I've been a portrait photographer for many years and used many SLRs and DSLRs. All my portraits come out fantastically when I use good lighting. I've now tried the 7D on colour portraits and for the first time in my career, the colours don't really look that nice. Faces either look pasty or golden. I can't use this on a professional shoot. Tried all the pic modes: standard, portrait, neutral, faithful, landscape. 18megapixels is great, but useless if the colours aren't great. Even the old 350D gives nicer portraits than this. What gives?
canon 7D colours not good
- Thread starter matt9b
- Start date
Tried quite a few of my portrait lenses. Have on it at the moment my Canon 50mm 1.8
andykwilkinson
Well-known member
I suspect you must have a defective camera as there are a lot of Pros out there who have been using the camera for 6 months or more and seem totally satisfied with this aspect (and many others) of the 7D.
I suggest it's time to give Canon a call.
I suggest it's time to give Canon a call.
TooTallTim
Well-known member
^^ He's a photographer? Footage?
Have you tried setting custom white balance (which you should be doing really anyway, or at least dialing in your colour temp)? You're complaining of pasty colours (easily solved by boosting saturation in-camera or this new programme called Photoshop I've been hearing so much about). 'Golden' sounds like your colour temp is set too high, easily solved.
Have you tried setting custom white balance (which you should be doing really anyway, or at least dialing in your colour temp)? You're complaining of pasty colours (easily solved by boosting saturation in-camera or this new programme called Photoshop I've been hearing so much about). 'Golden' sounds like your colour temp is set too high, easily solved.
Nah same white balance set in all cams, I use daylight, and no, increasing sat will just increase the problem. 7D causes a pasty look on faces and makes lips look like they're bleeding, spots etc. Amazing really as I'd be hard pushed to make faces look this bad on other cams. just generally doesn't look nice. With pretty much any other cam I use, I get nice results, albeit different results, but nice. I'm on my 2nd 7D here and all the same, so can't be a fault. I'll go out and do a half decent shoot with a 350D and the 7D and show you what I mean.
Post me some professional portraits done with a 7D and I'll check em out.
I'll post images when I get a chance.
just ran and took a quick photo to show u now.. note I'm at a mate's flat, don't have any equipment or anything and no time for anything, but it will give you an idea..
7d: http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/8518/standard7dbig.jpg
click link for larger
350d: http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/8774/350dbig.jpg
click link for larger
Same settings, same lighting, and same lens on both cams. The 350d shows more how his skin looks in real life, and is more flattering. No retouching has been done on these images, they are both straight from cam. I have used SLRs and DSLRs almost all my life and never have I seen such poor colour rendition on faces
7d: http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/8518/standard7dbig.jpg
click link for larger
350d: http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/8774/350dbig.jpg
click link for larger
Same settings, same lighting, and same lens on both cams. The 350d shows more how his skin looks in real life, and is more flattering. No retouching has been done on these images, they are both straight from cam. I have used SLRs and DSLRs almost all my life and never have I seen such poor colour rendition on faces
I have messed with the gamma and colour temperature, but can't get it to look nice or even true to the subject. The settings in the above pics were identical in both cams. I think the point is, in all other cameras I've used, the images come out nice, including full frame sensor cameras all the way down to the 350D and below. In the 7D, a camera costing over £1000, you don't expect to have to play with the image afterwards to get the colours to look right.
PerroneFord
Deals in Lead
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=61701
Post #1553.
That's me on a 7D for the first time. There's nothing wrong with the 7D. Either your camera is defective, or you need to adjust it properly.
Seems like every thread you make is to complain.
Also didn't you already sell your Canon 7D?
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=211623
In this thread which you deleted but I clearly remember that you sold your canon7d in favor for a canon t2i, then you complained like crazy and were crying, funny how you deleted your post
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=211970
Now you make a thread here and are doing the same thing once again. I mean you took two pictures to compare cameras, the 7D the subject has a frown on his face and the 350d he is smiling?
This is to show that somehow subconsciously the 350d is better, because the subject is smiling? low blow move on your part.........
Seems like you are here for all the wrong reasons and I CLEARLY see what you are trying to do and that's nothing positive
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William_Robinette
Shallow Member
People's expectations always, always surprise me.
i already stated that the image is sharper and cleaner, and it's truer to the subject. the shirt with all white with better color rendition to the shadows, the skin color is better, white balance is better, the image is much sharper and cleaner.
if you cant make the 7d match the other picture, you need to study color, photography, and a photo editing or color software, something along the lines of 'light room' or 'aperture', or the 'raw app in photoshop'. or maybe a video color correction app that you can use with video, it might help with video in the future, something along the lines of apple color or davinci resolve.
if you cant make the 7d match the other picture, you need to study color, photography, and a photo editing or color software, something along the lines of 'light room' or 'aperture', or the 'raw app in photoshop'. or maybe a video color correction app that you can use with video, it might help with video in the future, something along the lines of apple color or davinci resolve.
Popsiclestand
Well-known member
I agree, the first image is much sharper. The second image is a bit muddy and soft. The spots on the subject's face so much more apparent in the first image is because you have a higher quality picture. It's just like going from SD to HD television. It's a sign of a good camera I would say.
You can always take that 7D picture and make it warmer and softer through Photoshop to match your 350D or you can change the settings in your picture styles.
You can always take that 7D picture and make it warmer and softer through Photoshop to match your 350D or you can change the settings in your picture styles.
You could lower your contrast and saturation to try and match it to the 350d. Your 7D is definitely more contrasty. Also perhaps raising your iso if you prefer a grainier look. I don't think it looks pasty, just a much cleaner image with a higher contrast.
Ian-T
Veteran
The 7D's image is definitely cleaner and sharper. I think your issue is just white balance. If you want the 7D's image to be as warm as the other just set your kelvin temperature to a warmer setting. Why in the world do you consider the 7D's image a bad one (especially in comparison)? You said that the 350D's image looks like his face in real life...but everything looks like a greenish yellow. What kind of light were you using? Flo?
Guys, I don't respond well to sarcasm or mocking. I was not moaning or complaining in my other post, I erased it because of the comments people were posting. Interesting that no one has posted any professional portraits as I asked. Sure I can make it look similar in photoshop, but when you take as many shots as I do, there's no reason to when you can get great shots in cam. I'm not suggesting the specific 350D image I posted here is great. Adjusting saturation does not help on the 7D - the reds are extremely out of place for portraits, making lips and tiny marks on the face "bleed". This has nothing to do with overall saturation. I can adjust the lips and marks in photoshop, but this takes time. The images I posted was, as I said, quick, with no editing or gear. The 350D image was indeed shot at a higher ISO so will have more noise, but this isn't relevant to what I'm talking about. When using good lighting on other cams, the results are brilliant in cam. The 7D takes a lot more time due to the extreme saturation in isolated colours e.g. reds. As I have said, I've tried a few 7Ds and all give the same/similar results. I guess me and all my clients must be wrong. In the meantime, I'll go back to using 7D for video and continue using the D700 and all my other cameras for portraits, and making $$$$$$ every year. Cheers
Cieloent, if you can't keep your attitude to yourself, then please don't post. I understand you only arrived on DVXuser a month or so ago, but I always thought this place has a certain level of respect that we all treat each other with.
I'm sorry if the subject wasn't identical in both photos, I was at a mate's house when people were asking for an example, and it was hard to get him to stand still let alone pose. I took one shot of each, and didn't deliberately "choose" one with a smile and one with a frown. It was just chance that it happened like that. The shots were to demonstrate colours / bleeding reds.
I haven't responded to your posts about me until now, but you must have a lot of time on your hands to have done so much research to try to make fun of my post not only on this thread, but on another thread as well. I don't appreciate being told to "relax, take a drink", and don't appreciate this attitude that has been appearing on DVXuser over the last couple of weeks. This used to be a well behaved and nice forum that I enjoyed being a part of, but now, from my last post, I've noticed I'm starting to be dragged into responding in like to this attitude. It's easy to sit behind a computer and be nasty to people. If we can't be civil to each other then I think it's best just to not post. I'm going to try to let this thread lie now.