[NickLarsson]

Great Photos Nicholas. Lovely skies.

Thanks.

[scratchpaddy]

Those are breathtaking lanscapes, @hoopsontoast and @NickLarsson ! That's awesome how the clouds rest lower than the surrounding mountains. A rugged place for sure.

I finally took the SD1 out without its dust cover/IR filter. I have two dirt-cheap IR filters that probably aren't doing any favors for IQ, but I didn't want to spend a ton of money only to find I didn't like the process. The 760nm turned out to be pretty good, though flare resistance goes out the window.

With the 760nm filter, shutter speeds in sunlight are hand-holdable even at ISO 100 and f/5.6. 1/100s turned out a good exposure, but it's a real pain to do on a camera without live-view and a black viewfinder. Plus, the JPEGs it gives you somehow don't resemble the RAW data at all when doing IR.

All pictures are with the 18-35 at 18mm and f/5.6. I didn't zoom in because I couldn't see what I was shooting. I still held the black viewfinder up to my eye, out of habit, and guessed at the framing with my other eye.

[barondla]

Like your deep thought image mr. bassie. Very nice layout.

Hoopsontoast, you have exceptional landscape images. Looks even colder than here.

Scratchpaddy, love the IR. Especially the one with the trailer.

Ivoire, always enjoy your contributions. Hope you somewhere warmer now.
thanks
barondla

[hoopsontoast]

Thanks for the praise/comments, it was my first time in the Alps so decided to take full advantage of it. Had about 15GB of photos in the end!

[NickLarsson]

Thanks @scratchpaddy !

Guys, what's your opinion about the 3 noise reduction sliders in SPP ?

They are always on 3/5 by default. I'm wondering if I can safely put them on 1/5 for daylight ISO 100/200 shots. I've made some quick tests on my laptop but I'm not sure to see a difference.

[barondla]

I usually leave NR all the way to the left for ISO 100-200. If there is a lot of blue sky I try to shoot at ISO 100. ISO 200 does allow a little more dynamic range.

There is a great DPMerrill practices thread at getdpi.com/other-cameras/43973. Lots of photographers give their secret settings.


Mr. bassie, great captures of the dogs.

thanks
barondla

[NickLarsson]

I usually leave NR all the way to the left for ISO 100-200. If there is a lot of blue sky I try to shoot at ISO 100. ISO 200 does allow a little more dynamic range.

There is a great DPMerrill practices thread at getdpi.com/other-cameras/43973. Lots of photographers give their secret settings.


Mr. bassie, great captures of the dogs.

thanks
barondla

Thanks barondla. The link seems dead though.

[barondla]

Sorry about the link. I have had it saved in my Kindle for over a year. It still goes to the thread. I don't know how to post it here. Try going to getdpinow forum and searching. It is a pretty long thread and well worth it.
thanks
barondla

[NickLarsson]

Ok found it

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/other-cameras/43973-sigma-dpxmerrill-best-practice-thread.html

[scratchpaddy]

Thanks for showing us that thread, barondla. I read the whole thing; good stuff in there.

Here's a stack from 34 images. I was at f/8 and close to 1:1 on the 50mm macro. I used CombineZP to do the focus stacking.



It's part of the logic board from a Seagate hard drive. Super smooth.

[barondla]

Wow! Stacked Foveon macros are something special. Incredible detail and sharpness. A lot of work scratchpaddy, and well worth it.

I have done a few CombineZP shots with Pentax, but never with the Sigma. The DP1Merrill isn't the best for closeup photography. Still may give it a go.

Some photographers use stacked images for landscapes. Have you ever tried it? When doing CombineZP stacks in auto, I always end up with "mirror image" borders that have to be cropped. Scratchpaddy, do you run into this? Surprising the program can align all the little details perfectly and then mess up the edges so much.

Glad everyone found the Sigma practices thread worth while. Thanks to Nick for posting the link.
thanks
barondla

[scratchpaddy]

Thanks, barondla!

When doing CombineZP stacks in auto, I always end up with "mirror image" borders that have to be cropped. Scratchpaddy, do you run into this? Surprising the program can align all the little details perfectly and then mess up the edges so much.

Yep, I have the exact same issue. In the image I posted, I cropped out the mirrored edges that CombineZP gave me.

I've never tried stacking for anything other than macro. Most of the time I've spent with the SD1M, I've been shooting at 12mm and f/8, which gives more than enough DOF for just about anything.

[scratchpaddy]

Looks like we've got a possible new camera series on the horizon. Uluru made a thread about it here:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/76-non-pentax-cameras-canon-nikon-etc/251...a-concept.html

Via Photorumors: Sigma Quattro DP2 compact camera leaked







Looks like it has the same lens as the current DP2M. I was a little shocked at the styling at first, but it really makes a lot more sense, ergonomically, than the soap bars we're using now. Could it be using a bigger battery, too?

The filter thread is much bigger. The DP2M is Ø49, but according to these images, the DP2 Quattro (DP2Q?) is Ø58. What's the meaning of that? The lens itself looks identical: same 30mm, same aperture, same minimum focus distance... what's that little bulb at 10 o'clock inside the filter ring?

[NickLarsson]

Actually I like the ergonomics of my soap bar, that's one of the thing that made me buy one

But this new design is interesting indeed.

What I find shocking is how thin the body is, and how short the registration distance seems to be for an APS-C sensor.

But these new models could explain the low prices we can see now for the DP Merrills, probably we can find good deals in a near future

About the little bulb, maybe an AF light ?

[bvg]

Sigma Rumors, News & Reviews

14 bit, yay!