These shots in RAW were psychadelic in their colors; I desaturated them quite a lot here. Perhaps too much, but closer to what I saw in the gloomy grey of late day.
Coming home through the park I found an unoccupied bench.. what a surprise.
14 November 2011
a fine, wet day..
and therefore the perfect day for the k200d and 18-55wr lens to take a walk!
The day was quite gloomy from start to end, and the last few days of rain brought many leaves to the ground. Made for great patterns above and below! It's very nice to have a camera in hand with no worries about where the drips land.
These shots in RAW were psychadelic in their colors; I desaturated them quite a lot here. Perhaps too much, but closer to what I saw in the gloomy grey of late day.
Coming home through the park I found an unoccupied bench.. what a surprise.
These shots in RAW were psychadelic in their colors; I desaturated them quite a lot here. Perhaps too much, but closer to what I saw in the gloomy grey of late day.
Coming home through the park I found an unoccupied bench.. what a surprise.
13 November 2011
this is only a test.
I still wonder how Amazon can do this: sell a new camera, take it back, resell it as Used-VeryGood, and still allow easy returns! I try not to overdo this, fearing at some point it may not be available - yet here it is.
I have been thinking again about something more compact, a camera that can do it much (surely not all!) while fitting in a pocket. I have watched all the new tricks come out for better low-light imaging: backlit sensors, multi-shot NR and the like. Last year I tried a Ricoh CX model, but it was from the pre-backlit-sensor era, and images were not enough better than my six-yr-old Casio - so thanks Amazon, please take this one back :^)
Fuji had nearly disappeared from the advanced-camera scene after the E900 and S6000 cameras; I nearly bought each of those, but decided to hold off for their replacements. The E series died, and the S series went to non-Super CCDs - no thank you! For a while the SuperCCD became nearly extinct. Recently it was reborn as the EXR sensor, which uses a curious sensor array that allows pixel binning and multi-level chip readout to make images in new ways. I was considering the F300, but with the 500 model the SuperCCD was replaced by an EXR CMOS design now. While CCD images are special, CMOS brings new things to the table like fast burst speeds, a range of video options and less energy drain - and the EXR design is backlit too, bringing improvements to higher-ISO images. The F550 and F600 even allow for RAW shooting, with a bit of a speed penalty. They are 16Mpixel chips, which I feel is way too many pixels on a pinkie-nail sensor.. but they can mutate into 8M superpixels with the EXR binning.
Anyway, a few appeared on the Amazon site in 'used-very good' shape. I tried this before and found what appeared to be an unused camera in front of me - so I am willing to try again! An EXR F550 will arrive in a few days for my testing pleasure. No, it cannot sub for a K-5 in many conditions, but it will fit in far more pockets - and since I have not been in situations lately where the absolute best camera is needed, this just might do. And if you want more info on real-world uses for the EXR cameras, you cannot do much better than to visit this site!
I have been thinking again about something more compact, a camera that can do it much (surely not all!) while fitting in a pocket. I have watched all the new tricks come out for better low-light imaging: backlit sensors, multi-shot NR and the like. Last year I tried a Ricoh CX model, but it was from the pre-backlit-sensor era, and images were not enough better than my six-yr-old Casio - so thanks Amazon, please take this one back :^)
Fuji had nearly disappeared from the advanced-camera scene after the E900 and S6000 cameras; I nearly bought each of those, but decided to hold off for their replacements. The E series died, and the S series went to non-Super CCDs - no thank you! For a while the SuperCCD became nearly extinct. Recently it was reborn as the EXR sensor, which uses a curious sensor array that allows pixel binning and multi-level chip readout to make images in new ways. I was considering the F300, but with the 500 model the SuperCCD was replaced by an EXR CMOS design now. While CCD images are special, CMOS brings new things to the table like fast burst speeds, a range of video options and less energy drain - and the EXR design is backlit too, bringing improvements to higher-ISO images. The F550 and F600 even allow for RAW shooting, with a bit of a speed penalty. They are 16Mpixel chips, which I feel is way too many pixels on a pinkie-nail sensor.. but they can mutate into 8M superpixels with the EXR binning.
Anyway, a few appeared on the Amazon site in 'used-very good' shape. I tried this before and found what appeared to be an unused camera in front of me - so I am willing to try again! An EXR F550 will arrive in a few days for my testing pleasure. No, it cannot sub for a K-5 in many conditions, but it will fit in far more pockets - and since I have not been in situations lately where the absolute best camera is needed, this just might do. And if you want more info on real-world uses for the EXR cameras, you cannot do much better than to visit this site!
10 November 2011
old dog, new trick: L.a.b. color space?
Someone at AlphaMountWorld pointed out this link as another way to process images. It's interesting to try a new thing, and my copy of Elements has the SmartCurve plugin which allows for L.a.b. processing - so I gave it a tryout.
Here's the before/after image of a recent shot with the k200d. I really liked the leaves, but clearly the image was too warm judging from the bark. The L.a.b. setup allowed me to preserve the color balance in the leaves yet adjust other parts of the scene. Interesting!
Could I have done as well using RGB or another color space? Most likely.. but this was pretty quick. It definitely pays to try different methods of processing, just as it does trying different cameras before buying; the next one could fit you far better than the current one, and you'll never know for certain without trying.
edit -- I find the Y·Cb·Cr color space to be very similar, and that is one I had used in my early days of digital processing with LViewPro. For quick manipulations I still use 1.D2 of that software, a great feature set for such a tiny package.
Could I have done as well using RGB or another color space? Most likely.. but this was pretty quick. It definitely pays to try different methods of processing, just as it does trying different cameras before buying; the next one could fit you far better than the current one, and you'll never know for certain without trying.
edit -- I find the Y·Cb·Cr color space to be very similar, and that is one I had used in my early days of digital processing with LViewPro. For quick manipulations I still use 1.D2 of that software, a great feature set for such a tiny package.
07 November 2011
test every lens (no matter how many times you own a copy)!
Sure, I admit it: this is at least my third Pentax 18-55 lens. Each time the purchase, and the sale, made sense within its context. This time I own a WR camera with no WR lens.. so the DA 18-55WR makes plenty of sense.
Each time I change lenses I enter a column in my Excel 'data base', so in many cases I've been able to copy a column from the dead file to the live one. And each time the parameters change a smidge, so I test where the minimum f/ratio changes through the focal range, and take a quick shot of a ruler to count the mm and determine the close-focus ability.
In this case I picked a real close-focus winner among the many excellent 18-55s: this is very close to .4x (I see 62mm at close focus, so sensor size of 24/62 yields 0.39x). The specs say .34 and my previous were closer to that value. I did lose slightly on the f/ratio, but if you can tell the change at 35mm instead of 40mm you're better at it (and more concerned about it) than I.
Later tests against the DA 50-200 are less glowing, as the 50-200 at 50 bests the 18-55 at 55 when both are f/5.6 aperture. Also curious is that the FL values aren't quite aligned - so do I have a 55-200 or an 18-50? No big deal, just a curiosity.
Each time I change lenses I enter a column in my Excel 'data base', so in many cases I've been able to copy a column from the dead file to the live one. And each time the parameters change a smidge, so I test where the minimum f/ratio changes through the focal range, and take a quick shot of a ruler to count the mm and determine the close-focus ability.
In this case I picked a real close-focus winner among the many excellent 18-55s: this is very close to .4x (I see 62mm at close focus, so sensor size of 24/62 yields 0.39x). The specs say .34 and my previous were closer to that value. I did lose slightly on the f/ratio, but if you can tell the change at 35mm instead of 40mm you're better at it (and more concerned about it) than I.
Later tests against the DA 50-200 are less glowing, as the 50-200 at 50 bests the 18-55 at 55 when both are f/5.6 aperture. Also curious is that the FL values aren't quite aligned - so do I have a 55-200 or an 18-50? No big deal, just a curiosity.
04 November 2011
k200d, autumn
Back in business, and on a more sensible budget! No more shooting an hour after dark with no tripod like the k-r, but when I can shoot I know the results will be excellent. A cool but fine day allowed me to bike home from work among the colors - here is a great example, trimmed and tweaked from jpeg.
An 18-55WR is coming soon, so weather beware: I'll be coming out rain or shine!
(note the later post on L.a.b. processing; I prefer that shot to the one here)
27 October 2011
turnovers part II
If you go back to my March post you'll see how I sold my K-7 and 18-135 to improve the household budget. I settled in with a k200d and was satisfied.. for a while. The budget crunch eased a bit, a like-new k-x became available - and off I went again. The k-x became a k-r, and several lenses came swiftly. Some were bargains, others simply irresistible - but the result was too many lenses, especially considering that family health issues kept us from traveling to photogenic places. I took some great shots of the yard and my bike commutes to work.. but any camera could do such things justice.
Those medical bills have tightened our belts again, so here I am in a familiar spot - out with the new, in with another k200d! Other than a WR 18-55 (maybe next paycheck?) I have most focal lengths covered, and a few elder primes remain from the sell-off. To some degree I'm settling for old gear - but the k200d is an impressive camera, and while not a low-light champ the 10Mpixel sensor will meet my needs (like it did when its twin sat in my A200). It's also weather resistant, which is almost always a good thing here in the Pacific NW.
Looking back on my previous images with the k200d (like the one above), I see good images and memories of less stressful times. I'm looking forward to tacking many more images under the k200d banner!
Those medical bills have tightened our belts again, so here I am in a familiar spot - out with the new, in with another k200d! Other than a WR 18-55 (maybe next paycheck?) I have most focal lengths covered, and a few elder primes remain from the sell-off. To some degree I'm settling for old gear - but the k200d is an impressive camera, and while not a low-light champ the 10Mpixel sensor will meet my needs (like it did when its twin sat in my A200). It's also weather resistant, which is almost always a good thing here in the Pacific NW.
Looking back on my previous images with the k200d (like the one above), I see good images and memories of less stressful times. I'm looking forward to tacking many more images under the k200d banner!
09 October 2011
the great purge of early fall 2011
Can I really hold to it this time? Will I actually reduce both the lens count and the focal-length redundancy that sits on shelves around me? Let's find out!
In the past week several lenses have departed, a few more are being considered, and a few leftovers will head for the donation bin. In some cases I have purchased 'replacements' - similar lenses found at bargain prices, but not a true purge in the technical sense.. :^)
When this is over the number of prime lenses will drop to 2 or 3, and zooms to 3 or maybe 4: not exactly sure yet which will win out. That's a sad commentary since I've owned a couple of them before and sold them, so how can I not know which I prefer?? Well, that too is technical - meaning I don't understand it either. Some days it's vital they all take 52mm filters, other days I'm compelled to go with the most versatile, or most compact, or ... like I said, I cannot explain what isn't clear to me, so enough. It does feel good to feed the credit-card bill though, that needed to happen.
Update - a week later and the shelves are nearly bare. Two zooms and three primes remain (but that count includes just one of three 50mm choices - still hoping for a sale or two to clean that mess up!).
going, going..
Another week later and the count is now one AF zoom (DA50-200, surprise!), the Rikenon 70-150 f/4 and three primes: 28/2.8, 50/1.4 and 135/3.5. That's it (note counting two tired zooms headed for the donation box). Also just the G1 body, as the k-r has been returned to its VISA origins. I will bid very low for a while and hope to return to Pentax, but for now this needs to be it. Surprises me to be here, but it will do for now.
In the past week several lenses have departed, a few more are being considered, and a few leftovers will head for the donation bin. In some cases I have purchased 'replacements' - similar lenses found at bargain prices, but not a true purge in the technical sense.. :^)
When this is over the number of prime lenses will drop to 2 or 3, and zooms to 3 or maybe 4: not exactly sure yet which will win out. That's a sad commentary since I've owned a couple of them before and sold them, so how can I not know which I prefer?? Well, that too is technical - meaning I don't understand it either. Some days it's vital they all take 52mm filters, other days I'm compelled to go with the most versatile, or most compact, or ... like I said, I cannot explain what isn't clear to me, so enough. It does feel good to feed the credit-card bill though, that needed to happen.
Update - a week later and the shelves are nearly bare. Two zooms and three primes remain (but that count includes just one of three 50mm choices - still hoping for a sale or two to clean that mess up!).
going, going..
Another week later and the count is now one AF zoom (DA50-200, surprise!), the Rikenon 70-150 f/4 and three primes: 28/2.8, 50/1.4 and 135/3.5. That's it (note counting two tired zooms headed for the donation box). Also just the G1 body, as the k-r has been returned to its VISA origins. I will bid very low for a while and hope to return to Pentax, but for now this needs to be it. Surprises me to be here, but it will do for now.
01 October 2011
how not to relax, part LXVIII
How about a 3½-day hike to help me relax? Sounds great.. until life intervenes. First it's the weather: none of my WA Cascades hikes will be available with 1-2" of rain in the forecast. Plan B minus is a long drive to the Wallowas, an excellent place to relax and clearly the best weather. So..
Day 0 - long drive, camp just after sunset in NE Oregon. Already dark, fire danger extreme and I just have a tarp, so a rough night in the car - oh, and 12 hours of darkness, welcome to autumn!
Day 1 of hike - start hiking at 9:30, arrive just before 5PM at Douglas Lake. Trails are poorly marked and my map skills are not great - and I've already blown out a blister on my left heel. Dinner was not to my liking, so about half of it came back to the trailhead. And strangely enough the camp was fogged in most of the night, at 7400 feet!
Day 2 - given the sore foot I'm thinking a loop over Glacier Pass is a bad idea, so I'm revising the plan. Today will end after a 45-minute walk to the infamous Mirror Lake, and I will retrace my route to exit. Instead I caught myself 1/3 of the way to Glacier Pass anyway, after taking a nonexistent trail around the Left side of Moccasin. I returned to Moccasin and found neither Glacier Pass nor Mirror Lake junctions - and a new blister has formed on the right heel. I sit down at the shore, soak my ruined heels in the lake and patch the blistered areas. Now I am getting upset: I've found a half-dozen "trails" that lead to illegal horse camps but no clear hiking trails to well-known destinations?!? The trail to Mirror Lake was never found, so I limped toward lower Horseshoe Lake to cut my losses (I'm a solo hiker and had seen no other people, so conservative play is the rule). By the time I reach there I'm so angry at the situation that I no longer want to stay an extra minute in this 'horse wilderness'. At 5:45 I'm back at the car, exhausted and limping. Camp is once again in the car, at Wallowa Lake park.
Day 3 - instead of 1½ more days of hiking, I'm driving back to Anacortes where my wife awaits. That is my fourth straight day of working myself to physical and/or mental exhaustion - somehow contrary to the "relaxation" plan.
So in summary - I have a few photos that may have turned out well, thanks to the K-r, 18-55 and 55-300 - but very few memories that I wish to share or relive. The drive was far too long, even for a 3½-day hike: four day hikes with a warm bed in Anacortes would have served me far better. Other than the excellent Z55 backpack and the nice weather, little comes to mind as positives. At least I was allowed to vegetate in Anacortes with few responsibilities, so I did an extra day of nothing - that's relaxing!
As to my errors, they are quite surprising to me. It has been a very long time since I had to find moleskin in my pack, and it was a great relief to find that the first-aid kit contained some (now nearly all gone). I have had so few foot issues in the wild I cannot recall the last time with certainty - it may have been 1998 in the Wind Rivers. As to my map and routefinding issues, they too are a shock as I have done several x-c navigations in my time. My feet required a trail this time. Taking the non-mapped route to the left of Moccasin Lake can only be seen as a confusion/repetition of seeing the route go to the left of the previous (Douglas) Lake. In any case failing to find the mapped path just below Moccasin that leads to Mirror plus no path to the right of Moccasin is a real head scratcher. In either case my maps were poor: the USFS Wilderness map is too small a scale to be useful here, and my Topo! printout plots a trail right through Douglas Lake which I chose to disregard. After Horseshoe Lake I found Zero trail markers, and given the number of horse paths I feel that this lack is not reasonable. Had I only gone via the main and not Alt path through the Basin this would not have happened - but my maps failed to show the 50-foot drop between the Basin trail and Douglas Lake, which is why I retreated to the Alt trail and a campsite. Waay too many 'if only's on this trip - so I'm done with it.
Day 0 - long drive, camp just after sunset in NE Oregon. Already dark, fire danger extreme and I just have a tarp, so a rough night in the car - oh, and 12 hours of darkness, welcome to autumn!
Day 1 of hike - start hiking at 9:30, arrive just before 5PM at Douglas Lake. Trails are poorly marked and my map skills are not great - and I've already blown out a blister on my left heel. Dinner was not to my liking, so about half of it came back to the trailhead. And strangely enough the camp was fogged in most of the night, at 7400 feet!
Day 2 - given the sore foot I'm thinking a loop over Glacier Pass is a bad idea, so I'm revising the plan. Today will end after a 45-minute walk to the infamous Mirror Lake, and I will retrace my route to exit. Instead I caught myself 1/3 of the way to Glacier Pass anyway, after taking a nonexistent trail around the Left side of Moccasin. I returned to Moccasin and found neither Glacier Pass nor Mirror Lake junctions - and a new blister has formed on the right heel. I sit down at the shore, soak my ruined heels in the lake and patch the blistered areas. Now I am getting upset: I've found a half-dozen "trails" that lead to illegal horse camps but no clear hiking trails to well-known destinations?!? The trail to Mirror Lake was never found, so I limped toward lower Horseshoe Lake to cut my losses (I'm a solo hiker and had seen no other people, so conservative play is the rule). By the time I reach there I'm so angry at the situation that I no longer want to stay an extra minute in this 'horse wilderness'. At 5:45 I'm back at the car, exhausted and limping. Camp is once again in the car, at Wallowa Lake park.
Day 3 - instead of 1½ more days of hiking, I'm driving back to Anacortes where my wife awaits. That is my fourth straight day of working myself to physical and/or mental exhaustion - somehow contrary to the "relaxation" plan.
So in summary - I have a few photos that may have turned out well, thanks to the K-r, 18-55 and 55-300 - but very few memories that I wish to share or relive. The drive was far too long, even for a 3½-day hike: four day hikes with a warm bed in Anacortes would have served me far better. Other than the excellent Z55 backpack and the nice weather, little comes to mind as positives. At least I was allowed to vegetate in Anacortes with few responsibilities, so I did an extra day of nothing - that's relaxing!
As to my errors, they are quite surprising to me. It has been a very long time since I had to find moleskin in my pack, and it was a great relief to find that the first-aid kit contained some (now nearly all gone). I have had so few foot issues in the wild I cannot recall the last time with certainty - it may have been 1998 in the Wind Rivers. As to my map and routefinding issues, they too are a shock as I have done several x-c navigations in my time. My feet required a trail this time. Taking the non-mapped route to the left of Moccasin Lake can only be seen as a confusion/repetition of seeing the route go to the left of the previous (Douglas) Lake. In any case failing to find the mapped path just below Moccasin that leads to Mirror plus no path to the right of Moccasin is a real head scratcher. In either case my maps were poor: the USFS Wilderness map is too small a scale to be useful here, and my Topo! printout plots a trail right through Douglas Lake which I chose to disregard. After Horseshoe Lake I found Zero trail markers, and given the number of horse paths I feel that this lack is not reasonable. Had I only gone via the main and not Alt path through the Basin this would not have happened - but my maps failed to show the 50-foot drop between the Basin trail and Douglas Lake, which is why I retreated to the Alt trail and a campsite. Waay too many 'if only's on this trip - so I'm done with it.
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