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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
01-08-2015, 07:33 AM
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I have a question about the Auto White Balance in the DP3M. It has been driving me crazy.
I have two recepies for applying WB.
1. I set the photo to Daylight and then use the dropper in Sigma Photo to white balance.
2. I set the photo to Auto (the original setting) and use the dropper to white balance.
I need to get the same white balance for all photos in a HDR set. Thus this is important to get done correctly.
However, when shooting a sunset, as in my photo a few posts back, method 1 produces the pinkish skies... and method 2 produces and orangish/yellowish tone. I thought that IF I white balance a photo on the same white patch, it should produce the same colours. I produce consistent results with ALL white balance presets (the results are indistinguishable), and not just with Daylight. It is only the AUTO setting that is doing something funny.
Is anyone aware HOW the Auto WB works in the Merrills? Is it perhaps applying different settings to different areas of the photo? Or using some other method that could produce these results?
On first glance this may look like I did not WB it correctly, or did it in different ways. However, please note, that except for the difference described above, both crops have been WB on the same patch of white, etc.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
08-02-2014, 01:47 AM
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Pinholecam, 4 frame pano? I assume DP1M held vertically and moved across? How much did you have to crop from it? Thanks :)
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-09-2014, 07:57 AM
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Ivoire, I like the train in post #631... classic composition but it works well :)
---------- Post added 05-10-14 at 01:00 AM ----------
I look PURELY at the impression of sharpness/clarity in the dog's coat ;) I'd love to see puppies done with say DP2M or SD1M with 35mm Art :lol:
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-09-2014, 07:09 AM
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A = Pentax
B = Foevon
?
... I cannot see any camera/photo info... flickr does not display, or I am looking in the wrong place.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-05-2014, 02:55 PM
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... book extra luggage, and take it all :D You know that you will need it ALL... if you do not take it :confused: I'd take the Fuji because I think it is one with an X-Trans sensor. I'd convert the NEX to infrared and problem solved.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-05-2014, 02:06 AM
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I disagree partly... there are enough people in the world who care about image quality for camera makers to make money from *IF* they promoted the compacts on quality. People would care... or at least some or enough would care to grow the market and have funds to develop new cameras. The common market needs a serious compact that is EASY to use and makes good quality images... sell it along the lines that here is this new must have accessory that will make sure you keep the memories of your holiday as if you were still there... or some such.
When was the last time you have seen a camera ad? Or even online targeted advertising?
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-04-2014, 06:59 PM
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Please check the depth of field for your shots... without getting this part correctly, you will not get all the parts of your shot sharp... NO matter what you do or how you shoot. The effect has nothing to do with lens sharpness or the lens you use... it is only affected by aperture, focal length and distance to the object.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-04-2014, 05:53 PM
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... panzerfaustnl I am a trained pixel peeper :p (I have my excuses for this), and the photo looks sharp to me as well... I think what is going on is that your depth of field is not large enough to take the whole girl/head/camera into focus... her hands are the sharpest part. Have a play with this thing and read the explanations: Online Depth of Field Calculator (You can notice that it is probably a depth of field issue because the sharpness varies more between front to back parts than across the frame)
I have played with my DP1M and managed to take just out the window shots (weather was nasty)... will attempt to process them next. I did not have a problem with the shutter release... but the screen is bad and the camera always complains about overexposure in the clouds... NO matter when or how I shoot. I think there is a LOT to learn with these cameras... but judging by the results here, it is WORTH IT :) So much so that I am holding off on buying any more from the DP#M series and am considering the SD1M with the 35mm Art.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-03-2014, 05:19 AM
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Taking photos is not just about printing them. Taking digital photos can mean cropping or simply zooming in to check out some details. If what you said was true, there would be no point to taking gigapixel panoramas.
Of course the number of pixels is not everything. Nobody will argue with this one. However, resolution and quality wise you do need more than 4 megapixels in this day and age (good pixels).
I would be happy to be proven wrong on this one, by time or someone else... BUT my impression from the camera launch and the few details I managed to find out is that the technology is not ready. Why would I buy this thing when I can save my money for a holiday? Or a nice new Sigma Art lens or two? Or a new m43 camera? Or sigma SD1? Your mileage may differ, but there are other things I would get first within limited cash and time to play.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-02-2014, 05:40 PM
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... I have just one advice to offer: along with the tele reach, consider the lens, sensor quality and resulting crop quality (calculate the resolution of an equvalent crop on say a K3 vs uncropped m4/3 photo). According to dxomark the m4/3 lenses in the telephoto range have quite poor resolution when compared to the best full frame and APSC glass. Some of the m4/3 lenses with more standard focal lengths are very good, but about as expensive as the good Pentax lenses (plus you need to buy a camera)... and even the best m4/3 glass is beaten by much cheaper APSC lenses. If you can carry your gear, I'd stick with Pentax. Otherwise, if you have plenty of money get the Olympus EM1... if you have less money, get the Panasonic GM1 (you still need to pay for a good lens though).
For me the m4/3 systems are very nice, but apart from discrete travel or street shooting, I do not have a use for them. I'll buy the Panasonic GM1 if I ever go for extended overseas photo trips, as they are easy to discretely carry around without drawing attention to yourself and the quality is reasonable as judging by the reviews.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 Photo Contest
04-30-2014, 03:57 AM
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Forum: Pentax K-3 Photo Contest
04-30-2014, 03:51 AM
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I nominate this photo for the next round.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 Photo Contest
04-30-2014, 03:40 AM
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This is an upper part of Lady Barron Falls in Mt Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia. I waded through the waterfalls when the flow reduced a little in drier weather and took this shot from up close and personal to the upper part of the falls.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-30-2014, 02:55 AM
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Ok... I received today a secondhand DP1M to test out the Foevon sensor. What are the suggestions for optimal shooting and image processing with this camera? (I know shoot from a tripod) What else? Exposure compnesation? What is a good quality largest aperture? What settings should I use in the Sigma processing software? I will post some test shots on the weekend... Thanks :)
P.S. Is there are way to trick the DP1M to take a 5 shot auto bracketed set? Or is it a hard limit at 3 shots?
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-29-2014, 04:49 PM
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Now I get what you are trying to say, the new Quattro design kind of takes the same path as Bayer array. I am going to try the DP2 merrill for atwork reproduction (continuous or flash lighting) and that is an example where the difference you talk about could be seen. But Merrills do have problems in shadows areas not just for recovery but they tend to be really special.Very good post by Mr. Bassie, in his words:  Quote:
My words and yours are not going to convince anybody of anything until they see it...
Yes, I agree on this point... the tech is hard to understand, it took me a week to compose it in my brain and images speak louder than words. I most likely will be getting a DP2M as well (I am starting to play with DP1M for landscapes)... I think DP2M is an amazing camera. I think the highlights/vs shadows question can be worked around. I have heard people shooting at ISO 200 with the Merrills and working on it in post processing... you would have to search out the details. For static tripod work you may also consider HDR and/or multiple exposure stacking or even super-resolution processing.
For me I am hoping that that the SD1M gets upgraded with a larger buffer, faster electronics, etc, but that the sensor is not touched. Or that it gets a new 1//1/1 colour ratio sensor and not the Quattro. We shall see...
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-29-2014, 01:23 AM
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The quote in question is:
The main claim of Bryce Bayer, and the fact that most TV formats and image and video compression algorithms rely on, is that the visual system doesn't care nearly as much about chroma resolution as about luma resolution. Unfortunately, trying to exploit that factor with a one-layer mosaic sensor has these awkward aliasing problems. Doing it with the Foveon 1:1:4 arrangement works better, requiring no AA filter, no filtering compromises. So, yes, the chroma resolution is less than the luma resolution, but you'd be hard pressed to see that in images.
Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/76-non-pentax-cameras-canon-nikon-etc/220...#ixzz30GB0yFXg
(look for a post by Mr Bassie that quotes extensive statments from Sigma TPTB)
... by comparison, and in the terminology used above, for the Merrils the chroma resolution is the same as the luma resolution (at 15 Megapixels for all).
You really CANNOT reconstruct the colour you do not measure, i.e. the Merrill with 15 megapixel will measure more colour resolution than Quattro with 5 Megapixels (for green and red anyway)... even if all the colours are partially absorbed in all the layers. I could write the equations if people can follow basic algebra and a set of simultaneous equations. Of course none of this is simple because the blue resolution of the Quattro will be higher and thus from the 20/5/5 Megapixels arrangement will have more colour than a 5/5/5 Megapixels ones... I think of it as partial colour resolution through the extra blue component (for shades that have blue in them anyway).
Now, is the sacrifice of the unique colour resolution the Merrills had worth the extra high ISO sensitivity? Not to me. I shoot any camera at ISO 100 if I at all can... and at this ISO the Merrills had NO problems with noise in green or red. So, it is NOT entirely correct that the 20/5/5 Megapixels arrangement reduces noise in the green and red... the staement is ONLY correct at high ISOs. In my case I gain nothing but lose the colour resolution. To me the statement that losing the colour resolution does not matter much is an opinion or a judgment and not a fact. The truth is that it may not matter to some or in some applications, but it may in others.
My only reason to invest in the Sigma system is the colour performance of the Merrills as for all other purposes I am perfectly happy with my Pentax K5IIs. Accordingly with the Quattros my reasons for moving to Sigma disappear... and I have to wait for some other manufacturer to provide a solution that does colour as well as the Merrills :( The Quattros may be fine cameras but they lose the unique advantage the Merrills had... so why would anyone buy them now? Other brands do better what the Quattros are attempting to do: high ISO performance, resolution and speed or performance. The one remaining IQ advantage is that the 4/1/1 Foevon sensor is claimed not to suffer from moire... so while it is equivalent in resolution to a Bayer sensor of between 20 and 40 Megapixels (depending on whether you mean B&W or colour etc) without an anti-alias filter, the Bayer sensor will be subject to moire artefacts and the Foevon will not be (assuming the 4/1/1 configuration does not cause moire or other artefacts).
In addition I have to think whether it now makes sense to invest in Sigma mount lenses if all the new SLRs have Foevon sensors with this 4/1/1 ratio of colours. Of course I could get the SD1M and keep using it for many years but with no upgrade path it makes very little sense to buy a set of good lenses for it. I will think more on this, but I may just stick to a full set of DP1M, DP2M and DP3M and see how the future develops... someone advised me I could just learn to shoot 4x5 :D
I am now looking into how well Pentax mount lenses can be adapted to the Sigma mount as then I may just get the SD1M.
P.S. To demonstrate if colour resolution makes a difference, look below at the very well done comparison image from dpreview, especially check out the tree or the white wall next to the tower... and this is without even knowing if the jpeg is encoded with half or full colour resolution:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/53152669?image=0
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-28-2014, 01:43 AM
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"Period" - means I am not attached to the Sigma brand. If they do not deliver, I will switch.
Plus you should read the info supplied elsewhere. Sigma people openly admit that they sacrificed some colour resolution for better high ISO performance and data management and read out. They say the extra colour information does not matter - I disagree with them. This fact should be obvious to everyone by noticing that 5 Mega pixels of a colour CANNOT have more resolution than 15 Megapixels... I would think this is obvious to everyone. LOL ... but apparently not :eek:
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-28-2014, 12:49 AM
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Carrrlangas, I am pretty sure the resolution is based NOT on full colour resolution. I do not see how the Quattros can resolve more colour when they have only 5 MP of red and green compared to 15 MP for the Merrills. The way I see it the resolution is based on the blue colour or gray scale image overlayed with the other colours... there is no other way. It will have a higher SNR for the 5 MP colours but that is all.
I am also sticking with the Merrills. I bought a second hand DP1M and will go from there.
If Sigma does not supply the kind of full colour resolution I want... I will simply go for cameras from another company. Period. In a year or two we will have a Nikon successor with around 50MP thatwill match the colour resolution of the Merrills even through a Bayer sensor, or a Pentax full frame, or maybe a Foevon type of sensor from another company.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-27-2014, 11:47 PM
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Carrrlangas, the resolution quoted for Quattro is for gray scale... I think. The way I understand it is that Quattros will have a higher black and white resolution and lower colour resolution when compared to the Merrills.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-23-2014, 06:05 PM
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So... still cannot find the info, but let's assume that the resulting 2D image will about about 4 Megapixels? THIS is the problem.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-23-2014, 05:31 PM
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Very fine B&W photos Mr Bassie :) ... and thank you for the info.
... at least Sigma TPTB are not hiding anything and admit that the Quattro has less colour resolution than the Merrill.
Translation: Bayer sensors with an alias filter lose half the resolution in each direction. Colour resolution is harder for humans to perceive than shades of gray (though not impossible). The Quattros will not lose the resolution through an alias filter. However, Quattros effectively have an alias filter through binning pixels in the lower levels. The colour and shades of gray resolution of the Quattro is the same as a 20 Megapixel Bayer sensor *without* an alias filter. Thus the K3 wins :lol: (I do not have a problem with artifacts in the type of photos I do)
For me the reason for even considering the Foveon cameras is the COLOUR resolution. I LOVE to play with natural colour and now is a good time (Autumn time in my area of the world). Otherwise my K5IIs is a fine machine. Thus I will stick to the Merrills and see if Sigma or someone else comes up with a newer non-quattro Foveon type sensor in the next 2 or 3 years. Not interested in the Quattro apart from the DP1Q if it really has an improved lens.
The important thing I have learnt through your info is that JPEG only encodes colour at a lower resolution?! I have to look into this as it would be a waste with the Merrills! Thanks :) |
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-23-2014, 03:11 PM
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Mr Bassie, I am not convinced that the Quattros can have better overall image quality with less colour resolution than the Merrills... "I cannae change the laws of physics captain!" The Quattros will have a little higher gray scale resolution, be faster, etc... but better IQ?
This is why if the system works for me, I am sticking to the Merrills... and let others test the Quattros for a year or two and see what happens in the Foveon SLR space. If SD1M ever goes on sale for under 1 K... or if the SD1 Quattro has the same photosites for all colours... that kind of thing.
Enough of my chatter though... be back when I have some photos.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-23-2014, 05:48 AM
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yes... nothing much there, that is what I mean :lol:
I'm very curious about the tech to the point I am a potential client... but this lack of specific information and emphasis on *ONE* spec only makes me very cautious about it. Badly played by the company... or the tech is not ready yet.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-23-2014, 04:52 AM
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Show me the specs ;) ... starting with resolution of the resulting image. Does it do macro for which it would be most useful? etc
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