[narlus]

since this has become the de facto photog forum, i'll solicit criticism from the experts.

i tried my 1st low-light/club setting shots a couple of nights ago, and posted some of the better ones here:

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147660

i only did post-processing on the 1st (made it b/w, and sharpened once, via Picasa). clearly i need to learn a bit more on PP. any other ideas? i ended up shooting most full-open @ f/1.8 and max ISO of 1600; otherwise, i'd get blurry shots (and they weren't the most energetic band on stage either!).

 

[Toshi]

what white balance setting did you shoot with? shooting a grey card first, then shooting raw for the rest of the night (then click-balancing or futzing around with K values when converting) is the way to go, imo. also, a couple of them look front focused. to avoid this try manually selecting only the center focusing point and be deliberate about focusing on their faces. i quite like that last one, btw

 

[narlus]

i used auto wb...stuff like 'shooting a grey card', 'RAW' and 'K values ' (is this referring to light temp, in Kelvin?) aren't in my lexicon yet.

sometimes i definitely forgot to change the AF point on a couple, esp when changing camera orientation.

 

[Toshi]

here's a gray/grey card: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=231564&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

raw is what you should be shooting instead of jpeg. it lets you screw around with exposure, contrast, sharpening, white balance (!!) when converting the images on the computer. and yes, K is color temperature in kelvin.

 

[narlus]

RAW seems like a lot of work. i'm a busy guy, you know?

 

[WTGPhoben]

RAW seems like a lot of work. i'm a busy guy, you know?

WARNING: I'm about to agree with Toshi.

RAW is definitely the way to go if you have time. It takes *most* of the guesswork out of color correction. If you insist on shooting JPEGs and happen to have photoshop, you can use the curves tool to easily correct a group of images with your gray card:

1. when you get to your venue, set your WB manually (I think you can actually use a gray card to measure and set a custom WB on the 20D, but I never use the feature, so you'll have to check the manual). The important thing is that you don't use the Auto WB, because it will change the WB in every image.
2. Take a full frame shot of the gray card
3. Shoot the rest of your pics.

Now when you get your pics into photoshop, you break out the curves tool and, using the gray (middle) eyedropper, click the image (you can click anywhere because it's all gray). This will correct your image so it actually appears gray. Save these settings and apply them to all your other images to correct their color. You may have to do a little extra tweaking in really extreme situations, but generally it'll work out nicely. Then you can also use the curves tool to correct the whie and black points...

 

[narlus]

so when you shoot the grey card to set the WB, i imagine you do it in the light conditions you will eventually be shooting in? for instance, between sets, there's more lights on in the venue, but when the band gets on, the house lights dim and the stage lights are the sole source. at that point, does it matter where the grey card is, relative to the light source? ie. you can't set it on stage and shoot it.

 

[Toshi]

in that kind of lighting condition your best bet is to shoot RAW and worry about white balance later

 

[WTGPhoben]

so when you shoot the grey card to set the WB, i imagine you do it in the light conditions you will eventually be shooting in? for instance, between sets, there's more lights on in the venue, but when the band gets on, the house lights dim and the stage lights are the sole source. at that point, does it matter where the grey card is, relative to the light source? ie. you can't set it on stage and shoot it.

You have to be shooting the gray card in the light source your subject is in, so yes, in the stage lights. If the house is totally dark, you theoretically could shoot it anywhere, but sunce that's not ever the case you'd want to have the light from the stage lights reflected off the card and that's only feasible where you're able to get near the stage. Of course all this hassle could be avoided by shooting RAW and fixing it later. It's pretty likely that once you start shooting RAW you'll never go back...

 

[Toshi]

free dvd anyone? http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2016681#post2016681

 

[Barbaton]

now this guy is nuts

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5417019303200331106

 

[Toshi]

that was pretty sweet, thad

and this is as well. make sure to watch the whole video, it gets really good!

http://metacool.typepad.com/metacool/2006/02/unabashed_gearh.html

 

[narlus]

ok,i am not done w/ my wide angle lens search yet...here's a post i threw up on FM, but the responses were a bit lacking so i figured i would solicit info from you guys:

i am debating which lens to add to my bag next. currently i have:

18-55 kit lens
50 f1.8
70-200 f4

i will be going to visit family in Rome in a few months, and want something which can handle tight cityscapes well, and be usable in challenging low-light indoor situations (churches, etc). i'd also like to spend roughly 500-600 dollars. maybe i am asking too much.

the candidates i have in mind are:

canon 10-22 f3.5-4.5
tokina 12-24 f4
tamron 17-35 f2.8-4
canon 24 f2.8

i tossed the sigma 10-20 f4.5-6 from consideration as being too slow. i was also considering the 17-40L canon lens, but fear too much overlap with lenses i already have. the new 17-55 canon lens which is coming out looks intriguing, but it's very expensive, unproven, and may not even be available when i need it. plus, i might as well toss my kit lens in the bin if i get that, and it might not be as wide on the low end as i may need.

any advice is appreciated!

the canon 10-22 seems to be a winner based on reviews, but is it fast enough? the widest prime i can find is the 24, and that's not very wide. i don't want to overlap too much w/ existing glass, but if i need to make my kit lens (18-55) useless, so be it.

 

[Toshi]

wide angles don't need to be fast, and are generally not sharp unless stopped down anyway (except for maybe the canon 16-35L. maybe.). i rarely shoot below f/9 on my 12-24 or previously on the 15mm fisheye... also, there exist 17mm and even 12mm primes by tokina and sigma/canon, respectively.

 

[narlus]

well, i guess i was mentioning 'fast' in terms of trying to capture low-light/indoor stuff such as church interiors, w/o a tripod.

toshi, at f/9 stops or so, for indoor or cloudy days, do you need a tripod or just crank the ISO up?

 

[Toshi]

you only need 1/(focal length * 1.6). at 12mm that's not too hard to get at ISO 800 or 1600, and you can always use noise reduction. i am pretty sure any of those lenses at f/4 would look pretty poor...

 

[Toshi]

what's the consensus on the updated avatar btw? i'm proud of it, heh

 

[Toshi]

thad, you may be interested to know that my macbook pro is gone. yes, 2 mbps, 4 weeks, 2 returned as dead on arrival. admittedly both problems were ultimately minor but i was not about to accept anything but a perfectly working machine for my hard-earned money (well, i'll have to work hard to earn enough to pay back the loans eventually ).

so instead i now have a mac mini 1.66 duo/1 gb/100 gb sitting in a box in my room. uh, and no monitor at the moment -- i'm reduced as i have been so often in the past month to using the computers at school.

what's in the mail for the mini:

mmmmm 24" at 1920x1200

 

[narlus]

apple roxors11!!!1!1!!!

 

[narlus]

ok...another photog question.

tripods? worth the $ and hassle of lugging and using them? or not?

what to look for (other than 3 legs)?

 

[Barbaton]

Staaation Waaagon....

But, you are correct. The 2.5RS is a non-turbo. It'll be plenty zippy compared to the cavy, although it feels a little tinny (construction-wise).

Anybody know anything about the Subaru Impreza Outback Sport Wagon?

 

[Toshi]

tripods: i'd recommend the bogen 3001 or 3021 plus any ballhead to start. the remote shutter release cable is also very useful, and both will lead to more thoughtful shots w any luck.

the obs is like any other non turbo impreza, plus/minus body cladding, a bit more ride height, and tires. they're good cars.

my wrx apparently isn't, however. the shop thought they had it fixed on wednesday but it died again yesterday, giving it a total of 2.5 days it has been running since march 7. at some point before i start rotations in july i may have to seriously consider selling it and getting something more reliable, such as a stck late model civic such as yours, tim.

 

[WTGPhoben]

tripods: i'd recommend the bogen 3001 or 3021 plus any ballhead to start. the remote shutter release cable is also very useful, and both will lead to more thoughtful shots w any luck.

I'd go with a 3-pivot head (I'm not sure what the 'real' name is, but it's the one with two perpendicularly linked arms, one for X and one for Y direction, then a swivel for Z direction) instead of a ballhead. It's a little more awkward to use, but gives more range of motion and can hold a heavier set-up.

 

[narlus]

how often do you find yrself using a tripod? good ones seem to run at least $300, so it's not a purchase i wanna do if i find i almost never use the thing. and do you need a remote shutter release when using one?

 

[WTGPhoben]

how often do you find yrself using a tripod? good ones seem to run at least $300, so it's not a purchase i wanna do if i find i almost never use the thing. and do you need a remote shutter release when using one?

I use somewhat frequently, but unless you're doing things with super slow shutter speeds or want absolute perfection, there's really no need to by a rediculously expensive one. I got a cheap one from a friend for free and bought a nice head for $30. Seems to work fine.

 

[Toshi]

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/apr/05bootcamp.html

this is a very cool development , no?

 

[Barbaton]

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/apr/05bootcamp.html

this is a very cool development , no?

Yes. We're glad we can discuss it now.

 

[Toshi]

heh, nda? nice. i'm sad that i'm just a plebe now

btw one last attempt at fixing my car (fuel pump) and then begins the stripping and selling process. next up: mini cooper non-s?

 

[Barbaton]

Re your MBP:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1647

 

[WTGPhoben]

Photos from my trip to South Africa are posted:
http://www.phoben.com/photos/pgal/gallery.aspx?AlbumID=477&type=Date%20Folders&subs=False

 

[Toshi]

cool pics and nice panorama, keith. why were you there?

i have new pics up, too: http://toshiclark.com/images/daily/boggled expressions - spring 2006/

mmm 24"

i'm also selling a bunch of junk on ebay. will post a link to the auctions in a bit

 

[WTGPhoben]

cool pics and nice panorama, keith. why were you there?

I went out to see Emily on her vacation.

 

[Toshi]

fair enough.

the aforementioned junk i'm selling (3 items [monette C2, monette mouthpiece case, sony ericsson T637], wait a minute if only 2 show up):

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtoshiclarkQQhtZ-1

 

[justsomeguy]

Photos from my trip to South Africa

Ah, memories of Table Mountain. It looks like the dollar has weakened vs. the Rand since I was there in 12/01. We felt like we were living like Trump getting 11 Rand per Dollar.

 

[WTGPhoben]

Ah, memories of Table Mountain. It looks like the dollar has weakened vs. the Rand since I was there in 12/01. We felt like we were living like Trump getting 11 Rand per Dollar.

That's the image I missed. The weather was so nice when I went that I didn't get a chance at that shot (The one night there was any cloud cover at all I didn't have my camera)

When did you go to SA?

 

[Toshi]

When did you go to SA?

from the quoted post, "since I was there in 12/01"

 

[WTGPhoben]

from the quoted post, "since I was there in 12/01"

Sorry, let me rephrase... What brought you to SA?

 

[Toshi]

thad, have you messed around with adobe lightroom?

http://labs.macromedia.com/technologies/lightroom/

looks nice, and is a universal binary... no windows version as of yet, sorry keith

 

[justsomeguy]

What brought you to SA?

A friend's wedding. She was co-managing a private game reserve so we sepnt four days in the bush before heading to Capetown for the wedding.

 

[Toshi]

so my car finally seems to be running acceptably again. a list of parts replaced in the last two months or so related to its problem in roughly chronological order:

fuel filter
mass airflow sensor
sundry fuses and relays
all four coil packs
spark plugs
aftermarket engine computer (swapped back to mine after it was revealed to not be a contributor to the problem)
fuel pump

in addition the car received a new uppipe, downpipe, and copious spot welds to fix worsening exhaust leaks from rusted components.



if it breaks down one more time related to this same stumbling issue then i'm really going to strip and sell it... on the other hand, most of the components that do tend to fail or need replacement around this mileage (80k) have been looked at or replaced, so maybe it's good to go now.