I tried the 645D that one of my workshop participants had brought along and except for resolution it looked like my Canon 1Ds III at the time. That was for landscapes.
I have not made a comparison for shallow dof type shots between the 645D or the Phase One IQ160 and the Canons and Nikons I have. Without mentioning which lens you were using on the 5DsR the short test you made is almost meaningless. I would think that your 110mm f/2 shots could have been done with the Canon 135 f/2L lens or even at a longer distance with the Canon 200 f/2.8L or even the Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II at 200mm to give the same or even mor shallow DOF. I must admit that the bokeh in some of the 110mm f/2 shots is not that pleasing to me. I think you make beautiful and romantic images that I'm sure your clients love. I'm also sure they don't even look at the bokeh that much I have seen shots taken with the Canon 85 f/1.2L that are stunning with atmosphere and dreamy bokeh, so I'm not that convinced about the Pentax being so superior here in that respect.
The other thing is if you really need that resolution for your wedding shots. Do you print in sizes larger than Super A2 or A1 as part of the package for your clients? I made test prints from Canon 5D III, Nikon D800E and Phase One IQ160 printed on Super A2 and I saw no difference to speak of at a viewing distance of an arm length.
It's great that you are happy with the Pentax and if that gives you more pleasure and confidence in what you do and more happy clients, then that is really great.
Hi Hans,
Thanks for the lovely comment and the interesting insights
With the canon lenses, I have all of the ones mentioned except the 200/2.8 - I have the 85/1.2, the 135/2, have owned the 70-200/2.8 and 200/2 (and 1.8 before that). In a moment of madness I also used a 300/2.8 for wedding location shoots.
This is being really picky now, but my feeling is that the fast aperture canon glass mentioned - whilst it does do a great job of achieving very shallow DoF, I don't like the way it really obliterates the background. Using the 135/2 for example at f/2 it just completely is mush in the background. And I know thats what a lot of people like - I used to be one of them.
Whether it be the lenses or the bigger sensor or a combination of factors, the f/2 and f/2.8 stuff on the pentax just looks better to me. The background whilst they still get significantly knocked out of focus have a nice texture to them. I love the circular highlights and general look of the bokeh - and I love the fact that I'm getting something that looks a little different to my competition whilst still keeping true to my style for my couples.
I've just printed off a couple of 30x22" prints from the 110mm and they just look incredible. Not hugely sharp (getting it bang on focus wise is tough) but it just has beautiful look about it. Putting it on the wall next to my older 1Dx portfolio shots to my eyes they look miles better.
As you mentioned, it is giving me confidence which is probably more important than anything. The 5Dsr thing, i just mean that generally the files look near identical to what I've been getting from the 1dx for ages - in my opinion the sensor offers no improvement apart from more pixels/rez. I don't think I could tell them apart in lightroom unless i zoomed in. Whereas with the 645z files it's plain as day. Not meaning to start a canon vs 645z thing. I like my canon gear a lot still!
cheers