Post by Romy Ocon on Nov 18, 2009 3:28:28 GMT
When one shoots wild birds in available light (without the use of flash), it's often the case that exposures are not optimized during capture. This is due to various reasons - most commonly, the shooter has no time to adjust exposure settings before the skittish subject flies away.
This common birding scenario is where bigger pixels help a lot - in correcting exposure errors during RAW conversion and post processing. This is the reason why I love using my 40D (and 5D2/1D2 as well), and why I'm hesitant to shoot the 7D's tiny pixels.
I'm currently processing my better captures for my Signed Prints Gallery, and I reckon a photo I just finished processing is a great example of how larger pixels can take processing abuse and still maintain integrity.
Handsome Sunbird (Aethopyga bella, a Philippine endemic, male)
Shooting Info - Mt. Makiling, Laguna, November 30, 2007, 40D + 500 f4 IS + Canon 1.4x TC, 700 mm, f/5.6, ISO 800, 1/60 sec, 475B/3421 support, manual exposure in available light
1. Here's an uncropped full frame from ACR with as-shot exposure settings, only WB was corrected, resized to 900x600. Note that this is a severely underexposed ISO 800 shot using the 40D. When I push the shadows during RAW conversion, some areas of the subject will be effectively at much higher ISOs (perhaps ISO 1600-3200).
2. Here's the same uncropped full frame from ACR after exposure correction during conversion.
3. A semi-processed 100% crop - capture sharpening was applied, and some adjustments in levels/contrast/etc. were done in PS. No final sharpening and aggressive NR (except a very mild NR at ACR during conversion) was applied yet because the degree of application of such will depend on output size and media. A tiny speck of dirt behind the ear of the bird was also cloned out.
4. A processed version for web-posting - I extended the canvas a bit to the right and downward, then cropped to improve composition. I also cloned out the faint highlight above the back of the bird.
5. The original of this cropping/composition can be printed to 20" x 30", and that's amazing considering that it was shot underexposed at ISO 800 in the first place! Here's a 20"x30" version of this capture exhibited at the UP-Vargas Museum a while back (left-most frame). Feather detail is still good even when viewed up close.
Now, if Canon engineers will continue to cram tiny pixels into an APS-C size sensor in the future, I'll thank them for saving my money. I won't need to upgrade my APS-C bodies to newer bodies. ;D ;D ;D
This common birding scenario is where bigger pixels help a lot - in correcting exposure errors during RAW conversion and post processing. This is the reason why I love using my 40D (and 5D2/1D2 as well), and why I'm hesitant to shoot the 7D's tiny pixels.
I'm currently processing my better captures for my Signed Prints Gallery, and I reckon a photo I just finished processing is a great example of how larger pixels can take processing abuse and still maintain integrity.
Handsome Sunbird (Aethopyga bella, a Philippine endemic, male)
Shooting Info - Mt. Makiling, Laguna, November 30, 2007, 40D + 500 f4 IS + Canon 1.4x TC, 700 mm, f/5.6, ISO 800, 1/60 sec, 475B/3421 support, manual exposure in available light
1. Here's an uncropped full frame from ACR with as-shot exposure settings, only WB was corrected, resized to 900x600. Note that this is a severely underexposed ISO 800 shot using the 40D. When I push the shadows during RAW conversion, some areas of the subject will be effectively at much higher ISOs (perhaps ISO 1600-3200).
2. Here's the same uncropped full frame from ACR after exposure correction during conversion.
3. A semi-processed 100% crop - capture sharpening was applied, and some adjustments in levels/contrast/etc. were done in PS. No final sharpening and aggressive NR (except a very mild NR at ACR during conversion) was applied yet because the degree of application of such will depend on output size and media. A tiny speck of dirt behind the ear of the bird was also cloned out.
4. A processed version for web-posting - I extended the canvas a bit to the right and downward, then cropped to improve composition. I also cloned out the faint highlight above the back of the bird.
5. The original of this cropping/composition can be printed to 20" x 30", and that's amazing considering that it was shot underexposed at ISO 800 in the first place! Here's a 20"x30" version of this capture exhibited at the UP-Vargas Museum a while back (left-most frame). Feather detail is still good even when viewed up close.
Now, if Canon engineers will continue to cram tiny pixels into an APS-C size sensor in the future, I'll thank them for saving my money. I won't need to upgrade my APS-C bodies to newer bodies. ;D ;D ;D
