Tuesday, July 30, 2013

I got a new camera

For my birthday this year, I decided to treat myself to a very expensive present.  I've been looking to switch to a full frame camera for about a year, and when I heard about the Canon 6D, I pretty much had to have it.  I'm no photo expert, and I don't pretend to be professional, but I do love taking good photos and learning how to improve.
Considered an 'entry level' full frame, the 6D has photo quality equal (so I've heard) to the Canon 5D Mark III, but with less frames per second, less focus points, less weight, and about $1800 less dollars out of my bank account for the kit with lens.  The sacrifices were easy to make to save all that cash, and I am beyond thrilled with the photos I'm able to get with this camera and my favorite 28mm lens!
ISO 100, 1/40, f/5, 28mm
I took this one and was impressed at the clarity in his face, so I zoomed in...
...and peed myself.  I could see all the little drops of water in his hair, which just blew my mind.  The only editing I did was the white balance.  Most of the photos I take with this camera are super sharp. 
ISO 1250, 1/4000, f/2.8, 28mm
The best thing about the full frame is the amount of light that hits the sensor.  It's a crazy difference looking through the viewfinder of this camera compared to my crop-sensor Rebel XSi.  It also has amazing ISO capability, up to 25,600 where my Rebel's limit was 1600!  In the one above, I set the ISO higher at 1250 because we were shaded by a tree, and there is no noticeable noise in the photo.  Win! 
ISO 4000, 1/3200, f/3.5, 28mm
In the above shot of our friend's 1 year old, it was overcast so I started playing around with the ISO.  I loved this shot with her kissy lips, and there is just a bit of noise at ISO 4000 in this photo.  She is so adorable! 
ISO 100, 1/250, f/2.2, 28mm
I took this photo of our friend's son Sammy at a festival, it was a lucky shot because he was making all kinds of funny faces.  I regret the people standing in the background, but I'm not good enough at photoshop to edit them out, and the large aperture makes them nice and blurry. 
ISO 400, 1/250, f/9, 28mm
I snapped this one at a cool Alterra coffee in Milwaukee, it was blazing hot and Ashford would've jumped into this awesome fountain if we let him!  I love the lines in the photo, and the way the baby is looking at the camera while eating germs off that random water toy.  I chose a smaller aperture to make sure the scene behind him was in focus.   
ISO 100, 1/160, f/3.2, 28mm
I set the camera on a little table outside to try to get a couple nice photos of me and Ash....good luck!  I think I look nice, but he was not interested in photos that day.  I still think the quality of the photo is really good for being a remote shutter pic.
ISO 100, 1/80, f/2.5, 28mm
I also had to share this sparkly-eyed shot of little Sammy, he is just a beautiful boy and the light from the window was doing awesome things for his eyes.  I thought about warming up the color a bit, but he really is a pretty pale kid so I left it!  One thing that I always marvel at with the 6D, is the slower shutter speeds I can get away with.  This one is 1/80 and usually I would get a softer photo, but this one is very sharp.  
ISO 100, 1/250, f/2.5, 28mm
This pic was obviously Ashford's first haircut.  He was not pleased.  And I must admit, I am not pleased that my little baby now looks like a 4 year old! 
ISO 250, 1/160, f/5, 28mm
I can't wait for that hair to grow back!
ps - Hmmm...looking back at this post, I seem to spend entirely too much time taking photos of 1 year olds.  

23 comments:

  1. I was so excited to see a camera review - until I saw the price! Dang. Definitely looking into the Canon Eos Rebel, more in my price range. Maybe I will upgrade when we have the extra funds. Babies are expensive, Yo.

    Love the baby pics, so stinking cute! All of them.

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  2. Oooh, how fun!! And I would have definitely shed a tear or two over Ashford's haircut - he looks adorable (duh) but so grown up! If I have my way, Peanut won't get her hair cut until she's at least 15...:)

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  3. Great pics! Although now I am super jealous of your fancy new camera! :) I am just barely getting the hang of my Rebel so I guess I can hold out on another camera for now! :)

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  4. After seeing those beautiful eyes, I don't blame you for all the baby photos. :)

    You look wonderful, too!

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  5. Tawny - yes, it is very pricey. I got lucky and bought it during a sale on Amazon, got it for $300 less than the current price. I also was able to do 12 months interest-free financing with the Amazon card, so it encouraged me to take the plunge! I probably could've gone with the body only since the lens is huge and I never use it...oh well.

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  6. nice shots. your photography is consistently among the best i see on house blogs. do you use an additional lighting when doing before/after shots or other interior progress photos?

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  7. I have been trying to get the money together for a 5d mk III for quite some time (in fact the saving began for the mk ii).

    But my main goal is to move from my 1.6x Canon to a full frame. And I think this one will do it.

    If I am able to sell my t4i, the 6d is what I'll get. And this blog post is what put is on my radar.

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  8. Lucky lucky girl! Those pictures are amazing and I can't wait to see everything you shoot with it. Especially one year olds. That may be my favorite.

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  9. Chris, I don't use additional lighting for room shots, but I do for baby photos and portraits done indoors. Usually for house project shots, I will wait until the time of day where the best light comes in from the windows. I always try to not have overhead lights on, and will sometimes use a tripod and shoot at the lowest aperture. My wide angle lens (Sigma 10-20mm) usually does the trick. Sadly, that lens will not work on the 6D because it is made for crop sensor cameras. That hurts!

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  10. Jay - you won't be disappointed in this camera, unless you need higher frames per second for fast action. (And big whoop, Mark III has 6 vs. 6D's 4.5) And while the 6D only has 11 focus points, they are very sensitive. Some gripe about the 97% viewfinder, but seriously, can you really tell? No. And the Mark has 2 SD card slots, but unless you are a wedding photographer, pshhht. Otherwise, you will love 6D! Also, the built in GPS and Wifi are cool features that I haven't explored yet. One thing I don't like about the 6D is the LCD screen, it just seems to always be smudgey and I think it's because it is plastic. But the rest of the body feels very high end.

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  11. Sara all of those reasons are things I know the 6d will be fine for me, over the 5d3. FPS doesn't matter (I absolutely never utilize that - most I ever reel off is 2 -3 at once, and rarely). (Anyway my t4i is rated at 5fps, so that's a wash).

    Also I actually think I'll like the 11 focus points over the 61 of the 5d3. That just seems like too many, or at least too many to futz through.

    None of my shots are important enough to worry with two card slots.

    Still hoping my t4i sells. I have a trip to disney coming up in a few months.... :)

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  12. Oh I do want to know how you like the kit lens!

    I shoot with a 50mm 1.4 now all the time, and would love the option of going wider!

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  13. Your photos are great! Everytime I try to get better I forget everything I've learned--so frustrating!

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  14. both of my cameras are broken (my Nikon lens is screwed up, and my point and shoot has a cracked frame), so I've been taking lots of crappy photos this year. I'm saving my pennies for a new one soon. The subjects of your pictures are adorable :-)

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  15. So jealous of your upgrade! I am using the Canon xsi now, and I was upset that less than a year after I bought it the new xsi came out and it had better light sensitivity -- so I am super envious of your new camera! I am an amateur too, but some day, hopefully, I can convince myself and my husband that it's worth the upgrade.

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  16. My 6d arrived yesterday.

    Thank you for blogging about it; I might have only ever considered the 5dmkiii if I hadn't seen the 6d here. :)

    Thanks!

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  17. Yeah! congrats on the upgrade! I need to do that soon, too...so thanks for the review :) hang in there 'single' mama! you're doing great!

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  18. Jay, so glad I helped! I know you asked for my opinion on the kit lens, but I haven't had the chance to really get use out of it yet. I pretty much use my 28mm for everything, and it is so small it doesn't get in the way. I'd love to hear about your experience!

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  19. I don't know how much credit you can give the camera...I think the model makes it hard to take a bad pic!!! #cutie!

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  20. awww hair cuts are the hardest at any age!!!

    And you have just convinced me, it's time to have a baby, so I can get a nice camera ;) hehe

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  21. I doubt you're keeping up with who all bought this camera because of your post, but I still have my 6d and I'm still very happy with it. I can't even think of anything I wish it had, or that I need that it doesn't do. Great camera. Extremely happy with it.

    And with the 40mm pancake lens, it's a great travel camera.

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  22. Jay, I am so glad you are still in love with the 6D! I am also. But now, I have an impressive arsenal of lenses to use with it...my favorite is the Canon 35L which I use 80% of the time, and the kit lens is also wonderful! For great bokeh I love my 135L. Anytime you want to talk camera, just shoot me an email!

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Thanks so much for reading....your comments mean a lot to me!
Sara