Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-07-2016, 08:01 AM
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
09-07-2016, 07:57 AM
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Count me in please!
Thank you
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-25-2014, 01:42 PM
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Happy Holidays!
an occasion where I actively chose to shoot the K-5 over my more used Canon G15 compact.
In fact I started with the G15 meaning to use it on the wider angle shots and actually had the 50-200 zoom on my K-5 for longer shots -
but the 4:3 aspect ration on the G15 did not go wide enough from where I was to take in all the members of the band -
as it was it was still a tight squeeze with the K-5's 3:2 aspect ratio and slightly wider 18mm (27mm equiv)
It wasn't just the wider angle horizontally - but the quicker and more positive AF -
the venue's lighting was incandescent on the front so the G15 showed no great advantage over the K-5, in that aspect -
of course it helped enormously that the subjects were so attractive -
It was one of those venues that restricted photo access to the first 3 songs only - so after that I shot from back on the balcony - using the 50-200 zoom -
even though it does get the whole stage - to me I don't really like the rather squashed perspective with longer lenses -
Same venue main band, I learnt from the opening band , just to use the K-5.....
balcony shot. |
Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-14-2014, 10:58 AM
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I'd agree - but since I really don't like using any electronic viewfinder or LCD screen on live action -
the X-M1 with hood/finder spends its time at home for photographing objects -
it's now my choice over the K-5 -
I'm still not too sure whether it's the "viewfinder" or the IQ yet, that makes me choose the X-M1 -
but there it is.
On true optical viewfinders -
at one time almost all p&s/compacts had them -
now they are as hard to find as hens' teeth.....
The Canon G15(G16) still had it -
but the new Canon G7 X not.
In small clubs I do a lot of slow-sync flash shots -
at one time I used flash to compensate for the poor HighISO performance of p&s/compacts' tiny sensors -
but it developed into a "style" of sorts - where the flash freezes motion while the dragged/slow shutter speed allows trailing blur....
Sometimes those shutter speeds can be as slow as 1 sec - a simple optical viewfinder is essential for any follow-through.
The shots below are supposed to have EXIF attached - but they don't seem to have come through the hosting - I'll attach the relevant info.
Canon S80 -
Model: Canon PowerShot S80
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/5 sec
Aperture: 2.8
Focal Length: 5.8mm
Flash Used: Yes
Model: Canon PowerShot S80
ISO: 50
Exposure: 1.0 sec
Aperture: 2.8
Focal Length: 5.8mm
Flash Used: Yes
and the lowly Canon A1200 (refurb at $40)
Model: Canon PowerShot A1200
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1.0 sec
Aperture: 2.8
Focal Length: 5mm
Flash Used: Yes |
Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-13-2014, 05:16 PM
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-13-2014, 04:38 PM
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Thank you rawr -
I read with admiration your very succinct description - you told me just about everything I wanted to know.
Interesting what you say about the HighISO performance above ISO3200 - this is an area that I obviously look at for improvements -
your findings reflects Imaging-Resource.com review of the K-3
I am still tempted - but it's hard to justify for the fewer outings with my dSLR.
Nevertheless prices have been dropping for the K-3 down to as low as US$770 for a USA model, and about US$685 for a grey import.
For ultimate image quality for stationary/inanimate objects it's currently hard to beat the Fuji X-tran series - the lowest priced model is the X-M1 (Note: the X-A1 is a misnomer as it uses a standard Bayer matrix sensor).
I bought one "accidentally" (ha-ha! I put a stupid low bid in on fleaBay for an used mint condition - and won!)
The IQ of the Fuji X-M1 is astonishing.
100% pixel level crop from the Fuji X-M1 (EXIF attached)
I still canNOT use a non-optical viewfinder for gig work - but as I said for still/stationary/inanimate - the rear LCD does not have the disadvantages I cannot live with for live shooting.
I also discovered LCD viewfinder/hoods that I've seen people shooting video using....
they're cheap at just over US$10 - and make a huge difference in shooting with the rear LCD screen.
(even though the viewfinder improves the view - still can't use any electronic based viewfinder - even the very best electronic eye-level viewfinder -
as there is a lag which is a very big disadvantage - best description is
like watching something on TV vs. live when compared to any optical viewfinder -
and that includes the $40 refurb. Canon A1400 that I just got.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-13-2014, 10:28 AM
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So.. is $20million
too low to ask? :p
You can tell I really enjoy this hobby.... (er - obsession :o)
A few more from the same night -
That's a bass sax - almost as big as he is sitting down!
rawr: I noticed in your sig you now have a K-3 (I am jealously coveting) -
what improvements have you found over your K-5 please?
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-13-2014, 12:34 AM
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Ha-ha! since they are by appointment to the sultan of Oman -
maybe the gigs will be in his palace!
Be cool to be the sultan's band photographer.....
while I'm wishing -
may as well wish for $20million....
Strangely enough, I had an outing last night with the K-5 -
a Christmas concert in a church....
all except for the first two shots (which were stage center)
the shots were all ISO5000 (that's thousand).
If anyone's interested, I shot a video of their longest number -
not on the K-5 but a Panasonic GF5 (which I got specifically for video) with kit zoom at widest setting, 28mm equiv: -
Video on YouTube fullHD 1080p
(use gear icon bottom right of display to set 1080p - then go full screen) You Tube |
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0ijaRRDqz1k?controls=1" allowfullscreen> |
and I have Audio too....
02 Gabriel's Message.mp3 - Download (11.24MB)
Tascam DR-05 24bit48kHz WAV original > 44.1k vbr3 +RG
now can I have that $20million?
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-12-2014, 11:12 AM
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Thanks rawr.
These days I tend to use my Canon G15 compact for smaller venues (majority)
Despite the K-5's highISO literally blows the G15 away....
reasoning: the G15 at wide end has an aperture of f/1.8 -
vs the widest of my kit lenses of f/3.5
two stops advantage - which means when I shoot at ISO5000 on the K-5
for f/1.8 on the Canon G15 this is 1/3 stop under ISO1600.
(on the Canon G15 ISO1600 is just on the border of being acceptable)
The longest on the G15 is 140mm (equiv) which is just about adequate for small clubs - for diagonally across the stage -
and the max aperture is still f/2.8, faster than any of my Pentax lenses.
Oh, I have coveted/drooled over the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 (constant aperture),
and if that very dark jazz venue was still going I probably would have one -
(and probably would be shooting a lot more with the K-5 anyway!)
But the Sigma is huge and cost about twice the Canon G15.....
In small clubs I have all the advantage of a small compact camera in the G15 vs the relatively bulky dSLR.
Back to the previous pics -
in mitigation the light person did spot the active performer with white incandescent light as in the severe crop I showed -
and the nemesis magenta was only washed over the rest of the stage.
I have this thing of finding unusual gigs at the last minute - on the day of the show.
This was just labelled as the Oud Hobbyist Association at a local university.
I called for permission to shoot - had to really research to find the correct person -
then they had to get permission from the artists -
so by the time permission was granted it was after 5pm -
this may seem insignificant -
BUT it was Friday and the venue was going out of town,
and the concert starts at 7pm.
Trials and tribulations aside -
these "Hobbyists" were not just a bunch of amateurs -
but were established by a high commission at the direction of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos (of Oman)...
all K-5 with EXIF attached.
I was also using the G15 for wide angle shots when the K-5 had the tele zoom attached.
Canon G15 shot EXIF attached.
Sharing the bill were the Al Najoom Dance Troupe
also on the Canon G15 EXIF attached
Although the G15 is adequate - the K-5 was just quicker in AF -
Both K-5, EXIF attached
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-10-2014, 01:21 PM
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These days I have fewer outings with my K-5 -
normally in smaller venues I can use my Canon G15 compact with its f/1.8 lens, and max 140mm (35mm equiv) reach.
So it's only when I need longer reach that I'd use the K-5.
One such case was at a prestigious larger venue where I had considered taking just the G15 as we normally can shoot the first 3 songs at the front of the stage....
Luckily I did take my K-5 - as they restricted us to way back at the side of the soundboard.
Even with my 50-200 zoom the reach really wasn't enough -
it was fine for full stage shots:
50mm - EXIF attached
But anything else...a shot like this -
200mm (300mm equiv) handheld - EXIF attached
May seem as if the zoom range was adequate...
but it is a crop from this shot -
same shot full frame - 200mm - EXIF attached.
This shows that the K-5 made up for my focal length inadequacy,
the IQ seems good enough for posting one the web -
and in mitigation - I liked both versions well enough
that I got two shots for the price of one.....
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-30-2014, 11:19 AM
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One of my less and less frequent outings with the K-5.......
But here's the story -
I was sitting idly at home looking for any musical events and I scanned the local free rag's on-line listing when I came across
"National Arab Orchestra" a Free event at the Woodruff Center - there was a contact e-mail and phone # -
so at about 4pm on the day of the show I phoned that number and was only able to leave a message asking if I could come and take pictures -
I missed the returned call - but the message was enthusiastic saying I could come down and take as many pics as I'd like.
Great!
The venue was vaguely familiar - and even when I mapped it - I didn't think much more -
So I arrived just before the starting time - and saw a whole bunch of people in the lobby in full evening regalia and holding tickets -
and it still hadn't yet dawned on me....
so I asked the attendant where the National Arab Orchestra was playing
- he pointed at the closed glass doors where everyone was waiting to enter - and said -
"in the Symphony Hall".
Of course I am standing there in my jeans, sweat shirt, and sneakers -
so, as an explanation - I told the attendant about my communications with the contact -
and he pointed me to the Will Call.
I explained about the communique - and the person at Will Call said: "You should take this", and handed me a
Press Pass.
I walked to the closed glass doors where they were still not admitting anyone
and asked if I could speak to the person I communicated with - and I was ushered in -
then introduced to her - and she said I could take as many pictures, and from anywhere I wanted
not only that the press badge allowed backstage access.....
Before the event started, I spoke to the two ushers either side of the stage and explained I was there to take photos -
then went along the front row and did the same with members of the audience -
who were to the person really friendly and said it would not disturb them at all - now that's kind and gracious.
Then to top it all -
I find that this was the inaugural concert of the National Arab Orchestra!
So I have shots from Symphony Hall from really privileged audience positions.
front row stage right.
The program was mostly vocals to a rapt and enthusiastic crowd.
front row stage center (from surprisingly an unoccupied seat - considering it was close to a capacity crowd)
There was one long instrumental piece -
the violin solos were amazing almost "psychedelic"
2nd violinist - from front row center.
Arabic Harp -
The Oud -
Percussion (Iqa')
The Conductor/Director - who sang supporting,and played the Nay (Arabic flute)
as well as playing a solo on the Oud -
er-hum! even if I tried to make it up - I don't think I could come up with a better story!
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
01-28-2014, 11:38 AM
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After an over 4 hours rest I put these back on charge again at 0.5C - readings when the charger said "Done" -
#1 1688mAh (112mins)
#2 1687mAh (112mins)
#3 1686mAh (112mins)
#4 1612mAh (107mins)
Batteries are now in the 2hour top-up charge to reach "100%"
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
01-28-2014, 10:13 AM
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Although 16+ cycles of full to empty (camera shutdown) may seem low - these were pretty regular, frequent and demanding.
Pentax dSLRs that use AA batteries are notorious for being very battery fussy -
they use voltage level threshold to determine the level and the shutdown.
I had also used the Kodak Pre-Charged (suspected re-badge of the GP ReCyko)
which I consider the "next best" LSD (along with the Immedions)
The Kodaks just do NOT maintain their voltage levels as well as eneloops - please see this long thread: eneloop vs. Kodak Pre-Charged Voltage Maintenance
Summary of results in Post #57 (link)
I normally rotate through 3 sets of eneloops and DuraLoops (Duracell Pre-Charged - white top made in Japan - re-badged eneloops)
and average over 1,100 shots per charge - that means this one set of eneloops had over 17,600 shots under its belt.
before being kept in the seldom used Pentax K100D to keep the clock running and more to the point all my settings and be ready to use if called for.
I had run through the standard discharge at 0.2C overnight, these were the readings -
#1 1777mAh (283mins)
#2 1737mAh (288mins)
#3 1690mAh (279mins)
#4 1623mAh (269mins)
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
01-27-2014, 06:55 PM
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RayOVacs at one time were spoken in the same breath as eneloops - but I note they are no longer available as originally -
RayOVac seems to have gone through several iterations with their LSDs and I've been somewhat confused by their offerings.
Not to take anything away from any other brand -
it seems to me not all LSDs are created equal
and over the test of time eneloops do appear to be superior -
it might be marginal when they are new - but over the long term
the marginal difference start to become really significant.
The problem with older batteries is that they have had lots of opportunities to become damaged -
like any over-heat, over-charge, over-discharge or even simply being dropped, or shocked -
and it only take one cell to bring a whole set down -
just as it would only take one cell to have been just slightly sub-par -
to have the whole set show their age.
4 years is good service - think of the amount you would have spent if you had used disposable batteries.
and the latest eneloops are spec'd for 1800 cycles -
that's huge - even if used and charged every day without a break - 365 -
that would be almost 5 years' usage......
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
01-27-2014, 06:44 PM
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OK the charger just said "Done" -
these are the readings of the charge -
#1 1658mAh (110mins)
#2 1755mAh (116mins)
#3 1713mAh (114mins)
#4 1658mAh (110mins)
The batteries are now in the 2hour top-up phase to reach the "100%" -
after at least 1hour rest I'll put them on 0.2C discharge overnight
and see the capacities from "full" in the morning.
I should mention this set of eneloops have had quite regular and extensive usage in dSLRs Pentax K100D and mostly the K-x -
and have had minimum of 16x full to empty cycles (I always allow the the camera to shutdown - then discharge the batteries at 0.2C before charging again)
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
01-27-2014, 04:42 PM
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Just to be clear - those were the remaining capacities after sitting for over 25 months idle in the Pentax K100D (with low drain to keep clock running)
I am charging them now - and will report back after about 2 hours for what the Maha/PowerEx C9000 claims to have charged.
Then after >1hour rest - a longer period for a discharge cycle to see what the capacities from full would be.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
01-27-2014, 04:09 PM
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Previously I did this with a set of Duracell Pre-Charged - re-badged eneloops (white top - made in Japan). eneloop (Duracell Pre-Charged) long term report (2+ years)
This time a set of actual eneloops - 1st gen bought as part of the Costco eneloop powerpack.
I had marked them as #s 1-4 - so they were the very first I had ever used - the embossed date code was 06-10SM -
means they were manufactured Oct/2006 (please see: How to read Eneloop date code)
As in the previous report these were kept in my now seldom used Pentax K100D since the previous report on the Duracell Pre-Charged -
so at least since Dec/12/2011 - therefore just over 25 months.
I took a few shots with the eneloops to make sure they were still alive and could power the K100D - which they did -
then I discharge them in the Maha/PowerEX C-9000 at the standard 20% discharge rate = 400mA
and using 2000mAh as the capacity for the % remaining capacities
The results were:
#1 1243mAh (62%)
#2 1273mAh (64%)
#3 1229mAh (61%)
#4 1198mAh (60%)
There has to be a small/low drain of the batteries to keep date/time.
Hope that was of some interest.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-02-2014, 04:54 PM
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Happy 2014 everyone!
My NYE gig -
at home, next day....
same model - but 2 different finishes.
Rainbow titanium oxide, and
Gray chrome.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-27-2013, 10:31 PM
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It seems these days I am using my Canon G15 compact more and more even in venues where I would have shot my Pentax dSLR.
Although I have shot this larger venue with the Canon G15 before - I chose to do it with the K-5 - because of the occasion and the sheer number of acts.
Good lights - although lots of LED.......
All should have EXIF attached (or at least what PhotoBucket shows) - |
Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-12-2013, 09:08 PM
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Thanks for the interesting discussion - at least in my editor when doing the straight line drawing - I thought I always had anti-aliasing selected - but it appears it cannot be applied for the "hairline" I used - only on the next step up in line thickness -
Another uncompressed PNG with the thinner hairline and the next step up thickness with anti-aliasing - it's pretty obvious which is which -
but just in case anyone is using a Braille monitor :p:lol:
the thicker anti-aliased line have arrow endings....
so yes the anti-aliasing does improve things (I did do my standard sharpening which probably aggravates things)
But I shall follow your input to see if I can improve jaggies.......
now that I know it isn't the JPG compression, but inherent in digital photos.
Thanks,
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-12-2013, 02:00 PM
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Thanks rawr as always for your invaluable comments and discussion.
Jaggies - yes, that has always bothered me - but I just put it down to images being digital and having to display them on square pixel matrices.
But when you mentioned JPEG - I thought I had chosen a good compromise of compression size and quality.
So I re-shot the knife this time in uncompressed RAW DNG - then processed in PDCU (Pentax Digital Camera Utility) 4.35 - cropped, then re-sized to 640 pixel width and saved to Uncompressed TIFF -
I could see the jaggies in that image - but once I did my normal processing and then sharpened the image -
BANG! the jaggies became more obvious - I saved to uncompressed PNG (and TIFF but PhotoBucket doesn't seem to accept TIFF)
Uncompressed PNG from original RAW/DNG cropped, resized and converted in PDCU saved as uncompressed TIFF.
The jaggies are pretty obvious along the top/spine of the blade.
Here's a more conclusive experiment.
Opened new image with black background in editor - then drew a few thin straight white lines -
while I was doing that I could see the very obvious jaggies -
saved new image to uncompressed PNG -
So I think it is merely the (inevitable) nature of having to display on square pixel matrix displays.....
My very simple lighting set up -
white art foam board upright for most non-mirror finish.
board tilted leaning against the lamps - but often rests either on my camera, or lens barrel, or extended finger, or even head.......
Thanks - that's a Mcusta 113D - "Tsuchi"
- not too expensive in the world of collectable knives -
in fact can be regarded as really good value for what one gets -
"MCUSTA stands for Machine Custom Knives"
If it's of any interest I have a review - Review - Mcusta 113D - "Tsuchi"
where one can see some shots with flesh colored reflections!
(so you can tell I only recently figured out the lighting)
Thanks,
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-12-2013, 12:34 AM
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I have to photograph objects occasionally - basically they are merely utilitarian/functional shots.
For years I've admired knife photography - but also realized when I tried it myself that there was a lot more involved -
especially in lighting....
Eric Eggly - Point 7 Photography set up at the Blade Show.
My main difficulty was in mirror polished blades - as the name suggests they are like mirrors so would reflect - even the photographer.
So it's always been a challenge.
I tried things like light tent/boxes - although they did give soft even lighting -
the problem was mirror finish inevitably would reflect the seams of the box,
or the photographer - since they had a restrictive opening....
Recently I managed to get a relatively effective lighting set up -
for the additional cost of $1!
It was simply a white foam art board that I bought from a dollar store.
It normally stands as a background so that it's reflect light back onto the scene -
but for mirror finish I tilt it forward so that it would lean on either the two desk lamps, or literally on my camera, or forehead.
This was a relatively straightforward shot -
I merely varied the tilt of that white foam board until I got rid of any unwanted reflections
and getting the best blade modelling....
The K-5 being a dSLR with real optical through the lens viewfinder -
allows me to make micro-adjustments until I see the best angle/shot.
This was also a straight forward shot - but required more post processing to bring up/enhance the wood grain.
Word about color balance - I use two 6500K "Daylight" CFLs (compact fluorescent spiral light bulbs) - 26watt rated @ 100watt equivalent.
Although they are supposed to be daylight - the K-5 on daylight white balance show these to be a bit too blue -
whereas 5000K "sunlight" CFLs tend to be a bit too yellow/pink.
I shoot AWB which correct the balance somewhat - but it is not always as accurate as I'd like - so I correct in post processing.
I use gray-point correction on that blades or if I shoot a white background the white point on the background.
For the black background I place the knives on a piece of black craft felt material -
but the pic always shows the texture - so I either do a fill with black to get rid of the distraction - but often results in some mottled gray patches -
so I have to deselect the knives and use -100 brightness and -100 contrast to blacken the background.
this blade has a polished satin finish - so no where near as difficult as mirror polish -
but hard to convey its sheen - I think this was reasonably successful -
the white foam board was left standing - the the blade was lit with direct lighting and the angle was so the blade reflected the white board background. |
Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
11-12-2013, 11:51 AM
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Thanks rawr, as always, for your kind words and encouragement.
That last shot was of an elephant ear (plant) in front of a neighbor's home - I walk past it frequently and at the right time of day ~3:30pm the sun shines through some of the (huge) leaves and gives really interesting lighting and vivid green hues. I normally would run home and grab my Pentax dSLR -
as in this shot from my K-x
But I realized for a lot of daylight shots, small p&s cameras give little away to dSLRs -
except for those close to 100% crops (and very few people do that)
Of course now that I mention it -
from yesterday's walk....
A few weeks ago:
The 100% crop -
(this is actually a 100% crop off the second photo I took of this same pose -
where the hand and fish were better positioned relative to the shadow in the background)
But the point is the tiny <$80 p&s does acquit itself quite well.
on the main road, and there was a billboard in front of it too.
Yes, that's very good idea, thank you.
But I shoot a lot using slow-sync flash - where the coolness isn't that much of a problem -
it's only when I shoot the very few straight regular sync flash that I find the balance too cool
(compared to the slow-sync flash shots)
and mostly I can correct it post processing pretty easily by adding red and/or orange to the balance.
eg: from a few days ago on my Canon G15
not bad for a regular sync flash shot - just a bit cool for my taste
(especially compared to my other slow-sync flash shots that have a lot more ambient light captured)
simply adding some red - gets
better to my eyes.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
11-12-2013, 12:48 AM
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an old thread, I know, but I'd just taken a pic with my cheapo Canon A1200 p&s that I can't ignore -
while I'm here - a few more shots -
I used to use the Canon A1200 for a lot of music club shooting - ie: dark indoors -
Since getting the Canon G15 - the A1200 became my carry when I go for walks etc - hence the outdoors daylight shots - |
Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
10-15-2013, 09:04 AM
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Being all the same Google group -
it is probably likely they all use the same processing components -
it's my understanding on joining Google+ any existing Picasaweb account is supposed to be merged into it
(and I doubt if they would actually backtrack to undo all their sub-"optimization" of photos - some people have 10's of thousands of photos).
Picasaweb was/is Google's premier site for photos -
there's even Picasa the photo editor which is/was very highly regarded.....
it had built-in sharing and tagging for Picasaweb, and now Google+
It looks as though Flickr has had some policy/limit changes since I looked years ago -
it now appears as if it has a free 1TB limit -
so I may switch over to Flickr to post/host my photos.
Pity, as I have over 6 years' worth of processed photos (10's of thousands) invested in Picasaweb -
but with the prevalence of LED lighting and the apparent mandatory automatic sub-"optimization" by Picasaweb
it seems some of my best efforts (to mitigate the problem - which can be quite substantial)
are UNdone by them (or worse) when I post a photo to Picasaweb.
EDIT to ADD -
There is a way to Disable the Auto-Enhance by Google - but it is in Google+ only - I cannot find it on Picasaweb
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