Spot metering

In the 'old days' meters were center weighted, usually with a bit of a emphasis on the lower 2/3rds of the frame to avoid the sky contributing too much.  Lots of things fooled such a meter - like backlighting, or a white or black main subjects.  In modern times we now have the multisegment meters that make use of a large array of examples to compare the scene too in an attempt to overcome these kinds of challenges.  The very latest meters from Nikon and Canon now use color as well.

All that is good, and helps the beginner get properly exposed images in a lot of situations without having to understand metering and exposure.  For those of us who do understand such things, it becomes almost counterproductive.  The multi-segment metering is invisible in its operation, and slight differences in framing can change the exposure dramatically.  So - many resort to manual metering, or simply manual exposure.  If you do use the meter for manual exposure I think you are better to switch to a more predictable metering pattern - either the center weighted or spot meter modes.  The spot meter is the best, in my opinion, as it uses only the center of the lens and it is pretty easy to fill the meter area with a patch of solid color.

I've been using spot mode on my 7D lately, and find I'm getting more consistent exposures.  Even with flash, I'm using the flash exposure lock (I have the mFn button mapped to F-El) to meter first, then concentrate on composition.  Here is an example of a shot with bounce flash - but spot metering...

7D is sharp!

I am generally impressed with the 7D's ability to focus and produce sharp photos.  Contrary to things I've read elsewhere it is certainly good enough for stock photography. Here is a shot of my son - I certainly don't need any better :)  I should add that this was using the single point focus mode...

Outdoors with the 7D

Despite having a week off for skiing, I haven't spent much time outdoors with the 7D.  Today was a nice sunny day so I brought both my 8.5mm fisheye and 70-200mm with me for some skating.  The first shot here is with the fisheye (suprise, surprise).  It is still pretty fun to use - and I haven't shot too much with it to the point that I'm bored of the look.  It is crazy how close you have to get - I'm just inches from my nephew.

The one is with the zoom, zoomed in pretty close.  I've been using the point expansion focus mode and it worked quite nicely.  I have found that the zone focus tends to focus too close, so I've avoided it.  I'm also trying out spot metering - it did a nice job here:

Photo arrived in the mail

After a week of fun skiing with the kids at Big White, we arrived home to the first issue of the kid's magaizine 'Chirp'.  To my surprise, the 2nd page had a photo of mine on it - licensed from Dreamstime.  Along with calendars in Victoria, this is the one of the few photos I've found without looking for it.

The photo is below - they just used a small crop of the sled for a page on various objects you use to play with...  Kind of cool for the kids to see their sled in a magazine!


© Photographer: Bradcalkins

7D turning out fine

So far I'm very happy with the 7D. At low ISO it has amazing detail - with an extra 8 MP over my old 40D. I was somewhat concerned that I would start to find my lenses to be the limiting factor, but so far I've been pleased with the level of detail, sharpness, and ability to lock focus using my 24-105mm zoom, the 60mm macro, and even my 28mm f/1.8 lens. I haven't had a chance to take the 70-200mm for a spin yet - opting for the far more portable G12 for my recent sledding adventures with the kids.

Here is an example shot that was approved on Dreamstime today:


© Photographer: Bradcalkins

Nothing special at one level, but this is a tricky shot in terms of getting sharpness in the wood grain while avoiding noise in the wall paint. The 7D processed in Lightroom seemed to do just fine.

On a side note, I've been fairly pleased with the G12 as well. I've had a few approved from it now as well:


© Photographer: Bradcalkins

This shot of a tree was fairly blah, but I was hoping to do something with it as a silhouette. It looked OK, but was tough to get enough color in it without overfiltering. I decided to push it over the top in an overfiltered look:


© Photographer: Bradcalkins

In a previous post I said I was going to try to do a bit more with my photos, and I think these last two are evidence of that. The hockey one I deliberately shot into the sun to this image's advantage, and the tree shot I pre-planned some post processing...

Back to Canon...

As previously posted, I was leaning towards giving micro 4/3rds a fair shake - but I just can't get the results I can from the Canon equipment.  As I said, I would have to move to the 7D or 5D to get a bigger viewfinder.  While they are indeed more expensive than the Panasonic bodies, they are more capable for what I do...  So, I've sold my GF1 and gone back to the G12 and put the proceeds towards an update of my 40D to the 7D.  Goals I have in mind:

1. Current model for high resolution in stock photography at base ISO.  If I'm ahead of the curve now, the images I upload today will be current for longer. 
2. Smaller RAW sizes (sRAW), lower noise high ISO for personal shots that don't demand high resolution.  This is an area the micro four thirds system falls short...
3. Better AF.  Microadjust for primes, zone focusing, AF tracking, point focus, etc.  I've very curious to see how the 7D's point focus mode works.  With my 40D I very often find that shooting a flat target is very accurate, but I get front focus when shooting something on an angle like a face.  I don't think this is a microadjust problem but the physical size of the AF area picking up the front edge of the subject.  Smaller AF targets should help nail the eye of the person.
4. Video.
5. Wireless flash - sell the ST-E2 and get the flash control without any physical add-on to the body.  Sell the 40D as well.
6. Bigger viewfinder.  5D Mk II would be even nicer, of course, but the extra $1000 goes a long way with 4 kids...  The original 5D is an option as well, but used they seem to be closer to $1200 or more if you want a low shutter count.  For what I do I think full frame is overkill, and suddenly my 24-105mm doesn't zoom enough, etc.  A 7D replaces my 40D, while a 5D would supplement it - meaning I can't sell the 40D to help pay for it.
7. More customizable camera.  The more I like using my camera the more I bring it and use it - and the better the photos that result from that...  I love the little details on the 7D: depth of field button can be used to toggle AF modes, LCD viewfinder hides non active AF points, AF in live view, etc.

We'll see how happy I am with it in a few months :)

Critque of my own photos

Well, I probably won't do much actual critiquing, as I'm intending to show some photos I really like...  Lately I've been focused on gear and stock photography on this blog as I sorted out my various equipment, but all along I've been happily taking shots of my kids that I really enjoy.  I intend to step it up a bit in 2011 and focus a bit on developing my style.  I find I tend to do things the 'safe' way, and while I have developed my skills in terms of exposure and getting sharp photos, I now need to turn more to composition and concept.

This shot of the kids sledding is one I think worked out nicely.  I've got my son dead center in the frame, but I think it works well because of the other kids in the upper right, and the space it leaves for him to move into...  It also has a kind of nice diagonal flow to it, from the upper right and through the sled to the bottom left.  I'm not sure if his expression is one of worry or just concentration - probably the latter as at this point he hadn't bailed yet :)  That said I think this is an example of a safe shot - but still one I really enjoy looking at.