Sigma 85mm/1.4 Art

donaldejose

Maybe the replacement for the D810 will excite you. We just have to see what it will offer other than the new focus system in the D5 and D500.

PeachBlack

donaldejose said:

Maybe the replacement for the D810 will excite you. We just have to see what it will offer other than the new focus system in the D5 and D500.

The focus system of the D810 is fine, it's the location of the focus points that's the real problem.

donaldejose

Never heard any rumor about expanding the location of the focus points. It is assumed the same focus system just put into the D5 and D500 will migrate its way into the replacement for the D810. You can check with a D5 and see if it has any more spread of the AF area than does a D810. If not, then I wouldn't expect that to change. Rumor has it there is a strong chance of more megapixels and given you are using the Sigma Art lenses they should be able to utilize more megapixels.

Rx4Photo

Location is another factor in the grand mix of portrait photography - that, and a subject/model who's willing to be creative. I follow a local photographer on Instagram who shoots many of his full body images up close with a wide angle lens and they look pretty amazing. It's turned out to be one of his trademarks along with his backlighting technique.

starralazn

@Rx4Photo, while there is a classic need for certain types of portraits, is it an artistic choice to shoot what you are comfortable doing all the time? does it make sense to have a photographic look that is a trademark?
i ask because i really don't know, and maybe one of my failings is being unable to follow a creative narrative, or direction when shooting portraits of someone. where does your/the photographers artistry derive from to push you to shoot a photo, of a person specifically, in any one way?

just putting this out there, i'm always trying to learn more.

Rx4Photo

@starralazn, very, very good questions. Ones which I'll readily admit I don't have the proficiency to answer. I do feel that there is a certain psychology that plays into what people look forward to seeing from you after they've gotten use to your photos. Also there are lots of tutorials out there on "developing your brand." So there's something to be said about developing a certain look or style.

"Is it an artistic choice to shoot what you are comfortable doing all the time?" Yes, it's your choice, but you're limiting yourself. Most artists transition over time. Musicians like Michael Jackson, artists like Salvador Dali, photographers like Annie Leibowitz
have all transitioned from earlier works to their later works.

I think you have to develop in your own mind what you want to convey in your works. Be it fashion, beauty, storytelling, whimsical fantasy, etc. Flow with it and let it take you to the next level. As far as I can remember, you're into cosplay (right?). If that's the case I'd focus on whole body photos because most cosplayers are proud of their creations and want to display them in whole - not just with headshots. Find locations to shoot that help the final image. ** Benjamin VonWong once in an interview said he'd go to cosplay events and ask participants to come out side for a photo - he'd pick a cool spot, light it, and shoot. He wouldn't simply shot with the crappy backgrounds in the venues.

I think ultimately, your final product has to look better than a typical snapshot - because everybody's got a camera in their cellphones now and can do that very thing.

PeachBlack

I have had many, many people tell me that they can look at one of my photos and tell that it's mine without being told that it's mine. I guess this means that I have a style, but to be honest with you, I never made any conscious choice. I just did what I liked and continue to do so.

This does NOT mean that I just randomly bumbled along and eventually bumped into a style. No. I did, and continue to, look at photos that I like. I don't consciously copy a photographers general style, but I do get ideas. When I see something that I like, I try to break it down and try to copy that particular shot. Over the last several years I have made a conscious effort to make my images look more "cinematic" in the sense that they are more widely shot with an attempt to incorporate backgrounds well (and a great reason why the focus points frustrate me so much). Still, no matter how much I try, the "style" that I have developed creeps back into my photos.

In a sense then, style is more than just about the lens you choose. Certainly that's part of it, but not the entirety of it, unless you choose something purposefully quirky.

So. My best piece of advice about developing style is to look at a lot of photos by good photographers and try to copy them. You will almost certainly fail, but at least you will go out with a plan with a specific goal that will hone your skills and build your style. The usual advice of "take lots of pictures" doesn't really help because you'll end up with a lot of bad, randomly shot photos. I've heard way too many photographers say things like "let's go out and shoot and we'll figure something out." No. Have a plan. Not just a place and a subject, but also HOW you plan on shooting them. For instance, I'm very much against taking a whole bag of lenses to a shoot. I usually have a plan for the kinds of shots that I want to take and often take just one prime lens. ONE. My last shoot with Bailey, I took just the 85. My last one with Ilvy I just took a 35. I very often just take a 50. Tomorrow I'm going to use the 14-24. I have a plan and I won't take another lens else I'll likely slip back into my comfort zone.

starralazn

@Rx4Photo yes! Cosplay! and i've been meeting a lot of great people recently, thanks for remembering
i like the idea of flow. even if you shouldn't force your way thru things, there is still a way that life follows(passion, interest, effort). i'll try to think more of the bigger picture
@PeachBlack thanks for your advice! if i have a plan, i definitely would stick with it. and yeah... taking lots of photos doesn't help so much if don't know what you hope to achieve. i'm glad theres some form of unique creativity that shows (in your photos) at your level

Vipmediastar_JZ

I have to agree that getting a theme or concept before the shoot is critical and also having a mood board/inspirational photos.

2015 I did many models with different lens although this was a good way to test them but it was the smartest way to figure out my happy medium.
2016 I did very few model shoots but I used two lens primarly 85mm and 58mm. That is my happy medium and the 300mm for something different.

I think I need to explore the 85mm some more. With cold weather in my area its time for the studio but I can still use the 85mm and that is a nice lens to work with.

vtc2002

@Vipmediastar_JZ +1 This one of the things I try to drive home to my Students. Having a plan will always yield better results, even if the plan is to do something edgy. Knowing and having a vision of what you want to achieve improves your success rate.

Vipmediastar_JZ

Yes especially when you have a creative team working a concept. Hair stylist, makeup artist, wardrobe, model and photographer.

Once you have all of that then the team can decide if its natural light, artificial and then the lens. However this part can be solely left to the photographer.

Great feedback guys.

PeachBlack

Sharpness/Bokeh test at ƒ1.4

PeachBlack

PeachBlack

This is a small section of the photo above. Note, this is a head/torso shot. Now look at the crop. Extremely tiny white hairs are clearly visible above and to the right of the eye. It's really pretty amazingly sharp at ƒ1.4

WestEndFoto

This is why I want medium format. I want this on a full body shot.

PeachBlack

I do get individual eyelashes on full body shots... but good luck nailing focus with a medium format camera wide open with their generally terrible autofocus systems with highly centralized points. Of course you could risk manually focusing, but we're well into the 21st century now.

Rx4Photo

I once thought I wanted a medium format camera until I saw a comparison of image quality versus that of a D810. Hard to telll which was which.

WestEndFoto

They have some catching up to do. Wait 5 to 10 years.

donaldejose

The new MF body and anticipated price of the Fuji GFX gives me hope that someday a class of DSLR-like MF systems will exist. 5 to 10 years seems to be a reasonable time span for this to develop, if the future does go that way. Once Nikon produces a full frame mirrorless body it may be able to be scaled up to MF size if the Fuji GFX proves such a market exists. Meanwhile, 36 to 50 mp full frame DSLR is the most practical system to use.

PeachBlack

Do your homework before getting the GFX. In order to keep costs down, the sensor doesn't use the cool technology of their X-Trans sensor used in their smaller format cameras (it's run-of-the-mill CMOS), it's nowhere near true medium format (less than 44x33--Phase One is 54x40, or a full centimeter larger on the long end), and the 1/125th shutter sync speed is just ridiculous. It's not a camera that any professional would take seriously, though it might appeal to some amateurs.

WestEndFoto

The Fuji medium format is a good complement, format size, to their APS-C cameras though. Similar step up from FX would be worthwhile. I would love to see a 60 by 60 or even larger sensor.

PeachBlack

There is a reason why very few high end professionals choose MF except in very limited studio settings. As we saw in that Pirelli video, Peter Frickin' Lindbergh, one of the top names in fashion photography (top 10 easily, top 3 probably, #1 arguably), uses Nikon. Why? There are just FAR too many downsides to using medium format cameras.

WestEndFoto

Do you think a medium format D800 with appropriate lenses would have any downsides, besides cost and weight?

PeachBlack

The only major gripe I have with the D800/D810 is the location of the focus points in the viewfinders—image quality is NOT an issue. This makes it very hard to take a photo without cropping because in the majority of my photos the eye of the subject is outside of the highly centralized cluster of focus points. There are a TON of things that I would like (more megapixels, ISO 50 or less, more dynamic range, more reliable focus), but nothing that would substantially improve my photo taking experience. Unfortunately, medium format cameras almost always are worse in this regard with companies almost always cutting and pasting focus systems from smaller format cameras.

So sure, theoretically a D810 that functioned identically but with a larger sensor? Sign me up! I just can't imagine ANY scenario under which Nikon doesn't cut corners and overcharge. Like I've said, I haven't really been impressed by anything that Nikon has done since the D800 was released almost 5 years ago. They are a company that is casting about for ways to improve the bottom line, not a company that's serious about innovation.

rmp

PeachBlack, if you could use only one lens, which lens would that be?