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Forum: Post Your Photos!
06-30-2011, 01:03 AM
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Hi Yeatzee,
I'm sure I won't be the only one to say that I am simply in awe of the magical photos you take! I follow you both here and over on flickr and can't believe both the volume and quality of just about everything you post up.
I know it's a bit to ask, but I'd love to see some setup shots for your insect photos (obviously with another camera) or even a step by step tutorial from "studio" setup to post-processing to final image, etc.
Honestly, I'd also be pretty keen for a tutorial for the shots you took of your car. 17 image panorama at f/1.2??? I'd be awesome to see what you shot originally and how it all came together.
Don't let one bad day (ha, I'd kill to be able to shoot photos like above on my best day!) get you down... gotta have the lows to know how high the highs are.
Cheers,
Joe
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Forum: Photographic Technique
06-23-2011, 09:09 PM
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Just a heads up. For those using PicasaWeb for their photos but are having trouble staying under the 1Gb limit, here's a little known fact tucked away in the Help/FAQ pages:
"Photos smaller than (or equal to) 800x800 pixels and videos less than (or equal to) 15 minutes long do not count towards this limit."
Free storage limits - Picasa Help
I often share with friends and family at 800px and let them know if they want anything bigger, I'm happy to send it to them.
On a note related to the tangent this thread has taken, I use both Flickr and PicasaWeb and also strongly dislike the "clicks" on flickr. Explore often has terrible (but popular) content. But without the groups and the like PicasaWeb will never approach anything like flickr.
~ Joe
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Forum: Photographic Technique
12-22-2010, 08:16 PM
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I'm still eagerly awaiting more stories as well!
~ Joe
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
11-26-2010, 01:08 AM
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Sorry it took me so long to get back here!
Answers to a few questions:
- For me the noise becomes too distracting at ISO400! I have the "Auto"-ISO set at 80-200
- Somehow, you can push the ISO up to 1600 where the whole image becomes very Monet-esk (the camera is amazingly sensitive at this setting - just not particularly sharp!)
- I'll try to dig up some ISO200, ISO400 and ISO800 100% crops for you
- I've never printed anything from the camera, but I can't imagine small prints would be any problem. With a little minor post-processing I don't think larger prints are really too unrealistic either.
- The quality of the photos in no way approaches the K20D (or the K10D I guess) when comparing a "good" photo from each
- It is still one tough, fantastic little camera, and so long as you know the limitations and exploit it's strengths it'll do you very proud!
If you decide to go ahead and get one, why not post up a couple of your first photos here for us to see!
Cheers,
Joe
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
11-26-2010, 12:56 AM
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Hi Secateurs,
I've used both Photoshop CS3 and The GIMP and often find myself choosing The GIMP because I find it faster and more intuitive to use!
As Dosdan pointed out above GIMP can be used in conjunction with UFRAW to decode pentax RAW files just fine. (In fact I'm surprised UFRaw isn't bundled with The GIMP it's so useful)
Some things I find superior with GIMP:
- I find the curves function far superior in GIMP (I use this feature a lot). Small adjustments are easier and all previous settings are automatically stored (in addition to being able to import/export favourite settings).
- Tool options are far more accessible (to me) in GIMP (eg. it's far easier to set a 1:1 crop ratio for an automatic square crop)
- The entire GIMP program (including all personal profile settings) can be ran from a USB stick for powerful post work where-ever you want.
Drawbacks:
- Top shelf plugins (such as de-noising software) are made to work with PS. They can be persuaded to work with GIMP (great for must-have plugins!) but the experience is often far from ideal.
- Adjustment layers are non-destructive and can be stacked and modified after the initial settings are selected (for me this is a double edged sword: when I'm masking multiple layers and want to apply adjustments to some layers only, the grouping of layers can get tricky)
If you'd like to give GIMP a go and want a head start I'm happy to dig up some of my profile files for you. Since I use GIMP primarily for photo work, these should arrange the most useful tools, give you presets for the curves (and possibly other) functions and I'll include a couple of the best GIMP plugins for denoising, sharpening, guides, etc.
I'll also write a brief tutorial of a basic (and probably terribly flawed) post-processing workflow if anyone's interested.
Feel free to ask any questions and I'll try to promptly get back to you.
Cheers,
Joe
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
11-16-2010, 09:37 PM
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I've had a W90 since August this year and have loved it.
Previously I owned a Casio EX-Z850 which I bought specifically because it had (limited) manual control over aperture, shutter speed, etc. When it was time to replace it, I decided to leave the "proper" shooting to my DSLR and get a compact that could take the rough and tumble and go places my DLSR couldn't or shouldn't.
I run regularly, and since August my W90 has "done" about 565km. These days it accompanies me on all my runs and hikes, single-handedly supporting my running/photography blog.
Some of the better (in my mind) images:
Morning in Hung Hom by JoeGray, on Flickr
Hi There! by JoeGray, on Flickr
Wasp by JoeGray, on Flickr
And a few showcasing abilities:
Built-in panorama mode
The Long Road by JoeGray, on Flickr
These were all shot using the camera's built in panorama mode, which I find myself using regularly when out on a run. Check out the flickr link to see it in full (very large!) size.
Underwater
You're on my turf by JoeGray, on Flickr
Wet conditions
Yee-Haa by JoeGray, on Flickr
Apologies for the missed focus, I was treading water!
For straight-from-camera, unprocessed images see my blog:
The Photographer's Biathlon
A few things I've found:
- Despite online reports to the contrary, for me, battery life has been very good.
- Noise isn't a problem at low ISOs, but it looks terrible when present. I commonly shoot with my K20D at ISO1600 - ISO3200 because I like the look of the noise, but the noise from the W90 is particularly ugly. If there was a choice, I would rather higher noise if they could make it look more like that from my K20D.
- The camera is fully waterproof, but if it needs to be that waterproof, typically I'm totally wet as well, and water on the lens is hard to remove and ruins photos.
- The flotation arm-band is awesome and well worth the investment if you'll be taking it swimming.
- The macro mode works well, but it certainly needs those front LEDs because you will be blocking natural light sources if you're getting that close.
- I was fairly unimpressed with the "HD" video, it's a good thing I couldn't care less about that feature.
- The built-in 3-photo panorama mode generally works great. I noticed that the bundled software was from Arcsoft who make great stand-alone PC panorama software, so I'm guess that has something to do with it!
Feel free to ask any specific questions and I'll try to get right back to you. Apologies for all the large photos in this post!
Cheers,
Joe
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-01-2010, 07:21 PM
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Hi Dave,
I have the YN-560 and a Metz 58 AF-1. The Yongnuo works fine for on-camera flash on my K20D ("fine" as in, it fires) and I'm pretty sure I tried it out on the wife's Kx without any dramas as well. It is a fully manual flash, so be prepared to use your camera in M, adjusting the shutter, aperture and flash strength to suit (possibly changing) conditions.
Both flashes work great for off camera flash stuff (I'm using Cactus V4 triggers), where perhaps the YN-560 actually has a small advantage as it's quicker to adjust power settings (have to dig through menus with the Metz) and has a very functional slave mode in case of trigger trouble. The Metz is certainly more powerful, but I rarely if ever am firing them at full power anyway.
For on-camera stuff, it is nice to have the features of the Metz (high speed sync, P-TTL, etc) and I'm not sure of the prices for the gear over there (I got my YN560 for about US$65 here in HK), but I'd say overall (for me) the YN is the one to go for.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Joe
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Forum: Photographic Technique
10-28-2010, 01:31 AM
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Upon thinking I'd come up with a good suggestion, I was a little disappointed to discover that there are already a lot of Google hits for "Penumbra Photography" (in both Australia and the UK).
The highest hit for "Penumbra Studios" wasn't a photography service though.
Or perhaps something to do with the simpler "Umbra"? Perhaps it's too obvious an answer to the question?
Good Luck!
~Joe
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
08-24-2010, 01:47 AM
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I've had a bit of a play with a Canon G10 and I'd have to say it's miles above any of the Pentax compacts for the simple reason that it has adjustable (and easily adjustable at that) photo parameters (e.g. shutter speed, aperture, etc). It's pretty hard to consider it the same class as my Optio W90. That's not to say that I'd prefer it over my Pentax however!
I used to own a old Casio DC (Exfilm EX-Z850). It wasn't great, but I choose it purely because it was one of the few DCs that offered manual controls. It did it's job admirably, accompanying me to all the places a DLSR couldn't - rockclimbing, music concerts, etc. These days, if I want a compact camera, mostly I'll take the K20D with a small, fast prime. If I want a more compact camera, I'll slip the W90 in my pocket. But more often than not, I'm choosing between a camera that I can take outdoors (running, hiking, climbing, etc) and one that's worth too much to do that with. I know I'm going to get inferior images from the W90, but it's perfect for the function I require. It's worth considering exactly what purpose your compact will serve. (A G11 isn't significantly smaller than a Kx with a pancake anyway - fast flash sync tho!)
Back to the noise. It's not the amount of noise that's bothering me, it's the ugly nature of it. Considering how poor a job Pentax's W90 does cleaning up the noise, I'd probably prefer to just have a more raw output and clean it up myself. Top on my wishlist for the W90: Noise removal options, and some form of manual control, even buried in the menus!
Sorry for getting a bit off topic. On with the show!
~Joe
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
08-17-2010, 07:50 PM
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Lots of great photos here!
Here's my final shot:
Sunrise in Hung Hom
Camera: Pentax Optio W90
Shutter Speed: 1/1250
Aperture: F/4.2 (seems a bit strange to me!)
Focal Length (35mm equ.): 28.5mm
ISO: ISO-80
Exposure Comp: -1.0
Denoise, Curves, Border: GIMP
Photo linked to my Flickr in case you wanted a closer look.
On a separate topic, I've found the noise from the W90 to be terrible. Both a lot of it, but much worse, very ugly! Commonly, with my K20D, I'd shoot at ISO1600 or ISO3200 just to get a bit of grain in Black and White late night photos. The type of noise generated by the K20D seems almost film-like and very pleasing... But with the W90 the noise is just plain grotesque!
Seems with every new camera people are always squabbling about more noise, less noise, etc... shooting with this compact has made me realise we should be talking about the quality of the noise, not the amount!
Just a little thought!
Keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing more!
Cheers,
Joe
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
08-10-2010, 08:58 PM
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Hi Guys,
Just wandered into the compacts sections, being a new owner of a W90 (also have a K20D) and thought this competition seems friendly and fun! I have a couple of entries from a Lomography LC-A+ (A rangefinder / viewfinder film camera) and am hunting around with my W90 for a suitable digital B&W entry!
Morning Light in Hang Hau
- Lomography LC-A+
- Shot on Kodak T-MAX 100
- Unsure about Shutter Speed / Aperture - Automatic Exposure (very little manual control with the LC-A+ !!)
- 32mm Focal length
- Shot in Hang Hau, Hong Kong one morning on my way to work.
Untitled
- Lomography LC-A+
- Shot on Kodak T-MAX 100
- Automatic Exposure
- 32mm Focal length
- Shot in Sausalito, San Francisco
Bigger sizes viewable over on Flickr (click image). I've already got a couple of B&W shots with the W90, but this will give me a reason to hunt around for something better!
Looking forward to seeing other entries!
Cheers,
Joe
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Forum: Photographic Technique
05-10-2010, 01:13 AM
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I hope it's alright to post this here, if it's not, just let me know.
I consider this to be quite a co-incidence. Just after posting (above) I checked my RSS reader and noticed a new item from The Big Picture at The Boston Globe. The Big Picture has regular photo essays on news topics from around globe and is often (I think) a showcase of the best of photo-journalism kicking around.
Here's the latest essay from The Big Picture: Vietnam, 35 years later:
Vietnam, 35 years later - The Big Picture - Boston.com
~Joe
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Forum: Photographic Technique
05-10-2010, 12:46 AM
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Hi Bob,
Just wanted to say thanks again for continuing to update this thread. As soon as the notification lands in my inbox, I'm over here to check it out! Never disappointed.
~ Joe
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Forum: Photographic Technique
02-28-2010, 08:39 PM
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I just want to say thanks again for this thread, Hillerby. Every new photo is an absolute treat and captivating.
You seem to describe the poor processing and ageing as having a negative impact on the photos and while the colours may not be as vivid as they once were, I adore the subtle colour shifts, occasional blown highlights, dust and other marks. For me, it is these things (plus, of course, the content) which truly make the photos wonderful.
I know the labour involved with scanning, sorting and uploading photos, but each photo is a real delight and I'd love to see more.
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
11-06-2009, 01:46 AM
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Forum: Photographic Technique
08-07-2009, 12:25 AM
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I'm normally more of a lurker than a poster, but I have to add that this is by far the most interesting, fascinating and captivating thread I've read on this Forum. Thank you so much for sharing you memories and stories. Please keep the photos and words flowing.
~ Joe
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