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Photography: the Canon 5DSR DSLR camera and its 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor

The container ship Maersk Pembroke under the Quebec Bridge, May 2016
The container ship Maersk Pembroke under the Quebec Bridge, May 2016

Choosing what is important in a camera

Since there is actually no camera that has everything, whatever the brand, the buyer of a new camera must make choices: the type of sensor, the number of megapixels, the weight and size of the camera, the automatic focus’s speed and ability to follow a subject, the number of images per second, the performance under low light, the possibility to greatly enlarge a picture while maintaining its quality, advanced video functions, electronic communications with other devices, an extensive choice of lenses, etc. The list can be quite long…

The Canon 5DS(R): a specialized camera

A photographer happy with the Canon 5DS or 5DSR is one who needs a specialized camera offering both sharp images and the possibility of greatly enlarging the pictures it takes while maintaining the initial quality. This camera allows for more creativity as the possibility of extreme cropping beats, for now, everything that is on the market in the DSLR format.

Testing the potential of the Canon 5DSR when it comes to enlarging a picture

Here is an example of what this means: the photo below shows the yellow M of the McDonald’s restaurant photographed with a 50mm lens. Not easily visible…

Mc Donald's restaurant's yellow M captured with a 50 mm lens. Hard to see, of course!
Mc Donald’s restaurant’s yellow M captured with a 50 mm lens. Hard to see, of course!

Then the next photo was taken with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens set at a 200mm focal length.

Testing the Canon 5DSR: the Mc Donald's restaurant's yellow M enlarged through a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. Focal length used: 200mm.
Testing the Canon 5DSR: the Mc Donald’s restaurant’s yellow M enlarged through a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. Focal length used: 200mm.

But the picture can be enlarged a lot more using the amazing resolution of the Canon 5DSR. The following picture shows the result after cropping the 200mm image: the yellow M now takes the whole vertical space available in the picture without any loss in quality.

The Mc Donald's restaurant's yellow M, after having been enlarged (focal 200mm) and cropped within the Canon 5DSR.
The Mc Donald’s restaurant’s yellow M, after having been enlarged (focal 200mm) and cropped within the Canon 5DSR.

From my position on the hill, the yellow M was barely visible with the naked eye. By using a 200mm focal length, followed by serious cropping, I was able to obtain the result above. So it is possible to photograph a subject that is almost invisible without a telephoto lens and transform it into the principal subject of the picture without any loss in quality.

I chose the 5DSR because the anti-aliasing filter has been neutralized in the model R to offer even sharper images, although there is a risk of occasional moire effect when there are repetitive patterns in a scene. This is the compromise that Nikon users must also have to deal with.

Rethinking photography

The 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor in the Canon 5DS or 5DSR allows a new approach of photography for those who do not have access to a much more expensive and larger medium format camera that does not necessarily give really superior pictures.

When I go outside for a photo session, it seems to me that I now carry a huge telephoto lens without the weight and the cost. A lot of what seemed to be unavailable possibilities are now accessible.

Taking pictures of people in the street is now less complicated: there are no more suspicious looks, artificial poses or people hiding their face. This is an ideal camera to capture people acting naturally without disrupting their routine. Gone is the feeling that you are bothering them in any way.

Quartier Petit-Champlain Old Quebec May 2016
Quartier Petit-Champlain Old Quebec May 2016

The photo below was taken while I was standing at least 300 meters from the scene, just after sunset. For those who are from Quebec City, I positioned the tripod on a high wall on the other side of Chemin St-Louis, near the St. Louis Gate. I had to slightly brighten up the picture to make the details more visible, risking at the same time to increase the digital noise. It was a May 2016 warm misty evening, which is clearly visible by the lack of details in the background as we look in the distance.

Quebecers defying gravity in Old Quebec, May 2016
Quebecers defying gravity in Old Quebec, May 2016

But those are not the only possibilities of this camera. The Canon Company, in its promotional video, explains what exactly the camera was designed for:

How can someone maximize the use of a 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor

In order to bring a subject closer to you while fully benefiting  from the Canon 5DSR 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor, it is obvious that there must be absolutely no vibrations. The photographer must therefore use a tripod, a remote control release and the mirror lock-up function. This allows for a very low ISO setting while avoiding a blurred picture.

The mirror lock-up function is very well thought through, with the possibility to choose a totally automatic processus according to a timing chosen by the photographer (between 0 and 2 seconds). The system eliminates any secondary micro vibrations.

In order to ensure an even better picture, the photographer must use Liveview and set it to the 16X enlargement available on that camera (versus 10X on my Canon 5D MKII) to manually adjust the focus. It is then possible to see the slightest vibrations caused by the wind. Doing so, I realized that my camera strap, lightly swaying in the wind, was causing some minimal vibrations. Every detail taken into consideration will improve the final result.

One must then ensure to immobilize the strap and even diminish the tripod height if possible when the wind is blowing. These steps will allow an incredible enlargement of a subject while maintaining the initial quality of the image offered by a full frame sensor.

Superior mirage effect (cold mirage)

The photo below shows a ship being helped by two Ocean tugboats on its way towards the Quebec Harbour. The ship was at a good distance from the harbour; it is then possible to witness the superior mirage effect (cold mirage) resulting from a temperature inversion immediately over the water. The boats are deformed but the important close-up has not lowered the image quality. It has instead allowed to increase the atmospheric phenomenon effect.

Superior mirage (cold mirage) effect. Vessel and two Ocean tugboats on the St-Lawrence seaway heading to the Quebec Harbour, May 2016.
Superior mirage (cold mirage) effect. Vessel and two Ocean tugboats on the St-Lawrence seaway heading to the Quebec Harbour, May 2016.

Once closer to the Quebec Harbour, the cold mirage effect decreased, as shown on the picture below:

Quebec Harbour, May 2016
Quebec Harbour, May 2016

The Canon 5DS or 5DSR without the use of a tripod or mirror-lock

Obviously, a tripod is not necessary if you do not intend to use a lot of cropping to enlarge a photo. You will obtain excellent results with the hand-held camera providing that you remember that this Canon DSLR is a specialized tool.

So many megapixels on a sensor of that size require that the photographer adapts his technique. But, as you can see from the picture below, it is totally possible to capture an aircraft in movement, even at dusk (May 11, 19:49), when the camera’s parameters are correctly adjusted. A higher shutter speed than normal is, in this case, absolutely mandatory.

The photo below shows an Air Canada Express Bombardier DHC-8-402NG (C-GSJZ) on final for runway 29 at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (CYQB).

Bombardier DHC-8-Q-402NG (C-GSJZ — Air Canada Express) on final for the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport, May 2016. Photo taken with a DSLR Canon 5DSR.
Bombardier DHC-8-Q-402NG (C-GSJZ — Air Canada Express) on final for the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport, May 2016. Photo taken with a DSLR Canon 5DSR.

The Maersk Pembroke with the camera hand-held

The photo below shows the Maersk Pembroke container ship photographed with a hand-held camera using a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens during Spring 2016 near Quebec City. The focal length was only 140mm and the shutter speed 1/1000. The lens was equipped with a polarizing filter and the photo taken when the vessel was approaching the Quai des Cageux.

The Maersk Pembroke container ship on the St-Lawrence seaway near Quebec City, May 2016
The Maersk Pembroke container ship on the St-Lawrence seaway near Quebec City, May 2016

The colours produced by the Canon 5DSR

The digital processing of the image and colours produced by the Canon 5DSR require different adjustments than what was necessary with the Canon 5D MKII. I am still learning how to handle the results produced by this camera so I will wait a bit before commenting.

View of Old Quebec from the St. Louis gate. Quebec City, May 2016
View of Old Quebec from the St. Louis gate. Quebec City, May 2016

Night photography

Here are two photos taken during the evening in Quebec City. The photo below required a 200mm focal, an ISO set at 4000 and a shutter speed at 1/30 in order to obtain something else than trailing lights. Luckily, the traffic was moving slowly…

Night photography, Grande-Allée avenue, Quebec City, May 2016
Night photography, Grande-Allée avenue, Quebec City, May 2016

The picture below, taken with a 200 mm focal, required an exposure time a bit longer that one second with the ISO set at 800. To take the photo, I took advantage of the fact that the cars were momentarily stopped at a red light, so that they would be clearly visible.

Night photography, Tourny fountain and Quebec lower town, May 2016
Night photography, Tourny fountain and Quebec lower town, May 2016

The images per second of the Canon 5DS(R)

The Canon 5DSR is so far quite an impressive camera. I would have appreciated that Canon offer a higher rate of images per second (7 instead of 5) to make it more versatile.

The camera allows taking pictures with smaller formats than 50.6 MP, the two other options being 28 MP and 12 MP. If the camera can deliver five images per second with 50.6 MP RAW files, we can deduct that it is able to offer more speed for smaller formats. But the camera is blocked at 5 IMS so that it, I suppose, does not compete with other existing Canon models of the same category…

Nonetheless, Canon says that the rapid sequence of shooting lasts longer if the photographer uses the smaller files provided. So it is not faster, but it keeps on firing for a longer period. My guess is that it would only require a new firmware version to improve this camera’s number of images per second.

For other night pictures, click on the following link to my site:

Night Photography

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer
Categories
Photography

Photography and weather

Some cloud families

Cumuliform clouds add energy to any photo. Even photos in black and white benefit from them largely, whether it is for a normal or an HDR photo.

Cumuliform clouds add dynamism to this Abbaye du Mont St-Michel scenery. France (1978)
Cumuliform clouds add dynamism to this Abbaye du Mont St-Michel scenery. France (1978)
Black and white HDR picture of lamp posts installed along the St-Lawrence, Quebec City 2012.
Black and white HDR picture of lamp posts installed along the St-Lawrence, Quebec City 2012.

The stratiform clouds add to the tranquillity and the stability of a photo.

Daytona Beach under stratus clouds in 2011. The end of the afternoon allows the fresh air from the sea to move over the heated land, which helps create few cumulus fractus, visible near the buildings.
Daytona Beach under stratus clouds in 2011. The end of the afternoon allows the fresh air from the sea to move over the heated land, which helps create few cumulus fractus, visible near the buildings.

Clouds including a stratiform and cumuliform components (stratocumulus) produce an effect that is more energizing than the simple stratus, while avoiding the explosion of energy of the cumuliform clouds.

A stratocumulus adds to this otherwise peaceful scenery captured on board the Lyria train between Paris and Geneva in 2013.
A stratocumulus adds to this otherwise peaceful scenery captured on board the Lyria train between Paris and Geneva in 2013.

The cold front

The approach of a cold front enhances the possibility of interesting photos. If it is a fast moving cold front of moist and unstable air, the photos will probably be more spectacular, as some thunderstorms will be associated with the system. A dew point of more than 15 C indicates the presence of a lot of water vapor which can be transformed into precipitation, thus releasing a lot of energy. When these conditions are combined with a really strong contrast between the new air mass which approaches and the one which goes away, the produced meteorological phenomena will certainly be intense.

In the photos below, the meteorological system approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport also had to cross a small mountain range.

A roll arcus cloud in development ahead of a thunderstorm approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage airport in 2012.
A roll arcus cloud in development ahead of a thunderstorm approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage airport in 2012.
A roll arcus cloud in development ahead of a thunderstorm approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage airport in 2012.
A roll arcus cloud in development ahead of a thunderstorm approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage airport in 2012.
View under a developing arcus cloud at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (2012)
View under a developing arcus cloud at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (2012)
An arcus cloud ahead of a thunderstorm approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage airport in 2012
An arcus cloud ahead of a thunderstorm approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage airport in 2012
A roll arcus cloud ahead of a thunderstorm heading for Quebec City in 2012
A roll arcus cloud ahead of a thunderstorm heading for Quebec City in 2012

The morning fog

The morning fog offers many opportunities for interesting photos. You can choose an isolated tree and capture the combined effects of the morning sun and fog. Or you may choose a cluster of trees, for a completely different effect. Both photos below were taken in Domaine Cataraqui, Quebec City.

Trees in fog at Domaine Cataraqui, Quebec City 2009
Trees in fog at Domaine Cataraqui, Quebec City 2009
Sun and fog provide for a special atmosphere at the Domaine Cataraqui, Quebec City 2009
Sun and fog provide for a special atmosphere at the Domaine Cataraqui, Quebec City 2009

A morning fog resulting from a cold cloudless night will persist for hours if there is no wind. The cold morning air, motionless over a slightly hotter stretch of water, creates a fog that will finally disappear just before noon, when the atmosphere has been heated enough. If there had been an overcast sky during the night, chances are that the air over the water would have remained at a higher temperature, preventing the formation of fog.

The opportunities for more interesting photos arise when you witness the first holes in the fog layer.

The Ocean tugboats during a dense fog in the Bassin Louise in Quebec (2012).
The Ocean tugboats during a dense fog in the Bassin Louise in Quebec (2012).

We can take into account the season to estimate the speed of the diurnal reheating of the lower atmosphere. A morning fog will need more time to dissipate from late autumn to early spring: that leaves more time for the photographer to prepare. The forecasts can announce the disappearance of fog while it will not be the case if, over your sector, there is an invading layer of stratocumulus preventing the morning sun from reaching the ground.

To determine if the fog is going to dissipate as expected or will remain and possibly intensify, watch the difference between the temperature and the dew point on the hourly meteorological observations issued by weather stations near your place of residence. If the temperature and dew point spread increases, the fog is going to lift. If the difference between those two decreases, the fog is going to persist and possibly intensify.

The mist

The mist can be qualified as such when the visibility is superior to ½ mile, but do not exceed 6 miles for an observer on the ground. If the visibility is of ½ mile or less, it is called fog. This photo of the Bic National Park, near Rimouski, shows the interesting effect that the mist adds to a beautiful landscape.

Mist in the Bic National Park, Province of Quebec (2009)
Mist in the Bic National Park, Province of Quebec (2009)

Hot and unstable air in winter

When there is a warm and unstable air advection (about 0 degrees) while winter has already settled, there are good opportunities for photos. A moderately developed cumulus produces significant snow showers and this snow sticks on all the surrounding objects. All that snow would have begun to melt on contact of objects if the latter had had a temperature superior to zero degree. But, the winter being already settled, the snow persists. It gives enough time to capture some souvenirs.

A Quebec City street after a snow shower
A Quebec City street after a snow shower

The local effects

A photographer might benefit from learning about the meteorological local effects influencing the regions he intends to visit. The local effects are often simple to understand and they repeat themselves regularly, according to wind and season changes. The knowledge of these effects allows the photographer to be ready and position himself even before the phenomenon occurs. It limits the comments like: “If I had known that it would occur, I would have settled down here one hour earlier!

The local terrain as well as large size bodies of water produce predictable meteorological phenomenon that can be used by a well prepared photographer. It can consist of persistent fog, repetitive snowstorms over a small sector, strong winds, cumuliform clouds alongside the mountain summits, etc. By being positioned at the right place, at the right time, the desired photo can be realized.

A change in the wind direction

A change in the wind direction suddenly increases the opportunities of interesting photos. It might announce the approach of a cold front, a warm front, a sea or land breeze, etc. In the photo below, a bit of fresher air suddenly began crossing the St-Lawrence seaway at the end of the day, thanks to the approach of a weak cold front. The water was still relatively warm and the moisture which was present over the surface became visible due to the cool air supply. The conditions were now ideal for a short-term thin fog, as long as the wind speed would not increase. Just in time for a photo.

The new wood pellets silos in Anse au Foulon in Quebec City en 2014
The new wood pellets silos in Anse au Foulon in Quebec City en 2014

Familiarization with weather radars

It can be useful to get acquainted with weather radars which, for the needs of photography, remain simple to interpret. Multiple echoes of small dimension with a steep gradient of various colors indicate precipitation resulting from cumuliform clouds. The showers associated with these clouds are often moderated or strong and will be the result of approaching towering cumulus or cumulonimbus (thunderstorms). A towering cumulus presents a dark base and a white summit to the photographer. At sunset, their vertical development can be used to emphasize the last rays of light.

The side of a towering cumulus (TCU) is benefiting from the remaining sunlight over Quebec
The side of a towering cumulus (TCU) is benefiting from the remaining sunlight over Quebec

Large echo areas of similar colors of low intensity indicate a relatively stable air generally producing steady light rain or drizzle. This should be understood as a possibility of increased humidity limiting the visibility through mist or fog.

Hoar frost

Hoar frost is a short-term phenomenon. It is thus necessary to capture the scene before the sun melts everything. The photo below shows some small twigs on which hoar frost has settled. It was taken at the beginning of the seventies. Although the quality of the photo is not exceptional, the meteorological phenomenon is well demonstrated.

A combination of snow and hoar frost observed on a Quebec field in 1976.
A combination of snow and hoar frost observed on a Quebec field in 1976.

Forest fires

Wishing to make photos of western Canada during summer 2014, I came up against a season where hundreds of forest fires were raging. The smoke was covering some parts of Alberta and British Columbia. Some fires were important enough to require the closure of the sole highway connecting Lake Louise to Jasper. I thus decided to include the effects of those fires in the holiday souvenirs.

A visibility reduced in forest fire smoke allows a photographer to obtain, without special editing, sunsets with interesting colors.

Sunset and smoke from forest fires in Kamloops in 2014
Sunset and smoke from forest fires in Kamloops in 2014

The smoke also produces an effect similar as fog, but a fog which would be impossible to obtain at the end of a summer afternoon while the sun shines and there is a 38 degrees Celsius temperature.

An area near Kamloops, Canada, that was touched by forest fires in 2014
An area near Kamloops, Canada, that was touched by forest fires in 2014

At dusk, the residual smoke is visible near tree tops while the setting sun strikes the mountain side. The effect is of two horizontal lines of complementary colors, blue and orange.

Forest fire smoke and sunset combined in Lake Louise, Alberta en 2014
Forest fire smoke and sunset combined in Lake Louise, Alberta en 2014

Metar decode and description

Metar Decode and Description
Metar Decode and Description

Significant Present Weather Codes

Significant Present Weather Codes
Significant Present Weather Codes