Re: It's not perfect, but it does the job...
Many thanks to all for discerning and thoughtful comments... some responses:
1/ Sharpness etc...
The first 5D shot was with the 85 1.2 which CAN deliver beautiful results. I actually think the shot is soft because the guy was moving very quickly (or I just didn't nail it at f1.6??). Focus certainly isn't on the ear (see the crop)...
The second 5D shot was with the 70-200 fully open at 1/50th (shooting off a tripod). In my book it's pretty good to get anything usable at that range and shutter speed (it's not an IS version of this lens).
The M8 shots were with the 28 asph which is, for me, about as good as it gets. They were also shot at 160 ISO because I'd forgotten to re-set to 320 at the beginning of the shoot! The crop below says they're reasonably sharp - but we're talking 1/90th at f2 with a 35mm FOV lens - so there are good reasons why there's less risk of softness...
2/ Noise
Shooting with a 5D (or other SLR) in concerts is OK if you choose noisy bits! If did miss shots I would have liked to get, because it would have been too intrusive to get them. However, this would also have been true of the M8 with the current shutter + I was a good 30 or 40 feet from the performers (albeit in the front row) so I would have been hard pressed to depend on the 135 apo-telyt.
3/ Look - one thing that made a big difference in post was the AWB off the M8 was VASTLY better under tungsten than AWB on the 5D and the little 40D I was also using to increase FOV with the 70-200 (effective 320 / f2.8 - actually impressive for a 1.6 crop sensor). And I DO like the look of the Leica images - the files are great to work with.
4/ Proof of the pudding. Printed at A3+ (Epson 2100 / Harmon Baryta paper / QuadToneRIP for black and white) with some careful sharpening, there's really nothing to choose between the images technically. Evaluation then (IMHO) is more to do with aesthetic judgements... the tools we have to hand are pretty damn good.
5/ Buying a 5D - they're real bargains at the moment. I bought the 40D as an interim (I need a second full-frame body for some kinds of work, and will wait for the 5D replacement whenever that comes along). As it is, it's not nearly as heavy as a 1 series body - but, as in all things, it's no better than the glass you put on it, and not really worth having unless you're willing to cart L series lenses around - and they are bricks.
Best
|