Maddy and Trevor’s Wrigley Mansion wedding in Phoenix was spectacular. Their wedding was uniquely them, form Maddy’s floral arrangement to the details. The whole setting fit them perfectly. Their day was awesome!
Godox TT350S review by Denver wedding photographer Nick Sparks.
I don’t use much flash these days, but the Godox TT350S is by far my favorite flash for the Sony system. Whether you are shooting an a7 iii, a7riii, or a9–this flash is awesome! Heres why.
TTL (automatic setting) is essential if you are working events. People move back and forth too quickly to make manual adjustments based on how far away they are from the flash. I had a bad time using ETTL/TLL functions on certain 3rd party flash systems before I found the Godox TT350S. Pictures would come out under or over exposed frequently. The TT350S hits a nice middle exposure with ease, which is my preferred flash exposure. I can always batch process my photos in Lightroom to make them a little brighter if I want. The important thing is that they are all in the same exposure range.
The wireless transmission of this flash comes in handy if you want to use one (or two) off camera. The TT350S allows for slave/master function, and you can even turn off the flash function of the one on camera. The features are relatively easy to navigate too.
It’s really nice that this flash only uses two batteries. My wedding photography kit is a little smaller, since I don’t have to haul around quite so many extra AA’s.
This flash is about half the weight as a regular sized flash. Of course, it means that it has less power, but I haven’t found it to be an issue with the great high ISO performance of the Sony iii series cameras. You can boost your ISO instead of turning your flash up–it usually makes for better pictures anyway. Having a lightweight flash on a mirrorless camera is really nice, because if you start adding big accessories it starts to feel like you are shooting a DSLR again.
Well, this was a little bit of a short one, but all these things I mentioned are what matters to me most in a flash system in 2019!
I think I had a little too much fun this wedding season using the Godox TT350S at receptions.
Here’s to making receptions a little easier to work with a cheap, lightweight, reliable flash!
Authored by Denver wedding photographer Nick Sparks | ig: https://www.instagram.com/nicksparksphotography/ | weddings: https://www.nicksparksweddings.com
I originally wrote this Godox TT350S review from the perspective of working real wedding days, where a flash needs to be small, reliable, and quick enough for receptions, getting-ready rooms, and fast-moving candid moments. As a Colorado wedding photographer, I care less about gear specs on paper and more about whether a camera or flash helps me stay focused on the day as it naturally unfolds.
You can see more of that work in my Colorado wedding photography portfolio, browse featured weddings, or explore Colorado wedding photography pricing for wedding, elopement, and portrait coverage.
I also wrote a full Sony a7III review from the perspective of real wedding use, covering autofocus, low-light performance, image quality, shutter life, and why the camera worked so well for weddings.
Pentax 645z Real World Review by Nick Sparks
Let’s jump right into it.
I’ve used both the Canon 5DSR + Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 and the Pentax + D-FA 90mm f/2.8 Macro extensively. The Canon 5DSR is my best comparison point when analyzing the Pentax 645z, because both cameras share huge 50 megapixel outputs. Only the very best glass will out-resolve these kind of camera sensors.
Below is a comparison of the two lenses at 1:1 zoom:
1:1 rendering of both lenses to check sharpness. 5DSR + Zeiss Otus 55mm (left) Pentax 645z + Pentax 90mm Macro (right)
As you can see, the Canon + Zeiss Otus combo at f/1.4 out-resolves the 645z with Pentax’s sharpest native lens at f/2.8. It’s no surprise to me that the best full frame lens is able to out resolve the best Pentax medium format lens. The advantage to full frame camera systems (specifically Canon) is the wide range of high quality lenses.
If you want the sharpest image, opt for the 5DSR, but if you want the most flexible RAW files and a medium format look, opt for the Pentax 645z. Alternatively, there could be a “best of both worlds” scenario with newly designed mirrorless medium format cameras. The short flange distance will allow the adaption of high quality Zeiss Otus glass, since the image circle of the Zeiss Otus line is big enough to cover smaller medium format sensors.
Full Frame to Medium Format
The 645z sensor is 1.7 times bigger than full frame and has unique rendering characteristics. The out of focus transitions are a bit smoother than full frame, the highlight to shadow transitions roll off smoothly, and I love the 4:3 image ratio. 4:3 crops are more pleasing to my eye than 2:3.
(Pentax D-FA 645 55mm f/2.8, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/400)
Let’s get this out of the way–no, it is not as big as 645 film. The reality is that the market of sub $10,000 medium format camera bodies has not opened up to bigger sensors. Pentax has kept a mount that covers a full 645 image circle, which means that we may see a bigger sensor in a future camera body update.
The Files
It’s great that this camera puts out DNG files. They save a little bit of space and work great in Adobe’s ecosystem. I wish more camera manufacturers would allow the option of DNG output.
The file output is far from what that I’m used to seeing from my Canon cameras.
Honestly, I was a little bit put off when I first saw the Pentax 645z’s ultra-flat RAW files. I’m not a fan of the color of the files straight out of camera. I prefer the skin tones and magenta tints of Canon RAW files, but my mind was changed after I worked with the files for a night. The flexibility of the files is something else.
(Pentax D-FA 645 Macro 90mm f/2.8, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/1000. Edited file (left) RAW file (right). Exposed to the brightest part of the image.)
Luckily, there is far more information in the Pentax 645z files than Canon files, which means that it was an easy workflow adjustment to get the files to where I need. I made a custom color profile and other tweaks that I add on top of my normal starting point curve and color adjustments, which brings it to the color I like. If you are at the level to benefit from upgrading to a medium format camera, then you are not shooting JPEG anyway. These files give me the most post-flexability I’ve experienced and inspire me to push my photography further.
Dynamic Range
The dynamic range is astonishing. The 12-ish stops of the Canon 5DSR to the 14-ish stops of the Pentax 645z is a much bigger step up than it seems on paper. I’ve been blown away a few times when pulling out detail from part of an image that I thought was clipped at first glance. The highlights are even recoverable.
(Pentax D-FA 645 55mm f/2.8, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/200)
The sky looked washed out in camera, but I was able to pull back lots of detail by burning and dodging select areas.
ISO Invariance
As far as I can tell, the camera is totally ISO invariant, which means you can underexpose to preserve the highlights, pull up shadow information in post, and the resulting output won’t be any noisier than shooting the shadows at an ISO compensation equal to the postproduction exposure addition. There are plenty of pixels so I add noise reduction at the expense of resolution to compensate for the pushing of files. It cleans up nicely. With this capability, I meter to the highlights with this camera, which I would never do with my 5DSRs. It’s a testament to Sony’s Exmor sensors.
(Pentax D-FA 645 55mm f/2.8, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/200)
The picture above was shot in bright morning light and shade. I had been second guessing whether I had pushed the 645z too far as I shot it, but I was impressed when I did my edit. In fact, I think I could have pushed it further in post if needed.
Edited file (left) RAW file (right)
ISO Performance
The Pentax team has unleashed magic on this Sony sensor. The grain is filmic and has a very random, soft feel. The color information has good retention, even when pushing ISO 6400 images.
(Pentax D-FA 645 Macro 90mm f/2.8, ISO 3200, f/2.8, 1/125. Shadows pushed about a stop in post.)
I’m happy with the ISO performance at 12800 too, but would not push the file very hard in post. The dynamic range takes a sharp dive at 12800 and above.
(Pentax D-FA 645 55mm f/2.8, ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/200. Exposure pushed by about a stop and a half in select areas of the image.)
(Pentax D-FA 645 55mm f/2.8, ISO 12800, f/2.8, 1/160)
Cropping Power
I don’t like throwing away resolution. In fact, I almost never cropped my 20-something megapixel 5Dmark ii and mark iii. That changed when I got my 50mp Canon 5DSR; cropping was then a possibility and the same goes for the Pentax 645z. Fifty-one megapixels gives me room to crop in, but it’s still my preference not to push it very far, because I like to keep the medium format rendering characteristics at maximum.
Handling
I had previously used a Pentax 645 film camera, so this upgraded digital iteration felt familiar. It’s heavy, but not overly so. The ergonomics stay true to the Pentax 645 line with its nice deep grip. There are many extra buttons compared to the old film cameras including physical dials for single/continuous autofocus and mirror lock up. The dials sometimes get moved while in my camera bag, so I wish they would implement a locking dial system. Overall, the transition was pretty seamless and only took a few sessions to adjust to the button layout completely.
Autofocus
The autofocus is carried over from Pentax’s crop sensor line, so the points only cover about 20% of the viewfinder. Anything over one autofocus point was considered great for medium format three years ago, but the new lines of mirrorless medium format cameras have 100% autofocus coverage. I expect Pentax will find a way to stay somewhat competitive in this area with their next iteration, possibly bringing over the autofocus system from their full frame K-1 camera.
Selecting an autofocus point is a much harder endeavor than it should be. Pentax needs to implement a dedicated autofocus joystick. You have to press a small button and then move the focus point around with four inaccurate separate buttons. I have resorted to either relying on the center autofocus point or taking the camera away from my eye to select the autofocus point. Still, autofocus is good for a medium format DSLR and the autofocus is accurate if the subject has limited movement.
Moving subjects can be shot, but the hit rate is not very good if shooting wide open. This camera replaced my Zeiss Otus 55mm lens and Zeiss 135mm APO lens, so autofocus has been looked at as a luxury. I plan to use this mainly during slow moments on a wedding day.
Pentax D-FA 645 Macro 90mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/125
Vintage Prime Lenses Still in Production
Some of the lenses in current production are thirty year old designs, and they were not the best lenses of their time. In fact, if you don’t mind manual focus, I’d advise you to opt for Hasselblad V-mount lenses. They can be adapted to the 645z and are better at every comparable focal length. I just put in an order for a Hasselblad CF 180mm f/4, which is highly regarded as one of the best lenses for the V-mount. (Interested in a review of the V-mount lenses on the 645z? Send me an email: nick@nicksparksweddings.com or reach out on instagram: @nicksparksphotography)
The other downside to these is the sound of the screw mount autofocus. I had the 120mm macro for a while and I literally jumped back at first attempt to focus. It is as loud as some drills I have used. Obviously these retro screw mount lenses are unacceptable to use as a wedding photographer.
Modern Prime Lenses
There are new designs that are optically upgraded from the FA series. These lenses are called D-FAor or DA. I am not going to touch on zoom lenses, because I don’t own any or go out of my way to find information on them. Unlike the vintage glass, the D-FA lenses I’ve tried have been sharp at their widest apertures.
The two lenses I own at the moment are the 55mm and the 90mm.
Pentax D-FA 645 55mm f/2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW
This lens is a great value and has great portability compared to the other lenses in the system. It has a better rendering and newer coatings then the vintage glass for the native mount. It’s a joy to use with its field of view of 43mm on full frame. Essentially, it has the compression characteristics of a 55mm lens with the ability to shoot wider environmental portraits with an actual focal length in the middle of 50mm and 35mm on full frame.
(Images above taken with Pentax D-FA 645 55mm)
The center has great sharpness, but falls off near the edges. The distortion is also noticeable near the edges. Lightroom seems to be great at correcting most lenses, but this lens requires a bit of additional manual correction if a face is placed in a corner at close distance. I am able to fix some of the distortion with custom adjustments on top of lens profile corrections, but sharpness leaves something to be desired.
Pentax D-FA 645 Macro 90mm f/2.8 ED AW SR
As stated earlier, it is not quite on same level of Zeiss Otus lenses, which is probably a caveat of designing lenses that have an image circle designed to fit 645 film. This lens has the most modern looking rendering of any of the Pentax 645 lenses. Details are crisp and have a nice pop. The aerobright coating technology is Zeiss T coating caliber and renders heavily backlit scenes beautifully.
(Pentax D-FA 645 Macro 90mm f/2.8, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/500)
This lens has a few tricks up its sleeve. It’s image stabilization is much appreciated, because the 43.8 x 32.8mm sensor requires higher shutter speeds than I am accustomed to with full fame. The 2:1 macro capability is a nice feature too. It has a very shallow depth of field when used at minimum focus distance – like in the picture below:
(Pentax D-FA 645 Macro 90mm f/2.8, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/100. Minimum focus.)
Lens Selection
I hope that Pentax continues to add to their 645 lens selection, but I am not exactly optimistic of the company’s commitment to their 645 mount. They discontinued the 25mm lens a few years ago and even trying to find one on the used market is hard at this point. The only remaining lenses on the future lens roadmap are zoom lenses, which don’t interest me. Fujifilm stepping into the medium format market and offering a 110mm f/2 lens by the end of 2017 has me envious. I love the smooth transitions of sensors this size and f/2 will look wonderful on the Pentax 645z or Fuji GFX.
This camera has unlocked things I could not do with my Canon cameras and added a unique look that I did not have previously. I love using it for slow paced photography. Don’t get me wrong though. For the time being, my Canon DSLR’s are not going anywhere. They are great for capturing high speed scenes on a wedding day that this camera would not allow. Full frame has its place and medium format has its place too.
With medium format prices coming down to Canon 1DX mark ii or Nikon D5 like levels, I see more photographers picking up multiple formats to have the best of both worlds. These cameras are only going to get better, have more lenses, and become more affordable.
Authored by Denver wedding photographer Nick Sparks | ig: https://www.instagram.com/nicksparksphotography/ | weddings: https://www.nicksparksweddings.com
I originally wrote this Pentax 645z review from the perspective of using medium format cameras during real wedding days and portrait sessions. The 645z was never the fastest camera for receptions or high-speed moments, but it shaped the way I thought about slower portraits, highlight recovery, skin tones, and the kind of quiet image quality that can matter during a wedding day.
As a Colorado wedding photographer, I care about cameras less as spec sheets and more as tools for reading light, protecting highlights, and making photographs that still feel natural years later. You can see more of that approach in my Colorado wedding photography portfolio, browse featured weddings, or explore Colorado wedding photography pricing for wedding, elopement, and portrait coverage.
Years later, I also wrote about the full-frame mirrorless camera I moved to for much of my wedding work in my Sony a7III review, including how it compared for autofocus, dynamic range, low light, and long wedding-day use.
Canon 200m f/2L Real World Lens Review by Nick Sparks.
(Canon 5DSR + Canon 200mm f/2L IS USM. ISO 100, f/2, 1/500)
So you own all of Canon’s modern L series prime lenses. Now what?
You get the Canon 200mm f/2 IS L lens. This lens compromises its portability and pricing to be able to open up all the way to f/2. Although still a problem, everything I read online about portability seemed blown out of proportion. I hauled the lens through three shoots without a monopod. I couldn’t see myself carrying it around for a whole wedding day, but an hour here and there would be no problem. I am a fairly big guy, so I’m sure other people’s experiences may vary.
(Canon 5DSR + Canon 200mm f/2L IS USM. ISO 100, f/2, 1/500)
Performance
The best thing about this lens is that it is tack sharp wide open, which I was very happy about, because f/2 was the only aperture I was interested in shooting this lens at. Wide open and with that long focal length of 200mm, backgrounds melted away. (I’m a fan of melted backgrounds.)
Image stabilization is nice on a lens this long. It’s not a must have feature for me, because I don’t do many extended exposures or ever risk missing shots due to motion blur. I shot this lens at around 1/125 of a second most of the time and it worked great.
It renders nice clean colors, but the colors tend to stray away from the Canon 85mm f/1.2 ii and Canon 35mm f/1.4 ii lenses that I use as staples of my photography. I prefer the skin tones out of the 85mm and 35mm, but if you don’t mind a little more work, I’m sure that this lens would match up with a few color slider adjustments.
(Canon 5DSR + Canon 200mm f/2L IS USM. ISO 100, f/2, 1/125)
Real World Use
I’m sure that many wildlife and indoor sport photographers love this lens, but this section relates strictly to wedding and portrait photographers, because that is how I used it.
The compression of the 200mm focal length is bit much for portraiture in many situations. There seems to be more of a disconnect between the viewer and the subject when shooting portraiture at focal lengths this long. My longest lens is usually a 135mm— unless I’m doing headshots. On a normal work day when I do portraits or weddings, I tend to pick up my Canon 85mm f/1.2 L ii over the 135mm whenever possible, so I may be a bit more sensitive to the perceived disconnection effect I’m talking about than most other photographers.
I can imagine a few instances where I might use this lens: dimly lit winter ceremonies in churches, headshots, and for when I want to turn bokeh up to 11 to melt away any background. None of these scenarios call for the almost $6000 price tag though. I can easily work with my current set-up in all the situations mentioned.
For example, I shoot on a 5DSR, so cropping in on my 135mm f/2 is easily handled if I need a bit more focal length in a church. I use the Canon 200mm f/2.8 L when I do headshots and I find if you open a 200mm lens past about f/3.2, then people’s noses will be out of focus which is not ideal for a headshot. In conclusion, I could see limited practical use for this lens, but I had a lot of fun shooting it.
Pros
-Sharp wide open
-Great build quality
-The ability to get a look that very few other photographers can
Cons
-Size
-Price
-Its practicallity for most working photographers is a con
Compromise
Yes, this lens has quite a few downsides, enough to make small business owners a little bit sick to their stomachs with its huge price tag.
Ultimately, I wanted some more time shooting at f/2 (or below) at 200mm and opted to pick up the older and more affordable version of this lens on ebay— the Canon 200mm f/1.8 L. With this version you loose a bit of sharpness and IS, but gain a small amount of light gathering at f/1.8. And it’s even heavier. This old version was only made for a short amount of time and there are only about 8,000 of these lenses. Rumor has it, Canon stopped production due to factory worker health hazards that occurred while infusing the lens elements with lead, and they couldn’t make that particular version without lead. I’ve been using the Canon 200mm f/1.8 at many weddings the last month or so and plan to give a update on its performance in the near future.
Authored by Denver wedding photographer Nick Sparks | ig: https://www.instagram.com/nicksparksphotography/ | weddings: https://www.nicksparksweddings.com
Telephoto Lenses in Real Wedding Conditions
I originally wrote this Canon 200mm f/2L IS USM lens review from the perspective of using long telephoto lenses for real wedding days and portrait sessions. The 200mm focal length can create a dramatic look with strong compression and background separation, but it also comes with real tradeoffs in size, price, and practicality. As a Colorado wedding photographer, I care about lenses less as collectibles and more as tools for reading light, creating separation, and working naturally through portraits, ceremonies, and reception moments. You can see more of that approach in my Colorado wedding photography portfolio, browse featured weddings, or explore Colorado wedding photography pricing for wedding, elopement, and portrait coverage.
I also wrote a Sony a7III review from the perspective of real wedding use, including how moving from Canon DSLR bodies into Sony full-frame mirrorless changed the way I thought about autofocus, dynamic range, low-light performance, and long wedding-day reliability.
Kate and Matt’s wedding was held at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Granby, Colorado. Their ceremony looked amazing, with horses running and fall colors as a backdrop. After the ceremony, the sunset was jaw dropping. The bright magenta light hitting the mountains made for great pictures.
You can also explore this Breckenridge Nordic Center wedding, another Colorado mountain wedding with an outdoor ceremony setting, pine forest portraits, meadow light, and a warm lodge reception.