2012 Gear Review - Camera Bodies

Time to review my gear and how I used them for the past year and to try and figure out what to do with them for 2013. This week (or post), I will cover camera bodies.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II - This is my workhorse and primary camera. It is my main stills and video camera.  No complaints here.  I'm quite sure it will be around for the whole of 2013 barring any unfortunate incidents. Whether it will be as my main camera or a back-up remains to be seen.  It's not a bad camera and it certainly didn't go bad overnight with the release of the Mk III.

Canon EOS 60D - I bought this primarily because I found a great deal.  I needed a second video camera anyway as I have been offering video services as of late. It is primarily a video camera for me.  I've installed Magic Lantern on it and it has unleashed the better camera that quietly resided deep inside it prior to the ML upgrade.   I have also used this body for my product work as the flip-out screen has proven handy for certain shots.  This will probably be around in my arsenal for the whole of 2013. I don't see any reason to upgrade this body.

Canon EOS 5D - The classic. I used this for volume work.  I've pretty much used this for most of my product e-commerce work where the megapixels do not matter.  I also use this for my time-lapse work for Graffiti House LA.  Other than that, this 5D Classic is pretty much just an incaseshithappens camera.  I have plans of selling it if I find the need for another camera body.

Canon EOS 40D - Another incaseshithappens camera. I like it keeping it around though as it is my only "fast" camera at 5 frames per second in burst mode. The 60D shoots at the same rate, but I don't have a grip for the 60D.  I also use this for my eBay photos. At 10 megapixels, shot in small jpg, I don't have to resize my photos.  It shows up fine on eBay and greatly reduces upload time.  I also use this for time-lapses. This will get sold to fund another camera body should I find that camera.

Fujifilm X100 -  I love this camera.  It is my favorite camera. I do not carry a Canon body as a walk-around anymore.  For daily use, this is the only camera I need.  I just love everything about this camera.  Well, almost everything.  The autofocus has a lot to be desired, but other than that, it is the perfect camera for me.  I have even used the X100 to shoot a whole lookbook for a Mens fashion line.  I also keep it on me as a second camera on the few events that I shoot. Rumors are that there is an X200 in the works, but I'll probably hold off until 2014 for that.

Hasselblad 500c - My only film camera at this point. I've sold off everything else.  I used to have a Canon EOS Elan II, Bronica ETRS, Mamiya C3, and various 35mm film bodies (Nikon, Minolta, etc).  I hardly used this in 2012.  I shot a roll of 120 film every time I did a portrait or a headshot for somebody.  It was not part of the package I offered, but I just did it for fun.  I like having the square prints and sticking them on my wall.  I rarely shoot film now, but if I do, it will be with the Hassy.  That reminds me ... I have a 4x5 camera somewhere. I haven't seen it in the last two years, I think.

My gear path in 2013 is still unclear.  I can probably just keep all the cameras mentioned above and I'll do just fine.  There is no immediate need for upgrades, however, who doesn't want new gear?  If I do find a good deal, I will probably upgrade one or two of the cameras mentioned earlier.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is actually tempting.  Ultimately, I don't really need it but I do WANT it.  The new auto-focus system alone is enough justification.  Too bad it is too expensive.  The less expensive alternative, the Canon EOS 6D does not appeal to me at all.  Yes, it is newer technology, but the sticking points to me are the old-style focusing system and the 1/180th flash sync speed.  Those two reasons make it a non-starter for me.

I am also tempted to make a jump to digital medium format.  I came really close to buying a Mamiya ZD recently.  It is the only affordable system for me in this category.  In the end, the old technology swayed me away from it.  I still want "that look" though. Who knows? A good deal on craigslist or eBay, I just might give in.

In terms of video, I am highly intrigued by the Digital Bolex.  Somehow, while everybody is excited about the Black Magic Cinema Camera, it just doesn't do it for me.  Not interested.  However, should the Digital Bolex become available, and if my finances let me, I think I'll jump in.  Maybe. Not really. But still.

Next post will be about lenses. Hopefully next week.

(I'm going to hashtag that ... #incaseshithappens )


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Self-Portrait: The Return of The King

No, I do not refer to myself as The King, but it was a fairy tale that motivated me. Today, the Ninth of January in the year 2012, Thierry Henry played scored the match winner against Leeds United in his first match for the Arsenal since leaving in 2007. It was a Hollywood ending and it left me a bit teary-eyed. Anyhow, it was enough to inspire to make a self-portrait afterwards.

No, that was not an Instagram shot. The idea for this shot is from Jeremy Cowart's CreativeLive session a year or two ago. My version was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II through this old Kodak Duoflex II camera.

And this is how it was lit:

The key light was a White Lightning X1600 with a 36" Octa on it, located camera left. The rim light is an Alien Bees AB800 with a 10 degree grid on it. These are all Paul C. Buff products.

This is what it looked like straight out of the camera:

Since the Kodak is a Twin Lens Reflex camera, the image is reversed. There was hardly any post-processing on my final image other than reversing the photo, cropping, and I pushed up the greens a little bit.

Thank you for the taking the time to read my post. Should you be interested in more of my musings on photography and/or Arsenal, you can follow me on twitter at: @geraldgonz

THE KING IS BACK!

CHOICES - My Help-Portrait Story

When Jeremy Cowart introduced Help-Portrait in 2009, I had originally planned on getting involved. Something happened and I was unable to do it. I heard about the amazing and often heart-wrenching stories of the people involved.

Last October, I had an opportunity to be involved in a mini Help-Portrait event with Jeremy Cowart himself. Jeremy offered me the opportunity to shoot, but I declined. I thought I should give the people the opportunity to be shot by a top photographer instead of a hack like me. I was in awe of the effect of the portraits. I was not going to miss this year's.

Fast-forward to December 8, 2011 at the Union Rescue Mission in an area of Los Angeles that we call Skid Row. So while we did not have stories as compelling as the ones I've heard, there was a small series of events that I still think about, almost two weeks after the event.

I met this man named James. We got off on the wrong foot. I introduced myself had a 30 second conversation about the URM and we proceeded to our shooting station. He was wearing a black jacket and a red button down shirt underneath. He asked me if he should take off his jacket and I said yes since we were shooting against a dark background. He replies with a scowl "What a waste, I really wanted the jacket ..." So we ended up shooting with his jacket on.

We were having problems with printers at URM and James was getting impatient. It was quite a tense situation. I was not in the good graces of this man. Then I noticed he had an old Sports Illustrated magazine from 1986 with Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden on the cover. I tried to make small talk about it. He says he has another one - with Len Bias on the cover. Len Bias was a very talented basketball player who overdosed and passed away shortly after getting drafted by the Boston Celtics. I remember those events quite clearly as they were hyping him as the next great one. I thought it was a very sad story. So I said it ... "That's a sad story, the kid had everything". James empathically replied "ain't nothing sad about that, he made a choice. Every choice has a consequence. I made choices, I don't think I'm a sad story."

That statement stuck with me. So much that I spent an awkward minute or two in silence with him while we waited for an available printer.

Unfortunately for me, he declined to write his story on his printed portrait. I guess I will never know. He has, however, changed the way I look at my daily choices.

* If you would like to learn more about Help-Portrait, please visit www.help-portrait.com

Let's Go Hair

So this ...

turns into

to produce:

Off Camera Flash

These days, I don't get excited about shooting something unless I can light it. It's a matter of preference, but whatever it is, I like it better when its lit.

So, with a bit of free time today, I had to test a lens that I'm selling on eBay. This should enable me to show the difference between lit and natural light shots.

For today's exercise, I used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with the Contax Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* f/2.8 lens. It's actually a fantastic portrait lens, but I didn't have anybody around, so I'd have to settle for some object.



Here is the natural light shot:


And here are two shots that were lit by a single light. That was a Vivitar 285 at 1/4 power coming from camera left.





These shots were processed the same way. Not a whole lot into it, but I shot these in RAW, so it needed some sharpening and a little tiny bit of adding fill light to bring out some details. I kept the amounts the same though.

So while the natural light shot is not bad (or at least, I think), I prefer the punch of the lit shot and that the background is not blown out.

But that's just me.