The new Canon EOS 50D is especially well suited for high dynamic range (HDR) photography with its 15.1 MP sensor, its Highlight Tone Priority mode and an array of very sharp lenses like the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM.
I wanted this image to display as much detail as possible in the church’s beautiful exterior clapboard siding and scalloped trim. Merging three exposures (-1.5 EV, 0 EV, +1.5 EV) and tone-mapping in Photomatix Pro brought out a lot of hidden detail and converting the image to grayscale in Lightroom finished it off very nicely.
Metering a bright white structure against a cloudy sky was a challenge for the camera’s meter so I took several bracketed sets using various levels of exposure compensation until I got just the right three histograms. Exposure compensation and auto-exposure bracketing can now be set using the same screen on the EOS 50D, allowing a quick check of the overall exposure when combining both as I had.
Catholic Church in Wallis, Texas
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shots taken with a Canon EOS 50D tripod mounted, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM at 11mm, f/8 at ISO 200 on Lexar Professional (UDMA) digital film. All post capture processing was done in Photomatix Pro 3.1 and Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a (much) larger version.
Excellent results. I like black and whites, and I think HDR can add even more drama to the photo. Good stuff! Good luck.
Hi Jeff,
The image is absolutely amazing, great job !
Can you please advise: would you say that the Canon 50D is easier to work with, regarding HDR, compared to the Nikon D90? I need to decide between these two cameras and I’m not sure which is best for HDR.
Cheers,
I haven’t used the Nikon D90 so I can’t really say which is best for HDR photography.
Jeff
Wow, this image is incredible. Ok, I have the camera, now teach me. TEACH ME! haha
Cliff,
Thanks for reading and for your comments. Enjoy your new camera!
Jeff