PF Photography: Tips, Tricks, & Photo Sharing

[matthyaouw]

Considering I so badly want a really wide angle lens, I don't know why it took my so long to try simulating the effect by stitching shots together. This is two shots stitched vertically in Arcsoft Panorama Maker.

I also used some ND grad filters to darken the window, as it was too bright compared to the foreground.

 

[larkspur]

Nice job with the exposure Matthyaouw.

 

[turbo]

Well, winter is here. The gusty (30-40 mph) winds seem to come from every possible direction, as you can see from the way the snow is scattered on the pond below my back deck. I didn't embed the image because it is very wide and would have caused browser windows to resize. 4 images (with lots of overlap) stitched with the Canon utility.

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x318/turbo-1/smallstitched.jpg

 

[larkspur]

Well, winter is here. The gusty (30-40 mph) winds seem to come from every possible direction, as you can see from the way the snow is scattered on the pond below my back deck. I didn't embed the image because it is very wide and would have caused browser windows to resize. 4 images (with lots of overlap) stitched with the Canon utility.

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x318/turbo-1/smallstitched.jpg

Nice pond! Is the ice thick enough to skate on yet?

 

[turbo]

Nice pond! Is the ice thick enough to skate on yet?

Not yet. The pond looks very small in this picture, but for scale the larger rock at the upper right is over 3' wide. I need to do some landscaping out there when money permits. The pond is fed with groundwater and it's deep enough not to freeze solid, so the fish I threw in there when we moved in are still thriving.

 

[~christina~]

It looks interesting turbo.

I like that black and white picture from
but I don't use filters..I would like to but they cost alot.

I really want a neutral density filter so I can take a slow shutterspeed shot in the daytime. (very pretty water effects)
But..it's a whole lot of money.

 

[matthyaouw]

Filters are fun. I have an ND4 and an ND 64, but combined they aren't quite up to the job of long exposures in strong daylight (not helped by my smallest aperture being f8). I have an infrared filter too, which I can get some pretty long exposures out of in most conditions:

I would absolutely love one of those 10-stop NDs some time, but you're right they are pricey.

 

[Evo]

Look at the ghost of a man leaning toward the pole with his arm bent and reaching for the pole.

 

[larkspur]

Look at the ghost of a man leaning toward the pole with his arm bent and reaching for the pole.

I see it!

 

[Redbelly98]

I wonder how long he was standing there, vs. the total exposure time.

 

[matthyaouw]

The exposure was 10 seconds, and i think he wandered on pretty late in it. Compare to here where he didn't move an inch. Can't say fishing is strenuous, can you?

 

[Andre]

Opening the curtains this morning to see this:

 

[Evo]

Oh how pretty!

 

[turbo]

Bonsai and berries in the snow. Very decorative!

 

[Andre]

Thanks, actually the Bonsai (Ulmus parviflora) needs some grooming badly, but I had a crazy season, everything at the same time. So it has to wait until springtime for the great make over

 

[Moonbear]

Have fun Moonbear. Can't wait to see some of your shots. You live in a beautiful area an can get some awesome landscapes.

But it's not my camera to take with me. I WISH! I only get to play with it at work. But, I spent the whole weekend in the lab taking pictures, and half of today too. It's amazing seeing the difference between photos with the fancy camera and my little point-and-shoot camera. I'm not a bad photographer afterall, I just can't afford several thousand dollars worth of camera equipment.

 

[turbo]

But it's not my camera to take with me. I WISH! I only get to play with it at work. But, I spent the whole weekend in the lab taking pictures, and half of today too. It's amazing seeing the difference between photos with the fancy camera and my little point-and-shoot camera. I'm not a bad photographer afterall, I just can't afford several thousand dollars worth of camera equipment.

Andre got some amazing shots with a compact Panasonic (Leica lenses are a big plus), but his migration to Canon DSLR gear has opened some doors. The detail in the tight crops of his spiderweb shot is incredible.

 

[Borek]

 

[Evo]

Very nice Borek!

 

[Borek]

To be honest - completely random. I see all elements every day, it just happened that I had to move them a little today - and the effect was unexpectedly interesting.

 

[Andre]

But it's not my camera to take with me. I WISH! I only get to play with it at work. But, I spent the whole weekend in the lab taking pictures, and half of today too. It's amazing seeing the difference between photos with the fancy camera and my little point-and-shoot camera. I'm not a bad photographer afterall, I just can't afford several thousand dollars worth of camera equipment.

Andre got some amazing shots with a compact Panasonic (Leica lenses are a big plus), but his migration to Canon DSLR gear has opened some doors. The detail in the tight crops of his spiderweb shot is incredible.

A great picture shooter is the Panasonic FZ-8, with 12x zoom, retails on Ebay for about $150 buy-it-now.

The price is so low because it is outperformed (on paper) by it's big brother the
Panasonic FZ18, with 18x zoom, which retails on E-bay at about $260 but hard to find there, somewhere on page 8-9.

However the image quality of the FZ-8 is slightly better than the FZ18 due to the latter pressing the limits slightly on optics and pixel size. It's successor the FZ-28 is spoken about in superlatives and changes owners on Ebay at around $300.

A nice pocket size whopping 10x zoom camera is the Panasonic TZ5 (Ebay $260)

As mentioned by Turbo, the Panasonic predomininance is explained by the Leica lens.

 

[turbo]

Very nice Borek!

I have to agree, and I have to admit that I have a poor eye for possibilities like that. There are some photographers on PF that do a wonderful job in that regard - not my strong suit. I take pictures of stuff that I like, and try to crop them such that there is a little "balance" in their presentation - that's about the extent of my "artistry". It's funny that my artistic abilities don't carry over well to photography - in college, I spent a lot of time producing ink-and-pen drawings and watercolors of flowers, animals, etc.

 

[Andre]

This picture was made with the Panasonic FZ-18, full frame, reduced to 20% x 20% See the 100% crop

and the same flowers with the Canon 450D with 18-55mm kit lens reduced to 18% x 18%

Spot the spider in the 100% crop

 

[larkspur]

What is it Borek and how did you do it? It does look like art.

 

[Borek]

Ah well... once you know details, magic disappears

Exit to the backyard/garden. Vase with a dried rose is there all the time, just stands about half a meter to the left. Single halogen light on most of the time. Blinds (shades? not sure how to call them in English) are semipermeable, so the shadow is visible on the outside - and I took the picture standing behind the door. Add some position/light adjusting for the best effect.

 

[lisab]

Ah well... once you know details, magic disappears

Exit to the backyard/garden. Vase with a dried rose is there all the time, just stands about half a meter to the left. Single halogen light on most of the time. Blinds (shades? not sure how to call them in English) are semipermeable, so the shadow is visible on the outside - and I took the picture standing behind the door. Add some position/light adjusting for the best effect.

Very nice, Borek...it still has magic, even after learning its history.

But I keep waiting for someone to walk through the door...CRASH!

 

[turbo]

and the same flowers with the Canon 450D with 18-55mm kit lens reduced to 18% x 18%

That kit lens is pretty amazing. I was put off by the lightness of mine when I unpacked it, and figured that I would be replacing it with a "proper" short lens soon. Wrong. The plastic body holds a really wonderful suite of glass.

 

[larkspur]

Ah well... once you know details, magic disappears

Exit to the backyard/garden. Vase with a dried rose is there all the time, just stands about half a meter to the left. Single halogen light on most of the time. Blinds (shades? not sure how to call them in English) are semipermeable, so the shadow is visible on the outside - and I took the picture standing behind the door. Add some position/light adjusting for the best effect.

Thanks Borek.

 

[Borek]

But I keep waiting for someone to walk through the door...CRASH!

Won't happen, I have put the vase in this place only to take the picture

 

[phyzmatix]

http://images-3.redbubble.net/img/art/mattecolor:black/product:matted-print/view:preview/708447-3-nuts-about-you.jpg

A touch of macro...It's the best I can do with my old http://images.digitalcamerainfo.com/images/upload/Sony-DSC-P93_anglefront.jpg

 

[Andre]

A touch of macro...It's the best I can do with my old http://images.digitalcamerainfo.com/images/upload/Sony-DSC-P93_anglefront.jpg

But it's fun, isn't it?

Anyway for those who seriously want to try photography on tight budgets (<150$) DP-Review has just published a comparison review.

Not surprized about the overall winner

 

[phyzmatix]

But it's fun, isn't it?

Anyway for those who seriously want to try photography on tight budgets (<150$) DP-Review has just published a comparison review.

Not surprized about the overall winner

I have to say that it's treated me well since I got it three years ago...taken many, many, many photo's with it. That review is an interesting read though.

Still can't wait to finish my studies, get a decent job and buy myself that elusive DSLR!

 

[Andre]

Still can't wait to finish my studies, get a decent job and buy myself that elusive DSLR!

Better be really sure if you need one. For instance check these two macro pictures with 100% crops of the head:

Taken with the 150$ Panasonic FZ-8 (but excluding the additional required close up lens #1.5 of some 20-30$):

taken with the $600 Canon 450D (XTi) with the kit lens:

Having discovered that neither the Canon kit lens nor the telezoom are particulary good at this kind of work, I'm intending to do some more extravagant spending and getting a dedicated macro lens. On the short list are the Canon EF 100mm USM Macro and the Tamron 90mm Macro. Suggestions anybody?

 

[turbo]

Hi, Andre. I just hopped out to the kitchen table and snapped a picture of the root-end of a bulb of garlic with a penny for scale. The lens is the 28-135 USM IS. It's not a great macro lens, but it covers a fair range of focal lengths, and close-focuses to 18" or so. It's a nice walk-around lens. Poor incandescent lighting on a dark snowy day = shallow D.O.F.

And here is a tight crop using less than 20% of the frame. Same lens.

 

[Andre]

Hi, Andre. I just hopped out to the kitchen table and snapped a picture of the root-end of a bulb of garlic with a penny for scale. The lens is the 28-135 USM IS. It's not a great macro lens, but it covers a fair range of focal lengths, and close-focuses to 18" or so. It's a nice walk-around lens. Poor incandescent lighting on a dark snowy day = shallow D.O.F.

Nice work Turbo, I'll have a closer look at that glass. Actually I was contemplating the primes since it's the sharpest you can get, especially in the 100mm range. the Tokina 100mm wins here on crispness but dropped out of the shortlist due to poor focussing. Actually the Tamron is still sharper (a wee tiny bit) than the Canon but the latter has a quick silent focus with no moving parts on the outside, scaring off butterflies, while the Tamron is a scaring beast, popping out the big cilinder suddenly with a lot of noise. Yet is the Canon worth an additional 130 euro?