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Showing results 1 to 25 of 68 Search: Liked Posts
Forum: Lens Clubs 07-28-2020, 11:52 PM  
300mm plus Lens Club: discuss your long lenses
Posted By alfa75ts
Replies: 40,825
Views: 4,315,600
55-300 plm
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 07-13-2020, 04:02 AM  
The Bokeh Club
Posted By ogl
Replies: 25,874
Views: 2,354,615

FA31@2.8
Forum: Lens Clubs 07-03-2020, 09:13 AM  
DA Limited Zoom Club
Posted By nocturnal
Replies: 1,024
Views: 230,940
This from the first morning my local mountain opened again from the Covid pandemic. The local cows are still observing social distancing :-)

Divis Mountain above Belfast, Ireland.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 07-12-2020, 05:01 AM  
Thematic Post Your Cloudscapes
Posted By pepperberry farm
Replies: 5,578
Views: 361,289
sunset by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
Forum: Lens Clubs 06-14-2020, 04:46 PM  
DA Limited Zoom Club
Posted By BruceBanner
Replies: 1,024
Views: 230,940
The Slave


No cat has an owner, the cat has servants.

Happy Mono Moggy Monday!

K-1+HDDA20-40 (FF Mode, 40mm, f4)
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-27-2019, 06:05 AM  
Why I stopped using my DA*300
Posted By noelpolar
Replies: 60
Views: 5,641
F*300 at an air show

Tail steering demo

(yes... I'm being silly)
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-27-2019, 04:21 AM  
Why I stopped using my DA*300
Posted By aslyfox
Replies: 60
Views: 5,641
Forum: Lens Clubs 11-14-2019, 02:49 PM  
Post your HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW pictures!
Posted By Erictator
Replies: 3,526
Views: 477,343
Almost forgot to Xpost from K-1 thread:

More of my new tenant

I am not the hawk you are looking for...(but THIS IS THE LENS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SSGGEEZER!)

HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/200 iso2500

Why is it always the hardest feather to reach...

HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/200 iso2000

Defining imperious :hmm:

HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/200 iso1600
Forum: Lens Clubs 11-15-2019, 12:20 PM  
Post your HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW pictures!
Posted By Erictator
Replies: 3,526
Views: 477,343
Thanks Rob! I didn't HAVE to do a lot of noise reduction, but I did some anyway.

They way I do it is a bit of a cheat so I don't loose detail in the subject, since noise doesn't really show as much in a busy detailed subject as much as in the bokeh.
I am still using an old copy of Photoshop CC15... Rather than applying detail killing noise reduction to the whole image in ACR, I leave as much detail as I can in the converted JPG, then edit the JPG the rest of the way in Photoshop.
I start by doing a magnetic lasso around the subject, which is easy when you are using a shallow DOF and the subject already pops. Then go to Select, Modify, Expand (I do 5 pixels) then I Invert the selection. Then, I'll go back to Select, Modify, Feather (I do 3 pixels) then, I do the Noise reduction tool in a very minimal setting, and try to leave just enough noise to look natural, kinda like film grain, because that makes me happy and doesn't look like "plastic".

That may sound like a lot of work to some people, but once you get comfortable, it goes super fast and is just a few clicks as part of the workflow.

In all honesty, I think I'm probably the only one who see's it because the grain is only visible at pixel peeping levels, not at posted sizes, but it makes me feel better to do it in case I print them some day. ( do this before I re-size, so my larger files are good to print)
Eric


Thanks redpit! A giant tele zoom just shouldn't have nice bokeh like that... doesn't seem right, does it? Heh. Gotta love Pentax lens design. Quirky, in the right kinda way.
Eric



Thanks John! See my comment above for details on post processing for noise. Other than what I described above for noise, I also do a quick tweak to levels to get the contrast where I want it (I use levels instead of the brightness/contrast sliders, since I feel levels gives more control) and that's about it. I guess you could say I do pre-process the RAW's in ACR, but I usually just highlight the whole batch if shot in the same lighting, and do my bumps there. Since I shoot to expose for highlights with an Exposure Compensation of -.7, I usually have to bring the exposure and shadows up a tad, then knock down the highlights slider to keep them from going where I don't want.

These particular shots were done with fill flash, all except the first 3 pics posted. I was wondering if people noticed, heh.

Thanks again to all who commented,
Eric
Forum: Lens Clubs 11-15-2019, 12:32 PM  
Post your HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW pictures!
Posted By Erictator
Replies: 3,526
Views: 477,343
Xposted from K-1 thread:

Last of the hawk set.


HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/200 iso2000

I got a little closer, unfortunately it puts me looking a bit more of an upward angle than I'd like. Still, I'm not complaining.

HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/200 iso1000


HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/200 iso640

This was the last look he gave me before he bolted. I haven't seen him in a few days now, but I "think" I heard his high pitch call this morning.

HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/400 iso1250
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-07-2019, 10:07 AM  
Ooh yes
Posted By pschlute
Replies: 22
Views: 2,137
The lens was a result of a short term relationship between Pentax and Zeiss. The designer that created it used cinema lens techniques in its construction. The same fellow was responsible for the f0.70 lenses used during filming of the acclaimed Barry Lyndon.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-08-2019, 11:19 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
I knew some of the Grumman A&P techs, but my primary responsibilities related to developing CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) tools to predict the forces and moments on the aircraft, performing predictions of the aerodynamics, working on the aerodynamic (as opposed to structural) design and conducting wind tunnel tests (along with analyzing the test data). Those were the early days of CFD and developing the tools that would work properly with forward sweep had some unique challenges. I never worked with the A&P techs other than attending some program meetings with them.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-09-2019, 11:38 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
Another view of the F-14 at NASA Ames. What's particularly interesting in this view is that you can see a minor flaw in the paint detailing for the unit markings. If you look at the nose of the aircraft, in the previous picture, you can see a side view of the shark mouth and eye painted on the radar dome. If you look at the nose-on view in this image, you can see that the port eye is aft of, and above, the starboard eye! I wonder if the unit knew that the markings were lopsided at the time!
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-09-2019, 11:30 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
An F-14 at NASA Ames in 1979, for an airshow that took place while I was out there.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-09-2019, 04:08 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By redpit
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
A lot of beautiful and interesting aviation pictures! Those NASA U-2s are rare too! Thank you guys for sharing! Keep on posting such remarkable material, I really enjoy it!
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-07-2019, 10:31 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
Back when these pictures were taken, I worked for Grumman Aerospace Corp. as an aerodynamics engineer, and I was out at NASA Ames running some wind tunnel tests of the Grumman X-29 Forward Swept Wing Aircraft. I had the run of the airfield with my camera and was lucky enough to be able to get shots of most of the NASA aircraft around at the time, as well as pictures at an airshow that took place there while I was there. It was a great experience being able to get close and personal with all of the aircraft! I'll post some more of the shots from that trip as I go through them.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-07-2019, 11:02 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By noelcmn
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-07-2019, 11:25 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By Racer X 69
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
You won’t get an opportunity like that these days. Everything changed after 9/11.

When I drove big trucks my first over the road run was some ground support equipment for Boeing, to Edwards AFB. They were doing some flight testing there, not sure what airplane though.

I was pretty excited, as one of my uncles was in the Air Force back in the 1960’s, and my dad and I drove out there from San Pedro several times. Just pull up to the gate, tell them who we were and who we were there to see, an in we went.

Fast forward to 2009.

I pull up to the gate, which looks much different today. Barbed wire, guards with machine guns, bomb sniffing dogs . . . .

So I get through the security check, someone from Boeing meets me an escorts me to the apron where they were set up. after they unload my wagon, I ask if they would take a picture of me standing by my truck, with some airplanes in the background.

The guy went nuts, exclaiming, “Are you &$@!*%# crazy? You take a camera out here and those guards with machine guns will have you on the ground with a boot on the back of your head!”

I guess they don’t want anyone to see something secret.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-07-2019, 12:21 PM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
Yeah, tell me about it. Even then, if there was anything classified going on, you couldn't get close to it unless you had the proper clearances and were actually working on it. The vast majority of things being worked on by NASA were unclassified so there were very few problems with bringing cameras into the facility. Classified testing was generally handled by the Air Force, with the majority of that taking place at either the Air Force base in Tullahoma, TN, or at Langley Air Force Base in Langley, VA. The wind tunnel complex in Tullahoma used the entire power output of the Tennessee Valley Authority, so we had to test at night and needed special permission to run the wind tunnels past 6AM. I'd tell you some stories about Langley, but then I'd have to shoot you! :rolleyes:

Here's a picture of the X-29 wind tunnel model installed in the 11 ft x 11 ft transonic wind tunnel at NASA Ames.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-07-2019, 09:49 PM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By K-Three
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
I worked as an official NASA photographer in the late '80s to mid '90s at NASA Dryden (now Armstrong) We frequently went out onto the runway and lake bed, shared with the Air Force. We (NASA Photographers) were under instructions to not photograph or even point the cameras at anything but the NASA aircraft we were supposed to be covering that day. I did work on the X-29, it was a joint AF, NASA, DARPA program, and if I remember right it had some restrictions on what we covered and released on it.
We all had secret clearances, but rarely needed them.
The work had it's moments, but after the 1,000th employee of the quarter Grip & Grin, or interminable waits out on the lake bed for something to take off or land, the gloss wore off.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-07-2019, 10:54 PM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
The X-29 program was a little bizarre in that pictures of the aircraft were unclassified, drawings of the design were unclassified, and the majority of the aerodynamic data was unclassified. However, as soon as you put them together in the same document, it became classified. We always scratched our heads over that!
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-08-2019, 07:53 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
The NASA U-2 being prepped for takeoff on an environmental mission in 1979.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-08-2019, 07:54 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
Beginning to taxi out for takeoff.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-08-2019, 08:12 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
Another one of the U-2 taxiing out for takeoff.
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 11-08-2019, 08:13 AM  
post your shots of the airplanes
Posted By subsea
Replies: 2,271
Views: 272,315
And another of the NASA U-2 shortly after takeoff.
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