Junior Soccer Part II

It's Sunday again and, despite the weather predictions, junior soccer was on this morning. I was keen to get back out there with the 1D Mk3, this time shooting from the goal-side of the field head-on to the action.

Canon 1D Mk3 with Canon 75-300mm IS lens at f5.6 @1/1500th, ISO 800

I set the camera up again as per last week (see the previous post), for the optimum AF selections for soccer (according to Canon). I still, however, didn't feel like I was getting the full 10fps machine gun burst that the Mk3 is capable of, and was beginning to worry that there was something wrong with the camera itself?

1D Mk3 with 75-300mm at f5.6 @1/1500th sec, ISO 800 (at 300mm)

One thing I did change from last week was to go hand-held so that I could shoot predominantly in the portrait orientation. Because I was shooting hand held, I left the IS of the lens on, to help with any shake I may have introduced. The 75-300mm is the first lens Canon made with IS, and you can tell. It clanks, whirs and buzzes while the IS is working, and while this does give a more stable image, it is a little distracting. After a few sluggish bursts, I figured that the shutter speed (of around 1500th sec) was fast enough not to actually need the IS turned on, even hand-held, so I turned it off. No more whizz, whir, click. But suddenly.... bang, bang, bang - a series of machine gun burst that were exhilarating!  The camera was finally shooting at its full 10fps. Yay! :-)

1D Mk3 with Canon 75-300mm IS lens, with IS turned OFF.

So lesson number 7 (or whatever number I'm up to know on my gradual coming to grips with the 1D Mk3): if you want the full 10fps burst speed of the camera, turn the darn IS off! Maybe that's not the case with the more modern image stablised lenses, but it sure is the case with the 75-300mm. Makes perfect sense to me now that I've figured it out - there were a lot of things happening in that lens to stabilise the image and get a sharp shot. It's really not surprising that to do all that it needed to slow the frame rate down.

All-in-all then, a successful morning. Josh's team won (and he played really well), I got some okay images, and learnt how to get the full speed out of the Canon 1D MkIII. As Mr Burns would say - "Excellent".

Junior Soccer with the Canon 1D MkIII

Tis the start of the soccer season here downunder, and my son Joshua is getting to play for the first time. We live in a small town, with limited numbers, and soccer is way down the list of 'popular' games for local kids. As such, the competition happens on a Sunday morning - right at the time when we are heading off to church :-(

He has wanted to play for a few years now, but it's really only now that he is in High School that he has been able to join a club and get involved in a competition. And the games seem like they will be early enough that he will get to play and maybe even make it to church after?

Joshua in his first game for Grey Main Junior U14s. Canon 1D Mk3 with Canon 75-300mm @f5.6

The 'other' great news, now that he is playing soccer, is that I get to be the Dad with the camera (I'm not the only one) and go down to the games to practice my sports photography :-) Yay!

Before heading off I consulted the EOS1D MkIII official guide to AI Servo AF Custom Functions (whew) that I downloaded from the internet. To shoot soccer, it suggested setting tracking sensitivity to '0', AI Servo Image Priority to '0', AI Servo tracking method to '1', and AF expansion with selected point to '1' as well. So I did :-) I also boosted the ISO to 800 (it was a slightly overcast morning), and obviously had continuous servo autofocus with hi (10fps) frame rate capture selected.

1D Mk3 with Canon 75-300mm IS at 300mm @f5.6, 1000th sec, ISO 800

I focused using the central focusing sensor and tried to keep that 'locked on target' as the players moved around. This work fairly well. Of the 200 images I shot during the game, I would say about 70 to 80% of them were acceptably sharp. Of course that doesn't mean I got about 150 great shots :-) I culled this down to about 20 images that are 'keepers', where Joshua is engaged in the action, is in focus, and looks good.

Canon 1D Mk3 with Canon 75-300mm IS at 250mm @f5.6, 750th sec, ISO 800

So that's about a 10% 'keeper' rate. Don't know if that's acceptable or not - but I'm happy, and it was my first time shooting soccer, so there's definitely room for improvement. Which is a good thing I suppose, because I'm keen to keep going back and doing it again. I've already decided that next time I'll change my position on the pitch. I stood with the other parents at about half-way and covered both ends, but next time I think I will go the the goal area and shoot Joshua head-on running towards the camera.

And finally, just a quick word about the Canon 75-300mm f4.5/5.6 IS USM lens. It's the original version - the first lens to introduce IS (Image Stabilization), and probably not the greatest lens in Canon's arsenal. But it's actually performing rather impressively for its price and specs and I'm finding the AF speed more than adequate in decent light with the 1D Mk3. Wide open it's pretty sharp too! I've got not worries shooting it on 300mm at f5.6 and expecting sharp results (not counting user error).

All the above images were shot with the camera and lens stabilized on a Manfrotto monopod, with IS on as well. The monopod helped shoulder some of the weight of the 1D Mk3 and probably increased my percentage of sharp shots. Another dad was there with what looked to be a Canon 7D with 70-200mm f4 IS attached, but he was shooting all hand-held. That would certainly be a lighter combination than the 1D with 75-300mm, although I'd probably still shoot it from a monopod? A friend I know owns the 70-200mm f2.8 which I may borrow and use at some stage, but I'm definitely happy with the results I'm getting from the 75-300mm in the meantime.

So here's to the start of the soccer season in New Zealand! And here's to many more sports outings with the Canon 1D Mk3! :-)

Canon EOS 1D MkIII ISO performance

I'm in the 'testing' phase with my 'new' 1D Mk3, and decided to see what ISO I would be comfortable pushing it to on something like a wedding.

No, I'm not one of those guys who does the scientific testing with test charts or brick walls - I'm more of your 'real world' applications kind of tester for my own gear. So I set my tripod up in my lounge, pointed it towards the corner of the room, set the aperture to a middle-of-the-road f8 (should be pretty sharp around there), set my lens to a middle-of-the-road 50mm(ish), and fired away on all full ISO settings.

Just a boring ISO shot - but hopefully a revealing one? Canon 1D MkIII with Canon 28-135mm IS USM

Once I had taken all the shots (using the 2 second timer delay on the camera so camera shake shouldn't be a factor), I enlarged a portion of the shadow area by 200% and had a good look-see....

The results at 200%

These were all shot in RAW and then converted unaltered the high res jpegs using Adobe Lightroom. NO noise reduction was used in the process.

Probably not great at this resolution, but what do 'I' see? I see fantastic, almost noise-free results up to ISO 400, with just a hint creeping in at ISO 800. At ISO 1600 there is definite noise in the shadow areas, but it's quite a 'granular', film-like noise, and not the horrible banding type I was getting with the 50D. ISO 3200 is pretty grainy - but this is without any noise reduction, and I reckon it might clean up enough for a reasonable 8x10" print - plenty for a wedding album.

Canon 1D MkIII @ ISO 3200 - 200% enlargement

To put this theory to the test, I ran the 200% enlargement from the shadow area through my noise reduction software of choice - Noise Ninja. Above is the un-filtered enlargement, while below is the same section run through Noise Ninja.

Canon 1D MkIII @ ISO 3200, filtered through Noise Ninja (default settings)

Don't know why it's slightly darker (?), but anyway - it is definitely less noisy (albeit with a little less detail). These were the default Noise Ninja settings - I could probably get it looking even better with a little more effort :-)

So where am I comfortable shooting the 1D Mark III at in terms of high ISO?

Canon 1D MkIII @ ISO 1600 - 100% crop

Above is a 100% crop at ISO 1600, and this is probably where I would be happy 'pushing' the 1D MkIII to if I had to. Especially with noise reduction software added into the mix....

Canon 1D MkIII @ ISO 1600 - 100% crop and put through Noise Ninja (default settings)

So yes, ISO 1600 looks pretty good to me once it's all been 'cleaned up'. I wouldn't go there unless I 'had' to, but sometimes, especially during a wedding service, in a church, without flash, I do 'have' to. So it's nice to know that I can.

If the Canon 1D MkIII had an auto ISO feature (it doesn't), I'd probably let it roam between ISO 100 and 800 without a second thought. But I prefer to choose my ISO's anyway, so I will go up to 800 in a church no bother - and 1600 if my shutter speeds need the extra boost. Without comparing the two cameras side by side (which I may do later), I feel that the 1D MkIII is giving me better ISO performance than the Canon 50D. What noise there is, is much 'cleaner' in the 1D MkIII - probably not surprising given its larger sensor and smaller pixel count. Sometimes 'more' in terms of pixels, isn't always better - especially when they are crammed into a smaller surface area.

Overall, I'm very happy with the ISO performance of the 1D MkIII. It reminds me of the high ISO's on my full frame 5D - again not surprising since they are contemporaries of each other (both released around 2007/2008). Sure, it ain't no Nikon D3, and the APS-C Canon 70D would probably eat it for breakfast. But I'd rather have a 1D than a 70D anyday, and even when I've got the performance, I always try to shoot at the lowest ISO I can get away with - period.

So it's a thumbs up for ISO performance with the 1D MkIII for what I will use it for. I'm sure some more 'real world' examples will follow and the proof will be in the next pudding (oops, I mean wedding). 

Sports Day with the EOS 1D Mk3

My Canon EOS 1D Mk3 arrived earlier in the week, just in time to use it to photograph my son competing in the West Coast Junior Athletics day.

As soon as I opened the box containing my new purchase it was love at first sight! What a beautiful camera - big, heavy, incredibly well built and perfectly designed. Form really follows function with the pro 1D series of Canon bodies, and I couldn't be happier.

Joshua competing in the longjump. Canon 1D Mk3 with Canon 75-300mm IS USM

I didn't really have time to come to grips with the myriad options that the 1D Mk3 has to offer - especially in the autofocus custom functions - so the night before I just made sure the battery had a decent charge, the camera was set on servo autofocus, hi speed, and group focus point selection.

As you can see above, the 1D Mk3 nailed the autofocus every time, although it felt a little 'sluggish' in real-time, and I wasn't getting anywhere near the 10fps that the camera is capable of. A little further reading after the fact has enlightened me as to the autofocus options that I probably 'should' have chosen - especially if I want that 10fps machine gun burst. I decided to set the tracking priority to focus, rather than speed - so as a result I think the camera was micro-focusing in between each shot, thereby not attaining its 'full' shooting speed. But, as stated above, it certainly nailed the focus and of the 40 or so images I took, only two were out of focus (and both of those were towards the end of the jump).

"Up, up and away"! Canon ID Mk3 with 75-300mm IS USM, 2000th sec @ f4.5 - ISO 400

I've used Canon cameras my whole photographic career (just shy of 30 years now), so in some ways, using the 1D Mk3 is second nature to me already. BUT, I've never owned or used a digital 1 series before, so the plethora of auto focus options is going to take me some time - and practice - to get to grips with. Canon have a very helpful pdf on the autofocus options available for the Mk3 which can be downloaded from here. I'm going to have to study this and go out and try some of the modes to see what works best for me - something i'm very much looking forward to doing.

For now, I'm happy with my first up attempt at some action shots with the 1D Mk3. I didn't screw it up, and I'm encouraged to experiment some more to get to grips with the autofocus system. And I wasn't unhappy with the way the 75-300mm IS performed either. I'm sure that one day I will 'upgrade' it to the 70-200mm, but until then it will help me learn my way around the camera so that I can really make use of the better lenses when I do get them.

I have a Canon 28-135mm f3.5/5.6 IS USM arriving soon that I will use as a 'walk-around' lens for the camera, which should make a nice combo. Will write more about my journey with the 1D Mk3 as it develops. Can't wait.

My Canon EOS 1D - Finally!

Since my last post about micro-adjusting my 50D, I've shot another wedding.

The images were more successful this time around (i.e sharper), and I was happier with the final result. Happier, but not blown away.

Rebeccah and Aldon's Wedding Party with Wedding cars and drivers.

I've heard it said before that the 15MP sensor on the Canon 50D is very noisy, but I had tended to dismiss this as mere internet pixel peeping. But I'm beginning to understand what they are on about - from personal experience. I'm seeing noise in ISO 200 shots that in previous cameras I've owned (around the 10 to 12MP range) would never have been there. I think that Canon over-stretched themselves with the 15.2MP sensor they put in the 50D, and I think it shows.

Overall, although I hate to say it, I'm distinctly unimpressed with the 50D. There's a lot to like ergonomically speaking, but IQ (and let's face it, isn't that what really counts) isn't up to snuff this time.

So, even though I'd really just got the kit together, I made the decision to move on. And as is my want, I decided that I was going to be an open book. Anything goes, and I was open to any suggestion.

Initially my attention turned (once again) to mirrorless system cameras. In particular, the Sony NEX 6. I figured that if I was going to make a change, it may as well be a decent one - to something totally different for me. I looked at the NEX6, the NEX 7, an Olympus OMD EM5, an OMD EM1, and a Panasonic GH3. I almost, almost pulled the trigger on the GH3, but in the end, I just couldn't do it.

For all their 'hooplah' and attention at the moment, even amongst pro shooters, I still personally don't think mirrorless is quite 'there' yet. Give it 5 years more and I'll be seriously interested. Iron out some of the autofocus issues, shutter shock (no, I hadn't heard of it either - look it up), a few more lenses, better evf technology, and I'll be ready to invest. But for me, at least, DSLR's are still where it's at. Especially since I'm thinking of getting back into shooting a few weddings a year.

So given that a DSLR is still my weapon of choice, and I'd just sold all of my 'new' Canon gear, which system was I going to invest in now?

Okay, yeah - I know. The title of the post kinda gives the game away. But seriously, Canon was the last thing on my mind, considering I had just sold all my Canon gear!

From the sale of the 50D kit I had around $1000NZ to get a body and lens (and hopefully flashgun). What I wanted was a serious amateur/pro spec'd body that gave me a decent frame rate, good IQ and solid autofocus performance. Basically what I was after with the 50D.

I've mentioned Trademe - New Zealand's local internet auction website - many times on this blog, as it's about the only way I have of shopping for used photography gear without going off-shore to ebay. Searching every day on Trademe allowed me to amass a pretty sizable watch-list of stuff, and I even bid on a few of them. Top on the list was a Sony a700 body which eventually went for more than I was willing to pay for (although, as it turns out, it went for a lot less than I eventually ended up paying for a camera body). Then I was seriously looking at its big brother - the full frame Sony a850, but that was definitely going for more than I was willing to pay.

Canon 1D Mk3

Throughout my searching, I always kept a lookout for the camera line that I have long desired to own - the Canon 1D series.

The original 1D Mk1's turn up reasonably regularly, generally fairly cheaply because they are either very well used, or they are just plain old. Shutter count on them tends to be fairly high as well, so they are not really a camera that I get that excited about.

The 1D Mark2 and 2N's appear quite often as well, although again they are usually well used and a fair way gone through their life-span (check my previous post on the Mk2 I almost bought recently).

When you get to the 1D Mk3 and Mk4's, you are starting to talk a little more serious money, since they are 'relatively' newer technology. UI (User interface) from the Mk3 onwards was radically changed as well, making them much more user-friendly and in-line with Canon's enthusiast line, yet with the 1D series build and feature set. I've never really considered the Mk3 or Mk4 cameras in the past because they have tended to be out of my price range, especially the ones in good condition.

My 'new' Canon EOS 1D Mk3

During my search on Trademe, however, a Canon 1D Mk3 turned up that looked in very good (to excellent) condition, for a very reasonable price ($795NZ with a 75-300mm f4/5.6 IS USM lens). It was going cheaper than many 1D Mk2's go for on Trademe for the body only, so not surprisingly, my interest was peaked! From asking questions - and then eventually emailing the owner - it seems that he had purchased the combo for over $1000NZ about 6 months earlier, but found that he used his full frame 5D much more. So he simply wanted it to go to a good home, where it would actually be used (yeah, I've heard that story before too, but through conversing with the guy I actually believe him).

Anyway, to cut an already long story short, although I did 'umm' and 'ahh' for a few days (and almost bought the panasonic GH3 in the meantime), I eventually couldn't help myself, and had to go with the 1D Mk3.

There are lots of reasons for my decision, which I won't go into now, since this post is already too long. I will talk about the 1D Mk3 in my next post, when I will actually have it in my hands and have had the chance to shoot with it.

But for now, I'm super excited about it arriving and can't wait to shoot with it. My son has made his High School long jump team and is competing on Wednesday. Might just be the perfect outing for a Dad and his 1D Mk3.

Micro Focus Adjusting a Canon 50D

I shot my first wedding in two years last Saturday - with my newly acquired 50D kit. It was a great day, they were a lovely couple, and I came away exhausted and exhilarated; with over 1000 images.

I processed the images through Aperture (yes, I still use Apple's RAW conversion software - but that's about to change), and was generally pretty happy with the results. I used both 50D bodies, and every lens in my arsenal on the day, so I felt that I gave my kit a really decent workout.

But on closer inspection, I began to feel that some of the images weren't as 'sharp' as I would have liked/expected. On an even closer inspection, I narrowed the images that I was less happy with down to 'my' 50D body and the 24-85mm lens. The 70-210mm lens on the same body was a tad sharper, but still not quite right.

My heart sank a little, since the images were indicating that the camera itself was faulty and the sensor not resolving sharply. I did some direct comparisons with my other 50D body a few days after the wedding, and these tests also showed me that on all my lenses, one body was producing sharper results than the other (all things being equal).

I considered sending the body away to Canon to check the sensor alignment - but since the camera is out of warranty I wasn't really thrilled about the cost involved. And then I remembered that the 50D has its own 'micro-adjustment' custom function (apparently the kind of adjustments that the Canon service centre would make anyway).

Since I wasn't happy with the body's performance, but didn't want to send it away to be 'aligned', I decided to give it a go myself.

There are numerous ways to 'micro' adjust your camera and lens combination, using either complex charts or moire pattern computer programmes. But I'm a much more practical, hands-on camera tester, preferring to go out and shoot real subjects rather than brick walls and test charts. So I found a 'real world' micro-adjustment test, and followed that.

Basically, you set the camera up with the lens set to its widest aperture (f2.8 / 3.5 etc) at its longest focal length (if it's a zoom). So for my 24-85mm lens I set it at 85mm @ f4.5. Then you find a target that has some detail and some 'roundness' to it, so you can gauge the movement of the focus point as you 'adjust' it. Many people use the limb of a tree. I chose our clothes line pole.

You then focus on the front of the subject and shoot a series of images, adjusting your alignment in 5 step increments. So, with the Canon 50D, I shot at -20, -15, -10, -5, 0, +5, +10, +15 and +20. That's 9 images in total. Shoot in RAW mode so that no sharpness is applied. Open them up in your RAW conversion software and save them all as high quality jpegs. Then open these in photoshop, zoom in 100%, and crop the final image making sure that you save them with an appropriate name so you remember what each setting was shot at. Go through and find the 'sharpest' number. For arguments sake, lets say it was -10. Subtract 3 from that (which gives you -13), reformat your card, take the camera outside on the tripod, and shoot again, but this time start at the number you just decided on (-13 in our example), and then shoot 7 images, going up by one step each time. This would give you seven images (-13, -12, -11, -10, -9, -8 and -7).

Go through the same process with these images; download them, convert to jpeg, enlarge 100%, crop and then compare the results. You may find that it gets very close at this stage, but a process of elimination should net you the sharpest result?

Do this with all your lenses, and the 50D will 'remember' each setting for each lens thereafter.

So did it work? You betcha. My results varied, but I was able to get the 'softer' 50D matching (and even surpassing) the sharper 50D body in all instances. My 24-85mm lens required a -6 adjustment, my 70-210mm required a +8 adjustment, my 10-22mm required a -8 adjustment, and my 50mm f1.8 required a +14 adjustment! As can be seen below, the 50mm adjustment was the most remarkable of all.

Canon 50D with 50mm f1.8 @ f1.8 with '0' adjustment.

Canon 50D with 50mm f1.8 @ f1.8 with +14 adjustment

It amazed me how 'unsharp' the 50mm was at its default setting before any adjustment. No wonder I wasn't very happy with the sharpness of some of the images I was getting from the 50D.

I've never had to do this with a camera before, as I've never been unhappy with the overall sharpness I was getting - and yes, I shoot wide open as often as I can, especially at weddings. But what about the other focal lengths (on the zooms) and the other apertures? Well obviously, because you are making these adjustments 'wide open', the results are even better when you stop down a bit (they always are) - so no problem there. And the other focal lengths? Well, it just seems that if you get the maximum length right then again, the others fall into place and are just as sharp.

If you are happy with the sharpness you're getting from you camera body/lens combination, then you don't really need to go through any of this. And as I said at the beginning, one body was fine for sharpness while the other was not. I've 'adjusted' the 'off' body now so that it falls in line with the body I was happy with - so for me the job is done.

But If you're not happy with the sharpness you're getting, it 'might' need a micro adjustment for your specific body/lens combination? Give it a try. You may be blown away by the results.

Canon 50D Gear Update

My last post in November outlined my intention to get together a Canon 50D kit instead of my previously opted for Canon 1D. Given that it's been two months since then (tisk, tisk), how did it go?

It went very well, actually. I eventually managed to sell my Pentax outfit (two K10D bodies with various lenses, accessories, flash etc), and began looking around for their Canon equivalents. The 'newer' 50D body was my first acquisition (I already have a beat up 50D body on permanent loan), followed closely by a Canon 24-85mm f3.5/4.5 as my 'general' all-purpose lens.

The 50D on loan also came with a Canon 10-22mm ultra-wide, so I have that as my landscape and large groups wedding lens. Hence I didn't feel the need to go for an "18 to something" lens as my standard. Yes, the new batch of mid-range EF-S lenses have image stabilization etc, but they also sacrifice build quality and larger apertures in the process. I actually prefer the early 90s 'consumer' lenses that Canon produced, since they tend to be more solid, better constructed, and have faster apertures than the newer wave of techno-whizz-bang lenses. I'd sacrifice image stabilization for better build quality and a faster lens any day of the week. Oh, and yeah, the 'older' lenses tend to be cheaper too! Bonus :-)

My next purchase was an absolute steal! I've always wanted a Canon 50mm f1.8 Mk1 - the metal mount version of the nifty fifty. But they are as rare as hens teeth, were discontinued in the early 90s, and are three times the price of other 50mm 1.8's if you do happen to find one. BUT, surfing the web one night I saw a 50mm f1.8 Mk1 pop up on my local internet auction site at a ridiculously cheap price! I couldn't believe my luck, and nabbed it immediately (fortunately they had a 'Buy Now' price and I was the first to see the auction). So I finally own the much sought after 50mm f1.8 Mk1.

When I sold my Pentax gear, I let go of the Yongnuo flash to sweeten the deal. So I needed to get a new flash for my 50D kit. I 'ummed and arred' about just replacing it with another cheapo flash, but in the end waited until a good value second-hand Canon 580EX came up for auction. I'm glad I went the Canon way; flash is a mystery at the best of times - but the 580EX just works... no issues. Especially in TTL mode (although I'm not adverse to switching over to full manual when I need to either).

And last, but not least, I had just enough money left over to get a telephoto (all be it a 'cheap' one). Surprisingly - since I don't use a telephoto all that often - this ended up being the hardest decision. I was tossing up between a Canon 100-300mm, a Tamron 70-300mm, and the lens I eventually ended up getting, the Canon 70-210mm f3.5/4.5. Once again, build quality and speed won out - the 70-210mm being the better built and 'faster' of the three I was considering. No, it doesn't have IS - but gone are the days when we had to stick to just one ISO, and good technique should take care of the rest - right?

So that's the kit. I got a chance to use all of it last weekend when I shot a wedding (more on that soon), and to cut a long story short, I think I've made the right decisions.

One final word. Of course with all of this, price has been my defining (and limiting) factor. Would I have bought the same lenses if Id just won lotto and money was no object? Of course not! Given a limitless budget I'd probably be shooting full-frame (either the 5D Mk3 or 6D - probably both), with a series of f2.8 'L' lenses :-)

Oh well, we can but dream....