Russell and Jett

[DanOstergren]

I was having dinner with my friend Russell and his new beau after doing a quick shoot with Russell today (I'll post those in another thread once I edit them), and after dinner Russell showed me these cheap little color changing LED lights that he recently picked up to accent his apartment. I was curious to see what kind of photos I could get by using them as lighting, so I stuck them to the wall and tried my best to get some good shots. The lights really aren't very bright, but my old 5D MKI was still able to capture something. There was also some slightly orange light coming from the kitchen lights that I used for a little bit of fill. I also decided not to do any skin retouching, as I feel that I need to embrace flaws a bit more in order to improve my retouching altogether.

This is one of those rare instances in which I feel that upgrading to a newer camera might be in my best interest though (usually I borrow or rent if I have a client who needs higher resolution photos or video). I'm considering a Nikon D810 for my next camera, as I only have a Canon 85mm f/1.8 invested into my canon system so switching wouldn't be a big deal. In the meantime I still love my 5D, but next time I do a shoot like this I think I'd like to do it with strobes instead.

5D MKI | Canon 50mm f/1.4 set to f/1.4 | 1/160th sec | ISO 1000

The shot looks pretty dark against the white forum background, so I recommend either opening the image in a new tab with a darker background, or click here:
http://orig09.deviantart.net/51ab/f/2017/139/2/6/_mg_3773_by_danostergren-db9p2i5.jpg

 

[Dashur]

The bald man has such an incredible face. That is a very intimate shot. It's executed very well.

 

[DanOstergren]

The bald man has such an incredible face. That is a very intimate shot. It's executed very well.

Yes he does. So does the other guy, you just can't really see his features in this shot (you can here though: Rainblo II ).

 

[Dashur]

Dan - your talent is unquestionable.

When I viewed the image I was listening to Chris Cornell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuUDRU9-HRk

Play that in the background and study your photo. While your photo doesnt look like a break up the power in Chris' voice really fits the intensity of your image.

 

[DanOstergren]

Dan - your talent is unquestionable.

When I viewed the image I was listening to Chris Cornell -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuUDRU9-HRk
Play that in the background and study your photo. While your photo doesnt look like a break up the power in Chris' voice really fits the intensity of your image.

Thank you! I love Prince and Chris Cornell. May they both rest in peace.

 

[trevburley]

I love this shot, it's very intimate and personal but very tastefully done - you can feel their love for each other. Fantastic!

 

[Gary A.]

Well done.

 

[DanOstergren]

I love this shot, it's very intimate and personal but very tastefully done - you can feel their love for each other. Fantastic!

Thank you. I'm surprised I got it, as one of them really needed coaxing by the other to have his picture taken (his idea not mine).

 

[DanOstergren]

Well done.

Thank you.

 

[rexbobcat]

Yeah a scene like this is tough for an older Canon. Not just because of the low light but also because "classic" Canon sensors struggle with capturing detail in the red channel. It looks great though. Well done.

 

[DanOstergren]

Yeah a scene like this is tough for an older Canon. Not just because of the low light but also because "classic" Canon sensors struggle with capturing detail in the red channel. It looks great though. Well done.

Thank you. I really love my 5D, and love when people are surprised that I shoot with one. It's getting to a point where I'm seeing the necessity for newer technology though. The fact that I can do something like this with really cheap lighting really makes me want to see what I could do with something newer, perhaps with a Nikon censor which I hear has a ridiculously great dynamic range and noise control. I'm not one to often talk about camera specs as if they're really that important, but seeing the limitations in front of my face makes it so I can't ignore it.

 

[Black_Square]

I shoot with the D810. I'm learning the hard way that it's designed for the studio. Still an incredible bit of kit, especially if paired up with decent glass. Rumour has it that its successor will be announced in June so expect a good price drop when that happens.

 

[DanOstergren]

I shoot with the D810. I'm learning the hard way that it's designed for the studio. Still an incredible bit of kit, especially if paired up with decent glass. Rumour has it that its successor will be announced in June so expect a good price drop when that happens.

I don't think I'll ever buy a brand new camera. Stuff that is only a few years out of date still packs some incredible technology, and even better that you can pick it up for a deal. Even for being 9 years out of date, my 5D still does incredibly well in most lighting situations, and honestly I enjoy that the 12 megapixel files take up less space on my computer. I'm definitely going to have to accommodate for storage space once I upgrade.

What glass do you shoot with? I was thinking it might be nice to pick up a 50mm, and instead of getting an 85mm I might go for a 100mm prime instead depending on what options are available. Why do you feel the D810 is designed for studio?

 

[Black_Square]

I shoot with the D810. I'm learning the hard way that it's designed for the studio. Still an incredible bit of kit, especially if paired up with decent glass. Rumour has it that its successor will be announced in June so expect a good price drop when that happens.

I don't think I'll ever buy a brand new camera. Stuff that is only a few years out of date still packs some incredible technology, and even better that you can pick it up for a deal. Even for being 9 years out of date, my 5D still does incredibly well in most lighting situations, and honestly I enjoy that the 12 megapixel files take up less space on my computer. I'm definitely going to have to accommodate for storage space once I upgrade.

What glass do you shoot with? I was thinking it might be nice to pick up a 50mm, and instead of getting an 85mm I might go for a 100mm prime instead depending on what options are available. Why do you feel the D810 is designed for studio?

Before the D810 I'd been shooting with a D300 with 50mm prime - a very similar camera to the 5D. I'd been shooting with this setup for about 9 years and Like you I was pleased with the setup and not overly concerned about the resolution. Then about 6 months ago I upgraded. I'll be perfectly honest, I was blown away at how far camera technology had moved on since the D300.

The D810 is absolutely incredible. My go to lens is the 85mm 1.4G, although I also have the 24mm 1.4G if I want to go wide. Why I think this is a studio camera is if you want to maximise the dynamic range then you need to be working in a controlled environment e.g. lights etc or outside of a studio on a tripod shooting landscapes. Although I have access to a studio, I shoot mainly street portraits. So, on a cloudy day (my preferred shooting conditions) it would be impossible to drop below ISO200 as the resulting combination of slower shutter speed and wide open glass makes it incredibly hard to nail a pin sharp image. This problem is compounded by the immense resolution - those 36mp just seem to magnify any camera shake.

My D300 used to be an extension to my arm, I had it doing whatever I wanted. The D810 on the other hand is an absolute beast that needs taming. Once you do nail a shot, then the results absolutely amazing.

 

[DanOstergren]

I shoot with the D810. I'm learning the hard way that it's designed for the studio. Still an incredible bit of kit, especially if paired up with decent glass. Rumour has it that its successor will be announced in June so expect a good price drop when that happens.

I don't think I'll ever buy a brand new camera. Stuff that is only a few years out of date still packs some incredible technology, and even better that you can pick it up for a deal. Even for being 9 years out of date, my 5D still does incredibly well in most lighting situations, and honestly I enjoy that the 12 megapixel files take up less space on my computer. I'm definitely going to have to accommodate for storage space once I upgrade.

What glass do you shoot with? I was thinking it might be nice to pick up a 50mm, and instead of getting an 85mm I might go for a 100mm prime instead depending on what options are available. Why do you feel the D810 is designed for studio?

Before the D810 I'd been shooting with a D300 with 50mm prime - a very similar camera to the 5D. I'd been shooting with this setup for about 9 years and Like you I was pleased with the setup and not overly concerned about the resolution. Then about 6 months ago I upgraded. I'll be perfectly honest, I was blown away at how far camera technology had moved on since the D300.

The D810 is absolutely incredible. My go to lens is the 85mm 1.4G, although I also have the 24mm 1.4G if I want to go wide. Why I think this is a studio camera is if you want to maximise the dynamic range then you need to be working in a controlled environment e.g. lights etc or outside of a studio on a tripod shooting landscapes. Although I have access to a studio, I shoot mainly street portraits. So, on a cloudy day (my preferred shooting conditions) it would be impossible to drop below ISO200 as the resulting combination of slower shutter speed and wide open glass makes it incredibly hard to nail a pin sharp image. This problem is compounded by the immense resolution - those 36mp just seem to magnify any camera shake.

My D300 used to be an extension to my arm, I had it doing whatever I wanted. The D810 on the other hand is an absolute beast that needs taming. Once you do nail a shot, then the results absolutely amazing.

The file size is really the only thing about upgrading that I'm worried about. After editing a photo, the file size is ridiculously large even just for a file from my 5D. I imagine it would be more than twice the file size for a D810 file. As far as shooting outdoors, I raaaarely shoot below ISO 400 so I don't mind having to crank the ISO up for any reason. I just feel that I could trust a D810 to get much better image quality from high ISO settings, especially if I'm having to make up for under exposing (which is something I notice that I do subconsciously).