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chromasia.com

As you can see, it was rather windy when this one was taken :-)

On another matter: here are my preliminary thoughts on the 5D ...

First off, it feels moderately more substantial than the 20D. It isn't much bigger, nor much heavier, but it does have a slightly more solid feel.

Second, and this one surprised me, the viewfinder is superb. I knew that the viewfinder was going to be bigger (given that the 5D has a full-frame sensor), but I wasn't prepared for quite how much bigger it was going to seem. What was also noticeable is that it's much easier to view from a slight distance, which is handy, especially since I wear spectacles, which often seemed to get in the way with the 20D.

Third, and this relates to the above, it's really nice to be able to use my 17-40 as a true wide-angle zoom rather than a mid-range one, though shooting at 17mm is going to take a bit of getting used to.

Fourth, and this is a trivial point, the shutter sounds better. Well, to be accurate, it's probably the mirror-travel that sounds better ... more solid than the 20D, if that makes any sense.

Fifth, the LCD display is a lot better than the 20D in that a) it's a lot bigger, and b) includes the option of an RGB histogram rather than just one that displays luminosity. I suspect that this will be especially useful with portraits where it's often easy to blow the red channel.

Sixth: it has around 50% more pixels than the 20D. For small prints, and the images I put up here, that won't make a great deal of difference, but for larger prints I expect that there will be a noticeable improvement.

And I guess that's about it for the time being, but I'll keep you posted if I think of anything else worth mentioning.

captured
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
cropped?
11.18am on 17/1/07
Canon 5D
EF 17-40 f/4L USM
20mm
f/5.6
1/320
aperture priority
-1/3
evaluative
100
no
RAW
C1 Pro
minor
 
3x2 + fylde coast [scenic]
comment by Jeroen Broeckx at 08:40 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

Magnificent shot!

comment by Rmoriarty at 08:44 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

gorgeous! really well done.

comment by Jennifer at 08:47 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

Now you're really rubbing our noses in it ;-) Lovely wiiiiiiiide shot btw!

comment by Dominic at 09:07 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

Stunning tonality and sense of movement with the sand - Glad to hear you are enjoying your new camera!

comment by owen at 09:16 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

OK Dave, stop rubbing it in about the new camera ;-) I've used the 17-40 on my EOS 30 film body, and I absolutely loved it. I hear the dynamic range is much better on the 5D sensor too. Keep up the great work!

comment by EssPea | Photography at 09:23 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

Epic, reminds me of the Dark Tower books by Stephen King for some reason.

comment by derLitograph at 09:27 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

one of the best photographes you posted the last time. Like this very much. I carry very much motion. In Germany it's really stormy today. Many greetings to you and your kidz + wife

comment by Richard Trim at 09:31 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

The first thought, when I saw this shot, was that I was hurtling out of the front of the picture. I assume that 'wide angle shots' have the characteristic of creating a severe sharpening of the vanishing point. For me, the shot has so much movement that it creates a somewhat 'scarey' atmosphere. But I guess you were thrilled with the result.

comment by PUJA at 09:39 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

very nice. congrats on the 5d... !

comment by Jon at 09:41 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

Superb.

comment by Mal at 09:53 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

7th - The bloke holding it still takes great photo's. Mal

comment by Kennedy at 10:04 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

I'm not too sure how I feel about this one, but, just wondering if the lighter area of the sand was just sand being blown by the wind or just where the sunlight hit the ground?

I think it would've been better if you had put less of the wood in, but then again, that could've ruined it just the same :P.

Thanks for letting us know about the camera, it sounds great! :)

comment by Kennedy at 10:05 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

Actually, now that I look at the title for the photo, it makes sense.

Well done on another brilliant shot :).

comment by Jenny at 10:26 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

Wow, I salute you for taking this picture - apparantly Blackpool was really really bad today

comment by Richard Trim at 10:31 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

Jenny was right ... amazing seas at Blackpool's pier area... The 10pm News showed really explosive seas thrashing the promenade in bright sunshine ...Great opportunity for some naturally dramatic shots .

comment by Sharla at 10:54 PM (GMT) on 18 January, 2007

Lights, camera, action! Tremendous amount of action for a still photo. Also like the left-side converging lines that gives the shot another dimension of depth. The b&w is quite nice; I can't imagine that color would be anything but a distraction. Very nice indeed.

comment by Steve at 01:51 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Great shot, and great title. The PP here is perfect...I wouldn't change a single thing.

comment by Max at 03:16 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Dave, if you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for your 5D? Did you find a good deal on it somewhere? On this side of the pond I see it selling for around $2,500 USD (that includes the $300 rebate). Is that about 1,200-1,300 GBP?

Great shot today. I hope you didn't get sand on your new full frame sensor!

comment by Kevin at 03:28 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Great shot, love the sky and the wispy sand! very nice tones as well

comment by Claudi at 03:52 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

It has been a while that one of your pictures has such a great effect on me, the real WOW factor. It is amazing, I love the colors the clouds the wind the movement. Congrats on the new camera. and thanks for sharing your impressions with us.

comment by Noor Hazmee at 06:33 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Heya David, I cant wait for my 5D to arrive. Have heaps of fun with your new toy. Cheers~

comment by P.J. at 07:20 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Good shot and sounds like you are liking the camera! I went back and forth for an upgrade and opted to go with the 30D over the 5D. I liked the price on the 30D better, so it fit me more. ;)

comment by Rog at 07:43 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Great shot David really captured the sense of a windy day!!!!!! The BW converstion is excellent also and definitely adds to the picture.

comment by doreen at 08:12 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

very nice =D

comment by Azz at 08:22 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Moody and gorgeous :-)

comment by Alexandru at 08:30 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Man you are so lucky with that 5d, it's a great camera.
About the picture A+ from me.

comment by Simon Goodchild at 09:19 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Dave, interesting point on the shutter/mirror sound. As a 10D user (which also has a full size mirror and is therefore not EFS-compatible), the first thing that I noticed when I borrowed a 20D was that the shutter sounded a bit plastic-y and naff. The 10D, by comparison, sounds like a barn door slamming open and shut again which, although not very discreet, sounds very satisfying. I'm guessing that the 5D will be of a similar ilk.

comment by JD at 09:24 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

got my 5D last week :D
damn straight about the mirror sound ;) the 350D in comparison sounded like it would die!!!
For some reason plastic comes to mind, with the sound of the 5D's mirror... tho I know its not.. maybe cushioned is a better term????

Tell you what is nice tho... having a a 50mm lens that actually works at 50mm!!!!
makes things a whole lot cheaper ;)
thinking the 50mm f1.4 on a 5D = 35m f1.4 on a 20D/350D etc...
thats a whole lot of money difference!!!


Anyway, cool shot, if a little soft?? but I'm guessing wind played its part well here!

Enjoy the spot metering :P

JD

comment by derLitograph at 09:25 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

...update#: Sorry. It was late yesterday. What I really wanted to write: "It has a lot of motion" By the way. I went through your past work and I can repeat it a thousand times: "I love your earlier stuff!!!!"
Was Chromasia the first blog you've started?

comment by herwann at 09:31 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

L'impermanence du monde qui s'étale à perte de vue....

comment by Regis at 09:52 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Je dirais même plus, l'impermanitude du monde qui s'étale à perte de vue

comment by riesenriel at 10:24 AM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Amazing windy shot, I can feel it almost behind my Mac ;-)

comment by Alice at 03:03 PM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Nice shot! Enjoy your new "toy"! :-)

comment by Peter at 03:11 PM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Great tones in this shot...and I love the sense of motion and depth.

comment by Jamey at 03:57 PM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Nice shot, particularly like the mirroring between ground and sky on the left. As for shutter noises, I maintain that the 350D (and probably the 400D too, but I haven't listened to one yet) has the best shutter sound of any DSLR to date.

comment by djn1 at 09:33 PM (GMT) on 19 January, 2007

Thanks everyone :-)

comment by m at 04:58 PM (GMT) on 21 January, 2007

:-)

comment by chiara at 10:46 PM (GMT) on 22 January, 2007

Stunning

comment by Dean at 09:28 AM (GMT) on 15 February, 2007

Just can't stop looking at this... I keep coming back to it!