Tag Archives: photography

Using PhotoRec

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First off I would like to thank CG Security for the amazing product, you have shown us that the best things available are provided with trust that donations will be made when possible, and please donate to this cause, as you will see a huge amount of work went into making this application function and on all platforms.

I will describe my technique for using photorec, which I have found to work quite well for all Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Pentax DSLRs, as well as iPods and computer hard drives. As always you proceed at your own risk. At the bottom of this post there will also be a link to the official step by step on the cgsecurity website. I recomend that you consult both if unsure.

The following settings and steps are based on recovering media from digital camera media. A macintosh was used however, the process is the same on all platforms.

  1. download photorec/testdisk from cg security at http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download
  2. unpack the download
  3. navigate to and execute the file named photorec
  4. Select the disk that is same size as the one that you are attempting to recover. Remove all unnecessary external disks and drives to facilitate the process.
  5. In the case of camera cards, ipods, and most computers you will select Intel from the list
  6. The next step is to select the valid partition table. In layman’s terms select FAT from the list unless it is unavailable, in which case select no partition.
  7. Choose other from the next stage
  8. choose whole from the next stage
  9. create a folder on your desktop named recover
  10. select desktop
  11. select recover
  12. strike the y key to begin recovery
  13. wait, be patient this is complicated stuff and can take some time.
  14. when the application is finished take a look in the recovered folder and if it was successful immediately copy/burn the data to another source before continuing.

For those who require visual aids I have made a massive step by step screenshot that can be found here:
www.accardophotography.com/wp-content/photos/stuff/photorec_use.jpg

There you go, you are all ready to hopefully never need to know how to use this, and if you are reading this line while recovering, best of luck!

Maha MH800s Review

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My previous post was about how AA batteries have taken over my life.  The 800s charges NiMH & NiCd batteries (not that anyone used NiCd anymore).  It reconditions and deep charges the batteries.  In addition each battery is charged on an independent channel, so you can charge multiple sets of batteries at varying levels of charge, and they will all be optimally charged.  I use this in conjunction with my MB-D10 and well, it just works.  I use 8 eneloops with 8 backup eneloops, I have never had to dip into the backups, and I shoot a lot.  There is also a small LCD screen on the front of charging unit that shows the status of the charge.  No more guessing whether red is good or blinking green means charging.

A(A) Rechargeable Existence

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When I bought my MB-D10 battery grip for my D300 I opted to go for the AA option, which uses 8 rechargeable NiMH batteries.  Then I got to thinking about the Wii. Each remote utilizes 2 AA batteries.  The wireless sensor bar uses 4 AAs as too.  As a photographer I also use two speedlight flashes. there is 8 more AA without a change, up it to 16 for total functionality.  There are also the two pocket wizards that use 2 AA a piece, there is 4 more.  That is something like 36 AA batteries total.  The next review that I will write will be about the Maha MH-800s that I just purchased to accommodate this AA powered life.

Time Machine/Capsule (The Sort of Cheap Way)

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Exciting news for stingy mac nerds.  Well, realistically kinda mac nerds, because a true mac nerd would either know about this already, or would not care because they don’t need time machine.  I have a headless Macintosh running in my home, with an array of external hard drives connected to it and served using AFP.  I originally had an old Windows XP machine running as a Samba share to my mac to host my movies.  That said, AFP and OS X are far nicer to work with.  Anyhow with one simple copy/paste command line cue one can use a shared volume to automatically backup their computer every time said computer connects to said network, and all without a single wire.  That command that needs to be entered is:

defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

(to undo the command one would enter the same command with zero in place of 1)

From there you simply use the Time Machine interface to setup your backup.

Fantastico!

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 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?