<h2>Here are some of my best recent photos in Greece.[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.33.86/IMG_5F00_9737.JPG[/img][img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.33.86/IMG_5F00_0749.JPG[/img]</h2>
I thought you would be interested to read this
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=811130&page=2
Hello, thanks for your interest firstly. Well, i am not a beginner actually, i am 3 years now in bird photography mainly. There are still things i must learn, but i believe i know how to capture a nice photo. I mainly shoot birds as i said, and other wildlife, much less landscapes and even less people. When i shoot birds and other wildlife, i shoot them in raw always. The others in jpeg only. Also, i use the Av, to change the aperture only. My captures are usually at f/8, rarely more than 8, and can shoot even at f/5,6 when needed. One shot or AI Servo most times, ISO varies, mostly 400 and try to avoid go more than that because noise begins to get apparent. I will shoot at ISO 200 when i can so, (i try to get speeds 1/800 0r 1/1000 at least with my 400 f/5,6). WB mostly in auto, when cloudy or shade i will change it.
I have some pictures in my profile, but i can't post them unfortunately, i don't know how...Please check them. All shoot with my 50D and the 400 f/5,6L, and they came out of the camera (only sharpness at level 3). I had a problem with the lens also, i think it needs microadjustment. Images look a little soft.
Anyway, i want an other body so much, because i think is much better to get i high quality photo and use programs like photoshop as less as possible. I actually want to make just sharpen to my images. Now, i have to sharpen and reduce noise, which is also a boring activity, and sometimes results are not the best.
George,
Curious, but why in the world would you shoot in JPEG only for anything? You do know that RAW can be converted, no? If you are going to choose a storage file type as your only one, in my humble opinion, it should be RAW. If you decide to eschew the convenience of RAW+JPEG in order to save space, it certainly makes more sense to dump the JPEGs.
As far as the 7D, even though you've said you'd not consider it, it is the most obvious, logical camera for what you've explicitly stated are your typical targets. What, exactly, is your rationale for not even looking at it seriously? Don't you want the best performance available for the images you intend to capture? I sure do.
P.S. Make sure, when posting your images, that you keep the maximum width at 800 or less. That way we can see the whole picture. I typically don't set height, and allow it to be determined by the width and native aspect ratio of the image I post. It is also commonly accepted practice to provide the following information so that others may learn from the results:
Camera body, lens, focal length, f/number, shutter speed, ISO, hand-held/tripod/monopod, and any post-processing you may have done before posting.
Because some subjects are not so important for me, so i don't want to keep large files for those. Bird photos are a different story, and because i want to have the original image, i keep the raw and play with jpeg later.
As for 7D, it may be a good camera, and if i didn't have the 50D i may think about it. Now, i don't think that is a right solution to sell my 50D and buy a 7D. It's not a large improvement, i will just buy a little better camera. But getting 1D 4, i think then i am getting in an other level. DXO Markmakes a comparison about most camera bodies. Check that. 7D is not a big step from 50D, (one friend of mine which has it also told me that), 5D2 and 1D4 are far better in ISO performance. I think that taking a body like 1D4 with 1,3x and if it is as good as 5D2 in image quality and ISO performance, i can get very good images with my 400 f/5,6L and then my next goal will be the ultimate 500mm f/4L IS. Getting the 7D will improve my images slightly and later i will think of taking a better body again. And i don't want that.
You are incorrect on a lot of points George:
Originally Posted by George Spiridakis
Wrong.
Incorrect. DXOmark data does not support your position at all.
Again incorrect. The 7D is slightly better than the 5D2 in ISO performance for birding.
I would have been happy to go into more detail about why you are wrong on so many counts, but there's no point explaining it to someone who wont listen.
I have been there and you still explain things to me, LOL.
Mark
Mark
Daniel, I think you should explain it again, regardless, since we can all benefit from it, and it might end up changing George's mind.
[] That was back when the economy was good and words were inexpensive. At today's prices, I can barely afford two-sentence paragraphs, so I have to be more careful how I spend them. [
Good point.
I'll explain why I think the 7D is the best choice for George based on what he's told us.
First let's consider the 5D2. The 5D2 is only $900 (USD) more, but it provides lower quality for high ISO birding. If you compare the same angle of view from the 7D and 5D2, you have to crop the 5D2 down to 8 MP. At low and high ISO alike, they'll both have about the same level of noise (slightly better in the 7D), but the 7D will have far greater resolution (18 MP vs 8 MP). That factor is the most vital for birding, because even with 400mm you may have to crop the photo by 2X, 3X, or more in order to fill the frame. Of course there's the autofocus, frame rate, and other advantages that the 7D has over the 5D2 as well.
Next, the 1D4. There is a $3,300 price difference between the 7D and the 1D4. Getting the 1D4 sets him back halfway from the goal of getting the 500mm f/4. For birding, it's much better to get the 7D now and wait until after getting the 500mm f/4 before getting a 1D.
The performance measurements I've seen so far indicate the 1D4 has a 2/3 stop advantage at high ISO for birding (i.e. cropped to the same angle of view). That means ISO 6400 on the 1D4 has the same noise level as ISO 4000 on the 7D. (1.8 electrons read noise per 5.7 micron pixel in the 1D4 vs. 2.1 e-/4.3 um in the 7D.)
Now maybe that 2/3 stop is worth $3,300 to some people, but I would argue that it would be much better spent on a 300mm f/2.8 + 1.4XTC, which would give a *full* stop less noise (at every ISO), not to mention a much higher quality lens with I.S. (Or even better: save the $3,300 and put it towards the 500mm f/4.)
But even if 2/3 stop was worth it for the 1D4, what about resolution? For the same angle of view, the 1D4 only provides only 9.5 MP: about half the resolution of the 7D. In birding, especially with just 400mm, that could make the difference between a blurry, unusable shot and a highly detailed blow up.
The fact is that the 7D is indeed a large improvement over the 50D at high ISO. It's not just because the random noise is improved (though it is, a lot), but also because the pattern noise (annoying lines / banding) were greatly improved in the 7D at high ISO. Comparing both cameras at ISO 6400 is like comparing night and day.
The DXOMark comparison is based on assumptions that apply to most types of photography, but birding is not like most types. It is different, because it is almost always limited by the lens. Specifically, DXOMark is based on the assumption that you will use a longer focal length with the same f-number on the larger sensors. That means if you are using 400mm f/5.6 on the 7D, it assumes you will use 520mm f/5.6 on the 1D4. But that is not the case. You are are going to use the same lens on *both* cameras. So in order to get the same angle of view, you will have to crop the 1D3 from 16 MP to 9.5 MP, and once you do that the performance is only 2/3 stop better than the 7D.
Again, that is only true if you use a longer lens with the same f-number on them. In birding, you generally use the longest lens you have, no matter what your body. If you compared the 5D2 with a 640mm f/5.6 vs the 7D with a 400mm f/5.6, then yes, you would find that the 5D2 is far better in ISO performance than the 7D. But if you put that 640mm f/5.6 on the 7D, then it turns around again and the 7D is better.
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