Whats the Best way to beat the sun?

Clearly, in the examples you've given, you have enough light to balance the two sources with some leeway on both sides. With using ND filters, you are going to darken the background significantly, but that my be what you are after. Is this more of the 'cool sun flare' you are after?

(Linked on Darrel Stevensons Flickr page-http://www.flickr.com …s/7902684@N02/1​500240109/)

sfaust wrote in post #5605416
Clearly, in the examples you've given, you have enough light to balance the two sources with some leeway on both sides. With using ND filters, you are going to darken the background significantly, but that my be what you are after. Is this more of the 'cool sun flare' you are after?

(Linked on Darrel Stevensons Flickr page-http://www.flickr.com …s/7902684@N02/1​500240109/)

If so, then you will need the ND filters to get there. But it is a lot darker than the examples you've given so far.

Not so much the flare, but more like this.

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Oh forgot to mention why I'm using the ND filter.

My main objective is to get the Best IQ. I know stopping the lens down too much will show signs of diffraction softness which is what I want to avoid. Also I want a shallower DOF.

Sfaust no problem.... i was like huh?

and when I figured it out....i was like duh!

M Powered wrote in post #5605182
Yea, but you don't have the cool flare of the sun - which is the exact look I'm going for.

Actually, at 1/250th f22, you get exactly the cool flare that you are talking about....

The only difference is that your sky still has some colour in it. The images you post look like they are simply desaturated skies, not 4-stops darker (ie black...). If this was the case, the sand behind her would be dark too. I think too much emphasis is being placed on the look of the sun without thinking about the light required to illuminate the rest of the image.

M Powered wrote in post #5605182
Here is a shot from using just 1 650ws photoflex strobe (Full Power) with a 3' octodome. Its amazing how much light you lose using a soft box vs a beauty dish. (EXIF is in the file) With soft box you will be F/11 - with a beauty dish you need to be like F/16-18. Its so bad that It felt almost useless! So lesson learned, don't use soft boxes to beat the sun because you need like 2500ws!!

I also have to disagree with this... i use a single AB1600 with a large softbox and rarely much more in daylight... I get pretty much anything i want from it...

Remember that ws of a strobe means bugger all at the end of the day.
NEVER make assumptions about what equals what... as it rarely translates.
1/200 f20 ISO100 - AB1600 with large softbox.

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I would toss the ND filters, unless its just for shallow DOF. With the lenses you have, the slight diffraction you may get will be largely unnoticeable. In the end, I think you will compromise your image 'content' trying to avoid a problem that won't even be noticed. The reason we pay well over $1ooo for those lenses is so we can shoot at any aperture they offer, and know any IQ problems will be minimal at best.

Shooter-boy wrote in post #5607128
Actually, at 1/250th f22, you get exactly the cool flare that you are talking about....

The only difference is that your sky still has some colour in it. The images you post look like they are simply desaturated skies, not 4-stops darker (ie black...). If this was the case, the sand behind her would be dark too. I think too much emphasis is being placed on the look of the sun without thinking about the light required to illuminate the rest of the image.



I also have to disagree with this... i use a single AB1600 with a large softbox and rarely much more in daylight... I get pretty much anything i want from it...

Remember that ws of a strobe means bugger all at the end of the day.
NEVER make assumptions about what equals what... as it rarely translates.
1/200 f20 ISO100 - AB1600 with large softbox.

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Rob

Thats at F/20? Wow that looks awefully bright! Even without the strobe if I stop down to F/20 it would be a lot darker than your photo... something weird.

You can check out the EXIF if you feel like it...

Maybe it is the great Aussie sun we get down here... but if your pics are darker, then you have even LESS need to ND filters and such...

Rob

Shooter-boy wrote in post #5608525
You can check out the EXIF if you feel like it...

Maybe it is the great Aussie sun we get down here... but if your pics are darker, then you have even LESS need to ND filters and such...

Rob

Could be the sun, or it could be just the pollution... not sure you aussies know what that is, lol