The 7D has landed!!! (1 Viewer)

[davem]

Thanks Tim,

gives a great demo of what I was enquiring about in the thread I started regarding 7D vs 1D3.

Interestingly I got off our stand at the SWPP show this weekend and asked one of the Canon guys the same question (regarding low light action photography) and he was pretty honest in recommending going for a used 1D3instead of trying to sell me a new 7D.

More food for thought! :eek!:

 

[tdodd]

I took the 7D to the basketball, just to see how it would fare under those demanding conditions. Also, I went along as a paying spectator, unsure whether I would even be permitted to take photographs at all, so I had the lens in one jacket pocket and the camera in the other and assembled them when I got to my seat. I guess it wouldn't have been a problem to take the 1D3 but I was trying to travel light and inconspicuous. Plus, I really wanted to give the 7D a workout.

I did assume that I'd be stuck in a seat, some way from the court, so I figured the 7D and 70-200 would be the right combination for speed and reach. As it turned out I was free to move around the venue and shoot from the edge of the court, pretty much anywhere I wanted. I was struggling at the 70mm end to compose as I had wished, as it really wasn't wide enough. Moving further back would have altered the perspective and made the shots even less dramatic. The 1D3 would have been a better choice. Also, had this been a professional engagement I would have started out with the 1D3 in the first place. You really don't need 18MP of "detail" when most of it is obliterated by noise (or NR) at the pixel level.

FWIW, there are more examples, all from the 7D at 6400 ISO, all processed in Lightroom, here - http://picasaweb.google.com/EezyTiger/Basketball?authkey=Gv1sRgCLnYrOnC9MDLQw#

Here is one example, together with a 100% crop, with some NR and sharpening adjustments in Lightroom.

 

[Roy C]

I posted this shot on the Gallery today but for those that do not look at the Gallery I though I would post in this thread. it was a Grabbed this shot this morning from my computer desk Considering it was shot with a 2x converter, through a DG window at ISO 3200 it has not turned out too bad. The 7D continues to impress me.

 

[Saphire]

Wow! Roy now that is impressive.
Our buzzard keeps flying low over my feeder which is 6 ft from the Glass door I keep wishing it would land. It nearly did last week when I put some chopped up bacon fat out for the small birds but the crows came in and took the lot.

 

[kristoffer]

I really like your photos Roy C, I hope I can take shots like yours someday.

 

[Tim Taylor]

Top shot Roy!!!!!!!

 

[john-henry]

Considering it was shot with a 2x converter, through a DG window at ISO 3200 it has not turned out too bad.

That's a terrific shot Roy, how much NR did you have to give it?

 

[peteh]

Blimey you clean your windows well! Nice shot.

The 7d noise definately cleans up nicely with NR. Better than my mk3s noise does, that takes alot more work to get acceptable.

 

[Roy C]

how much NR did you have to give it?

Nothing more than I would normally do at ISO 800 JH. A very light reduction over the bird followed by a heavy reduction over just the BG (I use NN plugin in CS4)

 

[Roy C]

Blimey you clean your windows well! Nice shot.

The strange thing is Pete that this is the only window in the house that more or less never gets cleaned because of its position. I had the glazing unit changed a couple of years ago and I am sure it is that self cleaning glass that you can get nowadays - goodness knows how it works but it does.

 

[stevetb]

Nice image Roy, but part of the hawk's beak seems to be missing?

 

[john-henry]

Many thanks Roy, I'm amazed how clean it looks for the ISO used, obviously you were pretty accurate with your exposure too.

 

[Roy C]

Nice image Roy, but part of the hawk's beak seems to be missing?

I have been looking at that myself Steve - it is on the RAW shot but only just visible as it blends in with the BG at that point. I guess something in the processing has made it disappear as the BG is darker on the finished shot. Not really that bothered as it is only a record/test shot at the high ISO but having said that I might have a play at raw processing.

 

[Roy C]

Just found out what happened to the Beak Steve - when I ran the aggressive BG noise reduction I never masked out the beak so it was noise reduced to oblivion LOL. I have just done a very rough and ready re process to show that it did indeed have a beak.

 

[GYRob]

Just found out what happened to the Beak Steve - when I ran the aggressive BG noise reduction I never masked out the beak so it was noise reduced to oblivion LOL. I have just done a very rough and ready re process to show that it did indeed have a beak.

great shot and Processing Roy .
Rob.

 

[hampers]

High iso and through a window, amazing.

 

[tdodd]

Nice job, Roy. I think I might need to go and clean my windows.

 

[Roy C]

Many thanks Roy, I'm amazed how clean it looks for the ISO used, obviously you were pretty accurate with your exposure too.

John-Henry, accurate exposure is what it is all about IMO - under exposure that is pushed in processing would look terrible, especially in the shadow areas.
On this shot the exposure was just about right but I would have preferred it to have been a 1/3 of a stop more to the right even if the small areas of white were slightly clipped.

 

[hampers]

Roy, can I ask a couple of questions as this ability to shoot through a window may be useful in some hides and at home. How far were you away from the window and what was the angle of the lens to to glass. Many thanks. Phil

 

[AndyMc]

Well, Thank you very much.
Thanks to you lot I'm now £1200+ lighter :eek!:.
Weather forecasted to be crap (typical) so not sure when I'll be out for a try, but probably will anyway. On the plus side it will give me chance to read the instructions!!! & of course go back through all the of the valuable advice to be gained on BF :t:.

On the subject of shooting through glass, I took this one some time ago at 1/30th, of course processed. The hood was up against the glass at very near 90 degrees but the double gazing panes are a lot closer together than they are on modern doors.
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/236334/ppuser/73191
The subject was about 4m away.