Say hello to our 14th wedding this year- David and Melissa. A few notes right up front- I want to first apologize for the gargantuan size of this blog, this wedding turned out so great, I just couldn’t narrow it down enough. And I’m usually the photo slayer as Zach watches from the sidelines saying, “NOOOOOOO, I love that one,” as I mercilessly narrow down. So in my Mary Poppins lecture voice, I’ll say that I don’t want to hear any complaints about the size, because I already apologized! Besides the size, this blog also contains a lot of black and whites, which slightly strays from our normal, color popping photos. Melissa was really going for the rustic/simplistic feel and so many photos lended themselves to being black and white more than the average wedding. So, with that, I introduce to you David and Melissa. They were married on her parents’ gorgeous Temecula property out in the wine country, under an oak tree. It was a perfect place for a wedding. One of the best things about this wedding was that they had a live band play at their reception. That’s so rare these days and was an awesome change from DJ guy playing “Single Ladies” for the boquet toss. Now, as Home Star Runner would say, “Let’s get down to bweezness” It’s time for……ZACH’S THOUGHTS ON THE 5D2! Oh ya, I forgot to mention Zach used one this wedding. Scroll down past the photos for his in depth thoughts.
Melissa’s dress was stunning. I loved it
Melissa and her mom 
LOOOOOVE this one
And this one too!
Grand entrance
Father/daughter dance
RESPEK. So, thoughts on the 5D2. I borrowed it for this wedding because the reception lit only by hanging christmas lights had me a little scared for my trusty 5D’s and I’d been looking for an excuse to try out a 5D2. First thought, what’s with the mark __ names Canon? No one can decide whether to call it 5DII, 5DmkII or 5D2, making Google searching far more annoying.
I’d love to gush and marvel at this thing like everyone else, but I’m here to tell you this thing is definitely a mixed bag. However, let me state before all of this that this is an AMAZING camera and the fact that I’m nit-picking a camera like this tells you how spoiled we’ve become. Ok, maybe just me. Anyways, here’s what I like:
Resolution: Every time I zoom in to 100% with these files I say, “SHEESH!!!” It’s really amazing how much detail this thing can pull out. I was also expecting my computer to freak out with all the massive files and it didn’t, which was very nice.
Hi-ISO: Another “SHEESH!!” I was expecting to be underwhelmed by 3200 and 6400 ISO shots, but it was quite the opposite. I even pushed 3200 shots by 1.5 stops a few times and it held together much better than the 5D 1600 shots do. Almost no banding and the noise is actually pretty nice looking, if you’re into that.
Viewfinder: Noticeably better than the old 5D in brightness, color and coverage.
Custom Options: You can actually disable all the useless 1/3 stop iso options, yay.
Anti-dust: This was the dustiest wedding in a long time and the files were pretty much void of dust spots. My old 5D’s seem to go looking for dust sometimes, so this was great.
Screen: It’s a little scary how good it looks, I was afraid to trust it. But it’s not lying! Man it looks good, WAAAAY better than the 5D.
Battery life: One battery lasted me the whole day and it was only half depleted. Whoa.
The on/off button doesn’t turn off just by looking at it, or breathing too deeply, another plus.
Here’s what I don’t like:
Auto Focus: COME ON!!! Really? For $2700 we’re basically getting the same AF as the 20D had? If the 5D2 were a GI Joe, it would have massive arms and upper body and then tiny little legs with ballerina slippers on. Ok, to be fair, all the AF points are slightly snappier and more reliable, but the center one is still the only one that really works. I got only slightly more in-focus shots with the 5D2 than the 5D, but it’s barely improved if at all. AI Servo is still scary. I shoot around f/1.4-2.8 mostly, so this is crucial for me. This would almost be the perfect camera were it not for this, VERY disappointing. What’s the use of 21 megapixels if they’re all blurry?!
Color: Call me crazy, but the color on the 5D2 is a little unnatural looking to me. Over-hyped, if you will. I found the files taking longer to get right than the old 5D files. Where I really saw a difference was in skin tones. The 5D makes gorgeous skin tones effortlessly, the 5D2 makes pretty good skin tones after some tweaking. It’s all very subjective, but the 5D2 skin tones were noticeably more flat and lifeless compared to the 5D, in my opinion. Not a deal breaker, I doubt most people would see the difference, but an annoying thing to deal with still.
That’s it, really. Only two complaints and lots of likes. I’m definitely going to buy one soonish, but I wouldn’t call it the last camera I’ll ever need. What I’d really like is to buy the 5D2 and the D700 a hotel room and leave them alone for the night. Their baby would be perfect.
First.. GORGEOUS photos, as always. Beautiful couple, and I love her dress.
Second.. “If the 5D2 were a GI Joe, it would have massive arms and upper body and then tiny little legs with ballerina slippers on. ” This almost made me spit my breakfast onto my keyboard and computer screen. LOL! Best review ever.
wow
these wedding images are your best of the year! which is not easy to say as you guys usually knock it out of the park….so well done!
And 5d2…ya.
I will say I did not like the colors in it, till I started using the canon profiles in lightroom.
Another great blog post.
Wow! Great job guys! Probably your best so far that I’ve seen. Your timing and compo is impeccable! -kerry
I really need to take the 5DmkII out myself, because from what I read it’s just not a real “upgrade”. For me I find it hard to buy a 5D for $2700 when you can pick up a excellent condition used 1Ds for less than a grand more. I think I’ll wait for the mkIII, III, 3, or whatever you want to call it
Zach, seriously, your reviews are as good as your photos…and that’s saying something! I don’t understand most of what you’re saying and I still love to hear what you have to say and how you say it. As usual, the pictures are insane. You have a gift.
Beautiful property! Great bridal portraits too! I think the Mk2 seems to have softer more subtle colors than what I usually see in your work, but that could be your processing here. Not better… Not worse… Just different. Highlights look funny in a couple of shots? Better than my D300! Plus your post-processing skills are a bit more advanced than mine. I can’t stand working with digital files. Color temperature and saturation/contrast adjustments never seem to work out for me. I prefer the simple RGB and levels controls given in Negative scanning. Saturation/Contrast falling where it should based on film stock. But the Mk2 seem pretty sweet. And as far as AF goes, try getting a Haoda 5D-A screen is microprism screen with a prism in the center and manual focusing. With some practice you will perform much better and with more accuracy than any auto focusing system.
You ever use the D700 yourself?
Oh! Did you try shooting any video? I’ve seen some sweet HD footage from that camera!
I agree w/ Ted even though some of what you say Zach sounds like a foreign language I still love reading it. I love the pics. Katelyn I love her dress too. The one w/ the bride and groom walking onto the dance floor (and you in the background taking a pic too) her dress looks breath taking. Love it and thanks for sharing your pics.
Haha, I was waiting for a film comment from you! The different colors you’re seeing are just the processing. I’ve thought about a split screen, but I just don’t want to be bothered with manual focusing during a hectic event like a wedding. Doesn’t sound fun to me, and I do this cause it’s fun! I’ve only played with a D700 in the store, but it was noticeably better at focusing.
@kenny where are these $3700 1Ds3′s at? I always seem them at like $4400+
Once again you have blown me away!! Gabe “how does he make even just a plain dirt road look so amazing” lol
Haha! Just MHO.
You don’t know how easy manual focus is until you do it with a split/prism screen. It’s really fast! Especially in low light. W/o a prism/split screen it’s nigh impossible. But I get what you’re saying about wanting to focus on the wedding. But I definitely recommend getting a screen & trying out manual focus for the portraits and details if not for the ceremony and reception.
GREAT WORK!
BTW… The reference above on highlights was in reference to the 5D not your work. Your photos are genius!
@Zach keep your eye on the “used” lists from Calumetphoto.com. Also, you can call in and ask for certain items and they will instantly check the entire U.S. calumet used stock. But now that i thi of it the one I saw for $3,400 was most likely a 1Ds mkII not mkIII, but still. I think I’m going to take the new 5D out on my next shoot.
P.S. shhhhh… I’m going to tell you a secret… Craigslist. L glass, bodies, and more.
@Kenny craigslist rocks! I buy everything on there. I think a 1ds2 is next. I’ve never heard of the calumet call though, that’s brilliant! Thanks
Image number 6. YES.
Gorgeous, Gorgeous! I love these pictures! Also love your comments on the 5dII.
[...] one because she was in the wedding of our past clients, David and Melissa (you can see their photos here) It was fun to see not only Amanda again, but David and Melissa nearly a year after their wedding! [...]