I always hear people make comments such as 'I really like working on the files of a 5Dc'.
What does that mean? I take a picture, I open it in Photoshop, and if it wasn't me taking the pictures I don't think I'd have any idea on which files I was working with. Is there really that distinct a characteristic between them?
I bet a lot of people couldn't tell the difference between camera files... but generally people are referring to skin tones, resolution, noise, white balance, dynamic range in post etc.
In my database I have files from a lot of digital camera's (Nikon, Canon, Olympus). When I edit them in Lightroom, I notice differences right away. But I don't think other viewers will notice these differences based on the final output.
The end result of my vision is very similar whereas the beginning is where the main differences are. The 5D was the first camera I owned that required significantly less PP than my prior 10D and 20D. The 50D required the most PP to look the way I wanted (lots of pattern noise & messing with selective NR in layers).
So basically the raw/jpg files coming straight out of the camera just looks better. Ok, I understand now but never really noticed it since I went from 10D to 5DmII.
Yonkers wrote:
I always hear people make comments such as 'I really like working on the files of a 5Dc'.
What does that mean? I take a picture, I open it in Photoshop, and if it wasn't me taking the pictures I don't think I'd have any idea on which files I was working with. Is there really that distinct a characteristic between them?
When you come right down to it, it usually doesn't mean much at all in any objective sense. I tend to chalk up the majority of the "great files" business to self-congratulation about the camera that the photog owns. :-)
Well, let me "self-congratulate" some. I have a 1DsIII and I like working with the RAW files from that camera. Why? If I didn't expose a photo correctly for instance, I can push the exposure more than any other camera I've used without affecting the IQ (much). I can reduce the noise substantially and still end up with a sharp photo. I can adjust white balance, saturation, contrast, etc. and end up with a nice looking photo.
Richard Nye wrote:
Well, let me "self-congratulate" some. I have a 1DsIII and I like working with the RAW files from that camera. Why? If I didn't expose a photo correctly for instance, I can push the exposure more than any other camera I've used without affecting the IQ (much). I can reduce the noise substantially and still end up with a sharp photo. I can adjust white balance, saturation, contrast, etc. and end up with a nice looking photo.
Although the idea of "files that are good/easy to work with" is probably over-used when simply good image quality is what is meant, I agree with what Richard is talking about. I feel that sometimes the raw files from "camera A", though appearing similar to those from "camera B" shot in the same circumstance, may allow manipulations like raising shadows in Lightroom, applying a strong contrast curve, using a higher than normal amount of sharpening, etc., and give a final result that looks great, whereas doing exactly the same thing to the files from "Camera B" may yield a result that is more obviously manipulated, or just plain doesn't look as good (in spite of attempting to optimize the development for that camera's files). An exaggerated example would be comparing a P&S shot to a DSLR, but I think to a degree it applies to things like an APS-C camera vs a FF with same number of pixels. Maybe it is a sensor size issue and related to dynamic range, noise, and having more area to gather the resolution delivered by the lens. Speculation on my part, but I do think it's more than a desire to justify my camera choices.
Richard Nye wrote:
If you've ever tried to edit your cell phone pictures in Lightroom you know what I'm talking about.
Isn't that more a function of the camera (cell phone) that created the file just not being as good? Are we actually talking about the files here then? It is being used interchangeably.
Canon 5dc files have a feel to them that is unmatched by any other dslr.
They are not the "best" files... Just nice.
It is like shooting a certain type of film.
The film can just have a "look"....
Does not make it the best.. or the best for every situation...just means it is unique.
