15 Jul

Posted at 15:42h in Cameras & Gear, Mirrorless
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Pleasant Surprises:

  • Image quality
  • ISO Performance
  • Dynamic Range (high ISOs)
  • Metering
  • Frame-rate
  • Size/Portability

Disappointments:

  • Autofocus (initial acquisition)
  • Electronic viewfinder

I have had the Sony a7III Mirrorless camera for a few months now, and while some things have surprised me, there are still a few things that I will say continue to disappoint me.

 

This blog post is by no means meant to be a true “camera test”, but more of a “in the field” and “gut-feel” assessment.

 

Pleasant Surprises:

Image Quality / Image Sharpness
I continue to be quite surprised with the overall image quality that the Sony a7III is capable of producing. I find that when the photo is in-focus they are really quite sharp.  I think I am even more surprised by this because I’m using a lower-end lens than I am used to (using the Sony 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 G OSS vs. the Canon L-Series lenses that I am used to).

 

I would like to try out the Sony with the 100-400, or even the new Sony 400 f/2.8, but with the rumours of Canon releasing it’s own full frame mirrorless sometime in the future, I have limited budget that I really want to invest in the Sony system.

 

In the future I plan to still do some head-to-head shooting with the Canon, including the Sony vs. Canon 100-400’s with the 5d Mark IV, but just haven’t had the time that is required for detailed testing and reviewing.

 

ISO Performance / Dynamic Range
For the price of the camera, I’m continued to be extremely impressed by the ISO performance of the Sony a7III. I find that it rivals that of the 5D Mark IV, and with good post-processing skills can get useable images at ISO 6400+.  This makes the camera more well-rounded than some of the similarly priced DSLRs in terms of being able to use it in darker settings (thinking the Great Bear Rainforest), or with lenses that aren’t f/2.8.

 

I have been finding that when an image gets noisy, it gets really noisy.  What I mean by that is that I feel like it goes from hardly any noise, to so noisy the image isn’t useable, I guess it’s a good thing that you are able to pus the ISOs otherwise you would be stuck with a bunch of really noisy images.

 

I am also finding that the dynamic range on this camera is incredible, even at the higher ISO’s like 5000+.

 

Metering
I find the meter on the camera to be incredible, it does a really good job at reading the scene and not blowing highlights or blocking up shadows, and I find that I’m required to do less compensation when shooting in multi-segment mode compared to what I have experienced in other camera.

 

Frame-rate
There is nothing to complain about when it comes to frame rate, the 10 fps seems to play out as advertised in the real world.  While it is no D5 of Canon 1dx Mark II, and there would be certain scenarios when you would want to manage your buffer (like a Humpback Whale breaching), it’s perfectly capable buffer size, and it outperforms the 5D Mark IV (7 fps), which I use plenty

 

One word of caution, if you turn your camera to silent mode, it is literally silent, so if you accidentally sit on the cameras shutter you will have no indication that it is taking 50 or more shots of the zodiac floor.

 

Size/Portability
The main reason I decided to buy the camera was because of the size.  Sometimes it is one thing to read the specs of a camera and think “wow, that is light (or heavy)”, but it is another thing to actually use it in the real world, because weight distribution and ergonomics can play a big role in whether something actually feels light, or heavy.

 

After using it on a trip, taking it for some walks, having it in my backpack, and generally just using it, I am still finding it to be quite light and portable. I am even able to throw it into my relatively small hydro pack with the 70-300 on it.

 

Disappointments:

Autofocus:
I said it in my initial impressions blog post (here)  and I am going to say it again, I am still disappointed with the autofocus.  And while I am aware that it is much improved over previous versions of mirrorless cameras, for me, where I am used to flagship Canon cameras I remain to be disappointed.

 

Initial acquisition of objects, especially small, quick moving objects, is still slow, causing me to miss shots. I find that after initial acquisition the autofocus does a reasonable job sticking on the subject, and locking and keeping focused.  So while it is not all bad, if you cannot acquire initial focus you will not need to worry about maintaining focus.

 

While the autofocus is a bit annoying at times, having the ability to put the AF point pretty much anywhere in the entire image is pretty awesome, although in practical terms it is likely pretty rare that you would use some of the extreme edges for the AF Point.

 

Electronic Viewfinder:
In my initial thoughts blog post it was one of my biggest annoyances, the electronic viewfinder, and if I recall I said it would take some getting used to….well I am still not used to it.  I find it to be less noticeable if I am just shooting with the mirrorless camera all day, but if I am switching back and forth between the mirrorless and DSLRs, it becomes very noticeable.

 

Conclusion:
I’m not ready to throw away all my DSLRs just yet.  They are still highly capable, and in my opinion more highly capable, than the Sony a7III, however when I want something small and light for walking around “in case” I see something, I don’t feel like I am grossly under-equipped and will be left with images no better than a cheap point and shoot camera.

 

I am looking forward to continuing to taking the Sony a7iii on my next photo tour, Marine Mammals at the beginning of August, and putting it to the test some more.  If you are considering the a7III and have any questions, feel free to contact me [email protected].

17 Jun

Posted at 16:47h in Cameras & Gear
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I have just put my order in for the newly released 70-200 f/2.8L IS III, unfortunately it looks like I need to wait until August until I get to put my hands on it.

 

I think that the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM was the first L-series lens that I purchased when getting into photography, and while I tend to use it less now with the release of the new 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, every time I do use it, I’m still impressed with the results.

 

One of the biggest improvements over the predecessor is that both the front and rear element has a  air sphere coating which should reduce the flaring, and suppress the reflection of light.  The new fluorine coating is supposed to help reduce smearing and fingerprints on the glass.

 

The weight of the new lens is advertised as slightly lighter (1490g vs. 1440g for the new lens).

 

In addition to the new Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS III lens, Canon is also releasing an updated version of the 70-200 f/4L IS II lens, which has improved image stabilization with three modes, and decreasing the minimum focus distance.

 

You can read more about the release from Canon’s press release here.   Feel free to email me [email protected] if you have any questions, or if you want share your experiences with the new lens.

03 May

Posted at 19:04h in Mirrorless
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Key Specs:

  • Full Frame
  • 24.2mp Sensor
  • 10 fps
  • 693 Phase Detection AF Points
  • 425 Contract Detection AF Points
  • 4K HDR Video

Likes:

  • Size, Weight, and Portability
  • Frame rate
  • Full Frame
  • Image Quality

Dislikes:

  • Initial AF acquisition
  • AF point size
  • EVF (takes getting used to)

I have owned my camera for just a couple of weeks now, and have had the opportunity to take it to some local parks to test it out in nature.  This is no where near enough time to give a full opinion on the camera, however it is enough time to get some initial thoughts and impressions that I wanted to share (I’m not promising that these will not change as I use the camera more, for better or worse).

 

AF Points
The camera has 693 phase-decection, of which 425 of them are also contrast-detecting, AF points, and covers 93% of the viewfinder, that is absolutely incredible, especially in comparison to some of the DSLR cameras out there.

 

When I first started shooting with the camera on “single point”, I was like this AF point is HUGE, especially shooting chickadees at any distance.  What I didn’t realize, and actually didn’t see anywhere in the manual is that the single point has three sizes, small, medium, and large, and I think I was on large.  So that solved, the single AF point is actually a reasonable size.

 

I still haven’t found much use for the other AF points, other than the single point spot assist.

 

I do enjoy, especially being a frustrated Canon shooter, how much of the frame (like all of it) you can cover with the AF point.  This makes it really handy when trying to setup an animalscape type shot, and could see how landscape shooters would find this useful.

 

Autofocus
As for the autofocus itself (once I found the right-size points), was a little on the slow side, especially on the initial acquisition of focusing on something.  This can be a bit frustrating when shooting the popular “little chirpy birds” (as defined in all bird books – haha), because by the time you get the focus they are flying off to another branch, and you have to start the process all over again. I also think that this would make shooting small birds in flight, like Tree Swallows, very frustrating, but when you nail it, you will nail it.

 

I do find however that the camera is actually pretty good at keeping the focus locked on as the subject moves around, and I am not finding a bunch of blurry shots when shooting a burst.

 

Frame-rate / buffering
The camera boasts 10 frames per second, and it was one of the key advertised features is the frame rate of the camera.  While the frames per second is important, to me the more important question is how many shots can I take until the camera slows down and begins buffering.  In my normal shooting, using RAW images, SD card, and 1/1000 shutter speed I was able to get just over 25 shots before the camera started slowing down, which I think is pretty good.

 

Along the same lines as this is the blackout, you know the momentary (can be nanoseconds) where you cannot actually see anything through the viewfinder.  I do find the blackout to be a bit longer on this camera than I am used to when looking through the viewfinder.

 

Something I am finding particularly annoying is if I shoot a burst, and then want to recompose, I need to wait for images to clear the buffer (or at least some of the images) before I can get my AF point back and refocus to take another shot.  I have also noticed that while copying images to the card, you cannot access the menu, or switch from still to video shooting until all the images are cleared.  This could really be the difference between getting and missing the shot.

 

Electronic Viewfinder
I think the biggest noticeable difference for anyone that is switching from a DSLR to a Mirrorless is the electronic viewfinder. While I think they have come a long way from some that I have looked at in the past, it’s still not crisp and sharp, and the colors even seem a little distorted compared to what I am used to with the DSLR.

 

Meanwhile, the rear LCD shows a very nice view of the image, but I just can’t stand to hold the camera out in front of me while taking pictures…I feel like a tourist holding out my iPhone.

 

Image Quality
Outside some of the limitations that I noted above (assuming you aren’t waiting for your buffer to clear and miss the shot), the image quality of this camera is really quite nice.  You get a lot of fine detail, and it certainly is steps above point-and-shoot cameras, and I am very interested to see how it compares to the Canon full frame 5D Mark IV.

 

There are still many things left to test, the one thing I haven’t really tested yet but am super curious about is the ISO performance.  I have several shots at ISO 3200 that seem pretty clean.  I am hoping on the upcoming Great Bear Rainforest trip I will get some opportunities to try it out,

 

I’m excited to take this camera out on it’s first test – the Spring Great Bear Rainforest trip, and see how it holds up under real conditions.  I also still have a lot more testing to do including how it works with the metabones adapter, as well as how it compares to other full-frame cameras.  So stay tuned.

 

Feel free to contact me [email protected] if you are planning to pick one up and have any questions, or to share some of your own personal feedback.

03 May

Posted at 10:55h in Uncategorized
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My 2018 Photo Tour season is about to begin.

 

Coastal

We are starting 2018 off with a new, more exploratory (for us anyway), trip of the Southern part of the Great Bear Rainforest.  This trip is new to me, as not only will we be visiting a different part of the Great Bear Rainforest, but also visiting during a different time of year, the Spring…and surprisingly it’s not even raining so far.

 

While this part of the Great Bear Rainforest we will be less likely to see Spirit Bears, we may have the opportunity to photograph Sea Otters, and other marine life, along with Grizzly Bears.  And if we are super lucky maybe even a Coastal Wolf, like the one pictured here that was photographed in the Northern part of the Great Bear Rainforest (the Khutzeymateen) last spring.   But you never know what you are going to see until you see it, that is the beauty of nature, it’s beautiful and unpredictable.

 

There is still one spot available on the 2019 version of the trip if you are interested in joining us, visit my photo tours page.  Otherwise stay tuned for a post-trip update.

08 Apr

Posted at 12:28h in Mirrorless
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The question of “who needs mirrors” (i.e. mirrorless camera) is one I’m hoping that I can answer in the coming months (or at least form an opinion on).

 

I’m hoping to take possession of on my new Sony A7III next week, where I will spend the next couple months putting it to the test. I will be comparing it not only to itself, but also to the my Canon DSLRs as well.  And also hoping to borrow the flagship Sony A9 to do some more comparisons.

 

In the past I have shied away from Mirrorless Cameras because the electronic viewfinder made me feel seasick, and the reviews were just never that good that it made sense for me to own one (compared to my DSLRs).  But with Sony’s latest cameras and with rumours of Canon and Nikon coming out with their own full-frame mirrorless cameras, it seems like the have taken a bit of a leap.   While trying them in the store the Electronic Viewfinder seemed to be way less nauseating than before, and the AF was really quite something.

 

I’m excited to try out my new camera when it gets here, and start reporting on my results.  I’m going into it will a completely open mind, and maybe my mind just might be blown.

 

Stay tuned to my blog for my thoughts as I put the camera to the test, and also feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions that you would like answered.

18 Mar

Posted at 11:47h in Photo Tours
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Death Grip

 

Due to a cancellation, there is now one spot available on the 2018 Into the Great Bear Rainforest trip.  More information is available on my photo tours page.

 

There are also two spots available on the 2019 trip as well, more information is available here.

 

As always, feel free to contact me for more information, [email protected].

 

PS – I promise we only serve fresh fish on the boat, unlike the one being carried by this Spirit Bear.

27 Feb

Posted at 18:53h in Photo Tours
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Loving Life

Our 2019 Photo Tours are now available for public consumption.  In 2019 we have some new and exciting trips focused on the coast of British Columbia.

 

All trips can be found on my Photo Tours page.

 

As you will notice a number of trips are already sold-out, this is the result of people who were on the “Priority Booking” list for these trips, and received the first right of refusal to sign-up for the trips.  If you would like to be added to the Priority Booking list for 2020, or if you would like to be placed on a cancellation list for an already sold-out trip, please contact me at [email protected].

 

These spots probably won’t last long, so contact me at [email protected] if you are interested in getting more information or if you are interest in signing up.  Sign up now and you will be Loving Life like this Sea Otter.

25 Feb

Posted at 17:07h in Photo Tours
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Jumping for Joy

Update, this spot has now been sold, however there are still spaces available on the 2019 version of this trip.  More information can be found on my Photo Tours page.

 

Good news for anyone that is looking to explore and photograph the Johnstone Strait area of British Columbia, we have one spot available on the trip 2018 Marine Mammals Instructional trip from August 1 to 10, 2018.

 

Details can found on my photo tours page.

 

Or you can view more details in the trip brochure.

 

This Jumping for Joy Image was photographed during my 2016 trip.  If you would like more information, or would like to join me this summer, contact me at [email protected].

18 Feb

Posted at 12:06h in Software
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Lightroom Classic CC

  • Performance Upgrades
  • Collection Updates
  • Filtering Upgrades (edited/unedited)
  • New Camera/Lens Support

Lightroom CC

  • Adding Copyright on import
  • Android upgrades
  • iOS upgrades
  • New Camera/Lens Support

This week Adobe released new versions of both Lightroom CC (version 1.2), and Lightroom Classic CC (version 7.2).

 

The biggest update for Lightroom Classic CC that has me excited is the boost to performance for computers that have 12GB or more of ram. The boost in performance is advertised to be both when importing and exporting photos as well as when switching between loupe view. I have noticed that images are seeming to import faster, and the building of embedded previews has also been faster.  I have also noticed an improvement in how fast images deleted when selecting a large number of photos at one time.  In terms of how much actual time savings it is I haven’t quantified because there are so many factors that can impact it, including the number of other processes being run on the computer.

 

The other features of the Lightroom Classic CC upgrade which have me less excited (because I probably won’t use them) is the ability to create collections from folders, or from the map view. They have also added new filtering functions, including filtering based on whether an image is edited/unedited. Since I don’t do my editing in Lightroom, I don’t have a need for this filter, however I could see how it could be handy for those that do their editing in Lightroom, because you can see which images you still need to edit, or find one that you have edited more quickly.

 

More on the updates on Lightroom Classic CC can be found on the Adobe’s website here.

I am encouraged to see that Adobe is continuing to provide upgrades, especially performance upgrades, to it’s classic version.  I know they said they were going to continue to support and upgrade it, so I am happy to see that they are executing on the promise.

 

The changes to Lightroom CC are less exciting, with most of the changes coming to the mobile versions for Android and a few for iPad.  The upgrades for computer version is the ability to add copyright information when importing, and also they fixed a number of customer issues.  A number of improvements were made to android version, and you can see them all on Adobe’s website here.

 

Both version added support for new cameras.

 

If you have any questions on the latest updates, or my experience with them, feel free to contact me [email protected].

28 Jan

Posted at 11:42h in Photo Tours
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Breathtaking Breach

Are you looking to capture stunning images like the one in this post? Are you looking for a great photography adventure in 2019?

 

We are currently working our way through the priority booking list for all those that requested “first right of refusal”, and once that is complete we will be posting the trips online, hopefully in early February.

 

For those of you who are not aware, we allow clients to sign up to our priority booking list, more details can be found in the Priority Booking section of the Photo Tours page.

 

Once 2019 is available, we will begin to take names for our photo tours in 2020.

 

To see many of the great images that I was fortunate enough to capture on our trips over the years, visit my Journeys gallery.  Feel free to contact me for more information on any of our photo tours [email protected].

Breathtaking Breach

Are you looking to capture stunning images like the one in this post? Are you looking for a great photography adventure in 2019?

 

We are currently working our way through the priority booking list for all those that requested “first right of refusal”, and once that is complete we will be posting the trips online, hopefully in early February.

 

For those of you who are not aware, we allow clients to sign up to our priority booking list, more details can be found in the Priority Booking section of the Photo Tours page.

 

Once 2019 is available, we will begin to take names for our photo tours in 2020.

 

To see many of the great images that I was fortunate enough to capture on our trips over the years, visit my Journeys gallery.  Feel free to contact me for more information on any of our photo tours [email protected].