Spain and my Full Frame experience - Part 1

Just back from a holiday in Spain, and my first proper outing with my new Canon EOS 5D. I can't tell you how important I found having a full frame camera was in the many cathedrals and palaces. Not only do wide angle lenses become properly wide, but the zoom range of the lenses make a lot more sense (far less lens changing). I had the 24-105L "kit lens" mounted 90% of the time and only switched to the 17-40L for shots like this one in the Cathedral at Seville, Spain.

And to top it all off, you've got no fear of shooting at high ISO. This was shot at ISO 800, and looks very acceptable even when pixel peeping at 100% (yes, I have a high quality image of this shot at a full 4386x2920 pixels!). Apart from the default amount of chroma reduction done when processing the RAW file for this photo, I've not done any noise reduction to this shot.

With the 5D's large sensor, the dynamic range is also good. After just a little fiddling with the RAW file, you can see some colour and detail in the stained glass despite the tremendously challenging lighting conditions. There's also a fair amount of detail in the dark areas (benches and the lectern to the right). Do note that this is not a composite HDR shot, but just a casual handheld shot taken in a single exposure.

Now a little about the subject - the Catedral de Santa María de la Sede in Seville (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See) is the world's largest cathedral based on the size of it's interior. It sits on the site of what was once an Almohade mosque, still retaining the mosque's Naranjos patio and Giralda tower (minaret). The cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it also contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Well worth a visit!