. This means you have more latitude in using wide apertures to blur backgrounds in outdoor and indoor portraits. With fast shutter speeds, the effective ﬂash range is shorter, and the range is shown on the Speedlite’s LCD. When the Speedlite is set to high-speed sync ﬂash, the stroboscopic ﬂash can’t be set. In addition to setting ﬂash exposure, you can control ﬂash functions on the camera and on the ﬂash. Custom Functions for the ﬂash unit vary by Speedlite and are detailed in the speciﬁc Speedlite manuals. On the 5D Mark II, you can set the following ﬂash-related Custom Functions: X

C.Fn I-07: This sets the ﬂash sync speed in Av mode to either automatic or 1/200 sec. ﬁxed.

X

C.Fn III-05: Enables or disables the EOS-dedicated Speedlite’s AF assist beam. If the Speedlite’s AF assist beam Custom Function is set to disable, this overrides the camera, even if the camera is set to project the beam.

7.9 In this image, setting the Speedlite for high-speed sync captured the motion of water dripping into a bowl. ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/3200 sec., with an EF 100mm f/2.8 USM lens and a 580EX Speedlite.

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Flash Techniques in the Field Once you have one or more Speedlites, using them on location is not only convenient but can also expand your imagination and creativity. Just as with studio lighting, using one or more Speedlites provides essentially the same creative lighting opportunities as traditional studio strobes. And when you need portable studio lighting for location portraits and assignments, it’s hard to beat the small size and weight of multiple Speedlites, light stands, and a few light modiﬁers, such as a softbox, octabank, or umbrellas.

Balancing ambient and ﬂash lighting The small size of a Speedlite and its high ﬂash output make it ideal for professional location lighting when your scene is of a manageable size. Speedlites can be placed almost anywhere and dialed in to produce just the right amount of light you need to create a dramatic portrait or interior shot. The exposure controls of the 5D Mark II, in tandem with the settings of a compatible EX-series Speedlite, make balancing ambient and ﬂash simple. I decide what ISO setting I want to use based on the time of day and ambient lighting conditions, taking into consideration whether my subjects are going to be moving. I then set my Speedlite to expose just under the ambient level somewhere between 1 to 2 stops. Exactly matching the ambient level with the Speedlite looks ﬂat and fake in my opinion. Often, my goal is to mask the fact that I used a ﬂash at all.

Two Classic Flash Techniques Two of the most frequently used ﬂash techniques are bounce ﬂash and creating a catchlight in the subject’s eyes. Bounce ﬂash softens hard ﬂash shadows by diffusing the ﬂash light. Facilitate this by holding the ﬂash in your left hand and the camera in your right. The Speedlite is connected to the camera with the Canon Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2, a small coiled cord that contains all the connections your camera and ﬂash need to communicate with each other. To use bounce ﬂash, turn the ﬂash head so that it points up toward the ceiling or a nearby wall so that the light hits the ceiling or wall and spreads the ﬂash illumination back into your scene. Your light source is now the broad surface you’re bouncing your ﬂash into. When the ﬂash head is turned upward, the ﬂash coverage is automatically set to 50mm if the Speedlite is set to automatic zooming. To create catchlights in the subject’s eyes by using a 580EX or a 580EX II ﬂash, tilt the head up by 90% and then pull out the panels tucked into the ﬂash head. One translucent is called the wide panel and is used with super-wide-angle lenses. There’s a solid white panel behind the wide panel, and it’s the catchlight panel. Push the wide panel back in, but leave the catchlight panel out. The panel kicks light into the eyes, creating catchlights that add a sense of vitality and sparkle to the eyes. For best results, try to position yourself within 5 feet of the subject.

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Speedlite light modiﬁers and umbrellas Using Speedlites in place of bulkier studio strobe equipment for the same quality lighting is great until you discover a favorite light modiﬁer that’s not compatible with the smaller ﬂashes. Photographers are problem-solvers by nature, and given a little thought and ingenuity, you can come up with some simple solutions to lighting problems by thinking them through. Taking some corrugated plastic sign material and stacking several 1-inch-wide by 3-inch-wide pieces together in the shape of your ﬂash lens makes a nifty grid spot for your Speedlite. Wrap some black foam paper from a craft store around the assembly, and you’ve got a professionallooking piece of gear that’s highly functional. Likewise, a product called Cinefoil, which is basically heavy-duty black tinfoil, can be wrapped around your ﬂash head to minimize spill and light only a speciﬁc portion of your image. A small 24-inch white or silver umbrella or collapsible softbox can be highly effective at softening the light from the ﬂash to produce very soft portrait lighting with pleasing tonal gradations. For larger groups, an octabank can provide even lighting over a broader range. Be aware that octabanks, softboxes, and umbrellas are very susceptible to wind currents when used outdoors, so plan on bringing some extra weights or smaller gear bags to hook on them to hold them down. Combine the Speedlites with the Transmitter ST-E2, and you can go wireless and avoid the bother of cords altogether. In addition, the newer Speedlites come with small stands that make it easy to place them around the set to suit your lighting plan.

Using a Speedlite as a secondary light With location photography, the ambient light must be evaluated carefully to determine if it’s adequate to use as the main light source. The ambient light can provide a sense of the subject’s environment to help set the prevailing scene, particularly in indoor locations. I try to make the most of ambient light and use it as the main or ﬁll light source when possible. As a result, I use Speedlites to boost ambient light, help deﬁne areas in a scene that are poorly lit, or creatively create edgier light. To create the lighting setup, I mounted one 580EX on a lightweight light stand, shoot7.10 An older Speedlite being used as a secondary light source with a PocketWizard ing through a small white umbrella that MultiMAX as the triggering device. was positioned to camera right at about a 40° angle. Another 580EX left undiffused was positioned on another light stand to the subject’s right. This created separation between the subject and the background and produced a thin highlight that deﬁnes her right side.

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Working with multiple wireless ﬂash setups There’s perhaps no more fun in ﬂash photography than when you use multiple wireless Speedlites. I use the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 or PocketWizards with Speedlites and then add light modiﬁers depending on the subject and the mood I’m trying to create. With wireless shooting, you have to ensure that the signal between the Speedlites is direct, but in an interior setting, you have a bit more ﬂexibility in setting up the lights. After years of transporting pack and head and monolight systems to location portrait shoots, it’s a joy to bring one gear case (in addition to my camera case) that contains all the lighting tools that I need to create beautiful portraits. Manfrotto makes a nifty, lightweight stand — the 001B Nano — that’s perfect for Speedlites and collapses to just 19 inches, which ﬁts nicely in my Lightware ﬂash case. Four Speedlites, ﬁve PocketWizard Transceivers, and the Transmitter ST-E2, along with the various connectors and sync cord, provide me with a compact, easily portable kit that gives me conﬁdence to light a wide array of shooting situations. In Manual mode, the output can be dialed down to 1/128th power for extreme ﬂash control, and a variety of commercially available light modiﬁers allow you to tailor the light even further. Depending on the assignment, my initial approach is to see if there are any ambient lighting conditions I want to use or maintain in the shot. If so, shutter speed and ISO become very important to expose the setting the way I want it. I then use as many Speedlites as I feel the shot needs for key, background, and rim lighting — some diffused; some not — to create the effect I want. Their portability and wide range of light output, coupled with the camera’s high ISO range, make dark and difﬁcult locations manageable. For this image of Matt Wilson, a computer technician in ﬁgure 7.11, I used three EX-series Speedlites: a 580EX Speedlite mounted on a lightweight light stand at camera left and wrapped with Cinefoil to create a small pool of light around his face and two 550EX Speedlites with blue gels — one taped to the corner of the ceiling at camera right and another on the ﬂoor at camera right — all triggered wirelessly by PocketWizards.

Balancing lighting extremes A little creative use of exposure modiﬁcation on both the 5D Mark II and a Speedlite can help balance unequal lighting, such as a dim indoor scene and a bright outdoor view. The trick is to blend the extremes. With Speedlites that allow manual adjustment, a negative compensation for both the camera exposure and the ﬂash works to balance the differences in light in the room with the brighter outdoor light. I also encourage you to explore the many lighting options that multiple Speedlites offer. As someone who has lugged around more than my share of heavy lighting equipment for years, carrying one Lightware case of Speedlites, connectors, and stands and getting terriﬁc results has made location shoots a lot more fun.

NOTE

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7.11 ISO 500, f/5.6, 1/50 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L IS USM lens

7.12 This designer’s spa exposure was ISO 100, f/22, 8 sec., with a 580EX Speedlite set to -1 Flash Exposure Compensation bounced into the ceiling behind the camera. 138

C HA P T E R

# 8

Shooting Video with the 5D Mark II he most exciting new feature of the 5D Mark II is arguably the ability to capture full 1080p high-deﬁnition video clips with sound. This raises the bar for photographers and videographers alike to produce stunning video imagery with a lightweight, compact package that utilizes the wide assortment of excellent Canon optics. Many still photographers who see the potential of this exciting new tool are getting up to speed quickly by working side by side with videographers or signing up for video training. Several photographers liken this undertaking to learning a new language, which in fact it essentially is — a powerful new language merging audio and video to enhance their storytelling and documentary capabilities and increase the commercial possibilities for traditional still photographers. As the Internet and technology expand — creating Air pockets inside the ice create feather-like shapes in this macro image from a video exploring an ice cave near Trout more needs for full-motion Lake, Washington. ISO 500, f/22, 1/40 sec., with an EF video — photographers who 24-70mm f2.8L USM lens. adapt video skills to their repertoire stand to realize a distinct competitive advantage. For those wondering where the future of dSLR technology is heading, it’s already here — and this is it.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Preparing to Shoot Video A big part of the excitement photographers feel about shooting video with the 5D Mark II is the ability to compose clips with lens looks they’re familiar with, such as longer telephoto lenses with great bokeh, macro or tilt/shift lenses, all the way down to the EF 15mm Fisheye. In June 2009, Canon released Firmware Update 1.1, which enables full manual control of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed while the camera is set to capture video in addition to Auto mode. This update now allows you to shoot HD and SD video in Manual mode, with the complete control over any aperture selection of the attached lens, ISO settings from 100–6400cm, including Auto and H1, and shutter speed selection from 1/30 to 1/4000 second.

High-Deﬁnition Video High-deﬁnition video, or HD video, refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard deﬁnition (SD) video and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1280 × 720 pixels (720p) or 1920 × 1080 pixels (1080i/1080p). The 5D Mark II can shoot video in both SD and HD resolutions and uses 1080p for its high-deﬁnition resolution. Go to http://gallery.me.com/jq_waller#100493 to see a video shot with the 5D Mark II. NOTE

Resolution and frame rate When referring to high-deﬁnition television, the reference is actually to the number of lines in the vertical display resolution. High-deﬁnition television (HDTV) resolution is 1080, or 720 lines. By contrast, regular digital television (DTV) is 480 lines (upon which NTSC is based; 480 visible scan lines out of 525) or 576 lines (upon which PAL and SECAM are based; 576 visible scan lines out of 625). Additionally, current DVD quality isn’t high deﬁnition, although the highdeﬁnition disc system Blu-ray is, as was the now-defunct HD DVD format. In high-deﬁnition mode, the 5D Mark II shoots in 1080p resolution as opposed to 1080i. The p stands for progressive scanning and redraws the image frame (all its lines) when refreshing each image. Designated by an i, interlaced scanning draws the image ﬁeld every other line, or odd-numbered lines, during the ﬁrst image refresh operation and then draws the remaining even-numbered lines during a second refreshing. To get an idea of how this works in theory, place your palms on a ﬂat surface and then slide your hands toward each other, interlocking your ﬁngers. Interlaced scanning in effect replaces one hand at a time to create a moving image. Interlaced scanning yields greater image resolution if a subject isn’t moving but loses up to half the resolution and may suffer combing artifacts if the subject is moving. This accounts for the jagged visual effects in some fast-moving sequences. There are three main frame-rate standards in the TV and movie industries: X

140

60i. Designating 60 interlaced ﬁelds producing 29.97 fps, 60i is the standard video frame rate used for NTSC (National Television System Committee) television since 1941 and is used by DVDs and home-video camcorders.

Chapter 8 Shooting Video with the 5D Mark II

X

50i. This frame rate of 50 interlaced ﬁelds produces 25 fps and is the standard for PAL (Phase Alternating Line), a color-encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many parts of the world. The 5D Mark II has video output settings for both NTSC and PAL and must be set correctly to view images on a corresponding TV right off the camera.

X

30p. In either SD or HD mode, the 5D Mark II is set to record video at 30 fps or 30-frame progressive. Progressive (noninterlaced) scanning mimics a ﬁlm camera’s frame-byframe image capture and gives clarity for high-speed subjects and a cinematic-like appearance. Shooting in 30p mode offers video with no interlace artifacts.

One of the limitations of the current state of the technology today in relation to the 5D Mark II that many photographers might not realize at ﬁrst is the HD output and storage decisions. It’s wise to consider this before you begin creating huge HD video ﬁles for which you may not have appropriate output or storage capacity. Although you have a great tool to create high-deﬁnition movies with the 5D Mark II, output is limited by the devices you have at your disposal, and large high-deﬁnition ﬁles gobble up computer hard disk space in a hurry. HD content can be viewed by most computers over VGA, DVI, or HDMI feeds, Blu-ray discs, or by connecting the 5D Mark II to a high-deﬁnition TV monitor, as Canon recommends. This isn’t always workable but may be the easiest method of viewing HD content until Blu-ray burners and players become more affordable and widespread. To set the video resolution on the 5D Mark II, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then turn the Main dial to display the Set-up 2 (yellow) menu. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to highlight Live View/Movie func.set. and then press the Set button. The camera displays the Live View/Movie func.set. option screen. 3. Rotate the Quick Control dial to select Movie rec. size and then press the Set button. 4. Rotate the Quick Control dial to highlight the resolution you want to create your movie in and then press the Set button.

Maximum ﬁle size and runtime The 5D Mark II records video up to 4GB per continuous QuickTime clip or a maximum continuous video capture time of 29 minutes and 59 seconds, whichever comes ﬁrst. Depending on the amount of detail in a scene, a 4GB CF memory card can record a .MOV ﬁle approximately 12 minutes at full high-deﬁnition resolution and approximately 24 minutes in standard deﬁnition. A CF card with at least an 8 MB transfer rate is recommended when shooting in high-deﬁnition mode. Because it’s always a good idea to replace your CF cards every few years, now might be a great time to upgrade to faster cards. You can edit and create any length movie you want by using third-party software, such as Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, and editing sequences together, but it’s only the individual continuous clips that are limited to these times. After you begin shooting a movie, the shooting stops automatically once the ﬁle size reaches 4GB or if the run time exceeds 29 minutes and 59 seconds. This may seem like a limitation, but in reality, it’s not. If you think about your favorite movies, it’s extremely rare that an uncut scene would run continuously for 12–24 minutes. 141

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If you’re shooting with an older card that has a slow writing speed, you may notice a ﬁve-level indicator appear on the right side of the LCD while shooting movies. This indicates how much data is still in the camera’s internal buffer waiting to be written to the card. The slower the card, the faster the indicator climbs north. Also, when shooting with lenses that have Image Stabilization, the IS function may cause stated recording times to decrease.

Using Live View The new Live View mode can be used in Live View/Movie func. set. any Shooting mode, including Auto, Creative Auto, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter DISP. LV func. setting Priority, and Manual. Imagine the scene Grid display Grid 1 before you display it bright and clear on Silent shoot. Mode 1 the 3-inch (920,000-dot VGA) rear LCD Metering timer 16 sec. monitor displaying almost 100% coverage. AF mode Live mode Well, that’s what you get from the antiMovie rec. size 1920x1080 reﬂection and water-repellent-coated monSound recording On itor that boasts a 170° viewing angle in 8.1 The Live View settings menu vertical and horizontal viewing directions while you also enjoy presenting captured images or movies to the art director or an attentive audience standing behind the camera. Access Live View by pressing the Live View button and enjoy composing images while holding the camera at arm’s length, over your head, or down low on the ground. Another useful feature is the Live View movie mode, where the LCD automatically plays back your video in the correct 16:9 HD or 4:3 aspect ratio, with unused portions of the screen grayed-out. You also have the ability to set displays to stills, movies, or the new Exposure simulation setting, which approximates your ﬁnal image exposure values right on the LCD monitor. Picture Styles work with movies in the same manner they do with stills. Choose one of the highly saturated Picture Styles for fashion or sports shooting or go nostalgic and dramatic with one of the Monochrome tints and ﬁlters. The Picture Styles themselves can lend a feeling or a moodiness to your footage that can’t be beat for its ease of use and accessibility. The Live View movie mode uses the same Picture Style you set for stills until you change it and records video in an sRGB equivalent color space optimized for movies. Live View mode is the only way to view movies on the 5D Mark II outside of viewing remotely on a computer or a TV monitor. The reﬂex mirror needs to ﬂip up to give the sensor access to the scene to be recorded, so Live View incorporates some controls to make shooting that way a little easier, such as two grid overlays for composing and three Autofocus modes.

LCD monitor light sensor Another ﬁrst for EOS cameras, the brightness of the LCD monitor is now automatically controlled for optimal viewing levels in both Live View shooting and menu selection by a small round sensor located 142

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under the bottom-right corner of the LCD. This neat little device automatically sets the brightness over three levels — Dark, Normal, or Bright — whether you’re shooting surfers at the beach or performers on a stage, while still allowing manual override adjustment over a seven-step range. This is very convenient when shooting in changing ambient light or indoor concert or performance shooting.

Live mode In Live mode, the image sensor itself is used to autofocus, thereby taking a little longer to achieve ﬁnal focus. The focus point, which is a larger vertical rectangular box than a regular focus point, is easily moved around the frame by the Multi-controller to any point you want to focus on. Autofocus is again achieved by pressing the AF-ON button. The image is darkened slightly while autofocus is in operation, and when focus is completed, the focus point box turns green and a beep sounds. If focus isn’t achieved, the AF point turns red. If you ﬁnd the beep distracting, go to the Shooting 1 menu (Red) to disable it. This mode is my favorite for movies and the one I use for most of my video shooting. Even though the action is slightly slower, the camera never leaves the Live View screen, and once focus is achieved, I can press the AF Point selection/Magnify button to magnify the focus area to check. If the scene isn’t tack-sharp, I can switch to manual focus and do a ﬁnal adjustment before returning to shooting.

Live Face Detection mode Of all the Live View modes, probably the most exciting is the new Live Face Detection mode. Using the same method as Live mode, the image sensor is used as the focus system to ﬁnd a face in the scene and focus on it, and the sensor’s detection rate and accuracy are very good. It’s beneﬁcial to have your subject face the camera so both eyes can be seen. When a face is detected, a small white box appears on-screen, superimposed over the face. AF is activated by pushing the AF-ON button, and when focus is achieved, the box turns green and a beep sounds. If it’s a group shot and several faces are detected, a similar AF icon with arrows on either side are displayed over a face, and the AF icon can then be moved to the most important face via the Multi-controller. Press the AF-ON button to focus on that face. If focus isn’t achieved, the AF point turns red.

Quick mode Of the three Autofocus modes available in Live View, Quick mode is the fastest. It uses the same dedicated AF sensor in One Shot AF mode as it does with normal viewﬁnder shooting, although it does momentarily interrupt the Live View image during AF operation. This is my least favorite AF mode for shooting movies. I ﬁnd leaving the Live View to focus while a black screen is displayed distracting and doesn’t leave me convinced I’m really focused. I’d pass on this one for shooting movies. Quick mode (as with all three Live View modes) is selected by choosing it in the Set-up 2 menu under the Live View/Movie func. set. tab or by pressing the AF/Drive mode button while in Live View and then using the Main dial to select the desired Autofocus mode. Then, you use the Multicontroller to select the focus points and press the AF-ON button to activate the Autofocus mode.

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As always, if you need to achieve precise focusing, set the lens focusing mode to MF, magnify the image, and then focus manually.

TIP

Autofocus doesn’t work with the release button on Remote Switch RS-80N3 or Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3.

Grid display In Live View mode, photographers have the choice of straight viewing or overlaying a nine-box Rule of Thirds grid or a 24-box grid to aid in composition. Architectural and landscape photographers have long grown accustomed to these optical features by purchasing special focusing screens for their cameras but now have the option of stepping back from the camera and contemplating the scene as it might appear as a print or Web image and then line up important elements to complement the rectangular frame in Live View. Although the grid disappears from the LCD monitor when shooting video, you can use the grid to compose a scene. This is truly groundbreaking because now you can approach this 35mm dSLR much like a 4 × 5 view camera (only the image is rightside up) and contemplate and compose the whole scene from a distance, the way it used to be. Rule of Thirds placement of critical subjects now becomes intuitive by utilizing the overlay grids.

Silent Shooting modes 1 and 2 Two new Silent Shooting modes in Live View utilize the sensor’s front curtain electronic shutter and help minimize noise during exposure, reduce shutter-cocking noise, and can be very handy when shooting wildlife, performances, courtrooms, or events when your camera’s noise could be a distraction. In combination with either Remote Controller RC-1 or RC-5 or when using the camera connected to a computer by using the provided software, the Silent Shooting modes can discreetly cover situations without being obvious. Mode 1 quiets down the shutter’s noise and allows single-frame or continuous shooting up to the camera’s fastest advance speed. Mode 2 is virtually silent and delays re-cocking the rear shutter curtain until you remove your ﬁnger from the Shutter button. Both can be exceptional allies in the right situations, although these modes can be used only for shooting stills.

HDMI Output The HDMI mini OUT terminal connects your camera to a high-deﬁnition TV by means of a compatible cable. Get one with a mini-plug on only one end. Once connected, the camera automatically detects the HDTV output source and scales the video to the correct quality (720p or 1080p). You can also copy portfolio images, video clips, or slideshows to a CF card and then connect the camera to an HD video projector to present your work to prospective clients. This has tremendous potential if the client happens to be an ad agency that already has its own projector and screen set up in a conference room. All you need to do is plug in and wow them. The mini HDMI plug is steadily becoming more common among digital camera and camcorder manufacturers, and cables of all lengths are widely available on the Internet.

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Directly above the HDMI mini OUT terminal is the mini USB digital OUT terminal, which is used to connect your camera to a laptop or another computer. With EOS Utility installed on a computer, Live View allows you and your clients to view the image remotely in real time on the computer in order to make adjustments in the exposure, color, or composition of a scene.

MOV Format and MPEG-4 Video Compression The 5D Mark II generates video ﬁles in the QuickTime MOV format, which is an Apple-developed format often used on Web sites for streaming audio or video. Apple distributes the QuickTime Player, allowing Windows and Mac users to view QuickTime multimedia either inside or outside of their Web browsers.

NOTE

Although the QuickTime player is free, Apple does sell a professional version that supports full-screen video and other features.

Applications using MPEG-4 include compression of audio/visual (AV) data for streaming Web media, CD distribution, and voice or video telephone and broadcast television transmission. This collection of methods allows for faster upload/download times of large video and audio ﬁles and provides more economical storage capabilities. Keep in mind that not all video editors support 64-bit operating systems. While Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, and CS4 do support a 64-bit OS, they can be pricey.

Steadicams There’s a saying among videographers that people move, but cameras don’t. Although this is obviously not always true, it speaks to the fact that the video camera should be as steady as possible when shooting moving sequences on the ﬂy. As still photographers know, a tripod or some other type of camera support is mandatory once you get down below a certain shutter speed to ensure sharp images. With the ﬂuid motion of video effects, such as panning and zooming, you want the motion to be as smooth as possible to keep the viewer’s attention on what’s happening inside the frame, not aware of the frame itself. When shooting high-deﬁnition video, most of us do our best by trying to hold our camera tight and locked into our body, but for ﬂuid shots, the laws of physics dictate just the opposite. Steadicams aid this smoothness by keeping the camera stable, whether you’re moving or stationary. A Steadicam is a type of camera support system that provides a platform for ﬂuid motion effects while moving or ﬂying the camera by altering the camera’s center of gravity. There are many different-sized brackets and counterbalances for different-sized cameras, from small camcorders to large motion-picture cameras. The basic principle consists of a camera platform/counterbalance

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assembly, gyroscopic three-axis ball-bearing gimbal, handgrip, counterbalancing weights, and precise and accessible trim controls. The Steadicam Merlin is the latest version for compact cameras such as the 5D Mark II. Although fairly cost-prohibitive to purchase for casual shooting, a number of camera and video suppliers rent them on a daily basis. If you’ve never used one, it may pay to rent one for a day to get a feel for how it works to keep the camera motion smooth and ﬂuid when shooting on the ﬂy. The actual Steadicam Merlin itself weighs only 13 oz, less than a can of soda, but once you add the correct counterweights to balance the camera, it could approach 2 lbs. Because the ofﬁcial camera weight limit for use with a Merlin Steadicam is just under 5 lbs., it’s built to work great for handheld shooting with the 5D Mark II with all but your larger telephoto lenses. More than 5 lbs. requires you to secure the Merlin Steadicam to the vest and arm assembly that you wear like a ﬂak jacket to support the camera as well as the lenses you’ve decided to use. Connect the camera/lens combination to the Steadicam platform with a standard tripod mounting screw into the bottom of the camera. Adjust the arc size of the arm (which is the distance between the camera platform and the end weights of the arm) and then begin adding ﬁnish or tapered weights to the bottom of the arm until the camera attains a horizontal orientation. Add weights in 1/8 lb (57 g) increments by screwing the top of one into the bottom of another. Tiffen, the ﬁlter manufacturer that markets the Merlin Steadicam, has a site called the Merlin Cookbook (www.merlincookbook.com) that includes the recommended weight TIP amounts and arc-size settings for a large assortment of video cameras — with the 5D Mark II topping the list. Once the camera is attached and balanced, it’s best to shoot some practice footage to get a feel for the entire apparatus while moving around with the camera. Holding the grip in one hand and the other hand lightly holding the gimbal underneath the camera platform with your index ﬁnger and thumb to control trim, slowly pan and swing the camera in an arc from side to side. This is deﬁnitely a new experience for still photographers who have spent considerable time learning how to keep a handheld camera stable. With a little practice, you can even run, jump, or run down stairs and the gimbal absorbs all your body’s abrupt movements, keeping the camera action steady and the resulting video smooth. One thing to keep in mind when using a precise instrument such as the Merlin Steadicam is that any changes you make to the camera, even as slight as adding or removing a ﬁlter or lens hood, necessitates a balance readjustment. The Merlin allows you to perform micro adjustments to the camera’s balance by use of two rolling adjusters on the bottom of the camera plate. More substantial changes, such as changing a lens or adding a light or shotgun microphone to the camera’s hot shoe, may require repositioning the camera on the mounting plate. Fortunately, the camera mounting area has numbered markings, allowing the user to annotate various setup options for custom situations where the weight of the camera has changed from the preceding setup.

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8.2 The 5D Mark II connected to a hand-controlled Merlin Steadicam

You need to assess how much video shooting you plan to do before considering purchasing this tool. The high cost and a steep learning curve send many aspiring videographers to the Internet, where a variety of lower-cost performance options and do-it-yourself projects abound. Any Steadicam operation is an art form and does require a fair amount of practice time, but the rewarding footage you see on your screen is well worth the time invested. Find out more information at www.steadicam.com.

Using Tripods for Video Use A tripod is a camera support system that can be knocked over in three different directions. Just kidding. Seriously, though, for static shots that require minimal panning or tilting of the camera’s point of view, a sturdy tripod or monopod can signiﬁcantly raise the quality of your sequences and zooming clips. Even though I prefer a heavy-duty ball head for sports, nature, and location shooting, I replace it with my standard three-way pan/tilt head for video capture. The pitch/yaw and roll adjustments are more stable for establishing or zooming shots, with more precise control for each directional movement than the ball head and its omni-directional, on-axis positioning. Keeping all three controls just barely snug allows me to pan and tilt slowly, with the head smoothing out my movements.

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Sound Recording Audio is likely one of the most overlooked parts of shooting movies — especially by photographers. I recommend you put some time into learning about it and experimenting with some of the other options for acquiring audio content offered for use with the camera. Several videographers have said that quite often, great audio can carry mediocre video for a compelling show, but it never works the other way around. No matter how great the scene is, if the audio doesn’t create the proper mood or support the visuals, it’s going to fall ﬂat. As a visual artist, you seriously need to consider the importance of sound in your projects. Audio products, such as those offered by Sennheiser, Rode, and Marantz, are some of the more popular choices among multimedia journalists for capturing clear, quality sound. Although sound recording is available on the 5D Mark II through either the onboard mono microphone or attaching a stereo shotgun or wireless microphone to the camera’s hot shoe, one of the caveats you quickly discover is there’s no way to monitor and adjust sound levels as you record them. Many of the very ﬁrst videos appearing on the Internet immediately after the release of the 5D Mark II were essentially music videos for just this reason. One of the best is Vincent Laforet’s Reverie, which can be found at www.vincentlaforet.com. NOTE

The 5D Mark II employs AGC (automatic gain control) software to smooth out spikes and dips in the audio signal as they’re recorded to the camera. Visually, this is akin to shooting every image in AE mode with no camera controls to affect the nuances of lighting to add drama, mood, or context to your images. Voices and trafﬁc sounds are all considered the same in regards to signal strength, and auto levels are set automatically. To upgrade the sound functionality of the camera, BeachTek markets a neat line of compact audio adapters that connect a stereo cord to the camera’s audio IN terminal on the right side of the camera and mounts to the bottom of the camera via the tripod socket. They include such features as XLR inputs, independent level controls for each channel, and a mini-jack for wireless microphones. Find out more at www.beachtek.com.

Onboard mono microphone Most likely, using the camera’s onboard monaural microphone — identiﬁed by the three tiny holes under the 5D Mark II name badge — is your ﬁrst foray into sound recording for movie clips. Two channels of sound are digitized at a decent 16 bits/44.1 kHz in PCM format, but unfortunately, mic levels are adjusted automatically by the camera, with no manual override, whether using the built-in mic or adding a third-party external mic. Wind noise suppression is applied automatically and can’t be either adjusted or turned on or off. Although having an onboard microphone sounds good in theory, its obvious close proximity means it picks up all the operational noises of the camera while recording. Picture control functions, such as Image Stabilization, AF motor, and in-focus beeper, and any touching or handling

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of the camera all contribute to and degrade the audio ﬁle and are given the same level settings as ambient noise or voices. This can make your awesome video go south in a hurry. For these reasons, I suggest switching these functions off, focusing manually, and then using an external stereo microphone or, better yet, a wireless system connected to the 5D Mark II audio IN terminal to prevent or reduce these sounds from intruding on your soundtrack.

External stereo input Connect the 5D Mark II to an external mic by way of a 3.5mm stereo mic jack. Shotgun or wireless microphones/transceivers easily mounted to the camera’s hot shoe are really the way to go if you want to attain professional-grade results. Previously mentioned Sennheiser and Rode products can raise the quality of your productions simply by the sounds they don’t record, such as camera handling and movement as well as any operational noise the camera may generate on its own.

8.3 The 5D Mark II connected to a Sennheiser MKE 40 external shotguntype microphone

You still have to be aware of camera movement, and any jostling of the camera either disrupts the image frame or adds clutter to your audio. Try using a small microphone connected to this terminal, and the sound recording quality immediately improves simply by moving the microphone away from the camera, effectively killing any operational noise from the camera.

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Selecting audio devices If you’ve made the decision to record video and audio on separate devices, you need to select a few devices on which to record. A good place to start this endeavor may be to purchase some good quality used gear to see if you enjoy this kind of work. This way, the ﬁnancial outlay isn’t that great and you can learn a brand-new discipline with relatively inexpensive professional gear. As you think about the movies you plan on making, one of your ﬁrst considerations should be what type of microphone you want to use. Be aware that even shotgun-type mics mounted to the camera’s hot shoe can pick up some camera noise, especially from longer lenses whose IS function may generate noise directly under the mic. But these work well if you have several people speaking in a scene or some important ambient sounds, such as rushing water or restaurant noises, that are key to telling the story. For an interview or single-person shooting, I prefer the wireless lavalier-type microphones. They’re most commonly provided with small clips for attaching to collars, ties, or other clothing. The cord may be hidden by clothes and either run to a radio frequency transmitter in a pocket or clipped to a belt for mobile work or directly to the mixer for stationary applications.

8.4 The 5D Mark II connected to a Sennheiser Wireless Receiver EW100 G2

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Most likely, you’ll record on DAT (Digital Audio Tape). As the name suggests, the recording is digital rather than analog. DAT has the ability to record at higher, equal, or lower sampling rates than a CD. If a digital source is copied, the DAT produces an exact clone, unlike other digital media, such as Digital Compact Cassette, which uses lossy data compression. Like most formats of videocassette, a DAT cassette may be recorded only on one side, unlike an analog compact audio cassette.

Mixing Video and Sound Although a complete discussion of editing techniques for video and sound is beyond the scope of this book, a few considerations about the process can hopefully offer some insight. You should download your audio/video ﬁles to your computer and then use a software program to assemble them into a ﬁnished masterpiece for your family, friends, or clients to enjoy. Two software programs very popular with photographers and videographers alike are Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro. Whereas Final Cut Pro runs only on a Mac, Premiere runs on PC and Mac platforms. They both include numerous editing advantages for compositing, transitions, and fades. Final Cut Pro has developed a large and expanding user base, including many independent ﬁlmmakers and photographers, and provides nonlinear, nondestructive editing of any QuickTimecompatible video format. It supports an unlimited number of simultaneously composited video tracks and up to 99 audio tracks; multi-cam editing for cutting video from multiple camera sources; and standard ripple, roll, slip, slide, scrub, razor blade, and time remapping edit functions. The Premiere Pro architecture enables it to import and export formats beyond the constraints of QuickTime, supporting a wide variety of video and audio ﬁle formats and codecs on both Mac OS and Windows. Premiere Pro CS3 added support for output to Blu-ray Disc, MPEG-4, and Flash-based Web sites as well as a time-remapping feature, which is an easy-to-use variable frame rate implementation with support for 24p footage. Premiere Pro also integrates well with Photoshop and After Effects. Photoshop ﬁles can be opened directly from Premiere Pro to be edited in Photoshop. Any changes are immediately updated when the Photoshop ﬁle is saved and you return to working in Premiere Pro. To get your feet wet, an entry-level Windows version, Premiere Elements, is also available for the consumer market, but bear in mind that it can’t operate on the newer 64-bit operating systems. If you’re recording in your home or studio to your computer, you also need a good quality sound card. The M-Audio Delta Series is very popular, as are its Quattro and Omni series cards. These are even more important when it comes to recording because these cards don’t have the noise and garbage generally associated with the lower-end sound cards found in most computers. There are also other cards available from a variety of manufacturers; however, the M-Audio and Echo Audio tools are industry standards. The Creative Labs Audigy series is also a ﬁne choice on the economical end of the spectrum.

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Although not necessary, a small mixer is always valuable to have around for monitoring, easy inputting of cassette decks, Minidisk players, voiceover mics, immediate control of output from computer, and so on. The M-Audio Mixim 10 is a great choice, as is the Samson Mixpad. For those needing more input channels, Mackie boards are commonly found, relatively inexpensive, and available over the Internet in both new and used condition. Desktop mixers generally have better pre-amps than those found in inexpensive or even standard sound cards and thus provide for a cleaner recording of voiceovers, instruments, and so on. Mixes need to be checked through high quality speakers so that regardless of the ﬁnal viewing/ listening environment, the mix sounds good. A good set of speakers need not be terribly expensive. Audix, M-Audio, Tannoy, KRK, Peavey, and many other brands of monitors are available for a reasonable price. Check out your local music store or pro audio shop with a listening ear. Take along a CD you know very well and then listen for the sound quality.

Lighting for High-Deﬁnition Video One of the most challenging and artistically pleasing aspects of HD is its 16:9 aspect ratio. Because there’s more horizontal screen space, it’s important that you use lighting to draw attention to your subject and light the background in a way that enhances your subject and helps tell the story. The good news is you don’t have to go out and buy all new lighting gear to enter the HD world. With practice and some reﬁning of your lighting techniques, you can be on the way to greatlooking HD images. So, what type of lights work best for HD shooting? Fluorescent, Quartz, HMI, and Tungsten are all good choices. Within the camera’s high ISO range, any drastic color shifts you do come up with can be corrected in post-production. My experience so far in lighting for high deﬁnition has shown that there’s a greater contrast range available than in standard deﬁnition, so I’ve used softer lighting techniques. Depending on the mood you want to convey, most often, you light your subject so that it’s brighter than the background. Use your background light, if need be, for the purpose of providing separation of your subject from the background. I like to use reﬂectors and diffusers to soften the light, and I control spill light with ﬂags and gobos. Use light to help tell the story. Focus small, diffused lights on objects that give your viewers an inside look at the personality of your subject or some important details of the story. At the end of the day, good lighting is good lighting, and HD doesn’t make a poor job look better, only worse. Many of the old cheats that were once used, such as underexposure or shifting focus, are no longer viable in the crisp high-deﬁnition world. Do your best to create spectacular lighting, just as you would for your still images, and your audiences will marvel and be moved by your compelling visual story.

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8.5 This still of my daughter Brenna was taken from a video of her telling me a story about school. After playing back a test clip on the camera, I felt the bright sun was too harsh, even with a small white reﬂector on the left.

8.6 This still was also taken from the video footage. It’s easy to see the differences a small collapsible diffuser makes in controlling and softening highlights in bright sunlight.

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Shooting High-Deﬁnition Video in Lowlight The high ISO range of the 5D Mark II allows you to shoot HD video in locations you may have passed up in the past as too dark or too much of a hassle to light. Although noise is always a factor in high ISO shooting, the contrast range of HD works in your favor to capture moodily lit natural scenes. More often than not, multimedia journalists and videographers try to work with the available lighting in the space they’re shooting in by controlling it. They supplement it with the light sources they do have and color-correct them when necessary. This is accomplished by using color-correcting ﬁlters. Color Temperature Orange (CTO) shifts cool temperature light sources, such as the sun, toward the warm side of the scale, depending on how much correction you use. Color Temperature Blue (CTB) shifts warm temperature sources, such as most incandescent light kits, household lamps, and studio lights, toward the cool side, such as when you want to be closer to the color of the sun. High deﬁnition reproduces color much more accurately than standard, so it’s important that you learn a little about color temperature and how your camera sees color. Remember the principles here are the same as in still photography. You’re lighting to create a 3-D world in a 2-D framework. I used to encourage my ﬁlm students who were concerned about the cost of processing to go out and shoot pictures without ﬁlm to learn how the camera sees. It’s equally a good idea to watch TV or videos with the sound off and see how others lit a scene. Try to ﬁgure out where the camera was, where the lights were coming from, what lens was used, and so on. You’d be surprised what you notice when you change how you typically perceive a scene. And the video capabilities of the 5D Mark II can help your still photos — and vice versa.

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# 9

Sports, Concert, and Event Photography oday’s digital photographers are well-poised to offer the world their take on a public happening, epic moment, or memorable performance, with the possibility of creating iconic images for an adoring audience and a vast array of media outlets. With the added challenge of shooting in somewhat unfamiliar surroundings, sports, concert, and event photographers grapple almost constantly with limited access, unﬂattering lighting, uncooperative venues and subjects, and a host of mechanical problems that studio photographers may never encounter. However, low-light focusing has gotten faster, along with processor speed, and higherresolution LCD screens have grown larger, allowing photographers to view images faster with stunning clarity. Highly personal satisfaction awaits sports, concert, and event photographers A motorcyclist and his ride stood stationary while I zoomed through a 1-second exposure. ISO 100, f/11, 1 sec., with an who continuously hone their EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens. craft on the sidelines, in the pits, or in the relatively calm darkness of a performance theater.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Overview and Trends The ﬁelds of event photography discussed here are great ways to enter the business of assignment photography. Many event committees need images for promotion, advertising, stafﬁng, and display, and the savvy photographer who can discover what’s required beforehand stands a better chance of fulﬁlling those needs and being hired again. Company meetings, magazine launch parties, CD debut parties, rites of passage, and sporting events all rely on dynamic images to tell their respective stories.

9.1 The Forsythe/Indeck crew members complete a rebuild after blowing an engine in practice for the Portland Grand Prix. ISO 400, f/13, 1/125 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Today, a very common approach to event photography is to shoot the event and then upload images to a client server or to a Web site where event participants and fans enter a password to view, order, and have prints delivered by mail. Alternately, some photographers shoot, edit, display proofs, and print images on-site by using their own or rented dye-sublimation printers or inkjet printers. To facilitate the fast turnaround of event shooting, a variety of software programs are available to enhance workﬂow for volume shooting, with features to make resizing, pricing, and delivery quick and simple. Assignment photography can run the gamut from shooting for private companies who contract for coverage of large conventions, awards ceremonies, musical groups in concert, and charity events for nonproﬁts. No matter what purpose you’re shooting for, the objective is to show the energy and emotion — the decisive moments — of the event as well as capture high-energy

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shots of the key players in the event. In event shooting, creative approaches that show the subjects in new and interesting ways can increase print sales and promote more assignment opportunities. For event assignments, knowing the needs of the client/art director is crucial for delivering the range of images needed as well as for scheduling shooting time before, during, and after the event. For example, if the client wants overall establishing shots of the venue as a background for Web site promotions, posters, and publications, you can take those early in the session or during breaks in the program. This applies to speaker or performer portraits you may also be required to create. Regardless of the event, you should arrange access, credentials, and permits in advance, along with the shooting and working space, model releases, and property releases, if necessary. Being prepared, having the necessary equipment ready and available, and staying ﬂexible can allow you to successfully capture almost any event.

Inspiration and Creative Resources The bulk of sports, concert, and event photography is rich with action and exciting locations that can yield stunning visual imagery. Exciting people doing exciting things, whether they be politicians, performers, or athletes, are always excellent subjects for one-of-a-kind compelling photographs. To keep current with the latest styles and trends in these areas of photography, the Internet offers a wide selection of resources to explore, as does the magazine rack at your favorite grocery or convenience store. All these resources contribute to a well-rounded photographer’s visual awareness and storytelling expertise. X

Sports Shooter (www.sportsshooter.com). This Web site is the total resource for the digital sports photographer. Members enjoy contests, equipment proﬁles, workshops, forums, and access to The Guide, a database of teams and venues packed with information most needed by photographers who shoot sports in a variety of locations and conditions.

X

American Society of Media Photographers (www.asmp.org). ASMP is the premier resource for community, culture, commerce, and publications relating to publication photography. ASMP is the authoritative voice for publication photographers worldwide.

X

Society of Sport and Event Photographers (www.sepsociety.com). This association offers certiﬁcation, resources, photographer directories, discounts on professional services, access to forums, copyright and legal information, and online articles.

X

Model and property releases. The American Society of Media Photographers Web site (www.asmp.org/commerce/legal/releases) provides an overview of when you need releases. Doing a Web search on “model release form photography” returns many sites that offer sample releases as well as model releases you can purchase. Be sure to review the forms before you use them to ensure that they cover all contingencies.

X

Event programs and Web sites. Many event-oriented programs are available for highvolume storage, online storefronts, and print fulﬁllment, including Photo Shelter (http://pa. photoshelter.com), which allows members to create custom, password-protected galleries to sell their images; Performer Software (www.performerpro.com); and Collages.net 157

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(www.collages.net). Other event photographers use the Event Photography System (www. eventphotosystems.com) and Photo Reﬂect (www.photoreﬂect.com) to create galleries and handle printing and order fulﬁllment. X

PLUS (www.useplus.com). The PLUS Coalition exists for the beneﬁt of all communities involved in creating, distributing, using, and preserving images. PLUS is a system of standards that makes it easier to communicate, understand, and manage image rights in all countries.

Packing Your Gear Bag Some general suggestions for sports, concert, and event shooting include the following — the gear you should have available when shooting a session that’s local rather than long distance: X

One or more 5D Mark II camera bodies. The best-case scenario is having two 5D Mark II camera bodies: one with a wide-angle lens and one with a 200-400mm telephoto lens, depending on the event and your shooting proximity, or one body for shooting stills and another for shooting video clips to create a presentation.

X

One or more wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses. I’ve found that the 24-70mm f/2.8L lens and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens are very versatile. I also use the EF 1.4x II and EF 2x II extenders to increase the focal length of the L-series telephotos. For sports and other fast-action events, an EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM or a similar lens is a good choice and can also be combined with the above extenders. For outdoor events, such as motorsports, beach volleyball, or surﬁng, be sure to also have lens cleaner and cleaning cloths handy.

X

Tripod and monopod. Having a lightweight but sturdy tripod is indispensable, particularly when you’re shooting with long lenses. In addition, a versatile ball head with a sturdy quick-release plate increases the steadiness of shooting big with telephoto lenses. A monopod is a necessity when shooting sideline sports because tripods are usually not allowed.

X

CF cards sufﬁcient for the duration. The number of CF cards you carry depends on how many images you typically shoot and the length of the shooting session. High-volume shooting justiﬁes the larger-capacity CF cards. Faster cards mean longer bursts of shooting before the camera’s buffer ﬁlls up and delays further image-making.

X

Spare camera batteries. Live by the battery, die by the battery. If your battery gives out, you’re sunk. Even with the outstanding performance of the 5D Mark II battery, using it for stills and video clips really uses up the juice, depending on the temperature. I usually have one or more charged spare batteries in my gear bag as insurance. Also, if I know that I have access to electricity where I can plug in safely, I sometimes bring along the battery charger for multi-day events. For multiple events in the same day, I plug the battery charger into a 300-watt power inverter I plug into my van’s power outlet to charge up as I drive between locations.

X

Optionally, a laptop computer or portable storage device. Backing up images on-site, either to a laptop or a handheld hard drive, is an essential part of the workﬂow, and if you’re traveling for an event, you’ll want to back up the shoot on a laptop or portable storage device.

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A laptop is also convenient if you upload images to a client server, blog, or Web site and/or print images on-site. X

EX-series Speedlites, light stands, umbrellas, octabanks or lightboxes, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2. When shooting portraits is part of an event or assignment, a handy portable studio might include one to three EX-series Speedlites mounted on stands with light modiﬁers, such as an umbrella, a softbox, or an octabank, connected to PocketWizards or by using the ST-E2 transmitter. This completely wireless lighting setup, along with a couple of reﬂectors and a small roll of background material, is quick to set up and tear down, takes up minimal space, and provides professional results.

X

Portable background and stands. Whether it’s a roll of white seamless paper or muslin, having a clean background that’s easy to assemble and tear down for portraits is exceptionally handy. Very often, sales from events can be increased by offering to shoot individual portraits of some of the key participants.

X

Silver and gold reﬂectors. Without question, reﬂectors of various sizes are indispensable for ﬁlling shadow areas and adding catchlights to the eyes if shooting individual participant portraits is part of the session. Reﬂectors are especially useful for getting some light up under baseball hats and ﬁlling in backlit portraits.

X

Plastic sheets or drop cloths. For outdoor shooting, large plastic sheets come in handy for a variety of unexpected situations, including offering protection from a rain shower or wet grass, protecting camera and lighting equipment, or serving as a scrim for portrait sessions.

X

Leatherman tool. This tool can solve all kinds of unexpected problems, from ﬁxing camera and lighting gear to trimming foliage in an outdoor portrait setting.

X

Other amenities. Having a snack, water, comfortable clothing, and shoes all deserve a mention here as ways to stay loose and be ready to shoot at a moment’s notice.

Shooting Sports For many photographers, the 5D Mark II produces incredible images of moderately paced action successfully, with a fast 3.9 fps. While not as fast as the ﬂagship models but faster than it’s predecessor, the 5D Mark II responds quickly to your touch, and AF is lightning-fast to capture that shot at the peak of action. In addition, when you shoot in Continuous mode, you’re ensured to capture the decisive moment of the play over several frames. By cramming more images into that 1-second time frame, the odds are higher you can yield far more keepers of the peak action. For anyone who appreciates fast action, shooting sports can be one of the more exciting and rewarding genres of photography. Sports photography also comes with its own set of challenges and criteria that must be met if you’re to produce images you’ll be proud to share. We’ve all seen sports photos that make us stop and simply marvel at human achievement, power, or grace. Producing such arresting imagery requires some special gear but also a certain sensitivity for the sport at hand and an ability to think on your feet while working that peripheral vision too.

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Preparation is key to capturing the images you want to come away with — that deﬁne the sport, the players, or the moment. Getting close to the action requires access that you need to set up beforehand by way of credentials or passes, with the venue, teams, or sponsors. Sports are really no different than portraiture in the sense that you want to ﬁll the frame with your subject, which isn’t an easy task when that subject is engaged in competition or streaking toward the basket, goal, or ﬁnish line at top speed. As with many types of photography, choosing a background is often my ﬁrst consideration. For outdoor events, avoid shooting angles that show cars in the parking lot, portable toilets, or those orange event cones. Indoors, watch out for illuminated exit signs, trash cans, and vast sections of empty grandstand. Try to choose angles where your background holds or at least complements your subject in a clean, non-obtrusive way. Shooting at your widest f-stop aids you in your endeavors, allowing you to also shoot at the fastest possible shutter speed for your chosen ISO.

The closer you are to the action, the more choices you have regarding lens selection and composition. For this reason, depending on your assigned location, you might shoot sports with two or more cameras — one with a telephoto lens appropriate for the sport and another with a wideangle zoom for when the action comes in close. Gaining access means more than just cool shooting angles. Often, photographers pre-position themselves and then test remote cameras or ﬂash lighting equipment before the game in search of that unique never-before-seen shot. Learning all you can about your particular sport before you begin to shoot can pay huge dividends later. Think about it. You have a sport you love, and you know the intricacies of play and all the nuances of the rules. That special knowledge of the sport should become evident in your photographs. All sports have downtimes and peak moments and also many moments of unpredictability. Having the skill to predict these times helps keep you sharp and focused on the action or sends you off looking for unique compositions of the gear, players, location, or setting. Successful sports photography is all about timing and anticipating the action before it happens. There’s a saying among sports photographers that “If you saw the play, you missed the shot,” meaning that if you saw that split-second action in your viewﬁnder, you probably missed getting a shot of it. Getting into the ﬂow of the game helps to anticipate what may happen next. 160

9.2 A long-distance runner makes eye contact with the camera. Editors always want to see faces, and eye contact always adds drama and a personal connection to the viewer. ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec., with an EF 300mm f/2.8L USM lens with an EF 2x II extender attached.

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Keeping the camera near your face, ready to shoot, and your other eye open and watching the scene unfold speeds up your reaction time. Because my subjects are usually human — and humans are vertical subjects — I prefer to shoot with the optional BG-E6 battery grip on the 5D Mark II. The comfort level of using these vertical grips can’t be overstated. Most often, I’m shooting with a heavy telephoto lens and a monopod, and not having to crank my arm over the top (side) of the camera to shoot verticals keeps my shoulder and neck relaxed and limber.

9.3 Pre-visualizing the image I wanted beforehand, I took many shots before I nailed this image of a Little League pitcher with his strike pitch superimposed on his shoulder. I lined up and shot this image through a chainlink fence. ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/3200 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens.

9.4 Positioning myself by the esses — a section of a racecourse where the track turns right and then quickly left — I was able to get tight shots of these racecars as they braked. ISO 400, f/10, 1/8000 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens. 161

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Shooting Concerts Concert photography can be an extremely rewarding photographic endeavor, especially if you’re a music fan, but not without its own set of unique difﬁculties. If this particular area of photography appeals to you, start by attending small concerts or music clubs where local bands perform to perfect your skills. It’s here that you can experiment with mixed light sources, slower-thannormal shutter speeds, ﬂash, zoom blur, or panning. Providing short video clips or recording whole songs, thanks to the 5D Mark II’s hefty 12-minute maximum video recording time, may endear you to the band and provide more opportunities or bands to shoot. As with sports, I begin by trying to ﬁnd a clean background and shooting position. Many venues and even some bigger-name bands have a three-song rule where you’re allowed to take photos during the ﬁrst three songs of the show from the orchestra pit or special photographers’ section. If this is the case, you have to shoot quickly and maybe have to pass up that jumping-off-thepiano shot for another concert.

9.5 You should use your fastest lens in low-light situations, such as this shot of the band TapWater. In this case, I used an EF 50mm f/1.4. ISO 400, f/1.4, 1/100 sec.

The biggest challenge I ﬁnd is establishing a base exposure that still retains detail in the highlights of performers as they move in and out of the strong spotlights on the stage. If possible, I ﬁnd out when the rehearsal is scheduled and attend at least part of it to try to establish that

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base exposure. Once I have an idea of my exposure range, I’m now set to solve other visual problems that may arise during the show, such as microphone stands in the way of a face, monitors and ampliﬁers, or other performers that may obscure the line of sight to my subject. At most concerts, I use the AE Lock, setting the exposure on the hottest highlight area of the performer’s skin. Alternately, you can use the spot meter to determine the exposure of the face. For almost all indoor events on a stage, I shoot wide open at the lowest ISO that I can set and still get 1/60 sec. or slower at f/2.8 with my IS lenses. With the high ISO range of the 5D Mark II, I’m excited about shooting concerts at exposure combinations not possible previously. Depending on the band or type of show you expect to photograph, to effectively capture deﬁnitive images, it’s helpful to know the music or lighting changes so you’re ready when the lights come up or go down. This is easy if you get to shoot the same show twice or follow the band to another venue the next day, but that’s often not feasible. You’re pretty much at the mercy of the lighting or stage designer, but you can learn a lot about lighting by attending shows. Fog and theatrical smoke may set a mood and look great onstage, but it robs you of contrast if your subject or performers are enveloped in it. Try looking for angles where that’s not the case so you can shoot sharp images with crisp details.

Shooting Events The 5D Mark II offers versatility in shooting a broad range of events and enough customization that you can set up the camera in advance for some types of events and begin shooting with little tweaking of color settings. On an extended shoot, where I’m in the same auditorium or venue for several days, I register my favorite Picture Styles and camera settings to one of the C modes Canon has graciously expanded to three. Having three different camera environments immediately available at the twist of the Mode dial has made on-the-ﬂy shooting that much faster. I almost always arrive early to assess the lighting, take a few test shots, and create a custom white balance, if I feel that’s the best option. I sometimes use an automatic white balance for indoor events, tweak the color in post-production in Camera Raw or Lightroom, and then apply that color-correction as a batch to all the images shot under similar lighting conditions. Again, workﬂow considerations affect shooting methodology, so it pays to take some time and think this through before you begin shooting. I also pretty much shoot everything in RAW mode. There was a time when I believed RAW meant “really awful workﬂow,” but I converted to RAW shooting once I saw the amount of detail and sharpness I gave up for convenience. Many photographers still prefer to shoot JPEG at events for the faster workﬂow that it offers, and this approach makes sense for high-volume shooting scenarios when you’re displaying and printing images on-site. In other cases, it makes sense to shoot RAW+JPEG, particularly if you anticipate that you’ll want to spend some time editing selected images after the event for your portfolio, Web site, or blog.

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9.6 A ﬁsheye lens creates a unique view of guests reviewing design competition submissions. ISO 640, f/2.8, 1/20 sec., with an EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens.

However, even in high-volume event shooting, I prefer to have the latitude that RAW offers in post-processing, particularly in changeable light, such as on a stage or outdoors, when participants move in and out of bright sunlight to overcast or shaded areas. I know that even if the images are slightly overexposed, I can pull back a minimum of 1 f-stop of highlight detail during RAW image conversion. And for assignment shooting, such as music concerts, the RAW ﬁles offer more ﬂexibility for providing ﬁles large enough for printing posters or small enough for CD inserts.

9.7 By using a slow shutter speed and timing it just right, I was able to capture these “palm trees” during a city fireworks celebration. Fireworks can also provide a one-of-a-kind backdrop for musicians and festival performers. ISO 400, f/11, 1.6 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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For outdoor events, I recommend using a C mode to register both shooting and menu settings. You can set everything from the Shooting mode and exposure to the AF point selection in advance so that you’re ready to begin shooting as soon as the event begins. And if conditions change, you can make quick adjustments to the settings of the C modes, and as long as you don’t register these changes, you can return to your original saved registered settings later on. Perhaps the worst event shooting circumstances are in conference rooms and meeting halls. The overhead light — usually ﬂuorescent — is nothing short of ugly and unappealing. For events such as a conference, the best option that I’ve found is to use a small amount of ﬂash — either bounce or ﬁll ﬂash — provided that ﬂash is allowed in the venue. For the best results, I mount the ﬂash on a bracket, which allows 9.8 Steve Moore of TapWater kicks it on the me to shoot horizontals and verticals where banjo. ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/100 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens. the ﬂash always stays above the lens, diffuse the ﬂash with a modiﬁer, such as a small softbox or a pop-on diffuser, and then shoot in E-TTL II mode. In some cases, a skylight with a reﬂector or window light provides a sweet alternative to overhead artiﬁcial light. Work with the event organizers ahead of time to coordinate the best shooting spaces, if possible.

TIP

If you’ve forgotten the settings you registered in the C modes, just press the Information button to display the settings on the LCD.

Practical Professional Advice Some techniques you may ﬁnd useful when shooting events include: X

Shoot both traditional shots and creative variations. By and large, it’s very hard for people to tell you what they like but easy to say what they don’t like. Giving lots of variety to your mix of shots and not tons of images from the same point of view gives them something to not like, but hopefully, you’ve satisﬁed the client’s expectations with your large repertoire of camera angles.

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9.9 The court jester exercising his one special privilege and speaking plainly to the king and telling him the blunt truth in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. ISO 4000, f/5.6, 1/30 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens with the EF 2x II extender and a monopod.

X

Ensure that you’re on the same page as the client/art director. In some cases, art directors use precious few words to describe their vision and expectations for the assignment, especially if you’re ﬁlling in for someone or shooting with them for the ﬁrst time. They want to see what you can do. You can wow them by asking as many speciﬁc questions as possible and restate the answers in your own words to ensure that your vision syncs with theirs.

X

Have backup gear. Second chances are rare when shooting many types of events, so if the battery dies or if a lens suddenly refuses to focus, you need to be able to quickly switch to a backup camera and lens to continue shooting without missing a beat.

X

Do your homework. Know the key participants, know the rules of the game, know the schedule of events, know if the event is being videotaped and how that affects your ability to move around the stage or venue, know if any areas of the venue are off-limits to photographers, know where the best action might happen, and, of course, stake out a shooting area early.

X

Know the 5D Mark II. Before you begin shooting events such as low-light music concerts, theatrical productions, and so on, shoot images on the 5D Mark II at high ISO settings and then check the images at the sizes that the client might request. Evaluate the tests for digital noise and grain levels that become more evident at large print sizes. This gives you a yardstick for the highest ISO settings that you can use and get good prints.

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Smaller prints may look better at higher ISOs, but you want to be careful and certain. At ISO 6400, 8 × 10 smaller prints are appropriate. X

Negotiate model releases. Some companies routinely require that everyone who appears on the stage sign model releases prior to the event, but others do not. In the latter case, be sure that you discuss model releases with the art director for assigned event shooting and with the participants for other events. Also, check with event organizers on whether work permits, proof of insurance, and registration are required. You can ﬁnd model release forms on the Web or you can hire a business or copyright attorney to create one.

9.10 The narrator performs a song in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. ISO 4000, f/5.6, 1/80 sec. I used an EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM lens with the EF 2x II extender and a monopod to take this shot.

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# 10

Landscape, Nature, and Travel Photography hotographers have no greater challenge than leaving their comfort zones behind, rising early in the morning, setting off looking for beautiful light in all its many moods, and submerging themselves in new surroundings, cultures, and climates in pursuit of meaningful images that tell a story. Such is the life of a landscape, nature, and travel photographer who relishes taking images that shape public opinion, focus the world’s attention on an urgent issue, or simply convey the beauty of a foreign land. People with a passion for traveling often gravitate toward landscape, nature, and travel photography. Starting at an early age, many were likely exposed to National Geographic magazine and the beautiful well-crafted images of foreign cultures and land formations. Nurtured further by family out- Bryce Canyon hoodoo is captured in late afternoon light by using a polarizing ﬁlter. ISO 400, f/8, 1/800 sec., with an EF ings and camping trips, these 28-70mm f/2.8L USM lens. hearty souls soon realized that beautiful vistas and breathtaking scenery often come with a fairly steep price paid to personal comfort and have learned to adapt along the way.

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Overview and Trends Earth has no shortage of environmental problems and situational changes that need to be photographed and documented. Global warming, declining habitats, and endangered species all vie to alert awareness to their rapidly changing statuses. With newspaper and magazine readership numbers in steep decline, more photographers turn to the Internet as a vehicle for publishing their images. Photographs from newsworthy occurrences are now uploaded within minutes of the event actually happening to a content-hungry virtual audience. Quality is often less a consideration than timeliness.

Inspiration and Creative Resources The Internet has made a wide variety of resources available for landscape, nature, and travel photographers. Canon also provides resources and inspiration on the Canon Digital Learning Center Web site (www.usa.canon.com/dlc/). Some Web sites, magazines, and programs you can check out to enhance your landscape, nature, and travel photography include: X

Canon Explorers of Light (www.usa.canon.com/dlc/). This group is a broad-ranging initiative for photographic education and inspiration. Today, the group has 60 of the most inﬂuential photographers in the world, each a master of his or her own creative specialty. Find tips, how-to articles, and techniques on exposure, workﬂow, getting the best color, and more.

X

Fred Miranda (www.fredmiranda.com). This site offers equipment reviews, photographer forums, Photoshop plug-ins, and shooting tips and inspirational ideas.

X

Nature Photographers Online Magazine (www.naturephotographers.net). An online resource for nature photographers of all skill levels, from beginner to professional, with a focus on the art and technique of nature photography as well as the use of photography for habitat conservation and environmental photojournalism.

X

Nature Photographer Magazine (www.naturephotographermag.com). This Web site helps channel your interest in nature photography into more successful trips into the natural world, whether they be for the day, weekend, holidays, or vacations.

X

North American Nature Photography Association (www.nanpa.org). NANPA promotes the art and science of nature photography as a medium of communication, nature appreciation, and environmental protection and also provides information, education, inspiration, and opportunity for all those interested in nature photography.

X

National Geographic (www.nationalgeographic.com). Over 120 years old, Big Yellow is still going strong and supports critical expeditions and scientiﬁc ﬁeldwork, encourages geography education for all, promotes natural and cultural conservation, and inspires audiences through new media, vibrant exhibitions, and live events.

X

Outdoor Photographer Magazine (www.outdoorphotographer.com). Provides a host of how-to articles, gear reviews, contests, a forum community, and monthly columns by the best nature photographers working today.

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X

Photographer’s Market (www.photographersmarket.com). An annual compilation that’s a complete resource for photographers of all skill levels who want to sell their work. It includes hundreds of freelance markets, such as magazines, book publishers, greeting card and calendar publishers, stock photo agencies, and more.

X

Photo Shelter (www.photoshelter.com). You can purchase stock photography from all around the world or host your own work to sell to a global market.

Packing Your Gear Bag Packing for nature, landscape, and travel shooting depends on where you’re going, the length of the trip, and the weather conditions. For example, if you’re shooting in an easily accessible location and can store extra gear in your vehicle, you can take more varied gear without worrying about being slowed down by a seriously heavy backpack. If you’re traveling, the selection of gear and the importance of portability increases, and for air travel, you have to be more selective in packing your camera bodies, lenses, ﬁlters, and accessories. The mix of gear most often changes if you’re traveling domestically or internationally. I usually estimate the toll the travel will take on my gear and make a decision as to whether it makes more sense to rent the equipment I need on location or close by. Because most of my shooting is in the United States, I keep a collection of different-sized bags and pack them to suit the assignment with an eye on camera protection and how much I can physically carry. X

Carry-on regulations. The ﬁrst and most important step in preparing for airline travel is to check the carry-on guidelines for the speciﬁc airline or airlines that you’re ﬂying on. Some airlines are more restrictive than others, and many now charge an extra fee for a second carry-on or checked bag. For an overview of domestic airline carry-on regulations, visit iFly. com (www.iﬂy.com/carry-on). For international ﬂights, check your speciﬁc airline’s Web site.

X

Security checkpoint regulations. It also pays to check out the allowable carry-on items from the Transportation Security Administration (www.tsa.gov/311/index.shtm) because the regulations change frequently. Any information you can get in advance eases the entire travel process.

Some recommendations for packing gear for shooting when airline travel isn’t involved: X

One or two 5D Mark II camera bodies. Ideally, you should have a backup 5D Mark II with you in case anything goes wrong. This is especially important in inclement weather and in locations where the camera is exposed to blowing dust, sand, rain, or heavy moisture — all of which can wreak havoc with your cameras. You may, of course, eschew the second body for local shooting. But if you spend any time packing, driving, and/or hiking to a location only to experience a problem with your gear, your time and the trip are wasted.

X

Weatherproof camera and lens sleeves. The 5D Mark II sports upgraded weatherproofing seals and gaskets around the battery compartment, memory card compartment, and all the camera control buttons, similar to the 1D Mark II N and 1D Mark III. Some camera

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bags, such as those from Lowepro and Think Tank, include water-repellant bags or sleeves that fold compactly and attach to one of the camera bag’s interior compartments. For extremely severe weather, you can buy a variety of weatherproof camera protectors from Storm Jacket (www.stormjacket.com). X

One or more wide-angle, macro, and telephoto zoom lenses. For general outdoor shooting, I carry the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM or, alternately, the 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, the 100-400mm f/4.5L IS USM, or the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. A 300mm or a 500mm lens is also a good addition. For macro nature images, I prefer the EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM and the EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lenses.

X

Tripod and monopod. A lightweight but sturdy tripod, such as those from Bogen/Manfrotto, Gitzo, and Cullman, is indispensable. In addition, a versatile ball head with a sturdy quickrelease plate increases the steadiness and speed of shooting, particularly with long lenses.

X

Extenders and extension tubes. I typically carry both the EF 1.4x II and the EF 2x II teleextenders to increase the focal range of telephoto lenses. The tele-extenders can be used with ﬁxed focal-length lenses 135mm and longer as well as the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L; 70-200mm f/2.8L IS; 70-200mm f/4.0L; 70-200mm f/4.0L IS USM; and 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS zoom lenses. The effective aperture is reduced by 1.5 f-stops for the 1.4x extender and 2 f-stops for the 2x extender. Autofocus is possible when combined with a lens having an f/4 or faster maximum aperture. The version II extenders offer enhanced weather-resistant construction and improved antireﬂective surfaces in the barrel. Extension tubes, either the Canon 12mm or 24mm, allow you to get in close to capture the ﬁne details of nature.

X

CF cards. The number of CF cards you carry depends on how many images you typically shoot and the length of the shooting session. I usually carry 10–15 Lexar Professional cards in sizes ranging from 4GB to 16GB.

X

Spare camera batteries and battery charger. Live by the battery, die by the battery. Especially in cold weather that reduces the shooting time for the battery, it’s important to have plenty of power available in the

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10.1 Time exposures like this drain a battery fast. This family portrait of the Verellens was shot under a full moon by using an off-camera Speedlite connected to a PocketWizard MultiMAX. Exposure ISO 800, f/22, 6 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8 USM lens.

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form of one or multiple spare and charged camera batteries. Keep the batteries covered with the supplied cover, and there’s even a neat little window in the cover to show whether the battery is charged or exhausted. In cold weather, place fresh batteries inside your jacket and near your body to keep them warm. X

Polarizer and neutral density ﬁlters. A circular polarizer can enhance the saturation and color of blue skies and create contrast separation between the sky and clouds as well as reduce reﬂections on reﬂective surfaces. Neutral density ﬁlters come in varying densities and allow you to hold back the ambient light by 1 to 3 f-stops to facilitate longer exposures. Split-ﬁeld neutral density ﬁlters allow you to balance exposure between bright skies and darker foreground elements.

X

Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3. This cable release connects to the camera via a 2.6foot cord. The Mode button sets the mode, and the convenient Jog dial that allows entering values with a single thumb sets the time or number of exposures. With this remote, you can set a self-timer, an intervalometer or interval timer, or a long-release or long-exposure timer (for bulb exposure). The timer can be set for any time, from 1 second to 99 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds. The LCD panel can also be illuminated for easy reading.

X

Laptop computer or portable storage device. Backing up images on-site — either to a laptop or a handheld hard drive — is an essential part of the workﬂow. Unless I have to, I won’t delete images from the CF cards after loading them onto the computer or handheld device so that I have two copies of the images at all times.

10.2 This silhouette of a Grand Canyon dragonﬂy shows the rich, saturated colors and added contrast obtained when using a polarizing ﬁlter. ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/60 sec., with an EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens.

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X

Lenses. Your lens selection, of course, depends on your budget and shooting preferences. Canon offers a wide selection of wide-angle, telephoto, and zoom lenses that perform well in the ﬁeld.

X

Cell phone and/or location device. Whether you’re near home or far from home, a cell phone is indispensable for normal and emergency communication. And if you’re hiking in mountain areas, check in with the ranger station to see whether it has GPS location devices or electronic signal devices that enable rescuers to more easily ﬁnd you.

X

Passport, driver license, or other identiﬁcation. If you’re staying in a hotel, be sure to carry the hotel’s phone number or business card with you.

X

Notebook and pen. Write down your impressions of the area, especially ﬁrst impressions that can help you deﬁne your creative inspiration of the place and, subsequently, your approach to shooting.

X

Gaffer’s tape and ﬂorist’s wire. You can use these items to hold, secure, or repair almost anything.

X

Leatherman tool. This valuable tool can solve all kinds of unexpected problems in the ﬁeld, from camera repair to clothing and camping gear malfunctions.

X

300-watt power inverter. You can use these to recharge all your peripherals with power from your vehicle’s accessory outlet.

Shooting Nature, Landscape, and Travel Images The 5D Mark II offers increased creative control for expressing your photographic vision with the assurance that the ﬁnal image resolution will be excellent. The new CMOS sensor in the camera has a high resolution that’s beyond 2,000 lines of strong detail for excellent prints from 24 × 36 and larger. The strong performance of the 5D Mark II with low noise at high ISO settings also adds another dimension of creativity for low-light shooting. And with a useable dynamic range in both JPEG and RAW capture, the camera gives wide latitude for excellent exposure in a broad range of lighting. Landscape photographers especially will appreciate the new Live View mode, where with a push of the button to the left of the viewﬁnder, the scene before your lens appears on the 3-inch LCD. For compositional assistance, you can overlay a Rule of Thirds grid with 9 or 24 boxes. I also really like the new auto-adjusting LCD backlight. This auto-adjusting backlight works great in bright sun and lowers the brightness of the LCD at night. You can also manually adjust the brightness level of the LCD if you prefer. Couple the 5D Mark II in Live View mode with one of the TS (tilt/shift) lenses or a Lensbaby, and you’re nearing large format view-camera functionality and workability. Ansel Adams would be so proud! Creative as well as technical control over the ﬁnal image begins with the Picture Style that you choose or modify. Especially if you shoot RAW capture, the 5D Mark II allows you to control 174

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color saturation and the look and feel so you get the image rendition you envisioned. With some RAW-capture shooting and processing experience, you can soon learn to evaluate the differences among the Picture Styles. For example, if you compare RAW images shot with the Standard and Neutral styles in the Edit Image window of DPP, you begin to see how the style affects image quality.

10.3 With one Speedlite positioned behind the ice cave formation set to ﬁre once and the shutter open for 60 seconds, I used a second Speedlite to paint the scene with four pops of a ﬂash set to manual/full power. ISO 400, f/16, 60 sec., with an EX 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Of course, renderings are affected by ambient light, but in general, you can see the differences in how sharpness, contrast, saturation (color saturation), and color tone (negative settings increase the blue/purple hue, and positive settings increase the yellow hue) affect the histogram. With a strong tonal curve such as is used for the Standard, Landscape, and Monochrome Picture Styles, you may experience clipping that blows out highlights. With the color saturation parameter, anything above a +2 setting tends toward color channel clipping and unnatural colors. Other creative advantages of the 5D Mark II are the C1, C2, and C3 modes, where you can set and save your most-often-used shooting settings and return to them by switching the Mode dial to those icons. The range of light and shooting situations that landscape, nature, and travel photographers encounter run the gamut from exceptionally stunning to stormy and dull. Regardless of the variety, the challenge common to outdoor shooting is always getting the best exposure and satisfying your mind’s eye.

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10.4 Beautiful morning side light brings out the texture of these islands off the coast of Makapuu Point, Oahu. A polarizing ﬁlter adds contrast and saturation to make the colors pop. ISO 200, f/16, 1/500 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f2.8L USM lens.

10.5 Soft morning light graces this hibiscus ﬂower in Hawaii’s Kapi’olani Park. ISO 200, f/8, 1/125 sec., with an EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM lens. 176

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Using natural light A new day dawns and with it comes natural light that changes throughout the day. By knowing the predominant characteristics of natural light as the day progresses, you can use the changing quality, color, and intensity of light to your advantage. But getting the light is only half the story. Exposing so that the light is rendered as it appears to the photographer’s eye is the essential second half of the story, along with ensuring that the color is rendered accurately.

Predawn and sunrise In predawn hours, the cool blue and gray hues of the night sky dominate and create a soft, shadowless light. This is the time to capture subtle, moody images of landscape formations, bodies of water, and close-ups of hoarfrost or dew on leaves, grass, ﬂowers, and insects. I also look to capture the fog or mist that tends to hang low over valleys and water. Contrast is low as the sun’s crepuscular rays are scattered by clouds, trees, and atmospheric dust as they cut through the atmosphere at a low angle. Landscape, fashion, and portrait photographers often use the light available during and immediately after sunrise. During sunrise, tall structures, such as buildings and trees, are lit by the sun while the rest of the landscape appears cool and shadows are ﬁlled in by light from the sky.

10.6 Silcox Hut half-buried in snow, halfway up Oregon’s Mount Hood, provides stark contrast to this snowy scene. ISO 100, f/16, 1/200 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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In broad terms, both sunrise and sunset register at approximately 2000 K. To get the best color, you can set a custom white balance. If you’re fortunate enough to have a color temperature meter, setting the K white balance option to the color temperature meter reading provides the best results. If you’re shooting RAW images, you can also adjust the color temperature after capture in DPP, Camera Raw, or Lightroom.

Early morning to midday As the sun rises in the sky on a typical clear day, the quality of light becomes more intense as the angle between the sun and Earth increases, allowing more light rays to pass through Earth’s thinner atmosphere. The color temperature also rises and loses its warmth to become white as it heads toward 5500 K. The ﬁrst 2 hours after sunrise typically provide ideal light for nature, landscape, and travel photography because the contrast isn’t too extreme, the color temperature is still a bit warm, the sky is bluer because the sun is still close to the horizon, and long shadows reveal texture and depth in the landscape. During midday hours, the warm and cool colors of light equalize to create a light that the human eye sees as white or neutral. On a cloudless day, midday light is often considered too harsh and contrasty for landscape shooting and produces ﬂat and lifeless results. However, midday light is effective for photographing images of graphic shadow patterns, architecture, ﬂower petals and leaves made translucent by backlighting from the sun, and natural and man-made structures. For midday pictures, the Daylight white balance setting on the 5D Mark II is a good choice because its 5200 K setting is an average for that time of day.

Sunset, twilight, and dusk Before, during, and following sunset, the warmest and most intense color of natural light occurs. The predominantly red, yellow, and gold light creates vibrant colors, while the low angle of the sun creates soft contrasts that deﬁne and enhance textures and shapes. These sunset colors create rich landscape, cityscape, and wildlife photographs. The warmth of this time of day is different from sunrise because the sun is striking a warm rather than a cold landscape. As a result, shadow color is more neutral than the blue seen in early morning shadows. 10.7 Long shadows from this sailboat on a sunset cruise in Hawaii are produced by the sun’s low angle while setting. A-1 exposure compensation yields a rich black silhouette. ISO 640, f/8, 1/4000 sec., with an EF 400mm f2.8L USM lens. 178

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10.8 The Empire State Building and surrounding Manhattan area was photographed from the southwest from Rockefeller Center. Just past sunset is a great time for taking cityscape images where the early evening sky matches the intensity of the city lights. ISO 1600, f/16, 1/25 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens.

The last hour before sunset — the golden hour — brings even lackluster scenes to life. Once again, long shadows stretch to reveal texture and detail, particularly when the sun is at a right angle to the camera. With the sun below the horizon, light is reﬂected onto the landscape from the sky. This is a good time to use long shutter speeds to record movement in the landscape area, whether the movement is water washing up to the shore, people passing by, or trees and grasses swaying in the breeze. The ﬁrst 30 minutes after sunset is an ideal time to capture the soft pastel sky colors reﬂected in a still lake or on the ocean.

Diffused light On overcast or foggy days, the light is diffused, contrast is dramatically reduced, and shadows are weak, while the color temperature tends toward the cool side of the scale. Light can be diffused by clouds, an overcast sky, and atmospheric conditions. Particularly for nature, landscape, and travel shooting, clouds provide endlessly changing patterns of light and shade. Clouds also provide visual interest as the backdrop for all types of outdoor images as well as providing lovely reﬂections in lakes and ponds. In fact, clouds with their endless formations can be the focal point of compositions with a hint of land to provide

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both an anchor for the image and a sense of scale. At the extreme end of the cloud scale are heavy, dense overcast clouds that can make evocative black-and-white or toned images at high ISOs or long shutter speeds. Because overcast and cloudy conditions are commonly between 6000 and 8000° K, the Cloudy/Twilight/Sunset white balance setting on the 5D Mark II works adequately for overcast and cloudy conditions.

Essential Filters The most useful ﬁlters in landscape, nature, and travel — often referred to as outdoor photography — include the following ﬁlters: X

Skylight or UV (Ultra violet) ﬁlter. Skylight ﬁlters are colored glasses and usually have a touch of pink. In addition to absorbing UV light, the pinkish color of a Skylight ﬁlter can also counter the excessive blue color of the sky in a sunny day and produce a warmish tone. UV ﬁlters absorb UV light and are clear glass.

X

Polarizer. Polarizers deepen blue skies, reduce glare on nonmetallic surfaces to increase color saturation, and remove spectral reﬂections from water and other reﬂective surfaces. A circular polarizer attaches to the lens, and you rotate it to reduce reﬂected polarized light. The beneﬁts of using a polarizing ﬁlter are evident in the comparison images shown here from the Utah desert near Bryce Canyon. The normal image is on the left and the polarized image is on the right. The polarizing ﬁlter, when rotated properly, yields deep blue skies, reduces reﬂections from surface glare of foliage, and saturates landscape colors. Maximum polarization occurs when the lens is at right angles (45°) to the sun. With wide-angle lenses, uneven polarization can occur, causing part of the sky to be darker than other areas of the sky.

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X

Variable neutral density ﬁlters. Singh-Ray’s Vari-ND variable neutral density ﬁlter (www.singh-ray.com/varind.html) allows you to continuously control the amount of light passing through your lens up to 8 EV, making it possible to use narrow apertures and slow shutter speeds even in more brightly lit scenes to show the ﬂuid motion of a waterfall and the motion of clouds or ﬂying birds. The ﬁlter is pricey ($340 to $390), but it’s a handy addition to your gear bag.

X

Graduated neutral density ﬁlters. These allow you to hold back a bright sky from 1 to 3 f-stops to balance foreground exposure. They’re usually half clear and half neutral density and are used in lens-mounted trays where you slide the ﬁlter up or down, depending on your composition. They’re available in hard or soft transition types and in different densities: 0.3 (1 stop), 0.45 (1.5 stops), 0.6 (2 stops), and 0.9 (3 stops). With this ﬁlter, you can darken the sky without changing the color; the sky’s brightness is similar to that of the landscape and appears in the image as the sky appears to your eye.

X

Warm-up ﬁlters. Originally designed to correct blue deﬁciencies in light or certain brands of ﬁlm, warm-up ﬁlters correct the cool bias of the light, and you can use them to enhance the naturally warm light of early morning and late afternoon. Warm-up ﬁlters come in several different strengths, such as 81 (weakest) and 81A, B, C, D, and EF, with 81EF being the strongest. For greatest effect, combine a warm-up ﬁlter with a polarizer. You can also apply the warm-up effect during image-editing in Photoshop.

Each of these types of light and the moods they create depends on the accuracy of the 5D Mark II to capture the color and the subtleties that light plays in a scene. For many nature photographers in particular, RAW capture is the only option that gives them the kind of control over the ﬁnal image that they need and want. By setting the camera to either the Faithful or Neutral Picture Style, you can render colors faithfully. The camera then applies a lower contrast tonal curve that, in turn, allows you ample latitude during RAW image conversion to increase contrast and color

10.9 Two boys watch rafters at play on Tahklahk Lake in Washington. Shot for a cover, the vertical format leaves room for the magazine masthead at the top and blank areas of sand and water for stories. ISO 400, f/22, 1/800 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L lens.

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saturation to your liking, without clipping or blowing highlights in conversion programs, such as Camera Raw, DPP, or Lightroom.

Exposure techniques for atypical scenes The 5D Mark II has a very capable onboard reﬂective light meter. It’s designed to measure light reﬂected off the subject or scene, and it’s calibrated to correctly expose average scenes. An average scene reﬂects approximately 18% of the light falling onto it. Visually, this 18% is represented as mid-gray, referred to as 18% gray. Many scenes are considered average, particularly scenes that are evenly lit either dominated by middle tones or contain an even balance of highlights and shadows or where the sun is behind or to the side of the camera as well as scenes where not too much of the sky or a dark foreground is in the frame to give a predominance of light or dark tones. Scenes such as snow or a dark foreground or a large dark expanse of water are prone to exposure error. And in scenes such as this, along with others — such as a sunlit building framed by a large expanse of dark foreground or scenes where you include large expanses of bright sky — you can make full use of the camera’s metering options to get good exposures in non-average scenes.

10.10 This is a sunset on the Intracoastal Waterway in aptly named Sunset Beach, North Carolina. To create a deeper silhouette of the boat docks, I dialed in -1 stop exposure compensation. ISO 100, f/16, 1/60 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8 USM lens.

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Both Partial and Spot metering are reﬂective, which means you must meter from a mid-gray in the scene that has approximately 18% reﬂectance. In outdoor scenes, use green grass, a blue sky, or a stone — all of which have approximately 18% reﬂectance. Or you can carry a small gray card and meter from it. For quick switching between Metering modes, you can set one of the C modes so that it’s preset to Spot metering. For scenes with a large expanse of sky, 1 to 1.5 f-stops is generally adequate to compensate for the predominance of light in the scene. For large expanses of snow, a positive compensation of 1 to 2 stops can counteract the camera’s underexposure and render snow white instead of gray. Another option is to bracket images and then composite the images in an editing program. Bracketing involves taking a picture at the camera’s ideal exposure as well as pictures at exposures over and under that exposure. Another function you doubtlessly want to set is mirror lockup with, of course, a tripod. By locking up the mirror before the shutter is ﬁred, you avoid any blur caused by the slap of the reﬂex mirror, particularly when you’re shooting macro images or when you’re using telephoto lenses. You can turn on mirror lockup by using My Menu.

Shooting in lowlight Low-light scenes — whether the subjects are landscapes, nature images, or travel shots — challenge your photography skills. Evening and night images not only expand your understanding of exposure, but they also open up a new world of moods, creative challenges, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to produce unique images. The 5D Mark II has excellent performance and incredibly high ISO settings, allowing you a great deal of creative freedom in these kinds of scenes.

10.11 This image of a Tiki head shows the effects of bracketing by 1.5 stops with the prime exposure in the middle. ISO 100, f/11, 1/250 sec., with an EF 28-70mm f/2.8L lens.

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Sunset and twilight are magical times to photograph city skylines, harbors, and the rising moon. During twilight, the artiﬁcial lights of cities and the light from the sky reach approximately the same intensity. This crossover time offers a unique opportunity to capture detail in a landscape or city skyline as well as in the sky. Low-light and night photos offer an opportunity to use Manual mode. Use Live View and watch your histogram to nail the exposure and get the image you want.

Practical Professional Advice Tips and techniques for nature, landscape, and travel images abound. Some techniques you can use when shooting outdoor images include: X

Focus one-third of the way into the scene. This technique approximates hyperfocal focusing, and although it’s not as accurate, it works reasonably well. For sweeping landscapes where there’s no obvious center of interest — such as a person, object, or an animal — focus the lens approximately a third of the way into the scene. The depth of ﬁeld for distant subjects extends approximately twice as far beyond the point of focus as it does in front. At close focusing distances, however, the point of focus falls approximately in the center of the depth of ﬁeld.

X

Visualize the image. If you’re shooting a sunset scene, decide whether you want to capture foreground detail or show trees, hills, and buildings as silhouettes. If you want to show foreground detail, meter the foreground directly by excluding the sky and sun from the viewﬁnder and then use a graduated neutral density ﬁlter to tone down the sky so that it isn’t blown out. If you decide to let the foreground go to silhouette, include less foreground in the frame by slightly tilting the camera upward to feature more sky. Or switch to a telephoto lens to pick out one or two elements to silhouette, such as trees or a building.

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10.12 Human shapes lend scale to this polarized image from the Utah desert near Bryce Canyon. ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/250 sec., with an EF 28-70mm f2.8L USM lens.

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X

Research before you go. Most travel photographers agree you can never do too much research on the place you’re traveling to. The more you know about an area, what its deﬁning characteristics are, and what areas the locals frequent, the better the chances that you can take distinctive images that capture the spirit of the locale.

X

Photographing rainbows. To capture the strongest color of a rainbow, position the rainbow against a dark background, such as stormy clouds, a hill, or trees. You can underexpose the image by about 1/3 or 1/2 f-stop to increase the color intensity.

X

Use side lighting, backlighting, or cross-lighting. Frontal lighting is often chosen by inexperienced photographers but creates images that lack texture and depth because the shadows fall away from the camera and out of view. Instead, shoot so that the sun is on one side of the camera, with light striking the scene at an angle. Side lighting provides the strongest effect for polarizing ﬁlters, given that maximum polarization occurs in areas of the sky at right angles to the sun.

X

Use the Self-timer mode or a cable release. For low-light and night scenes, you can use the Self-timer mode to ensure that there’s no camera shake as a result of pressing the Shutter button with your ﬁnger.

X

Include people in travel images. People deﬁne the locale, and the locale deﬁnes the people. As a result, it’s difﬁcult to capture the spirit of a place without including people in your images. I also make a point of using people in my landscape images to provide a sense of scale to natural land formations. Silhouetting people against a landscape or nature shot can add mood and drama. If you don’t speak the language, use hand gestures to ask permission before you photograph people.

X

Find new ways to capture iconic landmarks. Some landmarks, such as the Empire State Building, have been photographed at every angle, with every lens, and in every light possible. Spend some time thinking about how to get a fresh take on iconic landmarks to make your images distinctive.

X

Use a lens hood. You can avoid lens ﬂare by keeping lenses clean and by using a lens hood to prevent stray light from striking the front lens element.

X

Use selective focusing. The opposite of maximum depth of ﬁeld is choosing to render only a small part of the scene in sharp focus by using limited depth of ﬁeld. This is effective with any lens set to a wide aperture with a close subject as the point of focus while the rest of the scene is thrown well out of focus. The falloff of sharpness increases as the focal length increases and the aperture widens.

X

Metering a bright sky. To properly set exposure for a bright sky, meter the light on the brightest part of the clouds with a spot meter. If the sun’s above the horizon, take the meter reading without the sun in the frame and in an area of the sky next to the sun.

X

Use silhouettes as design elements. Be on the lookout for interesting silhouettes as graphic elements of your photograph. They can be employed when the subject of the silhouette has detail, coloring, or some other feature that would detract from your composition but has a powerful shape. When creating silhouette images, it’s often beneﬁcial to underexpose the image slightly from 1/2 to 1.5 stops.

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# 11

Portrait Photography erhaps no other genre of photography can be quite as personally and spiritually rewarding to the caring photographer as the art and craft of portrait photography. The ability to take a slice of time — a fraction of a second — and create a memorable portrait of a person in a certain time and place can be a very powerful, motivating endeavor. Photographers approach portrait photography for any number of reasons, but the bottom line is almost always about capturing a spirit and vitality in an image that can stand the test of time and be remembered by loved ones for years to come. This chapter explores ways and techniques the 5D Mark II can be your trusted companion for creating images that make a statement and motivate you to take better portraits, whether in the studio, on vacation, or out- This shot is from Cindy Jack’s model portfolio studio shoot. ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/125 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L doors. Armed with this new and USM lens. highly capable tool, the world of portrait photography is ready and waiting for you to explore to the fullest.

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Overview and Trends People are probably the most photographed subjects in the world simply because the images of loved ones or strangers trigger so many emotions within us. Who among us hasn’t been moved to pick up a camera and attempt to tap into that power after seeing pictures of crying babies, young people about to begin their adult lives, workers showcasing their skills, or senior citizens whose lives have imbued their faces with a certain character? Photographers who decide to pursue portrait photography realize early on that the best results of their work say something about them, their place in the world, and their hopes and dreams. Using the time-honored tools of lighting, posing, and connection with the subject, photographers create lasting images that have the potential to convey these inner feelings. The ﬁeld of portraiture crosses over into many other realms of photography, such as weddings, fashion, stock, travel, editorial, photojournalism, sports, and commercial portrait sessions. Within each of these areas, as times and technology change, trends become apparent by how quickly they change if we just take the time to notice them. Wedding imagery today looks nothing like our parents’ wedding albums — and for good reason. Digital capture has changed the way we take images and approach these shooting styles when we shoot weddings, high school senior portraits, business portraits, or any number of photographic situations, whether in studio or on location. These days, there’s always something new for photographers, from personal and family portraits to head shots for the music and fashion industries. Today, a consistent trend in studio and location portraiture can be described as more of a lifestyle approach. Lifestyle shooting seeks to portray the subject in a natural setting that’s typical for that particular subject, and photographers hip to current cultural or musical trends have these styles at their disposal so that they can create a unique and memorable portrait. More than ever, today’s portraits occur in settings that allow subjects to interact naturally with their surroundings and with each other. In certain other areas, like high school senior portraiture, weddings, or performance photography, trends have always held a strong inﬂuence. Today’s senior portrait is likely to feature subjects posed in sports gear, gritty grafﬁti-covered locations, or in motion with their hair blowing and playing a musical instrument. Studio portraits can also convey an awareness of these 188

11.1 Window light mixed with two remote Speedlites — one gelled blue — illuminated this business portrait. ISO 500, f/5.6, 1/60 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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styles by the photographer’s choice of lighting and the different types of backgrounds they may use. Pop culture has a very strong inﬂuence on what we see in magazines and what we expect to see in images of ourselves, and photographers who offer this vision to their clients are being well-rewarded for their efforts. As a result, clients have come to expect more from their portrait session and photographer simply because of the wide array of photographic products available to portrait buyers. Wedding couples, for example, can put as much emphasis on a certain photographer’s style as well as the end products that he or she may offer. What worked for years may simply not work today to keep your images and brand looking fresh and exciting. Photographers today seek to separate themselves from the pack by offering classy new products that reinforce clients’ images of themselves. Press-printed proof books and beautiful ﬂush-mount albums are just two examples of this new trend toward unique and exclusive products. Commercial photography has also seen these cultural stylistic advances in the way images and campaigns are shot. Flip through any annual report or capability brochure or visit a Fortune 500 company’s Web site, and these changes are apparent. The move is toward an edgier look and feel, accomplished by any number of posing, lighting, or compositional setups as well as an honest approach to the subject at hand. These advances go a long way toward establishing emotional responses that clients want consumers to feel and act upon.

11.2 Lifestyle shooting for senior sessions can be realized in the studio with color-coordinated uniforms and lighting. ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/20 sec., -1/3 exposure compensation, with an EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens.

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In my estimation, portrait photography can be the most challenging and personally rewarding of all the photographic areas that can be explored. The wide array of subject matters that may ﬁnd themselves on the other side of your lens are as inﬁnite and varied as the stars above. Photographers who endeavor to pursue this ﬁeld ﬁnd an enormous amount of possibilities and hopefully develop a deeper understanding and compassion for their subjects and the world around them.

Inspiration and Creative Resources Some associations, photographers, and online courses you can check out to inspire and enhance your portrait shooting include: X

Professional Photographers of America (www.ppa.com). PPA is the world’s largest association for professional photographers, with more than 20,000 members in 64 countries. It’s an association that seeks to increase its members’ business savvy as well as broaden their creative scope. PPA also publishes a magazine that features articles, tips, and news for portrait photographers.

X

Canon Explorers of Light (www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=ArtistsListAct). This program group is a broad-ranging initiative for photographic education and inspiration. Today, the group consists of 60 of the most inﬂuential photographers in the world, each a master of his or her own creative specialty. Find tips and techniques on exposure, workﬂow, getting the best color, and more.

X

Joe McNally (www.joemcnally.com/blog). The blog of famed photographer and photojournalist Joe McNally features lighting diagrams and examples of his awesome work in the ﬁeld of portraiture.

X

Digital Photography School (http://digital-photography-school.com/portrait-photographytips). This site offers a huge array of educational tips and techniques by leading industry professionals.

Packing Your Gear Bag Packing gear for location shooting begins with checking everything to make sure it’s in proper working order: lenses blown off and clean, batteries charged, and CF cards formatted. When shooting close to your own location, you have the ﬂexibility to bring along a larger selection of lenses, strobes, light modiﬁers, and accessories. If you’re traveling by air or some other means to a location or studio session, you may need to consider renting comparable gear to see you through and still produce professional results. Another factor that inﬂuences the lens selection is what the assignment entails, how many portraits, how many groups, and so on. Be prepared for anything. Things can change abruptly, and photographers who can adapt quickly stand a greater chance of success. I’ve found that even though the shoot was discussed at length, clients come up with variations or smaller groups, 190

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such as families or team members within an ofﬁce setting. Group participants may like your style and request an individual portrait on the spot. It pays to always be ready — a lesson I learned during the ﬁlm days when clients often requested color variations on a stated blackand-white shoot. As a result, I got in the habit of carrying a range of gear and supplies that cover me in these changeable situations. Some basic recommendations for packing gear for portrait sessions include the following — mostly the gear you should have when shooting sessions are local rather than long distance: X

One or two 5D Mark II camera bodies. The optimal solution is to have two 5D Mark II camera bodies — one with a wide-angle lens and one with a medium telephoto lens or one for stills and one for video.

X

One or more wide-angle and medium telephoto zoom lenses. I’ve found that the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, the EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro, and the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lenses cover most all portrait shooting needs. Special considerations, such as a low-light setting, may require the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens, not only because it has super-fast glass but also for the excellent contrast and sharpness it provides.

Telephoto lenses are ideal to start a shooting session with because, depending on your subject, they keep you a respectful distance away from the person you’re photographing, who may feel uncomfortable with a closer approach. As you begin to build a rapport with your subjects and make them feel more comfortable with you, they loosen up and allow you to move in closer. TIP

X

Tripod and monopod. Having a lightweight but sturdy tripod is essential. In addition, a versatile ball head with a sturdy quick-release plate increases the steadiness of shooting stills and video, particularly with long lenses.

X

CF cards sufﬁcient for the duration. The number of CF cards that you carry depends on how many images you typically shoot and the length of the shooting session. I carry a variety of fast Lexar Professional cards in sizes ranging from 4GB to 16GB.

X

Silver and gold reﬂectors. Collapsible reﬂectors of various sizes are great for ﬁlling shadow areas and adding a sparkle to the eyes when shooting individual participant portraits is part of a session.

X

Spare camera batteries. Even with the healthy life of the 5D Mark II battery, I still have one or more charged spare batteries in my gear bag as insurance.

X

A laptop computer or portable storage device. Backing up images on-site either to a laptop or a handheld hard drive is an essential part of the workﬂow, and if you’re traveling for an extended assignment, you should back up the shoot on a laptop or portable storage device.

X

EX-series Speedlites, light stands, umbrellas, octabanks or lightboxes, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2. When shooting individual portraits is part of the assignment, a handy portable studio might include a Lightware case with one to three EX-series Speedlites mounted on stands with light modiﬁers, such as an umbrella, softbox, or octabank, controlled by PocketWizards or the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2. This completely wireless

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lighting setup, along with a couple of reﬂectors and a small roll of background material, is quick to set up and tear down, takes up minimal space, and provides professional results. X

Brush, combs, cosmetic blotters, lip gloss, concealer, clothespins, safety pins. Particularly for model or senior photo sessions, touchups of hair between shots are often necessary. Cosmetic blotters come in handy to reduce the shine from facial oil, and a neutral-tone lip gloss adds shine to the lips, whereas a concealer hides blemishes and dark circles around the eyes. It’s easier to apply a dab under each eye and rub it in than spend time on the dark circle during retouching.

Additional handy items include the following: 11.3 I used two 580EX Speedlites — one shooting into a silver umbrella plus another one ﬁtted with an orange gel — to simulate the setting sun for this outdoor portrait of a naturopath. ISO 125, f/2.8, 1/6 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

X

Portable background and stands. Whether it’s a roll of white seamless paper or muslin, having a clean background that’s easy to assemble and tear down for portraits is exceptionally handy.

X

Plastic bags or drop cloths. For outdoor shooting, large plastic sheets are helpful in a variety of unexpected situations, including offering protection from a rain shower or wet grass, protecting camera and lighting equipment, or serving as a scrim for portrait sessions.

X

Leatherman tool. This tool can solve all kinds of unexpected problems, from ﬁxing camera and lighting gear to trimming foliage in an outdoor portrait setting.

Shooting Portraits Although the Web is full of sources for lighting, posing, and portrait tips, an in-depth rumination on the subject is beyond the scope of this book. Rather, it’s intended to highlight what the 5D Mark II can do both in the ﬁeld and in the studio as well as serve as a departure point in your ongoing learning about light and how it affects your ﬁnal portrait. With this in mind, I explain what the 5D Mark II can do when you use it and manipulate ambient light with modiﬁers and Speedlites.

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Taking outdoor portraits Outdoor lighting presents as many challenges as creating your light from scratch in the studio. At any rate, the lighting must provide beautiful facial illumination and be appropriate for the subject’s face, skin tone, and personality. Midday direct sunlight is harsh light to work in and is guaranteed to produce dark shadows under the eyes, nose, and chin. I use a 42-inch round diffusion panel to soften the light when I have no alternative but to shoot in bright sunlight because of location or scheduling or I try to ﬁnd an area where the subject is shaded from above, such as by the roof of a building, an awning, an alleyway, or a tree. These locations can soften the light on the face and keep the subject from having to squint into the bright sunlight. For ﬁll, I use a silver reﬂector to bounce a little edgier light back into the face. You can position your subjects so the sun strikes them from behind, throwing their faces into shadow, and then use a silver or white reﬂector to bounce soft light back up into their faces at the most pleasing angle. For softer light in this situation, use a white reﬂector, which softens shadows and reduces contrast. If this isn’t enough to balance backlighting, add a small amount of on- or off-camera ﬂash. Perhaps the ideal outdoor portrait light is from an overcast sky. This gauzy light is diffused by the clouds to provide a naturally soft light source. Although ﬂattering for all types of subjects, overcast light is especially ﬂattering for portraits of senior citizens, women, and children. When it’s too bright overhead, parts of the face fall into shadow and need to be perked up. A simple silver reﬂector in the right spot can both ﬁll shadows and add important highlights to the eyes. Alternatively, open shade produced by large areas of sky on a sunlit day — where the light is blocked by an object, such as a building or a tree — also provides soft light. When shooting in the open shade, be aware of how the shadows are falling even though the light is soft. Then, to add a little bit of rim light to deﬁne shape and form as well as create separation from the background, a 42-inch silver or gold reﬂector really does an effective job. When ﬁrst starting out working with a reﬂector, you may ﬁnd it helpful to work the reﬂector yourself and let someone else shoot just to get a feel for how the light moves around. Ideally, you want the key lighting to come in slightly higher than the eyes — at a 45° angle — and the reﬂector opposite the main light source (in this case, the sky) positioned slightly lower. You only need to do this a few times to be able to see the light and what it does.

11.4 Overcast light set the scene for this portrait of high school senior Erin Haroun. ISO 500, f/5.6, 1/250 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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11.5 When I saw how much fun my daughter Brenna was having on this merry-go-round, I knew it would make a great photo opportunity to convey her vitality and passion for fun, so I sat across from her and used a slow shutter speed to blur the background. ISO 100, f/22, 1/13 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

If you’re photographing a subject in open shade with a bright background, be sure to move in close to the subject’s face and meter on the face (with the reﬂector in place) and then use the exposure from this reading to take the image. TIP

Two beautiful times for outdoor portraits are sunrise and the golden hour before sunset. The low angle of the sun striking the subject’s face provides dramatic and warm illumination. Watch your backgrounds, and don’t allow them to go too dark. Use reﬂectors, a piece of foamcore, a cooler lid, or whatever’s handy to ﬁll in the shadow side of the face and enjoy those last rays of the sun.

Getting the best color The color of light changes continually throughout the day, although we may hardly notice it. With a subject in a shaded area, the light is either very cool and/or reﬂects the color of the shading. Although you can color-correct the image during conversion or editing, I prefer to set a custom white balance. It takes only seconds, and it’s worthwhile because I know I’ll shoot a long series of shots in that same light and location before moving on. Alternatively, you can shoot a gray card for the ﬁrst image and then color-correct during batch RAW image conversion.

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Reﬂective versus Incident Light Meters The 5D Mark II offers a variety of light metering options, including Evaluative and Spot, as detailed in Chapter 3. Regardless of the metering option you choose, a reﬂective meter measures the light reﬂected by the subject. Although reﬂective light meters are generally accurate in most situations, they can cause exposure errors in scenes where glare and extraneous light ﬁgure in. An alternative to the onboard reﬂective meter is using a handheld incident light meter. An incident meter, which I feel is more precise and accurate than reﬂective meters, reads the amount of light falling onto the subject. Incident meters have a plastic bubble over the light sensor to diffuse the light striking it. To use the incident meter, you dial-in the ISO that you’re using on the 5D Mark II on the light meter and then take the meter reading at the subject’s position, with the hemisphere pointed toward the camera. When you press the Measuring button on your light meter, the meter displays a readout showing the exposure settings based on the scene illumination and the ISO you dialed in. Some photographers prefer using the handheld incident meter to check light output and lighting ratios and feel it’s more accurate. Regardless of the type of meter you use, meter readings are only a starting point for exposure settings. You still want to create a rich ﬁle with a great histogram that reproduces well in all modes as well as making sure there’s proper contrast and tonality. And it’s up to you to pay attention to your exposures.

11.6 This distance runner posed on the track under some leafy elms that added a slightly greenish cast to her skin. A quick custom white balance brought the color back under control, and a gold reﬂector added an edge. ISO 125, f/3.5, 1/45 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens. 195

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Use C modes For the main types of shooting I do, I’ve set up a C mode on the 5D Mark II for each one. No matter where light and the camera settings may have taken me, I can always return to an exact set of speciﬁcations for any given project at hand. For example, I typically set up Spot metering, Av mode, Continuous mode, and a Picture Style to my own custom style based on the Standard style and then do a custom white balance. ISO is then set based on the available light, taking into consideration the aperture I want to shoot in and a shutter speed at which I can safely handhold the camera. Before the shoot is also a good time to go over the Custom Functions and reset any that don’t apply to the current session and then set the functions that you do want to use for this session. 11.7 Overcast light and a collapsible white reﬂector set the scene for this outdoor portrait Be sure that you fully test Custom of husband-and-wife writers David and Functions before a photo session TIP Courtney Jarecki. ISO 100, f/5. 1/100 sec., begins to ensure that there are no conﬂicts with an EF 28-70mm f2.8L USM lens. in the camera and that you’re familiar with any button functionality changes resulting from a change to Custom Functions.

Taking indoor portraits At some point or another, you might want to take portraits indoors because you’ve either been driven inside by the weather or you desire to utilize some of the dramatic features of interior architecture and lighting. Trying to gauge color indoors makes us ﬁnally realize how fantastic our eyes and brains are because they automatically do this for us all the time. Different types of interior illumination all affect color in some way, and when indoors, you call upon a number of light sources and modiﬁers to create your images.

Window light Although window light can be the most beautiful of ambient indoor light, it’s also a directional light source that requires ﬁlling in the shadow areas by using either reﬂectors or ﬁll ﬂash. I prefer using reﬂectors because they retain the natural color and quality of the light. If the light is cool, using a gold reﬂector can warm up the scene, but in most cases, I use either a silver or white reﬂector.

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One of the advantages of window light is that you can decrease the light by moving the subject farther from the window. If the window is relatively far from the wall behind the subject, separation between the subject and the background can fall off to the point that the subject appears to merge with the background. To prevent this, you can set up a remote Speedlite dialed down in Manual mode, aimed at the background, and placed behind the subject, or for a different look, you can create a background with seamless paper and stands. To get the facial modeling you want with the window light, rotate the subject, the camera, the reﬂector, and the background all relative to the window. Typically, having the subject at a 45° angle to the window is a good starting point. Then, you can use the reﬂector on the shadow side of the subject to bounce light back into the shadowed area. To meter window light, it’s important to expose for the skin and, in particular, to meter for facial highlights, which are the areas of critical exposure. Although Evaluative metering gives a generally good exposure, you can get a more precise reading by using the spot meter. Just come in close to the subject and then meter the highlight area. Then, you can use either AE Lock or switch to Manual mode to use the resulting exposure settings. It’s also a good idea to meter the

11.8 Late-afternoon window light and a silver panel reﬂector provided the illumination for this shot of Neil Wolfson, a high-voltage electrician. ISO 320, f/2.8, 1/60 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens.

11.9 Strong window light and a +0.5 exposure compensation captured this little angel at a wedding. The white vignette was added in Lightroom. ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/25 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens. 197

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shadow side of the face so you know the difference in f-stops between the highlights and the shadows. If the difference is too high, the image renders the shadow side as very dark. You can move the subject farther from the window to decrease the difference between the shadow and highlight meter readings. Of course, the contrast also depends on the subject. High contrast between the highlight and shadow side of the face works well for portraits of men but isn’t as ﬂattering for most portraits of women and children.

Ambient interior and mixed light Many of the principles of using window light apply when shooting with other main light sources, such as a tungsten lamp placed to one side of the subject. In overhead lit spaces, such as conference rooms, the challenges are similar to working with direct overhead sunlight in that the same lighting creates shadows under the eyes, nose, and chin. In these situations, using either reﬂectors or a Speedlite ﬁll or bounce ﬂash comes in handy to reduce the shadows and bring up the facial brightness. They can be placed anywhere and, in the case of the ﬂash, manually adjusted to just the right amount of light output that you need. Particularly with tungsten household light, setting a custom white balance produces the best color. The Tungsten white balance setting has an excessively warm yellow/ orange cast. Certainly, another option is to use white balance correction (detailed in Chapter 4) the same way that you would use a color-correction ﬁlter in traditional ﬁlm photography.

11.10 A mix of tungsten pool table lamps and light from a B1600 Alien Bees monolight ﬁtted with a strip bank illuminated this portrait of singer Leslie Kernochan with Vagabond Opera in an after-hours club. ISO 400, f/8, 1/4 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens.

But unless you shoot in the same tungsten light on a regular basis, it’s easier to set a custom white balance. Likewise, with ﬂuorescent light, there are so many different types of ﬂuorescent bulbs that the Fluorescent setting doesn’t always get it right, so I’m used to setting a custom white balance in those lighting conditions. In mixed light scenes, a custom white balance easily avoids time spent color-correcting images on the computer. You can choose to set the white balance for the main light source and then let all the rest fall where they may, but there’s still evidence of the other light sources as color casts in the image. Another option is to gel a ﬂash and then color-balance to the light it produces,

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drastically changing the color balance of the rest of the scene and yielding all sorts of surreal, unpredictable background colors.

Studio lighting Without question, studio lighting offers the photographer the greatest amount of control over portrait lighting. Whether using continuous hot lights or studio strobes — and combined with modiﬁers, such as umbrellas, softboxes, octabanks, strip banks, barn doors, snoots, beauty dishes, ﬂags, scrims, grids, cookie cutters, and reﬂectors — studio lighting enables you to produce an unlimited range of lighting effects. You have to assess the amount of work you intend to do and also how much lighting gear you physically can manage to transport. In this regard, it may be a good idea to start with small Speedlite ﬂashes and work up from there. Monolights have the convenience of being selfcontained and delivering way more power (light) than you may need, and they have all but replaced pack- and head-type lighting systems for location work. I use all three types of systems depending on the assignment — and let me tell you, traveling light is great. Several years ago, photojournalist David Hobby started blogging about using small ﬂashes to do studio-quality location work — thus giving birth to the Strobist Nation. His blog (www.strobist. blogspot.com) attracts thousands of hits every day from like-minded shooters who love to control their light. Be forewarned: It may keep you up past your bedtime checking out all the cool entries, but you’ll never look at light the same way again. Guaranteed. Whatever lighting system I happen to be using in the studio, the 5D Mark II has been a top performer in all types of portrait sessions. For this reason, I want to protect its circuitry, so I use remote triggers. For any ﬂash system larger than a Speedlite, I use remote triggers from PocketWizard and sync at 1/160 sec. or slower.

A Basic One-Light Setup The main light provides the modeling on the subject’s face and form. You can combine key light with a softbox or an umbrella (silver, gold, or shoot-through). You place the light at a 45° angle to the side of the camera, with the light pointed slightly down so that it creates a shadow between the end of the nose and the lip. Then, place a large silver or white reﬂector to the other side of the camera to soften the shadow created by the key light. Adjust the position of the key light, watching how the shadow moves as you adjust it. For classic loop lighting, the key light should be placed so that it throws a nose shadow that follows the lower curve of the cheek on the opposite side of the light. The shadow from the key light should cover the unlit side of the nose without the shadow extending onto the subject’s cheek. You can adjust the height of the key light to change the curve under the cheekbone. Also, be sure that the areas under the eyebrows and the top of the eyelids are well-lit. Then, you can adjust the reﬂector position to soften the shadow.

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Even though the 5D Mark II sports a 1/200 sec. sync speed with Speedlites, the ﬂash duration of larger systems is different, and you may notice a darker bottom edge of your image if you shoot at that recommended speed. Adjust your shutter speed down until it goes away, usually between 1/160 sec. and 1/125 sec., but your mileage may vary. It takes only one or two studio sessions to determine the light temperature of your strobes, but it’s a good idea to check them from time to time because bulbs do age and change color temperature as they get older. If the lighting system doesn’t specify a light temperature, it’s easy to shoot some RAW images and then use the White Balance tool in Camera Raw to determine what the neutral temperature is for your system. You can use the K (Kelvin) white balance setting to dial-in the speciﬁc temperature for your particular studio setup. I have had limited success with the Flash white balance setting, which is meant for Speedlites, but it really depends on the light system you’re using. Always test before you shoot.

11.11 It’s very important to keep the studio warm when doing intimate portraiture. ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/100 sec., with three Alien Bees strobes: one as a background/hair light, one to camera left in a strip bank with a grid, and one camera right in a large softbox as the key.

Also, you can set up the Shooting mode, sync speed, and white balance and then register them as one of the C mode settings. This is a great idea if you do a lot of studio work or even work in different studios because it provides an instant setup for the most common settings.

Practical Pro Advice Some techniques I’ve found most useful in shooting successful portrait images for clients include: X

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Focus on the eyes. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but if not, they sure are the most dramatic feature in portraits. With any animate subjects, as long as the eyes are in focus, the photo registers as sharp. Using a shallow f-stop and focusing on the eyes causes what’s in front and behind the eyes to go slightly soft focus, which can be a great thing when you want to diminish skin texture in elders, children, or babies.

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X

Maintain proportions for youth shots. Keeping with the eye theme, compose shots of kids from their eye level, which means you have to get down on the ground to shoot. This keeps their heads in perspective and places them in their environment the way they see themselves. This is true with nearly every pet or critter or any living thing. If you get down to their view of the world, your images become way more realistic and resonate so much more.

X

Pose groups of people as you’d arrange music. Begin by placing the ﬁrst person and then the next with an eye toward creating a pleasing blend of shapes and sizes within the frame. Create a natural ﬂow from person to person in the group, as if the viewer is following a visual map. Use hands and arms to connect subjects, and use classic shapes, such as the S curve and triangle. Remember your hyperfocal principles, and focus 1/3 into the group with a smaller aperture than you’d use for individuals. Try to keep the subjects as close to the same plane as possible — perpendicular to the lens axis — to maintain the greatest sharpness.

X

Minimize signs of aging. To de-emphasize the wrinkles and loose skin of older subjects, have him or her stand and then place a foot on a chair or a stool. Then, have the subject lean toward you by slightly extending his or her neck or turning his or her head to stretch the skin and smooth out the jaw line.

X

Use contrast for composition strength. The viewer’s eye is always drawn to areas of greater contrast — a light subject against a dark ﬁeld and vice versa. In addition, the sense of sharpness of a photograph is increased by the skillful use of contrast. In other words, place the subject against a complementary background tone with good separation.

X

Engage with the subject(s). A primary means of human communication is with the eyes. If you’re buried behind the camera, you run the risk of losing the connection with the subject. I get the shot set up, sometimes employ a tripod, and then step from behind the camera to show the subject what I have in mind or just to chat a bit to help the subject loosen up and become more comfortable. Most people are nervous under the big studio lights, so you need to be aware and sensitive to this and do all you can to get natural looks from your subjects.

X

Remember that kids rule. The wise photographer works with the mood, energy, and ﬂow of young subjects rather than against them. Children can often have short attention spans. Work quickly but be ﬂexible and engage them in the picture-taking process. They’re naturally curious about our adult stuff, and I’m sure the 5D Mark II must look incredibly desirable to them. Use the camera to your advantage by using it as a learning tool.

X

Work with the art director. In the best of assignments, working with the art director, makeup artist, and stylist is a great collaborative project. Most photographers work alone or with an assistant but relish the opportunity to collaborate with a team of other creatives toward a singular goal. But in situations where the art director wants compositions and setups that may not work visually, be diplomatic and shoot the layout their way ﬁrst and then talk them through what you’d now like to try. Very often, I’ve explained myself clearly and end up having my compositions published.

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X

Set the mood. The ambience and hospitality that your studio offers is directly reﬂected in the images. Having a changing room, refreshments, comfortable seating, and upbeat music sets the energy and mood of the shoot, so paying attention to these details can pay big dividends with happy clients and referrals.

X

In group shots, position the children last. Because many kids have short attention spans, especially around large family groups where there’s lots of activity, I save the kids for last and usually have them in the front because anything closer to the camera appears larger, and anything farther away appears smaller, and this technique spatially balances them with adults.

X

Show instead of tell. Describing 11.12 Insurance agent H.Q. La’s studio portrait for his billboard, Web site, and how to pose to other people is hard brochure. ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/100 sec., with an work. Instead of describing what you EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens. want them to do, move to their position and assume the pose or position that you want them to mimic. Portraits are best when the effort becomes a two-way street, so as you demonstrate, talk about your ideas for the session and also ask for the subject’s ideas. Be supportive. Smile. Listen.

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Stock and Editorial Photography tock and editorial photography has always attracted more than its fair share of talent because photographers have long been drawn to the storytelling power of well-crafted images and have felt the need to visually communicate stories that matter. Different media habits and a drying up of oncesolid commercial outlets have put these genres in limbo. You have to be keenly aware of the business realities to market your work to the widest possible audience. Shooting techniques and subjects are often similar in stock and editorial shooting, and both areas reward those who do the research to learn more about their subjects. But changes in the stock industry during the past 3 years — everything from on-demand assignment shooting to dollar or micro stock — has put new Sometimes, when you’re travelling, just having a nice conversation is the best exposure, as was the case with this perspectives on rights manage- fruit vendor on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. ISO 500, ment and income expectations. f/4, 1/1250 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens. Editorial shooting remains a solid starting point for many young photographers, especially because it offers an opportunity for creative storytelling.

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Overview and Trends For stock photographers, the 5D Mark II adds another tool to your arsenal by combining the power of still images and video to tell a story all in one camera. Those photographers able to supply standard or high-deﬁnition footage of an event or situation stand a higher chance of getting their images seen and their work published. As consolidation takes place across the market, new strategies have to be formed in order to compete for available assignments, and having a working knowledge of the video language through experience with the camera gives you greater storytelling potential. Today, stock agencies look for an innovative conceptual approach with strong appeal across markets. Many of the bestselling images embody traditional concepts, such as family, as well as contemporary topics, including health, the environment, pop culture, technology trends, exclusive locations, celebrities, and weather events. However, trends change frequently, and it pays to look at the latest offerings by major stock agencies, such as Getty Images (www.gettyimages. com), PhotoShelter (www.photoshelter. com), Corbis (www.Corbis.com), Alamy (www.alamy.com), and others.

12.1 Nostalgia sells. A little Photoshop blur helps recall the ground-shaking power of yesteryear’s locomotives. ISO 100, f/10, 1/125 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Niche content can also set photographers apart from the ever-growing crowd of established and hopeful stock photographers. Michael Durham’s photography (www.durmphoto.com) is a great example of successful niche content. Durham is an expert in high-speed ﬂash photography and

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has spent years perfecting his art in his drive to photograph what can’t be seen. Durham’s work has grown from his work with zoos and is now featured in major stock collections and magazine articles and university publications. For photographers looking to break into magazine and publication shooting, the trend is toward not only print usage but also online use that can include multimedia elements. In the print arena, local and regional magazines offer a fast-growing segment of opportunity for photographers, although the rates remain relatively low compared to national publication rates. On the other hand, local and regional editorial photography allows creative freedom, helps photographers build their portfolios, and provides exposure. For photographers looking to move into editorial shooting, local and regional publications are a good ﬁrst step.

12.2 Photographing local events, such as this demolition of an Oregon nuclear plant, provides both the opportunity for stock sales and an entry into publication shooting. ISO 100, f/8, 1/125 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

As revenues for online versions of news and general interest Web sites grow, photographers are increasingly asked to expand their skills so they can create multimedia Web stories that feature still images as well as video and audio content. To remain competitive, photographers quickly learn new multimedia tools, including Soundslides and the Final Cut Pro video-editing program. A common element of both stock and editorial shooting is the assignment aspect. Stock agencies send photographers on assignment with the same goals editors have when they send photographers out on assignment. The common denominator is the photographer’s ability to bring back a good story in photographs.

Inspiration and Creative Resources Once again, the Internet provides a wealth of sources for creative inspiration for both still and video subject matter and techniques. Depending on your area of interest, it pays to stay aware of current events and styles in entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, health and beauty, and the environment as well as politics and world affairs.

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For much of stock, timely images are at a premium, so it helps to be aware of current events both in the world and in your town. Topics such as global warming, pollution, food safety, and the economy all make good candidates for iconic images with an immediate need. Find out all you can about those and similar themes. Subscribe to picture agencies’ Web sites to receive their newsletters or consider applying for membership. Agencies often make available to their members lists of popular requests and keyword searches so photographers can better understand the market and where the needs are. Many resources for stock and editorial photographers are available, including books, workshops, Web sites, and photography associations. The following are selections from among hundreds: X

American Society of Media Photographers (www.asmp.org). This is one of the premier photographic associations, and membership in ASMP offers education, business resources, online forums, local chapters, legal resources, and publications.

X

American Society of Picture Professionals (www.aspp.com). This is a nonproﬁt community of photography experts committed to sharing experience and knowledge throughout the industry.

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Creative Eye (http://creativeeyecoop.com). This is a worldwide cooperative of photographers and illustrators dedicated to addressing such concerns as market standards, licensing methods, rights protection, and licensing fees for the reuse of their images.

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The Digital Journalist (www.digitaljournalist.org). This is photojournalist Dirck Halstead’s online publication covering news, trends, and commentary on photojournalism as well as editorial photography.

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Editorial Photographers (www.editorialphoto.com). This is an organization whose goal is the education of both photographers and photo editors in the editorial marketplace. The EP board members often serve as liaisons between the various trade organizations and working groups, and they act as point persons when issues critical to photographers arise.

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National Press Photographers Association (www.nppa.org). This site is dedicated to the advancement of photojournalism — its creation, editing, and distribution in all news media — and offers education and a community for photographers.

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Stock Artists Alliance (www.stockartistsalliance.org). This site offers photographer directories, discounts on professional services, advocacy for stock photographers, and news and articles pertaining to the stock industry.

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Stock Photo Price Calculator (http://photographersindex.com/stockprice.htm). This site offers a handy way to estimate stock photo use pricing.

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U.S. Copyright Ofﬁce (www.copyright.gov). This site offers forms, instructions, questions and answers on copyright applications, and news bulletins about registering copyrights in the United States.

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Packing Your Gear Bag What you pack in your gear bag doubtlessly changes from time to time to match the speciﬁc nature of the stock shoot or editorial assignment. Particularly for editorial shooting outdoors, it’s important to have protection for the camera in inclement weather. The 5D Mark II has increased weather sealing over the previous model but not nearly the extensive treatment found on the ﬂagship cameras. Storm Jacket (www.stormjacket.com) and Fotosharp (www.fotosharp.com) offer a variety of weatherproof covers for camera and lenses. Some basic recommendations for packing gear for stock and editorial shooting include: X

One or two 5D Mark II camera bodies. In a perfect world, it would be wise to have two 5D Mark II camera bodies, one each for video and stills and with different lenses ﬁtted for the assignment or stock shoot. Especially with location shooting where things happen in a hurry, you won’t want to be changing lenses and risk missing a key shot. Having extra bodies with different focal length lenses speeds your workﬂow.

X

Tripod and monopod. Having a lightweight but sturdy tripod is essential. In addition, a versatile ball head with a sturdy quick-release plate increases the steadiness of shooting stills and video, particularly with long lenses.

X

CF cards sufﬁcient for the duration. The number of CF cards that you carry depends on how many images you typically shoot and the length of the shooting session. I carry a variety of fast Lexar Professional cards in sizes ranging from 4GB to 16GB.

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Silver and gold reﬂectors. Collapsible reﬂectors of various sizes are great for ﬁlling shadow areas and adding a sparkle to the eyes when shooting individual participant portraits is part of the session.

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Spare camera batteries. Even with the healthy life of the 5D Mark II battery, I still have one or more charged spare batteries in my gear bag as insurance.

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One or more wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses. My standard lenses are the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens and the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM. I also bring along the EF 1.4x II extender and EF 2x II extender to increase the focal length. Depending on the assignment or stock subject, having a very fast lens is also invaluable. Great additional lenses are the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM and the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM.

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A laptop computer or portable storage device. Backing up images on-site either to a laptop or a handheld hard drive is an essential part of the workﬂow, and if you’re traveling for an extended assignment, you’ll want to back up the shoot on a laptop or portable storage device.

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EX-series Speedlites, light stands, umbrellas, octabanks or lightboxes, and a Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2. When shooting portraits is part of the event or assignment, a handy portable studio might include one to three EX-series Speedlites mounted on stands with

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light modiﬁers, such as an umbrella, softbox, or octabank, connected to PocketWizards or by using the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2. This completely wireless lighting setup, along with a couple of reﬂectors and a small roll of background material, is quick to set up and tear down, takes up minimal space, and provides professional results.

12.3 This trafﬁc shot for a story on bridges tested the low-light capability of the 5D Mark II to provide good depth of ﬁeld for the length of the bridge. ISO 1000, f/16, 1/4 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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Portable background and stands. Whether it’s a roll of white seamless paper or muslin, having a clean background that’s easy to assemble and tear down for portraits is exceptionally handy. Very often, sales from events can be increased by offering to shoot individual portraits of some of the key participants.

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Silver and gold reﬂectors. Without question, reﬂectors of various sizes are indispensable for ﬁlling shadow areas and adding catchlights to the eyes if shooting individual participant portraits is part of the session. These are especially useful for getting some light up under hats and ﬁlling in backlit portraits.

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Plastic bags or drop cloths. For outdoor shooting, large plastic sheets come in handy for a variety of unexpected situations, including offering protection from a rain shower or wet grass, protecting camera and lighting equipment, or serving as a scrim for portrait sessions.

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Leatherman tool. This tool can solve all kinds of unexpected problems, from ﬁxing camera and lighting gear to trimming foliage in an outdoor portrait setting.

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12.4 Documenting a construction project, I captured this contractor working late after the sun had set. ISO 100, f/19, 1/250 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Shooting Stock and Editorial Images The 5D Mark II is an exceptionally versatile camera, principally because you can shoot still images and video at high ISO settings in low-light scenes and get outstanding results. The lowlight capabilities of the extended ISO range and Shooting modes for high-deﬁnition video make this camera a top choice for an unlimited range of assignments that may come your way. The C modes on the 5D Mark II are very convenient because they allow you to set the camera in advance for the Shooting mode, exposure settings, Drive mode, and so on, that you anticipate you need. Plus, once you begin shooting the session, you can always tweak the settings on the ﬂy. After you make a quick assessment of the lighting for the session, you can determine what ISO to set and then set a custom white balance, provided that the light remains constant over a series of shots, or use a preset white balance. A custom white balance takes less than a minute to set up, but it can save a ton of time during image-processing. RAW capture mode is my preference, although JPEG or RAW+JPEG may be more appropriate if you need to immediately show an editor or art director images from an assignment. It’s really important to have expectations and a good workﬂow set up in advance for editorial shooting. Arrange with the editor in advance as to how and when you’ll transmit images from the shoot. If you’re shooting RAW+JPEG, it’s easy to upload the images from the shoot to a Web site for the client to pick images for processing. Then, you can process the RAW images that the editor selects from the proofs for ﬁnal delivery. 209

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Whether for stock or on editorial assignment, shoot with an eye to tell the story — the entire story. Very often, detail shots — as opposed to wider shots — highlight aspects of the story that convey the intimate moments that evoke emotion and resonate with editors and viewers. For this reason, I might bring along an EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM or an EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens speciﬁcally to capture detail shots if I know there’s potential for those kinds of images. To get started in stock and editorial shooting, consider shooting local events that have a news edge. Photographing weather and the damage it can cause, political rallies, and the like can often lead to getting work from local newspapers and television stations that use still images from areas where they didn’t have a news crew in place. Especially now with the capability to shoot high-deﬁnition video with the 5D Mark II, the market has expanded for photographers to editorially document any number of situations and happenings, from street fairs to severe weather damage. It pays to remember that when shooting for either editorial or stock, editors look for clean, wellcomposed images with a strong storytelling component.

12.5 A visit to an apple orchard and country store yielded this simple shot, which was licensed for use in textbooks and greeting cards. ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/160 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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12.6 Photographing editorial assignments can often present lighting challenges. In this nightscape, the lighting was low, so I took advantage of the excellent low-noise performance of the 5D Mark II and set the ISO to 6400. ISO 6400, f/22, 20 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

12.7 Details are always a great way to highlight parts of a story, such as these hot-air balloon jets. ISO 100, f/4, 1/160 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens. 211

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Practical Pro Advice Some useful techniques for shooting event images for publication and stock include: X

Leave space for text. For both stock and editorial assignments, shoot lots of images and leave space at the top and to one side so that editors who use the image can place text and logos. And given that magazines are vertical, a good assortment of vertical shots increases the usability of images in magazines as covers and full-page images.

X

Ensure that you’re in sync with the editor. Although there’s a good deal of creative freedom given to assignment photographers, you still have to have clear expectations outlined and agreed upon before the shooting begins. Shoot both verticals and horizontals to give editors layout options. If you haven’t worked with the editor before, ask lots of questions, ensure that you understand the editor’s expectations and needs, and always deliver the images on time.

12.8 Clean, simple center compositions make great covers. Remember to allow room for layout graphics and type. ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/60 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

X

Have backup gear. If a piece of camera gear can break or fail to function properly, it will almost always do so on location. Wind, sand, moisture, and dust can wreak havoc on these ﬁne electrical machines. Having backup gear is a must for shooting in environments or situations where your primary camera can get damaged or broken easily. If travelling outside the country, it’s also a great idea to have several copies of a list of all your gear — with serial numbers, dates purchased, and estimated values — to speed your way through customs.

X

Get model releases. Discuss model releases with the editor for assignments before the shoot. You may also need property releases if shooting real estate or location icons, and it’s also wise to get them if you’re shooting on private property. If children are in the images, you need to get parent or guardian signatures in lieu of the child’s. The ASMP has several samples on its Web site (www.asmp.org) that you can use or you can modify one to create your own.

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X

Know the 5D Mark II. Before you begin shooting at the new higher ISO settings, do a test shoot and make some prints that a client might request or conﬁgure them to the proper settings for use in the publication. Evaluate the prints for digital noise and grain levels that become evident at large print sizes. By doing this, you have a baseline for the highest ISO settings that you can use on the 5D Mark II and still get good reproduction.

X

Know the current rates. FotoQuote (www.cradocfotosoftware.com/foto Quote-Pro/index.html) is the industry standard photo-pricing guide for stock and assignment photography. It helps you stay current with the going pay rates for both national and regional publications as well as helping you negotiate use of images on a publication’s Web site. Various photo associations, such as those listed earlier in this chapter, provide members with rate information and pricing calculators for stock and online usage.

12.9 Iconic buildings can have a broad appeal for stock. ISO 800, f/16, 1/1000 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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13

Wedding Photography edding photography has seen a dramatic shift in styles, techniques, and creative challenges in recent years, resulting in a large number of photographers who are lured to the ﬁeld by the workﬂow beneﬁts that a digital camera can provide. The wedding day itself presents you with a huge array of lighting conditions, locations, and subjects and can also be a good test for your equipment and personal temperament. Today’s brides and grooms are also savvier clients because they’re hip to popular trends and looks, having grown up with more music, video, and media inﬂuences than their parents could have ever dreamed. As such, they’re better-educated clients who require a photographer who can produce the images they desire on their special day. A person with a creative eye and superior people skills couldn’t ﬁnd a more satisfying career than that of a wedding photographer.

W

Cydelle and Levi on their wedding day in Honolulu, Hawaii. ISO 500, f3.2, 1/500 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f2.8 USM lens.

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Overview and Trends Once considered one of the lowliest forms of photographic genres, wedding photography took a turn in the early 1990s when several photographers from both coasts started offering shooting styles and packages that sought to record the day as it unfolded in a photojournalistic way rather than create a collection of stiff, posed photographs that contained few of the emotions and details of the day. Along with this, black-and-white images enjoyed yet another popularity spike with a modern audience, especially because of the powerful way these images depict composition, form, drama, and emotion. A photojournalistic approach is now the style du jour for many of today’s modern brides and grooms and their friends. Wedding clients spend more time looking for just the right person to capture the special moments of their day, and they expect a photographer who’s knowledgeable about all the latest trends and styles and who’s competent to produce images that creatively render both your clients and the newest fashions. That’s why many wedding photographers keep up with the latest news by attending seminars, joining online forums and associations, and reading bridal magazines. A vast array of educational sources and inspirations are out there, and the ﬁeld has grown to produce celebrity icons who travel the country to conduct seminars and workshops in the art and marketing of digital wedding photography.

13.1 Amy’s father fades to the background in this traditional wedding portrait. ISO 800, f/7, 1/80 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Marketing Being successful in wedding photography requires not just proﬁciency in artistic vision and execution but also a considerable ﬂair for people skills and marketing. I liken it to the old vaudeville acts of keeping three plates spinning at the same time on long sticks or juggling three razorsharp knives while telling jokes — one must pay attention to all three swirling forces at once to stay ahead of the burgeoning ranks of photographers currently entering the ﬁeld. If you lack a genuine love for people or abhor spending the time required on marketing, you won’t last long in this area of photography, no matter how technically proﬁcient you are. The challenge for many photographers is to not only ﬁnd out just what styles and looks their brides and grooms are looking for but to also convey that their personal method of shooting is 216

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fun and exciting and allows the brides and grooms to relax and have fun. There’s more than enough anxiety to go around on the big day without the photographer adding to it, and photographers who treat their clients like cherished friends gain the best expressions in their images. To this end, I offer a boudoir session with the bride to produce an image book or calendar as a special pre-wedding gift to the groom or an engagement session with the happy couple for announcements or social networking Web sites. On many occasions, this 1-hour dress rehearsal for the wedding day produces a conﬁdence that I can fulﬁll the couple’s desires and a rapport that’s invaluable once the long-awaited wedding day ﬁnally arrives. Getting these images from the engagement session in front of your clients’ wedding guests should be an important component of your marketing plan. I often bring the image they’ve selected for their announcement — enlarged and mounted on an oversized mat — to the wedding for guests to sign. Business cards are conveniently nearby for those guests who may become brides and grooms themselves — and, hopefully, clients.

13.2 The pre-ceremony provides ample opportunities for intimate images, such as this one of a bride and groom seeing each other on their wedding day for the ﬁrst time. ISO 800, f/4, 1/160 sec., with an EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Presentation Another consideration that a lot of photographers miss is how to present the ﬁnished work to their clients. Many brides and grooms look to the photographer to help them create the announcements, wall art, parents’ albums, and their own wedding album, and photographers that simply deliver a DVD or CD of the ﬁnal images completely miss out on the opportunity to produce additional image sales. It’s critically important to understand the expectations that wedding couples have in the digital age. Although I didn’t have one couple ever request the negatives of their wedding during the ﬁlm days, many couples today insist on receiving a DVD or CDs of all the high-resolution images shot during the wedding day. Most brides and grooms, no matter how computer-literate, don’t have the time, energy, or expertise to turn a DVD of images into something meaningful and noteworthy, and they rarely do anything with them after perusing them a few times in the heady days and weeks after the happy event. 217

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Wedding photographers should decide up front how they present their work to clients. Some produce small proof books or 4 × 6 prints, whereas others post images to online galleries for clients to choose their favorites. But in these situations, clients are picking out only pictures, not any real products. As an analogy, you might approach this as a cafeteria versus ﬁne-dining restaurant comparison. In a cafeteria, all the items are laid out to see, and although seldom appetizing, it’s fast, economical, and serves a speciﬁc need. With ﬁne dining, you’re expected to pay more, but you’re given descriptions and suggestions that have the potential to make your food and beverage experience that much more rewarding. The relative ease of handling, uploading, and storing digital images has created many more opportunities to show your work to larger audiences. Some couples may also like prints to pass out to guests as a thank-you at the reception or for the photographer or photographer’s assistant to create on-the-spot slideshows of the ceremony or any images made earlier in the day. Savvy photographers see these services as a way to distinguish their work and bring value to the wedding that other photographers in their area don’t offer.

Inspiration and Creative Resources Nothing helps keep your wedding photography fresh and exciting more than staying up to date on current wedding fashions, trends, and the photo styles of other wedding photographers whose work you admire. Plan to spend some time each week visiting other photographers’ Web sites outside your area and get a feel for new camera angles and the types of images and postproduction techniques they use to stay ahead of the market. Attend photographer marketing and lighting seminars conducted by nationally established pros to kick-start your enthusiasm and sales.

Slideshows and DVDs The 5D Mark II makes it easier and faster than ever to produce professional-grade quality images and videos, and several additional programs can make the job even easier. Below is a list of some programs that offer templates and many selections of library music — from fast to slow and hip to classic — to satisfy any audience’s tastes. Having a sound working knowledge of your software and a stylish template with your logos or branding always speeds up your onsite slide and music show production. X

Showit Web (www.showitfast.com). For Mac and PC. This Flash-based program — along with a suite of image effects, royalty-free music, and photo borders — was created by wedding photographer David Jay. You can choose between a light or full version of Showit Web, and the site also includes instructions for using the product and testimonials of other users. The product allows you to select the images for the slideshow, order and time the images, add a music soundtrack from a library or add your own music, and then upload it to the Web.

X

ProShow Gold (www.photodex.com). For PC. ProShow Gold is a complete audio-visual package for creating stunning presentations for myriad uses. With its drag-and-drop

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interface, you can add borders to photos, crop and edit video and audio clips, use built-in editing tools — such as red-eye removal — and more. Create spectacular effects by adding a pan, zoom, or rotate to any photo in your show. Choose from over 280 transition styles, including dissolves, fades, wipes, and shapes. ProShow Gold can output your slideshow to over 40 formats, including DVD, Blu-ray, CD, the Web, and dozens of devices, such as the iPod, iPhone, and BlackBerry. You can even upload your slideshows directly to YouTube. X

Soundslides (www.soundslides.com). For Mac and PC. Bills itself as a rapid production tool for still and audio Web presentations. Created by photojournalist Joe Weiss, the program works on the basis of creating a project, where you can add images, use a template, time each image, and include captions, transitions, and thumbnails.

X

FotoMagico (www.boinx.com/fotomagico/overview). From Boinx Software for Mac users, this was developed by Peter Baumgartner, a computer engineer and passionate photographer, to make digital slideshows that you can use online and burn to DVD, provided that you’re a Mac user. You can drag images into FotoMagico’s storyboard to order and reorder them. You can then add transitions from the Transition menu and drag songs from your iTunes library below the image that you want to sync to in the storyboard. The product integrates iPhoto, Aperture Library, and Lightroom Galleries. Express and Pro versions are available.

X

The Slideshow Company (www.theslideshowcompany.net). Produces one-of-a-kind photo slideshows for Mac and PC, including original music composition from a music library and Hollywood-type cinematics. Each DVD show includes a Web version to share with clients and prospects.

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iDVD (www.apple.com/ilife/idvd). From Apple for Macs, this suite of programs allows you to use predesigned animated themes for DVD shows that may include video with still images in 16:9 and 4:3 formats with encoding and quality choices.

Printed and bound albums Your range of service doesn’t need to end with posting images online. In addition to the traditional wedding album options, bound printed albums and spiral-bound proof books appeal to many photographers as well as to brides and grooms. Virtually all the major online photo labs offer printed books, and many labs utilize the ROES (Remote Order Entry System) application to easily upload your images for processing. Some popular options available to wedding photographers include: X

MyPublisher (www.mypublisher.com). Affordable album. Download the template software and begin creating a product in minutes. Hardcover books, pocketbooks, calendars, postcards, and greeting cards are all available.

X

Shutterﬂy (www.shutterﬂy.com). Shutterﬂy offers books, greeting cards and postcards, announcements, puzzles, and myriad photo products to make your images shine.

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White House Custom Color (www.whcc.com). Using the ROES software to upload an entire wedding for a variety of proof book and album selections has never been easier. 219

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Pictage (www.pictage.com). As a complete online home for the wedding photographer, Pictage offers Web site and gallery hosting, prints, wedding album creation, and many new products to showcase your work. A free photographer success DVD is available online.

X

Collages.net (www.collages.net). The ROES software makes uploading your images a snap for ordering high-end greeting cards, press-printed books, prints, and DVD slideshows.

X

AsukaBook (www.asukabook.com). AsukaBook offers a wide variety of hardcover printed wedding albums in a range of sizes and ﬁnishes. The process involves creating the pages in Photoshop by using the company’s blank templates, creating a PDF ﬁle, and then uploading the ﬁle for printing.

Packing Your Gear Bag When wedding photographers get together, stories are told about cameras that stop working for no apparent reason, mirrors that freeze up, autofocus that won’t work, lenses being dropped, tripod legs that stick fast, and ﬂashes that just won’t ﬁre. The only way around this dilemma is to have backups of everything. Although this may be impossible when you’re just starting out, the option to rent has vast appeal. All equipment should be fully checked the evening before, batteries charged, and ﬂashes testﬁred. You just never know when something might go down. My nemesis with ﬁlm cameras was always sync cords, so much so that I would purchase them by the dozen. Wirelessly triggering my ﬂashes by remote transceivers is now a dream come true. Whatever equipment you do decide to bring along, know its limitations and make sure it’s in top condition and operating properly. What you decide to pack in your gear bag and how many bags you bring depends on many factors, including the location and duration of the wedding as well as just how much gear you can transport and safely keep an eye on. Some recommendations for shooting a wedding include: X

Two 5D Mark II camera bodies. You may also ﬁnd a need for a third camera body, such as an EOS 50D, that offers a greater fps rate than the 5D — ideal for fast-action sequences, including the ﬁrst kiss, the aisle walk, and the bouquet toss. Being sure to synchronize all three cameras’ time stamps beforehand makes the chronological sorting of images in post-production that much easier. The two 5D Mark IIs are outﬁtted with a ﬁsheye or super-wide-angle lens and my longest telephoto zoom to take advantage of the 5D Mark II’s full-frame sensor, whereas the 50D sports the medium-focal-length zoom.

X

Wide-angle, normal, macro, and telephoto zoom lenses. My preference is to have at least three lenses: the EF 16-35mm, the EF 24mm-70mm, and the EF 70-200mm. This way, you have all your bases covered to capture the portraits, ceremony, details, close-ups, and the overall setting. It’s very important to have a wide-angle lens to establish the setting and a longer lens to capture intimate moments from a respectful distance. As you add to your gear, an EF 100mm Macro lens and an EF 15mm Fisheye lens might be your next considerations to produce unique images and expand your creative capabilities.

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13.3 This shot of the cocktail reception following the wedding ceremony was taken with a wideangle lens and an on-camera Speedlite mounted on a ball head–equipped monopod to capture the bride and groom’s mothers’ red dresses and all the guests. ISO 1250, f8.0, 1/20 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f2.8L USM lens.

X

Tripod and monopod. Have both a tripod and monopod with the same quick-release plates. A tripod with a three-way pan head allows you to shoot photographs in lowlight, and a monopod is invaluable as a secondary ﬂash or remote camera grip, often referred to as a stick. I use this with a ball head and a ﬁsheye or a wide-angle lens for one-of-akind aerial shots of the ceremony and dancing.

X

Flash units and brackets. I typically bring both the 550EX and 580EX II Speedlites and plenty of spare AA rechargeable batteries. A better solution is to use the Compact Battery Pack CP-E4, which shortens ﬂash recycle times and provides more ﬁrings before batteries need to be replaced. A ﬂash bracket allows you to get the ﬂash unit off the axis of the camera lens and gives you more ﬂexibility and dramatic lighting options. Using a ﬂash bracket allows the ﬂash to stay above the lens for both horizontal and vertical shooting. Additionally, you may want to include ﬂash modiﬁers, such as a softbox, an umbrella, or a snap-on diffuser.

X

CF cards sufﬁcient for the duration. The number of CF cards that you carry depends on how many images you typically shoot and the length of the shooting session. Adding video to the mix requires even greater amounts of on-site storage to utilize the camera’s full capabilities. I usually carry a variety of 10 Lexar Professional cards in sizes ranging from 4GB to 16GB, and I use handy wallets by Think Tank Photo to safely store cards until post-processing.

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A laptop computer or portable storage device. Backing up images on-site — either to a laptop or a handheld hard drive — is an essential part of the workﬂow throughout the day. 221

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Unless I have to, I don’t erase images off the CF cards after loading them onto the computer or handheld device so that I have two copies of the images at all times. If I have to erase the cards, I make sure my assistant burns DVDs as reliable second sets. If you plan to do on-site slideshows, the laptop is, of course, necessary. Additional gear includes light stands, umbrellas, or softboxes for ﬂash units, a stepladder, a circular polarizer, and PocketWizard wireless transceivers to ﬁre remote cameras and ﬂash equipment. When I set up multiple Canon EX-series ﬂash units to add accent or dramatic lighting to a scene, I rely on the Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 to ﬁre the ﬂashes and control the lighting ratios among the individual Speedlites. To light larger reception halls, I depend on the more powerful Alien Bees or White Lightning monolights triggered by the wireless PocketWizard remote transceivers.

Shooting Weddings Successful wedding photography requires you to be at the top of your game in artistic awareness, knowledge of your equipment, and utter friendliness to catch ﬂeeting moments and record dramatic images that can be forever cherished. Although no two weddings (or wedding photographers) are alike, the following are some ideas for developing a solid game plan that ensures you capture all the important shots and moments.

Getting ready Upon arrival, after greeting the bride, groom, and parents, if I’m unfamiliar with the location, my assistant and I take a quick tour of the facility with a compass and one 5D Mark II. The compass allows us the ability to approximately gauge where the sun might be at various times throughout the day. We’re speciﬁcally looking for spots with interesting compositions and backgrounds for the individual, couple, and group images that we’re going to take that day. This is where the video capabilities of the 5D Mark II are a game-changer. With compass in hand, we shoot a quick scouting video and talk about lighting ideas while the internal microphone on the 5D Mark II records our every word. Amazingly, you can now also shoot still images while shooting video for additional notation. At the end of our quick tour, we take exterior images of the building, temple, church, or hall and then shoot images of any obvious signage and decorations for storytelling and slideshow purposes. Then, after a polite knock, it’s into the bride’s dressing room to capture all the happiness, nervousness, emotional connections, and fun preparing for the wedding. We start with images of the room and details of the dress, ﬂowers, shoes, lingerie, jewelry, invitations, and so on, engaging the bride and bridesmaids in lighthearted repartee while trying to memorize everyone’s name. Next, we capture the makeup application and donning of the dress while the bride and bridesmaids enjoy the merriment of the moment and champagne. Because these photos are created in unfamiliar surroundings, often with mixed lighting sources, it’s important to create a custom white balance for each different room or location you’re shooting in depending on the equipment you intend to use. The color of paint adorning the walls can affect the color balance of your images, even though you may not be able to recognize it standing right there. I shoot one quick frame-ﬁlling image of my gray target card in the ambient lighting that I’ll 222

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be shooting in and then set my color balance to the image of the gray card. The new Live View mode of the 5D Mark II then allows me to make changes in real time to change the mood — either giving the image some added warmth or creatively cooling it down. Shorter timeframes require you to react quickly, and if faced with a change in shooting time, many photographers forgo color balance entirely in these pre-wedding instances and offer these images in black and white to showcase the emotional pull of these heartfelt moments. You can’t forget the groom, and shots of him getting ready with his groomsmen, dad, brothers, sisters, and other family members can all make great photo ideas. Many guys feel uncomfortable in front of the camera, especially on this day, and here’s where your personality can really make great shots happen. Being good-natured, ﬂexible, and always smiling can help you break the ice, and getting some close-ups of the boutonnieres, cufﬂinks, cigars, and the men getting ready can visually capture many of the memorable moments of the day. Remember, it’s his day too. After that, I check back in with the bride, bride’s mom, wedding planner, and ofﬁciate for any lastminute adjustments to the day’s schedule. If time allows, showing the participants images or short video clips you’ve just made builds rapport and puts them at ease as they see how great they look.

13.4 Three groomsmen help each other get ready. ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/100 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Capturing the ceremony Of all the photographic opportunities on the wedding day, the wedding ceremony is the absolute time where if you miss a shot, it’s gone forever. The remarkable features of the 5D Mark II allow 223

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you to shoot still and HD video clips with the ability to control aperture and ISO in Video mode for never-before-seen results from a dSLR.

TIP

Before the ceremony, always ask the ofﬁciate if ﬂash is allowed and plan your lighting and shooting techniques accordingly.

I usually try to get a pleasing combination of the mixed lighting to retain some of the feeling of the original lighting. The soaring ISO range of the 5D Mark II almost makes worrying about low-lightshooting camera shake a thing of the past. This approach can be a bit more time-consuming to tweak the color to your liking during RAW conversion, but if you’re shooting RAW and JPEG for on-site slideshows, it’s best to set a custom white balance whenever you can. If we’re allowed to use ﬂash during the ceremony, I set up Speedlites or Alien Bees on discreet light stands at the ten and four o’clock positions, depending on the size of the venue. Having these auxiliary ﬂashes synced by a PocketWizard MultiMAX gives me the ability to ﬁre one, the other, or both, according to my subject’s frequently moving position, by simply pushing a button. This is on-the-ﬂy lighting control at its ﬁnest. At the ceremony, I often shoot in the new Live View mode for its incredible Silent mode shutter. Barely any shutter sound emanates from my cameras as I shoot image after image, so I don’t disrupt the delicate intimacy of the affair. More often than not, I shoot in Aperture Priority (Av) mode with my lens aperture set wide open, giving me the least depth of ﬁeld but the most pleasing bokeh, or out-of-focus, shapes in the background. Quick, Live, and Live Face Detection modes also come in handy when your shooting positions are limited and the light is low. Good storytelling begins by establishing the scene, so you should take several overall shots of the venue for indoor ceremonies or before the wedding begins for outdoor ceremonies. If there’s a balcony, my assistant shoots from there or we set up a remote camera with a wide-angle lens to take images. Remember the details, look for interesting compositions and juxtapositions, and keep your peripheral vision active. This is also a good time to get images of parents and guests as they arrive as well as introducing yourself to the bridal party and other family members. 224

13.5 Two Speedlites set the lighting for this tender moment during the ceremony: one diffused camera on the right and one undiffused behind the couple at camera left. ISO 1000, f/5.6, 1/30 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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13.6 The bride’s ring is shot through the groom’s on a nearby end table. For macro shots like these, look for small surfaces with interesting textures or reﬂections. ISO 1000, f8.0, 1/125 sec., with an EF 100mm f2.8 USM Macro lens.

It helps to peruse the program to see when and who might be speaking, singing, or playing an instrument as part of the affair. Family members and friends often perform these duties, and you want to be sure to capture them looking their best. During the ceremony, I always have both wide-angle and telephoto lenses on individual 5D Mark II camera bodies, giving me a full range of compositional choices. My top priorities are to take meaningful images and be respectful of the event and not disrupt the ceremony. I move around slowly, anticipating the rites and rituals and getting to the right vantage point early to take great lasting images.

13.7 Amy’s uncle plays a tune during the ceremony. ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/125 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens. 225

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After the Ceremony There’s a tendency after the wedding for everyone to relax a little now that the ceremony is over, but the photographer must stay sharp and plan for the next phase of shooting — the party! Details of the cake, food, ﬂowers, table settings, and gifts are all part of the wedding story. The ﬁrst dance, the parents’ dance, toasts, testimonials, cake-cutting, and bouquet and garter tosses are all situations ripe for creative expression. Don’t be afraid to use slowerthan-normal shutter speeds — known as dragging the shutter — to show motion blur as a creative alternative to normalspeed ﬂash-lit shots for the dancing sequences. You can often combine oncamera and off-camera ﬂash with shutter speeds in the .06 to .10 range to convey the drama, excitement, and movement of the moment.

13.8 The bride and groom leave the chapel following the wedding ceremony. ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/20 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

13.9 To the infectious sounds of “Hava Nagila,” Tiffany is whisked around the dance ﬂoor by her guests during the Horah, or chair dance, at a Jewish wedding. ISO 1600, f/8, 1/6 sec., with an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens. 226

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Details The opportunities for capturing detail images of the decorations and wedding attire present themselves through all phases of the wedding, and it takes only a good eye to make the most of them. Here’s where your awareness of current styles and trends come into play. My short list of details include both wedding rings (and other jewelry) in interesting compositions, the bride’s and bridesmaids’ ﬂowers, the bride’s dress and shoes, his cufﬂinks, boutonniere, and other jewelry, the cake, room ﬂowers and decorations, and the place settings and gifts. There are many breaks in the action, and these times are great opportunities to get these shots. 13.10 Slower times during the day are great opportunities to take detail shots of the bride’s dress and ﬂowers, the wedding cake, and the decorations. ISO 250, f/8, 1/40 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

13.11 In our pre-wedding consultation, the bride told me these drinks would be served throughout the day, so I knew this photograph would be an important storytelling image. ISO 250, f/6.3, 1/200 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens. 227

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Portraits As with detail shots, portrait opportunities abound throughout the ceremony. Certainly, formal shots are key to the portrait opportunities. Whether the couple provides a list of must-have family shots or you provide the list, this phase can occur either before or after the ceremony or be divided between those times. If the couple opts to not see each other at all before the ceremony, some photographers photograph the bride, bride and attendants, and bride and family shots — and likewise for the groom — before the ceremony. With this approach, it’s important to ensure that time for the sessions is scheduled and that family members and attendants are present and dressed well before the ceremony. I then complete the formal portraits with the bride and groom and their families after the ceremony. When these are done, I send the families on to the reception and create a romance session of just the bride and groom, either photojournalistic or traditional, depending on their tastes.

13.12 Sonja and Nathan’s wedding portrait. ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/200 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Another option is taking formal portraits following the ceremony. This often makes the wedding ﬂow more efﬁciently because guests can proceed to the reception while the wedding party remains at the ceremony site for a photo session. I usually start with the largest groups and work down to the bride and groom, sending folks off to the reception once their pictures are taken. I don’t want lots of guests standing around gawking while I’m taking the most important images: intimate portraits of the bride and groom. Depending on the location and light, this is a good time to use one or multiple EX-series Speedlites, both indoors and outdoors. This is also where a ladder, reﬂectors, and Speedlite modiﬁers, such as a small softbox or an umbrella, are invaluable. If you’re using multiple Speedlites, you should test the setup before the couple and family are called in for the portrait session. This is where my assistant or a family member stands in to do a few quick test shots.

The reception Once the stress of the ceremony is over, the entire event takes on a very different spirit, and your job is to capture the carefree celebration. The sequence of events for post-ceremony activities varies widely, and brides feel free to customize the activities to their personal preferences. For this reason, I meet with the couple well before the wedding day to prepare a basic shooting list to ensure that all milestone events are captured. 228

Chapter 13 Wedding Photography

13.13 I had just pulled up behind the limo at the reception hall when this bride and groom popped out of the moon roof. When the wind blew the veil over the groom’s head, I knew I had captured a lasting memory. ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/200 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Professional Advice for Shooting Weddings One of the beautiful aspects of modern digital photography is that so many photographers willingly share advice with each other. And this is no less true of wedding photographers. Some suggestions and ideas for the next wedding that you shoot include: X

Get to know the couple before the wedding. Every minute you spend getting to know the couple in advance of the wedding pays off in wedding images that reﬂect their unique personalities and their hopes and dreams for the life they’re beginning together. By the wedding day, the couple should know you well enough to think of you as a new or old friend.

X

Clearly set the expectations for shooting duration before the ceremony. If your fee covers 6 hours of shooting, the wedding planner needs to know that so that key events can be scheduled during the shooting time. Also, clearly state your charges for time spent over the contracted shooting time.

X

Give the bride and groom breaks so they can relax for a few minutes. This is also a good time to get more candid images of them kicking back and reﬂecting on the events of the day. No one likes to be on all the time, and your sensitivity to this will be much appreciated.

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X

In addition to a gear bag, consider including a second bag packed with anything that the wedding party members may forget. Handy gadget-bag items include hairspray, stick-on Velcro strips, makeup brushes, tissues (for tears or stufﬁng), mascara, ﬂorist wire, a Swiss Army knife, a nail ﬁle, a brush, a sewing kit, plastic tarps, bug spray, aspirin, ﬂat and Phillips screwdrivers, a corkscrew, and superglue. Having a small lighter or a pack of matches saves time if candles are in the shot and you want them lit. Many candles are just for show, so always ask ﬁrst if it’s OK to light them.

X

Know your audience. Before the wedding, ask the couple about any touchy relationships, such as family feuds, divorced parents, and children, and have the couple decide how you should arrange the portraits with regard to these relationships. The last thing you want to do is put a divorced mother-of-the-bride with her ex-husband and his new wife for the family shot or feuding family members next to each other.

X

Be happy — no one likes a grouchy photographer. So often, it’s true in business and in life that you get back what you put in. If you want happy-people faces in your stills and video, that’s what you have to display. Be magnanimous, agreeable, and ﬂexible — even if it kills you — and keep smiling and shooting. The evening won’t last forever, but everyone will remember the photographer with the sour mood. And don’t hang around the buffet table or the bar — you’re the photographer, not one of the guests. Be professional.

X

Don’t hold pictures hostage. Even if you opt not to have an on-site slideshow, get a selection of pictures to the couple as quickly as possible. And most photographers agree that showing the ﬁnal proofs is better done in person with a digital projector than just posting a gallery on the Web or mailing them a disk or CD.

X

Be everywhere and nowhere. This is a tall order to be sure — and one that comes only with experience. Even though it appears to be a paradox, the photojournalistic approach of quiet observation and anticipating the peak action produces images of huge appeal like no other. My all-time favorite compliment — one that I feel said it all — was: “Wow! How did you even get that shot? I didn’t even know you were there!”

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A P P E ND IX

A

Maintenance Tips for Your 5D Mark II anon ships the 5D Mark II with a free software package of several programs to make your digital workﬂow easier. These include programs to operate the camera from your computer, convert RAW ﬁles, update the ﬁrmware, and create your own Picture Styles.

C

Canon has included several software programs with the 5D Mark II to add functionality and organization to your digital ﬁles. Along with the drivers that the camera needs to communicate with the computer, Canon includes the ZoomBrowserEX, EOS Utility, Digital Photo Professional, PhotoStitch, and the Picture Style Editor. Most professional photographers have more-powerful software packages to handle many of these same functions, but two of the programs — Digital Photo Professional (DPP) and EOS Utility, which are discussed in this chapter — aid in the shooting, RAW conversion, and management of your digital ﬁles. This chapter also discusses how to clean your CMOS sensor, which is vital for ensuring you’re capturing crisp, clean images.

Canon Digital Photo Professional Although I’m usually not a huge fan of the software supplied with the camera, DPP deserves another look, considering the expense and capabilities of third-party software and the often long stretches of time between updates. Very often, there are delays after a new camera debuts before updates to your favorite programs are available to handle RAW conversion. DPP ships with the camera, and the black, gray, and white interface is clean and professional-looking. For photographers without Photoshop, DPP offers a free alternative that works great for select jobs, such as RAW conversion, batch-processing and conversion, sorting, rotating, renaming, and many of the other tasks involved in image management. DPP is continually improved, and updates are always free of charge. Free updates are also available for Picture Style Editor and EOS Utility and are highly recommended following any ﬁrmware upgrades. The DPP interface is customizable to a degree, allowing four different thumbnail size/info choices and the option to view the directory tree or hide it to allow more images on-screen. When opened, DPP opens to the arrangement of your last viewing session, usually by folders, or you can set it to open a speciﬁc folder every time by changing that option in Preferences. You can also organize images into collections for sorting and editing and assign any one of three

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

checks to rank your most favorite to least favorite images. There are also Photoshop-style preferences that offer you choices in view settings, tool palette, and color management.

AA.1 This is the main window of DPP, with a toolbar for quick access to commonly accessed tasks.

EOS Utility EOS Utility is essentially a compact interface window with the camera and its controls. Ideal in the studio, EOS Utility allows you to control all the settings of the camera remotely from your computer (with the exception of Shooting modes) when the camera is connected (tethered) via a USB cable. With it, you can also upgrade ﬁrmware, view images from the camera’s CF card, open the Picture Style Editor, or shoot tethered to a laptop computer and view images on the larger screen by remote shooting and Live View. This is great to use when in the studio or on location with clients or art directors, allowing them to see the image big on the screen, giving them conﬁdence you’re the right photographer for the job. Some clients even request this, and it’s wise to be prepared to offer this convenience, whereas others are simply impressed. Photographers often hire a digital tech to monitor the images as they’re sent to the computer during the shoot and make suggestions to the photographer regarding exposure, clipping, and color issues. The interface includes computer adjustment of nearly all the camera’s controls: AF or manual focus, white balance and white balance shift, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, Metering

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Appendix A Maintenance Tips for Your 5D Mark II

mode, ﬁle size, exposure compensation, Picture Style, a Remote Live View shooting window, and a window where you can add your name to the camera’s software for added security. By connecting the supplied mini USB-to-USB cable to your computer and camera and then turning the camera on, the EOS Utility Main screen opens. From there, you pick the tasks you need to accomplish. The Main screen has two areas of options: Control Camera, which handles all the camera function controls, and Accessories, which is where you ﬁnd the gateway to the Picture Style editor, the Wireless File Transfer (WFT) Utility, and the Original Data Security (ODS) Administrator and Utility. Below these are four choices: Click Start to download images to immediately download images to a dated folder inside a preselected folder. Click Select and download images to open a dialog box that asks you what images you want to download and where to download them. Camera settings/remote shooting opens the Remote camera window, and Monitor folder is where you select the onboard destinations for tethered and wirelessly transmitted images. Shooting tethered or wirelessly to a computer is a great way to see details in your studio or location shoot that you might otherwise miss when reviewing images on the LCD. Images come up fast and highly detailed. Image problems and any sensor dust are quickly detectable. This is especially convenient if you’re using a tripod and need a way to notice adjustments you should make to the arrangement of people, furniture, or elements in your image to create a pleasing composition. With the lens AF tab set to On, hovering the mouse over the Shutter button focuses the camera automatically. The camera can be ﬁred by way of the large Shutter button at the top of the window or by pressing the spacebar on the keyboard.

AA.2 This shows the DPP main window and the EOS Utility Remote window. 233

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Updating the 5D Mark II Firmware One of the major advantages of owning a digital camera such as the 5D Mark II is that Canon often posts updates to the ﬁrmware (the internal instructions) for the camera to its Web site. New ﬁrmware releases can add improved functionality to existing features and, in some cases, ﬁx reported problems with the camera. Two problems noticed immediately when the 5D Mark II shipped in November 2008 were that under high magniﬁcation, small black dots would appear to the right of spectacular point light sources, such as holiday lights, ﬁreworks, or chandeliers, and if the recording format was set to sRAW1, vertical banding noise would become visible depending on the camera settings, subject, and background. Canon corrected this by issuing Firmware Update 1.0.7 in January 2009.

TIP

Go to http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/ﬁrm-e/eos5dmk2/ﬁrmware.html to download the latest version of ﬁrmware.

New ﬁrmware along with ever-improving software keeps your camera and your ability to process images current as technology improves. To determine whether you need to update ﬁrmware, you can compare the ﬁrmware version number installed on your 5D Mark II to the latest release from Canon on its Web site. To check the current ﬁrmware version on your camera, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button. 2. Press the Multi-controller to access the Set-up 3 (yellow) menu. 3. Rotate the Quick Control dial to the bottom choice, Firmware Ver., and then make note of the number. If the ﬁrmware installed on your camera is older than the ﬁrmware offered on the Web site, your camera needs updating. Before installing ﬁrmware updates, be sure that the camera battery has a full charge or use the AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6 to power the camera. The camera may become inoperable if the camera loses power during the ﬁrmware update. Start with a freshly formatted CF card on which to copy the ﬁrmware update. Or you can connect the camera to your computer with a USB cable and then copy the ﬁrmware ﬁle onto the CF card in the camera via EOS Utility. When you install the new ﬁrmware, ensure that you don’t accidentally turn off the power switch, touch any buttons, or open the CF card door. To download ﬁrmware updates and install them on the 5D Mark II, follow these steps: 1. Insert a CF card into the camera, rotate the Main dial and the Quick Control dial to select the Format item, and then press the Set button to format the CF card. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to select OK, turn the camera off, and then remove the card from the camera. 3. Insert the CF card in a card reader attached to your computer. 234

Appendix A Maintenance Tips for Your 5D Mark II

4. Scroll down on the Canon Web page (http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/ﬁrm-e/eos 5dmk2/ﬁrmware.html) to the License Agreement and then click Agree. The next Web page includes extensive instructions on downloading and installing the ﬁrmware. 5. Click the Files for Firmware Update link that matches your computer’s operating system. 6. Click Run or Open when a File Download dialog box opens. If a window opens saying that the publisher can’t be veriﬁed, click Run. A window opens to notify you that this is a self-extracting ﬁle. 7. Click OK. A self-extracting archive window opens. 8. Click Browse, navigate to the desktop on your computer, and then click OK. The selfextracting archive window opens again and then closes. If this doesn’t happen automatically, the ﬁle downloaded needs to be Unzipped by double-clicking on it to extract the ﬁle. Choose Desktop when asked a location to unzip to. 9. Insert a CF card that has been formatted in the camera into a CF card reader connected to the computer. Copy the unzipped ﬁrmware update ﬁle to the ﬁrst window that opens when the CF card is opened (the root directory) and then remove the CF card from the card reader. 10. Insert the CF card into the camera and then turn the camera on. The ﬁrmware update program starts and displays an Execute Upgrade screen. 11. Rotate the Quick Control dial to select OK and then press the Set button. A Checking Firmware screen appears and then a Replace Firmware screen appears, listing the existing and new ﬁrmware version numbers. If the ﬁrmware update program doesn’t automatically start, follow these steps: 1. Press the Menu button and then tilt the Multi-controller until the Set-up 3 (yellow) menu appears. 2. Turn the Quick Control dial to select Firmware Ver. and then press the Set button. The Firmware Update screen appears. 3. Turn the Quick Control dial to select OK and then press the Set button. The Firmware update program screen appears. If the version you downloaded to the CF card is the same version that’s currently installed on the camera, press the Menu button to cancel the installation because you can’t overwrite the existing version with the same version. 12. Rotate the Quick Control dial to select OK and then press the Set button. A Re-writing Firmware screen appears with a progress bar. When the update is complete, a Firmware Replaced Successfully screen appears. As the update progresses, don’t accidentally press any buttons on the camera, open the CF card door, or turn off the camera. 13. Press the Set button to complete the ﬁrmware update. Make sure to format the CF card before using it again.

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You can check for other software updates and product notices on the Canon Web site’s Download Library at www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=DownloadIndexAct. Once there, ﬁll in the drop-down boxes with your camera type, model name, and OS, and you’re taken to a customized menu of available updates for your digital environment. NOTE

Cleaning the CMOS Sensor Digital photographers learn that sooner or later, they have to clean their camera’s sensor. Dust particles from the environment, skin, clothing, even a camera’s internal parts and lubricants can all ﬁnd their way into your cameras and create those specks in your images that must be removed or retouched. Some of this dust is dry and can be easily removed, but some is more sticky and gummy yet microscopic. The dark spots are most visible when they fall upon a lightcolored area of the image. They’re sharper and more distinct when you shoot images with wideangle lenses and/or at small lens apertures. As such, a photographer who shoots lots of scenic images with a wide-angle lens at f/16 or f/22 is especially prone to seeing the effects of dust, whereas a sports photographer who typically uses a 400mm f/2.8 lens at wide apertures for indoor sports (which often have darker backgrounds) may hardly notice it. When we speak of sensor cleaning, however, we’re really discussing cleaning the AA (anti-aliasing) or low-pass ﬁlter, positioned in front of the actual CMOS sensor. There’s concern over the accidental scratching of this ﬁlter by cleaning it as a reason not to learn how. It’s not hard and can actually be fun when you consider those clear, bright images that await you. Many professionals recommend taking the camera to an authorized repair facility for sensor cleaning, so you need to decide whether this is something you can do on your own. Care must be taken, and it does take a little practice, but anyone can get great results with a few tools and some patience. Professional cleaning is costly and requires downtime for the camera.

Automatic Sensor Cleaning mode The Canon Automatic Sensor Cleaning mode does a good job each and every time you turn your 5D Mark II on or off. In Power-up, Power-down, or Manual settings, the Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit uses high-frequency vibrations to shake off lingering dust, and for the most part, this works well. There’s some concern that this might also just move the dust around in the chamber, only to land somewhere else. It’s a good start, and as photographers know, locations are difﬁcult enough on gear, none more so than keeping your sensors clean. It’s either that or consider spending way too much time in Photoshop with the Clone and Patch tools to delete the spots.

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Dust Delete Data Several years ago, Canon introduced a dust removal procedure called Dust Mapping, which is found on your 5D Mark II at the bottom of the Shooting 2 menu as Dust Delete Data. It allows automated correction of dust to any image you shoot: RAW, JPEG, or the new sRAW setting. To use Dust Delete Data, follow these steps: 1. In Aperture Priority mode at f/22, take a photo of a solid white object (a piece of paper, a blank section of wall or ceiling, or something similar) by using a lens with a focal length of 50mm or longer. Because the image isn’t saved, the data can still be obtained even if there’s no CF card in the camera. 2. For the Dust Delete Data image, set the lens’s focus switch to MF (Manual Focus mode) and then preset the focus to Inﬁnity. If your lens doesn’t have a focus distance scale, look at the front of the lens and turn the focus ring clockwise until it stops. 3. Position yourself no more than 1 foot from your subject — even though you’ve preset your lens’s focus to Inﬁnity. 4. In the camera’s Shooting 2 menu, choose Dust Delete Data. The LCD monitor displays the last time this was performed, and by highlighting OK, you’re telling the camera to take another test image. The camera performs its self-cleaning function automatically. With some models, you hear the shutter click one or more times — this isn’t the actual test image. 5. Press the Shutter button when prompted. Once the camera assesses the information, the LCD monitor displays Data obtained if your target and technique were satisfactory. If not, try a different plain white test target, and be sure your lens is set as previously described. 6. Once you get the Data obtained display, highlight OK and then press the camera’s Set button. Once you’ve created the Dust Delete Data test image, there’s nothing more to do in-camera. Each image you take from that point onward has extra information added to it, identifying the size and precise location of any identiﬁed dust spots. Be aware that the Dust Delete Data test image isn’t a picture you see on your memory card. The camera simply records any data about dust size and location and applies this seamlessly to each image you take from that point forward. It has almost no effect on ﬁle size. The latest RAW converters from Adobe — Lightroom and Camera Raw — also include automatic dust removal tools: the Remove Spots tool in Lightroom and the Retouch tool in Camera Raw.

Manual cleaning A whole cottage industry has sprung up around the detail of cleaning sensors. Many use some combination of lint-free material and methanol-based cleaning agents. I discuss some popular methods and products for sensor cleaning, but you should ﬁrst do a test for dust.

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Testing for dust There are as many methods for testing as there are kinds of dust. I take a 200mm lens set to f/22, focus it to inﬁnity with autofocus off, set the exposure compensation to +1.5, and then photograph my computer monitor displaying a blank white page. Any nonreﬂective light surface properly lit works — even the sky — but I ﬁnd the dust really stands out when shooting a monitor image. The small aperture focuses the light rays from the lens to the sensor parallel to each other and causes any dust on the ﬁlter to cast a more direct visible shadow. Then, I view the image in Photoshop at 100% magniﬁcation and scroll through the image to look for spots, especially around the edges. Small spots visible in a test image at f/22 may be invisible at f/8 or wider, and I may shoot another test at a wider aperture to check. Depending on the severity or amount of dust I ﬁnd on this test, I can decide whether it’s time for a sensor cleaning or if I can live with it for a while longer.

Using the dry method Blowing the dust off the sensor with one of the widely available rubber bulb/brushes is the ﬁrst line of defense but removes only loose dust not stuck to the sensor. These blower brushes are easily found in drugstores, computer stores, and well-stocked camera shops. Care must be taken that they don’t just blow the dust further into the camera, and they should be kept very clean so as not to introduce ﬁnger oils or other contaminants onto the sensor ﬁlter. Brushes should be kept immaculately clean so as not to pick up any grit that can then be dragged across the sensor ﬁlter and possibly scratch it. Another product I’ve used with good results is called Dust-Aid, an anti-static, platinum-cured silicone pad on a plastic wand to pick up static dust, whereby you use a blotting action to clean the sensor ﬁlter.

Using the wet method Wet cleaning involves cleaning the sensor with a nonabrasive, lint-free tissue wrapped around a sensor-sized spatula of some kind and moistened with methanol or lens-cleaning ﬂuid. There are several variants of it, including specially prepared, individually packaged, and commercially supplied products, including Sensor Swabs, Sensor Brush by Visible Dust, or the do-it-yourself technique by using a homemade sensor swab with a lint-free material and a few drops of methanol. This method is highly recommended for those hard-to-remove spots, but be cautioned: Apply the technique gently. Photographers have also had good results by using PecPads with Eclipse and Eclipse E2 cleaning solutions from Copper Hill Images (www.copperhillimages.com). Copper Hill also markets a neat illuminated sensor viewer to check for surface dust.

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Having a clean workﬂow A few precautions go a long way toward extending your shooting time between manual cleanings: X

Turn the camera off to change lenses. The highly charged chamber sucks any ambient dust into the camera if left on when you change lenses.

X

Keep your lens backs and lens caps clean and free of dust and change lenses quickly and sensibly when you do. Avoid changing lenses in dust-prone environments, and don’t leave your lenses lying around without both lens caps securely fastened.

X

Never use aerosol dusters inside your camera or on your sensor ﬁlter. The minute propellants in these can land on the ﬁlter and require a more thorough cleaning or do more serious damage from the force of the blast. Aerosols have been known to blow dust past the seals and in between the ﬁlter and the sensor, making it virtually impossible to remove the dust. Keep these tips in mind for sparkling, dust-free images.

239

B

APPEND I X

5D Mark II Speciﬁcations Type X

Type: Digital single-lens reﬂex, AF/AE camera

X

Recording media: CompactFlash (CF) card, Type I and II, UDMA-compatible

X

Image format: ≈ 36 × 24mm

X

Compatible lenses: Canon EF lenses (except EF-S lenses)

X

Lens mount: Canon EF mount

X

Lens focal-length conversion factor: 1.0×

Image Sensor X

Type: High-sensitivity, high-resolution, single-plate CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor

X

Pixels: ≈ 21.1 megapixels

X

Aspect ratio: 3:2 (horizontal:vertical)

X

Low-pass ﬁlter: Fixed position in front of the image sensor

X

Dust delete feature: Auto, Manual, Dust Delete Data appending

Recording System X

Recording format: JPEG, RAW, sRAW1, sRAW2, and RAW+JPEG simultaneous recording possible

X

Image format: JPEG, RAW, sRAW1, sRAW2

X

File size:

• Large/Fine: ≈ 6.1 MB (5616 × 3744) • Large/Normal: ≈ 3.0 MB (5616 × 3744) • Medium/Fine: ≈ 3.6 MB (4080 × 2720) • Medium/Normal: ≈ 1.9 MB (3168 × 2112) • Small/Fine: ≈ 2.1 MB (2784 × 1856) 240

Appendix B 5D Mark II Specifications

• Small/Normal: ≈ 1.0 MB (2784 × 1856) • RAW: ≈ 25.8 MB (5616 × 3744) • sRAW1: ≈ 14.8 MB (2784 × 1856) • sRAW2: ≈ 10.8 MB (2784 × 1856) X

Folders: Folder creation/selection enabled

X

File-numbering: Continuous numbering, Auto reset, Manual reset

X

Color space: Selectable between sRGB, Adobe RGB, and Monochrome

X

Interface: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, NTSC/PAL for video output

Image-Processing X

Picture Style: Six preset Picture Style settings plus three user-deﬁned custom Picture Styles function with individual adjustments for sharpness, contrast, saturation, and color tone

X

White balance settings:

• Auto • Preset (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy/Twilight/Sunset, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash)

• Manual (Custom, Color Temperature) X

Automatic White Balance: Automatic white balance with the image sensor

X

Noise reduction: Standard, Low, and Strong aids long exposure and high-ISO-speed shots

X

Color temperature compensation:

• White Balance Bracketing: +/-3 stops in full-stop increments • White balance correction: blue/amber bias +/- 9 levels, magenta/green bias +/- 9 levels X

Automatic lighting optimizer: Standard, Low, and Strong available in all modes except Manual and Bulb

X

Highlight tone priority: Improves highlight detail and available for ISO range 200-6400

X

Lens peripheral illumination correction: Registered settings for over 40 Canon lenses available through EOS Utility software

Viewﬁnder X

Type: Eye-level ﬁxed pentaprism

X

Coverage: ≈ 98% horizontally and vertically

X

Magniﬁcation: 0.71× (-1 dpt with 50mm lens at Inﬁnity) 241

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide X

Eyepoint: ≈ 21mm

X

Dioptric adjustment correction: -3.0 to +1.0 diopters

X

Focusing screen: Interchangeable focusing screens: Eg-A (provided), Eg-D, Eg-S

X

Mirror: Quick-return half mirror (Transmission: reﬂection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cutoff with EF 600mm f/4 or shorter lens)

X

Viewﬁnder information: AF (AF points, focus conﬁrmation light); Battery check; Exposure (shutter speed, aperture, spot-metering circle, exposure level indicator, AE Lock, exposure compensation, AEB level, Highlight tone priority, Monochrome shooting); Flash (ﬂash ready, red-eye reduction lamp on, high-speed sync, FE Lock, FEB shooting, ﬂash exposure compensation, insufﬁcient ﬂash warning during FE Lock); ISO; white balance correction; maximum burst; CF card full warning; CF card error warning; no CF card warning

X

Depth of Field Preview: Enabled with Depth of Field Preview button

Autofocus X

Type: TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor

X

AF points: Nine AF points (plus six invisible supplemental AF points)

X

AF working range: EV -0.5 to 18 (at ISO 100 at 73°F [23°C])

X

Focusing modes:

• Autofocus: One Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF (automatic switching between One Shot/Predictive AI Servo AF)

• Manual Focus (MF) X

AF point selection: Manual and Automatic

X

Selected AF point display: Superimposed in viewﬁnder and indicated on the LCD

X

AF assist beam: Emitted by the dedicated Speedlite

X

AF Microadjustment: AF microadjustment by Custom Function III:8

Exposure Control X

Metering modes: Maximum aperture TTL (Through-the-Lens) metering with 35-zone SPC:

• Evaluative metering (link to all AF points) • Partial metering (≈ 8% of viewﬁnder) • Spot metering (≈ 3.5% of viewﬁnder) • Center-weighted Average metering X

242

Metering range: EV 1 to 20 (73°F [23°C], with 50mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 100)

Appendix B 5D Mark II Specifications X

Exposure control systems:

• Program AE (Shiftable) • Shutter Speed Priority AE • Aperture Priority AE • Full Auto • E-TTL II autoﬂash program AE • Manual exposure X

ISO speed range: Full Auto and Creative Auto (equivalent to ISO 100-3200 in 1/3-stop increments set automatically; ISO speed can be expanded to ISO 50 [L], ISO 12800 [H1], or ISO 25600 [H2])

X

Exposure compensation:

• Manual • AEB range: +/- 2 stops in 1/2- or 1/3-stop increments X

AE Lock:

• Auto: Applied in One Shot AF mode with Evaluative metering when focus is achieved • Manual: By AE Lock button

Shutter X

Type: Vertical-travel focal-plane shutter with all speeds electronically controlled

X

Shutter speeds: 1/8000 to 30 sec. (1/3-stop increments), X-sync at 1/200 sec.

X

Shutter release: Soft-touch electromagnetic release

X

Self-timer: 10-second delay

X

Remote control: Remote control with N3-type terminal

Drive System X

Drive modes: Single, Continuous (≈ 3 fps), 10-second Self-timer, 2-second Self-timer

X

Continuous shooting speed: Maximum ≈ 3.9 fps (at 1/250 sec. or faster for all recordingquality settings)

X

Maximum burst during Continuous shooting:

• JPEG: ≈ 78 frames (JPEG/Large) • RAW: ≈ 13 frames • RAW+JPEG: ≈ 8 frames

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External Speedlite X

Compatible ﬂashes: EX-series Speedlites

X

Flash exposure compensation: Adjustable +/- 2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments

X

EOS external ﬂash or dedicated Speedlites: E-TTL II autoﬂash with EX-series Speedlite

X

FE Lock: Provided

X

PC Terminal: Provided

Live View Shooting X

Shooting modes: Still photo shooting and movie with sound shooting

X

Focusing: Quick mode (Phase-difference detection), Live mode, Live Face Detection mode (Contrast detection), Manual focusing (5×/10× magniﬁcation possible)

X

Metering modes: Evaluative metering with the image sensor for still photos and Centerweighted Average metering for movies

X

Metering range: EV 1 to 20 (73°F [23°C], with 50mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 100)

X

Silent Shooting modes: Provided in two modes for still shooting

X

Movies:

• MOV Video with MPEG-4 compression: H 264, Audio: linear PCM • Recording size: 1920 × 1080 Full HD, 640 × 480 SD • Continuous shooting time: With 4GB card, Full HD approximately 12 minutes, SD approximately 24 minutes X

Grid Overlay: Available in 9 and 24 grid conﬁgurations

LCD Monitor X

Type: TFT color liquid-crystal monitor with Clear View cover/coatings

X

Screen monitor size: 3 inches, with ≈ 920,000 dots VGA

X

Coverage: 100% for JPEG images

X

Brightness control: Three Auto and seven Manual levels

X

Interface languages: 25

X

Viewing angle: 170°

Image Playback X

Image display format:

• Single image, Single + Info, recording quality, shooting info, histogram • 9-image index, 4-image index, image rotate

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Appendix B 5D Mark II Specifications

• Magniﬁed zoom (≈ 1.5× to 10×) • Auto play and Auto play right after shooting X

Image browsing methods: Single image, jump by 10 or 100 images, by screen, shooting date, folder, movie, or stills

X

Highlight alert: Overexposed highlight areas blink

X

Movie playback: Possible by the LCD monitor and built-in speaker, video/audio OUT, and HDMI OUT

Interface X

Digital terminal: High-speed USB2 for computer communications and direct printing

X

Audio/video output terminal: 3.5mm stereo mini-jack, NTSC/PAL selectable

X

HDMI mini OUT terminal: Type C, auto-resolution setting

X

External microphone terminal: 3.5mm stereo mini-jack

X

Remote control terminal: Compatible with N3-type remote controls

X

Wireless remote control: Possible with Remote Controllers RC-1 and RC-5

X

Extension system terminal: Connects to Wireless Transmitter WFT-E4/E4A

Power Source X

Battery: Battery Pack LP-E6 lithium-ion:

• AC power supplied by via AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6 • AA/LR6 (6) or LP-E6 (2) batteries can be used with optional Battery Grip BG-E6 X

Battery information: Remaining capacity, shutter count, and recharge performance displayed

X

Battery life:

• With viewﬁnder shooting: ≈ 850 shots (73°F [23°C]) • With Live View shooting: ≈ 200 shots (73°F [23°C]) • AA/LR6 batteries can be used with Battery Grip BG-E6

Operating Environment X

Operating temperature range: 32–104°F [0–40°C]

X

Operating humidity range: 85% or less

245

G

G L O SSAR Y

GL

Glossary ambient light The natural or artificial light within a scene. Also called available light. aperture The lens opening through which light passes. Aperture size is adjusted by opening or closing the diaphragm. Aperture is expressed in f/numbers, such as f/8 and f/5.6.

automatic exposure The camera meters the light in the scene and automatically sets the shutter speed (ISO) and aperture necessary to make a properly exposed picture. automatic flash When the camera determines that the existing light is too low to get either a good exposure or a sharp image, it automatically fires the built-in flash unit.

artifact An unintentional or unwanted element in an image caused by an imaging device or appearing as a byproduct of software processing, such as compression, flaws from compression, color flecks, and digital noise.

axial chromatic aberration A lens phenomena that bends different color light rays at different angles, thereby focusing them on different planes. Axial chromatic aberration shows up as color blur or flare.

artificial light The light from an electric light or flash unit. The opposite of natural light.

backlighting Light that’s behind and pointing to the back of the subject.

Auto ISO Considering the lighting, lens used, and exposure settings, the camera automatically selects an appropriate ISO for handheld shooting, from ISO 100-6400.

barrel distortion A lens aberration where straight lines bow outward from the center.

autofocus The camera automatically focuses on a subject by using the selected autofocus point shown in the viewfinder or tracks a subject in motion and then creates a picture with the subject in sharp focus. Press the Shutter button halfway down to activate this.

246

bit depth The number of bits (the smallest unit of information used by computers) used to represent each pixel in an image that determines the image’s color and tonal range. blinkies When reviewing images on the LCD, the blown-out highlights blink.

Glossary

blocked up Describes areas of an image lacking detail because of excess contrast. blooming Bright edges or halos in digital images around light sources and bright reflections caused by an oversaturation of image-sensor photosites. bokeh Shape and illumination characteristics of the out-of-focus area in an image. bounce light Light that’s directed toward an object, such as a wall or a ceiling, so that it reflects light back onto the subject. bracketing To make multiple exposures — some above and some below — the average exposure calculated by the light meter for the scene. Some digital cameras can also bracket white balance to produce variations from the white balance calculated by the camera. brightness The perception of the light reflected or emitted by a source. The lightness of an object or image. See also luminance. buffer Temporary storage for data in a camera or computer. calibration In hardware, a method of changing the behavior of a device to match established standards, such as changing the contrast and brightness on a monitor. In software, calibration corrects the color cast in shadows and allows adjustment of non-neutral colors that differ between an individual camera and the camera’s profile used by Camera Raw. camera profile A process of describing and saving the colors that a specific digital camera produces so that colors can be corrected by assigning the camera profile to an image. Camera profiles are especially useful for photographers who often shoot under the same lighting conditions, such as in a studio.

catchlight Highlights in a subject’s eyes. chimping Reviewing images on the LCD right after you’ve taken them. chromatic aberration A lens phenomena that bends different color light rays at different angles, thereby focusing them on different planes. Two types of chromatic aberration exist. See axial chromatic aberration and chromatic difference of magnification. chromatic difference of magnification Chromatic aberration that appears as color fringing where high-contrast edges show a line of color along borders. The effect of chromatic aberration increases at longer focal lengths. color balance The color reproduction fidelity of a digital camera’s image sensor and of the lens. In a digital camera, color balance is achieved by setting the white balance to match the scene’s primary light source. color cast The presence of one color in other colors of an image. A color cast appears as an incorrect overall color shift often caused by an incorrect white balance setting. color space In the color spectrum, a subset of colors included in the chosen space. Different spaces include more or fewer colors. color/light temperature A numerical description of the color of light measured in degrees Kelvin. Warm, late-day light has a lower color temperature. Cool, early-day light has a higher temperature. Midday light is often considered to be white light (5000 K). Flash units are often calibrated to 5000 K. compression A means of reducing file size. See lossy and lossless.

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contrast The difference in range of tones from light to dark in an image or scene. contrasty A term used to describe a scene or image with great differences in brightness between light and dark areas. cool The bluish color associated with higher color temperatures. Also describes editing techniques that result in an overall bluish tint. daylight balance Describes the color of light at approximately 5500 K — such as midday sunlight or an electronic flash. dedicated flash A method in which the camera measures the ambient light and determines the flash output accordingly. Also known as TTL, or Through-the-Lens. diffuser Material, such as fabric or tissue, placed over the light source to soften the light. dynamic range The difference between the lightest and darkest values in an image. A camera that can hold detail in both highlight and shadow areas over a broad range of values is said to have a high dynamic range. exposure The amount of light reaching a light-sensitive medium — film or a sensor. The result of the intensity of light multiplied by the length of time the light strikes the medium. exposure compensation A camera control that allows the photographer to overexpose (the plus [+] setting) or underexpose (the minus [–] setting) images by a specified amount from the metered exposure. exposure meter A built-in light meter that measures the amount of light on the subject. EOS cameras use reflective meters.

248

extender An attachment that fits between the camera body and the lens to increase the focal distance of the lens. extension tube A hollow ring attached between the camera lens mount and the lens that increases the distance between the optical center of the lens and the sensor and decreases the minimum focusing distance. fast Refers to film, digital camera settings, and photographic paper that have high sensitivity to light. Also refers to lenses that offer a very wide aperture, such as f/1.4, and to a short shutter speed. fill flash A lighting technique where the Speedlite provides enough light to illuminate the subject in order to eliminate shadows. Using flash for outdoor portraits brightens the subject in conditions where the camera meters light from the broader scene. filter A piece of glass or plastic usually attached to the front of the lens to alter the color, intensity, or quality of the light. Filters are also used to alter the rendition of tones, reduce haze and glare, and create special effects, such as soft focus and star effects. flare Unwanted light reflecting and scattering inside the lens, causing a loss of contrast and sharpness and/or artifacts in the image. flat Describes a scene, light, photograph, or negative that displays little difference between dark and light tones. The opposite of contrasty. fluorite A lens material with an extremely low index of refraction and dispersion when compared to optical glass. focal length The distance from the optical center of the lens to the focal plane when the lens is focused on Infinity. The longer the focal length is, the greater the magnification.

Glossary

focal point The point on a focused image where rays of light intersect after reflecting from a single point on a subject. focus The point at which light rays from the lens converge to form a sharp image. Also, the sharpest point achieved by adjusting the distance between the lens and image. Front Curtain Sync Default setting that causes the flash to fire at the beginning of the exposure when the shutter is completely open. See also Rear Curtain Sync. f-stop/f-number A number representing the maximum light-gathering ability of a lens or the aperture setting at which a photo is taken. It’s calculated by dividing the focal length of the lens by its diameter. Wide apertures are designated by small numbers, such as f/2.8. Narrow apertures are designated by large numbers, such as f/22. See also aperture. ghosting A type of flare that causes a clearly defined reflection to appear in the image symmetrically opposite to the light source, creating a ghost-like appearance. Ghosting is caused when the sun or a strong light source is included in the scene and a complex series of reflections among the lens surfaces occurs. This can also occur when using flash with an extremely slow shutter speed. gray-balanced The property of a color profile where equal values of red, green, and blue correspond to a neutral gray value. gray card A card that reflects a known percentage of the light that falls on it. Typical grayscale cards reflect 18% of the light. Gray cards are standard for taking accurate exposure-meter readings and for providing a consistent target for color-balancing during color-correction in an image-editing program.

grayscale A scale that shows the progression of tones from black to white by using tones of gray. Refers to rendering in black, white, and tones of gray. Also known as monochrome. highlight A term describing a light or bright area in a scene or the lightest area in a scene. histogram A graph that shows the distribution of tones in an image. hot shoe A camera mount that accommodates a separate external flash unit or microphone. Inside the mount are contacts that transmit information between the camera and the flash unit and that trigger the flash when the Shutter button is pressed. hue The dominant wavelength of a color. A color system measures color by hue, saturation, and luminance. Image Stabilization A technology that counteracts hand motion when handholding at slow shutter speeds or using long lenses. Infinity The farthest position on the distance scale of a lens (≈ 50 feet and beyond). ISO (International Organization for Standardization) A rating that describes the sensitivity to light of film or an image sensor. ISO in digital cameras refers to the amplification of the signal at the photosites. Also commonly referred to as film speed. Kelvin A scale for measuring temperature based on absolute zero. The scale is used to quantify the color temperature of light. linear A relationship where doubling the intensity of light produces double the response. The human eye doesn’t respond to light in a linear fashion. See also nonlinear.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

lossless A term that refers to file compression that discards no image data. TIFF is a lossless file format.

neutral density filter A filter attached to a lens or light source to reduce the required exposure.

lossy A term that refers to compression algorithms that discard image data, often in the process of compressing image data to a smaller size. The higher the compression rate, the more data that’s discarded and the lower the image quality. JPEG is a lossy file format.

noise Extraneous visible artifacts that degrade digital image quality. In digital images, noise appears as multicolored flecks, also referred to as grain. Grain is most visible in high-speed images captured at a high ISO.

luminance The light reflected or produced by an area of the subject in a specific direction and measurable by a reflected light meter. metadata Data about data or, more specifically, information about a file. Data that the camera embeds in image files includes aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, date of capture, and other technical information. You can add additional metadata in image-editing programs, including name and copyright. middle gray A shade of gray that has 18% reflectance. midtone An area of medium brightness; a medium gray tone in a print. A midtone is neither a dark shadow nor a bright highlight. mirror lockup Camera function that allows the mirror, which reflects the image to the viewfinder, to flip up without the shutter being released. This reduces vibration from mirror movement or allows manual sensor cleaning. moiré Bands of diagonal distortions caused by interference between two geometrically regular patterns in a scene or between the pattern in a scene and the image sensor grid. MPEG-4 A collection of methods defining compression of audio/visual (AV) digital data.

250

nonlinear A relationship where a change in stimulus doesn’t always produce a corresponding change in response. If the light in a room is doubled, the room isn’t perceived as being twice as bright. See also linear. normal lens or zoom setting A lens or zoom setting whose focal length is approximately the same as the diagonal measurement of the film or image sensor used. In 35mm format, a 50-60mm lens is considered to be a normal lens. A normal lens more closely represents the perspective of normal human vision. open up To switch to a lower f-stop, which increases the size of the diaphragm opening. optical zoom Magnification that results from adjusting the optical elements in the lens. overexposure Exposing film or a sensor to more light than is required for an acceptable exposure. The resulting picture is too light. panning A technique of moving the camera horizontally to follow a moving subject, which keeps the subject sharp but creates a creative blur of background details. Peripheral Illumination Correction This compensates for light falloff by using optical characteristics stored in the camera. photosite The place on the image sensor that captures and stores the brightness value for one pixel in the image.

Glossary

pincushion distortion A lens aberration causing straight lines to bow toward the center. plane of critical focus focused part of a scene.

ring flash A flash unit with a circular light that fits around the lens or to the side and produces virtually shadowless lighting.

The most sharply

polarizing filter A filter that reduces glare from reflective surfaces, such as glass or water, at certain angles. PPI (pixels per inch) The number of pixels per linear inch on a monitor or image file. Used to describe overall display quality or resolution. Rear Curtain Sync Camera setting that allows the flash to fire at the end of the exposure, right before the second, or rear, curtain of the shutter closes. With slow shutter speeds in ambient light, this feature creates a blur behind a moving subject, visually implying that movement. With flash, this setting freezes the subject at the end of the exposure, resulting in a more realistic action shot. See also Front Curtain Sync. reflected light meter A device — usually a built-in camera meter — that measures light emitted by a photographic subject. reflector A surface, such as white cardboard, used to redirect light into shadow areas. resolution The number of pixels in a linear inch. Resolution is the amount of information present in an image to represent detail in a digital image. Also the resolution of a lens that indicates the capacity of reproduction of a subject point of the lens. Lens resolution is expressed as a numerical value, such as 50 or 100 lines, which indicates the number of lines per millimeter of the smallest black and white line pattern that can be clearly recorded.

saturation As it pertains to color, a strong pure hue undiluted by the presence of white, black, or other colors. The higher the color purity is, the more vibrant the color. self-cleaning sensor Technology attached to the sensor’s front layer (low-pass filter) that shakes off dust automatically when the camera is turned on or off or activated manually. sharp The point in an image at which fine detail and textures are clear and well-defined. sharpen A method in image-editing of enhancing the definition of edges to make an image seem sharper. See also unsharp mask. slave A means of synchronizing one flash unit to another so that one controls the other. slow Refers to film, camera settings, and photographic paper that have low sensitivity to light, requiring relatively more light to achieve accurate exposure. Also refers to lenses that have a relatively wide aperture, such as f/3.5 or f/5.6, and to a long shutter speed. speed Refers to the relative sensitivity to light of photographic materials, such as film, sensors, and photo paper. Also refers to the ISO and the ability of a lens to let in more light by opening the lens to a wider aperture. spot meter A device measuring reflected light or brightness from a small portion of a subject. stop down Switching to a higher f-stop, which reduces the size of the diaphragm opening.

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telephoto effect The effect a telephoto lens creates that makes objects seem closer to the camera and to each other than they really are.

value The relative lightness or darkness of an area. Dark areas have low values, and light areas have high values.

tonal range The range from the lightest to the darkest tones in an image.

vignetting Darkening of edges on an image that can be caused by lens distortion, using a filter, or using the wrong lens hood. Also used creatively in image-editing to draw the viewer’s eye toward the center of the image.

tungsten lighting Common household lighting that uses tungsten filaments. Without filtering or adjusting to the correct white balance settings, pictures taken under this light display a yellow-orange color cast. underexposure Exposing film or a sensor to less light than required to make an accurate exposure, resulting in a picture that’s too dark. unsharp mask In digital image-editing, a filter that increases the apparent sharpness of the image. The Unsharp Mask filter can’t correct an out-of-focus image. See also sharpen.

252

warm Reddish colors often associated with lower color temperatures. See also Kelvin. white balance The relative intensity of red, green, and blue in a light source. On a camera, this compensates for light that’s different from daylight to create correct color balance.

Index NUMERICS 8-bit images, 37 12-bit images, 37 16-bit images, 37 30p frame-rate standard, 141 50i frame-rate standard, 141 60i frame-rate standard, 140 270EX Speedlite, 127, 129–130 300-watt power inverter, 174 430EX II Speedlite, 127, 129–130 580EX II Speedlite, 126, 129–130

A Access lamp, 6, 7 Add original decision data (C.Fn IV-06), 97 Adobe RGB color space, 66–67, 68. See also color spaces AE Lock button considerations for, 47–48 Custom Function, 96 described, 8 illustrated, 6 using, 48 using for concert photography, 163 AEB. See Autoexposure Bracketing aerosol dusters, avoiding on sensor, 239 AF. See autofocus AF button, 3, 4, 5 AF point area expansion (C.Fn III-07), 45, 94 AF point display (menu option), 23 AF point selection, 45–46, 93–94 AF Point selection button, 6, 8 AF Stop button (lens), 92–93, 107 AF-assist beam ﬁring (C.Fn III-05), 94, 134

AF-ON button Custom Functions, 95–96 described, 7 illustrated, 6 overview, 47 AGC (automatic gain control), 148 Alamy Web site, 204 albums for wedding photography, 218, 219–220 ALO (Auto Lighting Optimizer), 92 ambient light. See also natural light balancing ﬂash with, 135 deﬁned, 246 for portrait photography, 198–199 American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), 157, 206 American Society of Picture Professionals, 206 angle of view for lenses normal, 114 telephoto, 113 wide-angle, 111–112 aperture applied to RAW images, 37 controlling in Aperture Priority AE mode, 41 controlling in Program AE mode, 39 deﬁned, 246 depth of ﬁeld determined by, 41 small, autofocus performance affected by, 47 telephoto lens characteristics, 113–114 of wide-angle lenses, 112 Aperture Priority AE mode (Av) dial direction during (C.Fn IV-04), 97 enabling safety shift (C.Fn I-06), 42, 90 example, 42 ﬂash sync speed in (C.Fn I-07), 90–91, 134 overview, 41–42 setting, 38 for wedding photography, 224

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Apple RGB color space, 67 artifact, 246 artiﬁcial light, 246 ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers), 157, 206 aspherical lens elements, 106, 112 assignment photography. See also speciﬁc types entry points for the business, 156 gamut of, 156 objective of, 156–157 stock and editorial shooting, 205 AsukaBook Web site, 220 audio. See sound recording Audio/Video OUT terminal, 10 Auto ISO, 246 Auto Lighting Optimizer (ALO), 92 Auto power off setting, 23 Auto Reset ﬁle-numbering, 35 Auto rotate setting, 24 Auto White Balance (AWB), 69, 73 autobracketing. See bracketing autoexposure AE Lock button, 6, 8, 47–48 bracketing, 20, 31, 48–49, 133 deﬁned, 246 Autoexposure Bracketing (AEB) controlling canceling of (C.Fn I-04), 89 controlling sequence for image capture (C.Fn I-05), 90 for ensuring acceptable exposure, 48 example, 31 Flash Exposure Compensation with, 133 for image compositing, 48 menu options, 20 overview, 48–49 tips for using, 49 autofocus AF button, 3, 4, 5 AF point area expansion (C.Fn III-07), 45, 94 AF point display (menu option), 23 AF Point selection button, 6, 8 AF Stop button (lens), 92–93, 107 AF-assist beam ﬁring (C.Fn III-05), 94, 134 AF-ON button, 6, 7, 47, 95–96 camera controls (table), 3 camera selection of AF points, 45, 46 checking AF point for focus during playback, 58 Custom Functions, 92–96 deﬁned, 246 Expanded option, 45 5D Mark II performance, 44–45 in Full Auto mode, 39 improving accuracy and performance, 46–47 invisible AF points, 45 in Live View mode, 143

254

manual selection of AF points, 45–46 microadjustment, 95 performance improvements, 2 speciﬁcations, 242 automatic exposure, 246. See also autoexposure automatic ﬂash, 246 automatic gain control (AGC), 148 Automatic Sensor Cleaning mode, 236 Av mode. See Aperture Priority AE mode (Av) axial chromatic aberration, 246

B B (Bulb) mode, 38, 43–44, 49 backing up images in the ﬁeld, 158–159 backlighting, 246 barrel distortion, 246 battery charger, packing for shoots, 158, 172–173 charging before updating ﬁrmware, 234 compartment, illustrated, 11 improvements over earlier models, 2 spare, packing for shoots, 158, 172–173, 191, 207 speciﬁcations, 245 viewing information for, 26–27 Battery info screen, 26–27 BeachTek audio adapters, 148 beep, turning on or off, 19 BG-E6 battery grip, 161 bit depth, 37, 246 blinkies, 246 blocked up, 247 blooming, 247 bokeh deﬁned, 247 lenses, 111 for wedding photography, 224 bottom features of camera, 11 bounce light, 135, 198, 247 bracketing autoexposure, 20, 31, 48–49, 89–90 controlling canceling of (C.Fn I-04), 89 controlling sequence for image capture (C.Fn I-05), 90 deﬁned, 247 exposure compensation, 20 Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB), 133 Shooting 2 menu settings, 20 white balance, 76–78, 89 brightness automatically controlled for Live View mode, 142–143 deﬁned, 247 brightness histogram, 52–53 buffer, 247 Bulb mode (B), 38, 43–44, 49

Index

C calibration, 247 camera controls commonly used function groups, 2–3 front, 8–9 lens, 12–13 rear, 5–8 side and bottom, 11 top, 4–5 camera proﬁle, 247 Camera Settings modes. See C1, C2, and C3 modes Camera user setting, 26 Canon Explorers of Light Web site, 170, 190 Canon 5D Mark II (overview) changes and improvements, 1, 2 CMOS sensor, 15–16 commonly used function groups, 2–3 comparison with earlier models, 1 DiG!C 4 image processor, 16 front camera controls, 8–9 lens controls, 12–13 Live View display, 15 rear camera controls, 5–8 side and bottom features, 11 speciﬁcations, 240–245 terminals, 10–11, 144–145 top camera controls, 4–5 viewﬁnder display, 13–14 catchlight, 135, 247 cell phone, 174 Center-weighted Average metering, 52 CF cards Continuous ﬁle-numbering issues, 33, 35 creating folders on camera, 34 creating folders on computer, 33, 34 downloading images before formatting, 34 eject button, 11 erasing images from, 21–23, 61–63 ﬁle-numbering for images on, 33, 35–36 for ﬁrmware update, 234 folder-naming systems, 33–34 formatting, 24, 34–35 Full CF warning, 56 indicator while shooting video, 142 packing for shoots, 158, 172, 191, 207, 221 protecting images on, 21, 22, 63 selecting folder on, 34 shooting without, 19 slot cover, 11 C.Fn settings. See Custom Functions children’s portraits, 201, 202 chimping, 247 chromatic aberration, 246, 247 chromatic difference of magniﬁcation, 247

clearing. See also erasing or deleting all camera settings, 26 all Custom Functions, 98 camera user settings, 26 click-balancing, 72 close-up lenses or ﬁlters, 122 Cloudy/Twilight/Sunset white balance, 69 CMOS sensor cleaning, 236–239 cleaning modes, 2, 236 dust removal, 20, 237 focal length true with, 104 improvements over earlier models, 1, 2 lens deﬁciencies revealed by, 45, 103 manual cleaning methods, 237–239 overview, 15–16 resolution captured by, 174 self-cleaning, deﬁned, 251 Sensor cleaning setting, 24 speciﬁcations, 240 video recording feature, 1 Collages.net, 220 color balance, 247 color cast, 247 color correction, white balance shift technique for, 74–75 color spaces changing in Photoshop or DPP, 67 choosing, 67 comparison of, 66–67 deﬁned, 66, 247 in Full Auto mode, 38 ICC proﬁles for, 67–68 keeping consistent throughout workﬂow, 66 setting, 68 Shooting 2 menu settings, 20 supported by DPP, 67 color temperature. See also white balance for custom white balance, 69 deﬁned, 247 for outdoor portraits, 194 setting, 69, 70, 75–76 for shooting video in low light, 153 Skylight ﬁlters for, 180 for studio lighting, 200 for sunrise and sunset shots, 178 warm-up ﬁlters for, 181 white balance presets, 69 color tone adjustments, 82 ColorMatch RGB color space, 67 CompactFlash cards. See CF cards compression, 36, 247. See also JPEG images concert photography. See sports, concert, and event photography

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

C1, C2, and C3 modes ad-hoc changes to settings, 101 clearing settings, 26 for outdoor photography, 175 overview, 44 for portrait photography, 196 registering settings, 26, 101–102 setting, 38 for Spot metering, 183 for stock and editorial photography, 209 for studio lighting, 200 Continuous Drive mode, 49, 55–56 Continuous ﬁle-numbering, 33, 35, 36 contrast autofocus performance affected by, 47 for composition strength, 201 deﬁned, 248 Picture Style adjustments for, 82 contrasty, deﬁned, 248 cool, deﬁned, 248 Corbis Web site, 204 cosmetics, for portrait photography, 192 Creative Auto mode, 44 Creative Eye Web site, 206 .CR2 ﬁles. See RAW images Custom Functions Add original decision data (C.Fn IV-06), 97 AF Microadjustment (C.Fn III-08), 95 AF point area expansion (C.Fn III-07), 45, 94 AF point selection method (C.Fn III-03), 93–94 AF-assist beam ﬁring (C.Fn III-05), 94, 134 AF-ON/AE lock button switch (C.Fn IV-02), 96 Assign SET button (C.Fn IV-03), 96–97 Auto Lighting Optimizer (C.Fn II-04), 92 Autofocus/Drive (C.Fn III), 92–95 Bracketing auto cancel (C.Fn I-04), 89 Bracketing sequence (C.Fn I-05), 90 clearing all, 98 Dial direction during Tv/Av (C.Fn IV-04), 97 Exposure (C.Fn I), 89–91 Exposure level increments (C.Fn I-01), 54, 89 Flash sync speed in Av mode (C.Fn I-07), 90–91, 134 Focusing Screen (C.Fn IV-05), 97 functions and options (table), 27–28 High ISO speed noise reduction (C.Fn II-02), 91 Highlight tone priority (C.Fn II-03), 92 Image (C.Fn II), 91–92 ISO expansion (C.Fn I-03), 55, 89 ISO speed setting increments (C.Fn I-02), 89 landscape/nature set (table), 99–100 Lens AF stop button function (C.Fn III-02), 92–93 Lens drive when AF impossible (C.Fn III-01), 92 Long exposure noise reduction (C.Fn II-01), 43, 54, 91 menu not available in Full Auto mode, 18

256

Mirror lockup (C.Fn III-06), 98 Operation/Others (C.Fn IV), 95–97 overview, 88 resetting to defaults, 98 Safety Shift (C.Fn I-06), 42, 90 selecting and setting, 88 Shutter/AF-ON button (C.Fn IV-01), 95–96 Superimposed display (C.Fn III-04), 94 wedding set (table), 98–99 custom white balance advantages of, 72 color temperatures, 69 example, 73 for outdoor portraits, 194 overview, 69–70 setting, 74

D DAT (Digital Audio Tape), 151 Date and time battery cover, 11 date and time setting, 24, 32–33 daylight balance, deﬁned, 248 Daylight white balance, 69, 71, 178 DC coupler cord hole, 8, 9 dedicated ﬂash, 248 deleting. See erasing or deleting depth of ﬁeld determined by aperture, 41 previewing, 9, 41 shallow with macro lenses, 115 shallow with telephoto lenses, 113 wide-angle lens characteristics, 111 Depth of Field Preview button, 8, 9, 41 Diffractive Optics (DO), 107 diffused light, shooting in, 179–182 diffuser, 248 DiG!C 4 image processor, 16, 241 Digital Audio Tape (DAT), 151 Digital Compact Cassette, 151 Digital Journalist Web site, 206 Digital Photography School, 190 Digital terminal, 10, 145 Dioptric adjustment dial, 4, 5 displaying images. See playing back images Distance scale, 12 distortion barrel, 246 minimal with normal lenses, 114 pincushion, 251 with wide-angle lenses, 112 DO (Diffractive Optics), 107 DPP (Digital Photo Professional) software applying Picture Styles with, 79 changing color spaces in, 67 color spaces supported by, 67

Index

Dust Delete Data for, 20 overview, 231–232 Peripheral Illumination Correction data for, 19 Drive mode camera controls (table), 3 Continuous, 49, 55–56 default, 56 in Full Auto mode, 38 Lens drive when AF impossible setting, 92 Self-timer modes, 56 Single Shot, 55, 56 speciﬁcations, 243 Drive mode button, 3, 4, 5 dry method of sensor cleaning, 238 Durham, Michael (photographer), 204 dusk shots, 178–179 Dust Delete Data screen, 20, 237 dust-resistant lenses, 106 DVDs for wedding photography, 217, 218–219 dynamic range, 52, 248

E early morning shots, 178 Editorial Photographers Web site, 206 EF (Electro-Focus), 104 EF 12mm and 25mm extension tubes, 121–122 EF extenders. See extenders EF lens mount, 104–105 EF lens mounting index on camera, 8, 9 on lens, 12, 13 Eg-A, Eg-D, and Eg-S focusing screens, 97 8-bit images, 37 Electro-Focus (EF), 104 EOS Utility, 23–23 equipment to pack. See packing for shoots Erase button, 6, 7 erasing or deleting all images in a folder, 23, 62 all images on CF card, 23, 63 clearing all camera settings, 26 clearing all Custom Functions, 98 clearing camera user settings, 26 images individually, 21–22, 62 lens data not needed, 16 My Menu items, 29 selected images, 22, 62 E-TTL (Evaluative Through-the-Lens) technology, 124–125 Evaluative metering, 51, 195, 197 event photography. See sports, concert, and event photography EXIF, 32. See also metadata ExpoDisc from ExpoImaging, 72

exposure. See also autoexposure; lighting for concert photography, 162–163 Custom Functions, 89–91 deﬁned, 248 enabling safety shift, 42, 90 evaluating, 52–53 long-exposure noise-reduction, 43, 54, 91 settings not applied to RAW images, 37 speciﬁcations, 242–243 techniques for atypical scenes, 182–183 exposure compensation bracketing, 20 deﬁned, 248 example, 51 for ﬂash, camera controls for, 3 overview, 49–50 setting, 50 tips for using, 50 exposure meter, 195, 248 EX-series Speedlites. See also ﬂash 270EX, 127, 129–130 430EX II, 127, 129–130 580EX II, 126, 129–130 AEB not available with, 49 AF-assist beam ﬁring (C.Fn III-05), 94, 134 balancing ambient light with, 135 balancing lighting extremes, 137 for bounce ﬂash, 135 for catchlight, 135 choosing, 126–131 E-TTL technology, 124–125 for event photography, 159 5D Mark II-compatible (tables), 129–131 Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB), 133 Flash Exposure Compensation, 133 Flash Exposure Lock (FE Lock), 133 Front Curtain Sync, 133, 249 high-speed sync with, 125, 134 importance of sync speed, 125 lenses not returning distance info for, 124 light modiﬁers and umbrellas, 136, 191–192, 207–208 Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX, 125, 128–129, 131 Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, 125, 127–128, 131 master ﬂash units, 125 menu settings for, 26, 27 multiple wireless setups, 137 for portrait photography, 191 Rear Curtain Sync, 133, 251 as secondary light, 136 speciﬁcations, 244 Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, 131–132, 137 for stock and editorial photography, 207–208 sync speed in Av mode (C.Fn I-07), 90–91, 134 techniques in the ﬁeld, 135–138

257

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

EX-series Speedlites (continued) using, 132–134 for wedding photography, 221 extenders autofocus performance affected by, 47 deﬁned, 248 for outdoor photography, 172 overview, 120–121 Extension system terminal, 11 extension tubes deﬁned, 248 increase of magniﬁcation with, 121 for outdoor photography, 172 overview, 121–122 External stereo microphone IN terminal, 10, 149

F Faithful Picture Style, 82, 181. See also Picture Styles fast deﬁned, 248 wide-angle lenses as, 112 FE Lock button, 6, 8 FE Lock (Flash Exposure Lock), 133 FEB (Flash Exposure Bracketing), 133 50i frame-rate standard, 141 ﬁle extensions, 35 ﬁle formats, 36–38. See also JPEG images; RAW images File numbering, 24 ﬁle size for ﬁle format and quality settings, 36 maximum for video, 141–142 ﬁle-naming, 32, 35, 67 ﬁle-numbering, 33, 35, 36 ﬁll ﬂash, 198, 248 ﬁlter effects, 85 Filter mount thread, 12, 13 ﬁlters close-up, 122 deﬁned, 248 neutral density, 173, 181, 250 for outdoor photography, 173, 180–181 packing for shoots, 173, 180–181 polarizing, 173, 251 Skylight or UV, 180 warm-up, 181 Final Cut Pro software, 151 ﬁreworks, Shooting modes for, 44 ﬁrmware checking version, 26 updating, 234–235 580EX II Speedlite, 126, 129–130 ﬂare, 185, 248 ﬂash. See also EX-series Speedlites AEB not available with third-party units, 49 AF-assist beam ﬁring (C.Fn III-05), 94, 134

258

for ambient interior and mixed light, 198–199 balancing ambient light with, 135 balancing lighting extremes, 137 bounce, 135, 198 for catchlight, 135 in conference rooms and meeting halls, 165 exposure compensation controls, 3 ﬁll, 198, 248 Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB), 133 Flash Exposure Compensation, 133 Flash Exposure Lock (FE Lock), 133 Front Curtain Sync, 133, 249 high-speed sync with, 125, 134 importance of sync speed, 125 light modiﬁers and umbrellas, 136, 191–192, 207–208 master ﬂash units, 125 multiple wireless setups, 137 for portrait photography, 191–192, 198–199, 200 Rear Curtain Sync, 133, 251 as secondary light, 136 with studio lighting, 200 sync speed in Av mode (C.Fn I-07), 90–91, 134 techniques in the ﬁeld, 135–138 for wedding photography, 221, 224 Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB), 133 Flash Exposure Compensation, 133 Flash Exposure Compensation button, 3, 4, 5 Flash Exposure Lock (FE Lock), 133 ﬂash sync contacts, 4, 5 Flash white balance, 69 ﬂat, deﬁned, 248 ﬂoating system lenses, 107 ﬂorist’s wire, 174 ﬂuorite lens elements, 106, 248 focal length autofocus performance affected by, 46 deﬁned, 248 rule of thumb for hand-held shots, 119 sensor true to, 104 focal point, 249 focus. See also autofocus checking during playback, 60 deﬁned, 249 full-time manual focusing, 106 interchangeable focusing screens, 97 with Lensbaby Composer, 117–118 for outdoor photography, 184, 185 for portrait photography, 200 rear optical focusing, 107 Focus mode switch, 12 focus preset, 107 focus ring, 12, 13 Focusing Distance Range selection switch, 12 focusing screens, Custom Function for, 97

Index

folders on CF card Continuous ﬁle-naming affect on, 33 creating on camera, 24, 34 creating on computer, 33, 34 erasing all images in a folder, 24, 62 naming systems for, 33–34 selecting, 24 using default naming system, 34 formatting a CF card, 24, 34–35 FotoMagico Web site, 219 430EX II Speedlite, 127, 129–130 FP ﬂash (high-speed ﬂash sync), 125, 134 frame rates for video, 140–141 Fred Miranda Web site, 170 front camera controls, 8–9 Front Curtain Sync, 133, 249 f-stop or f-number, 249 Full Auto mode camera settings for, 38–39 Creative Auto mode versus, 44 described, 38 example, 39 limitations of, 39 menus not available in, 18 Program AE mode versus, 40 setting, 38 Full CF warning, 56 full-time manual focusing, 106

G Gaffer’s tape, 174 Getty images, 204 ghosting, 249 golden hour, 179 GPS location devices, 174 gray card, 72, 249 gray-balanced, deﬁned, 249 grayscale, 249 grid display in Live View mode, 144, 174

H Halstead, Dirck (photographer), 206 hand-held shots Image Stabilization for, 106, 118–120, 249 rule of thumb for, 119 HDMI mini OUT terminal, 10–11, 144 High ISO speed noise reduction, 16, 91 high-deﬁnition (HD) video. See also video deﬁned, 140 frame rates, 140–141 lighting for, 152 maximum ﬁle size and runtime, 141–142 resolution, 140, 141 shooting in low light, 153

highlight, deﬁned, 249 Highlight alert (menu option), 23 Highlight Tone Priority (HTP), 92 high-speed ﬂash sync (FP ﬂash), 125, 134 histograms brightness, 52–53 changing display for, 81 color space comparisons, 67 deﬁned, 249 evaluating exposure using, 52–53 for low-light and night photos, 184 RGB, 53 Hobby, David (photojournalist), 199 hot shoe, 4, 5, 249 HTP (Highlight Tone Priority), 92 hue, deﬁned, 249

I ICC (International Color Consortium), 67 ICC proﬁles, 67–68 iDVD, 219 image compositing, AEB for, 48 Image jump with the Main dial, 23 Image Stabilization (IS) cost of, 120 deﬁned, 106, 249 using IS lenses, 118–120 Image Stabilization mode switch, 12, 13 Image Stabilization switch, 12–13 incident light meters, 195 Index button, 6, 8 index display during playback, 60–61 inﬁnity, deﬁned, 249 Inﬁnity compensation mark, 12 Information button, 6–7, 26 interface terminals. See terminals International Color Consortium (ICC), 67 Internet resources bokeh lenses, 111 ﬁrmware updates, 234 Merlin Cookbook site, 146 niche content example, 204 outdoor photography, 170–171 photo-pricing guide, 213 portrait photography, 190 for printed and bound albums, 219–220 Reverie video (Laforet), 148 for slideshows and DVDS, 218–219 software updates, 236 sports, concert, and event photography, 157–158 stock agencies, 204 stock and editorial photography, 205–206 wedding photography, 218–220 white and gray card products, 72 ISO (International Organization for Standardization), 249

259

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

ISO expansion, 54, 55, 89 ISO noise reduction, 16, 91 ISO selection button, 3, 4, 5 ISO settings applied to RAW images, 37 Auto ISO, 54 changing, 54 in Full Auto mode, 38 ISO expansion, 54, 55 ISO expansion (C.Fn I-03), 89 noise reduction (C.Fn II-02), 91 overview, 54 speed setting increments, 89

J Joe McNally blog site, 190 JPEG images advantages and disadvantages of, 36, 37 bit depth of, 37 ﬁle extension for, 35 ﬁle formats described, 37 image data lost with, 37 Peripheral Illumination Correction for, 19 preprocessing by camera, 37 RAW images versus, 36, 37 settings and image sizes, 36 white balance setting applied to, 68

K Kelvin scale, 249. See also color temperature

L Laforet, Vincent (video creator), 148 landscape, nature, and travel photography carry-on regulations, 171 challenges of, 169 C1, C2, and C3 modes for, 175 Custom Functions set for (table), 99–100 early morning to midday shots, 178 exposure techniques for atypical scenes, 182–183 ﬁlters for, 173, 180–181 focusing for, 184, 185 lenses for, 172, 174 Live View mode for, 174 natural light for, 177–182 overview and trends, 170 packing for, 171–174 Picture Styles for, 174–175, 181 predawn and sunrise shots, 177–178 professional advice for, 184–185 rainbows, 185 RAW images for, 181 resources for inspiration and creativity, 170–171

260

Rule of Thirds grid for, 144, 174 security checkpoint regulations, 171 shooting images, 174–184 shooting in low light, 183–184 sunset, twilight, and dusk shots, 178–179 Landscape Picture Style, 82. See also Picture Styles language setting, 24 laptop computer for backing up images, 158–159, 173, 191, 207, 221–222 LCD backlight sensor, 6 LCD brightness setting, 24, 25 LCD monitor. See Live View mode; menus LCD panel brightness setting for, 24, 25 buttons near, 2, 3, 5 illumination button, 4, 5 illustrated, 4 indicator while shooting video, 142 speciﬁcations, 244 Leatherman tool, 159, 174, 192, 208 lens accessories close-up lenses, 122 extenders, 47, 120–121, 172, 248 extension tubes, 121–122, 172, 248 hood for avoiding lens ﬂare, 185 weatherproof sleeves, 171 lens controls, 12–13 lens ﬂare, 185, 248 Lens lock pin, 8, 9 lens mounting index on camera, 8, 9 on lens, 12, 13 Lens Release button, 8, 9 Lensbaby Composer, 117–118 lenses AF microadjustment for, 95 AF stop button, 92–93 AF Stop button, 107 aspherical elements, 106 bokeh, 111, 247 changing, 239 close-up, 122 contacts, 8, 9 controls, 12–13 deleting unused lens data, 16 Diffractive Optics, 107 dust and water-resistant, 106 EF lens mount, 104–105 for event photography, 158 ﬂoating system, 107 ﬂuorite elements, 106, 248 focus preset, 107 full-time manual focusing, 106 high-quality, importance of, 103 hood for avoiding lens ﬂare, 185

Index

Image Stabilization, 106, 118–120, 249 keeping free of dust, 239 Lens drive when AF impossible setting, 92 Lensbaby Composer, 117–118 lock pin, 8, 9 L-series, 105–106 macro, 106, 115–116 mounting index on camera, 8, 9 mounting index on lens, 12, 13 normal, 114 for outdoor photography, 172, 174 Peripheral Illumination Correction for, 19 for portrait photography, 190–191 prime versus zoom, 104, 108–111 rear optical focusing, 107 sensor and resolving power of, 45, 103 for stock and editorial photography, 207, 210 telephoto, 105–106, 107, 113–114 tilt/shift (TS-E), 116 UD elements, 106 Ultrasonic Motor (USM), 105 weatherproof sleeves for, 171 for wedding photography, 220, 224, 225 wide-angle, 47, 111–112 lifestyle approach to portrait photography, 188–189 light meters, 195, 248 lighting. See also exposure; ﬁlters; ﬂash ambient interior and mixed light, 198–199 autofocus performance affected by, 46 basic one-light setup, 199 in conference rooms and meeting halls, 165 diffused, 179–182 early morning to midday shots, 178 exposure techniques for atypical scenes, 182–183 golden hour, 179 for HD video, 151–152 for indoor portraits, 196–200 light modiﬁers and umbrellas, 136, 191–192, 207–208 natural light, 177–182 for outdoor portraits, 193–195 predawn and sunrise shots, 177–178 shooting outdoors in low light, 183–184 shooting video in low light, 153 studio, 198–199 for wedding photography, 222–223 window light, 196–198 linear, deﬁned, 249 Live Face Detection mode, 143 Live View mode accessing, 142 AF-ON button with, 47 autofocus in, 143 brightness automatically controlled for, 142–143 display, 15

for landscape photography, 174 Live Face Detection mode, 143 Live View/Movie function setting, 24, 25, 142 for low-light and night photos, 184 menu options, 24, 25 Picture Styles with, 142 Quick mode, 143–144 Rule of Thirds grid in, 144, 174 Shooting modes with, 142 Silent Shooting modes, 144, 224 speciﬁcations, 244 video using, 142–144 for wedding photography, 224 Live View shooting button, 6, 142 Live View/Movie function setting, 24, 25, 142 lossless compression, 250 lossy compression, 37, 250 low light, shooting in, 153, 183–184. See also lighting L-series lenses, 105–106 luminance, 250

M M mode. See Manual mode (M) macro lenses characteristics of, 115–116 deﬁned, 106 depth of ﬁeld shallow with, 115 high magniﬁcation with, 115, 116 for outdoor photography, 172 overview, 115 for stock and editorial photography, 210 for wedding photography, 220 working distances, 116 Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX Speedlite, 125, 128–129, 131 Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Speedlite, 125, 127–128, 131 magniﬁcation chromatic difference of, 247 high, with macro lenses, 115, 116 of images during playback, 60 increase with extension tubes, 121 Magnify button, 6, 8 Main dial described, 5 illustrated, 4 Image jump with, 23 overview of functions (table), 3 with Quick Control screen, 18 setting date and time, 32 maintenance cleaning the CMOS sensor, 236–239 updating ﬁrmware, 234–235 makeup, for portrait photography, 192

261

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Manual mode (M) described, 38 examples, 43, 44 for low-light and night photos, 184 overview, 42 setting, 38 Manual Reset ﬁle-numbering, 35 manually cleaning the sensor, 237–239 marketing for wedding photography, 216–217 McNally, Joe (blog creator), 190 memory cards. See CF cards Menu button, 4, 6 menus accessing, 4 Auto rotate setting, 24 Battery info screen, 26–27 compared to other models, 2, 17 Custom Functions, 27–28 Dust Delete Data screen, 20, 237 erasing images using, 21–23, 61–63 External Speedlite control, 26, 27 LCD brightness setting, 24, 25 Live View/Movie function setting, 24, 25, 142 My Menu settings, 28–29 not available in Full Auto mode, 18 Peripheral Illumination Correction screen, 19 Playback 1, 21 Playback 2, 23 protecting images using, 21, 22, 63 Quick Control screen, 18 settings that can be registered, 100–101 Set-up 1, 23–24 Set-up 2, 24–25 Set-up 3, 25–27 Shooting 1, 18–19 Shooting 2, 20 Merlin Cookbook site, 146 Merlin Steadicam, 146–147 metadata, 32–33, 250 metering mode for atypical scenes, 183 for bright sky, 183, 185 camera controls (table), 3 Center-weighted Average, 52 default, 51 Evaluative, 51, 195, 197 in Full Auto mode, 38 Partial, 51–52, 183 for portrait photography, 195 Spot, 52, 183, 197 for window light, 197 Metering mode selection button, 4, 5 midday shots, 178 middle gray, 250 midtone, 250

262

mini USB digital OUT terminal, 10, 145 mireds (micro reciprocal degrees), 74 mirror, 8, 9 mirror lockup, 94, 250 mixing video and sound, 151–152 Mode dial, 2, 4, 5, 26. See also Shooting modes model releases, 157, 167, 212 moiré, deﬁned, 250 Mono microphone, 8, 9, 148–149 Monochrome Picture Style, 83, 85. See also Picture Styles monopod, 158, 172, 191, 207, 221 MOV format, 145 movies. See video moving within images during playback, 60 MPEG-4 compression, 145, 250 Multi-controller illustrated, 6 overview, 2–3, 7 with Quick Control screen, 18 Set button mimicked by, 32 setting date and time, 32 top camera buttons not used with, 4 with white balance shift and bracketing screen, 75 My Menu, 18, 28–29 MyPublisher Web site, 219

N NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association), 170 National Geographic Web site, 170 National Press Photographers Association, 206 natural light diffused, 179–182 early morning to midday, 178 predawn and sunrise, 177–178 sunset, twilight, and dusk, 178–179 Nature Photographer Magazine, 170 Nature Photographers Online Magazine, 170 nature photography. See landscape, nature, and travel photography neutral density ﬁlters, 173, 181, 250 Neutral Picture Style, 82, 175, 181. See also Picture Styles niche content, 204–205 night photos, 184 noise deﬁned, 250 DiG!C 4 image processor reduction of, 16 long-exposure noise-reduction, 43, 54, 91 nonlinear, deﬁned, 250 normal lens or zoom setting, 250 normal lenses, 114, 220 North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), 170

Index

O One Shot AF mode, AEB with, 49 One Shot Targets products, 72 opening up, deﬁned, 250 optical zoom, 250 Orientation locking knob, 12, 13 Outdoor Photographer Magazine, 170 outdoor photography. See landscape, nature, and travel photography overexposure, 250

P P (Program AE) mode, 38, 39–40 packing for shoots carry-on regulations, 171 outdoor photography, 171–174 portrait photography, 190–192 security checkpoint regulations, 171 sports, concert, and event photography, 158–159, 166 stock and editorial photography, 207–208 wedding photography, 220–222, 230 panning, 250 Partial metering, 51–52, 183 PC terminal OUT, 10 Peripheral Illumination Correction, 19, 250 perspective, lens effect on, 112, 114 Photographer’s Market, 171 PhotoShelter Web site, 171, 204 photosite, 250 PhotoVision Web site, 72 Pictage Web site, 220 Picture Style button, 6, 78 Picture Styles default, 78 descriptions and settings (table), 82–83 examples, 79, 80, 81 modifying, 84 Monochrome, applying ﬁlter or toning effects, 85 for outdoor photography, 174–175, 181 overview, 78–80 parameter adjustments available for, 82 setting, 83 Shooting 2 menu settings, 20 user-deﬁned, creating and registering, 84–85 with video, 142 pincushion distortion, 251 pixels per inch (PPI), 251 plane of critical focus, 251 Playback 1 menu erasing images using, 21–23, 61–63 overview, 21 protecting images using, 21, 22, 63 Playback 2 menu, 23

Playback button, 6, 7 playing back images changing display format in single-image playback, 58 changing length of review time, 57 checking AF point for focus, 58 5D Mark II capabilities, 57 index display, 60–61 jumping through images or movies, 59–60 magnifying and moving within an image, 60 playback display options, 57–58 single-image with basic shooting information, 58 single-image with no shooting information, 58 single-image with shooting information, 58, 59 slide show, 61 speciﬁcations, 244–245 PLUS Coalition, 158 PocketWizard MultiMAX, 136 PocketWizard Transceivers, 137, 191, 222 polarizing ﬁlters, 173, 180, 251 portable storage device for backup, 158–159, 173, 191, 207, 221–222 portrait photography. See also stock and editorial photography; wedding photography ambient and mixed light for, 198–199 areas of, 188 basic one-light setup, 199 of children, 201, 202 commercial, 189 C1, C2, and C3 modes for, 196 ensuring color accuracy, 72 indoor portraits, 196–200 lenses for, 190–191 lifestyle approach to, 188–189 light meters for, 195 outdoor portraits, 193–196 overview and trends, 188–190 packing for, 190–192 posing people, 201, 202 professional advice for, 200–202 resources for inspiration and creativity, 190 rewards of, 187, 190 studio lighting for, 199–200 white balance for, 194 window light for, 196–198 working with the art director, 201 Portrait Picture Style, 82. See also Picture Styles posing people for portraits, 201, 202 power inverter, 174 Power/Quick Control Dial switch, 6, 7 PPI (pixels per inch), 251 Precision Matte focusing screens, 97 predawn shots, 177–178 Premiere Pro software, 151 presentation for wedding photography, 217–218, 230

263

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

prime lenses advantages and disadvantages of, 108–109 in Canon lineup, 108 extenders, 120, 248 extension tubes, 121–122, 248 normal, 114 screw-on close-up lenses for, 122 single-focal-length with, 108–109 for stock and editorial photography, 210 zoom lenses versus, 104, 108–111 Print button, 6 Print order (menu option), 21 Professional Photographers of America, 190 Program AE mode (P), 38, 39–40 ProPhoto RGB color space, 67 ProShow Gold Web site, 218–219 protecting images, 21, 22, 63

Q Quality setting, 18, 36–38 Quick Control dial described, 7 illustrated, 6 overview of functions (table), 3 Power/Quick Control Dial switch, 6, 7 with Quick Control screen, 18 with white balance shift and bracketing screen, 75 Quick Control screen, 18 Quick mode for Live View, 47, 143–144 QuickTime MOV format, 145 QuickTime Player, 145

R rainbows, photographing, 185 RAW images camera settings applied to, 37 ensuring color accuracy, 72 for event photography, 163–164 ﬁle extension for, 35 ﬁle formats described, 37–38 JPEG images versus, 36, 37 for outdoor photography, 181 Picture Styles with, 79 settings and image sizes, 36 sRAW 1 and sRAW2 formats, 38 for stock and editorial photography, 209 white balance setting noted for, 68 rear camera controls, 5–8 Rear Curtain Sync, 133, 251 rear optical focusing, 107 Reduce button, 6, 8 reﬂected light meter, 251 reﬂective light meters, 195

264

reﬂectors deﬁned, 251 for event photography, 159 for portrait photography, 191, 192, 196–197 for stock and editorial photography, 207, 208 as white and gray cards, 172 with window light, 196–197 registering settings ad-hoc changes after, 101 to C1, C2, and C3 modes, 26, 101–102 menu settings that can be registered, 100–101 My Menu items, 28–29 shooting settings that can be registered, 100 user-deﬁned Picture Styles, 84–85 releases, model, 157, 167, 212 Remote control terminal, 10 Remote Controller sensor, 8, 9 removing. See erasing or deleting repairing items in the ﬁeld, 174 resolution captured by sensor, 174 DTV, 140 HD video, 140, 141 HDTV, 140 image, 251 lens, 251 restoring default settings on camera, 63–64 Reverie video (Laforet), 148 Review time setting, 19 reviewing images. See playing back images RGB color spaces. See color spaces RGB histogram, 53 ring ﬂash deﬁned, 251 Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX Speedlite, 125, 128–129, 131 rotating images, 21 Rule of Thirds grid, 144, 174 runtime, maximum for video, 141–142

S Safety Shift (C.Fn I-06), 42, 90 saturation, 82–83, 251 self-cleaning sensor, 251 Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit, 236 Self-timer lamp, 8, 9 Self-timer modes, 49, 56, 185 sensor. See CMOS sensor Sensor cleaning setting, 24 Set button Assign SET button (C.Fn IV-03), 96–97 described, 7 illustrated, 6 mimicking with Multi-controller, 32 with Quick Control screen, 18

Index

Set-up 1 menu, 23–24 Set-up 2 menu, 24–25 Set-up 3 menu, 25–27 Shade white balance, 69, 71 Share button, 6 sharp, deﬁned, 251 sharpening, 82, 251 shift technique for white balance, 74–75 Shooting 1 menu, 18–19 Shooting 2 menu, 18, 20, 237 Shooting modes Aperture Priority AE (Av), 41–42 available modes, 38 Bulb (B), 38, 43 C1, C2, and C3, 26, 44 Creative Auto, 44 Full Auto, 18, 38–39 with Live View, 142 Manual (M), 38, 42–43 Program AE (P), 39–40 setting, 38 settings applied to RAW images, 37 Shutter Priority AE (Tv), 40–41 Showit Web site, 218 Shutter button, 4, 95–96 Shutter Priority AE mode (Tv) dial direction during (C.Fn IV-04), 97 enabling safety shift (C.Fn I-06), 42, 90 example, 41 overview, 40 setting, 38 shutter speciﬁcations, 243 shutter speed applied to RAW images, 37 Bulb Shooting mode for open shutter, 38 controlling in Shutter Priority AE mode, 40 rule of thumb for hand-held shots, 119 Shutterﬂy Web site, 219 side features of camera, 11 Silent Shooting modes, 144, 224 silhouettes, as design elements, 185 Single Shot Drive mode, 55, 56 single-focal-length lenses. See prime lenses 16-bit images, 37 60i frame-rate standard, 140 size of ﬁles. See ﬁle size sky, exposure techniques for, 182, 183, 185 Skylight ﬁlters, 180 slave ﬂash, 251 Slide show menu, 23 Slideshow Company, 219 slideshows playing back, 61 for wedding photography, 218–219

slow deﬁned, 251 telephoto or zoom lenses as, 113–114 snapshots, 39, 40 Society of Sport and Event Photographers, 157 software updates, 236 sort order for My Menu, 29 sound cards, 151 sound recording AGC for, 148 BeachTek audio adapters for, 148 external input for, 149 External stereo microphone IN terminal, 10, 149 importance of, 148 mixing video and sound, 151–152 onboard mono microphone for, 8, 9, 148–149 selecting audio devices, 150–151 Soundslides Web site, 219 Speaker, onboard, 6, 8 speakers, external, 152 speciﬁcations, 240–245 speed, deﬁned, 251 Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, 131–132, 137, 191–192, 207–208, 222 Speedlites. See EX-series Speedlites sports, concert, and event photography as assignment photography entry point, 156 challenges of, 155 in conference rooms and meeting halls, 165 knowing the needs of the client/art director, 157, 166 Lens drive when AF impossible setting, 92 model releases for, 157, 167 objective of, 156–157 outdoor events, 165 overview and trends, 156–157 packing for, 158–159, 166 preparing for, 157, 166–167 professional advice for, 165–167 RAW mode for, 163–164 resources for inspiration and creativity, 157–158 shooting concerts, 162–163 shooting events, 163–165 shooting sports, 159–161 software for, 157–158 uploading images to Web site, 156 video clips, 162 Sports Shooter Web site, 157 spot metering deﬁned, 251 metering mode, 52, 183, 195, 197 sRAW 1 and sRAW2 formats, 38. See also RAW images sRGB color space, 66–67, 68. See also color spaces Standard Picture Style, 78, 82, 175. See also Picture Styles Standard Precision Matte focusing screen, 97

265

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide

Steadicams Merlin, 146–147 overview, 145–146 stock and editorial photography. See also portrait photography assignment photography, 205 business realities of, 203 knowing current rates for, 213 lenses for, 207, 210 model releases for, 212 niche content, 204–205 for online usage, 205 overview and trends, 204–205 packing for shoots, 207–208 professional advice for, 212–213 resources for inspiration and creativity, 205–206 shooting images, 209–211 stock agencies, 204 video clips, 203 Stock Artists Alliance, 206 Stock Photo Price Calculator, 206 stopping down, deﬁned, 251 studio lighting, 199–200 sunrise shots, 177–178 sunset shots, 178–179 Super Precision Matte focusing screen, 97 Superimposed display (C.Fn III-04), 94

T telephoto effect, 252 telephoto or zoom lenses advantages and disadvantages of, 110–111 angle of view narrow with, 113 characteristics of, 113–114 depth of ﬁeld shallow with, 113 Diffractive Optics, 107 for event photography, 158 extenders, 120–121, 248 extension tubes, 121–122, 248 focus preset for, 107 L-series, 105–106 normal zoom setting, 250 for outdoor photography, 172 overview, 109–110 perspective compressed by, 114 for portrait photography, 191 prime lenses versus, 104, 108–111 simulating with 50mm lens, 114 as slow, 113–114 for stock and editorial photography, 207 for wedding photography, 220, 225 terminals External stereo microphone IN, 10, 149 HDMI output, 144–145 overview, 10–11

266

third-party ﬂash units, 49 30p frame-rate standard, 141 300-watt power inverter, 174 Tiffen Merlin Cookbook site, 146 Merlin Steadicam, 146–147 tilt/shift (TS-E) lenses, 116 time, setting, 24, 32–33 Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3, 173 time-stamping of images, 32 tonal curve for Picture Styles (table), 82–83 tonal range, 252 toning effects, 85 top camera controls, 4–5 Transfer order (menu option), 21 travel photography. See landscape, nature, and travel photography tripod for event photography, 158 mount on lens, 12, 13 for outdoor photography, 172 for portrait photography, 191 socket on camera, 11 for stock and editorial photography, 207 for video, 147 for wedding photography, 221 TS-E (tilt/shift) lenses, 116 tungsten lighting, 69, 198–199, 252 Tv (Time-variable) mode. See Shutter Priority AE mode (Tv) 12-bit images, 37 twilight shots, 178–179 270EX Speedlite, 127, 129–130

U UD (ultra-low dispersion) lens elements, 106 Ultrasonic Motor (USM) lenses, 105 umbrellas for Speedlites, 136, 191, 207–208 underexposure, 252 Unsharp Mask ﬁlter, 252 updating ﬁrmware, 234–235 software, 236 U.S. Copyright Ofﬁce Web site, 206 user-deﬁned Picture Styles, 84–85 UV ﬁlters, 180

V value, deﬁned, 252 video Audio/Video OUT terminal, 10 for concert shooting, 162 feature described, 1 frame rates, 140–141 grid display for, 144

Index

HDMI mini OUT terminal, 10–11, 144 HDMI output, 144–145 high-deﬁnition (HD), 140–142 lighting for HD video, 151–152 Live Face Detection mode for, 143 Live View mode for, 142–144 maximum ﬁle size and runtime, 141–142 menu options, 24, 25 mini USB digital OUT terminal, 10, 145 mixing video and sound, 151–152 MOV format, 145 MPEG-4 compression, 145 NTSC or PAL setting, 24 Picture Styles with, 142 as powerful new language, 139 preparing to shoot, 140–145 Quick mode for, 143–144 resolution, 140, 141 shooting in low light, 153 Silent Shooting modes for, 144 sound recording, 148–151 Steadicams for, 145–147 for stock and editorial shooting, 203 tripod use for, 147 viewﬁnder display illustrated, 14 overview, 13–14 viewﬁnder speciﬁcations, 241–242 viewing images. See playing back images vignetting, 19, 252 visualizing images, 184

W warm, deﬁned, 252 warm-up ﬁlters, 181 water-resistant lenses, 106 weatherproof sleeves, 171 wedding photography. See also portrait photography capturing the ceremony, 223–225 after the ceremony, 226–228 challenges of, 215, 216 Custom Functions set for (table), 98–99 detail images, 227 ﬂash for, 221, 224 lenses for, 220, 224, 225 lighting for, 222–223 marketing, 216–217 overview and trends, 216–218 packing for shoots, 220–222, 230 photojournalistic approach, 216 portraits, 228–229 preparing for, 222–223, 229, 230 presentation, 217–218, 230 printed and bound albums, 218, 219–220 professional advice for, 229–230

reception, 228 resources for inspiration and creativity, 218–220 Silent Shooting modes for, 224 slideshows and DVDS, 217, 218–219 wet method of sensor cleaning, 238 white balance. See also color temperature for ambient interior and mixed light, 198–199 bracketing, 76–78, 89 camera controls (table), 3 click-balancing, 72 color temperatures for presets, 69 custom, 20, 69–70, 72–74 deﬁned, 252 for early morning to midday shots, 178 ensuring color accuracy, 72 examples, 71, 73, 76, 77 factors inﬂuencing, 68 in Full Auto mode, 38 for JPEG versus RAW images, 68 options, 69 for outdoor portraits, 194 overview, 68–69 setting a color temperature, 69, 70, 75–76 shift technique for, 74–75 shift/bracketing settings, 20 for sunrise and sunset shots, 178 using a preset, 69, 70 white or gray card for, 72, 249 White Balance selection button, 4, 5 white card, 72 White ﬂuorescent white balance, 69, 77 White House Custom Color Web site, 219 Wide Gamut RGB color space, 67 wide-angle lenses aspherical, 112 autofocus performance affected by, 47 characteristics of, 111–112 depth of ﬁeld extensive for, 111 distortion with, 112 dust effect with, 236 as fast, 112 for outdoor photography, 172 perspective with, 112 for portrait photography, 191 simulating with 50mm lens, 114 for stock and editorial photography, 207 uses for, 111 for wedding photography, 220, 224, 225 window light, 196–198 workﬂow clean, 239 color space consistency throughout, 66

Z zoom lenses. See telephoto or zoom lenses zoom ring, 12, 13

267

Guides to go. Colorful, portable Digital Field Guides are packed with essential tips and techniques about your camera equipment, iPod, or notebook. They go where you go; more than books—they’re gear. Each $19.99.

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Photography/Techniques/Equipment

$19.99 US/$23.99 CAN

Learn how to take ideal shots with your Canon EOS 5D Mark II Without question, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a revolutionary development in dSLR technology. With its full-frame, 21.1-megapixel sensor, DiG!C 4 image processor, and 30 frames per second, high-definition video recording capability, it offers creative possibilities previously unknown. This practical, portable guide examines the camera’s features, explores the myriad menus and settings, discusses compatible lenses and Speedlites, and offers tips for capturing perfect photos and videos in common and uncommon situations.

• Learn to customize more than 20 functions • Choose file formats, Exposure and Metering modes, and ISO and white balance settings • Explore flash techniques for use in the field • Discover how to light video, mix video and sound, and use Live View • Gain professional advice on shooting sports, concerts, portraits, weddings, landscapes, products, and more Brian McLernon is a freelance photographer specializing in editorial, commercial, corporate, and lifestyle photography. His client list includes CBS Records, Exxon, Johnson & Johnson, Nike, Premiere Homes magazine, and the United States Tennis Association. A popular guest speaker for artistic associations, communications groups, and business organizations, Brian maintains his photography Web site at http://brianmclernon.com and blogs about photography at http://blog.brianmclernon.com. Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks