Corvid

[gail bisson]

I find it very hard to get nice images with crows but I am happy with this one.
Taken while waiting for the eagles to come in. I was sitting on the snow when this guy/gal landed in front of me.
It was my first time using the 1 DX3 Automatic AF zone and I am truly blown away. I took 1567 images of eagles and crows and gulls yesterday afternoon and ~1500 are tack sharp using the Automatic AF zone on the 1 DX3. My job was to acquire focus (I used the single point) and keep the eagle in the frame. The camera did the rest. It performed well with birds against busy BG and sky and snow. Unfreakin' believable... Even when the AF points were not exactly on the eagle (because I was not panning fast enough) the eagle is tack sharp. At 16 FPS, there is also minimal shutter blackout because of the secondary mirror in the camera.
Loving the IQ on my 1 DX3. I don't know if it is the new sensor or the improved AF but my pictures are so sharp. Maybe I am paying more attention to my technique as well with the new toy.
So far, no evidence of oil splatter although I did have to send the camera in to CPS because of 5 big dust spots on the new sensor. Since they cleaned it, I have taken 6000 shots and no evidence of oil splatter.
I love, love, love the new multicontroller/trackpad to move the AF point over the 194 (😱)AF points. So easy and smooth. Just move your thumb over the AF-on button and the focus point moves seamlessly. It works with light gloves but not heavy winter gloves.
ISO 1250 SS 1/2500 F 5.6
Nothing added or cloned. Crop to 65% FF
Used Topaz Denoise for the first time and I like it a lot. I may switch from using Neat Image. Easier to use and easier to see the changes I make with the 3 sliders.
Anyway, comments and critiques always appreciated and learned from with thanks,
Gail

[arash_hazeghi]

Cool shot Gail looking forward to more challenging subjects.

FYI there is no such thing as secondary mirror or shutter blackout. I think you might be talking about the sub mirror that has nothing to do with the finder (it is for the AF sensor) all cameras have it . When the mirror is up the finder is black out because the light has to go to the Image sensor. The blackout is not from shutter. It so from the mirror. The mirror Blackout in the 1DXIII is the same as the cameras before it. It may feel different because of the frame rate but it is there. I held one of these the other day didn’t spent much time but it looked like a solid body. The Blackout however is the same as my 1DXII. Just to clarify

[gail bisson]

Hi Arash, I am not a computer techie but this is where I got my information from in Canon's advanced user guide (white paper).
Mirror Enhancements
A critical factor in shooting speed, during through-the-viewfinder shooting with digital SLR cameras, is mirror movement. This includes the main SLR mirror, and equally important, thesecondary sub-mirror, which sits behind the main mirror, and directs light rays to the camera’s AF sensor during viewfinder shooting.The mirror drive mechanism of the EOS-1DX Mark III has been totally redesigned, and boasts the following benefits:•A much stronger and more robust mirror frame and linkagejoin both the main and sub-mirrors, compared to the previous independently-controlled structure of the main and sub-mirrors in the EOS-1D X Mark II.•Movement of both main and sub-mirror is now joined; both are “braked” into their resting position simultaneously.•Both mirrors are now motor-controlled, with sub-mirror movement completely coordinated with the main mirror’s movement, providing greater control of the sub-mirror’s movement during each exposure. Previous EOS-1D series models used spring power for the sub-mirror’s movement, which could not be controlled as precisely as the new motorized system —especially at the top and bottom extremes of both mirror’s movements.•Sub-mirror bounce, especially upon return to its viewing position, is substantially reducedby the motorized control system —directly giving the AFsystem more time to get a stabilized view of light rays directed to the AF sensor. This is a vital concern in any digital SLR’s viewfinder-based AF system, particularly when shooting at high fpsrates.•Drive speed of the mirror control motor is increased.12•Mechanical shock from mirror collision forces, at the top and bottom of the main mirror’s travel, and vibrations from the motor are all significantly improved.The results are two-fold: first, an even more stable view, with black-out between frames even further reduced (the main and sub-mirror “up” times, where the viewfinder is blacked-out, are less than any previous Canon EOS SLR camera, according to Canon engineers).

Perhaps I misunderstood? Feel free to explain! But for me, there is an incredible difference in the blackout time from my 1 DX1.
Gail

[John Mack]

Well looks like your getting some great stuff with that new body. Love the pose here. High key treatment works very well. That white paper looks long and interesting i may read it.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Gail stunning image of this crow . Looks almost like a B&W ... which I quite like in this context .
Glad to hear you are happy with the MK III ... on all counts .
My new toy already becoming rusty ... LOL ... sadly no time to get my hands on it , so far . Took a few shots .... but not in a serious way . So need to wait for more time and some subjects around here .....but your wording makes me hungry !!!!

One thing I do not understand though .... why do you use NR on such low ISO ranges ???? Does not make sense to me !!!!!
If well exposed ( ETTR ) ... no need of any NR up to 6400 .... well IMHO .

Second thing why moving from the best NR software ...again IMHO .... to Topaz , just because you trust three sliders ??? Your call .... as long as you are happy

TFS Andreas

[dankearl]

I shoot crows every chance I get, very challenging and interesting subjects I think.
Good exposure and pose.
I would brighten those small catchlights.

[arash_hazeghi]

Hi Gail,

I am not sure about the connection between a camera and a computer "techie" whatever that means, but you did not understand what Canon literature meant : They are talking about the sub-mirror as I said above. maybe you didn't know but all SLR cameras have a sub mirror (otherwise they can't AF). Canon is saying they have improved the sub-mirror for better AF stability and claim that has made the mirror mechanism more robust and also reduced the mirror "up" time. they don't claim the total black out time is any better than the 1DX II or the vintage 1DX. elsewhere they mentioned 10% better given that the 1DX II blackout time was 48 msec the 1DXIII must be about 44 msec

We can do the math Canon did not disclose

the total black out time is simply the number of frames per second x black out time per frame

1DX II 14 x 48 = 670 msec
1DX III 16 x 44 = 700 msec

the total black out period is thus longer than 1DXII when shooting a burst simply because the camera shoots 2fps faster

The 1DX III is blacked out 70% of the time when shooting at 16 fps but the human brain can compensate for the black-out gaps by stitching the bright scenes it gives an impression of a continuous image (kind of like stop motion or a flip book ) . This will vary from person to person, and younger folks will notice the black out more... more importantly when the mirror is up no light goes to the AF sensor so it is blind during those periods....




hope this clarifies.

[arash_hazeghi]

Hi Gail,

I am not sure about the connection between a camera and a computer "techie" whatever that means, but you misunderstood the Canon literature : They are talking about the standard sub-mirror as I mentioned above. maybe you weren't aware but all SLR cameras have a small secondary mirror behind the main mirror that is called the sub mirror. Its function is to send light to the AF sensor when the mirror is down (otherwise camera can't AF). Canon is saying they have improved the sub-mirror hinges and frame for better AF stability and claim that has made the whole mirror box mechanism more robust and also reduced the mirror "up" time. They don't claim the total black out time is any better than the 1DX II or the vintage 1DX when shooting a burst. elsewhere I read 10% faster mirror return, the 1DXII blackout time was 48msec this puts the 1DXIII at 44 msec

We can do the math Canon did not disclose

the total black out time is simply the number of frames per second x black out time per frame

1DX II 14 x 48 = 670 msec per second of burst
1DX III 16 x 44 = 700 msec per second of burst


the total black out time is longer for the 1DXIII simply because it shoots 2 fps more

The 1DXIII is blacked out 70% of the time when shooting at 16 fps but the human brain can compensate for the black gaps by stitching the bright scenes and give an impression of a continuous image (same concept as a flip book or kineograph) . That's why it doesn't feel as bad in practice. The impression of the black out time will vary from person to person, and younger folks will notice the black out more... more importantly during the period the mirror is up the AF is blind.

hope this clarifies.

[gail bisson]

Hi Andreas,
I used a touch of noise reduction on the crow's wings. There was a hint of noise there and I could not adequately address it with Neat Image. With Topaz, it was so easy to just apply a tiny bit of NR. The simpler the tool then the more I like it!!
I believe in the KISS principle -"Keep It Simple Stupid"!
The image was well exposed and I actually reduced the exposure by a third so I was ETTR.
I hope you get to use your new toy soon!
Thanks for commenting,
Gail


Gail

Hi Gail stunning image of this crow . Looks almost like a B&W ... which I quite like in this context .
Glad to hear you are happy with the MK III ... on all counts .
My new toy already becoming rusty ... LOL ... sadly no time to get my hands on it , so far . Took a few shots .... but not in a serious way . So need to wait for more time and some subjects around here .....but your wording makes me hungry !!!!

One thing I do not understand though .... why do you use NR on such low ISO ranges ???? Does not make sense to me !!!!!
If well exposed ( ETTR ) ... no need of any NR up to 6400 .... well IMHO .

Second thing why moving from the best NR software ...again IMHO .... to Topaz , just because you trust three sliders ??? Your call .... as long as you are happy

TFS Andreas

[gail bisson]

Thanks Arash.
I believe the math and the science. Thanks for the explanation.
I guess I now fall into "older folks" category! My brain definitely sees less blackout

Gail

Hi Gail,

I am not sure about the connection between a camera and a computer "techie" whatever that means, but you misunderstood the Canon literature : They are talking about the standard sub-mirror as I mentioned above. maybe you weren't aware but all SLR cameras have a small secondary mirror behind the main mirror that is called the sub mirror. Its function is to send light to the AF sensor when the mirror is down (otherwise camera can't AF). Canon is saying they have improved the sub-mirror hinges and frame for better AF stability and claim that has made the whole mirror box mechanism more robust and also reduced the mirror "up" time. They don't claim the total black out time is any better than the 1DX II or the vintage 1DX when shooting a burst. elsewhere I read 10% faster mirror return, the 1DXII blackout time was 48msec this puts the 1DXIII at 44 msec

We can do the math Canon did not disclose

the total black out time is simply the number of frames per second x black out time per frame

1DX II 14 x 48 = 670 msec per second of burst
1DX III 16 x 44 = 700 msec per second of burst


the total black out time is longer for the 1DXIII simply because it shoots 2 fps more

The 1DXIII is blacked out 70% of the time when shooting at 16 fps but the human brain can compensate for the black gaps by stitching the bright scenes and give an impression of a continuous image (same concept as a flip book or kineograph) . That's why it doesn't feel as bad in practice. The impression of the black out time will vary from person to person, and younger folks will notice the black out more... more importantly during the period the mirror is up the AF is blind.

hope this clarifies.

[arash_hazeghi]

Thanks Arash.
I believe the math and the science. Thanks for the explanation.
I guess I now fall into "older folks" category! My brain definitely sees less blackout

Gail

gotta be young in spirit :)

[Geoffrey Montagu]

Great high key crow, Gail. Nice work on keeping texture in the darkest of blacks.

Geoffrey




http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu

[William Dickson]

Very nice Gail....Lovely detail in the blacks, which show well against the white BG. Fab pose.
Sounds like the Mk3 is worth purchasing. I may be tempted

Will

[Mike Poole]

Superb details in this Gail - really well processed. Nice pose as well.

Did I jump to Nikon a couple of weeks too soon....?

Mike

[Alex Becker]

Love the high key look here. Great details and pose. The bit of snow (>) on the beak adds a lot. These birds are very fun to photograph. Glad you're enjoying the 1DX3, it sounds like a great purchase. Are you finding you prefer DeNoise for all settings or more images like this where Neat Image doesn't have any easy BG spot to calibrate on? I've used it a bit, albeit a couple versions ago, and felt like I got some odd artifacts in darker BGs and have stuck to Neat Image + RAW color NR since. TFS

[David Salem]

Great looking incoming pose Gail!! I always love shooting Corvids but as common as they are, I rarely get a really good frame. This one looks sweet with the nice symmetry and the perfect exposure along with the high key BG. Must have looked cool on the LCD if you had highlight alert active Well done

[Arthur Morris]

Image is killer-excellent. Was there snow on the ground. Can all the crow folks explain why this is not a Northern Raven?

wth love, artie