5 Tricks to Get the Best Dynamic Range Out of Your Canon Camera

[@vaskoobscura_]

Alright if you didn't know now you know and your photography skill just improved. If this video was helpful for you come say hi on Instagram and we can talk more photography. instagram.com/vaskoobscura_/

[@peteg330]

That's brilliant to know about the Canon sensor and the shadows, I'll work with that knowledge in the future. Thanks again for a great video.

[@vaskoobscura_]

Knowing is half the battle. Thank you for the comment glad you found the video useful. Learning about how Canon sensors work really improved my photography hope it helps you in the same way.

[@peteg330]

@@vaskoobscura_ it will, as I can how plan to shoot slightly under exposed and not worry about it as much as I have.

[@RickLincoln]

Many Canon shooters are going to benefit from your video. Nice to see someone not hawking ETTR too. A couple of suggestions: If you spot meter the bride's white dress and then lock that exposure in, you will get a gray dress. Spot meter readings of anything other than a mid-tone object like a gray card for instance need to be "placed". But, kudos to you for suggesting spot metering to begin with. It is a tool that once understood pays big dividends for having gone through the learning curve. The other...your recommendation to leave a polarizer on the camera might get some into unnecessary photo editing. Because the sky is not evenly polarized, shooting with a wide focal length, let's say 35mm or wider, that polarizer will create a very uneven and unrealistic sky. Your delivery is very professional and your photo examples really make the point that you are speaking to. Thanks for your work...

[@UraFlight]

Brilliant tips ! I’m never new about the brightest part in Canon sensors. Thank you for sharing with us. Your channel deserves lots more views. Today I’ve learned so many things from your videos 😊

[@vaskoobscura_]

Thank you i'm glad the video was helpful for you. I wish this channel had more views too. All I can do is keep putting out more quality content and hope the views start growing. Thanks for the comment.

[@UraFlight]

@@vaskoobscura_ Thank you for your reply. You are heading in right direction 🙂

[@vaskoobscura_]

@@UraFlight thank you.

[@MartinV.]

Great Video

[@vaskoobscura_]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@WilliemBills]

I AM SO HAPPY TO BE ONLINE RIGHT NOW!!! THANKS FOR SHARING

[@vaskoobscura_]

Thanks for the comment. Glad you found the video useful. Welcome to the the channel.

[@davetrumpet1]

Awesome! Thank you! Nicely explained so I can understand!

[@vaskoobscura_]

Glad it was helpful! Appreciate the comment.

[@Universal_Citizen9]

Well explained, good graphics, transitons and sound. AAA video 👍🏼

[@vaskoobscura_]

Much appreciated! This video took a long time to put together.

[@marcosuozzi]

Thank you so much Vasko. Always great watch your videos 👏👍🤗

[@vaskoobscura_]

You're welcome man. Appreciate all your support. Glad you liked the video.

[@odarrien]

Interesting tips than, you. Weird how you say the 'old days of DSLRS' though. So many dslr shooters are out here! 😅

[@vaskoobscura_]

Thanks glad you liked the video. You're right there certainly are a lot of people out there still shooting with DSLRs. I keep running into people still shooting with 5D mark III bodies. Those cameras just keep going and going.

[@chesterjohnson4504]

Very interesting with good suggestions. I am a long time Nikon DSLR user and of course Nikon film cameras. I recently went ML and since Nikon in my humble opinion did not have what I wanted in a ML I decided to go with Canon. I own 2 R5's with just enough RF lenses to get the job done. The info you have shared is very helpful. I was out in Montana last week doing mainly landscape shots and used a polarizer filter for what I was thinking for only a few shots. I forgot to take the polarizer off of the lens and continued shooting. When processing my images in LR I discovered a better over look in my images. I did not know why? Maybe this is the reason. My question is ND filters or stick with a polarizer? I still miss my Nikons for sentimental reasons but I am now to invested in the R5 to switch to the improved Nikon Z8.

[@vaskoobscura_]

My apologies I remember reading this comment and I thought I responded. A polarizer and ND filter both reduce the amount of light that comes into the camera but they do different things. ND filters block more light from getting into the camera but a polarizer reduces glare and reflections. For example if you're shooting trees the sun can reflect off the leaves causing the green color to be washed out. The polarizer will make colors look richer and brighter. If I were shooting landscapes I would always have a polarizer on my camera. Hope that helps.

[@Adventwore]

Excellent tips, altough I wouldn't recommend using Highlight tone priority, I done lots of testing and it results in ugly shadow noise. Thanks for the video.

[@vaskoobscura_]

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked the video. Yes that's the downside to using Highlight Tone Priority. You get noise in the shadows. But you can always get rid of noise in post production but you can't bring back blown out highlights in post. In the end it all comes down to your style of shooting. You gotta use the settings that work best for your style :) Appreciate the comment.

[@FlatWaterFilms]

Mirrorless cameras are wonderful. Many times I use spot metering and focus right on the edge of the subject at hand. Like you say the highlights can be blown out. I hate seeing all those zebra strips. Tried the D+ on a bright sunny day with the 5D IV and wasn't that impressed with the results. Just set up the R5 with D+ and will experiment next time out shooting. Also, Simon d'Entremont explained how the histogram works, which I get it now. So, I've been staying away from the ramp up on the right side because if your highlights are whited out, there's nothing to do in post to fix this, correct? Setup my stills for FV, haven't shot with it yet. Looks like a quick way to switch from AV to TV. Also I did the M-fn button program to switch from stills to video (M) and of course back button focus with the * button set to switch from one-shot to servo. Maybe I should just put it in auto. lol 😁

[@allenzhu2178]

Do you also underexpose by -1 EV when taking portraits with eye detection enabled? Will underexposing eye detection portraits make the eyes look worse (more grainy) as compared to taking the photos with the exposure set to neutral (0 EV)?

[@vaskoobscura_]

Got your question on the other video and answered it there. Grain has more to do with ISO than under exposing. A faster lens will help you get more light into the camera and you won't need to use a higher ISO. But it also comes down to how much your are underexposing by. Best advice would be to experiment with different settings and see what results work best for your workflow.

[@LDBecker]

Have you noticed any downsides to turning on the Highlight Tone Priority on the R5 (other than minimum ISO of 200)? I'm just a few weeks into owning an R5 and am still sorting it out. Focus is trickier and more critical than I'm used to (coming from a 5DIII), and it's tough to focus on the LCD screen in bright sunlight. Eye-controlled focus (like the R3 and my old EOS 3 film camera) would really be great when you can just use the viewfinder. On that subject, how do you change focus areas/points when just using the viewfinder? Missed some shots recently...

[@vaskoobscura_]

- Haven't run into any done sides to Highlight Tone Priority. I pretty much have it on all the time. - I don't understand what you mean by focus is trickier on the R5? I assume you haven't read the manual yet. I used to shoot with a 5DmkIII and the R5 AF is based on a new technology. For starters there is no eye-controlled focus on the R5. Only the R3 has that feature. If you're shooting people put the camera in AI Servo mode and in your AF menu set your subject matter to people. Than set your AF mode to tracking and the camera will automatically keep focus on your subject's eye. Same goes for animals, cars etc. If you try to use the R5 like you use a 5DmkIII its going to be awkward. - I don't remember what the default button is for selecting focus modes I've customized a lot of buttons but if you go into your custom buttons menu you can assign a button to bring up that menu. The other thing you can do is hit the "Q" button on the back of the camera or the "Q" on the lcd screen and it will bring up the quick menu and you can change focus modes there. But definitely go read your instruction manual so you understand the Camera's basic operations.

[@LDBecker]

@@vaskoobscura_ Thanks for the response - Sadly, I’m one of those people who always reads the manual… boring, I know… and I understand focus tracking and eye tracking, and I CERTAINLY know that the R5 doesn’t have eye-controlled focus… I should have been more specific in my question. I was trying to focus on a certain part of a flower. I wanted to get the center sharp, but the camera kept grabbing an edge of a petal. Or taking a picture of a statue, and the camera would keep locking on to something in the background. I was wandering around the Huntington Library’s flower gardens (in CA) and just trying to get to know the camera and how it focused. I really like the touch focus, but if the screen is completely washed out, you’re our of luck. I was using my old EF 100 2.8 IS mk II and a new RF 24-240 for both closeup and distance. This will be my main camera, replacing my 5DIII and Panasonic GH6 (which was my travel camera setup and was stolen). Thanks for taking the time to answer - appreciated, and I am enjoying your channel!

[@FlatWaterFilms]

@@vaskoobscura_ I'm using EF glass with the R5 and have set the adapter control ring to AF mode.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

7:33 That's a cool shot :D

[@vaskoobscura_]

Thanks. I tried to set it up so that only the filter would be in focus.

[@ClutchupGolf]

Dynamic range for eos r is 13.5 V Low end of the spectrum but still good. Sony A7 Ii mark has 15-16 stops which is crazy for a mirror less camera that’s why people use that camera the most the cheapest and most quality for a camera to reach a movie like feel. But you can achieve this if you work in the confines of the cameras ability. For eos r it’s 100-400 iso going over that you’ll see the quality go down

[@vaskoobscura_]

Thanks for the info 13.5. I'll have to remember that. Appreciate it.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

I don't think the older Canon Cameras have much dynamic range anywhere :D It was the Canon 5D Mark 4 where they finally improved that.

[@vaskoobscura_]

Ya those older sensors were bad by today's standards but everything back then was trash even the Phase One backs. Modern cameras have come a long way. I watched a video the other day showing an R5 with the RF 85mm f1.2 outperforming a medium format sensor with an equivalent 80mm lens. I was shocked. Appreciate the comments.

[@RickLincoln]

I'm smiling at your comment. I still shoot a 5DM3 and it has a whopping total of just under 5 stops between clipping points. That is measured with my Sekonic L 858 and DTS software and is verified through years of usage. (While DXO Mark gives it 11.7 stops, that is inaccurate in real world usage.) Here's something to think about for those of us with older cameras and perhaps as an idea for those who shoot with newer equipment that doesn't have as many DR issues. Don't be afraid to have true black in your image. If you pull the blacks (we are not talking shadows) that are in your scene up enough to see any detail, what you will get is noise. If shooting a landscape with shrubbery for instance....look at the areas deep between branches with your eyes. Where there isn't enough light to allow you to see detail, that is because it is naturally black. Why pull that up in your image? Deep shadows and blacks create a natural contrast in an image. The same principle holds true for pure whites in a scene. If you have a naturally white object in your image, you will only make it gray by pulling it down through exposure or editing. This is particularly true of specular highlights. And...to the point of this video...allowing both the natural blacks and natural whites to appear as their natural tonality in your image, you have expanded the captured dynamic range. Edit: One other thought...The new editing software packages that feature AI generated denoise work very well. It makes buying a newer camera for me less attractive. I love my Mark III. I'm old, it's old. One of us is going to die first. That's the day I won't use it any longer!!!

[@26biswajit]

This means no one other than canon uses canon sensor!

[@vaskoobscura_]

As far as I know I don't think Canon sells it's sensors to any other camera brands.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

I disagree with the filter one, most non-expensive filters will just degrade the image quality overall, unless it's like a graduated ND filter where the top part is darker so you can expose details in the sky, I don't think it's going to help with dynamic range at all, a regular ND filter is just going to make your shutter speed slower or ISO higher to get the same exposure (which boosting ISO generally may lead to lower dynamic range).

[@vaskoobscura_]

For sure most cheap filters will only degrade image quality. Your point about ND filters making your shutter speed slower or ISO higher is true for most situations. For those types of shots you expose for the mid tones. But when you're shooting on a sandy beach at high noon with a bright sun thats the situation where an ND would help. I guess i should have been more clear and mentioned that these tricks are for really bright situations.

[@wilismatrix9847]

Human eye Dynamic range is 21 stops not 30 according to scientists and @CorridorCrew

[@vaskoobscura_]

Thanks for the info. Appreciate the comment.