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ayesane
Guest
MaDMaCKeM said:
Hmm, good idea that is. Thanks for that.
nathanrichSAFC said:
Alreet nath, malmo just went to canon from a Pentax. He has the Pentax 50mm f/1.4, should see if it is for sale
MalmöMakem
Midfield
Alreet nath, malmo just went to canon from a Pentax. He has the Pentax 50mm f/1.4, should see if it is for sale
It's the sexiest lens I've got. Well worth the 300 odd quid I paid for it.
With your problem with having it at f1.4. I use the manual metering thing and move it according to which area I want focussed. i.e if its a full body shot but i want it sharp on the face i move it accordingly.
If you are looking to have it all in focus I tend to just knock the aperture up a bit.
Sorry i'm shit with the technical terms
When I have it at 1.4 its amazing how its starts to blur out from the distance from the tip of the nose to the cheeks.
Can ruin a shot just being a millimetre or two out
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ajax_andy
Guest
How you focussing mate? Centre point and recompose or nearest focal point?
When shooting wide open you should never centre point and recompose... in fact tbh I wouldn't even do this at any aperture.
Also if shooting wide open then did you really need to? Lets face it there's no background to blur so shooting at f/4 or above would have been fine.
There's always the temptation to shoot wide open when you get a prime lens, but learning how and when to is the only way you'll get the best out of what is an excellent lens
When shooting wide open you should never centre point and recompose... in fact tbh I wouldn't even do this at any aperture.
Also if shooting wide open then did you really need to? Lets face it there's no background to blur so shooting at f/4 or above would have been fine.
There's always the temptation to shoot wide open when you get a prime lens, but learning how and when to is the only way you'll get the best out of what is an excellent lens
The Great Soprendo
Striker
Can't comment on this specific lens but it's not uncommon for lenses to have a small 'curvature of field' which means that you can focus on your subject, recompose, and then even if you haven't moved other than simply turning the camera (ie you haven't moved it backward or forward), the subject may end up out of focus. Not an easy one to deal with either, other than trial and error and getting to know your lens.
I often mess up with shots taken at large apertures, and it's a massive pain on film obviously when you discover it long after the event. Even if you get all the focusing right you can still mess up just by moving the camera slightly before taking the shot, or if your subject likewise moves slightly. So if you can stop down a little it can help.
I often mess up with shots taken at large apertures, and it's a massive pain on film obviously when you discover it long after the event. Even if you get all the focusing right you can still mess up just by moving the camera slightly before taking the shot, or if your subject likewise moves slightly. So if you can stop down a little it can help.
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ayesane
Guest
Thanks lads . I sorted it out, it was basically a DOF issue, the appature was set to suit the bad ambient light (was during the thunder storms we had recently).
You live and learn, was convinced is had a dodgy lens for a while..
. I sorted it out, it was basically a DOF issue, the appature was set to suit the bad ambient light (was during the thunder storms we had recently).You live and learn, was convinced is had a dodgy lens for a while..
UaeExile
Winger
So how you finding it? Happy with it in general?Thanks lads
You live and learn, was convinced is had a dodgy lens for a while..
The Great Soprendo
Striker
In theory also when you move the camera to recompose you need to pivot it around the film/sensor position, which is probably impossible to nail. But when dealing with a depth of field that is only a few mm, it's easy to see how focus can be missed.
It's also at the point where any misadjustment in the camera's focusing system can become a problem.
It's also at the point where any misadjustment in the camera's focusing system can become a problem.
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ajax_andy
Guest
Thanks lads
You live and learn, was convinced is had a dodgy lens for a while..
Haha yeah think most of us go there at first "stupid lens... must be duff" lol
The thing is that once you learn how to use DOF properly with this lens then you can get some excellent results... however it doesn't take much for shots to come out crap either when playing with paper thin DOF's.
Even shooting at around f/2.8 can cause problems if your subject isn't face on.
It's all about focal planes which if you haven't already looked in to would be well worth a read.
jeez louiseThanks lads
You live and learn, was convinced is had a dodgy lens for a while..
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ayesane
Guest
it's my best lens, I cannot think of how it could be improved other then getting the same sharpness into a zoom lens.
Here is a 1:1 unedited sample, please note the yellow teeth is the gold reflector, which you can see in the bottom of her eye
(another lesson learned)
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thing is, I got the lens the morning of this shoot and think it could probably do better..
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ayesane
Guest
Haha yeah think most of us go there at first "stupid lens... must be duff" lol
The thing is that once you learn how to use DOF properly with this lens then you can get some excellent results... however it doesn't take much for shots to come out crap either when playing with paper thin DOF's.
Even shooting at around f/2.8 can cause problems if your subject isn't face on.
It's all about focal planes which if you haven't already looked in to would be well worth a read.
I've been caught out with them in the past. I guess thats the thing when shooting wide-open; it takes real skill.
Practice Practice Practice
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ajax_andy
Guest
Shooting wide open is like driving a car... just because you have a steering wheel doesn't mean you should be turning it all the time (or you'd crash / go round in circles).
I started shooting around f/4 and slowly worked my way to f/1.4... however I hardly ever shoot open... only when the situation is perfect and all elements of the shot are 100% correct.
Also I'm presuming in your shots posted here that you were using a mix of ambient light and flash off camera? ISO and Shutter Speed affect the ambient light... changing the aperture affects the flash exposure and not the ambient... so shooting wide open to let more light in isn't actually the right thing to do, as all you're doing is increasing the camera's sensitivity to the flash exposure... you could just dial in more power on the flash for the exact same result.
Like you said lots of practicing ahead... will be worth it though as it really is a great lens.
Be carefull not to shoot the foreground out of focus though as that seems to be frowned upon on here
UaeExile
Winger
it's my best lens, I cannot think of how it could be improved other then getting the same sharpness into a zoom lens.
Here is a 1:1 unedited sample, please note the yellow teeth is the gold reflector, which you can see in the bottom of her eye
thing is, I got the lens the morning of this shoot and think it could probably do better..
And the bottom right of the chair. Funny how easy it is to pick up imperfections with studio type work. The smallest thing can stand out like a saw thumb. Great work though... people is not really in my comfort zone, probably because the Mrs hates having her photo taken.
Good news on the lens. Might be my next purchase
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ayesane
Guest
Shooting wide open is like driving a car... just because you have a steering wheel doesn't mean you should be turning it all the time (or you'd crash / go round in circles).
I started shooting around f/4 and slowly worked my way to f/1.4... however I hardly ever shoot open... only when the situation is perfect and all elements of the shot are 100% correct.
Also I'm presuming in your shots posted here that you were using a mix of ambient light and flash off camera? ISO and Shutter Speed affect the ambient light... changing the aperture affects the flash exposure and not the ambient... so shooting wide open to let more light in isn't actually the right thing to do, as all you're doing is increasing the camera's sensitivity to the flash exposure... you could just dial in more power on the flash for the exact same result.
Like you said lots of practicing ahead... will be worth it though as it really is a great lens.
Be carefull not to shoot the foreground out of focus though as that seems to be frowned upon on here
that was utterly mental mind...
Aye, was shooting with a mix of ambient and flash, BUT was cheating with off camera E-TTL. So basically had to dial in the ambient settings.. another thing to point out here is I was using a reflector to bounce the flash so I could have stepped down quite abit more and the TTL would have compensated..
again another area where practice is required..
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ayesane
Guest
And the bottom right of the chair. Funny how easy it is to pick up imperfections with studio type work. The smallest thing can stand out like a saw thumb. Great work though... people is not really in my comfort zone, probably because the Mrs hates having her photo taken.
Good news on the lens. Might be my next purchase
tis a good one, here is another 1:1, look at the detail in the skin man..
although not necessarily a good thing..
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Ask her marras for help
, what about that Thai/Asian lass you posted pics of a while ago?
UaeExile
Winger
tis a good one, here is another 1:1, look at the detail in the skin man..
Ask her marras for help
wrong person....I wish 
My Left Foot
Winger
Did you ever try micro adjustments mate? Definitely a learning curve with the 50mm 1.4 and the results are quality when you nail it.
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ayesane
Guest
not yet mate, havn't had a chance to sit down and have a play. I'm going to attempt some ink-dancing soon so will probably have a play then.
Do those shots look at little off to your eye Kev?
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ajax_andy
Guest
I wouldn't touch the micro adjustments... that's not the problem here, it's just the need to learn how to focus using such a narrow focal plane that's required.
I can't remember if you replied to my question about if you used centre point focussing and recompose, as that's a big no no when it comes to shooting wide open. When dealing with maybe a couple mm's DOF then doing centre/recompose can change the distance to subject by that or more meaning the lens then focusses on the wrong part of the image. Always choose the nearest focal point and use that.
that was utterly mental mind...
Aye, was shooting with a mix of ambient and flash, BUT was cheating with off camera E-TTL. So basically had to dial in the ambient settings.. another thing to point out here is I was using a reflector to bounce the flash so I could have stepped down quite abit more and the TTL would have compensated..
Haha yeah I was a little confussed by that but decided to let it slide due to personal tastes etc.
Lots of practice yes, but you look like you had a good model so it's so much of a chore to practice eh?
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