We took the plunge! After months of salivating over this beauty, it’s finally ours. Meet the latest piece of equipment to join the 5byseven.com arsenal, the Canon EOS 1D, Mark IV. We received it just in time for a wedding we photographed this past Saturday. And this beast passed with flying colors. Photos to follow.

At first, I was a bit disappointed that Canon’s latest 1D model was a cropped sensor. But after thinking about it, I figured this camera would use all our prime lenses and leave the other lenses for the 5D, Mark II, a perfect combo for our wedding photography. At 10 fps, high precision 45-point area AF sensor and new AI Servo II AF Focus tracking system, this camera is going to be hard to get off my hand. It’s built like a tank and is noticeably heavier than our 5D. I use it with a Black Rapid R-Strap and Canon hand strap. 

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We have had a love/hate relationship with this product for a few months now. When we first bought these two units last year, it was advertised with the capabilities of off camera ETTL capabilities with pocket wizard reliability. So the 5byseven team invested in a couple of mini and flexes. However, like many others, we found out first-hand about the RF interference between the 580EXII units and the pocket wizards made them unreliable. My shots were blown out or the flashes would not fire. So we put them back on the shelf for a while, disappointed in their unreliability. However, PW has recently shipped the “RF Sock.” It really looks kinda silly but it works. The idea is to wrap your 580EXII with the sock which prevents the RF interference between the 580EXII and the flex. We finally did some test shots last week with my always-willing nephew, MooMoo.

The photos turned out great. We used a 5D with a 135mm, F/2. What’s great about the mini and flex is that you can shoot wide open at apertures like F/2 and the PW flex is able to sync at higher sync speeds for the right exposures.

We now can see the potential for these little units and are finally feeling confident enough to start using them for our shoots. For more info from the pocket wizard website, click here. 

The RF shield or “RF sock” wrapped around a 580EXII with a PW flex.

135mm, F/2. 1/500 second shutter speed. Bare speedlite, camera right.

135mm, F/2. 1/500 second shutter speed. Bare speedlite, camera right.

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Hello 5byseven family, friends and fans!  We started a monthly newsletter showcasing our projects for the month.  Seeing how this is the first newsletter we decided to make this a 2009 Review.  We featured projects we’ve done so far this month and added a little picture summary of the other projects.  Hope you like!  If you’d like to see the full newsletter, email me- jenn@5byseven.com and I’ll be more than happy to send it to you.  The full newsletter has photo clickable links to link you back to the specific project on our blog.  Happy Holidays!

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Hiked up Black Mountain Space Park in San Diego with the Sigma DP2. – Migs

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This thing is BAD ASS but give it to someone who doesn’t know the quality it produces and first thought is, “This is wack.” On the contrary, give it to someone who has seen sample images and their thought is, “GIMMEE!!!!”

With all that’s said and done, there is one thing certain about this camera. The images it can produce in the right hands, rivals those of entry level DSLRs with good glass.

Before reading this, I suggest you use google for those reviews that tell you this camera is slow in functioning, has an awful LCD screen, etc., etc., because I won’t get into that jibberish. This isn’t really a review as I’m sure I’ll jump all over the place.

Quite frankly, those reviews are CRAP anyway and only made me wait longer till I actually jumped the gun with this. I only wish I had it last week for my trip to NYC.

The only disclaimer about this camera that I will point out is that, this isn’t the point and shoot turned dslr for the average consumer. Not by any means and I don’t think it was intended that way. This is strictly for that photographer/enthusiast that values quality over quantity and ease. Cause I’ll tell you now… Pimpin’ ain’t easy.

UPDATE: This also isn’t the kind of camera you can take to the clubs and use the flash. There is no AF assist light to help you focus so you’d probably end up with all blurry images. Looks like I’ll have to invest in a club camera… I’m thinking the Panasonic ZS3

More camera porn:

Now on to what counts. Sadly, Sigma PP really does offer a better raw converter than acr. The colors are more natural and for some reason the dynamic range just seems to hit more. It’s a little slow on the mac (and I’m on a mac pro) but worth the wait. I guess that’s the key thing with the DP2. Patience.

Water break:

The LCD screen, like many reviewers have said, is ok. Not worth reviewing your photos extensively, but definitely worth reviewing to see if you got the composition. You won’t be able to really check sharpness but at this day in age, if I shoot something I really want, I tend to take 2-4 shots just in case.

The build quality of the Sigma DP2 is actually pretty nice. It really does feel solid, but light. In contrast to the G10, which I sold to a friend, the DP2 isn’t nearly tank-like. But what I do like about it is that when it’s around my neck, it’s effortless. I forget it’s there and that’s what I wanted in a compact with dslr-like outputs.

What other crap have I read about this camera? Some crap about the buttons being black? Took me 5 minutes to get adjusted to the buttons and UI. Oh, one thing I did find rather amusing was that it took me a good 3 minutes (leaving 2 minutes to learn the UI) how to change the f-stop and shutter. I was completely oblivious. I didn’t think the zoom buttons changed those settings even though those only act as zoom functions within an image since it is a fixed focal length. Do’h!

So anyway, those are just some stuff I wanted to point out with the camera. The rest of it is TOTALLY FINE as long as you’re not expecting the UI and speediness of a Canon or Panasonic compact. Yes it’s slow, yes the lcd kinda blows and yes it’s slooooow. But if you can get over that, get it now. I’ve used it for 30 minutes on my lunch break and none of that bothers me. Not even the odd way of autofocusing (it doesn’t autofocuses gradually… it’s blurry then magically focuses). Oh and the whole “it’s loud” crap is bogus. Who cares. Are you really gonna shoot with this where you need to be completely silent? I can hardly hear it outdoors.

The way I see it is, art takes time. Shooting with the DP2 has really taken me a step forward in realizing the love for the art and the time I’m willing to spend to get a shot. It causes me to think more, not only about technical aspects like f-stop and shutter, but also about composition, light and the mood of the image, which is something I did when shooting b&w film. As digital photography stepped up it’s automatic game, I just started shooting hoping to get a shot by the end of the day. The DP2 really takes me back to the real way of shooting.

Here’s a few images from RAW files developed in Sigma PP with no photoshop. You can grab full size samples on my flickr as long as you’re my contact. Enjoy!

Self Portrait

More on flickr

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And the arsenal of equipment grows larger. Earlier this year, I took the plunge and invested in a full frame, Canon 5D. Now my brother and I both have the 5d mkII! I haven’t looked back since. I still have my 30D which was my work horse for so many years. It was dependable and produced sick images, but the 5D simply blows it out of the water. I had to give it the attention it deserves so I decided to take a nice product shot while it still looks fairly new (My cameras have taken plenty of bumps in the past).

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Went out to Mission Trails in San Diego to test out a new lens. We’re doing a Spring Fashion Shoot here for work (djpremium.com) and it was beautiful out. This 12mm is really fantastic for landscapes. Here are some test shots:

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Check out one of our newest gadgets. The rayflash ring light produces even lighting with fast fall off around the face. Check this picture out of my willing subject, Moomoo.

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Updated our growing gear and added a Sigma 24mm f1.8 Macro EX DG. This lens is amazing. Though the AF is a bit slow and noisy, the lens itself is sharp. So sharp it’s almost comparable to the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro. Here are some sample images! Oh, also just ordered a Boda Dry Lens Bag for shooting on the go. Check it out here and a video here.

Here are the samples for the new Sigma 24mm f1.8 Macro!

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The photography manager at work let me take the 5d home for the weekend for a test drive. I’m in the market for a full frame camera and after shooting with it for about an hour, I’m pretty much sold. Taking images feels so much more like home to me for some reason. The full frame coupled with a wide angle lens is great!

It feels more mechanical and raw, rather than digital. Currently, I own a 40d, but that’s going to change real soon! Actually, I’ll probably keep my 40d as a back up and get the 5d mkII when it comes out. I just need to somehow come up with $2,700.

Anyway, here are the initial images I took.

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