5D Mk2

[soboyle]

I'm curious about what camera and custom function setting 5D mk2 owners are using to achive the best image quality this camera is capable of.
Suggestions on camera setting and differences seen in IQ?
Sharpening techniques that are yielding the best results on these larger files.
Do picture styles effect raw files?
Prefered RAW processor.

[marcmccalmont]

• ISO 100
• I set a custom function for mirror lockup
• I use a tripod and remote shutter release
• The following lenses are very High IQ, 24-105IS, 70-200f4IS, 400 f5.6, Tokina 100mm macro, Nikon 14-24 w/adapter (most are optimum around f8 or f9)
• adjust all your Canon lenses with micro focus
• use live view zoomed in and manually focus (exposure simulation) when ever you can (I have even pulled out my dark cloth & reading glasses for this)
• I have always found DxO superior to ACR or DPP
• I let DxO do the capture sharpening set at 0
• I use focus fixer plugin for final sharpening (.5 to .9)
• when needed I use noiseware pro for noise reduction (week noise setting), almost always on my G10 in the shadows on the 5DII, select shadows using select color range in PS then do NR
• Raw is not affected by picture styles, white balance or high iso noise reduction
• Raw is affected by long exposure noise reduction (use it)
• Do not use a filter over the lenses if at all possible!!!

I hope this is helps getting you started
Marc

[Panopeeper]

I would add only: don't use HTP, rather learn to expose correctly (even better: learn ETTR).

[soboyle]

I've used expose to the right since Michael Reichman's article on that years ago. Although I am now reading the very interesting thread here on Iso, Exposure and noise, and trying to digest the subtleties there.

So avoid highlight tone priority? I had experimented with it, and didn't like what I was seeing in the shadows.

I never used to see an advantage using noise reduction with long exposures, but perhaps it is better now.
Much of my shooting is in the 1-60 second range.

[neil snape]

I've been shooting recently on Lo ISO rather than 100. It let's me shoot at less than f16 getting closer to the ideal range for the 100mm macro which seems to be around 8.5 to 11. F16 is still okay but some less than ideal fringing happens at this f stop and higher.

Any users tested Lo compared to 100 ISO?

[stever]

in my experience, the 24-105 and 70 200 f4 are good lenses, particularly in the center.  but for maximum resolution, primes are better - better resolution in the center, and much better resolution in th edges and corners - the 50 1.4 (stopped down to at least f4), 100 macro, 200 2.8 and 300 are all noticebly better than the zooms.  

however, microadjustment is still essential.  although i've generally found Canon primes to pretty good, when i tested the 300 f4 i discovered why i'd been so disappointed with it in the past - it needed a +15 correction (other lenses all between +4 and -4 so i think the body focuses accuratel).  preliminarily, it seems like telextenders degrade the image proportionally more on the 5D2 than 5D even with microadjustment of the focus, but i'm not really sure yet (that microadjustment remembers the lens-extender combination is good, because the extenders can ntroduce significant focus shift)

i put the mirror lockup at the top of My Menu, reserving the custom functions for other purposes (including HDR)

i certainly agree that liveview with magnification is amazing with the high resolution screen

[Panopeeper]

I've been shooting recently on Lo ISO rather than 100. It let's me shoot at less than f16

This is an illusion. The 5D2 does not have ISO 50. When you select ISO 50, you change only the metering, nothing else. In other words, ISO 50 is EQUAL to ISO 100 with +1 EV exposure bias.

You are simply overexposing your shots with ISO 50.

[neil snape]

This is an illusion. The 5D2 does not have ISO 50. When you select ISO 50, you change only the metering, nothing else. In other words, ISO 50 is EQUAL to ISO 100 with +1 EV exposure bias.

You are simply overexposing your shots with ISO 50.

  Okay so it's best not to use Lo at all then. Thanks I'll just use it at 100 from now on.

[guyharrison]

I just bought this camera and like the OP I want the max quality.  Why is ISO 50 on the camera if it serves no purpose?  Is it only for slower shooting speeds etc?  Just curious.

Guy Harrison

[marcmccalmont]

I just bought this camera and like the OP I want the max quality.  Why is ISO 50 on the camera if it serves no purpose?  Is it only for slower shooting speeds etc?  Just curious.

Guy Harrison

The only time I've used it was trying to keep the sharpest apertures while slowing it down for waterfalls
Marc

[neil snape]

Same reasons I stated, to use an ideal aperture.

It will be easy to test, just take a a well filled histogram raw image with near the limit highlight areas, turn up the exposure 1 stop and shoot at Lo. Open both and see if the dev app (Lightroom in my case) can hold the highlights and how they are handled.

[Panopeeper]

Why is ISO 50 on the camera if it serves no purpose?  Is it only for slower shooting speeds etc?

It's eyewash. It's unexplicable.

Look at the attached histograms; thoese shots have been made in controlled setting (by Imaging Resources). The first one is with ISO 100, f/8, 1/15sec; the second one is with ISO 50, f/8, 1/8sec. The histograms should look the same, but the ISO 50 shot is one stop higher.

The effect is, that if you measure the exposure for ISO 100 and it does not result in underexposure, then ISO 50 will certainly overexpose. The example I show here is so much underexposed, that even the +1 EV fits easily. Other examples demonstrate, that a shot with ISO 100 clips only slightly but with ISO 50 it clips much more, but it is difficult to demonstrate the amplitude of clipping - what is clipped is clipped, there is no difference between "clipped by 3 EV" and"clipped by 1/3 EV".

Just curious

Too few users are curious.

[BJL]

• ISO 100

Only if that can be used with a combination of shutter speed and aperture that avoid IQ degradation by subject or camera motion or through excessive OOF focus effects or lens aberrations from using very large apertures. In other words, image quality cannot be measured solely by sensor factors like resolution, noise levels and and dynamic range.

Indeed, if base ISO speed were always the best choice, the Kodak 14N would have been far more successful than it was! By most measures it gave better IQ than the Canon 1Ds in sensor performance comparisons done only at base ISO speed, at a far lower price.

[Tony Ventouris Photography]

I find that anything past f/11 seems to lose sharpness on the 5Dmk2.  f/13 is a good middle ground between sharpness and dof in my opinion.  

I use mirror lock up and the timer triggered from a cable release.  

I also don't know if it helps any...but I keep my camera balanced on the tripods.  I use a full RRS multi row panoramic setup.  When not shooting panoramas I adjust the upper bar until the camera is balanced completely and centered on the rig.  If the camera is just on a ball head, it can be really lens heavy with larger L-glass.  I'm not sure if this would add any vibration with the slightest movements or not...but ya never know!

I also use live view to focus at 10x manually.  IS OFF!!!!!  

Again, this is for slow image creation, tripod mounted, and thoughtfully composed.  Not street photography or wildlife!

As for highlight tone priority...i often leave it on.  I also leave long exposure noise reduction on.  Everything else is off.  I find at ISO 200, HTP is ok.  I haven't noticed anything adverse in my images.  Or not yet at least.  I do notice more detail in the highlights without having to process.  I still expose as if I do not have it on...but on some images, it just gives a little extra latitude with less processing later.