At the EOS Seminar 2016, which is touring through the ASEAN region, as well as visiting India and South Korea, professional photographers share their experiences shooting with the new flagship model, the EOS-1D X Mark II.
If you missed your chance to attend this event, check out this report for feedback from the professionals.

On 16 April 2016, Canon Singapore Pte. Ltd. kicked off the Canon EOS Seminar 2016. Award-winning Olympic photographer and member of Canon USA Explorers of Light, Simon Bruty, resident Print Master and Master Photographers Association (MPA) Fellow, James Tan, and famed underwater and avian photographer and violinist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, William Tan, shared highlights of their careers, their insights, their inspirations, and their experience shooting with the EOS-1D X Mark II.

 

Its extended buffer enables me to get the decisive moment

As a professional sports action photographer, Simon Bruty emphasized why he needs a camera like the EOS-1D X Mark II—because “in sports photography, there are no second chances.”
The previous model, the EOS-1D X, at the time boasted the fastest continuous shooting speed among full-frame DSLRs at 12 fps. Numerous historic moments in sport have been captured with this camera.
However, the world of sports photography does not stop there. When professional photographers want to capture those instances right before and after these winning moments, like the expressions of athletes or the commotion of the venue, that is when a higher performance of a camera is demanded. Simon emphasized that one key feature needed in his attempts to get the decisive moment, is an extended buffer.
An extended buffer, which temporarily stores the image data captured by the imaging sensor for each shot taken before writing it to the memory card, allows for longer periods of continuous shooting. 
As Simon shared a painful moment from his career where he had run out of buffer at a critical moment, he exclaimed that “with the Mark II, I am never going have this problem with this new camera. I can go to Rio (2016 Olympics) and shoot all I want. I am NOT going to have a buffer problem."
With its improved fast continuous shooting speed of 14 fps, and dual DIGIC 6+ imaging engines which allow for continuous bursts of up-to-170 consecutive RAW images with a CFast 2.0 card, it has become almost impossible to miss that all-important shot.

Simon Bruty talking about the improved buffer, wider spread of AF points, and improved noise reduction at higher ISO settings on the EOS-1D X Mark II.

One unheralded feature from the standpoint of a professional photographer, Simon said, is that even though this camera is greatly improved, the ergonomics remain the same, making the transition from the previous model seamless.
Simon shared with his audience what it means to be a professional sports, action, and portrait photographer, as he guided us through his extensive career with some of the impressive shots he has taken. He emphasized the need to think ahead, to predict where the action will take place, to be prepared, and to believe in one’s own ability as a photographer. 
Of course, having the right tool for the job as well makes all the difference.

Great action shots can be taken anywhere, anytime. In this case, in Zambia, where Simon captured the love of the game.

 

Why you should print your photos

James Tan, a much sought after Print Master, spoke about the need for photographers, from enthusiasts to professionals, to complete their imaging journey by printing their images. 
Photography, like any art form, is the product of craft and creativity. But most people stop this process of creating art before its intended final step, printing.
Before the advent of the digital era, printing one's photographs in a darkroom was the only way of verifying the result of one's labour.

James Tan highlighting why photographers should print their images.

Today, professional digital photography gear, like the EOS-1D X Mark II, enable photographers to fully capture and express their ideas. With the aid of computers, images can be quickly post-processed and optimized. However, this is where most photos end up, on a computer screen.
James argues most computer screens simply lack the resolution and the colour space to depict your photographs accurately. In order to fully utilize the resolving power of your gear and view the full colour range of your images, you need to print your images.  
“Apart from conceptualization, making a print of the image is probably the most important yet cheapest of the technical parts in a professional photographer’s repertoire,” he highlighted.
James also talked about his experience of using the all new imagePROGRAF PRO-500. He was very impressed with the ease of setting up this professional grade printer; it practically runs itself. The perfect tool for the full-fledged photographer!

Print Master James Tan and the new Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-500.

 

AF Performance Capturing The Tiniest Details in the Dark

A pod of sperm whales, shot near Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.

William Tan, renowned underwater and wildlife photographer, was eager to highlight the improved imaging capabilities and ruggedness of the EOS-1D X Mark II, as he had taken the camera through its paces in the frozen waters of Hokkaido, Japan.
He was particularly impressed with the AF performance in low light, which is able to track moving subjects through freezing slushy water, and focus accurately on minuscule transparent deep sea creatures during black water dives.
William emphasized that wildlife photography requires cropping of one's pictures in most cases in order to get the desired composition. He was astonished with the image quality of the new 20.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor. Although only a modest 2 megapixel increase over its predecessor, he argued that in real life shooting, this newly developed sensor allows for more stunning and detailed photos, even when cropped at 80%.

William Tan sharing a life-time achievement with his audience: capturing the elusive Spikefin Goby (Discordipinna griessingeri).

A new feature on the EOS-1D X Mark II William shared with us, was the Frame Grab functionality that allows the user to select and extract a single frame from 4K video shot at 60p, resulting in a JPEG file of approximately 8.8 megapixel. 
He jokingly mentioned that “the only thing this camera cannot capture, is subjects that are not there,” however, “if the animal is there, and you know your camera, with the Mark II you can take the picture.”

Pin-tailed whydah courtship flight display: a single frame grabbed in-camera from a 60p 4K video, shot with the EOS-1D X Mark II.

In between learning sessions at the EOS Seminar 2016, Canon offers opportunities for people to try their hand at shooting with the new EOS-1D X Mark II before its actual market launch using a wide selection of lenses.
Be sure to check out Canon's event page of each country's official website or their related social media pages to register for the event.

Schedule of EOS Seminar 2016
16 April: Singapore
17 April: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
20 April: Philippines (Manila)
21 April: Philippines (Manila)
23 April: Hong Kong
24 April: Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh)
26 April: Thailand (Bangkok)
30 April: Indonesia (Jakarta)
Event Venue: XXI Theater (Epicentrum Jakarta)
Address: Epicentrum Walk Ground Floor
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said
Jakarta Selatan
4 May: India (Delhi) For details, please click here.
7 May: South Korea (Seoul) For detail, please click here.

 

 

Simon Bruty

Simon Bruty, an award-winning Olympic photographer and Canon USA Explorer of Light, has created an unusual portfolio during his twenty-five-years as a photographer by finding the extraordinary amidst the ordinary.
He has traveled extensively during his career to work on feature stories as diverse as soccer in Zambia, golfers in Greenland, and badminton in Indonesia. He photographs football, tennis, skiing, soccer, and golf for Sports Illustrated.

www.simonbruty.com

 

James Tan

James Tan is highly sought after by photographers and artists who seek to create the perfect print, or to deepen their understanding of the craft.
Currently, apart from making prints, he is teaching fine art printing at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), as well as being a print and color management consultant for various printing companies, galleries and institutions.

 

William Tan

William Tan, underwater and wildlife photographer and full-time violinist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, has been fascinated with the creatures of the sea since childhood.
After becoming a certified diver in 1994, he has been specializing in macro photography of marine life, depicting his subjects up to four times life-size. In recent years, he has discovered the joy of wide-angle photography.