Cinestyle Released & Tested
Canon engineering has teamed up with Technicolor and the ASC Directors of Photography to produce an amazing photo ‘style’ to use with the 5dmk2. And the best part? It’s FREE!
You can download it and the accompanying instruction HERE.
Below you can see the Technicolor profile and how it appears in screen shots vs the Canon profiles built into the camera from the factory. The photo’s below are simply frames taken from actual video, they are not edited.
Once installed set the following settings in your picture style:
Sharpness: 0
Contrast: -4
Saturation: -2
Color Tone: 0
And as always, shoot in multiples of 160 ISO when doing any kind of video on your 5Dmk2. These ISO’s are native to your camera sensor, specifically for shooting video. For example, you can shoot ISO’s of 160, 320, 640, 1250, and 2500. I try not to go over ISO 1250 if at all possible. Something shot at 400ISO for example would have much great noise than something shot at 640. Again this is only in reference to video, the same is not true of photos.
Upon first use you might feel like the video isn’t what you’d prefer, it’s flat and somewhat desaturated. That’s a good thing, you can always adjust the exposure levels, add contrast, and add saturation. Shooting using Cinestyle should be done when you plan to adjust the video in post-production, otherwise you may be better off using one of the original styles for your video.
Here is an example of video I took using Cinestyle. This is Terry Wollman performing a song off his latest Album -Buddha’s Ear at Vitello’s in Studio City. This was shot using the 5Dmk2 with a Canon 70-200IS2 lens and a Rode Stereo Mic.
3 Ways to Bring Back the Blue! – Photo Lesson
Have you taken a photo of a beautiful blue sky with something/someone in the foreground and your camera just isn’t capturing it the way you see it? This lesson teaches you how to position yourself and use tools to bring back the blue!
Thanks for submitting your question Bobby! We will discuss the option of using Hi-Speed Sync in a later segment, so stay tuned for tactic #3 on ‘Ways to Bring Back the Blue!’
If any of you have photo questions, please submit them to Brian@PixelThatPhotos.com
Refraction, Reflection, Direction, Oh my! – Photo Lessons
Have you ever wondered what the heck all of those dials are on your camera? If I walked up to you and said ISO, aperture and shutter speed would you think I was speaking a foreign language? Have you missed special moments with family and friends because your camera didn’t do what you wanted it to? Well then this post is for you!
My goal is for you to get the MOST of of your digital camera. I don’t care if it’s a point & shoot or a digital SLR; or whether you’re taking photos of your kids, a rock concert, or taking on your first wedding. I’m here to answer your questions; nothing is too simple or too complex, so ask away!
If you have a question email me: Brian@PixelThatPhotos.com
I look forward to helping you grow as a photographer 
The Secret behind gang-life at Disneyland & how it affects you!
Nerd alert! I’m about to drop some photo knowledge on y’all! Consider yourself warned as I’d hate to take moments away from your long awaited weekend
As a wedding photographer we learn that super high ISO = bad! For those of you who don’t know what ISO is, it’s the ability of your camera to shoot in darker and darker situations. The higher the ISO the darker the environment you are able to shoot in, however there’s a trade off – NOISE. (Yes photographers, this is a very basic explanation, I’m trying to cater to all readers. Don’t give me any flack!)
Even if you don’t know what noise is, you’ve probably seen it, it’s the little speckles you’ll see in a photo you take when it’s dark. You’ll see it a lot with photos taken from your cell too.
Here is a picture of a gang I started. Obviously our territory is Disneyland. I’m on the left, the pip-squeek behind me is Suzanne, then her husband/my buddy Bobby on the right, and my wife Val. If you see us representin’ at D-land, it’s best to give us plenty of space, I’d hate for anyone to get hurt… 
– we took a picture of our picture on the monitor with a cell phone. Ssshhh, don’t tell Mickey, ok? But as you can see, it has PLENTY of noise – also referred to as grain.
Now I don’t want to start an Aperture vs Lightroom or Canon vs Nikon fight here, let’s leave that to the photography forums people! (Ya wanna fight?!) I just want to show how impressed I was with a shot I was sure wouldn’t work out…
My wife and I recently took a trip to Hawaii and I snapped this shot after the sun had set; these guys weren’t lit by anything anywhere near them, just catching some stray light from the stage where the show was happening.
This shot worked because the 5d handles low light situations so much better than a consumer/prosumer grade camera body. The body gives a huge advantage to low light shots, but it’s also AMAZING how LR3 is able to reduce noise in images. Check out both shots below and tell me what you think.
1/30 sec at f/2.8 ISO 25,600 Using Canon 24-70mm Shot with Canon 5Dmk2
Of course the image with the noise reduction isn’t perfect, and I would never allow this situation to come up while shooting a wedding. The resulting image tends to look like it was done with water paints if the noise reduction value gets too high. But for personal stuff, heck yes! I’ll gladly add this shot to the vacation photo album
Happy Friday everyone, hope you have a great weekend!
It’s all in the glass baby!
WARNING: This is a techy geek post for fellow photographers. All others….you have been warned.
As a professional photographer it’s important to buy the very best equipment. Not only does it give you the highest quality images, but it also gives you the versatility necessary for difficult situations. In this blog I’m going to rate my top 3 lenses and explain why I can’t live without them.
Drumroll please…….
Coming in at First Place:
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Street Price – $1,329
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/264304-USA/Canon_8014A002_Zoom_Wide_Angle_Telephoto_EF.html
This lens is the workhorse for many photographers out there. There are a number of reasons I love this lens. It has one of the most solid builds of any of the lenses I’ve used. I’ve slapped this bad boy on my 5DmkII and hiked in Yosemite near waterfalls with mist in the air, and have been able to relax (somewhat) because it has amazing weather-sealing. The 24-70 range is also perfect for moving from a full length individual or group shot and then zooming in to get a tighter headshot. The USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) is an absolute necessity out of any lens I shoot, and it delivers fast responsive focusing. The f/2.8 can provide a nice shallow depth of field, especially if zoomed in to the higher range of the zoom. At the same time I like using it for weddings to get wide angle shots of a room, table set ups, etc. It works well in tight places and helps open those spaces up.
It’s the diversity of this lens that earned it the #1 spot on my list. It’s a lens that you could shoot with 70% of the time for most events if you needed to. Although it rated #1 on my list, it’s not my FAVORITE lens to shoot with, just the most useful. My favorite lens came in at the #2 spot…
Coming in at Second Place:
Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L USM IS2 Street Price – $2,400
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/680103-USA/Canon_2751B002_EF_70_200mm_f_2_8L_IS.html
This puppy is bad! And it better be, given the price-tag. The 2nd iteration of the image stabilization on this telephoto is off the charts. The rule of thumb without IS is to shoot at a shutter speed of 1/focal length. Given that the focal length on this lens is 70-200, I would never typically shoot below 1/80 of a second at its widest point. With typical IS I would be comfortable bringing that number down to 1/40 (and that’s stretching it). With the IS2 on this lens, I’ve shot crystal clear images at 1/20th of a second at 70-90mm’s! No wonder this guy is rated at up to 4 stops of image stabilization.
The image-stabilization, fast aperture, range, and incredibly fast USM add up to make this one of my favorite lenses. From wide all the way to the telephoto end, this lens delivers throughout the focal range and makes for some of my very favorite portraits. Of course being a wedding photographer, this lens is useful to get up close and personal for things like the first kiss, exchanging rings etc. But it could truly prove to be a workhouse for those who strictly stay with portraits, fashion, or even event photography.
The only thing bad I have to say about this lens is that it’s like having a brick strapped to the front of your camera. She’s a big girl at 52 oz.
And last but not least…
Coming in at Third Place:
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Autofocus Lens Street Price – $1,000
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/647011-USA/Canon_3554B002_EF_100mm_f_2_8L_Macro.html
This lens is amazing because of its 1:1 subject magnifying ability. Having a macro lens truly allows you to discover a world that was previously unaccessible. Like the 70-200, this lens is also great for portraits. With f/2.8 you can easily defocus a background to bring attention to your subject. In terms of wedding photography, NOTHING can get a picture of rings like this lens can. I also use it to capture details in the brides dress, take pictures of miscellaneous jewelry, and definitely use it to shoot the bouquets.
What do you think photographers? Do you agree with these ratings in terms of versatility and functionality? I’d love to hear what you think. What is your favorite lens and what is your most functional lens.
