Bridge, MFT, achromats, dSLR, primes - a journey of exploration

[LCPete]

Hi Nick
That dust on the sensor is a nightmare something must have happened there but as you are very careful when changing lenses its a mystery
I change lenses quite often in the field when Im at the zoo it can be several times a day as I change lenses and converters but don't seem to get any problems with dust
Really glad that you are getting to the bottom of what is happening with the flash the last set are really good
you should be fine going up to ISO 400 on the 70D that's my default on the 7D even today when it was sunny

 

[GardenersHelper]

Hi Nick
That dust on the sensor is a nightmare something must have happened there but as you are very careful when changing lenses its a mystery
I change lenses quite often in the field when Im at the zoo it can be several times a day as I change lenses and converters but don't seem to get any problems with dust

Yes, I'm very puzzled as to where it all came from. In two years I never had any dust trouble with my G3. Very odd.

Really glad that you are getting to the bottom of what is happening with the flash the last set are really good

Thanks. I was trying a somewhat similar approach with the FZ200 today - using manual flash set to maximum and controlling the exposure by using shutter speed in this case. I don't want to alter the ISO on the FZ200 as anything above ISO 100 gets noisy. So what I did was to keep the ISO at 100 and (with the flash constant at full power) I then controlled the exposure by changing the shutter speed. That wouldn't work on most cameras as you can't increase the shutter speed beyond the sync speed (unless you use HSS/FP flash, and in my experience that is slow to use and difficult to get right). However, on the FZ200 you can use flash at almost any shutter speed. I was using it at 1/2000 sec and possibly faster today for some shots.

With both cameras, running the flash at full power all the time does mean that recycle times are slow, and that was a problem at one point today when stuff started happening (a wasp being chased by an ant - I've never seen that before, and I missed some good opportunities unfortunately). But as with using ISO to control exposure with the 70D, using shutter speed with the FZ200 is delightfully straightforward, both in terms of understanding and getting a feel for what is going on, and also the ergonomics of the required button pressing.

However, because of the power/recycling time issue I probably need a mixed approach which includes changing the flash output. I tried that briefly today but it's more complicated to handle and I'll need to practice to get it working smoothly.

you should be fine going up to ISO 400 on the 70D that's my default on the 7D even today when it was sunny

I'm fairly comfortable up to ISO 800 on the 70D. I'd rather be using slower of course, but ISO 800 was my default a lot of the time with the G3, and the 70D has better noise characteristics.

 

[GardenersHelper]

I was trying a somewhat similar approach with the FZ200 today - using manual flash set to maximum and controlling the exposure by using shutter speed in this case. I don't want to alter the ISO on the FZ200 as anything above ISO 100 gets noisy. So what I did was to keep the ISO at 100 and (with the flash constant at full power) I then controlled the exposure by changing the shutter speed. That wouldn't work on most cameras as you can't increase the shutter speed beyond the sync speed (unless you use HSS/FP flash, and in my experience that is slow to use and difficult to get right). However, on the FZ200 you can use flash at almost any shutter speed. I was using it at 1/2000 sec and possibly faster today for some shots.

With both cameras, running the flash at full power all the time does mean that recycle times are slow, and that was a problem at one point today when stuff started happening (a wasp being chased by an ant - I've never seen that before, and I missed some good opportunities unfortunately). But as with using ISO to control exposure with the 70D, using shutter speed with the FZ200 is delightfully straightforward, both in terms of understanding and getting a feel for what is going on, and also the ergonomics of the required button pressing.

On reflection, I can't have achieved what I thought I had with regard to controlling flash exposure with the FZ200 using the shutter speed setting. With flash as the dominant source of light and the flash power and aperture fixed, the illumination on the scene should be independent of shutter speed. So, I shouldn't have been able to control the illumination of the scene by changing the shutter speed. But I did.

I think there are two reasons for this.

First, flash was not the dominant light source. Although the ambient light wasn't strong enough (at least for some, darker coloured scenes) to provide enough illumination for me to get a good exposure with the small aperture that I wanted to use, it was sunny and there was a fair amount of ambient light. The ambient light made a significant contribution to the illumination of the scene, and the amount of that contribution would be affected by the shutter speed.

Second, it turns out (I just did some more experiments) that although the FZ200 will sync flash at any shutter speed (right up to 1/4000 sec), from about 1/125 sec the scene gets less illumination as the shutter speed increases.


FZ200 Full power manual flash with varying shutter speed by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

It may actually be a bit more complicated than this, because it seems that the Metz flash I am using with my Panasonic cameras has developed a fault. It looks like the flash zoom function doesn't work any more. I'm not sure what if any difference this makes when I'm pumping light out through a diffuser. However, as will be explained in the next post, I have also been using fill flash without the diffuser, and the lack of the zoom function might make a difference for that.

And another complication is that the Metz flash has a secondary window. With the diffuser pointing straight forwards the diffuser blocks a lot (but not all) of the light from the secondary window, and if the diffuser is angled to one side a lot more of the secondary light falls on the scene. This can complicates matters considerably, although of late I have been working with the secondary window turned off.

It is a long and twisty road and I'm a bit slow on the uptake and jump all too quickly to wrong conclusions; still, you know that by now if you're still reading this saga.

 

[Tintin124]

And another complication is that the Metz flash has a secondary window. With the diffuser pointing straight forwards the diffuser blocks a lot (but not all) of the light from the secondary window, and if the diffuser is angled to one side a lot more of the secondary light falls on the scene. This can complicates matters considerably, although of late I have been working with the secondary window turned off.

Zoom will make a difference even if going through a diffuser as the light is being directed more using higher zoom numbers, for my macro work with speedlite I always fully open zoom 24mm as it spreads the light more and hence the diffuse then is diffusing light that has been spread further. This was a test I did after watching Mark Wallace's understanding light on creative live (when it was free). Might be able to find that flash example bit on youtube still.

Though the light source compared to the subject is huge regardless of zoom however, just like to bounce the light around as much as possible before it leaves the diffuser.

 

[Tintin124]

@gardernershelper i don't know if you sorted the dust issue on your 70d but i had rubbish luck using swabs and kept seeing dust after cleaning done. So i bought a dslr brush from maplin and it works great. Now only have a tiny dust spot top left something i can cope with.

 

[GardenersHelper]

Zoom will make a difference even if going through a diffuser as the light is being directed more using higher zoom numbers, for my macro work with speedlite I always fully open zoom 24mm as it spreads the light more and hence the diffuse then is diffusing light that has been spread further. This was a test I did after watching Mark Wallace's understanding light on creative live (when it was free). Might be able to find that flash example bit on youtube still.

Though the light source compared to the subject is huge regardless of zoom however, just like to bounce the light around as much as possible before it leaves the diffuser.

I've go two Metz 58-AF2 flash units, one for Panasonic/Olympus and one for Canon. The Panasonic one makes a grinding noise when I turn it on, and then I get a "Zoom error" message. I don't know whether it's stuck at wide or narrow angle, but it seems to be working ok with the diffuser at the moment. I expect I'll get another one though as I imagine this one might die at any time - although it might go on for years of course.

I did try a little test with the Canon unit on the 70D, setting the zoom manually, and taking pictures of a 50p piece with the zoom on wide angle then on narrow angle. I didn't see any difference, but it wasn't much of a test of course!

 

[GardenersHelper]

@gardernershelper i don't know if you sorted the dust issue on your 70d but i had rubbish luck using swabs and kept seeing dust after cleaning done. So i bought a dslr brush from maplin and it works great. Now only have a tiny dust spot top left something i can cope with.

At the moment I'm not noticing dust.

I just looked at dslr brushes. I hadn't thought of using a dry approach. I think perhaps I'll get one if/when I start getting dust problems again.

 

[GardenersHelper]

About a week ago I worked out a method I was comfortable with for using flash with my achromats on my 70D and went out into the garden to explore options for doing something similar with my FZ200. One thing led to another and over several days I found I had accumulated a lot of examples to help me work out whether it would be best to use the 70D or the FZ200 for middle-sized invertebrates (flies, wasps, bees and the like) and possibly larger and smaller invertebrates too. (I'm pretty sure that the 70D is the right camera for flowers.)

I'm going to cover this with seven posts, with six to eight images in each, and a small "Conclusions" post. The first three posts deal with examples where I had a Raynox 150 on each camera and I found subjects which were around long enough to let me switch between cameras and take similar shots with each.

Example 1 - Fly on a Fatsia leaf
Example 2 - Wasp on the ground
Example 3 - Spider and prey on a Choisya flower
Capturing (and missing) an action sequence
Shadow recovery
Under-exposure recovery
Cropping
Conclusions

I have tried very hard in preparing the images for these posts to be fair as between the cameras and not favour one or the other, but there is bound to be some variability in the processing from one image to the next (as between cameras and for a particular camera). I have reviewed them all and tried to iron out the worst of the differences arising from the processing. There is also variability as to the quality of the images as captured and prior to any processing. It was very breezy, and some subjects moved around, so I had to make do with similar shots rather than precise like for like comparisons.

All but one of the images in these posts are drawn from this set of 141 images captured a week ago and this set of 37 images captured three days later.

The images in the first four posts and the last post have been post processed using my normal techniques, involving Lightoom followed by CS2 for sharpening. The images in the 5th and 6th posts only had Lightroom processing.

 

[GardenersHelper]

Example 1 - Fly on a Fatsia leaf

It was very breezy (windy might be a better description for it). The Fatsia gets the full force of any breeze and has large leaves which move around a great deal.

The fly was there for a long time and I had lots of attempts with both cameras, but I got hardly any decent images with the 70D - it just seems to be too slow to respond, with a lot of shots being slightly off in terms of focus. This is about the best I can do for a like for like comparison. The first (70D) image does have some sharpness but it is in the wrong place, on the abdomen, unlike the FZ200 image where the sharpness is where I wanted it, on the head and thorax. It's not that I got a lot of good images with the FZ200, but at least I did get some that I thought were ok (by "ok", I mean that I would be content to post them in a normal post in this forum. I would be prepared to post this FZ200 image, and the the other three that follow, but I wouldn't post this 70D image)..

70D, ISO 400, f/32, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 01 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 1 70D IMG_9228-Edit-2 PS1 PSS3.86 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/500 sec, flash

0555 02 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 1 FZ200 P1270181-Edit PS1a PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

I didn't get any images I liked with the 70D with the subject this size or larger in the frame. The only ones that seemed ok had the subject quite small in the frame, like this one.

70D, ISO 400, f/25, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 03 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 1 70D IMG_9243-Edit-Edit PS1 PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Here are three other FZ200 images that I thought were ok.

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000 sec, flash
This one illustrates one of the unfortunate characteristics of the FZ200 - noise. Even though it is ISO 100, a not huge crop and raising the Exposure by one stop, coupled with some highlights and shadows was enough to make the background distinctly noisy. I would normally use a two layer approach in CS2 to deal with this, but because of the number of images and the fact I am trying here to demonstrate the characteristics of the cameras I have not applied any noise processing to any of the images in these seven posts (apart from the default colour noise reduction that Lightroom applies, but no chroma [EDIT 2018: should read "luminance"] noise reduction).

0555 04 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 1 FZ200 P1270190-Edit PS1 PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000 sec, flash

0555 05 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 1 FZ200 P1270195-Edit PS1a PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000 sec, flash

0555 06 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 1 FZ200 P1270250-Edit PS1a PSS3.63 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

 

[GardenersHelper]

Example 2 - Wasp on the ground

There was no issue with subject movement here. The wasp did move from time to time, but most of the time it was still.

Here are three pairs of somewhat like for like captures. Initially the images from the two cameras had very different colours. I thought the 70D images were much more realistic in terms of colours so I used the white balance from one of the 70D images on the FZ200 images. Once I had done that I was surprised at how similar the pairs seemed to be. (I then went back to the images for the first example and again used the white balance from one of the 70D images on the FZ200 images. The same is true of the third example, in the next post.)

70D, ISO 640, f/29, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 07 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 2 70D IMG_9271-Edit PS1a PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000 sec, flash

0555 08 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 2 FZ200 P1270408-Edit PS1a PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

70D, ISO 640, f/29, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 09 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 2 70D IMG_9281-Edit-3 PS1 PSS3 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000 sec, flash

0555 10 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 2 FZ200 P1270411-Edit PS1a PSS3.86 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

70D, ISO 640, f/32, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 11 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 2 70D IMG_9287-Edit PS1a PSS3.86 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000 sec, flash

0555 12 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example set 2 FZ200 P1270389-Edit PS1a PSS3 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

I would expect the 70D to shine in these circumstances, but to my eye (and to my surprise), it isn't obvious that the 70D images are signficantly better than the FZ200 images.

I was struck by how much difference the white balance changes made to the look of the FZ200 images. I thought the 70D colour balance looked much better and was more accurate, but my wife was not convinced as to the accuracy of either of them (and her colour perception and colour memory are very much superior to mine). I have now ordered a ColourChecker Passport so I can calibrate my cameras.

 

[GardenersHelper]

Example 3 - Spider and prey on a Choisya flower

These images were captured in the second session, three days after the first. It was still very breezy but the Choisya is somewhat sheltered from the wind and in any case does not move as much as the Fatsia. So there was some movement, but in this case the 70D handled the situation satsifactorily.

Here is the scene.
70D, ISO 100, f/22, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 13 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example 3 70D IMG_9435-Edit-2 PS1 PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Here are three pairs of fairly like for like captures.

70D, ISO 125, f/29, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 14 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example 3 70D IMG_9484-Edit PS1 PSS3.86 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000 sec, flash

0555 15 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example 3 FZ200 P1270939-Edit PS1 PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

70D, ISO 200, f/29, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 16 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example 3 70D IMG_9444-Edit PS1 PSS3.86 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/500 sec, flash

0555 17 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example 3 FZ200 P1270897-Edit PS1 PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

70D, ISO 125, f/32, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 18 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example 3 70D IMG_9428-Edit PS1 PSS3 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/500 sec, flash

0555 19 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example 3 FZ200 P1270898-Edit-2 PS1 PSS3 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

And here is a shot from an odd angle illustrating how I modified my flash technique with the FZ200 (see previous posts) to include a modest amount of ISO alteration in addition to changing the shutter speed.

FZ200, ISO 125, f/8, 1/1250 sec, flash

0555 20 2014_05_06-10 Clarity, sharpness and centre of dof example 3 FZ200 P1270975-Edit PS1 PSS3.86 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

 

[GardenersHelper]

Capturing (and missing) an action sequence

While I was photographing the wasp in Example 2 I saw something I have never seen before - an ant arrived on the scene and attacked the wasp, which frantically tried to get out of the way. The ant would rush at the wasp, which would back off, the ant would run off, and then come back again.

I was using the 70D when this started, and I tried to take pictures of what was going on. It was a complete failure.

I generally use autofocus when photographing invertebrates - as long as I can position the centre of focus where I want it to fall, autofocus has (prior to the 70D) always proved faster and more accurate at gaining focus than I am using manual focus. I also (very nearly) always use the LCD screen rather the viewfinder.

Unfortunately, although the 70D has a better LCD screen than the FZ200 (brighter, clearer, showing more detail), it goes dark quite frequently during the capture phase and even more importantly when the camera hasn't gained focus the LCD doesn't help at all in determining how far off focus it is and getting to the right distance to gain focus, which is critical with achromats. And the 70D is very fussy about the exact distance. These factors combined to make it impossible for me to capture any images of the action. I very quickly put down the 70D and used the FZ200.

In contrast, it is relatively easy to see what is going on with the FZ200, even when not at the right distance for good focus, and as you move towards or away from the subject you can immediately tell from the LCD whether you are moving in the right (or wrong) direction as the image comes into better (or worse) focus. And the FZ200 is more forgiving about the exact distance to the subject. The first three of these images were captured as the wasp was trying to escape from the ant's attack. It is possible that it is the ant that can be seen, out of focus, at the top of the frame in the first image. The wasp was scuttling about when these images were taken.

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1250 sec, flash

0555 21 2014_05_06-10 Action sequence example 1 FZ200 P1270431-Edit PS1a PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1250 sec, flash

0555 22 2014_05_06-10 Action sequence example 1 FZ200 P1270432-Edit PS1a PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1250 sec, flash

0555 23 2014_05_06-10 Action sequence example 1 FZ200 P1270434-Edit PS1a PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

The wasp then ran off the step and into the grass, where it looked as if it was trying to decide which way to go. Only in the last two shots had it stopped jigging around.

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/800 sec, flash

0555 24 2014_05_06-10 Action sequence example 1 FZ200 P1270441-Edit PS1 PSS3.63 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/320 sec, flash

0555 25 2014_05_06-10 Action sequence example 1 FZ200 P1270442-Edit PS1 PSS3.63 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/320 sec, flash

0555 26 2014_05_06-10 Action sequence example 1 FZ200 P1270444-Edit PS1 PSS3.63 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/320 sec, flash

0555 27 2014_05_06-10 Action sequence example 1 FZ200 P1270446-Edit PS1 PSS3.63 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/320 sec, flash

0555 28 2014_05_06-10 Action sequence example 1 FZ200 P1270455-Edit PS1 PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

 

[GardenersHelper]

Shadow recovery

When I started capturing images for what became Example 1 I used natural light. This did not work well - the images had very deep shadows, so I started using flash with both cameras.

One of the advantages of larger sensors is I believe that they can capture a larger dynamic range than a smaller sensor, and so can provide better opportunities for recovering information from shadows.

Here are two versions of an image from the 70D, the first one showing how the image looked on import to Lightroom, the second one showing it after processing. (Neither the 70D image nor the FZ200 image has particularly good image quality, but the point here is purely about the extent of shadow recovery possible with these cameras.)

The 70D image had Shadows pulled up and Highlights pulled down to the maximum extent permitted by Lightroom (and some adjustment of Whites and Blacks).

70D, ISO 800, f/32, 1/160 sec, natural light
As imported into Lightroom

0555 31 2014_05_06-10 Shadow recovery example 1.03IMG_9212 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

After processing in Lightroom.

0555 32 2014_05_06-10 Shadow recovery example 1.04IMG_9212 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Here is a somewhat similar image from the FZ200, which also had the maximum Shadow and Highlight increase and decrease (and some adjustment of Whites and Blacks), but also had a one stop increase in Exposure. Not surprisingly, it is somewhat noisy in the background. What is possibly a bit more surprising is that comparing this with the 70D image, which didn't have an Exposure increase, the processed 70D image also looks somewhat noisy in the background.

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/400 sec, natural light
As imported into Lightroom

0555 29 2014_05_06-10 Shadow recovery example 1.1 P1270141 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

After processing in Lightroom

0555 30 2014_05_06-10 Shadow recovery example 1.2 P1270141 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Here is another example from the FZ200, captured during the second session. The only difference between the before and after versions is that the after version had the maximum increase in Shadows permitted by Lightroom.

FZ200, ISO 160, f/8, 1/160 sec, flash
With very mild import processing in Lightroom

0555 33 2014_05_06-10 Shadow recovery example 2.1 P1280006 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

After maximum Shadows increase

0555 34 2014_05_06-10 Shadow recovery example 2.2 P1280006 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

The conclusion I draw from this is that the FZ200 has significant potential for recovering information from shadows.

 

[GardenersHelper]

Under-exposure recovery

I have no comparisons for these, but given that the FZ200 does allow some shadow recovery, I wondered how it would handle underexposed images.

The first example was captured using natural light, but the settings look like those I use for flash, hence the underexposure.
The difference between the first and second version is a two stop increase in Exposure.

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000 sec, natural light
With very mild import processing in Lightroom

0555 35 2014_05_06-10 Underexposure recovery example 1.1 FZ200 P1270469 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

After Exposure increase.

0555 36 2014_05_06-10 Underexposure recovery example 1.2 FZ200 P1270469 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

The EXIF data for the next example says that the flash fired. I believe this was one of the cases where I pressed the shutter button before the flash had recycled. The difference between the first and second version is a two stop increase in Exposure, plus Shadows pulled up a lot, some adjustment to Whites and Blacks, and an increase in Clarity and Vibrance.

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1250 sec, natural light
With very mild import processing in Lightroom

0555 37 2014_05_06-10 Underexposure recovery example 2.1 FZ200 P1270549 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

After Exposure increase and other adjustments

0555 38 2014_05_06-10 Underexposure recovery example 2.2 FZ200 P1270549 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Next is another example of pressing the shutter button before the flash was ready. The difference between the first and second version is a two stop increase in Exposure, plus Shadows pulled up quite a lot, some adjustment to Whites and Blacks, and an increase in Clarity, Vibrance and Contrast.

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/2500 sec, natural light
With very mild import processing in Lightroom

0555 39 2014_05_06-10 Underexposure recovery example 3.1 FZ200 P1270366 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

After Exposure increase and other adjustments

0555 40 2014_05_06-10 Underexposure recovery example 3.2 FZ200 P1270366 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

The final example is another example of non-firing flash, but in this case the image has had a three stop increase in Exposure (and an increase in Shadows, an increase in Whites and a quite large reduction in Blacks).

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/640 sec, natural light
With very mild import processing in Lightroom

0555 41 2014_05_06-10 Underexposure recovery example 4.1 P1280559 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

After Exposure increase and other adjustments

0555 42 2014_05_06-10 Underexposure recovery example 4.2 P1280559 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

The conclusion I draw from this is that the FZ200 has significant potential for recovering from underexposure.

 

[GardenersHelper]

Cropping

Another benefit of a larger sensor is that, for a given level of final image quality, it permits more cropping than a small sensor.

Here is an example which shows how an image from the FZ200 deteriorates as it is cropped.

FZ200, ISO 160, f/8, 1/640 sec, flash
First crop

0555 43 2014_05_06-10 Crop example 1.1 FZ200 P1280010 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Image from first crop

0555 44 2014_05_06-10 Crop example 1.2 FZ200 P1280010-Edit PS1 PSS3.75 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Slightly larger crop

0555 45 2014_05_06-10 Crop example 1a.1 FZ200 P1280010 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Image from larger crop

0555 46 2014_05_06-10 Crop example 1a.2 FZ200 P1280010-Edit-2 PS1 PSS3 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Here is as near as I could get to a like for like comparison of cropping with the FZ200 and the 70D. In each case the crop is one third of the image height.

70D, ISO 125, f/29, 1/250 sec, flash

0555 47 2014_05_06-10 Crop example 2.1.1 70D IMG_9432 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr


0555 48 2014_05_06-10 Crop example 2.1.2 70D IMG_9432 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000 sec, flash

0555 49 2014_05_06-10 Crop example 2.2.1 FZ200 P1270882 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr


0555 50 2014_05_06-10 Crop example 2.2.2 FZ200 P1270882 Export_ by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

In this case the FZ200 crop is considerably more noisy than the 70D crop.

 

[GardenersHelper]

Conclusions

Nothing final by way of conclusions (there never is with me ).

But that said, I think I'll be taking the 70D and the FZ200 with me when I'm out photographing invertebrates. I envisage using the 70D for larger invertebrates, like butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies and crane flies. I also envisage using the 70D in still air, for example in the hour or two after dawn on a calm day, for tripod shots of motionless invertebrate subjects of all sizes. I need to check the photos from a session or two that I haven't looked through yet, but I think it likely that I will use the 70D for snails and slugs in motion.

Otherwise, for medium sized invertebrate subjects the FZ200 is looking like the better bet on balance at the moment. For small invertebrates I don't know yet - I need to do some careful comparisons.

For flowers, almost certainly the 70D. It handles very nicely for flowers, and gives me excellent precision (using manual focus) in placing the plane of focus that I don't have with the FZ200. It gives me between one and three stops more latitude with depth of field compared to the FZ200. And I did some comparison flower shots with the 70D and FZ200 this afternoon. I need to look at them properly, but from what I was seeing on the LCD screens it looks like the comparisons will all be in favour of the 70D. It looks as though it handles some difficult colours better than the FZ200 too.

 

[DayDreamer]

Nick yet again I am in awe of the passion you have & the determination to so thoroughly explore, in such depth, your subject matter. You must get frustrated as you seem to be searching for a definitive conclusion but I doubt there really is one.

My wife asks me 'what on earth am I reading so avidly at this time of day' & I don't think she believes me - she must think I am looking at something 'rude'

 

[GardenersHelper]

Nick yet again I am in awe of the passion you have & the determination to so thoroughly explore, in such depth, your subject matter. You must get frustrated as you seem to be searching for a definitive conclusion but I doubt there really is one.

It's (for the most part) more fascinating than frustrating - I'm not really one for definitive conclusions by and large. That said, I did think when I started this journey that using top rate lenses (100L macro, MPE-65) on a decent dSLR would be a no-brainer as far as image quality was concerned. It turned out (for me at least) to be a lot more complicated than simply using a better sensor with the (undoubted) excellence of the best Canon macro optics.

My wife asks me 'what on earth am I reading so avidly at this time of day' & I don't think she believes me - she must think I am looking at something 'rude'

 

[GardenersHelper]

Yesterday I went to one of the local nature reserves at dawn and spent three hours there. I captured about 650 images, about half each with the 70D and FZ200. For a while the air was perfectly still and I started out using the 70D, with exposures as long as six seconds, the long exposures letting me use base ISO and very small apertures with natural light. This sort of thing (in this case ISO 100, 5 sec, f/29).


Early morning long exposure example IMG_0137-Edit by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

I also used the 70D for moving snails a bit later when the light levels were somewhat higher, using higher ISOs but still with quite slow shutter speeds. This sort of thing (ISO 400 and 1/8 sec in this case, with f/29).


Early morning moving snail example IMG_0337-Edit by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Then, about two hours after dawn, when direct sunlight had started to reach into the glade I was working in, I suddenly started having problems with focusing. Parts of the images looked very soft in a way that looked different from simply being out of focus because of being outside of the dof. It is difficult to see what is going on using the little LCD on the camera, but I wondered if some moisture had got into the camera and had vaporised as the sun's rays hit the camera, misting up its innards. And then I had a subject that I simply couldn't get into focus. I put the 70D away at that point and used the FZ200 for the remaining hour that I was on the site. (I tested the 70D when I got home and it seemed fine, so I have no idea what was going on.)

Later in the day I went to another reserve and spent five hours there. Most of the subjects were medium sized invertebrates for which I'm most comfortable using the FZ200. This was in warm, bright conditions where the subjects often don't stay in one place for long, and can be in awkward to get at positions, and may be moving around in the undergrowth and only present fleeting capture opportunities. For these conditions I need to be able to line up shots and gain focus quickly, with the focus centred exactly where I want it (for example on an insect only partly visible in amongst the undergrowth. The FZ200 gives me what I need for these conditions; the 70D doesn't.

I had the 70D with me however, because it is moorland/wetland site which often has butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies. These larger invertebrates are subjects for which I have been planning to use the 70D, with no achromat. A small number of tests in our garden seemed to have worked nicely, with butterflies on the lawn or on stones around the pond. I didn't see any dragonflies at the reserve, and the butterflies were mostly flitting from plant to plant, rarely landing, and not staying for more than a few seconds when they did land; by the time I arrived, they had gone. There were damselflies though. And the 70D was a complete failure with them. Their narrow bodies, in messy surroundings, proved too much for the 70D's live view focusing. I switched to the FZ200 and that handled the damselflies with no problem. I ended up having captured about 1,300 images, less than 50 of them with the 70D.

Today I spent from 11 to 4 at another reserve. I didn't bother taking the 70D as there would be no still air, and I also wouldn't need it for lowish light moving slug/snail captures. And I had given up on it for larger invertebrates. I was able to use one bag rather than two. The bag I took, with lots of bits and pieces in it, weighed 5.7 Kg. The bag I didn't take had the 70D with 55-250, and the flash unit and spare batteries for the 70D. It weighed 4.5 Kg. (The tripod is 3.6 Kg). Moving around was much easier than with two bags, which was just as well as I had to do quite a lot of walking including steep inclines and rough ground.

I'm quite close to abandoning the 70D for invertebrates. I'll do some comparison shots with subjects like the two above examples to give it a chance to show me that it can do significantly better than the FZ200. If it can't, then I can't really see there being much point lugging it around the reserves. I'll use it at home for botanical shots, for which it is very good. But I don't take enough botanical shots out on the reserves for that to be a reason to take it out with me.

 

[LCPete]

Hi Nick shame that you were having problems with the 70D it may be worth persevering as the fly shot with dew is amazing, on my screen the detail is wonderful

I do also struggle though with damselflies using autofocus through the viewfinder even on spot focus it wont focus on a damselfly tail but is fine on its head or body
this is frustrating as it makes life harder as I like to move around varying the angle taking shots as I go
I could manual focus but it takes me too long

interesting that you are trying to travel light I'm doing the same I now only carry the 7D and 100L and monopod with bits and pieces stuffed into waistcoat pockets
Edit just had a thought that the live view autofocus isn't using the DSLR to it's best advantage
on my 7d and 550d when I use live veiw I use manual focus as although you can auto focus with live view it's very slow
I think that DSLRs are designed to be used really through the viewfinder the live view is an add on although the70d ma be different but I've never used one

 

[GardenersHelper]

Hi Nick shame that you were having problems with the 70D it may be worth persevering as the fly shot with dew is amazing, on my screen the detail is wonderful

Thanks Pete. I suspect I won't be able to match the 70D with the FZ200 for that sort of shot, or for early morning (and hence low light level) moving slugs/snails using natural light, which I have had great problems with using my other cameras.

I do also struggle though with damselflies using autofocus through the viewfinder even on spot focus it wont focus on a damselfly tail but is fine on its head or body
this is frustrating as it makes life harder as I like to move around varying the angle taking shots as I go
I could manual focus but it takes me too long

That's the sort of thing the FZ200 lets me do. Like you, I like to move around changing the angles, searching for nice backgrounds being a large part of it. As you know, I also like to zoom in and out, which is something else the FZ200 makes quick and easy.

interesting that you are trying to travel light I'm doing the same I now only carry the 7D and 100L and monopod with bits and pieces stuffed into waistcoat pockets

Now that is light. I have too many bits and pieces for that to work for me I think.

One simplification I've been exploring is the way I'm using flash. I'm using flash more these days, and am finding that I do want to use it quite often on these bright days. I've been experimenting with the on board flash in the past few days. Most of the time I've been using it with no diffusion - it seems to work surprisingly well quite a lot of the time. I say "seems to" because I've rapidly accumulated a big increase in my backlog and I haven't had even a preliminary look through the recent sessions' images, so I'm going by what I've been seeing on the LCD during the sessions for a lot of my conclusions at the moment. That's risky of course, but managing the big image sets I'm dealing with gets quite complicated and I much prefer to handle one session's shooting at a time, and work through the whole workflow for it before starting another one. (I made an exception for the two example images above, which were pretty random picks from the session - I don't think I looked at more than a dozen images from that session to pull out a couple to use as examples.)

Another thing I tried yesterday was a different diffuser that I've had for a while, one that is used with the on board flash. As to whether a combination of this and un-diffused flash would be sufficient out on the reserves I don't know, but if it was then that would save a little weight by not having to carry the flash unit, but more important perhaps would be avoiding the awkwardness of having to carry the bowl diffuser around. I have it hanging on a big bulldog clip on the outside of my bag but it's taking knocks and will need to be repaired from time to time.





I've also been using that diffuser as an off-camera, hold it in one hand natural light diffuser when the subject is in strong sunlight (another nice thing about the FZ200 is that I can use it one-handed). And I've been playing with my fold-out circular diffuser/reflector in reflector mode as well. Using the gold side has a rather interesting effect. I've only used it once, a few days ago, in our garden, and I can't even remember now which session it was so I can't put my hand on an example. I must try that again though. So many options and experiments! I lose track.

 

[Tintin124]

So many options and experiments! I lose track.

I know that feeling...

 

[GardenersHelper]

Edit just had a thought that the live view autofocus isn't using the DSLR to it's best advantage
on my 7d and 550d when I use live veiw I use manual focus as although you can auto focus with live view it's very slow
I think that DSLRs are designed to be used really through the viewfinder the live view is an add on although the70d ma be different but I've never used one

Yes, the 70D is different. I was waiting for Canon to produce a dSLR that I could use in live view mode, so I could use the 100L and MPE-65 with live view, because I don't like using a viewfinder (in fact, a viewfinder is impractical for some of what I do because of the angles involved). The 70D has a new type of sensor in which every pixel is split in two and almost all of them (except around the edge) can be used for phase detect focusing. So it has phase-detect live view focusing, but not using the normal phase detect arrangement (which it does still have, for use through the viewfinder). Also, as with the contrast detect focusing cameras that I use, there is a focus box you can move around (most of) the screen.

Unfortunately, there are wrinkles. Although it can be moved around the screen, the focus box can't be resized, and it isn't small enough for my purposes, so I can't get the precision I need in placing the centre of focus. When using achromats the 70D is much fussier about the distance to the subject, and it can sometimes be quite difficult, time-consuming and frustrating to find the right distance. And it's difficult to describe, but the view on the LCD doesn't provide the feedback that the screens on my other cameras do to help quickly get into the required working distance range for the achromat currently in use. The end result of all this turns out to be a nice idea but a camera that is slow, imprecise and difficult to use for much of the sort of things I do.

 

[TimmyG]

Yes, the 70D is different. I was waiting for Canon to produce a dSLR that I could use in live view mode, so I could use the 100L and MPE-65 with live view, because I don't like using a viewfinder (in fact, a viewfinder is impractical for some of what I do because of the angles involved).

Remind me, when you were deciding on the choice of dSLR did you have a look at canon's EOS M?

My brother got one recently and I hope to try it out at some point. He's got an adaptor for EF lenses, so I was going to stick my MP-E on the front of it and see how I got on. I'm also very seriously thinking about switching my flash from the 430 EX II to a 270EX and see if I can reduce some of the weight of my setup.

 

[Tintin124]

Remind me, when you were deciding on the choice of dSLR did you have a look at canon's EOS M?

My brother got one recently and I hope to try it out at some point. He's got an adaptor for EF lenses, so I was going to stick my MP-E on the front of it and see how I got on. I'm also very seriously thinking about switching my flash from the 430 EX II to a 270EX and see if I can reduce some of the weight of my setup.

Keep us posted on this Tim I'm very interested in results. Finding very hard to use my big flashes as brackets tend to loosen up slowly. Thinking smaller flash head might work on all brackets. Eg flexible arm one.

Won't buy canon probably as too expensive hopefully Yongnuo have a small one as they make canon flashes anyhow.

 

[TimmyG]

Yeah I was hoping Yongnuo would have something similar, but I can't find one. I was watching a bid for a cheap one on eBay, but then promptly forgot about it until the sale had finished! I'm going to try to create something similar to what @orionmystery posted here. Just need to figure out how I'm going to construct a front-mounting flash bracket!

 

[Tintin124]

Just need to figure out how I'm going to construct a front-mounting flash bracket!

Exactly what I thought. Guess a cheap filter with glass removed and a cheap Chinese eBay bracket chopped up.

Hmm how to weld it all together.

 

[GardenersHelper]

Remind me, when you were deciding on the choice of dSLR did you have a look at canon's EOS M?

Not really. It has a fixed LCD, and an articulated LCD was one of my non-negotiable requirements.

My brother got one recently and I hope to try it out at some point. He's got an adaptor for EF lenses, so I was going to stick my MP-E on the front of it and see how I got on. I'm also very seriously thinking about switching my flash from the 430 EX II to a 270EX and see if I can reduce some of the weight of my setup.

I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the M.

As to reducing the flash weight and power, here's me thinking I need something more powerful than my 580! And I would have thought the MPE absolutely eats light, what with the effective aperture issue. Presumably you don't have the power issues I do because you've arranged for the light source to be really close to the subject, and perhaps even with the effective aperture issue you're not using such small apertures as I am, although at the high magnifications you use you'd need to be using pretty large nominal apertures for that to be the case, larger than f/4 at 5x I think.

 

[GardenersHelper]

I'm going to try to create something similar to what @orionmystery posted here.

Nice link Tim.

 

[GardenersHelper]

Finding very hard to use my big flashes as brackets tend to loosen up slowly.

I got some mini ballheads but the flashes (430 and 580) rotated no matter how much I tried to tighten them up. Also, I had the ballheads attached to short arms running from the focus rail, and I couldn't tighten them up enough either to stop them loosening and moving.

Hmm how to weld it all together.

That's another thing that's been holding me back. Making something is the obvious approach, but I'm not handy with metalwork. And when I look at the specialist sites that have lots of fittings I can't envisage how the various bits fit together, or whether any of them (presumably in combination) would actually do what I need. So I gave up with that approach and went back to my simpler bowl flash. But that doesn't work very well of course! Hence the experiments with the pop-up flash, although I suspect that's only going to be useful for fill, but not as the main illumination. (Although, that said, that's what Mark Berkery uses, with a snoot and a concave diffuser.) - search for "Velcro" on that page to see his rig.)

 

[TimmyG]

Not really. It has a fixed LCD, and an articulated LCD was one of my non-negotiable requirements.

Aha! Yes that rings a bell..

As to reducing the flash weight and power, here's me thinking I need something more powerful than my 580! And I would have thought the MPE absolutely eats light, what with the effective aperture issue. Presumably you don't have the power issues I do because you've arranged for the light source to be really close to the subject, and perhaps even with the effective aperture issue you're not using such small apertures as I am, although at the high magnifications you use you'd need to be using pretty large nominal apertures for that to be the case, larger than f/4 at 5x I think.

Exactly right, I usually dial back the flash power a bit as I am working to such short distances. As I understand it flash power requirements are largely determined by distance anyway. I just need something a bit more powerful than the pop up flash, that I can position at the end of the lens, so my requirement for being light weight is more important than power. As for light loss at high magnifications, I've only ever found that to be an issue when focussing. Although I am using a reasonably powerful flash (the 430EX II), I can't see this becoming a problem with a smaller model. I may even be able to engineer some kind of focussing light with an LED torch to overcome that issue...

 

[LCPete]

It does seem like the FZ200 is the best camera for the way you work
I do see the attraction in using the screen rather than lying on the floor and using the viewfinder
When I'm lucky enough to find a subject that isn't going to move for a long time I do use live veiw as well as I can set up on a tripod and get the focus precise
I do manually focus for that though, I zoom in to 10x magnification on the live view screen and can get focus spot on
But normally I use the viewfinder aand auto focus
Have you tried manual focus on the live view screen on the 70D?
My friend manually focuses for all his photography but I'm too slow unless the subject isn't going anywhere!

 

[GardenersHelper]

EDIT: This post contains misleading information and invalid conclusions based on my misunderstanding how to use the X-rite ColorChecker Passport. Please see this post for examples that work fine.

My X-rite ColorChecker Passport (£74) arrived a couple of days ago and I have been testing it. It claims to let you do two things that are important to me:

• Adjusting the colours in an image so that, if viewed on a calibrated screen, or printed on a calibrated printer, the colours look right
• Letting you get consistent colours from multiple cameras.

As an aside, this is the first product I have come across that comes with absolutely no instructions, not even a pdf manual on the software CD. You have to register the product first, then you still don't get a manual, but you can download a set of videos which explain how to use the product. I thought the videos are quite good as it happens, but I was not impressed. Nowhere does it state in the bumph on the product "Internet access required to use this product/obtain instructions" or similar.

Anyway, each camera handles colours differently. It can differ, apparently, from one camera to the next of a particular model. The ColorChecker Passport comes with a reference target that you photograph with the camera (or each of the cameras) used to take a shot/set of shots, photographing it in the same light as used for the shot/set of shots. If the light changes, for example through the day, then you need to take additional photos of the reference target.

If you use Lightroom you can load the photos into Lightroom and (very easily) tell ColorChecker to make a profile for each of the reference target shots. You can then (easily) apply each profile to the images captured under the light conditions in which the reference target was photographed. (The profiles are camera-specific, of course.)

Here are two images of a scene, one captured with the 70D and one with the FZ200. They have had my normal (minimal) processing on import to Lightroom, none of which affects the colours, and then exported from Lightroom as JPEGs without applying a ColorChecker profile.


0560 01 2014_05_17 70D and FZ200 before applying ColorChecker profiles by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

As you can see, they are rendering the colours very differently.

Immediately after capturing each image I took a photo of the reference target.

70D image of reference target

0560 09 2014_05_17 70D ColorChecker Passport reference image IMG_1189 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

FZ200 image of reference target

0560 10 2014_05_17 FZ200 ColorChecker Passport reference image P1320107 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr


The images were captured without any delay between the captures, and the sunlight was constant from a clear sky. I used these photos of the reference target to construct a profile for each camera. This is what the 70D image looked like before and after applying the 70D profile.


0560 02 2014_05_17 70D Before and after applying ColorChecker profile by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Here is what the FZ200 image looked like before and after applying the FZ200 profile.

0560 03 2014_05_17 FZ200 Before and after applying ColorChecker profile by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Here are the 70D and FZ200 profiled versions shown together for easier comparison.


0560 04 2014_05_17 70D and FZ200 after applying ColorChecker profiles by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

There are separate images here for the unprofiled and profiled versions for each camera in case you want to flick between them, as this really makes the differences stand out.

So, going back to my two issues, which the ColorChecker Passport claims to address:

Do I get consistent colours from multiple cameras after preparing and applying profiles? No. As you can see.

Looking at the images on my calibrated screen, do the colours look right? Well, the two profiled images are different, so at least one of them must look wrong. In fact, having pored over them with my wife, who is excellent with colours, I don't think that either of them look right.

There is a third claim that X-rite make (or very strongly imply) in their video, that images which have had appropriate profiles applied to them will look better, more vibrant. My wife and I have looked at another half dozen examples and the conclusion we have come to is that it makes some images look better (to us), but some look better (to us) in the unprofiled version. It also varies between cameras. For the examples we have looked at it seems to do better things to the 70D images than the FZ200 images.

Most of the reviews of the ColorChecker Passport at Amazon UK and Amazon US are very positive. However, you might find it interesting to read this review from Amazon US, which sees things rather differently, and more in line with my experience.

 

[pingu666]

have you tried dxo? That might do a similer type of colour correction

 

[LCPete]

See what you mean neither of them looks right the 70D or the FZ200
Looks like a good idea but in practice it doesn't seem to work very well
Did you get it from amazon if so you should be able to send it back
Maybe easier to get a screen calibration system like heuy pro or colour monki and then adjust the colour in light room

 

[GardenersHelper]

It does seem like the FZ200 is the best camera for the way you work

For invertebrates, generally, I think so. I'm still undecided about some special cases

• Early morning shots where the subjects don't move, where I think I can get better detail, colours, textures and microcontrast from the 70D
• Early morning slug/snail in motion shots. The combination of continuous subject movement (slow body movement, but faster antennae motion) and low light levels make these shots rather hard (for me at least), given the amount of dof I want for them and the fact that I haven't been able to make flash shots look acceptable for these scenes (this isn't to do with the problems I've been having with flash with the 70D, it is the case for the G3 and FZ200 too). I think the 70D handles this situation better, and focusing doesn't seem to be a problem.
  
• Very small subjects.

For the slugs and snails I need to check out some examples that I haven't got round to processing yet. For the motionless subject shots I need to do some more careful comparisons capturing the same scene with the 70D and FZ200. Thus far, as illustrated in earlier posts in this thread, where I have done careful like for like comparisons the FZ200 has held up surprisingly well. I want check out whether the same is true in either or both of these two cases. I don't think so, but I want to work from solid comparative evidence, which as yet I'm not, for these cases.

Since I will be using (manual) rocking focus anyway for very small subjects, I think the 70D might be better. It does depend on getting the flash to play nicely, but oddly enough that might be ok with very small subjects, perhaps using manual flash. I need to do more tests here too, but very small subjects are not high on my list of priorities.

For botanical shots I've been doing some comparisons today. Again, I need to check them out, but I'm pretty sure that for the most part the 70D is better (for me) for flowers and other plant shots. However, I was trying to use flash for some flower shots today (I don't generally use flash with flowers, but it does have its uses). As with invertebrates, the 70D was a complete failure. The FZ200 was fine. It didn't come right immediately with the FZ200, but by adjusting the exposure compensation (to affect mainly the background) and the flash exposure compensation (to affect mainly the subject/foreground) I could quickly get to where I wanted to be. And I could get there just as quickly when using exposure compensation but manually adjusting the flash level. With the 70D I couldn't get where I wanted to be with either external flash or the onboard flash before finding it too difficult to be worthwhile and giving up.

I do see the attraction in using the screen rather than lying on the floor and using the viewfinder

Absolutely. Also when reaching over bushes, or reaching into borders etc - typically one-handed stuff, most often with flowers for some reason.

When I'm lucky enough to find a subject that isn't going to move for a long time I do use live veiw as well as I can set up on a tripod and get the focus precise
I do manually focus for that though, I zoom in to 10x magnification on the live view screen and can get focus spot on

I find if I do that I lose the context of the composition, which I'm usually making continuous little adjustments to as I'm shooting.

But normally I use the viewfinder aand auto focus
Have you tried manual focus on the live view screen on the 70D?

Yes. That is what I use with flowers when I need to place the plane of focus where there isn't anything at the right distance for the autofocus to latch onto. It works very nicely on the 70D. The screen is good enough that I can do it without having to zoom in and so I don't lose the compositional context and can carry on making little adjustments to the framing. I also use (fixed) manual focus and rocking for the smallest subjects, again with live view. The only time I use the viewfinder is if it is so bright that I can't see what I'm doing on the screen. That doesn't happen very often, partly because I have a home made LCD hood, although I haven't actually used that much this year so far with either the 70D or the FZ200. I will also use the viewfinder if I use normal phase detect focusing for insects in flight, although this is another area which isn't a priority for me.

My friend manually focuses for all his photography but I'm too slow unless the subject isn't going anywhere!

Me too!

 

[GardenersHelper]

have you tried dxo? That might do a similer type of colour correction

I haven't looked at dxo specifically with this issue in mind. (I had a quick look at dxo before settling on Lightroom and CS2, but, for reasons I can't now remember, it didn't appeal.)

I may have misunderstood, in which case do please correct me, but I don't think it's the ability to do colour corrections that is the problem. Lightroom and CS2 both let you adjust colours. It's having some absolute reference point (like a grey card reading for white balance) that I was hoping to be able to use, and I don't think dxo would provide that.

 

[GardenersHelper]

See what you mean neither of them looks right the 70D or the FZ200
Looks like a good idea but in practice it doesn't seem to work very well

Did you get it from amazon if so you should be able to send it back

Yes, I got it from Amazon. But I seem to remember reading that they don't accept returns for opened software. Except - if it doesn't work, then yes, I suppose they should give a refund. I'll have to look into that, although my wife is quite keen on my keeping it - she thinks it helps improve the 70D images, and she very much likes the results I'm getting with her flowers with the 70D. So I think it might be politic to keep it anyway.

Maybe easier to get a screen calibration system like heuy pro or colour monki and then adjust the colour in light room

I have a Colormunki permanently attached to the screen. As per my reply above to Paul, I can adjust the colours, but ideally I'd like to take the guesswork out of doing the adjustments, which is what I hoped the ColorChecker would let me do.

 

[Tintin124]

Nick I have the colour checker too and find it works very well. Does your FZ200 shoot raw?

In fact do you shoot raw in both cameras? Cause colour will be handled differently in both if jpeg is used.

Also note exposure needs to be spot on, on the colour checker to work correctly so I use my light meter to give me settings first.

It's worth checking out mac on campus YouTube videos for how to's and what not to do's. Which is not in instructions of the colour checker.

 

[pingu666]

Thanks to prior equipment calibration in our laboratories, you can faithfully reproduce your camera’s color rendering or choose the rendering of another camera so as to unify a photo series taken with different cameras. The creative possibilities are endless! Another DxO Labs exclusive.

thats off the dxo website, soo might be worth a play?
word of warning, dxo can sometimes desaturate flower pics