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video clip: using the Canon 600EX-RT Speedlites on a photo shoot

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BTS video: using the Canon 600EX-RT Speedlites

In my review of the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT, I raved about the ease of use of the new speedlite by Canon that has built-in radio transmitters. The same with my subsequent review Canon ST-E3-RT Transmitter. This system is going to have huge impact! The behind-the-scenes video clip as I set every thing up, is of the photo session with Molly K where I used Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite (B&H / Amazon), and the Canon ST-E3 Speedlite Transmitter (B&H / Amazon), during an actual shoot. You can actually hear the  Read more inside...

review: Canon ST-E3-RT Transmitter and Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite

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review: Canon ST-E3-RT Speedlite Transmitter and Canon 600EX-RT

In my review of the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT, I've already raved about the ease of use of the new speedlite - thanks to a menu system that you can follow without having to decipher it via a manual), but mostly because of the built-in radio control of the flash. This elevates the Canon 600EX-RT to a new level. As mentioned in my review, I really think this flashgun will change things in the photo industry. It's huge. The main advantages of the Canon ST-E3 Speedlite Transmitter (B&H / Amazon), is that you  Read more inside...

review: Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT

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review: Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT

Summary: Right off the bat, let me say it - this speedlite, the Canon 600EX-RT (B&H / Amazon), is going to change the industry. Nothing is going to be the same again. A speedlite that has radio transmitters built in, has been anticipated for quite some time now. It just makes sense.  So it was just a matter of time before one of the big camera manufacturers did this ... and Canon is the first. And they didn't drop the ball on the rest of the speedlite's features, or with the functionality of this piece of gear. It's easy to use, with  Read more inside...

review: Canon EOS 5D Mark III – high-ISO noise performance

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review: Canon EOS 5D Mark III - high-ISO noise performance

I have to confess something first - whenever an important camera is announced, I have just a cursory interest in the specification sheet. The difference between 40 AF sensors and 70 AF sensors ... you know, that's just a number on the paper. It never really tells you how the camera performs. And with the announcement of the details of the Canon 5D Mark III (B&H / Amazon), there were a number of websites eager to list the detailed specs. Yay! Well, not really. There might be some interest in the nomenclature,  Read more inside...

Canon wireless e-TTL flash triggers / radio transmitters

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Canon wireless e-TTL flash triggers / radio transmitters

A bridal portrait (taken during one of the photo sessions arranged by the Hudson Valley Click), where it is easy to see the advantage of using off-camera lighting. The strong back-lighting is used as a way to highlight the background and have the rim-lighting etch our model against the background. Of course, having her turn her back to the sun also helps with not having our model squinting in the bright light. We immediately avoid unflattering hard light on her face. But we then do need to add off-camera lighting of some  Read more inside...

Lea – Moving portrait (short video clip)

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Lea - Moving portrait - Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II

Canon just released the Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II (affiliate), an update to an already highly-regarded lens. I tried this lens out during a photo session with a model, Lea Liu. Instead of just photographs, I decided to shoot video and create a "moving portrait" of her.  Read more inside...

review: Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L fisheye zoom lens

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review: Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L fisheye zoom (lens review)

Venturing out again after posting a few photos shot with the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L fisheye zoom, I tried for a more diverse range of images to show what this lens is capable of ... and also compare it with the Canon 15mm f2.8 fish-eye lens to see how the brand-new zoom lens stacks up against the older fixed focal length lens. I was brave enough to try this lens at 15mm for some funky urban portraits of a model, Kate. Bendy! The trick here is to keep as even as possible and not tilt the lens up or down, or else you risk making  Read more inside...

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L fisheye zoom lens

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Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L fisheye zoom lens

To try out the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L fish-eye zoom (affiliate), I headed to Times Square in Manhattan. What better place to check out a fish-eye lens - there are enough tall buildings and billboards to fill the frame of a lens that gives a 180 degree view! Now, before I continue, I have to admit that even though I have a fish-eye lens in my bag, (the Nikon 16mm f2.8), I only occasionally use it. I feel that a fish-eye lens can be over-used very quickly when it draws too much attention to the distorted view that the lens gives, rather  Read more inside...

review: Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

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review: Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

The Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS II  (B&H / Amazon), is touted to have improved optical quality, faster auto-focusing, and much better stabilization than the much-loved previous version of this lens. Using the lens on different shoots and walkabouts and tests, I got a fair idea of how the lens performs.  In short, the lens is all that .. faster, sharper and with better image stabilization.  Noticeably so. The bokeh of this lens is pleasant.  Easily seen in this portrait of my little model, where she is busy collecting  Read more inside...

Canon E-TTL flash settings – Average vs Evaluative flash metering

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Canon E-TTL flash settings - Average vs Evaluative flash metering

With TTL flash, (or E-TTL, as Canon call their specific flavor), the camera and speedlight working together according to various algorithms to control the flash exposure. The E-TTL flash exposure will therefore depend on various factors - the tonality of the subject and scene; the brightness of the scene; and how the camera interprets the sections of the metering pattern.  Other factors quite possibly also includes data from the lens.   How these factors inter-relate, we can only make educated guesses; and many  Read more inside...