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Canon EOS 5D Review • Metering
Peter
Kun Frary
Exposure Controls
Gone are the Basic
Zone and Creative Zone designations
of the EOS 10D, 20D and Elan series.
Instead the 5D merely has a single "basic" mode,
Full Auto, and the usual semi-automatic
and manual modes. As its name implies,
Full Auto does everything for you except aim and press the button. The
semiautomatic and manual modes make up the bulk of exposure
modes: Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual.
The glaring omission is Depth of Field mode (DEP).
Save Full Auto and DEP mode, these are the same modes found
in most 1 series cameras.
MGM Grand,
Las Vegas • EOS
5D, EF 24-105 4L IS USM • 1/13 sec, F4, ISO 800, -1
EC, IS engaged
The modes
are clearly labeled and available at the twist of the Mode Dial (Command
Dial in vintage EOS jargon), a big
knob on the top left of the camera. The
Mode Dial feels solid but is easier
to turn than the dial used on the Elan 7NE.
Surprisingly there is no lock button,
so some may wander from mode to mode unintentionally.
The $350 Elan 7NE sports a lock button on the Mode Dial.
Any of the semiautomatic
and manual modes may be customized with special drive, AF and
flash settings; custom functions; -2 to +2 of exposure compensation; various
file formats, pictures styles and
auto bracketing. You may save your favorite combination
of exposure mode,
metering pattern, drive, AF, etc., as a Camera User Setting
(C), ready to dial-in at a single stroke.
Full Auto and Program AE (P) follow
similar exposure algorithms. However, Program AE allows user
customization and manual overrides. Full
Auto is merely a crippled Program
AE mode and is therefore redundant
and unnecessary. The only possible
use for Full Auto is protecting your camera from
tyros pressing
a wrong button when they borrow your camera.
Most
buttons and user settings are are
disabled in Full Auto.
Top Deck View • 5D top is simple & uncluttered • EOS
50D, EF-s 17-55 2.8 IS USM, ST-E2, 430EX
Unfortunately, often
Full Auto chooses silly aperture/shutter combinations.
For example, with an EF 50 1.4
USM mounted and camera pointed out the window, both Full Auto
and Program AE indicate F3.5 at 1/500 sec. This is a sensible
exposure with an EF 300 2.8L USM. However, F4.5 at 1/250 or
F6.7 at 1/25 are better choices with a 50 mm lens. Although
you may shift the program in Program AE, you're
stuck with it in Full Auto. Full
Auto is completely out of place on this
camera.
Where is DEP
Mode?
Curiously, the EOS 5D lacks DEP
mode. Heck it even lacks the crippled A-DEP mode
found on the Rebels and the 10D/20D/30D. Although it ain't a
deal killer, I miss DEP mode.
DEP has been one of my favorite modes
since I bought an EOS 10S in 1990. Every EOS camera since the
early 90s has some form of DEP mode, so this is odd indeed. DEP
mode automatically sets optimal F-stop and hyperfocal settings
for maximum depth of field. Back in the day, we stopped down
and used the depth of field (DOF) scale to manually set hyperfocal
distance. Of course, back in the day most lenses were primes
and had distance and DOF scales. Today, many zooms lack both
distance and DOF scales and, subsequently, there isn't a practical
way to maximize DOF. That is, until Canon invented DEP mode then
tossed it aside.
Meter Patterns & Metering
Like the 1 series,
the EOS 5D has four metering
patterns: evaluative, center-weighted,
8% partial and 3.5% spot. Like
the Elan 7NE, Rebel
XT and 20D, the 5D
uses a 35-zone silicon photocell (SPC) for metering. These zones
are evaluated by the camera's CPU render better exposures biased
to the active AF point.
Unlike earlier
cameras like the EOS 5 and Elan 7, partial or spot metering
can't be linked to the active AF point.
Urban Palm • EOS
5D & EF 70-200 4L USM
Exposure Accuracy
I mainly shot chromes with EOS film
cameras and was accustomed to exacting
exposure requirements and narrow latitude. The EOS 3 and Elan
7NE nail exposure about 90% of the time in Evaluative metering
mode. The remainder of the time I used spot metering, exposure
compensation or substitute metering techniques to arrive at a
desired exposure. I found 5D
metering to be accurate and consistent most of the time. However
sunny day landscapes in Hawai need -1/3 to -1/2 exposure
compensation to keep highlights from blowing
out! What's the deal here?
My EOS 5D's
meter is perfect according to the "sunny
F16 rule." That is, with ISO 100, a meter reading
off a Kodak gray card or a clear blue northern sky
indicates 1/100 at F16 in the midday
Hawaiian sun. This is a good test for any
meter and affords a standard of comparison between different
bodies.
Why
is exposure compensation needed if the meter is dead on? Digital
sensors have narrow exposure latitude and, thus, can't record
the extremes of shadows and highlights present on a sunny day. Unfortunately,
the CMOS sensor is less tolerant of overexposure
than slide film. Thus, highlights blow out or clip with slight
overexposure. Thus, you'll need
to place important highlights at one extreme of the photographic
range (far right of histogram) and let the mids and shadows fall
where they may.
The 5D's
CMOS sensor has a recording range of 5-6 stops
in JPEG mode, similar to slide film and half that of print film.
If you do a little fancy dancing during RAW
conversion, you can dig out a couple more stops of shadow detail. However
a clipped highlight is gone forever, hence the -1/3 EC on sunny
days. In dimmer light--overcast landscapes--exposure
is usually dead on and exposure compensation isn't needed.
All meters can be fooled and you
must learn when to override them (e.g., bright sunsets, strong backlight,
predominantly light or dark scenes). The key is to meter for
important highlights--i.e., place them on the extreme right of
the histogram--and let the shadows go black.
Meter Range
The EOS 5D
has meter range of EV 1-20, same
as the Elan 7 and 10D. I find this curious as
the AF range is mismatched at EV -.5 to 18. Of course
in practice it's better to have more AF
sensitivity rather than less. However, the 1991 Elan had
a metering range of EV -1 to 20. I want the 2 extra stops of
meter sensitivity back!
Picture Styles
Although
the names of individual Picture Styles may lead some to believe
this a replacement for the "Basic Zone" modes, this
is totally different. Instead of programmed camera setting,
e.g., AI Servo with large aperture, these are formulas for image
color and contrast processing. I
think of them as different types of film.
None of them correspond to a specific type of film. Sorry Velvia
and Portra fans. However, there are 6 preset looks or
styles available visa the LCD menu: Standard,
Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome, plus
3 User Defined settings.
Any of the styles may
be tweaked with your own color and contrast
preferences. For faster access, you can assign your favorite
setting to the "C" position on the Mode Dial.
If
you shoot RAW, change styles during conversion in Digital Photo
Professional (DPP). If RAW files are processed in DPP, this
feature also works on files from earlier cameras such as the
EOS 10D and D30. Additional styles may be downloaded from Canon
but are useable only in DPP (you can't use them in Photoshop
for example).
I don't
find Picture Styles to be an earth shattering feature but often
find one or more of the styles pleasing. If you find one you
like, you'll save a little time post-processing in Photoshop.
Kamehameha I • Honolulu • EOS
5D, EF 24-105 4LIS USM
Image
Quality
One of the main differences
between DSLR and point 'n shoot
digicams is digicam images are highly processed in-camera. That
is, they have large amounts of sharpening, saturation and contrast
automatically added to the image upon capture.Thus,
digicam images are optimized from the getgo to look good on computer
monitors. DSLRs have little or no processing added
to the image. Even if you adjust parameters to maximum settings,
you still can't duplicate the heavily
processed look of digicams. Why are DSLRs designed this way?
To simulate the photographic look of film--rather than a processed
digital look--and allow the user to apply creative options according
to taste and need.
With that said, 5D image
quality is nothing short of breathtaking, and may be enlarged
to poster
sized prints without misgivings or apologies. Noise performance
at high ISO is the best I have seen. EOS
5D images shot at ISO 1600 are as clean as 10D images at
ISO 400. Of course the sheer size of 5D images enhance the
noiseless impression: full frame images require
less enlargement than 1.6x crop bodies, making noise even less
apparent than their smaller siblings. Using an Apple Cinema display,
I can see noise in 10D and 20D images
at "fit to
screen" sizes. EOS 5D files require several more levels of zoom
to get to that point!
I was still
seeing plenty of detail in 4000dpi film scans that were unresolved
in 10D images. Sure the
10D files were grainless and smoother than film scans,
but scans of Portra 160 landscapes resolved every blade of grass,
whereas the 10D revealed only a pretty green blur. The 5D has
finally put my Portra 160 and Provia 100 to rest. May they rest
in peace.
Digital Work Flow
DSLR
images are designed primarily for printing and that's where they
really show their stuff. Think
of EOS 5D files as digital negatives.
Negatives need interpretation--adjustment--to look their best.
Here's my basic workflow:
1. I upload RAW images to
computer via card reader and open thumbnails in Digital
Photo Professional (DPP).
2. If needed, I adjust parameters
(WB, exposure compensation, etc.) or Picture Styles in DPP to
taste.
3. After parameter adjustments,
I convert to a lossless format such as 16-bit TIFF. This
file will serve as my master work file.
4. Photoshop adjustments--levels,
saturation and contrast control--are
performed if needed and saved.
4. Finally, I resize and sharpen
multiple versions for specific print sizes or web display
(I use "Save As" for optimized JPEG versions).
Never save a master work file as
a JPEG. Always use TIFF or native Photoshop image format. If
adjustments are needed in the future, you can tweak the
master work file in without loss of image quality.
If you
screw up the work master, you can
convert the RAW file again to 16-bit TIFF and start over
(hopefully you stored it in a safe place!). Unfortunately,
uploading, browsing and converting is time consuming, more
so than using a light table.
With digital you do all the lab work!
With film you pay the lab to do it.
EOS 5D
files need much fewer adjustments
than film scans. They also need
fewer adjustments than
10D files. My initial reaction to the
vivid detail, color and sharpness in 5D files was utter astonishment.
Man this is a great camera. Unfortunately I
quickly discovered which of my lenses weren't so great, especially
around the edges. So expect hidden expenses as lens upgrades
will be
eminent upon purchase of a 5D!
Why Raw Files?
Why do I shoot RAW instead of JPEG? It yields ultimate quality images with maximum
control and creative options. Raw image characteristics may be
altered in Digital Photo Professional (DPP) without degrading
data. Plus, most of the parameters in DPP are the same parameters
available in camera: exposure compensation, white balance, sharpness,
contrast, color tone, saturation, color space and display size.
DPP allows you to apply parameter changes as if set when the
picture was taken.
Canon's conversion applications
get the job done extremely well. The resulting TIFF file requires fewer post-conversion
tweaks than Photoshop CS or Phase
One Capture One DSLR.
If you work with RAW files regularly, you'll crave a fast computer.
EOS 5D files are large and take a lot longer to process than
the small 10D files I was used to.
There are other RAW converters available
if you're willing to pay. Of course, Photoshop CS3, CS4 and CS5 ship with an
excellent RAW conversion plug-in and is a must-have for 5D
owners. Apple
Aperture is wonderful and my app of choice. Of course, Adobe's Lightroom is
also promising. Phase
One Capture One DSLR is reputed to be the best RAW converter
but, at $500, it better be.
©Copyright 2006-2011
by Peter Kun Frary • All Rights Reserved
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