Category Archives: photography

Canon SD780is CHDK

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If the above looks like gibberish to you, it is because it sort of is.  It is referring to an add-on style menu system for canon point and shoot cameras.  The biggest selling point to me is that it enables the camera to save RAW files in the DNG format.  I think that canon should enable this feature out of the box anyhow, but that is not the point.  In the end, it turns my girlfriends already capable SD780is into a monster of a pocket camera.  Adding all kinds of functionality that was not in the original camera.  It is also non-permanantly stored on the SD card, allowing she and I to swap cards and have the camera function exactly as before.  Just awesome.

picking a point and shoot

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If someone asked me which consumer point and shoot they should buy (a question I get often), I would say that they should go get whichever Canon is in the color and price range they want.  The next thing I hear is, “but, but, but, you shoot Nikon.”  I believe that in the SLR/Professional world there is more ergonomic and economic decision making (I already have/can borrow these lenses accessories).  When it comes to point and shoot cameras the following are important thoughts:

Cost:  Be realistic on your budget and mentally accept that in our current society buying a $150 camera every other year instead of the $300 camera now is actually probably better.

Menus:  Whatever you buy make sure that you can use the menu system well and quickly.  Often the menus are designed by engineers and professional photographers who are not thinking about how non-photographers use cameras.

Storage:  Sony makes a great point and shoot.  They are also great at using marked-up proprietary hardware.  If you are on vacation and run out of memory space in the middle of nowhere you are definitely going to be able to find SD cards, conversely the latest Sony MiniHDsTick+micro whatever, probably not.

Battery:  I am a firm believer in carrying extra batteries.  What that means to you is probably slightly different than it is to me.  If your camera uses AA batteries carry extras and know that you can buy replacements if need be.  If your camera uses a rechargeable battery buy a second or third keep it charged and bring it along.  If the camera you are looking at doesn’t have a removable battery, buy a different one.

Size:  AKA, smaller is better, sometimes.  If you are young and have nimble fingers then a small, slim point and shoot can be awesome.  If you are older and/or less dexterous, then a slightly larger model might be a better fit.

As always, hope that helps out, and if you have questions hit the contact/comment button.

My Workflow

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The term workflow has become quite the buzzword in photography over the past decade or so, and with good reason. It seems that we (digital photographers) spend more time messing around with images in cataloging applications like Adobe Bridge, Lightroom, Bibble, Aperture, etc. Personally I am not a huge fan of messing around with my photos on the computer, and conversely enjoy taking them. Don’t get me wrong, I love to sit in front of the computer screen all pasty eyed as much as the next guy, but in the end clicking a shutter is more fun than a mouse. From here I am going to outline my workflow from the time the card is inserted into the reader and stop when we get to the final product.

The Workflow
The first step I take is to make a copy of the memory card’s main directory. On my Nikons this the folder that is named 101NDXXX (where XXX is the camera model). This is done by simply dragging and dropping the folder to the desktop. After the copy process is complete I eject the card. This ensures that the contents of the card are not compromised regardless of what happens on the computer.

The next step is to import the photographs into your application of choice. After using Aperture for about a year, I switched to Lightroom and never looked at anything else. Aperture had some issues with handling the DNG format, which is actually the next topic.

I use the DNG format for my raw files. Some people agree some people become rabid with hatred when they hear the term DNG. The reason that I use DNG is not entirely because of the idea that NEF might become unreadable in the future. I use DNG because it allows increased interoperability between windows and macs. However, that is still not the major reason. The reason I began using DNG is because I wanted to losslessly compress D100 files. I then found out that another advantage of the DNG format is that the xmp sidecar data (which is one more thing to lose) can be stored inside of the DNG container. This allows my photo folders to remain nice and tidy as well as unify the file types that appear. DNG also allows users to use versions of Photoshop that predate their camera.

Lightroom allows users to convert to DNG on import, as well as tag images with keywords for searching later, and also to rename the files with useful names. I use the YYYYMMDD_sequence system. This ensures that if there is an issue with the Lightroom database, that I can simply go on and continue using an application like Bridge. The individual files are stored in folders that are named with YYYYMMDD and those folders are subfolders to YYYYMM which are subfolders to YYYY.

Once the photographs are all in Lightroom, I can begin sorting the files. I do not delete any files that may be of use someday. However, I do not find black frames, white frames, incredibly out of focus images, and incredibly shaky images to be of any use, so I flag these images as rejected. If an image stands out as excellent, and likely to be used for web or final print, I flag it. This leaves me with all of my picks being flagged, all of the keep but not amazingly useful images as unflagged, and all of the ready to be deleted images as rejected. After I finish sorting I hit command + delete which deletes all of the rejected photos. This serves to clear up space on hard drives as well as to speed up the process.

At this point I ideally burn a disc with all of the files that remain on it in two seperate folders, the picks and the rest. However, being human, I am out of sync with my burning. The disc burning makes a good rainy weekend or gradual before bed process. I do however maintain three synced copies of my images across three hard drives. One of which is portable (and travels with me) to help to protect against fire and other forms of environmental disaster.

At this point, when the files reside in at least two places other than the memory card, it is safe to format the card for reuse.

Now we can begin using Photoshop to enhance beyond the basic offerings of Lightroom and then move on to posting and printing images.

FujiFilm S5: First Thoughts

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I borrowed a Fuji S5 for the weekend.  I must say, this thing is impressive.  The first test was portraiture in available light at ISO 3200.  This would make my me cringe on anything else, however, they looked good acceptable.  I am also becoming a fan of the dynamic range improvements that have been made with the S5.  My largest initial gripe with Fuji is the deceptive advertising surrounding the Megapixelage of the the camera.  They claim it is 12 megapixels while the actual resolution comes out to about 6.2 megapixels.  I honestly couldn’t care less about megapixels and all, I seem to rarely print these days, and when I do it is rarely ever larger than 11×14 which I can easily do with 6 megapixels.  More to come.

Nikon D100

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When the Nikon D100 came out it was adopted as a press and wedding camera almost immediately.  And for good reason, at the time a digital camera that could create quality prints in black and white, as well as color, and that accepted all of the previous Nikon AF mount lens, and even the non-AF lenses (albeit without metering).  It also accepted a slew of Nikon speedlights.  Fast forward to today.  The D100 is widely accepted as obsolete.  But who cares?  I love mine.  It creates wonderful images if handled by someone who understands its oddities. 

 

Pros:

·      Compatible with a large array of lens

·      6.1 megapixels is plenty for most applications

·      Light-weight

·      Accepts Lithium Ion batteries

·      Uses the widely accepted CF card

Cons

·      Doesn’t meter with non-AF lenses

·      Sometimes too light

·      Plastic exterior

·      Noise can get sloppy at high ISOs

·      Poor viewfinder

 

The Pros   

This camera follows the standard Nikon ergonomics, which are, in my opinion, almost perfect.  The camera is a nice size that accepts a variety of hand sizes with ease.  The camera has a magnesium sub-frame and a plastic shell.  This allows the camera to be light, yet, as mine will attest to, still durable.  The camera yields a standard Nikon Electronic Format (NEF) file.  It can be either compressed or not (I recommend uncompressed, as using the compressed method causes the camera to lock up when it hits the buffer).  An uncompressed NEF is approximately 9 megabytes, however, they nicely compress and archive to a 5 megabyte Adobe Digital Negative, which is a much more compatible and compact file type.  The lithium ion battery accepted by the D100 is compatible with the D70, D50 as well as the ability to accept batteries used by the D200, D40, and D80.  Also, when using the optional vertical release/battery grip, one can utilize 6 AA batteries in a pinch (be warned though, the battery life on alkaline batteries is very short). 

 

The Cons

As with all things the D100 does have its faults, quite a few of them.  The first major issue is the fact that the camera does not meter with non-AF lenses, quite a few of which are absolute gems.  Although lightness in a camera is appreciated in some instances, a little bit of weight can add some stability when shooting.  The plastic exterior can also be a huge disadvantage, unlike its follower the D200, the plastic can be damaged and makes the camera feel cheap.  The biggest issue that people complain about in this body is the noisy sensor at higher ISO settings.  I personally feel that it is just fine so long as the camera is kept on RAW and exposure is maintained properly.  The largest single issue that I have with the D100, which is also an issue that I have with almost all non professional digital cameras, is the tiny and dim viewfinder.  When I compare the D100 to my old Nikon FM it looks downright appalling.  A quick hidden pro about the viewfinder though is that ability to turn on a grid overlay that aids in composing horizons and other geometric images.

 

Conclusion

If you have one of these cameras and it works for you, hang on to it.  If you have a digital SLR now and are looking for a decent backup, this camera could serve you quite well if you get a decent deal on it.  Although it is limited in certain ways, many of the limitations are more than made-up for through the low prices that can be had these days.  I would however, recommend a D70s before I would recommend this camera.              

Nikon Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8

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The Nikon Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 is a fantastically versatile lens. On a Nikon digital crop body it becomes a stunning 120-300mm f/2.8. I have found uses for this lens ranging from portraiture to landscapes, and many, many more.

Pros:

· Handles splendidly on almost all cameras

· Built in rotating tripod foot is rock solid

· Has that “Don’t ask, I’m a pro” look

· Standard 77mm filter

· Old screw-driver AF

· Isn’t white

Cons:

· Hood costs extra

· Old screw-driver AF

· Screams steal me

· Generates mob mentality when using around non-photographers

The Pros

The handling of this lens is fantastic on everything from the lowly, light, D50 to the chunky D100 with grip, and is a perfect mate for the Nikon pro bodies with their strong AF motors. The rotating tripod foot is quite nice and is a beautiful balance when mounted. As with all lenses of this stature and feel, I find that people rarely ask questions about what I am photographing, unless they are asking what paper I am with. If the 77mm filter size is important to you, then you know that already, and why it is. This next point is one that generates a bit of controversy when I bring it up; the screwdriver AF system. I personally prefer lenses with the screwdriver, for some reason I trust it more. Maybe it is because everything I have ever owned that had a small, electric motor inside has broken or burned out. The screwdriver uses the small motor in the camera. Is it the same, pretty much. However, one way I only have to buy a motor once, and the screwdrivers are a lot cheaper. The isn’t white jab is simply because I feel that the black blends in with the surrounding world a tad bit better.

Cons

First of all, when buying a lens that costs nearly a thousand dollars, you would assume that it would include all of the accessories. If you were talking about this lens, you’d be wrong. You have to pay extra for the plastic lens hood ( I don’t use them for flare protection as much as actual physical protection from bumps and scrapes). As previously mentioned the screwdriver AF vs. AFS is a personal choice. As with all lenses that look like this the lens tells the general public two things;

1. This is really expensive and if you are strapped for cash to pay off your credit card balance that is accruing 18% interest (compounded nano-secondly), it would be really easy to steal this lens and sell it on craigslist or fleabay to make some cash.

2. Sometimes this is fun, but most of the time it is annoying. If I am taking a picture of a squirrel, or even a person or building, it seems that a mob of point and shoot wielding tourists will inevitably chase me down yelling things like, “Honey, what is he taking pictures of? With a lens like that it must be interesting!” “is there a celebrity over there?”.

Conclusion

If you need this lens you probably already know it. My belief is that it is a great alternative to the more expensive AFS and VR versions. Although it has its cons, it is a fantastic piece of glass.

And did I mention it takes great dog portraits?