CANON 50mm f/1.2 L USM LENS REVIEW

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.


Do you want to get some intense shallow depth of field? Well, there are many ways of doing this, but if you have the cash one fine way is via a full frame camera like the Canon 5D MkII matched with the 50mm f/1.2 lens. I took this photo at our annual San Miguel de Allende Photo and DSLR Filmmaking Workshops last year. This is a straight photo with no photoshop retouching. As you can see, the photo has a very thin slice of focus:

I have used this lens quite a bit since its release, and have found that the images taken at f/1.2 have a soft-ish glow to them, which can either be good or bad depending on your subject matter. From the perspective of a commercial photographer, it is unlikely that they would be utilizing such an f-stop very often. Fashion photographers may enjoy the radical depth-of-field options, but they would not rely on f/1.2 for every shot. DSLR filmmakers tend to play around at f/2.8 to f/5.6 due to moving subjects. So, who could make regular use of this lens when used wide-open (lowest f number)? I think nature, wedding, film & theatre, and street photographers. 

Nature Photography: While you have limited ability to get really close to the subject matter, using a full frame DSLR photographing flowers will result in some pretty cool shots. Here are some more photos that I took in the same cactus garden:

These nature photos are for sale as fine art prints for your wall by clicking here

Street photographers and wedding photographers share a similar skill set; catch the moment in  a split second because if you miss it, it will never happen again. I am not saying that this lens is greater than average regards focusing speed, rather the ability to shoot in darker environments at f/1.2 allows for a greater chance of "getting the shot". Further, if a wedding photographer wants to mix flash with ambient light, shooting at f/1.2 will allow for a sharper image due to a faster shutter speed.

The Canon 1DX sports an incredible maximum ISO of just over 200,000! To put that into perspective, when I used to buy film I would rarely go above ISO 800 except for artistic applications. The Canon 50mm f/1.2 mixed with the 1DX camera body would be able to see in the dark.

On-set stills photographers need fast lenses as shutter speeds are required to be in the range of 1/45 of a second, at ISO 800 or so. When I worked in the movie industry I was always frustrated that I had to jack up my ISO just to get a shot that wasn't blurry (due to the actors moving around). A fast lens on a newer DSLR with usable high ISO abilities would suit stills photographers well.

Finally, you pay a high premium for f/1.2! If you can get by with f/1.8 you can save a ton of money, and still get amazingly sharp images.

Feel free to leave a comment about your experiences with this lens, or any other thing that comes to mind! To hire Mark as a photographer or filmmaker, visit his production company website at www.hemmingshouse.com

TEXTURE PHOTOS

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

Most of the photographs that people take have a subject and a background. Even if there are multiple subjects in the image, there will usually be a separation between the subjects and the (preferably) subservient background.

Texture-style photos are different however. They have no subject nor a background . . . the only defining element to these images are color variations, and a multitude of small and uniform objects. In the case of this foliage photo that I took last week, the small and uniform objects are the individual leaves.

The key to getting good texture shots is to back up, and allow a lot of the scenery into the camera lens. The individual objects (leaves) should be small enough so that they lose their identity amongst their neighbors. The result is a painterly image, often inducing calm and tranquility in the viewer.

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

VIBRATION REDUCTION

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

I was doing a job last week for a major ski and golf resort, set in the beautiful Laurentian Mountains in Quebec. While walking around the various properties we came across a family of deer. We were at a distance such that a 200mm zoom lens was required, and luckily it was already on my camera.

You may have noticed that the longer your lens is zoomed to, the shakier your photos become when not using a tripod. This can really be demonstrated by looking through a telescope; one minor vibration of the tripod, and the whole celestial scene shakes for a few seconds! For wildlife photography, using a tripod is usually not convenient, so the latest solution is to purchase an Image Stabilizing lens, or sometimes called a Vibration Reduction lens.

Even though the sample photo of the deer seems nice and bright, my shutter speed was slow enough that the photo would have been shaky and blurry. I turned on the image stabilizing feature on my lens, and immediately the scene became stable, and I was able to get a sharp photo. Although I am not an expert on the mechanics of vibration reduction, my understanding is that a gyroscope with sensors tells the lens to move the opposite direction of your camera shake, thus canceling the unwanted movement. These corrective lens movements happen in milliseconds . . . incredible technology!

Although more expensive than normal zoom lenses, if you enjoy nature or sports photography, an image stabilizing lens might be a worthwhile investment. Depending on the brand, they often go by the names IS (Image Stabilizing Lens) and VR (Vibration Reduction Lens).

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

FRONT LIGHTING

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

I am a great fan of back lighting, and I seem to use the technique on most photo shoots. Front lighting, however, is very necessary and effective for certain subjects.

One of the most dramatic uses of front lighting (when a light source illuminates the front of a subject) is when you are photographing flowers on a cloud-less day. As in the attached sample photo of the sunflower that I photographed last week, the early morning sun was creating a far brighter subject (flower), than the background (blue sky). As I reduced my exposure of the sunflower the results were a continually deeper and richer blue sky.

Front lighting has the effect of making backgrounds darker. This is especially true if the background is at a great distance from the subject. Regardless what the subject is, because it is closer to the light source it will receive a majority of the light, and only a small percentage will reach the background. Use this to your advantage by choosing backgrounds that will compliment the subject matter. In this case the dark blue background works very well with the yellow flower, as the two colors are opposite on the color wheel, and the darker tones of the background sky accentuate the flower’s details.

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

COLOR WASH

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

If you have ever wondered how nature photographers get that nice 'color wash' in their nature photos, here is how it is done:

Make sure your f-number (aperture) is the lowest possible for your particular lens. Then crawl around in the grass until you find the right scene, and then place foreground flowers DIRECTLY ON YOUR LENS. Don't be afraid if the flowers actually touch the glass.

Experimentation is very important; sometimes the technique works, and other times it doesn't. The soft color cast is dependent on how much of the grass or flowers touch the lens, and what color the flowers are. Try a few different positions, and eventually you will get a shot similar to the above sample photo.

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

BACKLIGHTING

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

This technique works very well with flowers in the late afternoon or early morning, when the sun is low in the sky. Set your lens aperture (f-stop) to the lowest number possible, which will give your image a shallow depth of field. Compose your photo so that the flowers or buds that are closest to your lens are the center of focus. Now shift your position so that the sun is just barely shining directly into the lens. Do not stare at the sun for too long, as it can do damage to your eyes.

After your photo is taken, you should see a beautiful "wash" of warm light throughout your image, as well as lens flare. In this instance, lens flare is an asset!

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

IMPRESSIONISTIC PHOTOS

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

An easy way to get your flower photos to look like a painting:
1. Put your camera on Aperture Priority and set your lens to its lowest f-stop number. In this case, a 50mm f1.4 lens works best, but use whatever you have.
2. If you are using digital, set your camera's saturation level to high, and white balance to Shade setting. If you are using a film camera, place a warming filter or orange gel in front of the lens. Use a very saturated slide film like Fuji Velvia or Kodak VS.
2. Hand-hold this photo, no tripods needed.
3. Place your lens on manual focus, and focus above the flowers, somewhere between the tops of the flowers and your camera.
4. Try a few different photos with different levels of de-focus, and choose the best one. I have found that overcast days work best for this technique. Have fun!

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

USING SUN FLARE

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

Sun flare is a phenomenon where direct sunlight comes into contact with the many pieces of glass in your lens, and then creates mostly unwanted flares and reflections in your photographs. The way to avoid sun flare is to use your lens's hood, or simply place your hand in front and to the side of the lens, thus blocking the direct rays of the sun from coming into contact with your lens surface.

There are a few times when allowing sun flare can be good for a photograph. In the case of this attached image of the clouds, I waited until the sun was just coming out from behind the cloud and took the shot. I knew that because of the great intensity of the sun, the camera would automatically reduce the exposure, making the background very dark and dramatic.

This type of shot can be very dangerous to your eyes, so I would advise the following: Wear sunglasses, and have your camera on auto exposure. The only time you should be looking through the lens is to quickly get the right composition, then close your eyes and take the shot. Allow your camera to choose the exposure for you, and you might be surprised at the bold images that are a result. If you try the same image a number of times you will find that the sun flare always changes, because your composition will change slightly. Feel free to "bracket" your photos, which is taking many different shots at different exposures. You can lighten or darken your images even when the camera is set on auto exposure. The setting is called Exposure Compensation, and it usually identified with a symbol like this: +/-

Finally, this is the type of shot where older or cheaper lenses may be better, as they do not have as much anti-flare coating on the lens glass (compared to pro lenses). Again, avoid looking at the sun directly when composing the shot . . . you can do a lot of damage to your eyes.

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com