07-10-2010, 02:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-10-2010, 02:10 PM by Brightcolours.)
[quote name='adifrank' date='10 July 2010 - 12:56 PM' timestamp='1278762993' post='937']
Hi. Got my first DSLR camera - the 5D mark ii - about a week ago. While reading through the manual and learning about it, some questions came up. I was hoping that maybe someone here who is familiar with the camera might be able to help me better understand a few things.
My questions:
1. PICTURE STYLE - I'm not sure what to make of the Picture Style options that the camera has. My instinct tells me that I should just set it to the most neutral and flat setting, leaving all processing to Photoshop, or other post software. So is my gut feeling correct? or am I overlooking a great and useful feature of the 5D mark ii? Assuming the former, I'm a bit confused as to which Picture Style setting would give me the most neutral image to work with - Standard? Neutral? or Faithful?[/quote]
Picture styles CAN come in handy, when you have figured them out. Using DPP, it can save you a lot of tinkering in post processing to get a lot of photos look right. Of course, just like all other features, it is up to you to decide whether to use it.
Just like your whitebalance settings, your sharpening and so on, with shooting in RAW, DPP will take the camera settings as default settings for the image for the conversion. Making picture styles yourself is very difficult, as the way to model them is different than what most are used to. That is probably also why not so many are to be found online.
You can upload custom picture styles to your camera and use them within DPP.
[quote name='adifrank' date='10 July 2010 - 12:56 PM' timestamp='1278762993' post='937']
2. COLOR SPACE - I'm assuming that the choice of selecting sRGB or Adobe RGB is for jpeg files only. Correct? So if I am recording both RAW and JPG, the RAW file will not be affected in any way by my selection in the camera menu between sRGB and Adobe RGB. Am I right here?[/quote]
You are right, the colour space gets determined during the conversion of the RAW file within (for instance) DPP. The in-camera setting is mostly for JPEG. Of course, the JPEG preview embedded into the RAW file is affected (it goes through the normal JPEG processing line, so all settings that impact JPEG images will also impact the preview image).
[quote name='adifrank' date='10 July 2010 - 12:56 PM' timestamp='1278762993' post='937']
3. AF MODES - I understand the difference in functionality between One-Shot AF, AI Focus AF and AI Servo AF. Yet, since AI Servo seems to cover both other two options - in what case would someone choose to select an AF mode other than AI Servo? I'm sure there is a reason for the other two options, I just can't think of it. Even for someone like myself who normally photographs objects which are not moving - is there a downside I am overlooking to have my camera always set to AI Servo?[/quote]
Wrong.
One shot AF focusses and then locks the focus. With normal and more or less static subjects, this is the preferred mode. It enables you to focus and recompose normally, and once focus is locked nothing will make it jump out of focus all of a sudden. You can only make a shot when focus lock is reached.
AI-Servo keeps on focussing. You have to separate focus and shutter (move focus from the shutter button) in order to be able to focus and recompose. You will never get focus confirmation, and you can take a shot without focus having been reached.
AI focus AF is a mix of both. It will focus and give focus confirmation, but will start to refocus when a significant shift in focus has occurred. It can be temperamental and usually does NOT behave exactly how you wish it would behave. That is why it is the least favorite AF mode for most people, most people use one shot AF and/or AI servo.
[quote name='adifrank' date='10 July 2010 - 12:56 PM' timestamp='1278762993' post='937']
These are my questions (so far...). I'd really appreciate your explanations and advice. Thanks in advance.
Maybe more questions coming later... <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
' />
[/quote]
Hi. Got my first DSLR camera - the 5D mark ii - about a week ago. While reading through the manual and learning about it, some questions came up. I was hoping that maybe someone here who is familiar with the camera might be able to help me better understand a few things.
My questions:
1. PICTURE STYLE - I'm not sure what to make of the Picture Style options that the camera has. My instinct tells me that I should just set it to the most neutral and flat setting, leaving all processing to Photoshop, or other post software. So is my gut feeling correct? or am I overlooking a great and useful feature of the 5D mark ii? Assuming the former, I'm a bit confused as to which Picture Style setting would give me the most neutral image to work with - Standard? Neutral? or Faithful?[/quote]
Picture styles CAN come in handy, when you have figured them out. Using DPP, it can save you a lot of tinkering in post processing to get a lot of photos look right. Of course, just like all other features, it is up to you to decide whether to use it.
Just like your whitebalance settings, your sharpening and so on, with shooting in RAW, DPP will take the camera settings as default settings for the image for the conversion. Making picture styles yourself is very difficult, as the way to model them is different than what most are used to. That is probably also why not so many are to be found online.
You can upload custom picture styles to your camera and use them within DPP.
[quote name='adifrank' date='10 July 2010 - 12:56 PM' timestamp='1278762993' post='937']
2. COLOR SPACE - I'm assuming that the choice of selecting sRGB or Adobe RGB is for jpeg files only. Correct? So if I am recording both RAW and JPG, the RAW file will not be affected in any way by my selection in the camera menu between sRGB and Adobe RGB. Am I right here?[/quote]
You are right, the colour space gets determined during the conversion of the RAW file within (for instance) DPP. The in-camera setting is mostly for JPEG. Of course, the JPEG preview embedded into the RAW file is affected (it goes through the normal JPEG processing line, so all settings that impact JPEG images will also impact the preview image).
[quote name='adifrank' date='10 July 2010 - 12:56 PM' timestamp='1278762993' post='937']
3. AF MODES - I understand the difference in functionality between One-Shot AF, AI Focus AF and AI Servo AF. Yet, since AI Servo seems to cover both other two options - in what case would someone choose to select an AF mode other than AI Servo? I'm sure there is a reason for the other two options, I just can't think of it. Even for someone like myself who normally photographs objects which are not moving - is there a downside I am overlooking to have my camera always set to AI Servo?[/quote]
Wrong.
One shot AF focusses and then locks the focus. With normal and more or less static subjects, this is the preferred mode. It enables you to focus and recompose normally, and once focus is locked nothing will make it jump out of focus all of a sudden. You can only make a shot when focus lock is reached.
AI-Servo keeps on focussing. You have to separate focus and shutter (move focus from the shutter button) in order to be able to focus and recompose. You will never get focus confirmation, and you can take a shot without focus having been reached.
AI focus AF is a mix of both. It will focus and give focus confirmation, but will start to refocus when a significant shift in focus has occurred. It can be temperamental and usually does NOT behave exactly how you wish it would behave. That is why it is the least favorite AF mode for most people, most people use one shot AF and/or AI servo.
[quote name='adifrank' date='10 July 2010 - 12:56 PM' timestamp='1278762993' post='937']
These are my questions (so far...). I'd really appreciate your explanations and advice. Thanks in advance.
Maybe more questions coming later... <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
' />[/quote]