***DSLR/Photography MegaThread***

[VF]

The non-S Mark III got a firmware upgrade today. Did they not recall these in the US?

There is supposedly a serial number range which is affected, and you can send it in for warranty repair to get what they are calling the "blue dot fix" (as the boxes they come back in have a blue sticker on them). So, Canon isn't calling it a recall, but you can get the sub-mirror replaced for free if you think your camera is affected, which certainly sounds like a recall to me.

 

[VF]

I am also anxious to see what the 1Ds Mark III can do. The density of the photosites would be comparable to a 14MP DX/APS sensor which would lead you to think noise might be a problem. I will be interested to see what kind of technology they employ to address noise and light fall off in the corners of the image. I'm not sure I'm ready for a 21MP image in a 35mm format though. The workflow would consume a lot of resources and you really can only use the very top quality lenses, which is another huge investment. Although it is still probably cheaper than most medium format digitals.

Looking at it again, the pixel pitch of the 1Ds MkIII is (6.4 ?m) actually less dense than the 40D (5.7 ?m), so...perhaps there is hope that the noise won't be too bad. Not like it matters for me personally though, as that body is way out of my price range, so I will have to keep driving my 5D until it dies

As for the vignetting, I have to say I haven't run into it that much on the 5D (same physically sized sensor as the 1Ds) using most decent primes, but that is definitely true with zooms, you really need the L glass to avoid it. I would also imagine that at 21mp, the sensor is going to start out resolving the cheaper lenses, so you are going to want to hang some pretty fancy glass on it.

 

[FBJ]

I fondled a D300 this morning. Bigger screen is cool. Functions on the screen is cool. Live view is cool. Everything else I can live without, really. Noise Ninja is my friend.

Also, I'm told that it could be a month or so before accessories like the battery grip come out. Boo.

I'm going to save up for the D3. And then I'll never purchase another DSLR again.

 

[FBJ]

Okay. HDR is a BITCH!!! Why can't I get it to turn out all cool and stuff??

 

[DeaderFan]

I fondled a D300 this morning. Bigger screen is cool. Functions on the screen is cool. Live view is cool. Everything else I can live without, really. Noise Ninja is my friend.

Also, I'm told that it could be a month or so before accessories like the battery grip come out. Boo.

I'm going to save up for the D3. And then I'll never purchase another DSLR again.

Not a bad call. It's not a major upgrade. The D300 is more like a D200x. For me, I also like the improved high ISO, better AF, and for some of my work, image authentication. And since I like to shoot my kid's sports, the DX lens multiplication factor is a good thing. I also like the physical size. I had a D1x before the D200 and it felt clumsy. Going to the D200 was like when I went from an F4 to a F100. It felt good. The smaller body is just so much easier to handle and carry.

That said, the D3 looks like something special. I'm actually thinking about selling my medium format equipment and getting a D3 somewhere down the road. Then I will have the D300 to travel with and the D3 for those occasions where I really need it. Either that or hope the D400 incorporates the D3 technology. In the meantime, I'm thinking about that new 14-24mm 2.8 lens but there is no release date for that yet.

 

[FBJ]

In the meantime, I'm thinking about that new 14-24mm 2.8 lens but there is no release date for that yet.

The guys at Hooper were hoping there would be one in their warehouse shipment this afternoon.

 

[Unfiltered]

Okay. HDR is a BITCH!!! Why can't I get it to turn out all cool and stuff??

Because you suck. I haven't ventured into it yet. I want to get used to new beast before I do figuring I'm going to run into all of the things you've already experienced.

Ya' willing to post what you DID put together?

 

[FBJ]

Yeah, I'll post what I put together...when I can get the programs I'm attempting to use to put out something that looks half-ass-decent. So far, the only thing I can get the processors to put out is drastically under-exposed-looking garbage.

 

[VF]

Okay. HDR is a BITCH!!! Why can't I get it to turn out all cool and stuff??

The down side of HDR is that it is very easy to get washed out bland looking images because you are tying to display a lot of information in a very small space. In the end it all comes down to the tone mapping, you have to find a curve that preserves your highlights and your shadows, while still being steep enough in the tones you care about to give contrast. I find I seem to get the best results when I use the Local Adaptation option when converting from 32 bits/channel to 8 bits/channel, that way you can directly manipulate your toning curve (you can click and hold with your mouse over an area of an image to see where it is on the tone curve to make it easier to steepen or shallow out and area you are interested in). It is still something that I am very bad at. It also helps to start with an image that you will care about seeing the extreme highs and lows, and as it turns out my attempt at the sunset was a very poor example as it would have looked great just in silhouette, but at least you can see it is working (and this image seems to be suffering greatly from the Lightroom export debacle)

 

[FBJ]

Alright. Since Sam has uploaded his crappy image, I guess I'll upload mine.



These were taken yesterday at the Reagan Library.

I think the initial problem I was having (using qtpfsgui) was that I was trying to combine too many images that had too little an exposure difference between them. I then downloaded and tried Photomatix and it seemed to work a bit better, but when I chose fewer images to combine (i.e. every fourth image in a sixteen-image bracket), it worked better yet.

I think that I shot wrong to begin with. I think a two-stop exposure difference between images is the minimum you'd want. Also, I think that maybe this wasn't the best setting/picture for the attempt. I figured it would be, what with the bright day through the windows of the building in front of Air Force 1 and that darkness inside, but I can't seem to get things matched up well enough to allow a properly exposed window-view and interior at the same time.

Sam, are you using CS3 to create your HDRs?

 

[VF]

Alright. Since Sam has uploaded his crappy image, I guess I'll upload mine.

Oh SNAP! I think I the tail shot is interesting because although it isn't immediately obvious it is HDR, you can see the highlights are under control, the one thing I feel is that I would like a little more weight to the blacks, perhaps letting the numbers and the blue portion of the flag clip a bit, but I like that shot, it has an interesting feel to it. The shot under the engine is cool because you can still see a lot of detail in the sky (and it is an interesting sky), but I wonder if you have anymore range to see what is going on in the shadows at the back of the engine, or does it just start feeling flat if you expand the range that much? With the under the belly shot, I also wonder how much room you still have in the shadows to bring them up and try and bring the sky down a little, but it seems that if you do that it might be hard to get interesting contrast in the rest of the image. This is why HDRs are hard

Sam, are you using CS3 to create your HDRs?

Yeah, I use their little tool. But I am starting to think doing it manually (lay up my three exposures, 0, +2 over, -2 under, as layers and use layer masks, perhaps with blending options, so paint in areas I want) might be a little more user friendly, although much more time consuming.

 

[FBJ]

The more work I do with these things, the better I think Photoshop will handle it. QTPFSGUI is too bare-bones and isn't very user-friendly. Photomatix is more user-friendly, but doesn't seem like it can grab the contrast as well.

Argh. $199 for a Photoshop upgrade.

I really need to take a class in PS, too.

 

[DeaderFan]

I really need to take a class in PS, too.

Don't we all! I bought the Total Training DVDs for CS and got through 3 discs and they came out with CS2. Now I have CS3 Extended sitting on the shelf but it makes me tired to just think of installing it and having to learning all the new features.

The HDR stuff you guys are doing is interesting. I've never looked into it before. I did however take some photos with the "Active D-Lighting" feature on the D300. I liked the results. Unfortunately the picures are of my 12-year-old daughter so I don't really want to post them on the internet. But I will find something else to post soon.

 

[VF]

If you are the kind of person that can stand his hyper animated style of talking, awesome PS tuts: http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html

 

[DeaderFan]

Nice. Just added it to my Photoshop "favorites" in my browser. Thanks for the link. I'm gonna try some of those.

 

[rinkrat]

Should I get a flash for my D30?

Hey I have to try some of this HDR stuff.

 

[FBJ]

Should I get a flash for my D30?

Hey I have to try some of this HDR stuff.

Yes. Get a flash. Especially one with a tilt/bounce-head and a diffuser.

 

[VF]

Should I get a flash for my D30?

Hey I have to try some of this HDR stuff.

I highly recommend a flash. The hard part is choosing which one. The 580EX II is the caddy of the Canon speedlights, both in terms of power and features (namely the ability to act as the master flash that can control up to two groups of slaves). The 420EX is a close runner up, not as powerful, and slightly less features, but still an outstanding flash. The nice thing about the 580EX is that it has a PC port on it, so if you want to trigger it remotely using Pocket Wizards, or more cheaply, EBay triggers. Both can rotate for bounce.

There are other "off brand" flashes which are cheaper, and offer a lot of the same features, such as the Sigma EF-530.

If you don't care about E-TTL and just want full manual, it gets really cheap, such as the Vivitar 285HV

 

[FBJ]

Don't call me a **** but I took these pictures at the Reagan Library the other day, too. The wife wanted to see what was there in the "First Lady's Style" exhibit.

http://gcalvin.com/gallery/v/RRLibrary/

Sort of a "nothing beats existing light and a tripod" sort of post. That being said, though...my tripod sucks major arse. It is the next thing gettin' upgraded.

 

[rinkrat]

I highly recommend a flash. The hard part is choosing which one. The 580EX II is the caddy of the Canon speedlights, both in terms of power and features (namely the ability to act as the master flash that can control up to two groups of slaves). The 420EX is a close runner up, not as powerful, and slightly less features, but still an outstanding flash. The nice thing about the 580EX is that it has a PC port on it, so if you want to trigger it remotely using Pocket Wizards, or more cheaply, EBay triggers. Both can rotate for bounce.

There are other "off brand" flashes which are cheaper, and offer a lot of the same features, such as the Sigma EF-530.

If you don't care about E-TTL and just want full manual, it gets really cheap, such as the Vivitar 285HV

Looks like the 580EX is the ticket. I think it's on sale at Amazon too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NP3DJW/?tag=robitaille-20