Mark II not well received in Formula One

[David A Bigwood]

ditto

 

[Kyle Burt]

Here is some stuff from the Monaco Grand Prix Historique last weekend. Included are some shots of the Ferraris from a couple of years ago. The pictures were taken in RAW+samll jpeg using the settings recommended here.

http://www.kyleburtphoto.com/Events/MonacoGPH04/

Report from a collegue in Barcelona, Spain

The Mark II has not been received very well in the world of Formula
One at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

It's especially the colours that have caused a lot of uproar,
eventhough the sharpness is also a problem for most (being used to
the sharpness of the 1D). The camera is hardly able to capture the
red of the Ferrari's and also the yellow's of Jordan and Renault
looks very dull. I can only second that after shooting with it for
the first time last weekend, although the reds look better on my
CRT than on a LCD screen.

There was so much dissatisfaction, that Canon decided to flew in
somebody from Canon Europe. Yesterday, he collected a lot of RAW
files from many photographers which will all be send to Canon Japan
for analysis. Canon has a huge market share in F1 (around 80% I
think) and motorsport in general so they are determined to make
everybody happy again.

It seems that Canon has been very reserved in processing
out-of-the-camera JPEG's. The best settings found so far are to
setup a custom Color Matrix and custom parameters. Here's how to
set them.

The parameters and color matrix settigs are both under the first
menu. Select Set 1, 2 or 3 for parameters and choose Set Up to
change the parameters. Choose the set you selected and set the Tone
Curve to Standard, Sharpness to 2 or 3 (to your liking) and
Contrast to +1.

Go back to the first menu and choose Color Matrix. Select 6CM set1
or 7CM set2 and choose Set Up to change the settings of that Color
Matrix. Set it to color space sRGB or AdobeRGB (to your liking),
Saturation to Mid. High and Color tone to 0. You might want to
experiment with the Color tone to your liking. Some report that
setting it to 1 is better.

This is so far the setting which is though to give the best
results. For sure Canon will come up with a good solution, probably
in the form a firmware update which should at least fix the red's
and yellow's.

Grtz,
Marco

 

[John Triebe]

My family and I are huge Ferrari F1 fans and can attest to the veracity of the color depicted in your photos. The 2001 car (4739) is perfect. Looks like your settings are excellent.

John Triebe

PS: Go Michael and Reubens; make it 6 in a row

 

[Bob Krueger]

Can I ask you a question about the picture of the pale blue Bugatti (GR8L3530.jpg)?

How did you create that effect? Is it simply a VERY slow shutter-speed pan? If so, what speed? Or is it a combination of a slow shutter speed and fill flash? Paul-Henri Cahier and Rainer Schlegelmilch do a lot of this sort of shooting and I've always wondered what technique they use to create that effect, where there is a lot of overall blur combined with a focal point of clarity (usually the driver's head and surrounding area).

Thanks in advance.

VBob

Here is some stuff from the Monaco Grand Prix Historique last
weekend. Included are some shots of the Ferraris from a couple of
years ago. The pictures were taken in RAW+samll jpeg using the
settings recommended here.

http://www.kyleburtphoto.com/Events/MonacoGPH04/

 

[Stuart Rider]

http://www.kyleburtphoto.com/Events/MonacoGPH04/

Report from a collegue in Barcelona, Spain

The Mark II has not been received very well in the world of Formula
One at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

It's especially the colours that have caused a lot of uproar,
eventhough the sharpness is also a problem for most (being used to
the sharpness of the 1D). The camera is hardly able to capture the
red of the Ferrari's and also the yellow's of Jordan and Renault
looks very dull. I can only second that after shooting with it for
the first time last weekend, although the reds look better on my
CRT than on a LCD screen.

There was so much dissatisfaction, that Canon decided to flew in
somebody from Canon Europe. Yesterday, he collected a lot of RAW
files from many photographers which will all be send to Canon Japan
for analysis. Canon has a huge market share in F1 (around 80% I
think) and motorsport in general so they are determined to make
everybody happy again.

It seems that Canon has been very reserved in processing
out-of-the-camera JPEG's. The best settings found so far are to
setup a custom Color Matrix and custom parameters. Here's how to
set them.

The parameters and color matrix settigs are both under the first
menu. Select Set 1, 2 or 3 for parameters and choose Set Up to
change the parameters. Choose the set you selected and set the Tone
Curve to Standard, Sharpness to 2 or 3 (to your liking) and
Contrast to +1.

Go back to the first menu and choose Color Matrix. Select 6CM set1
or 7CM set2 and choose Set Up to change the settings of that Color
Matrix. Set it to color space sRGB or AdobeRGB (to your liking),
Saturation to Mid. High and Color tone to 0. You might want to
experiment with the Color tone to your liking. Some report that
setting it to 1 is better.

This is so far the setting which is though to give the best
results. For sure Canon will come up with a good solution, probably
in the form a firmware update which should at least fix the red's
and yellow's.

Grtz,
Marco

--
Cheers,

Stuart Rider.

 

[Kyle Burt]

That was a very slow shutter speed1/20th f/16 17mm on my 17-40f/4L. I did use flash to brighten things up as it was raining, but It didn't add to the effect much (I've done many similar shots without flash). I know Schleg does a lot of zoom pans (he was shooting next to me the very next session from that same location), but I didn't with this one. The slow shutter speed combined with the wide angle lens and close distance did the work for me.

Hope this helps,

Kyle

How did you create that effect? Is it simply a VERY slow
shutter-speed pan? If so, what speed? Or is it a combination of a
slow shutter speed and fill flash? Paul-Henri Cahier and Rainer
Schlegelmilch do a lot of this sort of shooting and I've always
wondered what technique they use to create that effect, where there
is a lot of overall blur combined with a focal point of clarity
(usually the driver's head and surrounding area).

Thanks in advance.

VBob

Here is some stuff from the Monaco Grand Prix Historique last
weekend. Included are some shots of the Ferraris from a couple of
years ago. The pictures were taken in RAW+samll jpeg using the
settings recommended here.

http://www.kyleburtphoto.com/Events/MonacoGPH04/

 

[Bob Krueger]

Kyle,

Thank you very much for your response. I think what I've been missing that probably should have been more obvious to me is that these shots are so often close-up. I can see now how the combination of wide angle from a close distance, slow shutter speeds, and panning would increase this effect. I've been trying to achieve that look with slow shutter speeds, but with a 70-200 f2.8 at the long end, and although I can get a bit of it, I don't get anything like you guys get with the closer shot. I'll have to try that. I've also tried zooming while I pan, but haven't met with much of anything I'd call success. I can't say that I've come even close to "mastering" the sequence of events.

When you use the flash, do you use it without a diffuser and straight at the car? I worry about disturbing the drivers in that scenario, but apparently it doesn't. Also, from the blur at the front of the car, it looks like 1st curtain shutter sync; is it?

I'm sorry to sound like I'm trying to pick your brain, but actually I am. To the extent that you guys who are successful at achieving that effect are willing to tell me about how you do it, I appreciate it. It's a lot easier for me to learn to begin new things by asking for pointers when they're available. Just making me think in terms of wide angle is a giant leap forward in my attempt to create this effect.

Were you shooting Monaco by chance for Randy at VM (I see that you do shoot for him), or for some other publication?

Thanks again.

Bob

That was a very slow shutter speed1/20th f/16 17mm on my 17-40f/4L.
I did use flash to brighten things up as it was raining, but It
didn't add to the effect much (I've done many similar shots without
flash). I know Schleg does a lot of zoom pans (he was shooting next
to me the very next session from that same location), but I didn't
with this one. The slow shutter speed combined with the wide angle
lens and close distance did the work for me.

Hope this helps,

Kyle

 

[Kyle Burt]

Bob,

This was actually my first time using flash out on cousre so it was a new experience for me - I just wanted to brighten things a bit so I dialed in -1 stop flash exposure. I didn't use a diffuser, but I am bothered about affecting the driver so I tried not to get them ead on - also it was the second slowest coner - Rascasse - I do wish I had tried the difussing panel on my 550 - maybee next time.. I did notice a few things - the flash illuminated the rain on some of the shots, which could spoil the effect fortunalteluy it wasn't raining that hard so It was only a minor item. Theere was a high reflectance sign in the background which sort of stands out on a few shots because that item looks frozen where everything else got the pan blur. Yes it was 1st curtain sync - well spotted. I nver thought it would make a difference on a pan shot because the car should be relatively the same position in the frame at the begiing to end of the exposure, execpt here the positions aren't stationary due to the wide angle and long exposure - so I learned something today. Yes, I was shooting for VM - the article will be in the next issue which is due out in early July so keep an eye out for it.

Cheers,

Kyle

When you use the flash, do you use it without a diffuser and
straight at the car? I worry about disturbing the drivers in that
scenario, but apparently it doesn't. Also, from the blur at the
front of the car, it looks like 1st curtain shutter sync; is it?

I'm sorry to sound like I'm trying to pick your brain, but actually
I am. To the extent that you guys who are successful at achieving
that effect are willing to tell me about how you do it, I
appreciate it. It's a lot easier for me to learn to begin new
things by asking for pointers when they're available. Just making
me think in terms of wide angle is a giant leap forward in my
attempt to create this effect.

Were you shooting Monaco by chance for Randy at VM (I see that you
do shoot for him), or for some other publication?

Thanks again.

Bob

That was a very slow shutter speed1/20th f/16 17mm on my 17-40f/4L.
I did use flash to brighten things up as it was raining, but It
didn't add to the effect much (I've done many similar shots without
flash). I know Schleg does a lot of zoom pans (he was shooting next
to me the very next session from that same location), but I didn't
with this one. The slow shutter speed combined with the wide angle
lens and close distance did the work for me.

Hope this helps,

Kyle

 

[Bob Krueger]

Kyle,

Thank you very much once again for your detailed response. Now I have to go out and try this myself and see if I can make it work. I don't have a 17-40 yet, but I assume that the wide end of my 24-70 will work well enough for practice at least. I've just switched from film in a 1v to the new 1DMkII, and so far I'm loving it compared to the scanning film workflow.

I am supposed to be getting a photo credential for the Monterey Historics this year (not for Randy and VM, however - can't compete with the likes of Pete Brock), so maybe I'll try some of this technique there. I shot the Coronado Speed festival here in San Diego for VM in 2000 and 2002 (no race in 2001 thanks to 9/11, since it's on a Navy base), but I assume that I will not have that job anymore now that David Newhardt is back in the VM fold. I'm still a subscriber, though, so I'll definitely be looking for your article.

Bob

Bob,

This was actually my first time using flash out on cousre so it was
a new experience for me - I just wanted to brighten things a bit so
I dialed in -1 stop flash exposure. I didn't use a diffuser, but I
am bothered about affecting the driver so I tried not to get them
ead on - also it was the second slowest coner - Rascasse - I do
wish I had tried the difussing panel on my 550 - maybee next time..
I did notice a few things - the flash illuminated the rain on some
of the shots, which could spoil the effect fortunalteluy it wasn't
raining that hard so It was only a minor item. Theere was a high
reflectance sign in the background which sort of stands out on a
few shots because that item looks frozen where everything else got
the pan blur. Yes it was 1st curtain sync - well spotted. I nver
thought it would make a difference on a pan shot because the car
should be relatively the same position in the frame at the begiing
to end of the exposure, execpt here the positions aren't stationary
due to the wide angle and long exposure - so I learned something
today. Yes, I was shooting for VM - the article will be in the next
issue which is due out in early July so keep an eye out for it.

Cheers,

Kyle

 

[Marco Miltenburg]

Hi Brandon,

The reds from this camera are terrible. They are so over saturated
its not funny. I shot a race this weekend and the Hondas were all
weird looking. I hope this gets fixed soon.

Did you use the settings I suggested in this thread?

It also seems that it's best not to overexpose. If you want to be on the sure side, dial in - 1/3 of a stop underexposure. The camera captures so much detail, also in darker areas that they can easily be fixed it they turn out too dark.

Grtz,
Marco

 

[John Warner]

I had the opportunity to take some photos of ferraris this past weekend. I took the pictures in RAW format so that I could play with the settings when generating a JPG. I've created a web page that demonstrates several variations using different saturation and color tone settings. You can look at my results and download the original RAW image at http://www.warnerbrother.com/1dmkII/redtest.htm

Overall the highlights tended towards pink. Adobe RGB produced much better results than sRGB. I was able to get deep red colors in sRGB with a little Photoshop manipulation. I simply adjusted the Saturation + 20/Lightness -20 for Reds on an image generated with EVU. The settings in EVU were set to Color Saturation Mid Low and Color Tone +2.

Play with the RAW file and let us know what settings you find most pleasing.

--
Canon EOS 1DMKII