How to get SHARP & IN FOCUS PHOTOS Canon 5d Classic

[@jayse1195]

I've used 5D for years but I never realized many of these points, thank you sir! All the best, Jay.

[@Christellezphoto]

There are very few channels I genuinely get excited about when I see a new video come up. I learn something from you every time I click on a video. Keep up the wonderful work and keep posting on instagram, I love your stuff!

[@MartinCastein]

Great to hear!

[@bernhardlueckeberlin]

So many useful hints and tips out of true experience. I wish I could give a tripple like...

[@skitzo110]

Great tips for a great camera 😁 love the image the 5d produces and I tend to use it more than my Sony mirrorless

[@DaKeezl]

Pure Gold! I could kiss you for sharing your knowledge. Thanks a million!😊

[@Rocorama1]

Thank you sir! You inspired me to get a 5D classic and I’m loving it! Found a old pro photographer selling his gear due to retiring and picked up a beauty. I haven’t gone back to my MKiii since. You’re correct it makes you think more before taking the shots. Kuddos Mate!

[@realamericannegro977]

I hear many perfer mark 2 over 3. They say that era of canon color science is even better to look at than current canon colors

[@iSleepDoc]

I have both classic and mark ll. They both are good in their own way but I like the color science of classic. I grab mark ll when videography is expected.

[@altafhasen4739]

I am a newbie to photography and recently found a great deal on 5d classic. It is my first ever DSLR and your videos are a great resource for me. You are awesome!

[@paulmclinden2859]

Thanks for taking the time, Martin. I've just acquired a third-hand 5ds and I'm going to couple that with the old EF 100mm macro lens. Yep, got to find out their quirks and get used to using them. Looks like it's going to be tripod and remote shutter for this set up. Keep up producing these good videos.

[@adamzain6770]

Your videos on older cameras have been really helpful. Something I’ve wondered about with the 5D - I’ve always had the secret hidden af points switched on, because it gives you 6 more assist points within the central circle - but only if you’re in AF Servo mode, with centre point or auto af selected. I think it’s custom function 17 - set to “Expanded”. If people are having trouble with af near the centre it may be worth experimenting with that switched on or off, depending on the type of thing they’re trying to focus on. There must be situations where this feature makes things worse, or why have the option to turn it off?

[@cerij4242]

I love the waistline tip, you learn something new every day. I have found if I have an overly grainy but otherwise good sharp photo that I'm not that impressed with, I convert it to B/W it nearly always looks better.

[@MartinCastein]

Hi Ceri! Glad it was useful and thank you so much for the coffee!!!

[@yoki9743]

Martin, Excellent info as usual...and a good recap for us who had the camera back in the day... cheers Yoki...

[@MartinCastein]

Thanks again Yoki!!!

[@kodowany29]

Cheers!

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you so much!

[@atlasbesikniyo8753]

Really appreciate the tip about focusing on the waist area. Never heard of that one. Will have to try that out myself. Thank you!

[@homeoffice3524]

This was really handy. I'm looking for my first camera ever and it will be 5d classic😊

[@yccmo]

AMAZING INFO AS ALWAYS FROM YOU. THANK YOU!

[@MartinCastein]

My pleasure!

[@stuartjonev]

Thanks

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you Stuart!!!

[@domin2]

Priceless piece of advice. Appreciated as always.

[@MartinCastein]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Selavylisbon]

Excellent advices, thank you, really appreciated! All the best from Portugal!

[@DenisAhmet]

Great practical advise, I’ve learned something new. Thanks for posting!

[@codyallen3729]

fantastic tips Martin! pushing the limits of the 5dc's capabilities in 2023 is just awesome

[@SF-MCMLXVII]

Really enjoy your videos Martin about the 5D Classic. So much so, I picked one up the other day in amazing condition, like new, for a bargain price. Bought an EF 50mm 1.8 STM lens and the experience of taking first shots with it makes me understand why older full frame DSLR cameras can be enjoyable to shoot photos with. Haven’t downloaded the shots to my computer yet, but I am sure I will see the Canon colours and rendition you speak of. Coming from Fujifilm, not changing BTW as I like my XT-1 and XT-20 too much, it is certainly a different experience as the 5D is simpler in some ways, as you say, compared to more modern cameras, but feels solid like a tank and I like the form factor very much and shutter sound too. Keep up the great work.

[@mikafoxx2717]

I do adore Fuji's build and feel but the big old DSLR's exude ruggedness and make you feel willing to bring them wherever and risk them getting banged about to get the shot. I also prefer optical viewfinders - though the X100 and X-pro have nice optical hybrid finders that are quite nice.

[@philrmcknight]

I've learned so much from your videos, your explanations eliminate the confusion, just a ton of thanks for sharing your awesome content!

[@Donaldpoephotography]

Great video, Martin, I will put some of these tips to work. I appreciate you sharing.

[@MegaSoundscapes]

Thankx for your insight into this topic, it helps a lot ! When I got my 5D, i checked out my lenses and it turned out that my 50 1.2 and the 35 1.4 ii don't work on the 5D, one had bad frontfocus, the other one backfocus. I would have to shoot them at F4 or above in order to get half way decent sharpness, other lenses like the 85 1.2 ii or the 100 macro are pretty much bang on. I can take really sharp photos on the 5D with those lenses. I was thinking whether to send the 50 1.2 and the 35 1.4 to canon with the 5D and get them to adjust both lenses to the camera. But I use them on my EOS R as well and I am not sure if an adjustment to the 5D would mess up the accuracy on the EOS R. I am still thinking about whether that is a good idea. I inquired at Canon regarding this but no answer so far.

[@Gustavo_Weckesser]

Great advice. I think that it´s also useful when using a 6D Mk I. I Use both of them.

[@p_aulwhite]

Nice video Martin with good tips. Personally I like to use back button focus and then recompose.

[@MartinCastein]

Thats good Paul, I could never get on with back button focus, no idea why, i really tried too!

[@cyrilchalyi2056]

Thanks for the video, very informative and very to the point

[@kevrosas1]

Martin have you tried using Magic Lantern on this? I’ll never not have it now. It’s hard to find the link, just like it’s a pain to find the 1.1.1 firmware which it requires to run on but it’s out there. It affects mainly the preview image due to no live view. I now have focus peaking highlight, zebra over/under expose and 100% instant zoom once a photo is taken. It shows me which parts were in focus! There are also options to turn up the saturation on the rear screen. Along with lots more bells and whistles.l like fast delete. It’s the latest ‘beta’ release which I believe is circa 2012.

[@MartinCastein]

I have, i used to use it a lot until i didnt, I think I just ended up not using the features for no particular reason but I agree its very good!

[@ccoppola82]

One comment on the 50mm 1.2. That lens focus shifts between 1.8ish to f4. The shift is back-focusing. The lens is soft and glows by design at 1.2. To get sharp images and still have some of that look, focus on the nose at f1.6- f5.6 and your eyes will be in perfect focus. I think that’s why this lens is so polarizing. Once you realize what it’s doing and make adjustments to your shooting it’s fantastic and is one of those 2 in 1 lenses that have a ton of character in open apertures but stopped down is pretty much tack sharp across frame.

[@MartinCastein]

yes this is a very good point you are quite right with this.

[@Mark-qs2gn]

I bought the 5d after watching your videos and really enjoy the camera and your tutorial videos (keep them coming). I'm very interested in how the picture styles mode (red, green, and orange filter) can affect the out of camera photos and which setting is best to capture the original colors setting that you enjoy the most. Again, I value these tutorials greatly.

[@garrettdanielsii2305]

Thank you Martin! Especially helpful on my 5D2

[@MartinCastein]

Hope you are well Garrett!

[@cristianrodriguez1162]

Great pointers! Thank you so much. I gained a lot of great insight on the focus- recompose technique, especially how it relates specifically to this camera. For example, it was great learning how the belly area is a focus point that aligns closely with the eyes. This was great. I plan on getting myself a 5D classing soon and get some experience and have some fun with it

[@Bartek_Hurko]

Great knowledge!! Thank you!

[@JrPfreedom]

Wow thank you so much for share your knowledge with others that mean you are very confident what you doing and don't have obsession someone still your job😊 This subject is for single focus point I very interested how you work with 5d m3. Thank you for what you doing.

[@martinlawrence8427]

Some great practical and original tips Martin! 🙌

[@MartinCastein]

Glad you like them!

[@altafhasen4739]

Any recommendation for a value speedlite for this camera ?

[@PaulKretz]

Spot on! Actually, central point in 5D, 6D and many other old cameras is really no worse than later fancy DSLRs (DPAF in contemporary mirrorless is out of this world, no reason to compare, but nothing beats old Canons' look)... I've always been satisfied with the Classic focus and recompose, but, surprisingly, not so much with 5D Mark II (which rather has precise, although slow, focusing in live view)...

[@MartinCastein]

Thanks Paul!!!

[@illegalmindset4122]

There's a split prism focus screen replacement for the 5dii makes life much easier and fun too

[@PaulKretz]

@@illegalmindset4122 I prefer Magic Lantern with Focus Peak, Trap Focus and other useful tools there...

[@campbells0ups]

5DC was easy enough to use the viewfinder however i find the viewfinder on the 5DMKII to be much harder to see-i have the grid finder maybe that has something to do with it. have to use magnification live view to guarentee focus

[@HumanClouds]

Good tips, thanks!

[@urbanimage]

Yes, all good advice.

[@mberggren9768]

Nice video as always. Another positive of not getting to free with the focus and recompose is the quite a lot of lenses are less sharp in the corners. Better to stay in the centre and crop to the right composition afterwards. Or even better, use an 1Ds Mk.II to get similar looking pictures but with a lot better AF available.😂

[@MartinCastein]

If course you got the 1ds mark ii reference in there hahahah🤣

[@mberggren9768]

@@MartinCastein But of course. Together with the 1D Mk IIN and the 5D, it’s the camera that I find to be the most enjoyable to bring with me. Neither of them are the best, but they are the ones I like , both how they handle and how they deliver.

[@williamlanza7858]

Very informative👍

[@MartinCastein]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Jasonsegade]

Great video been wondering why my 35mm f2 stm lens has been giving me trouble. A few things you’ve mentioned really ad up ( distance wide open, hard and soft light. Cheers

[@MartinCastein]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dillank3240]

I'm glad I don't have to use my 5D anymore. My EOS R's focusing system is so much better. It is the single most important improvement that it brings to your photography.

[@timotheemohr2805]

Hi Martin. Thank you very much for making these videos. I also enjoy using both my 5D mark I and mark II. I like using vintage glass with manual focus looking through the VF. But recently I've been thinking about trying out autofocus a little more. I already have a 50mm 1.8 II, but the af seems consistently inaccurate on the mark I. Do you think other lenses work better or is it maybe just my unit? I've been thinking about a good portrait af lens such as the 85 1.8 USM, the 100 2 USM or the 24-70 2.8 L I. Do you think one of them would work particularly well on the 5D mark I? Thanks again

[@MartinCastein]

all of them work very well on the 5d mark 1 for sure. I think it depends what sort of portraits you do, if you want to include a bit of the location more then the 24-70 is great for that.

[@chrissmith7069]

Hi Martin, Thankyou for sharing yiur experience and these great tips! 🎉 Im considering purchasing a speedflash for my 5D/6D. Would you consider sharing your thoughts and experiences on using flash for inside and outside photography please. Cheers chris.

[@MartinCastein]

do you mean in the context of studio vs environmental portraits or maybe a wedding?

[@chrissmith7069]

​@@MartinCastein as I don't own a speed flash (yet) could you just cover some basics for indoor photography and some environment shooting please. cheers Chris

[@MartinCastein]

@@chrissmith7069 ok I will give this a go Chris

[@skwirl828]

is there a setting for single point autofocus on the 5d classic? i hate how the auto focus point will jump around to different points.

[@mediumjester1411]

Hello sir, I really like your videos and posts. Please tell me your opinion, I can’t choose between Canon 6d and Canon 5d2, I really want to shoot landscapes, but sometimes I also have to shoot at events from the university.

[@MartinCastein]

6d for you

[@DaveMuller]

I am so glad you mentioned the motion from pressing the shutter - I thought I was just a gumby with no hand control. So happy it's not just me.

[@MartinCastein]

Hi Dave! hahaha yeah i do that all the time im too heavy handed by far.

[@tiburd7]

It's not just that you're pressing the shutter button - it's also the mirror flap between the button push and the first photo in the sequence.

[@VanijaMi]

Godsent advice, coudn't agree more on the shutter speed and iso point! Btw what's your thoughts on magic lantern software for 5D classic? is it any good or even worth it etc.?

[@MartinCastein]

Sort of seems like its worth it, then kind of isnt really, I mean only if there is a feature you will absolutely use.

[@Humungojerry]

I dont know what it is, but I seem to have a much better hit rate with my Fuji cameras than my 5D classic. I seem to get quite a lot more missed focus with the 5D, and i'm not entirely sure why. I need to experiment more.

[@NITISHVIPIN]

Hello, need your help, for wedding photography what's the best aperture and shutter speed to use overall

[@MartinCastein]

Well its whatever is best for the situation, thats impossible to answer really.

[@johnstaples1606]

Great stuff.. do you leave your iso in auto? I think sharp images have their place but what’s wrong with out of focus images they can be really dramatic..!! Made up you haven’t recommended another camera .. just taken delivery of. Pen ep1 .. Don’t think I can afford watching your channel..!! I’ve got all the gear and no idea..!!!!!

[@MartinCastein]

Thanks John, i only use auto iso on the 6d, on the 5d it just defaults to 400, use it on whatever camera you have if you want its fine. Plus you better get your cheque book out, we will fill your shelves yet! 👀

[@johnstaples1606]

Shelves.. I’ll send you a photo.!!!! Cameras are engineering beauties …that pen ep1 is lovely now I’ve got one.... think your take on photography. Is consummate.. !! If Everton beat Chelsea tomorrow I’m defo getting a 6D or any other camera you recommend ….. !! Love your works….!!!

[@johnstaples1606]

work

[@iSleepDoc]

Adding to your suggestions: Every lens has a sharpest f number. Go to the reviews about your lens and find the sharpest f number for that particular lens and shoot on Aperture priority with auto shutter speed and ISO. You’ll always get the sharpest picture.

[@lucasliaskos]

Excellent video. I use the 5D classic exactly the way you described for focusing and recomposing. Just something for people coming back - or buying for the first time - their 5D Classic: Make sure you are in "One Shot" mode otherwise the AI Servo and the other focusing mode will refocus again when you recompose. Please do more videos on the 5D Classic. A suggestion: 5 best lenses on the 5D Classic. These can be primes or zooms. Thanks again Martin!

[@MartinCastein]

thanks!!! ok i will think about the lens video!

[@Cotictimmy]

Martin - you once discussed lenses which worked well (& not so well) with the 5D, but you did not mention the 85 f1.8 USM. Is it good or bad with the old 5D?

[@MartinCastein]

It’s good, the 85 1.8 is one of the realisable lenses generally, that’s been my experience with it.

[@Cotictimmy]

@@MartinCastein Much appreciated. Yours is one of my fave (no B.S.) photography channels. 🙂

[@MartinCastein]

@@Cotictimmy I can soon change that, uncontrolled amounts of BS coming next 🤣 but really, thank you!

[@alwynsmit3546]

It's kinda funny how people complain about focus on the 5d, but say nothing about the unreliable focus of the Nikon D7000. I shot with the 5d c once & believe me, you guys have nothing to complain about. Go try a D7000 & then you'll see what crappy AF really is

[@michaelspahn3675]

Hi Martin, what you say is complet correct. Nice video. But you show it by tilting the camera AND your move your hand (subject) together and the distance to the "eye ball" would be absolute the same. What is in reality only the camera angle is moving by tilting as you show us, but the subject is NOT moving in this example, that change the distance between the focus point and the subject "eyeball".

[@MartinCastein]

Ah what I’m trying to show is that the focal plane tilts because the sensor is tilting I should have made that clearer.

[@TheDavveponken]

the foremost drawback with the 5d classic is it's back focus issue. It's terribly annoying.

[@nelsono4315]

very useful information. Thanks !