Toronto Skyline v 2.0

[LeeIs]

3 years later, i got back to the Toronto islands to shoot the Toronto Skyline. It's funny cause version 1.0 was one of the first shots I shared here when I first signed up. I'll post a link to that shot below. Thanks to all the great feedback from all of you I think i've been able to improve my photography.



here's the old one :blush2:

Toronto Skyline

[Greg McCary]

Quite an improvement Liban. Nice work. This is certainly a wall hanger.

[shootme]

I don't want to look at the old one, this one is great, well done. S

[caleb]

incredible, great shot

[jetrim]

Looks like your tag line fits well here

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."

Beautiful shot!

[LeeIs]

Thanks Greg, S and caleb.

Hey jetrim, hahahaha nice one man. I would never have thought of that! nice catch and yes very fitting. and thanks.

[barb_48]

Very impressive, don't get to T.O. that often, to hectic for me.

[PRB]

Makes me want to "be there" --- I love shots that entice me to travel. Thank you for sharing this one and please let us see some more.

[Abiciriderback]

Great capture, The lighting composition are very nice only thing I would say looks like you have a couple of spots on your sensor that is showing up

Ray Still

[Frog]

Yup! Well done and better than last one.

[Shebang]

I like both versions, but I like your second one best because of the richness of the colors. IMO it adds a level of sophistication and appears more professional. I also prefer the closer shot.

[LeeIs]

barb,
i hear ya about the hecticness. I've always been a city person and I cant stand smaller towns myself. lol. I guess it's one gets used to and the idea of change that could be somewhat bothersome.

PRB,
If u ever come to Toronto, this was taken from Ward Island (which is mainly residential). The other two islands are that accessable in the winter. But in the summer Centre Island would probably give you the best views of Toronto.

Ray,
I didn't notice that, I'll have to check out the shot at 100%, i think i see what you're saying though. I'm also terrified of messing about my sensor, I almost would rather just photoshop it out than try to clean it myself.

Frog,
thank u.

Shebang,
yeah, as i was about to post this one, the first title that came to my mind was toronto skyline, and then i wondered if the system would reject it since i posted another pic with the exact same title and hence why i thought about renaming it and telling the mini story of how different they were. I'm glad u like the old one too

Thanks all.

[Yoyo Szeto]

Hi Liban,
A very nice photo and a big improvement!
yoyo

[gahspidy]

Liban, interesting to see the comparisons from years ago to todays take. I think your skills have certainly improved over time. Panning more to the right gets a better balance. Zooming in closer look alot more exciting in this one. The sky was much better and your white balance is right on now. also nice and crisp.
This is really well done.

[Ron Kruger]

Good shot, comp and exposure. Looks like you chose just the right time of twilight to snap the shutter. The focus, however, looks a little soft to me. Could be camera shake, cropping (which always loses a little sharpness) or just the fact most lenses aren't tack sharp at infinity.

[draymorton]

Love it. Agree with Greg - wall hanger, for sure.

I wouldn't do a thing, other than removing the spots Ray mentioned (I noticed them, too).

[LeeIs]

Thanks yoyo, Gary, Ron & dray for the good words.

Ron, I'm having a problem getting my shots tack sharp. I actually shot that shot on a tripod using a cable release to minimize camera shake. but at 100% it still kind of soft. I've been reading up a lot about this and came across something called hyper focal focusing. I still don't get it though. I did everything I was supposed to do, yet i wasn't happy with the sharpness. It could just be my lense. I was using the 18-200mm Nikkor VR (VR was off btw, cause I read if it's own, it could add to slightly out of focus images)

This is really an issue that i'm trying so hard to get rid off but not yet succesful.

[draymorton]

I'm having the same problem with night skyline-type shots. I use a remote, a tripod, an L lens... the camera's on mirror lock-up... and still... softer than it should be. I don't get it.

[EOSThree]

Very nice skyline. I like all of your nightscapes. Thanks for sharing. It's been years since I've been to Toronto. Been through on the way to and from Algonquin PP, ate at the Keg Mansion.

[Shebang]

LeeIs and draymorton: I am struggling as well. I'm not getting nearly as tack sharp shots as my camera and lens most certainly should be capable of. I'll be reading about this hyper thing you spoke of and check back here to see if you have solved the problem. I'm using a Canon 40D and L lens.

[LeeIs]

EOSThree, thank you. and as u can see from the shot comparison, Toronto actually grew, u can't even see the Skydome from the island anymore, it's been covered by tall buildings from this angle.

dray and shebang,

From all i've gathered and i've been reading about this for about 2 months and a half now. I've read countless articles, i'm not exagerating when i say i've read like 3-4 articles a day for days on end.

Here's the list of stuff that I gathered: Maybe this well help one you guys even though it didn't help me (incase it's my glass)

1. Sturdy Tripod
2. Cable Release
3. Mirror Lock-Up
4. Turn VR (Vibration Reduction) (Image Stablization) OFF on your lense. Having it ON will produce softer images if using a Tripod.
5. Hyper focal focusing. This I haven't figured out yet. BUT there are hyperfocal charts out there that you put in your focal length and aperture and it tells u were to focus your camera on to get maximum sharpness in your photograph.

Also forgot to add. a smaller aperture would obviously be the choice here (higher F number) I heard that 2 thirds from the smallest aperture works best. So if your lense goes from F2.8 - F16 then some where are F12 would give you the sharpest possible shot without abberations caused by the aperture hole being too small.

That's what i gathered so far. I will try to look up some of these charts up tonight and jog down the numbers and go out and shoot the snow tomorrow (expecting a major storm tonight)

Here's a Hyperfocal distance chart. Just click on the blue link 'hyperfocal distance chart' and you'll be able to download a small pdf that has instructions and all.

http://www.dofmaster.com/samplecharts.html

[draymorton]

LeeIs - yeah, aperture is another thing I forgot to mention. I've pretty much nailed down, via testing, the sharpest stops on each of my lenses - which seem to be anywhere from f8 - f13, in general - and tried to stay there. But that hasn't seemed to help, either.

I don't have IS on any of my lenses. I'd imagine that would be quite a handy feature in situations like those we've been talking about.

Thanks for the link - instant bookmark. Seems a little confusing right now, though. It'll probably make sense soon enough, but, at this point, reading through all that kind of makes me feel like Chevy Chase's Gerald Ford ("It was my understanding that there would be no math.... during these debates...").

Am I to understand, for example, that, if you're shooting at 24mm at f8 on a dslr, you'd want to be focusing on something between 10-15 feet away? Is that how it works or am I way off?

[LeeIs]

Hey dray, i think you misunderstood me about the IS, If your lense had an IS and you were shooting with a tripod, it is recommended that you turn OFF your IS to achieve a sharper shot and not the other way around.

Looking at the chart if you were at 24mm , F8, then focus to 12 ft and everything from 12 to infinity should be the sharpest possible exposure that said lense can produce. provided one uses all the other precautions. That's what i've understood, ofcourse i could be some what off. but that's how it makes sense to me.

cheers and if u come across anything or if u do experiments, let us know! it's winter here and i don't shoot as often cause of the cold.

[Ron Kruger]

Interesting. I've always had a problem of soft focus at infinity with zoom lenses, whether short or long. The versatility of zoom lenses makes them so popular, hardly anyone uses fixed lenses these day, and for years, I was the same way, but I'm reverting back to them for the superior light-gathering capabilities and image quality.
You might try a fixed lens.

[draymorton]

Leels - sorry bout that. :blush2: Wow, so you actually get a softer image with IS?

Thanks for the chart clarification. Makes more sense now.

Agree with Ron on fixed lenses. If I had the money, I'd go all prime tomorrow (B&H isn't open today).