Depth of Field and Camera Warning on the Canon 7D

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Breaking the Rules…

Okay, here’s just a quick little tidbit about Depth of Field.  Previously, I wrote a post about Depth of Field.

Now remember, DOF is defined by the f/number (2.8), the lens focal length (are you shooting wide open vs. zooming in), the camera to subject distance, and the format size of the camera (whew…). 

So I wrote mainly about the f/number and will cover the others on a different post. But I wanted you to see this shot.

 

So what was the aperature on this shot? Guess…

Standard recommendations are to shoot fireworks at f/8 or above.

I shot this at 3.5. Now remember, I’m very far away from my subject so the differences in aperature will be much less noticeable.

I also managed to break all the other standard rules and get some shots I was pretty happy with. You can see the results here.

Are they as sharp as I’d like them to be? No, but they definitely have a Harry Potter mystical feel that I really like.

Knowing the rules helps you as a photographer when you decide to use them. Camera knowledge simply gives you more choices and more creative control over what your images will look like.

Problem with the Canon 7D

OK, now on to my horror story.

I really felt anyone who is looking to upgrade and invest in a Canon 7D should know about this.

I purchased my Canon 7D in May and did a few event shoots shooting with high ISO settings and finished a portfolio with textures, with no problems.

It’s the low ISO settings that seem to be a problem, although with only some of the cameras.

My camera is one of them and what do I always shoot my portraits at ? The lowest possible ISO of course. Then I had a whole slew of projects hit and when I went to edit my images, I thought I was going to vomit. Yup, all shot with low ISO’s.

Here’s some more information on what’s going on here and  here.

The shot below was magnified to 168%. This is the side of a cheek and a wood background. The noise (where the image looks mottled) is just unreal. The ISO was 400 and the image was properly exposed.

 

Now look at the above firework shot below, ISO setting 1000 at night, also zoomed in 167% with no adjustments in Camera Raw.

 

 

How crazy is that comparison? There is so much less noise in the shot below that should have so much more noise.

So I planned my summer so I could be up in Yellowstone to shoot for a week and a half and then I’m off to the Santa Fe Workshops for a full week …all without the camera I was planning on using.

And even if Canon does exchange my camera, I probably won’t get it in time for Santa Fe and it won’t make up for all shoots where the pictures look less than they should be. As a dedicated Canon user, I feel bamboozled. Canon knows about this problem yet has done nothing to fix it.

So if you’re thinking of buying the Canon 7D  do some test shots in the store and purchase it from a local store that has a 30 day money back policy. I hear from others, it was just the camera they had wanted, but still be careful. I’ll keep you updated. Wish me luck!

P.S. You can always share your shots with us at our 5m4m Photography Group on Flickr. Leave us a note in the comments letting us know you uploaded so we can go check them out!

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom contributing editor, Marcel Walker.