Matt Suess – Dramatic Landscape Photography

Introduction

In Part One of landscape photographer Alain Briot’s Phase One P45 Experience Report he talked about his technical observations regarding the 39 MB digital back. Here in part two Alain concludes his report with his artistic observations.

Matt Suess

The Phase One P45 Digital Back:
An Experience Report

–Part Two: Artistic Observations—

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others
who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun.

Pablo Picasso

Article by Alain Briot
Published December 29, 2008

1-Introduction – The two different types of photographic knowledge

I approach photography as being a medium requiring two different sets of knowledge: technical and artistic knowledge. In the first part of this 2-part essay, I addressed the technical aspects of the Phase One P45 medium format digital back that I found to be important in my work.  In this second essay I am addressing the artistic aspects of this back that I find most relevant in my work.

Most equipment reviews, if not all of them, address the technical aspects of a specific piece of equipment.  This is because photographic equipment is seen almost universally as being purely technical.  Certainly, the technical qualities of a piece of equipment are very important.  However, I do not see equipment as being purely technical.  Why?  Because equipment, when used with the goal of expressing oneself and of creating fine art images that express an emotional response to the subject photographed, plays an important role in the artistic outcome of the work.

For one, equipment has an inspiring effect on me and I am sure on most photographers.  New equipment inspires us to create new photographs because of the new possibilities it offers.  But what are those qualities?  Many believe that these qualities are purely technical, that new cameras essentially have better technical capabilities. The possibility of creating images of higher resolution than before for example, or sharper images, or making bigger prints from these images and so on.

Again, this is certainly the case and these were some of the reasons why I invested in the P45.  But these are not the only reasons.  The P45 inspires me because of other factors that are by nature artistic.  For example, the expanded dynamic range allows me to create prints with lower contrast  –softer prints if you will– a purely artistic consideration since it is not important for me to quantify how much softer, or how much less contrast, these prints exhibit.

The P45 also gives me access to a different color palette than 4×5 films such as Provia or Sensia or than digital cameras such as the Canon 1DsMk2.  Again, this is an artistic consideration since here too it is not important for me to quantify precisely how many more colors I get, or to describe the exact technical differences between the color palettes of these different films and sensors.

These are only two of several artistic considerations that I want to address in this essay.  In doing so I will blatantly omit mentioning any sort of data, numbers or charts.  Instead, I will use an approach and a terminology that is artistic by nature: palette, feel, like and dislike and so on. In many ways my remarks will be opinions rather than facts, something that art and artists have been known to be traditionally guilty of.  If you must have hard numbers, you may be disappointed.  On the other hand, if you are curious about how one can have an artistic take on a subject that is traditionally addressed from a technical perspective, you will be embarking upon an entertaining journey of discovery.

2 – White Balance

Let us start by addressing white balance.  The P45 is very sensitive to being set to the proper white balance. Outdoors, a custom white balance is often necessary because the color of the light changes throughout the day, most noticeably between sunrise, midday, sunset and also during overcast, open shade or reflected light conditions.

Certainly, the P45 does offer pre-set white balance settings: daylight, flash, shade, etc.  However, for some reason I find that the colors I get from these presets are not satisfying to me. It is definitely not because they are not accurate.  They are accurate.  It may be because I have a different artistic taste than the engineers who created these presets.  It may also be because I like to set my own white balance settings to match a specific color palette (more on this later on).

As a result I prefer to use custom white balance settings rather than preset white balance settings.  With cameras equipped with auto white balance capabilities, this is not much of an issue. I simply select “auto white balance” and let the camera adjust the white balance for each type of light automatically, without any input on my part.  Not so with Hasselblad-V cameras.  These being mechanical cameras designed for film use, they do not offer the option of auto white balance through the camera.

The closest thing to auto white balance on the P45 mounted on a Hasselblad-V is creating a custom white balance.  Because this is a manual process a new white balance must be created for each new lighting situation.  Custom white balance settings are achieved through the software on the back. While creating a white balance setting this way is easy, creating a white balance setting outdoors that satisfies my artistic taste when using natural light (the sun) is something of a dark art.  This is because sunlight color changes significantly from sunrise to midday to sunset.  You go from a very warm color at sunrise to a cool color during midday and back to a warm color at sunset. In addition, shaded areas have a different color balance than directly lit areas and so do areas lit by bounced light because these areas take on the color of the surface they are reflected by.

Of course, white balance can be adjusted during raw conversion but I do like to get close to the white balance I like in the field. While I often say that I am not doing “LCD art,” meaning that how the image looks on the LCD is not overwhelmingly important to me, I do like to have a rough idea of what the color looks like in the field.

The process of creating a new white balance setting is the same regardless of which approach you use: simply select custom white balance in the options menu, point the camera towards the light source or the subject, and take a photograph.  A new white balance setting will be automatically created for that light source and selected as the new white balance setting.

You can create a custom white balance by photographing a variety of surfaces. First, you can photograph the scene in front of you and see what you get. Sometimes this works well, sometimes it does not.  Second, you can photograph a calibrated surface, such as a grey card or a Whibal (whibal.com).  Third, you can photograph through a piece of white frosted plastic or through an Expodisc (expodisc.com).  In that case you need to point the lens towards the light source (the sun).  At sunrise or sunset, or in reflected light conditions where there is a strong color cast such as in slot canyons, these options do not always work well.

In these instances I found that I can achieve a better white balance photographing a black surface such as my black tripod bag. Don’t ask me why I get a satisfying color balance that way.  All I know is that it works for me.  Not every time, but often enough to make it a viable solution.

Sometimes achieving a good white balance in the field is not possible. This is not too much of a problem because the white balance can be set perfectly later on in the raw converter, provided that the image was exposed properly.  All you need to do is select a preset you like to get a good point of departure, then “tweak” this preset by dragging the sliders carefully until you get the color balance you are looking for.  The main drawback is that in the field the image on the LCD screen will be harder to see since poorly color balanced images often exhibit weird colors and color clipping on the LCD.

3 – Tonality and contrast

The tonal separation, tonality range and contrast range of the P45 are very impressive.   It is very much like 4×5 in regards to tonal separation but with a low contrast and a high dynamic range.

These three factors are also very different from Canon 1DsMk2 files and not only because of the higher pixel count of the P45. The simplest way I can explain it (remember this is about art and not technical facts) is that there is something about the sensor, or the way the files are recorded by the back, that creates a very unique tonality and contrast quality.

One of the qualities of P45 files is their beautiful contrast. Not too high and not too low, just right. I rarely have to adjust contrast with these, either during or after conversion. Certainly, the Zeiss lenses of the Hasselblad-V system most likely play a role in this look as well, being excellent for contrast and edge definition.

During Raw processing far less work is required than with Canon 1DsMk2 files.  The most important aspect of raw processing is achieving a good color balance. As I mentioned previously the P45 is very sensitive to color balancing — it has to have a very good color balance for the files to look their best.

There is also far less need to reduce the amount of black during conversion because the shadows remain open even though there’s a significant amount of black generated during raw conversion.  In fact, I rarely have to add or remove black during or after conversion, while I routinely add black to 1DsMk2 files.

4 – Color palette

P45 files also exhibit a larger range of tones in certain colors when compared to 1DsMk2 files.  Green is one such color. There is an amazing variety of greens in P45 photographs of foliage, grass or other predominantly green subjects.  These variations go from cyan-green, to yellow-green, to magenta-green with pure green thrown in there.

Tonal variety across the color spectrum, as well as variety of tones within a single color, is something very important for my work. I work towards creating the largest variety of tones I can create and I like separating tones within a single color, such as the greens that I just described. With the P45 the colors are beautiful and with foliage leaves have a great three dimensional quality.

The difference is in the number of colors captured and in the nuances between colors. These are subtle but noticeable differences, regardless of print size.  They affect the image as a whole. It is very much like 4×5 film versus 35mm film in that respect.  The larger film size captures more light and allows a greater separation between colors.  In other words, because the film is much larger, adjacent colors are further apart in a 4×5 film photograph than they are on a 35mm film photograph.  In turn, this results in an expanded range of colors and tones on 4×5 and in a compression of colors and tones on 35mm film.

With the P45 a similar effect takes place.  However, this is not only caused by the larger sensor size.  It is also caused by the larger size photosites (the devices that collect light on the sensor). The P45 has a very large sensor, and although the pixel count is high, the photosites are much larger than on, say, a 35mm full frame 21mp sensor.

Essentially, larger photosites gather more light. The larger the photosites, the higher their light-gathering ability. In turn, higher light gathering abilities translate into more colors and finer separation and nuances within a single color and between different colors. Unlike film, where smaller grains of silver give you finer quality, with digital captures larger photosites give you finer quality.

To prove this point let me mention this: I have digital files from one of the first Kodak-Nikon digital cameras, the DCS 560, which was made available back in the early 1990’s.  Although I cannot make very large prints from these files, the photosites were so large that the color quality is outstanding even by today’s standards.  This was a full frame (24×36mm) sensor, with only 6mp resolution, which means that the photosites were literally gigantic so to speak, definitely much larger than the photosites on today’s 35mm full frame DSLRs since 35mm full frame sensors are now 16 to 21mp.

A higher pixel count is achieved by a reduction in pixel size (and by implication in photosite size) when the sensor size stays the same.  Eventually this process leads to an excessive light gathering loss and you have to go up to the next sensor size. This is sort of what is happening with 35mm full frame digital. We are at the point where going up to medium format is necessary if obtaining the largest variation of tonality and color is important for your work.  This is one of the main reasons why I moved to a medium format back instead of a 21mp full frame 35mm such as the 1DsMk3.

However, that doesn’t mean that the color or the tonality is “bad” on a 21mp (or larger) 35mm full frame digital cameras.  All it means is that there is an advantage to medium format digital in regards to tonality and color variations. There better be, given the huge difference in cost!  That is good news in regards to the extra money invested.

This photograph is a good example of a purposefully-reduced color palette.  I desaturated the colors and reduced the number of colors to create the palette used in this image.

The colors in this slot canyon are naturally very saturated, often veering towards bright oranges, deep reds and occasionally blues.  Here I wanted to move away from these more traditional palettes so I purposefully desaturated the entire color range of the image to obtain a palette that consists entirely of beiges and browns.  The light shaft was rendered pure white by removing traces of yellow and magenta to provide a solid color counterpoint to the beige tones in the image that the viewer can use as a reference point.

This photograph is a collage of several P45 captures.

5 – Inspiration

Every tool brings with it new possibilities that previous tools somehow did not reveal.  It is hard to say why such is the case.  After all, the subject is the same.  What changes is how we approach this subject through each new tool, each new camera, as well as what we look for once we know what each camera does best.

In the case of the P45 I feel inspired to create images in which details of the landscape –flowers, plants, grasses, rock patterns, etc.—play a prominent role.  I feel inspired to do so because the P45 gives me such a wealth of detail when photographing these subjects.  The precision of the capture enhances the very small details that are the mainstay of these natural elements.  Each time I open a new raw file, I see details that I missed while looking at the subject with the naked eye.  Often, the P45 files reveal more details than I saw by myself in the field.  I therefore learn about my subject by studying the image.  Instead of looking for details I hope will be there, I expect to discover details that I often missed seeing in the field.

In turn this enables me to create images that I have not created before, images whose success depends on having this intricate level of detail, images that depend on detail and color nuances to be successful.  In these images the color is particularly important and so is the low contrast and the large dynamic range offered by the P45.

Certainly, there are limiting factors as well.  For example, there is the issue of lens resolution and the fact that I would have higher resolution with lenses designed for digital backs.  The Hasselblad V lenses were designed to match the resolution of film, and since the P45 has a higher resolution than film they are not sharp enough to make full use of the sensor’s resolution. However, this concern, which is certainly real, is counterbalanced by the issue of inspiration and by the vision afforded by this specific camera.  I feel inspired when I work with my V series Hasselblad cameras, regardless whether or not the lenses deliver the sharpest images possible.  I see something different when I use them and that is why I decided to work with them again.

I have always enjoyed working with my Hasselblad V system. The things that bothered me when I was using film (besides the limitations of film itself) were the square format and the relatively limiting field of view of the widest V-lenses (38mm).  However, the P45 offers solutions here as well, although in an unconventional way.  The square format issue is solved by the P45 rectangular format.  Certainly, part of the full V-Hasselblad image is lost, but the difficulties of framing with a square viewfinder are gone as well (square compositions are very challenging).  The field of view issue is also resolved, this time through my use of stitching multiple frame captures, something that I detail in my previous essay: Phase One P45 Collages.

In passing I want to add that over half of my P45 images are multiple frame captures.  At the time I am writing this essay stitching has become a mainstay in my work as well as a source of constant inspiration.

I just don’t see the same things when doing multiple frame compositions compared to using a wider lens.  Plus, certain stitched compositions simply cannot be created with a wider lens. The image geometry is just different than what a single capture can give you, regardless of how wide your lens might be.

6 – Conclusion of Part Two: What’s Next

After I started working with the P45 I was asked frequently if working with medium format digital made me feel different.  The answer is that when compared to 35mm (or smaller formats) a larger viewfinder and the necessity to work slower usually results in an increased image quality, essentially at the level of the composition.  This is true for medium format and this is even more true for 4×5, whether one uses digital or film.

As I mentioned in this essay, it is the expanded color palette and dynamic range that are the most important assets for me when working with the P45.  The increased resolution is a bonus but it will not be visible at small print sizes. The tonal and contrast quality however will be visible at all print sizes.  This larger tonal and dynamic range brings colors further apart and gives each color a larger dynamic range, furthering the gamut of each color and increasing the range of hues within a single color.  It not only gives you richer colors, it also gives you more variation of hues within a single color.

In turn, the larger dynamic range allows you to create softer images while still retaining a certain level of drama in the scenes that you choose to photograph. During film days it was often assumed that drama could only be obtained by creating high contrast images.  While a high-contrast sunset scene, say a very dark foreground and a highly saturated sunset sky, is certainly dramatic, drama in photography is not dependent solely upon this type of rendition.  Instead, drama is a function of many more elements besides contrast. Drama can be rendered through variation of colors, tones, composition, lighting, natural events and more.

And who says I want drama in each and every photograph? After all, part of the reason for high-contrast film images was that transparency films created high contrast images in the first place. In other words, most sunsets had to be high contrast because one had to make a choice whether to record details in the shadows or in the highlights. Highlight details were most of the time favored, thereby reducing shadows to black or to very dark tones.   Not so with digital, not only because the dynamic range is far greater, but also because several images individually exposed for highlight and for shadows can be combined (through HDR or layering) thereby making the available dynamic range virtually unlimited.

At any rate the color of P45 images is rich and, when properly color balanced, sophisticated. I like to compare this color quality to a fine red wine.  A wine that is deep and full bodied, an aged wine that has reached a certain level of maturity and sophistication.  I like to think of P45 colors as sophisticated color and as mature color.  I see the color palette as being richer, more full bodied and more mature, with more variations within a single tone and more luminosity in the image.

Because of this inherent sophistication, this color palette is not so much in need of over-saturation or of excessive contrast increase.  Over-saturation and excessive contrast appear to be more necessary with files that contain less data.  While this choice clearly hinges as much on the photographer’s taste as on the camera being used, the fact remains that having more data to start with will provide one with more choices.

In turn, this influences the color palette that I use with the P45.  I use less saturation and less variation of different hues. Instead I favor a lower saturation level and an increase in the variation of tones within a single hue rather than a wide variation across multiple hues.  I also use a softer contrast that let’s the colors “speak” to each other instead of compete with each other for attention.  Other palettes are certainly possible.  My inspiration simply has gone in this direction so far.

If you enjoyed reading my notes on my use of color and color palettes please know that I am currently working on an essay focused solely on color and color palettes.  This essay will be published in the context of my ongoing series on composition.  A move to a new home studio over the summer has delayed my writing somewhat but I am now back to my regular publishing schedule.

Alain Briot

October 2008
Vistancia, Arizona

About Alain Briot
Alain Briot creates fine art photographs, teaches workshops and offers DVD tutorials on composition, printing and on marketing photographs. Alain is also the author of Mastering Landscape Photography: The Luminous Landscape Essays.  This book is available from Amazon and other bookstores as well as directly from Alain.  You can find more information about Alain’s work, writings, workshops and tutorials on his website at http://www.beautiful-landscape.com

Alain welcomes your comments on this essay as well as on his other essays available in Briot’s View. You can reach Alain directly by emailing him at alain@beautiful-landscape.com

This is an ongoing review of the new Canon 5D Mark II digital camera.

Article by Matt Suess

December 24, 2008

I received my Canon 5D Mark II two days ago. A 21 megapixel DSLR, this camera will be replacing my nearly 13 MB Canon 5D camera that has been my main camera for over 3 years now. The 5DII has been getting great reviews on its high resolution and low noise – two areas of particular interest to me. If you are unfamiliar with my work, I love to print big – I sell many fine art pieces in the 6 to 10 foot range, so the more megapixels the better. I am anticipating even larger pieces now with the new 5DII.

I had been on a wait list with my camera dealer since the camera was first announced. I was initially hesitant to take delivery of one after hearing about a quality issue with the images – notably a “black spot” problem that was causing black spots to appear along the right side of point light sources. Once Canon finally acknowledged a few days ago that there is a problem and that they are working on a solution by providing correction firmware I decided it was safe enough to receive the camera. I plan on testing to see if my camera has the “black dot” problem (I am sure it does) and will re-test when Canon comes up with a solution.

When I opened up the box late Monday night my wife Marci and I immediately started comparing the physical characteristics of the 5DII with my original 5D. Some refinements I liked a lot, and some I didn’t. I will end up doing a comparison between the two in the near future so keep on checking back to this diary. But first let us just get started with the image quality.

The light was fairly nice yesterday so I took the 5DII with my usual gear (tripod, cable release, ND filters) along a short hike near my home. The images you see below have all been processed from a RAW file using Lightroom v2.2. These are not “straight from the camera” samples, rather they have been (quickly) fully processed in LR just like I would process any RAW file – adjustments made to exposure, contrast, saturation, sharpening, and more. Like I did in my G10 diary, I am not really interested in seeing the images straight from the camera. I am ultimately interested in how they shape up after processing. My normal workflow also contains further processing in Photoshop – but the photos shown below have only received the LR treatment.

On to the photos:

Below is one of the first photos taken with the 5DII – my very first photo was of my wife and puppy – isn’t that the case with every photographer
It was photographed in RAW at ISO 100, at 1/50th at f16 using my 24-70mm f2.8L lens, tripod mounted with cable release, and the use of an ND filter for the sky. The photo was cropped slightly to fix a crooked horizon (I always change out the focusing screen of any camera I buy with a grid screen to help keep horizons level – everyone currently has the grid screen for the 5DII out of stock – and the screen from the 5D is not compatible). You can see in the two 100% crops the great detail and smooth diagonal lines in the branches. Quite an impressive first photo.

In this second photo (below) I was marveling at the detail when looking at a zoomed-in area in Lightroom when I noticed something that blew me away – the photo was taken at ISO 1250!! Wow!! What a surprise. I knew when I photographed it that I had jumped up the ISO, but forgot and didn’t see a difference when I started looking at this series of images. ISO 1250!! I don’t recall using my original 5D at anything much higher than ISO 400. You can see for yourself how impressive this ISO range is in the 100% crop. While I did add sharpening in LR I did not adjust any noise reduction settings. The image was photographed handheld at 1/250s at f10 using my 24-70mm f2.8L lens.

Results so far (not even 100 images shot yet) seem very promising – a nice upgrade from my original 5D. In my next report I will talk about some cosmetic differences between the 5D and the 5DII and I will also soon investigate the “black spot” problem.

Introduction

Landscape photographer Alain Briot has been using a Phase One P45 digital back for much of this year. The back has a 39 MP sensor, is a rectangular format 4:3, can shoot up to 35 frames / min. and has an ISO range of 50-400. It has been the choice for many photographers since it’s release in December of 2005.

Alain provides us with a 2-part report based on his experience working with the P45. Part one goes over his technical observations and in part two Alain talks about his artistic observations.

I’d like to welcome Alain as one of this site’s first regular contributors, so you can expect more excellent writings from him in the future. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this new report – published for the first time here.

Matt Suess

The Phase One P45 Digital Back:
An Experience Report

–Part One: Technical Observations—

We become what we behold.
We shape our tools and afterwards our tools shape us.
Marshall McLuhan

Article by Alain Briot
Published December 17, 2008

1 – Introduction
In Spring 2008 I purchased and started working with a Phase One P45 digital back mounted on my Hasselblad 503CW and SWCM (the Hasselblad with the permanently mounted Biogon 38mm lens).

This essay details my experience with this combination of classic and cutting edge camera and sensor technology.  This report is organized along the lines of my field notes rather than along the lines of a formal testing report, which it is not. I have now worked with the P45 for over 6 months and this span of time has given me a solid foundation on which to build this report.

Finally, I decided to split this report in two parts, creatively named part 1 and 2.  The reason for this split is that I believe there are two types of knowledge used in fine art photography: technical and artistic knowledge.  Because I use both types of knowledge when working with the P45, I decided to divide this essay along these lines of knowledge.  Therefore, in this essay –part 1—I focus on the technical aspects of the P45.  In my next essay –part 2—I will be focusing on the artistic aspects of the P45, in so far as it informs my creative work.

2 – Why get a P45 now?
The decision of getting the P45 was due to a variety of factors.  First, I was considering upgrading to the Canon 1DsMk3 from the 1DsMk2, but I kept thinking that I wanted more than 5 extra megapixels.   I wanted a significant “jump” forward in terms of resolution and image quality.

When the Canon 1DsMk2 came out it was the clear leader in its field.  Today, as the 1DsMk3 is becoming widely available, a number of close competitors are also being announced.  Sony has a 25mp camera coming up.  Nikon can’t be that far away from releasing it’s own 21 to 25mp camera, and other players are also in the running.

All this led me to think that cutting edge image quality, at this time, is being offered by medium format digital backs and that it may be time to move to medium format digital for good rather than go back and forth between 35mm and 4×5 film.

Second I was ready to move up to a digital format that would equal 4”x5” film.  Until getting the P45 I was using both the 1DsMk2 and my 4×5 system.  I wanted the quality and convenience of a digital capture system that would match 4×5 without having to use a scanning back.  While the quality of a scanning back, such as the Better Light back, is superlative, it’s use is unpractical for landscape photography due to the extremely long exposures required when shooting in low light with small a f-stops, something that I do regularly.  The very long exposures (of the order of several minutes) mean that anything that moves, even slightly, will be blurred on the image, something which I do not find acceptable.

Third a commercial assignment for Noilly Prat in France in March 2008 required that I use a format larger than 35mm to achieve the enlargement size desired by the client.  Because of the difficulty of going through airport security when traveling abroad with large format film and equipment, I wanted to shoot this assignment 100% digital.

All this combined to make it the perfect time to acquire a digital back.  In a way this means moving up to medium format digital, although I consider this moving up to the resolution of 4×5 film at the same time.  Right now we don’t have a practical 4×5 digital solution, regardless of how much we may be willing to spend.  However, since 39MP medium format digital backs give us the resolution needed to get print quality previously achievable with 4×5 film, I consider medium format digital to be equal to 4×5, even though the photographs are taken with medium format cameras.

3 – Why Phase one and not Hasselblad ?
Deciding which back to invest in is clearly a difficult choice.  In fact the options actually extend beyond the two brands I just mentioned, since they include Sinar and other manufacturers as well.

My decision was influenced essentially by image quality and by the fact that other fine art photographers such as Charlie Cramer and Michael Reichmann use P45 backs.  I loved the results they are getting, I did not hear any negative comments and I did not see any compelling advantages to other brands, so why look any further?

Of course, I could have acquired an entire new camera system and not just a digital back.  However, I wanted to “put back to work” so to speak, my V-Hasselblad system.  Part of the reason why is my love for this system. I have used it since 1987 and I have always been delighted by the image quality provided by the lenses.  Part of it comes from frustration.  Prior to moving to 4×5 and digital with the Canon 1DsMk2, I purchased a Hasselblad 503SW with new lenses, metering prism and even a dedicated flash. While I don’t have much hope to put the flash through its paces, I felt bad that this system only saw a few rolls of film given how good the image quality it deliver is.  Getting a digital back for it felt like giving this camera, as well as my other Hasselblads, a new life.  This was particularly true for the SWCM-CF which has always been one of my all-time favorites, in part for its lightweight quality and in part for its outstanding image quality.

4 – P45 or P45+ ?
The next decision was choosing between the P45 and the P45+. The P45+ has live preview, when the camera is connected to the computer, something that doesn’t work for me since I only work in the field and do not use a laptop when photographing. The + also has a higher ISO, something which I also did not need since I use low ISO’s and work almost always on a tripod.  Finally, the + has slightly higher resolution, something which I could not verify since I did not have time to run tests.  I assumed that since both backs share the same sensor, the difference in resolution between the two could only be achieved through firmware and that I could live without it.

Another aspect of the P45 versus P45+ choice was that the P45 was available as a refurbished unit for a significantly lower price.  Given that the differences between the two versions were inconsequential for my needs, I elected to order a refurbished unit.

The word refurbished does carry a certain stigma.  Images of digital backs with scratches on the glass, or significant wear and tear came to mind as I was waiting for mine to be delivered.  Who wants that, especially at such a cost.  Fortunately, I was in for a good surprise.  The unit I received was spotless, without any scratches or damage anywhere.  Furthermore, the exposure counter (or activations counter) showed that less than 900 photographs had been taken with the back I received.  A baby!  I had doubled that number of exposures in a couple of days, and a month down the road I was nearing 5000 exposures.  I would order another refurbished unit from Phase One any day.

5 – Raw conversion
I found that it was not necessary to add as much contrast to P45 files in post-conversion as I do with 1DsMk2 files.  I also found that I did not have to boost the blacks as much either.

This is due to the differences in my conversion settings between P45 files and 1DsMk2 files.  I tend to convert 1DsMk2 files with very low contrast and very low black level settings.  With the P45 I realized that I could convert images with a slightly higher contrast and slightly higher black level settings.  Why?  Because while doing so allows me to still retain a high level of flexibility with my P45 conversions.

Flexibility is my goal when converting files.  I want to have converted files in which I can progressively build up contrast, black level, saturation and color intensity.  With the 1DsMk2 I find that starting from a very low contrast and low saturation file allows me to best reach this goal.  With the P45 I find that starting from a slightly more contrasty and saturated file allows me to reach this goal equally well.  This also points to the necessity of adapting raw conversion settings to each sensor type.  Not all sensors, cameras and digital backs call for the same conversion settings.

6 – Lenses and Focusing
Focusing must be done very carefully with the P45. This is true with any lens, and more so with V-Hasselblad lenses.  V-Lenses were designed to be used with film.  Since the P45 sensor is sharper than film (the P45 has a higher resolving power than medium format film), the focus tolerances are smaller as well.

It is therefore a good idea to test your lenses to see if they focus properly.  Doing so is easy. Here’s how I did it: focus on a stationary object, with the camera on a tripod and with the aperture wide open (set at the widest f-stop for each specific lens).  Focus very carefully using magnification if your camera offers it.  After taking photographs with each lens, open the captures in your raw converter and check for perfect focus on the area where you focused.  This will tell you right away if your lenses are focusing on the proper plane or not.  By comparing photographs you will also learn how sharp your lenses are.   I did this test and found that my lenses were focusing properly with the P45, except for the 250mm lens which is not very sharp with the P45 and is also hard to focus precisely.

7 – Battery
The P45 is not overly battery-hungry but having several batteries is a requirement.  I currently carry 4 of them and I will probably add a couple more.  One battery usually lasts a full day.

The P45 uses Canon BP 911/914/915 type batteries which are similar to those used in the Canon GL2 and other digital video cameras.  However, most of these batteries are 1500 mh while the battery supplied with the P45 is 2500mh. You do want the higher mh batteries.  2100mh are possible to find on the web, but to get the full 2500mh variety you may have to order batteries directly from Phase One.

8 – Noise level
I use the P45 almost exclusively on a tripod and I have not gone past ISO 100 so far.  In fact I have the back set to 100 ISO routinely, going down to ISO 50 when light levels are higher.

I only use high ISO settings when I want to use a camera hand held.  In such instances I use the Canon 1DsMk2 instead of the V-Hasselblad P45.

At ISO 100, there is no noise to speak of.  More interestingly, during long exposures — of the order of 5 to 10 seconds–there is no noticeable noise either and no deterioration of the color quality in the image, even in shadow areas.  This is very good news.  Of course, areas that are pure black or nearly pure black will have noise in them, but this is due to the nature of digital capture not to the specific characteristics of the P45.  To remove or minimize this effect I routinely expose to the right by overexposing the image without clipping the highlights.  In instances where I want noise free shadows and detailed highlights (which is a frequent situation), and cannot guarantee this result in a single capture, I take several photographs exposed alternatively for the shadows and for the highlights then merge them either through layering or through HDR compositing.

9 – Storage
Going from a Raw file size of 16mb file, or even a 21mb file (such as from the 1DsMk3) to a 45-50 mb file (such as from the P45) is quite a change, especially when you shoot a lot of images.  Even if you take half the amount of images on the P45 that you would take with a 1dsMk2, Mk3 or comparable camera, you are still going to exceed your previous storage space since P45 files are more than twice the size of Canon files.

This situation calls for a major upgrade of your storage space, at least the storage you take with you in the field.  On the commercial shoot I mentioned earlier, I took 650 P45 captures and 1850 1dsMk2 captures in 3 days.  That’s about the same size for the total files of each camera, roughly 28gb each.  Combined that’s 56gb of raw files.  Converted that’s roughly 225mb or 130mb per P45 image and 75mb per 1dsMk2 image.  This is respectively 22.5 gb  and 7.5 gb for 100 conversions.   These high numbers call for a well thought out storage solution otherwise you will run into storage deficiency very quickly.

In the field I carry an Epson P5000 and a LaCie 250gb rugged drive.  If and when the P5000 fills out I transfer the files to my laptop and to the LaCie drive.  I then delete files from the P5000 to continue being able to back up cards as they fill up.  I always try to have all the files in two separate storage devices, in case one of them fails. Having them in three separate devices is even better but not always feasible.

10 – Sensor Cleaning
The P45 sensor is huge when compared to my previous sensor size which is full frame 35mm (24×36mm).  Because of its size I was concerned that dust would be a major problem.

In practice it turned out not to be a problem.  For one the sensor does not seem to attract dust.  There seems to be either no static electricity charge on the back or a very low level of static electricity. Static is what causes dust in the air to collect on things.

For two the sensor is very easily cleaned.  First, it is easily accessible, being just about flush with the surface of the back when attached to the camera.  This means that to clean the sensor you do not need to “dig” inside a narrow camera body with a mirror and other things in the way such as on a DSLR.  Second, there is no coating around the mirror such as there is on the inside of DSLRs.  Therefore, there is no risk to cause the internal camera coating to flake off and gather on the sensor, one of the causes of sensor dust in some DSLR’s.

The sensor-cleaning process starts with the least intrusive method and from there proceeds upwards in invasiveness and difficulty.  First comes blowing-off the dust with a large dust blower such as the Rocket Air. That should do it for dust that’s simply sitting on top of the sensor.

If dust has attached itself to the sensor, or if there are fingerprints (hopefully not!) or other marks, then a cloth and a cleaning solution have to be used.  Phase One provides a sensor cleaning kit with their backs called DigiClean which is made by Resolution Technology Pte Ltd.  This kit consists of a two-parts liquid cleaner accompanied by a set of cleaning cloths.  A scan of the instructions is provided below.  I don’t think I can improve on these so I am providing them as they appear in the kit.  I can’t comment on the effectiveness, or lack of, of this kit since I have not used it yet.  However, I don’t think Phase One would take the chance of providing an ineffective solution for such an expensive device.  The fact that I haven’t heard any complaints about this cleaning kit also attests to the fact that it is a reliable solution.

11 – Vertical and horizontal back attachment
The P45 features two sets of back-to-camera attachments.  This means that the P45 can be positioned either vertically or horizontally on any V-Hasselblad camera without having to tilt the camera. This is a very nice because no L-brackets are available for V Hasselblads.   It also allows you to work in horizontal or vertical format without moving the camera, very much like you would with a 4×5 camera.

Finally, the back senses which way it is turned and rotates the preview and the menus on the LCD screen accordingly.

12 – Speed
The P45 is fast.  I can shoot as fast as the camera can rewind and this for a number of frames, maybe up to 7 or 10.  I have not done a specific test, so this is simply based on my recollections and impressions.  But, at any rate, it is not like the back takes forever to recycle after taking a photograph.  I don’t know if it has a large buffer or if the images are stored onto the card quickly, but whatever it does it is not slowing me down in regards to how fast I have to shoot.  I basically don’t have to wait and don’t feel slowed down by the back.  I was in fact surprised about this since I expected some delay between shooting and storing, or between one shot and another, given the size of the files.  This is definitely not the case.

13 – No unnecessarily complex menu options
The menu on the P45 is simple yet contains all that one needs to do professional work.  However, compared to the menu on the 1DsMk2, or other pro level DSLR, it is very simple.  Personally I like it.  First, I hardly ever use most of the menu functions on the Canon 1DsMk2 menu, except for formatting cards and selecting mirror lockup. On the P45, card formatting is in the menu and mirror lockup second is a button on the V-Hasselblad (the way it should be).  The ISO is in the menu instead of being a camera control (as on the 1DsMk2), and that’s all.

14 – Exposure by histogram
Not all V series Hasselblads have a light meter.  Of my 2 V-Hasselblad cameras, only one does, the 503CW, through the use of the metering prism.  While I do use the light meter on that camera, I do not carry a handheld meter to calculate the exposure for the other camera.  Instead, I use the histogram on the P45 to find the exact exposure.

I start by making a guess about the proper exposure based on the light level of the scene I am photographing.  I select the f-stop based on the depth of field I need then I set the shutter speed accordingly.  I base these settings on my experience working in natural light conditions.

When these settings are selected, I take a photograph, look at its histogram, and adjust the exposure over or under as needed.  I found that on average my first exposure is usually within one or two stops of the correct exposure.   Experience does have benefits. However, even with a minimum amount of practice this approach is fast and accurate.

This is an ongoing review of the new Canon PowerShot G10 digital camera.

Article by Matt Suess

December 3, 2008

I took delivery of a Canon PowerShot G10 point and shoot 14.7 megapixel digital camera today. It was not offered to me for review – rather I ended up purchasing one following some glowing reviews for the G10 that have already begun to surface online. The initial reviews have been so good that it is my hope that the G10 can be a modest back-up camera to my main camera – currently the Canon 5D – on my hiking and camping trips. When hiking and backpacking, every ounce of weight counts and I would much rather carry a small point & shoot than an extra (and much heavier) dSLR body.

I have not owned a point & shoot digital camera for a number of years, using my Canon 20D or even my iPhone for family snapshots and such. But carrying the 20D around on family outings was never a fun scenario for my wife Marci and I due to its size, and the iPhone camera – while great because I always have it with me – leaves a little to be desired in the megapixel count (it’s only a 2 megapixel camera), as well as offering no flash or zoom. So suffice it to say that I have been in the market for a decent point and shoot for some time.

I was intrigued with the G10 based on some eye-opening specs: 14.7 megapixels (my main camera as of the time of this writing, the Canon 5D, only has 12.7 megapixels), can shoot RAW, ability to record video, manual control, 3 inch LCD screen, etc. I won’t get into all of its features in this diary as there are a number of reviews out there that talk about each and every feature. All I really care about is the quality of all of those pixels and whether it is good enough to be used for an occasional fine art print.

A side note on image quality – this camera has already been receiving rave reviews for its image detail and low noise (using low ISO settings). In fact one reviewer has found that when printing up to 13”x19” the G10 can hold its own against prints from a medium format digital camera. That is pretty impressive. I don’t have a medium format digital camera to compare image quality to, but I do have a Canon 5D and will compare images taken from both cameras at a later time (as of this writing, Lightroom does not support the RAW images from the G10 – once it does I will do my comparison of the G10 vs. the 5D).

First impressions

Wow this camera is small. Others have said it is one of the largest point and shoot cameras out there – but for me, who hasn’t owned one in years and in that time have only owned dSLR’s – this is one small camera. Almost a little too small for my large hands. The feel is quite solid and weighs a little bit more than what I would have expected from just looking at it. The dial buttons on top click with a nice snap, and other buttons and menu navigation seems quick and responsive. The 3 inch LCD screen is huge, sharp and clear (remind me to get a screen protector for it).

It has a look and feel of a rangefinder camera. The viewfinder is pretty much useless, only offering 77% coverage. Why only 77% coverage Canon?? I would greatly enjoy using the viewfinder – but not with such a large hit to composition while using it. I really enjoy seeing dials on the top of the camera for ISO settings and exposure compensation. Very handy to have them on top allowing for quick access to important functions and complimenting the camera body style.

The camera is quick on start up and ready to go in no time. A live histogram provides constant exposure feedback on the LCD screen which is a great feature for dialing in the correct exposure before taking the photo.

One of the first photos I took with it is shown above. Photographed in my backyard in the late afternoon sunshine this photo shows both great detail but also some chromatic aberrations. Also note the distortion in the lower left corner.

The photo was taken in RAW using Aperature-Priority and -1.0 exposure compensation. It was hand held at 1/15s at f4.5 with image stabilization on. The ISO speed was 80 and it was shot at 6mm (equivalent to 28mm on a 35mm camera).

The RAW image was processed using Photoshop CS4 and Camera Raw 5.2. I adjusted color, saturation, sharpening and more in the conversion to make the most pleasing image possible (i am not interested in how it looks at default settings – only processed results).

You can see in the 100% crop above (100% view seen in the Camera Raw 5.2 window) the detail present in the leaves. Noise is minimal and there is nice detail in the shadows.

The 100% crop from the sky is more troublesome. There was a lot of purple and blue fringing present. The reason why I photographed this scene was to check on the color fringing. I was able to eliminate much, but not all, of the color fringing in Camera Raw. The highlights in the sky also went pure white with no recoverable detail.

One can not make many conclusions after using a camera for just 5 minutes like I did here. I do like the detail I am seeing, but it looks like there are going to be some scenes that are going to give this camera trouble.

December 4, 2008

Today found me with some extra time to walk around and photograph with the G10 before I set up my booth here at the Tempe Art Festival. I was able to find some excellent subjects to photograph to continue testing the RAW image capabilities of the camera. I must say that having a camera this size is great for certain types of photography as it draws little or no attention – something that is hard to avoid when shooting with larger cameras. In two very short days of testing I am really having fun using this little camera.

Before getting on to today’s images I wanted to talk just a bit more on yesterday’s photo. The reason I photographed that scene was because I knew it would have the potential to give the camera problems. There was a huge exposure range for one, lots of small detail, and very difficult lighting in the top of the photo with the extremely bright background and dark tree branches in the foreground – I knew that if I was going to see any chromatic aberrations I would find it there. And in that regard the camera unfortunately didn’t dissappoint. It isn’t as bad as from some cameras I have seen and like I said much of it can be cleaned in Camera Raw – unfortunately chromatic aberrations are still a necessary evil with such small digital sensors.

On to images from today, the first is of a nicely lit cactus. This is about as easy of an exposure as you can get – no major highlights to blow out, no dark shadows, and the camera exposed the image perfectly. It was shot in RAW at ISO 80, lens set at 10.8mm, at 1/250s at f4.0 in aperature priority with no exposure compensation. The final image seen here was processed in Camera Raw 5.2 where color, saturation, and sharpness settings among others were applied. It was finally sharpened for web with PK Sharpner.

You can see the great detail in the 100% crop just below. The only problem I am seeing is some very slight chromatic aberrations in the red/green variety along the edges of the cactus thorns. These are easily removed in the RAW software.

So what happens when we push things a bit? I am a big fan of pushing the envelope with lighting, preferring high contrast scenes. It doesn’t get any more difficult then when shooting directly into the sun. I remember my old Canon 1Ds never enjoyed looking into the sun, making some photos look like a nuclear explosion and producing all sorts of overexposure artifacting.

This image was shot using aperature-priority at ISO 80, at 1/500s at f5.0, with -1.0 exposure compensation and the built-in neutral density filter on. The built-in ND filter allows for up to 3 stops of light intensity reduction – a great feature. The image was processed in Camera Raw 5.2 and further adjusted in Photoshop CS4.

Well the G10 kept the nuclear explosion in check and the sun is quite pleasing. However the foreground in front of the sun is going to need some major cleanup. It is also difficult to see, but if you look at the sky above the sun, as well as the sky just to the right of the right-most pole, you can see some off-color circles. These are most likely caused by the bright sunlight reflecting off of the image sensor and bouncing off the rear lens element at the time of exposure. These two problems would have to be addressed manually in photoshop. There is also a little more noise in this image – not necessarily unexpected.

Another thing I love to do is photograph panoramics. I accomplish that by taking a series of photos and stitching the images together. Normally I am using a tripod and have the head completely leveled off. But in this instance I hand-held the G10 and took 3 horizontal photos that I first processed in Camera Raw 5.2, then stitched together in Photoshop CS4 using Photomerge in its auto setting. I then used the warp filter to return the resulting photomerged image into one that looked normal again.

The three photos were photographed in aperature priority at 1/640s at f4.5, -1/3 exposure compensation, ISO 80 at 6mm. There is nice shadow detail and none of the highlights are blown out. The foreground is tack sharp – but the background looks a little soft – perhaps my error in either focusing or by not allowing for enough depth of field by shooting at f4.5.

And finally for today I was able to photograph a nice sunset from the roof of my RV.

I was quite pleased with the color rendition. There were some red chromatic aberrations in the dark objects that were in front of the setting sun. I was able to clean up most of it when processing the RAW file in Camera Raw 5.2.

The photo was shot using aperature priority, hand-held at 1/80s at f4.5, with an ISO of 80, -2/3 exposure compensation with a lens setting of 6mm.

December 16, 2008

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about the dynamic range of the G10 – in particular about recovering detail in the shadows. The timing is perfect as Lightroom 2.2 was just released today allowing for full RAW processing of G10 RAW files in Lightroom (prior to LR 2.2 I was using Camera Raw 5.2 for RAW conversions for the G10). Lightroom has quickly evolved and has become my default RAW converter (although I still, depending on the image, will use other RAW converters for my Canon 5D images such as DPP, Capture One, and DxO). It is great that Adobe is supporting some of the higher-end point and shoot cameras as it allows me to use the same tools and workflow as I would with my regular work.

For this example I selected an image I photographed this past weekend. It was photographed in Tucson during the 4th Ave. Street Fair near the end of a spectacular sunset. The image was photographed in RAW in aperature priority, at ISO 80, and hand-held at 1/13s at f4.5 with no flash. The bottom half of the photo is underexposed by a good 3+ stops, while the top half of the photo is also underexposed slightly.

The above photos show the before and after versions of the same image. The before was processed in LR 2.2 with no settings adjusted from the default settings. The after photo shows the end result I obtained strictly from adjustments made in LR. I ended up going perhaps a little overboard in bringing out the shadows, but I did that to show what I found to be some fairly impressive results from this little camera. In the after image, we are looking at a foreground 4+ stops brighter than the original. I was a little bit surprised at how much I was able to bring out.

Of course there are consequences to bringing out this much in the shadows – a big increase in noise and a loss of fine detail. This is to be expected even in higher end cameras and the G10 appears to exhibit more noise and loss of fine detail than what you would expect from a higher end camera. But still, I was impressed with the results none the less. Below are a few 100% crops for you to decide for yourself.

May 15, 2009

A recall has been recently issued for the G10 camera. A free repair for certain cameras which experience a line problem appearing in images. More info on Canon’s website here.