Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

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p.1 #1 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

When a bride is in shade (unavoidable) and wants to capture a whole scene in the background that is partly or mostly sunlit or otherwise much brighter (also unavoidable)...and when I only have 580EX flashes (no big strobes), but I don't want the hard shadows of bare flash so I use an umbrella...and the flash at full power doesn't quite illuminate the faces as much as the background...the ONLY possible solution is to bring up the subjects in post.

Modern Canon sensors would result in noisy faces...I know, since I have done this multiple times, most recently yesterday when a client wanted to see the sunny vegas strip from their shady, very tight/narrowly spaced, shady balcony 29 stories up. Yesterday, more than any other time in recent history, I wished I had the 35G to put on my Nikon so I could get wide enough for those shots and then bring up those shadows so cleanly...

Problem is, to the eyes people see things are bright but oh-so-pretty and they want to get that nice sunny stuff in the background while they're in the shade, not understanding the degree of contrast in images is so much greater with the more-or-less linear input on digital sensor than the human eye's compensatory abilities allow...but nevertheless they want it.

Side-thought: I am now almost completely convinced that Nikon sensors have the potential to make bright, sunny day images look better because of the shadow flexibility. Not just different, but truly better...

In any case, this is just the kind of difficult situation that has made me purchase equipment in the past...and it is probably going to make me buy a 35 f/1.4G.

Oct 13, 2012 at 06:53 PM

TTLKurtis
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p.1 #2 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

What does the 35G have to do with this situation? Also, you might try bracketing in high-speed burst mode for that type of situation. Or do an 'artistic' silhouette

Oct 14, 2012 at 03:09 AM

BGP1
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p.1 #3 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

Post the shot.

Oct 14, 2012 at 04:44 AM

D. Diggler
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p.1 #4 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

TTLKurtis wrote:
What does the 35G have to do with this situation?

I think he was saying he wished he had a 35 in that situation to use on his new D800.

Oct 14, 2012 at 04:46 AM

D. Diggler
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p.1 #5 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

form wrote:
I am now almost completely convinced that Nikon sensors have the potential to make bright, sunny day images look better because of the shadow flexibility. Not just different, but truly better.

Yeah, the new Sony sensors leave the Canon sensors in the dust for that application. I'm currently working with both sensors so I see it for myself.

For today's outdoor shots I first grabbed my Canon gear and got it set up to shoot but then, on the way to the park, I changed my mind and put the Canon cams away because they really are not very good in those tough lighting situations if you're not using fill flash.

Oct 14, 2012 at 04:49 AM

ShacharLee
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p.1 #6 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

In this case I would just do one of the following:
1 educate your bride and move her to the sun
2 shoot stunning creative silhouette
3 bracket exposure and combine in post or use in camera HDR
4 buy big strobes or use two 580ex (coupled together)
switching to Nikon in hope I will have a bit more latitude to push shadows in post would be the last thing I would think about in this situations but that's just me.

Oct 14, 2012 at 05:21 AM

D. Diggler
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p.1 #7 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

ShacharLee wrote:
switching to Nikon in hope I will have a bit more latitude to push shadows

You would have a LOT more latitude with Nikon.

Oct 14, 2012 at 05:55 AM

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p.1 #8 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

TTLKurtis wrote:
What does the 35G have to do with this situation? Also, you might try bracketing in high-speed burst mode for that type of situation. Or do an 'artistic' silhouette

I have the 85 f/1.8 as my only Nikon lens, and it isn't wide enough for that purpose. No artistic silhouette for this specific shot...

Oct 14, 2012 at 06:16 AM

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p.1 #9 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

Bracketing exposures is also pretty much out of the question, I'm not on a tripod and nobody is sitting exactly still, AND...of course it is a bit of a PITA to try to bracket exposures like that and also a PITA to blend them in post...incidentally, the D800 has a built-in feature for excellent in-camera exposure blending. It's quite fun to use and may someday have a practical application...

Oct 14, 2012 at 06:18 AM

Micky Bill
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p.1 #10 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

Couldn't you shoot manual and use the flash to properly expose the subject and then use a higher shutter speed to properly expose the brightly lit BG, like was done with RZ67s etc?

Oct 14, 2012 at 03:56 PM

canerino
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p.1 #11 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

Micky Bill wrote:
Couldn't you shoot manual and use the flash to properly expose the subject and then use a higher shutter speed to properly expose the brightly lit BG, like was done with RZ67s etc?

But if Joey did that, what ever would he complain/post about?

Oct 14, 2012 at 04:17 PM

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p.1 #12 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

The shots are all with manual exposure. The full power blast of the 580ex isnt enough unless its bare flash, which shadows are too hard for the purpose. So even full power isn't enough. Max flash sync speed is 1/200 on 5d2 and the triggers don't allow high speed sync and even if they did the corresponding power loss would probably cost about the same amount of power as I am not having to spend to keep up with ambient.

I could use multiple flashes, three would probably be enough but only for very small groups. I just need a lot more power than a 580ex can provide. Or else I need to underexpose and bring up in post...which is easier to do. So many things in wedding photography can be very involved if time permits, but time does not permit that
much for weddings.

Oct 14, 2012 at 05:09 PM

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p.1 #13 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

There will always be a situation just outside of your cameras capabilities, no matter what camera you carry. You'll switch totally to Nikon and then find endless uses for radio triggered flash. Whatever.

I've always though my no 1 job as a photographer was to be a problem solver. There's always a problem. Find a solution and move on. Personally if I'd needed more flash power I just would have stacked another flash behind the umbrella.2 guns is better than 1.

Gordon

Oct 14, 2012 at 08:38 PM

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p.1 #14 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

I don't know if I'll ever switch 100% to Nikon. Canon has a few things that I still prefer...50L is a frustrating lens because it doesn't seem reliable for focusing but still has no real rival on Nikon side for "feel" and "look" of the images...and there's always tilt-shift. However, for things that benefit from better dynamic range and shadow recovery, Nikon is looking more and more desirable to me. I just ordered a 35 f/1.4G for my D800. It's worth it to me to have that extra benefit of IQ. Now I just need to change that 85 f/1.8G to a f/1.4G...

Oct 16, 2012 at 05:40 PM

Joshua Gull
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p.1 #15 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

After switching from Nikon to Canon I was surprised by two things. How much better built (robust) Nikon gear is and how much more latitude the RAW Nikon files have especially in regards to underexposure.

Oct 17, 2012 at 05:48 AM

MattSepeta
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p.1 #16 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

Make an HDR with duplicates of the raw.

Oct 17, 2012 at 12:23 PM

ACRe
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p.1 #17 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

form wrote:
and it is probably going to make me buy a 35 f/1.4G.

I love my 35 /1.4....

Andrew

Oct 17, 2012 at 03:21 PM

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p.1 #18 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

MattSepeta wrote:
Make an HDR with duplicates of the raw.

I could only do that and get away with it with a Nikon file.

The latitude difference for RAW files as described by others is really big...right now it is borderline enough for me to trade off a slightly better overall lens selection (Canon has better 50mm afaik, and tiltshift lenses are highly regarded - though Marcus Bell seems to do fine with Nikon tilt-shift).

Oct 17, 2012 at 03:54 PM

D. Diggler
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p.1 #19 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

MattSepeta wrote:
Make an HDR with duplicates of the raw.

Not with Canon.

Oct 17, 2012 at 07:24 PM

LivLif
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p.1 #20 · Found another occasion for huge dynamic range recovery

I have a 35g for sale if your interested.

Oct 17, 2012 at 07:30 PM

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