Evening Portraits with Flash

I hope you're having a great Thanksgiving weekend.  My parents came to visit and we had dinner at a resort called Terranea in a suburb of Los Angeles.  I took a few shots, and this time I used flash.  I'll discuss the approaches I used for three scenarios: sunset, an outdoor dinner, and a fireplace.


SUNSET

To ensure that the colors of the sunset would be captured, I exposed for the highlights (in this case, by selecting Active D-Lighting to Extra High).  I used aperture priority with Auto ISO on.  I chose an aperture of f/2.8 to get a little more depth of field for our group shot.  The shutter speed was 1/160 (should have been 1/200, the sync speed - oh well).  With Active D-Lighting on Extra High, the D600 would make sure that all relevant highlights would be preserved.

Because I exposed for the highlights, the subjects and foreground would be seriously underexposed:

Moreover, to bring out the colors of the sky, I needed to bring down the exposure which would further underexpose the subjects and foreground.  In the all-ambient shot above, that's what I did (-1.91 EV), then I just maxed out the shadow slider in Lightroom:

Unfortunately a large part of the sky is blown out.  I guess the ISO was too high (ISO 2000) which reduced the dynamic range and clipped some highlights. The perils of Auto ISO...

For the next shot I used flash, to bring up the exposure of the subjects and foreground.  I bounced to a wall about 15 feet behind me using my SB-800.  I would have preferred to bounce to camera left or right which would make more sense based on the direction of the sun, but there were no bounce surfaces there.  (There was a window to camera right, but that would have just looked like the direct light of the flash rather than bounced flash.)

With respect to exposure, aperture was still f/2.8, shutter still 1/160.  This time the ISO was 800. Perhaps the camera figured that because I was using flash, it didn't need to use such a high ISO to maintain shadow detail  (actually, because of the D600's excellent shadow recovery, I could have used ISO 800 in the previous shot and still retained all the shadow detail while also maintaining highlight detail).  Here was the result.

Much too bright, but all the highlight and shadow detail is there.  In post, I decreased the exposure to bring out the color of the sunset.  The flash was too white, so I warmed up the color temperature to make it look more like the light of sunset.

I used a similar approach in the next two shots, although this time I decreased the exposure by -0.7 EV and the flash by -1.3 FEC, and -2.3 FEC in the second shot:

BTW my wife went back to school, so I don't have time for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu anymore, that's why my belly came back. :(

DINNER

We had dinner at an outdoor patio of the restaurant.  With the f/1.4 aperture of the Sigma 35, there was actually no need for flash even in the dim light.

Marcus Tyson.  f/1.4, 1/160, ISO 6400.

f/1.4, 1/160, ISO 8063

Nonetheless I was curious to see if I would be able to use flash.  I sat across my mom, and behind her was the only wall I could bounce off from, which would not have illuminated her face.

Here, I bounced to the tree behind me.  Surprisingly I got ample light:

f/1.4, 1/160, ISO 400 +1.3EV

Check out the window which shows the flash bouncing from the tree.  The bounced light was greenish but could be adjusted in post.  I also had to adjust the exposure by 1.3EV but the result was quite usable.

There were also heaters beside the table, and I also tried bouncing from the upper part of a heater to camera left:

f/1.4, 1/160, ISO 400 +3EV

I got much less light this time, needing +3EV in post, but the flash definitely contributed light.  Here is an all-ambient shot for comparison:

f/1.4, 1/160, ISO 2800 +3EV

I'm not suggesting you use flash for the sake of using flash. But it's good to know you have that option even in unlikely places.  At the same time, we should be aware of situations when all-ambient is just fine.

FIREPLACE

After dinner, we took some shots beside some outdoor fireplaces.  For this next shot, I used manual exposure.

I set the aperture at f/2.8 for depth of field. If I had been using a longer lens I probably would use a narrower aperture but at 35mm focal length, at a full body distance from the subjects, and at laptop viewing sizes, f/2.8 was adequate.  I set the shutter speed at 1/125. Slower than that could result in blur if the subjects are illuminated with a mix of ambient and flash.  I turned off Auto ISO then adjusted it until the ambient was just slightly underexposed (-0.3 or -0.7). I set it to 1100 ISO.  I bounced the flash off a wall about 20 feet above and behind, on camera right.  Because I didn't want the flash to look too conspicuous, I reduced it by -2 FEC.  I used the D600 self-timer to fire off 9 shots.  On some shots, the SB-800 could not recycle fast enough, so in the next shots I increased the ISO to 3200.

In post, I increased the exposure +0.6 EV (+0.48 EV in the latter shot), and I warmed up the cold light of the flash to make it look like firelight.

I used the same approach and settings for the following shot.

This time I bounced on a wall about 20 ft. above, about 10 ft. behind me, camera left.  Note that dark "shadow" above the fireplace is soot, not a shadow. :)

That's pretty much all there is to it.  Thanks for dropping by and Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

Read More

Nikon J1 $199; Other Best Camera Deals for Black Friday Weekend

Nikon J1 with 10-30 lens $199 at B&H. Recall that the J1 has a 1-inch sensor like the RX100, so this might be a compact alternative with great high ISO performance (though it's not as pocketable).  DPReview says the high ISO performance is about as good as 12mp m4/3 sensor, and I would agree based on DPR's studio scene test.  Other interesting features: fast and accurate hybrid AF; 60fps raw burst.  Here is the DPR review.

I'll continually update this space with other deals that I find for this Black Friday weekend.

Sandisk Extreme 45mbps.  16GB SDHC $16.99 or 32GB SDHC $24.99 at Amazon.

Pentax WG-10 (shockproof and waterproof) $119 at Target.  14mp BSI sensor.  I'm thinking of buying one for my kids.  Another possible candidate is the Olympus TG-630 (I like the colors better underwater; 12mp BSI).

Nikon S100 (gold). $89 at B&H with free shipping.  This might be a good gift for someone who's not a photographer and just wants the slimmest camera.  Features a touchscreen.

Read More

Price drops!!! Olympus XZ-2, Pentax MX-1. And about the Casio EX-10

I just noticed a huge price drop on the Olympus XZ-2 (previously $500 now under $400) and Pentax MX-1 (previously $500 now under $300).  Perhaps it is not entirely a coincidence but Casio recently announced a new camera, the EX-10, which appears to share the same sensor and the same lens with the XZ-2 and MX-1: a 12mp 1/1.7" BSI (backside illumination) CMOS sensor, and a fast 28-112 equivalent f/1.8-2.5 lens.

Even before the price drop, I had been interested in the XZ-2 and MX-1 for reasons discussed below.
I'm interested in the Casio as well and I'll tell you why.




As I mentioned, I had been interested in the XZ-2 and MX-1.  Both of them have a larger-than-average sensor that is also backside-illuminated.  Backside-illuminated sensors are able to collect more light.  For example the Sony RX100 and RX100 II have similar-sized sensors except that the RX100 II sensor is backside illuminated, and is claimed to have 40% improvement in low-light sensitivity.  As for the XZ-2 and MX-1, I used the DPR comparison tool and the raw files seem almost 1 stop better than those of the Lumix LX7 and XZ-1 which have similar-sized sensors.

Moreover, the XZ-2 and MX-1 have a pretty fast f/1.8-2.5 zoom lens.  With the slightly larger sensor and fast aperture, they compare favorably against other compact cameras, providing essentially the same effective aperture as the Fuji X20 with its larger 2/3" inch sensor.

Speaking of the lens, DPReview found the lenses to be sharp, and the Pentax MX-1 has earned a silver award from DPR in its full review.  (The XZ-2 hasn't been fully reviewed yet but was noted for having very similar image quality in a studio comparison.)

Besides probably sharing the same sensor and the lens, the three cameras also have a tilting LCD, which I think is very useful for street photography (similar to a waist-level finder) and for capturing more candid expressions in family photos.

Although they share many things in common, there are important differences between the three cameras.

PENTAX MX-1
The Pentax MX-1 is in my opinion the most stylish of the three.  It also has a genuine brass upper and bottom plate that will wear more gracefully.

The MX-1 has a green button like some Pentax DSLRs.  The green button has some useful functions.  If you use Program shift, pressing the green button resets to the normal Program mode.  When spot metering in manual mode, pressing the green button will give you a normal exposure for the spot-metered target.

One disadvantage of the MX-1 is that it only has one command dial.  The XZ-2 and EX-10 also have a single command dial but they also have a control ring / function ring that works like a second command dial.

Here is DPReview's review of the MX-1.

OLYMPUS XZ-2
The Olympus is unique in having a touchscreen with a Tap to Focus and Shoot function (like the E-M5).  See this video.  I think the value of having such a function is in being able to choose the focus point much more quickly.

The XZ-2 also has a hotshoe.  Although some people think a hotshoe is overkill for a small camera, I personally think a hotshoe is quite useful for a pocket camera like the XZ-2 because of the unlimited sync speed.  (I have an LX5 and found the hotshoe useful.  See here).

Among the three cameras, the XZ-2 is also the only one to allow a viewfinder accessory (but it's not cheap).  It could be handy when shooting in very bright conditions.

As mentioned above, the XZ-2 has only command dial (rear) but it has a control ring that can be used to change the aperture or other functions.

CASIO EX-10
Finally we come to the Casio, a new player in the enthusiast camera segment.

My very first digital camera (around 2004) was a Casio, and I still have the Casio EX-V7 which I got in 2007, and it still works today.  What I like about Casio is that they usually have innovative features.  For example, the EX-V7 (and many other Casio cameras) have a function called "Past Movie".  When you use this, it starts the video recording 5 seconds before you press the shutter (it's actually continuously recording and overwriting a buffer).  Some Casios have a similar function for continuous shooting where you can choose a shot before you press the shutter, called Prerecord Continuous Shutter.

What I didn't like about Casio is that the high ISO performance was just average, and the lenses had small apertures. Therefore it was mediocre for low light.  However, the EX-10 now addresses the sensor and lens issues.

Fortunately at least some of Casio's innovative features (including the Prerecord Continuous Shutter) will be included in the EX-10. Other interesting modes include a simulated wide angle (where you can 'paint' a larger field of view), all-in-focus macro (automatic focus stacking), and simulated background blur for portraits (regarding this latter feature, here is a sample - not perfect, but good enough for casual shots; another sample here).

In addition to having some interesting modes, the EX-10 is one of Casio's "HS" (high-speed) cameras. The HS cameras are supposed to have very fast startup time.  It also has up to 1000fps video for super slow motion.

The EX-10 may have a shutter speed as slow as 250 seconds (compared to 60 seconds for the XZ-2 and 30 seconds for the MX-1) in manual exposure mode.  See here.  It also has a bracketing mode that can change two variables over 9 frames (such as white balance and exposure).

In terms of control, the EX-10 features a rear command dial and a function ring (like the XZ-2).  For street photography, there is a button on the front that can facilitate taking waist-level photos with the tilting LCD (or can be assigned to other functions).  Speaking of which, the XZ-2's LCD can flip up to 180 degrees (for selfies).  When flipped to 180 degrees, the XZ-2 has a built-in stand that can support the camera vertically, with the shutter triggered by a gesture.

EPILOGUE
So if you're in the market for a compact camera for those times when an interchangeable-lens camera is just too large, then you may want to consider these three cameras.  At the time of this writing, the XZ-2 is available for $388 and the MX-1 is available for $289 (black) or $249 (silver).  The EX-10 is available only in Japan and we don't know yet if it will be sold in the US.  Please note that these links are for our Amazon Affiliate account, which allows you to support our blog without any cost to you.  100% of proceeds will be donated to charity.  For December 2013 we'll donate everything we get to the Red Cross for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.  Thank you for your support!

Read More

Sigma Black Friday Sale on Refurb Lenses

For its Black Friday sale, Sigma is offering a 15% discount on refurbished lenses, including the following:

Sigma 35 1.4 - the sharpest 35mm full frame, bar none, according to DXO.  $679.  Unfortunately, only the Sony mount is available refurbished at this time.
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/35mm-f14-dg-hsm-a-refurbished
Previewed here.

Sigma 50 1.4 - the sharpest fast fifty according to DPR, with quite possibly the best bokeh. $379.
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/50mm-f14-ex-dg-hsm-refurbished
Reviewed here.

Sigma 17-50 OS - currently the sharpest standard zoom for APS-C, according to DXO. $499.
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/17-50mm-f28-ex-dc-os-hsm-refurbished
Haven't tried it personally.


Notes:
1. Sigma's warranty on refurbished products: 90 days, including a 15-day return policy.  http://www.sigmaphoto.com/sigma-outlet/quality-standards-warranty-shipping

2. We're not affiliated with Sigma and receive no compensation from these links.

Read More

Weekend with the LX5; Adorama Black Friday Sale on LX7

Thanksgiving is almost here and with it, that beloved tradition of bargain hunting on Black Friday.  :) One of the more interesting photo-related Black Friday sales I've seen is Adorama's sale of the Panasonic Lumix LX7 for $299 ($100 off).  You may be wondering whether the LX7 would be a good pocket camera.  By serendipity, I took some shots recently with the LX5 (reviewed here), which is practically identical to the LX7, except that the LX7 has a lens that is a full stop faster: the LX5's maximum aperture is f/2.0-3.3 while the LX7's aperture is f/1.4-2.3.  So here are some shots from the LX5.

In the afternoon, I took the kids and their bikes to visit my parents' place.  They live in a community that has beautiful parks and lakes.



Read More

Yongnuo RF-603 + Olympus OM-D: Reloaded

Do you remember my RF-603 modification post? In that post I was able to modify my Canon version of the Yongnuou RF-603 trigger to make it work with my Olympus camera to trigger external flashes.

Now thanks to member Earlack and his post in this dpreview thread, I was able to further modify the camera cable of the triggers so that they can also wirelessly trigger my camera. Full details after the jump.

Below is a typical YN RF-603 kit, except that there is another transceiver. I have bought two kits, so I have four transceivers in total. With these, I can trigger up to three external flashes, and I can even trigger the camera (from one of the other triggers) using the supplied cable, however, this cable has only a Canon connector, and Yongnuo doesn't sell cables with the Olympus USB connector.

This brings us to the modification, thanks to dpreview member mentioned above, I did exactly what he did, and instead of buying a USB connector and connecting it, I bought the cheapest wired trigger for Olympus I could find, the one shown in the opening picture.

Here's the Olympus USB connector, this is what I bought the intervalometer for, to salvage the USB connector (don't feel sad for the intervalometer, I have a much better one, with an on-off switch, not fully-on-until-the-battery-runs-out like this one).

Operation begins by cutting the two ends of the RF-603 cable, and the intervalometer. Thankfully, they both have the same color code.

I connected both whites together, red with yellow and yellow with red, the picture below is not the final one, just roughly made for demonstration.

 

 

 Once done and tested, I insulated each of the wires separately.

 

And because I didn't have a good black sealing tape, I used Gaffer's tape to hold both ends of the cable together. I will be removing the ugly looking tape and using a more elegant solution.

And it works, however not fully as expected, the half-press doesn't do anything, and only a full press initiates the focus and triggers the shutter, but I don't mind since most probably, when remotely triggering the camera as such, I will use fixed focus. In case you're wondering, it doesn't matter if the RF-603 is mounted to the camera hot-shoe or not, and I also tried connecting the reds and yellows together, but when I tested it, the camera had the shutter "half-pressed" all the time.

This modification will give me two important uses:

1. I can trigger the camera wirelessly, useful for group photos, self photos, camera positioned far away (on a pole for example with a fisheye for a unique perspective).
2. I can trigger both the camera and flash together, for example if I'm light painting a large area with flash, I can leave the camera on the tripod, and take the flash with me and point it at different areas of the photo, and every time I trigger the flash, the camera will snap a picture. How cool is that?

Finally, all these pictures were shot handheld with the OM-D and the 12-50 lens in macro mode, ISO 3200, shutter speeds ~ 1/10 to 1/20 seconds, ACR standard noise reduction.


RELATED POSTS

Yongnuo RF-603 + Olympus OM-D

Read More

Soccer

Some shots from our last soccer game of the season.  Shot with the Nikon D7000 and Nikon 28-70 2.8 (42-105 equivalent).

Read More