I made pro portraits of people last weekend. The setup was a large strobe with a softbox, and a Canon 1Dx camera with a 24-70 f/2.8L lens.

That gives me this kind of shot (this is a self-portrait to test):

But it is not until you view this at real pixel level that you see how great this kind of equipment is. Even in this picture, which was slightly back focused (it is impossible to focus accurately on yourself), look at the hairs around my ear, and at the towel:

But better still, look at this small cut from a picture of one of the people pictured:

Now click on that, and then select “full size”, and if necessary on your computer, click on any “+” buttons to view this at its actual size (of 1200+ pixels wide). Then you see how incredibly sharp this is. Basically, DNA level.

So when you think your “kit”-lens does OK, or your iPhone does OK – that is true when viewed small. But when viewed large, or better, when printed (and you really should print your photos!) then the difference between basic equipment and professional gear really shows up. I wish I could show you all these photos on my large

And that is one reason (one of many) to have your portrait made by a pro.

Other reasons are the printing itself – when I print for you, I make “giclée” prints, using permanent pigments on non-fading acid-free museum-grade paper. Not Wal-mart prints that, while they only cost a few dollars, will discolour and fade after just a few years – let alone decades.

Please – have me or some other pros make your portraits. We are only on this earth once, and the older “us”, as well as the generations after us, should be able to recall you as you are today. I have only a few photos of myself as a child. In fact just one, I think. As I said in the workshop I taught the same day: it’s the only time travel we will only do. What’s a few dollars to keep your “today’s self” frozen in time forever?

I am often asked about megapixels.

Yawn.

They are not interesting, not anymore. Any camera over, say, 12 megapixels (Mp) will have enough resolving power to make nice big prints. Sure, if you shoot fashion you may want a 50 Megapixel camera, but for most of us, megapixels are no longer important.

They can even work against us – images get larger and take more disk space to store; transferring is slower; and so on. And there is another reason I say that megapixels no longer rule. A very important reason: electronic noise.

The more pixels you cram onto a sensor, and the smaller you make that sensor, the denser, and hence the smaller the pixels are. And small sensors create more such noise, leading to a lower signal to noise ratio.  Basically, this means less quality at high ISO values. A small sensor camera with a lot of pixels crammed onto the sensor is not very good at high ISOs: it produces grainy images.

A modern top camera therefore often has fewer pixels. My Canon 1Dx has fewer Mp (18.1) than my previous camera, the older 1D MkIII which had 23 Mp. Hence, the new camera has truly great low noise performance at high ISO values.

Here’s a snap at 3200 ISO:

And I can go much higher.

So when you buy your next camera, do not ask about Megapixels: ask “how large is the sensor” (larger is better) and “how good is it at high ISO” (fewer Mp means better). Because when you can take pictures at night without having to worry about grainy images, you will be a happy camper.

I am just back from having had my Canon 1Dx repaired: there was an important recall, so I bit the bullet and had it done. At the same time, I had my 70-200 2.8L lens looked at, and Canon Canada kindly did it all in 48 hours for me, and they replaced some bits and tightened all internal lens elements – and that brings me to a small blog post on maintenance.

In particular, preventive maintenance. Which can be very useful so you can keep making, say, cat pictures:

(I know – I just had to get a cat picture in there).

Just like for your car, preventive maintenance is not a bad idea for your camera gear either. Changing gaskets every now and then; tightening screws (they come loose, see this previous post); cleaning; replacing internal filters; adjusting and calibrating: all these can be worth the effort.

When to service? I would do this when:

1. An expensive “pro” lens is ten years old, say.
2. Especially when there has been any hint of a malfunction or a deterioration in its performance.
3. You see dust on a camera sensor, or you see a lot of dust in a lens (a little dust is normal in non “pro” lenses; dust sealing is one of the benefits of pro lenses).
4. You see visible signs of wear in rubber or plastic bits.
5. There’s play; i.e. anything is loose. (This is a very good indicator for quick service, since loose bits will fall off, and play will affect focus)
6. You have dropped the equipment hard.
7. You hear unusual sounds when shaking the equipment.
8. Equipment has not been used for a long time (years).
9. You depend on the lens/camera for a living.
10. You live in a tough climate and it’s been a few years.

You can do the simplest parts yourself, but for anything that involves opening up the equipment, I would go to the pros. That can be Canon, Nikon, i.e. the maker, especially for newer equipment. It can be worth joining the pro program; free for Nikon and in many cases free or cheap for Canon (alas, not in Canada). You can also use third party repair shops, but in that case it is wise to only use specialized shops.

In any case: preventive maintenance is often the difference between failure and success, so don’t ignore it. TIP: put dates in your calendar now, even if it is for years hence, that way you will have one less worry.

___

Yes, I talk about equipment also, during all my courses. That, and photos… Have a look at the “featuring Michael” video for August’s Niagara School of Imaging Course. And do check out the expanded schedule, online now – book soon to assure your place!