Why I Love My Sigma 50-150

Here are a couple of shots that I took with the Sigma 50-150 that show why I love it.

122mm.  ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/500. 

105mm.  ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/2500

Both were taken with a Nikon D70.  What I really like about the Sigma is that at f/2.8, the depth of field is juuuust enough to keep the subject's eyes, nose, mouth and ears in focus, while a background that is at least a few feet away becomes a total blur, helping me to easily simplify the composition.  Plus, the shallow depth of field is an easy way to impress non-photographers. :p

Even when the background is not that far behind the subject, the background is still rendered as a blur, although the bokeh is less smooth.  Here, the nearest part of the background was less than two feet behind our toddler.

90mm.  ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/1250.

I'm still very curious about the Sigma 50-150 OS because image stabilization would make this lens even more useful.  But some of the early announcements in the press (e.g. from dpreview) show that the dimensions of the new lens are almost the same as those of a Sigma 70-200.  I'm hoping that those specs are mistaken -- if they are correct, however, I'm probably sticking with my 50-150.

RELATED POSTS:
New Sigma 50-150 OS
Sigma 50-150 is TIGHT
What's the point of having different lenses?
Second body vs. Second flash

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Flash Series - Part 6: Use Flash in Daylight? Really?

I hear this exclamation a lot whenever I advise someone to use his flash as a fill light in strongly backlit situations, or when someone sees me using it in broad daylight. Despite being initially counter intuitive, this is perhaps the only practical use (image quality wise) of your built-in camera flash. Hit the jump for more explanation.

It's summer time again, and more people will be shooting at pools, one of the usual problems that you face is the harsh sun light and the strong shadows it creates. Mic has already discussed the same subject in this post, so consider this one as a refresher. You see, the sun is considered a hard light source because it's too far and relatively small, this causes the shadows to be defined and strong, this is not a flattering light for portraits. How to solve this?

One solution that several websites recommend is shooting in a shaded open space, i.e. not covered by direct sun light, but rather diffused light, another one is to use a piece of silk or some diffusing material directly above your subject to prevent direct sunlight from hitting him, but both of these techniques are not an option with your subjects swimming in the middle of the water under direct sun light, my favorite solution is to use the flash light to lift these shadows to some degeree and reveal more details in your subject's eyes.

If you look carefully at the introductory picture you will notice from the shadow on the subject's shoulder that the sun light was coming from above and behind him, if I had not used fill flash his face would've fallen into the shadows. Using the built-in flash is usually a no-no in low light conditions because the flash light is quite close to the lens and results in a flat looking picture, but this condition is different, the flash will not be the main light source but rather a fill light to lift some of the shadows caused by the high contrast sun light, thus it won't cause the usual flat look that accompanies most built-in flash lit pictures (read: facebook party pictures).

One other thing to consider when using a DSLR is the sync speed, this is a very famous mistake that people face when they use their flash in strong sun light, most DSLRs have a maximum shutter speed of 1/250 sec when the flash is used, so if your normal shutter speed without flash under sun light was around 1/2000 sec, then when you switch on your flash and the camera will limit your shutter speed to 1/250 sec resulting in a seriously overexposed image, there are two solutions to this problem (point and shoots usually don't have this problem, and some DSLRs too):

• The first solution is to make sure that your shutter speed doesn't go above the sync speed, you can try closing your aperture down, reducing the ISO or even using ND filters.
• The easier solution requires an external flash with high speed sync abilities, high speed sync enables you to shoot at any shutter speed but at the cost of reducing the maximum power you can get from your flash.

All the pictures in this post are shot using an external flash mounted to the camera's hotshoe and operating in high speed sync mode, I was using an 85mm lens and shooting subjects from quite a far distance and my aperture was f/8, so to make sure my flash had enough power to illuminate my subjects I increased the ISO to 400 and used the 580EX (not the II version) because it makes a recharging sound like studio flashes, and that way I can easily know if it was firing at full power so I need to increase the ISO or open my aperture a bit.

One good thing is that the flash's white balance is similar to daylight, so you can use it with your camera set to daylight white balance, my flash was on TTL and zoomed all the way in (105 mm) since my equivalent focal length was 135mm. In the example below I used the exact same settings in both pictures, but one without flash and the other with flash on, look for differences at the blue tiles on the pool edges and the subject's face. I admit that the second picture isn't as good as the other examples but this is the only example I had that shows the flash effect, I have better examples below.

f/8, 1/1600 sec, ISO 400 - No Flash

f/8, 1/1600 sec, ISO 400 - Flash On

Here are two more examples, the first one is taken on the same day as the rest of the pictures, and the seocnd one is taken a while back with my G11 and a 430EX, the G11 didn't have any limitations on the sync speed.

Flash successfully lifted most of the shadows and resulted in a good exposure

Sun coming from above and to the right of the subject, the flash eliminated shadows

RELATED POSTS:

Fill Flash: Summer Pool Party! (Basic)
Flash Series - Part 1: Canon Speedlites Chat (580EX II vs 580EX vs 430EX)
Flash Series - Part 2: Home Made (DIY) Gels & Gel Holder
Flash Series - Part 3: Rogue Grid Review
Flash Series - Part 4: Triggering Your Hotshoe Flashes + eBay RF Trigger
Flash Series - Part 5: Remote Adjustment Radio Triggers

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Flash Series Part 5: Remote Adjustment Radio Triggers

This post picks up from Part 4: Triggering Your Hotshoe Flashes by mshafik, where we saw some of the advantages of a radio trigger.  In this post, we discuss radio triggers that allow remote adjustment.



As was mentioned in the previous post, radio triggers are very reliable and can work outside the line-of-sight, but generally, they perform only one function -- triggering the slave flash.  There are, however, radio trigger systems that can allow remote adjustment of slave flashes.  Here, I'll mention the ones that are of greatest interest to hobbyists and amateurs (in no particular order):
1. Radiopopper's X System (PX and JrX)
2. Pocketwizard's ControlTL
3. Paul C. Buff's CyberSync
4. Quantum's FreeXwire

RADIOPOPPER JRX STUDIO

• Summary: inexpensive all-manual system.
• Compatible cameras: any camera with the standard hotshoe or with a sync port.
• Compatible slave flashes: Alien Bees or White Lightning monolights; any Canon or Nikon TTL speedlight with a TTL quench pin (RPCube or substitute required - see below). Cannot control Einstein E640.
• Available wireless modes: Manual.
• Transmitter: JrX Studio transmitter (sold as part of a kit).
• Receiver: JrX Studio receiver.  In addition, controlling a Canon or Nikon speedlight requires an RPCube module (specific to Canon or Nikon) that attaches to the speedlight's hotshoe.  Alternatively, Nikon speedlights with the Nikon 3-pin TTL port can also be connected via a special 3-pin TTL to miniplug cable directly to a JrX receiver without an RPCube.  The cable is available on eBay or flashzebra.  There are also instructions for a DIY RPCube or 3-pin TTL cable.
• Groups: Up to 3 groups.
• Channels: 4 channels.
• Notes:  The JrX controls monolights using the RJ-11 port of Alien Bees and White Lightning units.  In the case of speedlights, JrX works by controlling the TTL quench pin of old flashes.  With old flashes, the camera would send a signal to the quench pin to stop firing when the correct flash exposure is reached.  JrX re-purposes this quench pin to control the flash output of the flash manually.  So from the camera's position you can steplessly adjust the slave from full power down to 1/32 power (for studio strobes) or 1/128 power (for speedlights) simply by turning the dial for a group.

RADIOPOPPER PX

• Summary: repeats the camera's native wireless TTL signals as radio signals; also able to control JrX and older P1 units. 
• Compatible cameras: Canon, Nikon.
• Compatible slave flashes: current Canon E-TTL or Nikon i-TTL speedlights with wireless TTL capability; can control JrX slaves with the same capabilities as the JrX Studio (see above).  Cannot control Einstein E640.
• Available wireless modes: TTL (for TTL speedlights), Manual (for any compatible slave).
• Transmitter: PX Transmitter.  Any unit can be switched to work with either Canon or Nikon.  The transmitter must be mounted to a commander-capable flash (including a popup flash or infrared commander). 
• Receiver: PX Receiver.  Any unit can be switched to work with either Canon or Nikon.  However, in addition, a bracket is required, and the bracket is specific to Canon or Nikon.
• Groups: Up to 3 remote groups in addition to the master flash.  
• Channels: 16.
• Notes:  With the PX system, the transmitter has no direct connection to the flash.  Instead, the transmitter detects electromagnetic radiation pulses from the commander flash whenever it fires.  That's why it's only connected via velcro instead of cables.  The transmitter acts like a repeater and "translates" the the electromagnetic pulses as radio waves.  The receiver then re-translates the radio signals into light.  That's what the bracket is for -- it positions the receiver's light directly on top of the slave sensor.  The light from the receiver is detected by the slave sensor and to the slave it looks just the same as the master flash's signals.
• A PX transmitter can also control JrX Studio receivers, with the same functionality (except that power output is set by buttons instead of dials).

PAUL C. BUFF CYBERSYNC:

• Summary: wireless control for Paul C. Buff strobes, with cutting-edge features.
• Compatible cameras: any camera with a regular hotshoe or a sync port.
• Compatible slave flashes: Paul C. Buff strobes (Alien Bees, White Lightning, Einstein E640).  Cannot control speedlights.
• Available wireless modes: Manual; control of modeling lights.
• Transmitter: the CyberCommander.
• Receiver: for Einstein, CSXCV receiver (under $30!). For Alien Bees or White Lightning, CSR+ (AC-powered) or CSRB+ (battery-powered) receiver.  The CSR+ has a pass-through so that it can be plugged into a strobe, and the strobe's power cable can be plugged into the CSR+'s pass-through cable.
• Groups: Up to 16 lights.  
• Channels: 16 frequencies.
• Notes:  The CyberCommander has a unique feature: it includes an accurate flashmeter.  The idea is to use the CyberCommander to take flashmeter measurements, adjust the power while at the subject's position, then when all measurements are taken and output levels are adjusted, the CyberCommander can trigger all the lights at the measured output.  The CyberCommander has other features, including bracketing of any combination of lights; exact digital readout of the camera f-stop, t.1 flash duration, color temperature, modeling watts, flash WS and the relative flashpower; and the ability to store up to 50 lighting setups in a MicroSD card.

POCKETWIZARD CONTROLTL:

• Summary: reads the native wireless TTL signals and converts them to radio.
• Compatible cameras: Canon, Nikon.
• Compatible slave flashes: current Canon E-TTL or Nikon i-TTL speedlights; Alien Bees or White Lightning (with AC9 module); Einstein E640 (with PowerMC2 module); Elinchrom RX (with PowerST4 module).
• Available wireless modes: TTL (for TTL speedlights), Manual (for any compatible slave).
• Transmitter: FlexTT5 transceiver or MiniTT1 transmitter (specific to Canon or Nikon).  In addition, you must attach a commander unit (e.g. Canon 580EXII or Nikon SB-900) or an AC3 Zone Controller.
• Receiver: FlexTT5 transceiver.  In addition, studio strobes require an additional module (see slave flashes above).
• Groups: Up to 3 remote groups in addition to the master flash.  
• Channels: For TTL, 20 channels are available.  For manual, 32 channels are available.
• Notes:  The ControlTL system works off your Canon or Nikon's native wireless system.  The camera thinks that a regular commander is attached to the hotshoe.  The transmitter units intercept the electrical signals sent between the camera and the commander, reads those signals, then transmits the information via radio.  The receiver then receives the radio signals and translates it back to electrical signals that control the slave flash.  With ControlTL, you control the slaves the same way you control them using the native wireless TTL.  So you can change from manual to TTL, adjust flash exposure compensation, etc.
• ControlTL adds some features to studio strobes that would not otherwise be available such as high-speed sync (HSS) and power tracking (when you change your aperture or ISO, the strobe's power will be adjusted proportionately to maintain the same flash exposure).

QUANTUM FREEXWIRE:

• Summary: the first wireless TTL system.
• Compatible cameras: Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Minolta, Contax, Leica, Pentax, Rollei, Hasselblad, Bronica, Mamiya, Contax 645, Mamiya 645.  Each system requires the correct adapter.
• Compatible slave flashes: Quantum Qflashes, Canon and Nikon speedlights (via the recently announced QLINK).
• Available wireless modes: TTL, Manual, Auto, TTL ratios.
• Transmitter: The commander is either a Quantum TRIO flash (non-Basic version with built-in radio TTL), Quantum Pilot commander (specific to either Canon or Nikon), transmitter, or transceiver.  In addition, the 5D-R units (X5D-R and T5D-R) can commanded with Canon and Nikon's native wireless TTL via a QNEXUS decoder/receiver.
• Receiver: TRIO flash built-in radio TTL, transceiver, or receiver.
• Groups: up to 4, plus local.
• Channels: 8.
• Notes: Quantum flashes are robust, dependable, have great light quality (thanks to the bare bulb design), more power than speedlights, and have some very useful features (can you tell I drool over them?).  Plus it's made in the USA.  But it's not cheap.
• For more information on Quantum, see this chart of possible configurations and this video made by Adorama:

MY CHOICE

I chose to go with RadioPoppers JrX!  Will post a review soon.

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Backlight vs. Rim Light

Since I didn't get to take any truly interesting or challenging photos over the weekend, I decided to re-take the low-key self-portrait that I did recently.



That photo looked ok to me, but thought it could be improved with better separation between subject and background:

In that previous photo, my strategy for subject-background separation was to use rim light.  I had an SB-800 on a light stand behind me and off to the side.  It worked well enough for separation on the camera left side but didn't do much for the camera right side or the top of my hair.

This time I used an SB-800 directly behind me.  Usually I don't do this unless the subject has frizzy or wispy hair.  It turned out that it also worked for my spiky hair, and provided a very thin separation light, which is what I wanted.

Here's what the setup looked like:

- Key light was an Alien Bees B1600 firing through a 48-inch EZ-Pro octagon softbox with grid camera left on a Linco #8310 light stand.  Triggered with Radiopopper JrX Studio.
- An SB-800 in SU-4 (optical slave) mode was behind me as the aforementioned separation light.  It was mounted on a LumoPro 5-section compact light stand.
- An SB-800 in SU-4 mode was ball-bungeed to the light stand to fire at a Lastolite tri-grip reflector below me, to provide just a touch of fill.
- Camera was a Nikon D70, with a Sigma 50-150 lens.  It was mounted on a Targus TG-P60T tripod with Opteka TS-1 ballhead.
(The light above the camera is just a security light and did not contribute to the exposure).

Other notes:

• I had a bit of a scare with the Alien Bee.  When I first turned it on, the ready light wouldn't turn green.  The modeling light wouldn't turn on either.  It turns out that it was because I had a Radiopopper JrX plugged into the Alien Bee and had not inserted a dummy plug into the sync port.
• I found out that on the D70, I can't mix the Radiopopper JrX with the Nikon Advanced Wireless Lighting.  The Radiopopper would fire but it wouldn't fire in sync with the shutter.
• I'm getting faster at setting up the octagon softbox.  It used to take me 15 minutes or so.  Now it takes me about 5 minutes (including the grid) using a couple of shortcuts.  Will post my shortcuts when I post the review of the octagon softbox.
• I found the infrared remote of the D70 quite frustrating, not just because it was sometimes unresponsive but because I also had to switch the camera mode to remote.  (Note: my infrared remote is only a generic eBay version.)  Fortunately, I found a remote shutter cable for the D70 that can be used with the Meike MK-RC7 radio flash/shutter trigger.
• In an effort to resolve the Alien Bee issue, I reset the camera's settings, and forgot to reactivate the raw+JPEG mode.  Instead all the shots were taken in JPEG.  Fortunately, I only needed minimal post-processing. :)

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DIY Passport Photos

Yes, you can do your own passport photos.  It's completely permissible in the U.S. and it's not difficult if you have at least one external flash.  If you want to trade time for money, then instead of spending $10 or more, your cost drops to around 20 cents (that's for 5 photos, mind you).  I also get a sense of pride from using my own work product.  Plus, for the vain ones among us, you can take as many shots as you want until you're satisfied with how your photo looks. :)




STEP 1: Review the current rules for passport photos.
The official requirements (again, for U.S.) are stated here: http://travel.state.gov/passport/pptphotoreq/pptphotoreq_5333.html
Photo composition template: http://travel.state.gov/passport/pptphotoreq/photocomptemplate/photocomptemplate_5297.html
Examples of do's and don'ts: http://travel.state.gov/passport/pptphotoreq/photoexamples/photoexamples_5300.html

STEP 2: Take the photo.
Besides respecting the passport photo rules, the keys to a valid passport photo from a photographic perspective are:
1. Background should be white or off-white.  You don't need white muslin -- a white (or nearly white) wall will do.
2. Lighting should be soft and flat (frontal light, with minimal shadows).  This is not the time to show off your strobist skills (see the example "shadows on face")
3. Take the photo at least 4 feet away from the subject (to avoid perspective distortion).
4. When you compose the shot, leave plenty of room above and below the face -- we'll be cropping later.
5. Avoid logos on shirts - that's one reason some photos get rejected, even though it's not stated anywhere on the website.
6. Although the sample photos from the Dept. of State show some smiling subjects, remind the subject to have a completely neutral facial expression.

Example:

In the shot above, I was about 8 feet away from the subject, with a 50mm lens on a crop-sensor body (75mm equivalent).  The subject was standing about half a foot away from the wall.  The wall was "swiss mocha" in color.

To get a white wall, I placed an SB-800 on the floor behind the subject's foot and fired it at full power (via Nikon Advanced Wireless Lighting).  If I didn't have another flash or it's somehow not feasible to use it, I could have also used Topaz Remask or similar software to remove the background in post-processing.  (Yes, it's possible - just do it very carefully and make sure you don't cut any part of the subject.)

For completely flat lighting, I needed a super-soft light source that was as close to the camera axis as possible. In this case we were kind of in a hurry so I used an on-camera SB-800 bounced to a wall behind me.  To further reduce shadows on the face, I put a reflector in front of and below the subject, aimed at the subject's face and neck.  I didn't try a ring light although that may have worked too (shadows on the wall are not allowed but they would have been blasted by the background light anyway).  Another solution is to place a large umbrella directly behind the camera.

I chose an exposure of ISO 200 (base ISO for D300), f/8, and 1/250 (sync speed):

• ISO 200 to minimize noise.  Excessive noise is one reason a photo can be rejected.
• f/8 for sharpness and depth of field.  Blurriness is one reason a photo can be rejected.
• 1/250: I used the sync speed to eliminate the ambient light (in this case from a window that might have shown shadows on her face).

When you upload the shot in your PC, adjust the shot as necessary to comply with the requirements (again, see the examples).

STEP 3: Crop the photo
I used epassportphoto.com to crop the photo to the right size.  First, I uploaded the photo to their website.  Then I used their template, which allowed me to crop and position the photo within the U.S. Dept. of State's requirements (I think they have them for other governments as well, though I haven't tried).  Their template has two green rectangles to frame the face.  The top of the head should be within the top green rectangle.  The chin should be within the bottom green rectangle.  Epassportphoto.com is free but they also offer value-added services such as reviewing the photo.  I clicked on "no thanks" and just downloaded the resulting 4x6 photo sheet for free.

STEP 4: Print the photo (and cut it if needed).  Then you're done!
I uploaded the photo to Costco for printing.  They charge 13 cents to print a 4x6 photo.  As for glossy vs. lustre, I looked around and it seems both are ok.  I choose lustre finish to make the photo look more professional, less susceptible to fingerprints, and reduce glare.

BTW these are for passport photos of an adult or child.  Infant passport photos are much harder and require additional techniques.  I may work on a guide for that in the future.

RELATED POST:
High-key passport photos (using a more elaborate setup)

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Low-Key Self-Portrait

I took some self-portraits last night using some of my new gear.



For my key light, I used an Alien Bees B1600 monolight with a 48" octagon softbox with grid.  The rim light was from an SB-800 triggered via Nikon Advanced Wireless Lighting using an on-camera SB-800 as commander.  Both lights were on light stands from the Linco background support system (the stand for the rim light is visible in the shot above).

Why did I use the SB-800 instead of the popup as commander?  I needed to trigger the B1600 (in this case using a PC sync cord).  The problem with Nikon (at least with the D300) is that if you use the popup flash as a wireless commander, it disables the PC sync port.  If you use an external flash as commander (e.g., SB-900, SB-800 or SB-700), the PC sync port is enabled.  Maybe it's Nikon's way of forcing you to buy another external flash...

It's a simple 2-light setup (the on-camera flash was not contributing to the flash exposure).  I was tempted to bring other flashes into play but thought it would be a good warm up for Boot Camp III: 2 Lights. ;)

Will be posting my thoughts on the AlienBees B1600, Radiopopper JrX, Vagabond Mini, Linco background support system, and the octagon softbox.

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MK-RC7 review updated

In the past few months, my MK-RC7 has been unreliable as a remote shutter.  With some testing, I found out that the problem was with the remote shutter cable.  See the updated the review of the MK-RC7.

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