Here's an interesting point: when I compare a full-res image from my G5 with one from my 20D the one from the G5 is way softer. When I resize and sharpen them though it's much easier to get the G5 one looking sharp. Obviously something I need to work on.
As an aside: does anyone have any experience of miscalibrated flash circuitry on a Canon camera? I've discovered (not unlike quite a few other people with the 20D) that my camera underexposes flash shots by around 2/3 to 1 stop. I can compensate for this (with the Flash Exposure Compensation) but clearly something isn't quite right and I'm trying to decide whether to ask for an exchange or the flash recalibrating. The first option seems like the quickest (recalibration may take some time) but in all other respects I'm happy with the camera. Any thoughts?
capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality white balance cropped?
12.50pm on 4/10/04
Canon 20D
EF 70-200 f/4L USM
73mm (116.8mm equiv.)
f8.0
1/500
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
100
no
RAW
auto
minor
comment byHans at 11:26 PM (GMT) on 4 October, 2004
very good photo and weather! :-)
comment byTin at 11:33 PM (GMT) on 4 October, 2004
hi david,
the eTTL has always been a little lacking with the canon cameras. i often have to pump up the flash exposure compensation. it's been like this since the EOS days too (canon film cameras).
comment byCarlos at 12:35 AM (GMT) on 5 October, 2004
Your camera seems to have a bug, I heard today that canon released a firmware update for the 20d:
I know you are runing iblog instead of movabletype but the problem seems to be on the webserver configuration.
I like your site and photos. A representation of quality photobloging :)
comment by huskydsl at 05:19 AM (GMT) on 5 October, 2004
This is a great shot for the colors that are represented. It looks like you may have over sharpened a bit. Attempting to get the tower to appear well focused, the inner arch of the white obelisk has lost it's dimesionality. Maybe it was more of a DOF issue you were trying to repair. You could try again at f/11 and see if you can get a more solid result. I do like the interplay of the complexity of the tower's construction versus the simplicity of the white obelisk. Good eye.
comment bysteve at 05:54 AM (GMT) on 5 October, 2004
David,
On the sharpening -- check your various settings. I don't know if you have any in-camera sharpening with RAW on the Canon cameras.
Also be sure your sharpening workflow is the same for each of the images. (input sharpening in Camera Raw and your output sharpening)
I think I mentioned this once before - if you resize your images in a stairstep fashion (70% reduction per step works well) - you get a better looking web-sized image.
comment byTimmargh at 10:12 AM (GMT) on 5 October, 2004
Great picture, great sky, great tower(s). I like the way you can admire the tower in all it's "I was built years ago" glory ... and then spot the satellite dish just above the first balcony. ;^)
comment byRyan at 11:15 AM (GMT) on 5 October, 2004
i think the 550ex is your problem, no? Isnt the 580ex coming out for that and a few other reasons?
comment byLiisa at 02:32 PM (GMT) on 5 October, 2004
really strong composition, but the two objects go very well together!
comment bydjn1 at 12:10 AM (GMT) on 6 October, 2004
Thanks everyone.
Tin: thanks for the info.
Carlos: thanks for that, but the firmware bug you mentioned is to do with some 20D's freezing and not working correctly with some CF cards. Canon did release an update for this bug, but pulled it shortly afterwards as it seems to have rendered some cameras totally inoperable.
As for the security issue on my site: I do use MT so the link was very useful. I'd already implemented some of the suggested measures but there were a couple more I wasn't aware of. Thanks.
huskydsl: yes, I think it probably is over-sharpened.
Ryan: I suspect the problem may well be 'user error' - I'll keep you posted.
comment bydjn1 at 12:24 AM (GMT) on 6 October, 2004
Steve: I did try to email you but I'm getting a 'relay access denied' error. Here's what I posted ...
Thanks for the advice. As for your points: no, there's no sharpening with RAW images though I am tending to sharpen them with DPP when I convert them. As for resizing: I use Fred Miranda's Web Presenter Pro which automates the stairstep reduction.
Here's an interesting point: when I compare a full-res image from my G5 with one from my 20D the one from the G5 is way softer. When I resize and sharpen them though it's much easier to get the G5 one looking sharp. Obviously something I need to work on.
As an aside: does anyone have any experience of miscalibrated flash circuitry on a Canon camera? I've discovered (not unlike quite a few other people with the 20D) that my camera underexposes flash shots by around 2/3 to 1 stop. I can compensate for this (with the Flash Exposure Compensation) but clearly something isn't quite right and I'm trying to decide whether to ask for an exchange or the flash recalibrating. The first option seems like the quickest (recalibration may take some time) but in all other respects I'm happy with the camera. Any thoughts?
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
white balance
cropped?
Canon 20D
EF 70-200 f/4L USM
73mm (116.8mm equiv.)
f8.0
1/500
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
100
no
RAW
auto
minor
very good photo and weather! :-)
hi david,
the eTTL has always been a little lacking with the canon cameras. i often have to pump up the flash exposure compensation. it's been like this since the EOS days too (canon film cameras).
Your camera seems to have a bug, I heard today that canon released a firmware update for the 20d:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0410/04100403canon_eos20dfw104.asp
Regarding the security of your site you can check this post:
http://www.elise.com/mt/archives/000771update_to_attacked.php
I know you are runing iblog instead of movabletype but the problem seems to be on the webserver configuration.
I like your site and photos. A representation of quality photobloging :)
This is a great shot for the colors that are represented. It looks like you may have over sharpened a bit. Attempting to get the tower to appear well focused, the inner arch of the white obelisk has lost it's dimesionality. Maybe it was more of a DOF issue you were trying to repair. You could try again at f/11 and see if you can get a more solid result. I do like the interplay of the complexity of the tower's construction versus the simplicity of the white obelisk. Good eye.
David,
On the sharpening -- check your various settings. I don't know if you have any in-camera sharpening with RAW on the Canon cameras.
Also be sure your sharpening workflow is the same for each of the images. (input sharpening in Camera Raw and your output sharpening)
I think I mentioned this once before - if you resize your images in a stairstep fashion (70% reduction per step works well) - you get a better looking web-sized image.
Great picture, great sky, great tower(s). I like the way you can admire the tower in all it's "I was built years ago" glory ... and then spot the satellite dish just above the first balcony. ;^)
i think the 550ex is your problem, no? Isnt the 580ex coming out for that and a few other reasons?
really strong composition, but the two objects go very well together!
Thanks everyone.
Tin: thanks for the info.
Carlos: thanks for that, but the firmware bug you mentioned is to do with some 20D's freezing and not working correctly with some CF cards. Canon did release an update for this bug, but pulled it shortly afterwards as it seems to have rendered some cameras totally inoperable.
As for the security issue on my site: I do use MT so the link was very useful. I'd already implemented some of the suggested measures but there were a couple more I wasn't aware of. Thanks.
huskydsl: yes, I think it probably is over-sharpened.
Ryan: I suspect the problem may well be 'user error' - I'll keep you posted.
Steve: I did try to email you but I'm getting a 'relay access denied' error. Here's what I posted ...
Thanks for the advice. As for your points: no, there's no sharpening with RAW images though I am tending to sharpen them with DPP when I convert them. As for resizing: I use Fred Miranda's Web Presenter Pro which automates the stairstep reduction.