[sb in ak]

Pattern noise is really part of the reason I really tried switching to the Nikon D600. I tried loving this camera but it just didn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong, once I got the files into Lightroom, they were amazing. But the body was uncomfortable to hold and didn't inspire my confidence in the field. I tried a D800 and the build was a bit better but it was still uncomfortable, and I don't really want to handle those file sizes right now. Perhaps if Nikon comes out with more of a true D700 successor I'd switch for that (ie, better body with 24MP). Also, I had quality control issues with 2/3 of my initial Nikon purchase (dust/oil issues on D600, red streaking issues with Nikkor 16-35 in long exposures--in manual mode w/viewfinder cover on). Only the 50 1.8G worked flawlessly. Sure, I can clean the D600 but QC issues on multiple items were a definite red flag to me. I've never really had issues with my Canon gear. It just works. My one big complaint with the 5D is the banding when pushing shadows, so I'll just have to get better at reading the histogram and improving my ability with GND filters or subtle HDR.

If I see a nice refurb sale or something I might jump on a 5D3 due to all of the small refinements. If only it had the 24MP Sony sensor it it. Alas, there is no perfect camera..

[tuco]

There is no one perfect camera for everyone. I have 5 different camera brands that I shoot and I have both praise and criticism of each one.

[digitalCG]

I'd go further and say there's no perfect camera for anyone but most from the modern era are plenty capable on a pure image quality basis. Whilst ill over the festive period I revisited a few old shots - Kx and K5 images were a joy to work with, whereas K20 shadows (at any ISO) and K10 files over ISO400 weren't particularly malleable. Anyone with a Sony sensored SLR from late 2009> has it pretty darn good I'd say.

Saturday dawned sunny so dragged myself out to a birds of prey centre. Physically wasn't really up to lugging the Sigma 100-300/4 but it proved worth the effort:


by digitalCG, on Flickr

[Sinister]

Canon 5D | Canon EF50mm F1.8II


Brezelbar von Ineound auf Flickr

[todd]

worth the effort

indeed! amazing capture

[bossa]

Those shots look great!

Processed this HDR this evening. There is a weird diagonal through the sky that I guess must have been there....it's in six of my shots.

5D2 w/ 17-40L @ 17mm.

An absolutely exquisite shot there sb.... One of the best HDR shots I've seen.

[sb in ak]

An absolutely exquisite shot there sb.... One of the best HDR shots I've seen.

Thanks. I have been working to try to get HDRs that "pop" without getting too surreal about it. Too often they devolve into surreal grunginess that I can't stand.

DigitalCG, superb and professional eagle shot. Here in Alaska I'm constantly inundated with Bald Eagle photos, so it must mean something when I just sit and stare at that shot in awe.

[itshimitis]

Thanks. I have been working to try to get HDRs that "pop" without getting too surreal about it. Too often they devolve into surreal grunginess that I can't stand.

DigitalCG, superb and professional eagle shot. Here in Alaska I'm constantly inundated with Bald Eagle photos, so it must mean something when I just sit and stare at that shot in awe.

O'm of the same mind with HDR. Each to their own, but I don't particularly like the completely surreal HDR. I use photomatix mainly and most HDR's I do are Fusions rather than full tone mapping. The grunge HDRs make me cringe.

[TOUGEFC]

I too hate the grunge HDR look, and I despise the halo effect with most HDR's.

A good HDR is when one can not tell its a HDR

[borno]

Thanks. I have been working to try to get HDRs that "pop" without getting too surreal about it. Too often they devolve into surreal grunginess that I can't stand.

DigitalCG, superb and professional eagle shot. Here in Alaska I'm constantly inundated with Bald Eagle photos, so it must mean something when I just sit and stare at that shot in awe.

I'll bet you've seen a lot of Eagles when the Eagle lady was feeding them in Homer. I know people who made the journey and said showed me great shot up close with even 70-200mm lenses. It seemed like cheating to me though.

[tuco]

A good HDR is when one can not tell its a HDR

And that means reasonable and believable exposure blending. That is, you don't blend too many stops of light which I think is the largest pit fall.

That is one of the things I find fun with old-school photography. The single frame capture. The modern approach to landscapes these days feels more like data collection than photography. You go out, exposure bracket and even focus stack. Come home and build your picture in the computer. Sure, that can be fun but it is a totally different experience for me and not as enjoyable when I'm doing pictures for myself and for the joy of photography.

[Aon]

That last one will work very well in black and white - I just tried it out......especially if you have silver efex and use the red filter....

Thanks for the info! I don't have Silver Efex though.

Anyways, here's another winter pic. It's a 2-shot panorama, taken with d700 + 50 1.8G.

[sb in ak]

And that means reasonable and believable exposure blending. That is, you don't blend too many stops of light which I think is the largest pit fall.

That is one of the things I find fun with old-school photography. The single frame capture. The modern approach to landscapes these days feels more like data collection than photography. You go out, exposure bracket and even focus stack. Come home and build your picture in the computer. Sure, that can be fun but it is a totally different experience for me and not as enjoyable when I'm doing pictures for myself and for the joy of photography.

I'm with you there. Shooting these landscape scenes is often an exercise in data manipulation on the computer. It's fun in its own right, but it doesn't really feel as much like photography to me. I recently got a set of the LEE GND filters and that feels more like photography to me, as it's a single frame capture, and honestly, when it works, it looks far better (realistic) to me than most of the HDRs out there. I've got my eyes on that LEE Big Stopper now...it never ends.

Yeah, the Eagle woman used to attract a lot of folks on the Spit. It was totally cheating (And probably illegal). She passed away a few years ago, so now the eagles have to make due at the town dump. Over in Kodiak during a Christmas Bird Count we counted 150+ Bald Eagles at that city dump. Hey, it's easy food. And actually the city dump in Kodiak was somewhat recently voted "most picturesque" in America.

[itshimitis]

Sheep in Jenkin's Field, just outside Ambleside in Lake District, a very foggy day.

Nikon D800 24 - 70 @ 24mm f/8 1/125 ISO 200 converted in Silver efex

[sb in ak]

Sheep in Jenkin's Field, just outside Ambleside in Lake District, a very foggy day.

Nikon D800 24 - 70 @ 24mm f/8 1/125 ISO 200 converted in Silver efex

Sweeeeet! The sheep almost pop off the screen.