Some new pics - Advice to improve!?

[tomscott]

Thanks all

TBH the thing I say to most people, is book something or just get out and shoot.

People spend £££££s on gear and never go anywhere, better off spending that money on a trip than on gear if you then dont take it anywhere.

Best camera is always the one you have with you.

 

[hopz121]

Tom those pics are epic mate well done.

Any lens recommendations for a Canon M5 Mirrorless?

I have the standard kit lens 15-45 and also an adaptor to add EF & EFS lenses to it.

I have previously a Canon 5D Mk2 which I loved with the 24-105 F4 L lens but I am new to this mirror less world and crop sensor camera and not sure what to buy. so any advice would be great.

Thanks

Ash

 

[tomscott]

Tom those pics are epic mate well done.

Any lens recommendations for a Canon M5 Mirrorless?

I have the standard kit lens 15-45 and also an adaptor to add EF & EFS lenses to it.

I have previously a Canon 5D Mk2 which I loved with the 24-105 F4 L lens but I am new to this mirror less world and crop sensor camera and not sure what to buy. so any advice would be great.

Thanks

Ash

Cheers ash.

M5 looks an awesome camera! Nice one.

I would say probably cover the range, with crop the issue is getting the equivalent framing and fast apertures of a FF camera. Crop has a factor of 1.6 so the 15-45 covers the 24-70mm range. There is the 22mm lens which is meant to be fantastic with an equivalent range of 35mm. There is also the 11-22mm which is a great wide angle. Unfortunately i have a feeling the longer lenses arent too amazing... like the 55-200mm and its pretty slow.

Whats great about the EOS M cameras is that you get no penalty with using the adapter so you can mount anything in the canon lens selection and get almost identical autofocus performance. So the worlds your oyster really, just depends on budget.

Budget stuff like the 150-600 are incredible because your getting near enough 1000mm but you get what you pay for and its so huge with a little body that it might be a bit unwieldy.

On the smaller scale... I really love the 70-300mm L because its so compact and optically excellent, its equivalent to 112-480mm on the M5 which is a great range to have. Cant really go wrong with a fixed aperture 70-200mm F2.8 110-320mm equivalent and it will take a 1.4x extender and 2x extender. With the 2x extender your getting 640mm and at F5.6, I used this combo for years shooting wildlife before I got more serious about it and it has a similar image quality to the 100-400mm MKI but the AF does suffer a little. Ive got some great results in the past with that combo...

These are all on my 5DMKIII with the 70-200mm with x2

Puffin with a mouth full of Sand Eels, Farne Islands, Seahouses by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Puffin in flight with a mouth full of Sand Eels, Farne Islands, Seahouses by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Grey Seal, Farne Islands, Seahouses, UK by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Great for race meets too because you can use the 70-200mm on its own at 2.8 to shoot the cars on show and then stick the 2x or 1.4 on it to shoot on the track.

BMW CSL 1973, Batmobile, Colin Turkington, Jet Super Touring Car Trophy, Silverstone Classic 2014 by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Courage C26S, Group C, 1989, Sarthe, Silverstone Classics 2015 by Tom Scott, on Flickr

 

[hopz121]

Thanks Tom that's great stuff.

I have read good things about those 2 mirror less lenses you have advised too.

Wasn't sure if the 17-55 EFS F2.8 would be the better lens though?

 

[tomscott]

Thanks Tom that's great stuff.

I have read good things about those 2 mirror less lenses you have advised too.

Wasn't sure if the 17-55 EFS F2.8 would be the better lens though?

The M lens mount is different to the EF-S and EF mount so you would still need an adapter. But it is an excellent lens had mine a long time one of the first decent lenses I bought. Unfortunately the things you read about it being a dust magnet is true mine is absolutely full, thankfully it doesn't effect the image quality but not nice spending so much and then seeing all the dust inside :? There isnt a better crop standard zoom, the only one with a fixed 2.8 aperture.

 

[hopz121]

Thanks Tom that's great stuff.

I have read good things about those 2 mirror less lenses you have advised too.

Wasn't sure if the 17-55 EFS F2.8 would be the better lens though?

The M lens mount is different to the EF-S and EF mount so you would still need an adapter. But it is an excellent lens had mine a long time one of the first decent lenses I bought. Unfortunately the things you read about it being a dust magnet is true mine is absolutely full, thankfully it doesn't effect the image quality but not nice spending so much and then seeing all the dust inside :? There isnt a better crop standard zoom, the only one with a fixed 2.8 aperture.

I already have the adaptor Tom I got it in the kit

Yea I have heard about the dust and also the IS fails eventually too, but it looks a great lens with super sharp images.

 

[tomscott]

Just meant if you wanted a native lens rather than having the adapter on all the time.

Worth having a go with one, think I bought mine in 2008 and still going strong

 

[Joneeboy]

Superb shots, Tom and a great contribution to the thread. What camera do you use, out of interest?

Thanks! My love of image making is probably more than my love for cars.

I use a lot of different cameras depending on what im shooting.

Generally I use Canon, love the lenses and options they give.

In my arsenal atm I use a 70D 7DMKII 6DMKII and a 5DMKIV. Depending on the event i once and a while rent a 1DX II but for the majority of my use the above works well. Previous to that I have had a dual set of 5DMKIIIs which i put around 500,000 shots between them over the 4 years I had them. They shutters are only "rated" to 150,000 each and I didnt replace either. Unfortunately my house was burgled earlier in 2017 and one was stolen so I swapped the other out for a MKIV and bought a 6DMKII to go with it.

Zoom Lenses I use
16-35 F2.8 L MKII
24-70 F2.8 L MKI
24-105 F4 L MKI
70-200 F2.8 L IS MKII
100-400 F4.5-5.6 L MKII
1.4 X MKIII
2 x MKII

Primes
35mm F1.4 MKII
50mm F1.2 MKII
85mm F1.2 MKII
135mm F2

The primes tend not to get used so much anymore because the zooms are so good, use them mostly for weddings. With the 70-200 covering the 85-135mm lengths i usually dont use them but the 85mm gives the most beautiful rendering of DOF so for head and shoulder portraits I do really enjoy it. The problem with the 1.2 apertures is you get around 5-10mm of focus and its super slow so nailing focus is difficult even with the 5DMKIV focus system the hit rate isnt great. If I do use it I tend to shoot at F2 to give me more room but then the 70-200 is a 2.8 and its hit rate is very high so generally it gets sidelined.

For the crop cameras I also use the EFS 17-55mm F2.8

I prefer the zooms because of their versatility also with the newer camera ISO performance the apertures arent a huge problem im happy shooting all of the full frame cameras to 6400 and at a push 10000 and the 7DMKII at a push 6400 and the 70D isnt so good so 2500, 3200 max, use the 70D mostly for video. If im shooting certain race meets I do sometimes rent a 300mm F2.8, for the amount of time I use it its not economical to add it to my kit.

The cameras themselves are super reliable, ive dropped them out of moving vehicles had them through some of the toughest places on earth like the amazon, plains of Africa, deserts, Arctic etc and also drenched them at race meets shooting for 8+ hours in yellow weather warnings with it raining sideways and only had one camera fail, that was at the race meet. Put it in a towel over night and in an airing cupboard and the next day booted back up again. I tend not to worry too much about the cameras but buy the latest lenses as they make much more difference now adays. The upgrades to cameras has become so small these days that if you cant get good images with even entry level DSLRs there is an issue with the photographer not the gear.

Canon cameras are certainly not at the edge of innovation anymore but CPS turns around repairs in a couple of days and its so rare to have to send them in. The big issue atm is dynamic range and the 5DMKIV is the best in my kit but the 6DMKII was slated at launch etc etc

Funnily enough the 6DMKII is my favorite of the above currently. Because I use light modification and expose for the situation and often bracket to ensure I dont have issues i rarely find myself going near the dynamic range limit of any of my cameras (apart from the 70D). The Canon cameras like the 5DMKIII also had issues with banding and purple shadows when using recovering shadows but I have found the 6DMKII to be basically a 5DMKIII with the two main image quality issues resolved and at 50% of the cost.

The main problem for me is the 1 card slot, doesnt leave me any redundancy. Again in the hundreds of thousands of images I have taken, ive never had a card fail (touch wood) and the only issue I had was with one of my SD cards where the lock switch on the side was loose so when you put it into the camera it would lock and you couldnt write to it.

Main reason I love it is because of the flippy touch screen, love them on the other cameras but to have it on a full frame camera just creates new possibilities that weren't available to me before. The wifi and GPS is also amazing being able to send a raw file over to my iphone or ipad and making an edit in lightroom (which is excellent) and then instantly being able to post is novelty and great fun. Also I travel a lot so having the GPS is fantastic to know where I was.

The main reason I like Canon over the others is ive been shooting with them for about 20 years, I have a huge investment in the lenses and camera bodies are just one aspect of the bigger picture. The service for a professional is also one of the main selling points.

I have been very intrigued with the sony offerings and although they are excellent the build quality and weather sealing just wouldn't be practical for me, they break far too easily and sonys servicing is almost non existent with turn around times being 6-8 weeks not a couple of days. They also make most of their cameras redundant every 12 months with new models and the lens selection isnt there yet. But the main factor is that the lenses are similar size to a DSLR and the bodies are tiny, my hands are too big for the body. The ergonomics are the main drawback for me, with a big lens attached to such a small body the balance is so far out that it can hinder image taking as well as straining the wrist.

Apart from my commercial photography which is weddings, events, automotive and landscape my passion is wildlife and travel.

Couple of my faves (if you dont mind)

Gorillas in Uganda after a 6 hour hike though the rainforrest

Few from 3 months across africa

Fish Eagle, Lake Naivasha, Kenya by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Fish Eagle, Chobe National Park, Botswana by Tom Scott, on Flick

Fish river canyon

Indonesia

3 hour trek to find the orangutans

Diving with mantas of comodo island

Comodo island

I went up Mt bromo and when we got to the edge it erupted, apparently there was a 20km no go zone but the guide didnt think it was a big deal.... scariest but most incredible experience

This was at about 4am the next morning

Mt batur

Borobudur

Anyway miles more info than asked for but hope that gives some insight.

Superb shots, Tom!

I use Canon as well, but haven't changed them for years!

I've got an:
EOS 650, film camera, which is ancient!
An EOS 300D, 28-70mm and an 80-210mm
A G4 Compact
A G12 Compact

I think the G12 is the newest but must be at least 12-15 years old!

 

[Anmarube]

Photography is simple but taking interesting photos is difficult. I’m a budding photographer myself; I have all the kit and I know how to use it. However, I rarely get a boot photo of my car because I just don’t see the correct picture. Occasionally I happen to bump into a good one but it’s mostly by chance.
I’ll post a few when I get a chance...

Same here dude. Easy to take a photo but out of probably a 100 I get to see one that may make the cut.
Still enjoy it though. Went out Sunday morning for a couple of hours in the frost. (Wildlife etc) Took roughly 300 shots and think 2 are ok. What a cracking morning though.

 

[SteveSmith]

Unbelievable photos Tom! Did you get my email?

 

[tomscott]

Unbelievable photos Tom! Did you get my email?

I did apologies been busy will get it sorted tomorrow for you

 

[SteveSmith]

Unbelievable photos Tom! Did you get my email?

I did apologies been busy will get it sorted tomorrow for you

Don’t be silly! I just wanted to make sure I had typed the email correctly!! I’m absolutely blown away by your photos! The wildlife ones are incredible!

 

[buzyg]

You have truly been making he most of life's opportunities Tom? The Mt Butar pic is surreal 8) How much of that work is post production?

 

[tomscott]

You have truly been making he most of life's opportunities Tom? The Mt Butar pic is surreal 8) How much of that work is post production?

I have been fortunate to be able to travel as much as I have. Selling the Z4M paid for the majority of it, although I miss the car it was certainly worth it! Gives a different perspective about life when you see how others live outside your culture and incredible memories! Its also a completely different feeling seeing the animals in the wild.

I do a fair amount of post but there wasn't too much with that one really, pretty much came out as it was little bit of vibrance and equalizing of the exposure. Massive cloud inversion which was incredible to see, again another one of Indonesian volcanoes. It was a long day we set off at about 2am to hike up to catch the sunrise and then they boiled some eggs in a geezer the usual touristy type thing. Beautiful scenery.

The Mt Bromo one of the volcanoe was a 30 second exposure and there was a little bit of moonlight behind me and it lit the scene. A bit of extra exposure and some clarity to add emphasis on the stars, that was about it! Edited that one on my phone i seem to remember. The place was full of people and had the camera mounted on a gorilla pod strapped to a gate post... lol!

I was lucky many were disappointed as there was so much inverted cloud from the eruption you couldnt really see anything for the whole morning from 3am through 7 when the sun came up and cleared the cloud. There was a small break in the cloud and that image was the result. The only one that really came out that you could see what was going on. Its very rare to see the Milky way with the naked eye, but I did use the starwalk app to realise it was there. I was also lucky that at the time we were there it was right above. One of those right time right place.

It was such a crazy experience, walking up the volcano with us all being very worried and scared thinking we shouldnt be here... and the guide said it was fine. We were the only ones there, for a reason. there was a 20km restriction zone because of the activity, then the eruption it was like a bomb going off and the cloud went up and around us like a mushroom. We were absolutely covered in ash and the smell of sulfur was unbearable. Lava started shooting out in small amounts then in large amounts and we decided it was time to go.

I have some video footage but haven't managed to edit it yet. The GF did manage to capture the initial eruption on video unfortunately she uploaded it the wrong way round but gives you an idea of how intense it was.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BED6kvcFYVZ/?taken-by=toobusylivin

 

[enzed4]

Absolutely stunning photography, Tom, and a lot of very good advice for us amateurs wanting to better our skills. Thank you for taking the time.
I would have to add that timing (as you mentioned) and access, which you implied by being allowed into the restricted area where you captured the volcano activity, can make a huge difference. I would not have captured this without 'access'. I know not to dally in the arc of the rotors, but I couldn't resist turning around a grabbing a quick shot after exiting - no zoom required. :wink:


Photography can be so rewarding, and so very, very frustrating. I wish we'd had today's digital technology 20-30 years ago to make up for all of the film I wasted on bad shots :lol:

 

[GBZ4]

Wow those pictures are fantastic, I really wish mine would come out looking like that. Mine always look flat and boring, how do you get them looking so alive?