Re: monitor calibration
Joaquim, As one who tried this route I must say the software calibration is close to useless. And this has nothing to do with the subjectivity of eye perception but to mathematical reasons. All software tools I cam across employ a simple gamma correction on all three channels - that is you manage at best to correct one (middle) point only on the colour response curve, while the hardware approach measures and adjust multiple points. The well calibrated monitor may exhibit a totally off colour response curve, sometimes with multiple peaks, one that you cannot achieve through simple gamma correction. With LCD screens this is even more so due to peculiarity of its colour response curves. Servus, Alin Joaquim wrote: JC SuperCal and it is free. JC Software calibrators are as good as or better than any calibration tool, JC the problem is not everybody can use them, you have to understand how JC they work: JC Software calibrators use you as the light sensor, you have to adjust the JC brightness of several color areas to match the brightness of another JC area that has some pixels ON and some other OFF, you must put your eyes JC out of focus so the light/darkness from adjacent pixels blends, JC concentrate and do it acuratelly and for several times with the three JC RGB colors at several brightness levels. This way the software gets to JC know the precise brightness curve for each light component, as seen by JC you, and generates a perfect color profile. JC Writing this made me think that doing it through an out of focus camera JC viewfinder will be a lot easier :) JC Thibouille wrote: Anybody knows a software for that? Of course it wouldn't be anywhere good as a hardware thing but'd be beter than nothing heh? 2005/6/16, Frits Wthrich [EMAIL PROTECTED]: I am considering to buy a monitor calibration tool, like this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlistA=detailsQ=sku=324696is=REG Any opinions about this Pantone Colorplus? Alternatives? Thanks in advance, -- Frits Wthrich
Re: MX: silk thread replacement
Mike, Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look up for the smallest diameter terylene thread. In the meantime my friend - the MX repairman ;o) - will try some surgical thread (inner metal thread variation). I'll post here whatever / if it works. Servus, Alin mike wrote: As it looks MX servicing is very popular on the list, here's a question for you DIY guys: what would you use to replace the silk thread that carries the speeds to be displayed in the viewfinder? (I know, I know another silk thread but I have no idea where to look for it.) The replacement thread needs to be very thin and also resistant to wear (thinnest fishing nylon fails immediately, for instance). Any suggestion is most welcomed. Servus, Alin mw Terylene sewing thread? The type that looks like cotton but mw will slice your finger through if you try to snap it in your hand. mw mike
MX: silk thread replacement
Guys, As it looks MX servicing is very popular on the list, here's a question for you DIY guys: what would you use to replace the silk thread that carries the speeds to be displayed in the viewfinder? (I know, I know another silk thread but I have no idea where to look for it.) The replacement thread needs to be very thin and also resistant to wear (thinnest fishing nylon fails immediately, for instance). Any suggestion is most welcomed. Servus, Alin
Re: Minor *ist D Surgery
Are you sure? My friend having serviced several MXes so far is very positive about MX focusing screens being glass. Servus, Alin Rob wrote: RS The LX, MX, MZ and PZ screens are plastic also.
Re: Minor *ist D Surgery
I'm sorry, Rob. My misunderstanding: it's plastic all right. Servus, Alin I wrote: AF Are you sure? My friend having serviced several MXes so far is very AF positive about MX focusing screens being glass. AF Rob wrote: RS The LX, MX, MZ and PZ screens are plastic also.
Re: Predictable Pentax
I'd say the viewfinder is barely acceptable and it's a direct consequence of the APS size of the sensor. And I'm afraid we're not gonna get a better optical viewfinder in the future, and may even see the first electronic viewfinders showing up in entry level DSLR in a couple of years. Too bad, as optics is the last Pentax stronghold. Servus, Alin Mishka wrote: M i looked through the finder. it sucks. i don't care that canon M rebel has a worse one. the *istd finder still sucks.
Re: Digital MZ-5n
I'd get a DSLR with the 5N controls layout (or MX for that matter). Distinct buttons for the essential photographic functions, not buried in obscure LCD menus. Come to that I don't think I even need an LCD. And yes, it needs to be 8 MP or more and sport at least the lousy 5N viewfinder and glass eyepiece. I guess the better viewfinder demands a larger sensor, so I'm not holding my breath. Just wake me up if the miracle happens. Servus, Alin Toralf wrote: TL As another spin-off from the looong why choose *istDL thread, I TL thought I might mention that I completely agree with the whoever-it-was TL who said that what he'd really like to see, was something that might be TL described as a digital version of the MZ-5n (or ZX-5n.) Like that other TL person, I'm not sure it would make sense from a marketing viewpoint - TL although it would at least have some features that would clearly TL distinguish it from the competitors, which is often a Good Thing. TL Any other opinions? TL - Toralf
Re: Digital MZ-5n
I beg to differ. I checked both 5n and ist*d, side by side, both with a dark zoom(f/4) and a bright prime (f/1.4). The 5n viewfinder despite its lower coverage and smaller magnification is obviously larger. It's also brighter (noticeable difference even at 1.4) hence easier to focus, though the focus screen of *ist d seems improved, with a finer texture. It seems to me Pentax can't do better than the *ist D viewfinder: better coverage can't be achieved without higher build tolerances - that will boost the price accordingly. Also, to achieve brighter image they can only increase the transparency of the matte field of the focusing screen which will impact negatively manual focusing accuracy. The major constraint is the reduced sensor area; as soon as they'll mount a larger sensor, the increased image area will demand less magnification to bring it at the comfortable view size. BTW, to see a really horrible viewfinder pick an Olympus E. As for *ist d I'm not saying the viewfinder is unusable, just that is still far from a middle of the road film SLR. Servus, Alin E.R.N. wrote: ERNR Although, IMO, the *istD viewfinder is no worse than the ZX-5n finder; ERNR maybe even better. .-)
Re: Digital MZ-5n
Main reason I won't ever touch a *ist ds is the absurd placement of metering mode / flash compensation / focus point selection which are more than 6 clicks away through the menus. The software designers in their infinite wisdom decided that image attributes - size, tone, saturation etc. are more important settings that the photographer will fiddle with more often, hence they're at the beginning of the menu. I think I know what Pentax problem is: the imaging division must abound in all kind of qualifications except for photographer. Overall I strongly disagree with this trend of delegating more functionality in the recording mode of the LCD menu. All photographic functions should be available externally and at worst display feedback on a top, small LCD. The *ist ds is basically unusable in dark, when making the slightest adjustment forces the photographer to look at the LCD and his degraded night vision will require long minutes to recover. The former (?) *ist d is a bit better in this regard but its operation is still closer to a computer than to a real camera. Servus, Alin Christian wrote: C Just out of curiosity, what essential photographic functions are buried in C obscure LCD menus on the D or Ds? C Here's what's essential to me: aperture control (back wheelie thing on ist C D). Shutter speed control (front wheelie thing on *ist D). Focus ring (yep C all lenses have one). Shutter button thingy (both D and Ds have one) C ISO sensitivity (as easy to set on the D as it is on the LX or MX). And last C on a digi-body, file type/quality setting (I shoot RAW 100% of the time and C it's easy to set and not burried in a menu on the D; on the 20D it IS C buried in the menu, but again it makes no difference to me because I set it C once and never change it). C nothing else needed to take a picture. C Christian
Re: Digital MZ-5n
Christian, Can you use the ist d for an extensive period without resorting to the LCD back? I doubt so. That was my point. BTW, I too prefer dials. [Why can't they make an MX digital!? With all these variations on the *ist theme an MX-D will surely fit in the rd budget]. Servus, Alin Christian wrote: C How so? It IS a digital camera. Do you own one? If not, how extensive C have you used one? I'll stand by my statements below as far as operation is C just as easy and straightforward on the *ist D as a real camera like an C LX or MX. C You want fidly? Try a Super Prpgram or ME Super. I cannot stand changing C shutter speeds via those horrible buttons. give me a dial (LX, MX and YES, C *ist D) any day.
Re: Digital MZ-5n
Dario, Dario wrote: DB On the Ds, there are 4 frequently used menu settings you can record at your DB leisure on the 4-way controller (accessed via Fn button): 2 clicks away DB instead of 6. Other than drive, flash, white balance and sensitivity? Can you record the metering mode on the four way controller? Servus, Alin DB When reading that I was rather skeptical. When trying it, it's a blimp (sure DB quicker than turning a dial). Only a direct button can be (not so much) DB quicker than that. DB I wish the D had such a way for setting ISO and image quality (instead of DB placing them on the mode dial).
Predictable Pentax
Remember MZ/ZX series? They started with MZ-5 and then came along no less than five inferior models (10,50,7,60,30), together with two other spin offs (5n and 3). It took Pentax 7 years to come up with a top of the line (MZ-S). So what do we have now, let's see: a base *ist D and two downgrades: DS and DL. We should expect 3 to 4 more 6 MP derivatives together with two other *ist D variations before we get a real flagship that finally crosses the 6 MP barrier and maybe the APS size too. Of course, this is assuming they can do the old flip again. And stay in business. Servus, Alin
OT: Kodak kills DSLR
I'm no fan of Kodak but hate to see the other full frame sensor discontinued: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0505/05053104kodakslrdisc.asp Servus, Alin
Re: OT: NYC Photography Exhibits
Daniel wrote: DJM Does anyone know of any good exhibits of photography presently being DJM shown in the city? http://www.ashesandsnow.com Servus, Alin
Re: flying with gear
Frantisek, After getting back from a London-NY-Charlotte trip with not many photo oportunities, I found on the only Provia 100F that I managed to take some pictures on - lots of gray spots liberally sprinkled over the blue skies. Since this is the only time it happened I can only relate it to the camera/film being X-rayed too many times... Servus, Alin Frantisek wrote: F X-ray... not wanting to spread FUD, but does our honored technical F minded members know if the x-ray machines can damage the CCD or the F colour dyes/pigments in the colour filter array in our cameras? Or F fade them bit by bit? F Good light!
Re: PESO: Invitation to Hike
Kenneth wrote: KW I personally know 3 Nationally prominent Pro Outdoor KW photographers. While they have been known to spend time perfecting KW an exceptional image after capture, their credo is to get it right KW in the camera at the time of capture. Ken, There must be the habit of shooting transparency film (couldn't agree more but this doesn't matter). While there's a trend among the digital only shooters that maximize the sensor capabilities at capture time (see histograms to the right in the luminous landscape site), then post process to get the most out of the image. I suspect the post processing is per image based as there are no two identical histograms so I suppose this time intensive workflow suits enthusiasts rather than professionals (unless assistans do the post-processing). Servus, Alin
Re: Rumors About Pentax's Future
Okay, so I like this place (BH that is), people over there are very knowledgeable in most every respect except for... Pentax. And just to add my share to the speculation, camera makers of 2008 will be making their own sensors too. Look up Canon for SLR and Sanyo for ps, Nikon aims to make its own sensors too. Despite the technology being down to earth, Pentax doesn't seem to get this capability in the near future. Add the Sony's recently announced interest in the DSLR arena and there's no wonder the above rumor. Servus, Alin Joseph wrote: JT http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036message=13579639 JT True? Who knows? But definitely worth reading. The rumors JT (re: the partner) have been consistent for several weeks. JT Joe
Re: How to photograph animals in the dark?
There are some cameras with infrared capabilities, DSC V1 comes in mind. It's not film but 4 MP is still better than video. Servus, Alin Cotty wrote: C We have a fairly cheap Video 8 digi camcorder that has an infrared light C on it and when set for IR capture, it's quite astonishing what detail can C clearly be seen in the pitch black (visible) light. I am certain it would C record a bat flying through frame at say 20 feet away. C This is the camcorder: C http://tinyurl.com/ac4nn C HTH
Re: My brother and his new camera
Leon, Coming from a 7 MP / electronic viewfinder camera his choice is logical. These kind of users are not going to choose a lower MP camera based on bigger/clearer viewfinder and better build. Canon knows where to aim with its rebels. Pentax doesn't stand a chance outside its users base. It better listen to them. Servus, Alin Leon wrote: LA My brother rang me a few weeks ago saying that he wanted to improve his LA photography. He has a 7 MP Sony Cybershot and was finding that he was LA running into the limits of the camera. LA After much discussion he realised that he would probably need a new LA camera and we proceeded to talk about what's good and how it all works. LA I pushed the *istDS, but he ended up buying a 350D with an 18-55 LA because it was slightly lighter than the DS and because he liked the LA position of the wheels. LA I rang him today to ask how it was going and he said I'm up to 3 LA lenses and a tripod. Now I have to find a bag that it all fits in. LA He also complained that the 28-105 IS lens is very big and heavy. I LA find it funny that he originally was drawn to the camera because it was LA 65 grams lighter.
Re: Salgado on wheels!
Bob, Hopefully I'll be able to experience the difference at some point in the future. Right now it seems to me the images have enough drama not to be further emphasized with these high contrasts. Maybe it's due to the web translation but I think the amount of pure black and white make the sceneries too graphical. On the other side I'm already jealous on his printers: if I attempt - digitally - the same degree of contrast out of my best negatives I inevitably end up with objectionable noise. Servus, Alin Bob wrote: BW But when you've seen his photos in the flesh, you can bring your memory of BW that to the web shots, and easily imagine what the quality would be like. BW I'm very excited about his Genesis photographs, and particularly looking BW forward to seeing prints. It seems to me that they are going to be BW outstanding in terms of black white technical quality.
Re: OT: Philosophical health check
David wrote: DS 33% DS I need another drink. Very healthy - further enough from both fundamentalist extremes. Servus, Alin
OT: Ashes and snow
A lifetime project that transcends nature photo and questions the path of our species. For the lucky ones around or travelling to NY, don't miss the grandiose exhibition in NYC, open until June 6 (pier 54, West 13th St.). The rest of us can get a glimpse in the March number of the Photo French magazine, or - the poorest alternative - at http://www.ashesandsnow.com . Servus, Alin
Re: OT: Developng questions
I've put Delta rated at 1600 through Microphen and found the result more than acceptable. It may be that 20C versus 24Celsius matters also as I like more the outcome at lower temperature - longer developing. Servus, Alin Frantisek wrote: DGAJ But the main question I've got today concerns TMZ and Delta 3200. DGAJ I've just about run out of TX to develop (yes, of course, I'll go DGAJ shoot more, but in the meantime ...) so I'm thinking of trying DGAJ the high-speed stuff. The question is: should I go ahead and DGAJ do it in the Sprint developer, or do I really want to go buy some DGAJ other developer -- TMax or something -- to use on the TMZ? F At what speed will you rate them? If you really want to get good F results from TMZ and D3200, you have to try Emofin. It's a double bath F developer from Tetenal, which gives the best results with these films, F in my opinion (well unless you want to get into mixing your own F chemistry...). It is a compensating developer, which is absolutely F needed with these high speed films if you push them (and they are F pushed at anything above 800 or 1000, which is their native iso F speed). F Frantisek
50mm lenses test pages: help with japanese translation
Below is a link to an interesting page with test charts for all major 50mm lenses out there. I was wondering if one of our resident japanese list members might help me understand the significance of the left chart versus the right one. Is the left one for high (1:1000) contrast level and the other one for reduced (1:1.6) ? If so, then this pretty much matches my experience with FA 50/1.4. Thanks. http://article.xitek.com/showarticle.php?page=7id=1251 Servus, Alin
Re: 50mm lenses test pages: help with japanese translation
I apologize for the confusion - it is indeed Chinese, and here is the translation a kind soul sent it to me off-list. Thank you, Oh Cheng Yu. Servus, Alin Oh Cheng Yu wrote: I have read the above post in the archive as I don't subscribe. The words are in Chinese, not Japanese. Here is the translation with my comments in brackets. You may post my reply on the list. Pentax AF 50/1.4 High contrast: The optimum aperture appears to be between f/4 and f/5.6, with a large difference in resolving power between the centre and edges, at f/2.8 the difference beween the centre and edge is 30 lpm; at f/1.4 the resolving powers at the centre and edge are 88/77 lpm respectively. Low contrast: There is a larger range of optimum apertures from f/4 to f/11, there is a larger difference between centre and edge (comment: from right graph, seems to be the opposite). Conclusion: Possess high resolving power, but has unequal treatment of centre and edge. Pentax AF 50/1.7 High contrast: Highest resolving power of 122 lpm occurs at f/8, but there is a larger difference between centre and edge (comment: does not seem so from left graph); Low contrast: Optimum aperture is between f/8 and f/11 with 90 lpm. Conclusion: Unequal treatment of centre and edge. Regards, Oh Cheng Yu Singapore Alan wrote: AC Many sites from mainland China are slow indeed. That is AC Simplified Chinese btw, not Japanese.
Re: Pos vs neg grain
Jack, I would appreciate you providing a link. I haven't done a thorough search, but what I stumbled on so far are just unsupported statements through web forums, no authoritative source. This is while all film technical documents I came across specify the same conditions for measuring RMS: 48 micrometer aperture, visual density of 1.0, etc. regardless it's negative or positive. I'd like to know what I am missing. Thanks. Servus, Alin Jack wrote: JD I provided conversion factor in my email (re: Pos vs JD neg grain(RMS conversion). JD You may have missed it. If you wish, I'll supply URL.
Re: How do you keep track of exposed film?
Rick, I found that the fixing bath is aggressive enough to delete any permanent marker. If lab's cooperation is not an option I suppose you can always mechanically stamp your rolls by punching some holes. Just make sure you it's not on the first 5 cm which the lab usually cuts. BTW, do you send the rolls by mail or do you deliver it yourself? Personal contact makes people more responsible. Servus, Alin Rick wrote: RW The problem: I send my slide film out for processing RW (to The Slideprinter) about 5 rolls at a time. I RW number the rolls, and ask the lab to note the roll RW numbers on the slide boxes. Sometimes that happens, RW and sometimes not. Last year I came back from a trip RW with 15 exposed rolls, and the boxes came back with no RW numbers, which was a real pain. RW S...how do others keep track of rolls through the RW lab? Is there some way to quickly and indelibly mark RW the leader? RW Don't anyone bother to tell me to switch to an MZ-S or RW istD/DS! RW Rick
Re: Pos vs neg grain
Jack, In absolute terms, the negative emulsions have finer grain than positive. Indeed, Agfa's best negative, Portrait 160 with it's granularity of RMS 3.5 is obviously better than the RMS 10 of their best positive - RSX 50. The difference maintains more or less at all other manufacturers. In real world though, the thicker layers of the positive emulsion accounts for higher densities that translate to finer gradations in all three colour channels. This comes at the expense of the reduced exposure range compared to the negative emulsion, but given a subject whose exposure range is covered by the positive emulsion latitude, the positive delivers a richer image than the negative and the continuity of tones hide its higher granulation giving the overall better appearance. In the digital era, this becomes even more obvious with the post processing level of the scanned image: the lack of tones of the negative emulsion image is immediately apparent as noise, sometimes after as little as level adjustment and curve manipulation to open the shadows. Despite its smaller grain, the noise gives the negative film the contrary appearance. In my limited experience, the only negative film that comes close to various positives (like Provia 100F, CT Precisa 100, RSX 100, etc.) in terms of rich image in tones is the Kodak RG50. Too bad it became obsolete. [Flame disclaimer: note that I don't discuss other criteria like exposure latitude, colour linearity, etc.; it's not the end of the world if I cannot capture all the subject's details, to me a good picture should also suggest, not just depict). Servus, Alin Jack wrote: JD I had a lab owner emphatically contend that..positive JD film of the same ISO has finer grain than negative JD film. Didn't address bw. JD We happened to be reviewing a bw print at the time JD and their existed a situation wherein the subject JD couldn't be pursued (customers waiting). JD I've since emailed him for a follow-up on his JD recommendation that bw film be scanned as positive JD film. JD If his answer (if received) is at all decipherable, JD I'll forward it. JD Does anyone know or suspect what he may be talking JD about? JD I've, also, read the RMS charts but, their results JD don't appear to be comparable. JD __ JD Do You Yahoo!? JD Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around JD http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Pos vs neg grain
Jack, First I want to correct myself: I meant Kodak RG25 not 50 (I don't even know if there was such a beast as RG50). Second I am not aware there may be different RMS measurements or interpretations for negative and slide film. According to Agfa technical documents they use the same technique for both negative and slide. Maybe you are referring to PGI (Print Grain Index) Kodak introduced to scale emulsion grain to printed paper grain? They do claim that negative film grain cannot be directly compared to positive film and a translation is in order (via a reference printing system / reference paper). Whether this supports a real fact or Kodak just wanted to avoid a direct comparison to its green rival is anybody's choice... Servus, Alin Jack wrote: JD Alin, JD Useful and much appreciated information. Thanks! JD Pos and neg RMS factors relate to two different JD scales. The actual conversion factor escapes me at the JD moment. If I should locate it, I'll put up on list. JD This isn't to say that the total of all other JD information you furnished isn't exactly right. Just JD wanted to make the minor point.
On production cost (was Re: Future of DA lenses)
Ken, As always I appreciate your glimpses over the inside. What I find most interesting now is the hint to the build costs (point 2). I suspect a major contribution to the cost was due to having to maintain very low tolerances and this perhaps is associated with manual assembly in the now closed Japan factory(?). Anyway, a friend recently disassembled several FA consumer zooms and was horrified to find out large tolerances by design, alignment through shimming as a rule, high wear plastic guiding rails - all of these easily leading to misalignments of moving optical groups, both relative to the optical axis and the image plane. Optics that are rather good delivered sub-average or inconsistent results mainly due to poor mechanical design and manufacture. It's hard to believe that Pentax might apply the same cost reduction to the DFA macros - traditionally some of their best lenses - but I cannot help wondering if common and molded parts policy sufficed to lower the production costs enough to make the goods profitable. Servus, Alin KT BTW, I read an interesting statement by a Pentax lens designer on new DA KT macros. I list only on DA 100mm macro. KT 1. It is a brand new design (as opposed to 50mm version which basically KT purged flare spots (kind of ghost) caused by CCD. Otherwise no changes for KT 50mm), taking into consideration the future reduction of the barrel size. KT FREE design contributed to the significant reduction of the size. KT 2. FA100/50 macros have been one of the most well selling lines of Pentax KT lens lineup, but they were also money losers (cost was higher than the KT price). The more they sold, the more did they suffer from red :-). KT 3. Therefore, they now use many common parts and injection molded parts, KT whereby they should make money while maintaining the price points. KT 4. They swear that the performance was not compromised. KT Re above item 1 (future reduction of barrel size), I noted that the filter KT size of this lens is 49mm vs. current 58mm. Return to more like M series KT lenses? KT Re above 4, this was uttered in rather an informal occasion and I have every KT reason to believe that this was true (not a propaganda). KT But to me, the size of the new DA macros is as important as their optical KT performance. KT Cheers, KT Ken
Re: for the curious ... FA135/2.8 vs Takumar 135/2.5 comparison
SMC 135/2.5 has excellent resolution stopped down beyond f/4 but despite (or maybe due to) that it displays visible chromatic aberrations. Perhaps these will go away from the smaller format, I haven't done any measurements. No experience with FA 135/2.8. Just remember the K only focuses down to 1.5 m and is quite heavy (650g). Oh yes, and it's a joy just to hold it. Servus, Alin Shel wrote: SB Do you think the K135/2.5 is a better lens than the FA135/2.8? In what SB way? Have you compared them?
Re: Pentax News
David wrote: DM Maybe to reduce cost by economies of scale we'll see Pentax making 35mm DM DSLRs with the big Kodak 645D sensor. DM (no I'm not being serious:) The way to have in camera image stabilization with full frame format. Servus, Alin (just as serious)
Re: 645D Photos (under glass) here
Nah, they have an eye on Canon Eos 1 whatever. Mockup B is there just to show you how nice Pentaxes are. ;o) Actually I find it interesting that Pentax is looking for user feed back on details such as design. I think they've taken very seriously the goal of satisfying the Pentax fans. The DS must have pointed to the right market. No more ambitions of eating into others manufacturers SLR market. Servus, Alin Frantisek wrote: RS I think the B camera is short for Butt-ugly F Yes, some of them look like they have left them for too long out in F the sun... and the poor beast had melted...
Re: DA and DFA roadmap
This looks like the decade long awaited FA 70-210/4 with ED glass. I'll believe when I see it. Servus, Alin Sylwester wrote: SP - DFA high performance tele zoom (approximately 50-200mm zoom range)
Re: 645D Photos (under glass) here
Citroens follow the shape of a falling blob, the B (and the thing that inspired it) look like inflated frogs. Servus, Alin Tom wrote: TC Tom C. (also likes Citroens)
Re: D645 Prediction
The larger sensor (38x50mm?) has pixels almost twice as big (in area) and should have better signal to noise performance than 1 DS2, and that will put 645d in different league and command a higher price. That is, if Kodak does its homework. Otherwise, sadly the 35 mm full frame from Pentax is as likely as US signing the Kyoto agreement. Oh well, maybe the 20D viewfinder is not that bad? I should have another look... Servus, Alin Rob wrote: RS I predict that if and when Pentax actually get a D645 body to market Canon will RS before if not very soon after release a full frame 18MP body at a very RS attractive price point which will be near half the price point of the Pentax RS D645. In the interim Pentax will be no closer to production of a full frame RS 35mm DSLR and APS DSLR development will remain stagnant. RS I'd love to be proven wrong but...
Re: D645 Prediction
20D is no full frame but at least sits on a full frame path. Servus, Alin Paul wrote: PS The 20D isn't full frame. And based on the results I've seen, it's no PS better than the *istD, perhaps not as good. PS On Mar 16, 2005, at 4:06 AM, Alin Flaider wrote: The larger sensor (38x50mm?) has pixels almost twice as big (in area) and should have better signal to noise performance than 1 DS2, and that will put 645d in different league and command a higher price. That is, if Kodak does its homework. Otherwise, sadly the 35 mm full frame from Pentax is as likely as US signing the Kyoto agreement. Oh well, maybe the 20D viewfinder is not that bad? I should have another look... Servus, Alin
Man of the year
I believe at least one of these was taken in Romania. :o( Do I see the an incipient essay? ;o) Servus, Alin Bob wrote: BW http://www.web-options.com/manoftheyearawards.htm
Re: 645D Photos (under glass) here
Perhaps these are all the available customizations, with B aimed to Canon fans. ;o) Servus, Alin AC So do I. I think the body shape of B looks really stupid, but it's just me. G
M 400/5.6 vs. K 500/4.5
I had the opportunity to check several frames shot with the 500 by my friend. It has significant CA especially wide open and the resolution gets acceptable only stopped down beyond f/8. Can anybody comment over the M 400/5.6? Is it better wide open? Please don't mention the A, Tokina or Sigma whatever, there's a window of opportunity just for the M. Many thanks. Servus, Alin
Re: Full Frame DSLR (two responses in one)
Just for Pentax to get the right idea of its customer base distribution, I'll pay no more than 1000e for a full frame, 10 MP DSLR, with an optical viewfinder no worse than MZ-5N and DS like built. I suppose we'll never see one, not from Pentax, nor from anyone else. In this price bracket all we'll get in two years will be noisier 10 MP APS sporting electronic viewfinders. Oh well. Servus, Alin Mark wrote: MR Rob Studdert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I promise I'll pay at least $2500 for a Pentax 35mm full frame camera with decent density. I'm sure I'm not alone. MR I'd pay $3000. Probably a bit more, if necessary. MR I think full-frame at $3000 will be feasible within two years and MR probably sooner.
Re: DS writing speed
Godfrey, Thanks for reporting. I guess this means my friend will make significant savings as he plans additional storage. Not that he cares much for continuous shooting - he just wants to have the optimal system. Servus, Alin GD I see no difference in the camera's operational speed between the 45x GD and 60x cards I'm using. I am sure there's very little benefit to be GD had, other than for upload speed to a computer via a card reader, GD beyond a 45x card.
Re: *ist DS owners - Yay or Nay
The printing companies better improve their service if they want my prints. No DSLR here but it's the horribly photofinishing that pushed me into scanning almost exclusively slide and BW film. I do order prints from time to time but only as proofs for big prints, with no processing from the lab part. And yes it does cost me a ton of post processing but at least I finally get (almost) what I see. BTW, when I get a DSLR it will be for image quality reasons not convenience and cheaper shots. Servus, Alin Mike wrote: m9wnc Interesting to note that a number of photo companies m9wnc are advertising on UK T.V. along the lines of For God's sake m9wnc print something! Maybe slightly more subtle than that but not m9wnc much.
DS writing speed
My apologies if this has been discussed before but a friend bought a DS following my recommendations, so now I have to continue supporting it. ;o) So he wants to know if it's worth upgrading from a 60X SD card to a 80X, is the DS fast enough to make a difference in the continuous shooting speed (obviously this is after the internal buffer gets filled). Thanks. Servus, Alin
Re: I have a wobbly monitor!
Some sleepless wireless surfer in the neighborhood? ;o) Now seriously, you should look for any microwave generating appliance in the proximity of your place. Try change your monitor position, see if anything changes. Servus, Alin Tan wrote: TaS Completely off topic here but in light of the recent monitor discussion, I TaS too have a monitor problem. For some reason, and only at night time, the TaS display on my monitor does this funny flickering, wobbly thing. I can TaS continue to work on it but it kinda makes me motion sick. lol.
Re: Color space
Don't know about Shel but when I sent images for printing at my local Agfa DLab2, first I convert them to the DLab2-Sensatis profile (available on the Agfa site) to bring the colours in the printer's gamut, then apply a slight green and blue gamma corrections to compensate for the lab's own setup. It works quite well. Of course a matching lab's profile would have been ideal but when I tried to talk them into profiling their process I was taken for a SGR1806 alien. :oT Servus, Alin DM Do you convert your files into the lab's profile before sending them DM in, or do you only use their profiles for soft-proofing? DM It's definitely a good idea to talk to the lab anyway - that's the only DM way you'll get any idea of their capabilities and their preferred file DM formats, resolution etc. They'll also be able to offer good advice. DM In my case I couldn't find a good enough lab so I bought my own DM printer.
Re[2]: Kyocera Pulls Plug in Contax?
Nah, Sony have a history of making their own standards. In this case it will be hard even for them to enter the DSLR market on a totally new mount/format, but rather than adhere to a open standard, I think it will appeal more to them the available Contax name / mount / client base. Time will tell. wishful thinking Maybe Sony's interest in the DSLR arena will boost their RD in large sensors as well potentially disrupting Canon's ruling, which is a good thing. Who knows, the affordable full frame sensor might even get closer than we expect. And hey, maybe Foveon is on their shopping list as well, and that great idea of 3d sensor is not buried for ever... /wishful thinking Servus, Alin Sylwester wrote: SP Sony will build 4/3 based DSLR and that SP would make a sens as it is open standard. They could sell it of course under SP Contax brand with Zeiss lenses... If that would be true, 4/3 could become SP really popular DSLR system as either Sony and Matsushita (which is supposed SP to show their first 4/3 based DSLR on next year's PMA) are much bigger and SP more powerful companies than even Canon...
Re[2]: A PUG comment
Bob wrote: BW I never went to the village museum, and I'm rather surprised to learn BW that you took the photo there. There are so many beautiful and BW interesting living villages in the country still, despite the unfortunate BW history of resettlement. Indeed there are. Less strange, more peaceful. Watch out for the next gallery. Servus, Alin BW I often think about the places I visited with BW Valentin, and about Maramures county, and would like to spend more BW time there, as well as visiting the mountains.
Re: A PUG comment
Bob, Looking at the 30x45cm print hanging on the wall I can only feel sorry the web image is such a pale representation; I like to let my eyes wandering through the branches in search of fine shadows. I took this image very early in a springtime morning; wished the location was some lost county corner but, with the risk of clearing the Dracula mystery, it's but the Village Museum in Bucharest - otherwise a destination I strongly recommend to anyone spending time in Romania. [This is one place that truly preserves some of the (lost) traditions. With a bit of luck you might enjoy some folk music performance or even attend a genuine Romanian wedding.] Related to a previous film discussion, this Ilford XP2 frame was a tough scan/print job. Despite shooting it at 200 ASA the shadows on the willow trunk exhibit huge grain that I had to clip together with the darkest tones. I'm sure a genuine B/W would have done better. Bob, I'm glad that you in particular felt drawn to this picture. I guess that your staying in Romania brought you some of the subconscious reactions of the natives. ;o) Thanks. Servus, Alin Bob wrote: BW I don't know if anybody else has mentioned it, but I would like to BW single out Alin's photograph of a church seen through willow (?) BW branches. I was attracted to the thumbnail because it reminded me a BW little of a photo by Elliott Erwitt. The full size image stands on its BW own, without needing the comparison. It is very subtle, with a lovely BW visual echo in the shape of the trunk and the shape of the steeple. BW Nice range of tones, and lovely quiet, traditional composition which BW suits the subject very well.
Re: Kyocera Pulls Plug in Contax?
The mention of Sony as a potential buyer coupled with the rumour that Sony wants to be a DSLR player could mean we might see a Contax resurrection. Anyway, I doubt a powerful brand will just simply vanish. Look at Cosina-Voigtlander. Servus, Alin Cotty wrote: C http://www.dpreview.com/news/0503/05030301kyocera.asp
Re[2]: C 41 BW film
I have quite some experience with XP2 Super (bought a couple of bulk rolls so I had to use them all! :oT ) and I didn't quite reach the same conclusion. XP2 has indeed very large exposure latitude but it does so at the expense of grain and tone compression. I initially bought it for concert shooting and ended up with outdoors use of up to 200 ASA. It doesn't scan very well either: it yields a very compressed histogram that barely allows a couple of processing steps before the noise builds up, even in 16 bit BW. Delta 100 and even the contrasty APX 100 and 400 deliver much cleaner, large histogram scans that are more suitable for post processing. That said, once I got used with its limitations it delivered some nice results, so I guess I can confirm the consistency. ;o) Tough, in-house traditional BW processing is very accessible and the results can easily exceed camera/lenses/scanner performance; also with just a bit of practice one can get the same level of consistency as with C41. At least now that I gave up to E6 processing I'm beginning to rediscover the virtues of true BW emulsions... Servus, Alin Godfrey wrote: GD I loved C41 film for this ... I could compress or expand the GD dynamic range of the capture by adjusting the ASA and exposure, GD the film processing remained utterly consistent and repeatable. GD All the effects in rendering and textural qualities, tonal GD adjustment, etc, I did from 1992 on using high resolution scans GD and image processing software. More predictable, more useful to GD me. GD Others prefer differently, I know, but I was extremely happy to GD be rid of the darkroom to render my photographs. I much prefer GD working in the light... ;-) GD Godfreyh
Re[3]: C 41 BW film
Highlights are compressed at 200 but that's a small price to pay for clean shadows. Originally I was shooting XP2 at 400 ASA as the recommended optimum sensitivity. Darker shadows than 2 EVs then comes out with blotchy, irregular grain. And it's grain all right not just noise introduced by the tone expansion, as it is obvious on the optical prints as well. Servus, Alin Godfrey wrote: GD My experience with XP2 says that you were overexposing it too GD much at ASA 200, compressing tonal scale quite a lot. I found it GD best in the range ASA 320 to 640. Going down to 200-250 produces GD very flat negative: all the highlights are compressed. GD Yes, underexposing it creates grainier images. GD Compensation for the compressed histogram by scanning to 16bit GD and then adjusting the gamma curve. It's amazing how much data GD can be pulled out of a thin negative if you work at it.
Re: High-speed color print film question
I'd pick Fujipress 800 / Portra 800 - no push procedure - with a flash 36 and above guide number. The combo will give you a respectable 18 m shooting range. You can add a full exposure stop by lowering the speed to 1/125 and pan. This may give also some interesting trail effects. Servus, Alin Rick wrote: RW I'm going to be shooting a high school play in a few RW days. The lighting isn't great, and since I'll be RW using the 80-320 zoom on my PZ-1p a fair amount I'd RW like to keep the shutter speed respectable. RW Would I be better off (1) using 800-speed film and RW underexposing it by a stop; (2) using 800-speed film RW and asking the lab to push it; or (3) using 1600 speed RW film? RW I used (3) a few years ago, and the grain was rather RW coarse. RW Rick
Re: Hmm.. ist DS competition?
The too small viewfinder denies the other main reason for operating a DSLR. No true spot meter either. Certainly not the camera to switch systems for. Servus, Alin Ryan wrote: RL http://www.dpreview.com/articles/canoneos350d/ RL Canon 350D: About the same dimensions as the ist DS, 60g lighter, and 8 RL megapixels. Thoughts?
Re[3]: OT Truely impressive on-line map service
Very little JScript out there, most is creative use of dhtml/xml/xhtml: http://jgwebber.blogspot.com/2005/02/mapping-google.html Servus, Alin Herb wrote: HC have you looked at the JavaScript to see how it's done? some of my HC programmers have. the impressive part isn't the technology but that they HC spent some time really thinking about what people actually need in a UI HC instead of copying what everyone else has done.
Ping...
Any particular reason why I can't post but replies in existing threads...? Servus, Alin
Re: OT Truely impressive on-line map service
Impressive design, especially that everything appears to be in dhtml. Geo-advertising is a hot topic, expect smart popups on the map in less than an year. Servus, Alin Rob wrote: RS Just had to share this link, this is how I expected on-line maps might work in RS the future :-) RS http://maps.google.com/
Re[2]: OT Truely impressive on-line map service
A friend just suggested http://www.map24.com for us foreigners. Can be dragged as well and the detail level is very good. [Still can't find my street... ;o) ] Servus, Alin m9wnc Can't find your house on it. Or mine...
Re: FA 80-320 on the *istD
Not Paul but I did use the 80-320 extensively with a tripod as part of a light mountain kit, and enlarged to 30x45cm several pictures taken with it including low contrast ones. The lens is excellent up to 135, very good at 200 and beyond 240 mm the image falls apart. This is at all focus distances. The exception is at close range (1.5-3 m) where the central 60% part of the frame is very good at 300mm, the rest is still sharp but suffers from chromatic aberrations. Servus, Alin RA I've found that with some of these RA zoomes, high contrast targets make for fine pictures but low constrast RA really makes for a poor picture. Is this true for the FA 80320 and is RA it as good at 300 mm as at 200 mm?
Keppler's take on DSLR prices drop
This is the 2nd resend, I insist not because I share Mr. Keppler's view but he still seems to have industry connections and there may be more between the lines. Among the interesting topics: DSLR price drop worries the industry, film survives through hobbyists, good, expensive glass is the surviving path for manufacturers, EVF DSLRs might be behind the corner, etc. Toying with the Pricing Disaster: http://www.photoreporter.com/2005/02-07/features/the_way_it_is.html Servus, Alin
Keppler's take on DSLR prices drop
I have re-subscribed hoping this post will make it on the list. I insist not because I share Mr. Keppler's view but he seems to still have industry connections and there may be more between the lines. Among the interesting topics: DSLR price drop worries the industry, film survives through hobbyists, good, expensive glass is the surviving path for manufacturers, EVF DSLRs might be behind the corner, etc. Toying with the Pricing Disaster: http://www.photoreporter.com/2005/02-07/features/the_way_it_is.html Servus, Alin
Keppler's take on DSLR prices drop
Toying with the Pricing Disaster: http://www.photoreporter.com/2005/02-07/features/the_way_it_is.html Servus, Alin
Keppler's take on DSLR prices drop
Re-send: Toying with the Pricing Disaster: http://www.photoreporter.com/2005/02-07/features/the_way_it_is.html Servus, Alin
Re[2]: Sid's gettin enabled soon-- *istD, *istDS, or wait for *istDn?
Currently there is no 8 MP APS CCD available from Sony, Sanyo, etc. Except for the Nikon one implemented in the D2X there is no 12 MP either. As Pentax has a history of using old and proved technology :oT I expect we'll see a D upgrade only after the D90 or whatever hits the market. Servus, Alin John wrote: JF As best as I can tell we won't see anything like a D+ anytime soon. JF The next DSLR from Pentax will almost certainly be a lower-end model, JF going for a lower ($600?) price-point. JF Supposedly there is a follow-on to the D in the pipeline, but I don't JF expect to see it in 6 months. In fact unless it's announced at PMA JF I'd say that was just about certain - it took around six months for JF the *ist-D to hit the shelves after it was announced.
Re[2]: Multiple wireless 360FGZ flash
Guys, Slight change of discussion course: I mainly do the wireless outdoors and I found there are many instances when the slave fails to sense the master trigger flash and doesn't light at all. I've been working with the 360FGZ placed at 2-3 meters away from the camera and at an angle of around 45 degrees from the optical axis. It seems the sensor on the front of the flash needs more direct orientation towards the master in order for the flashes communication to take place. Indoors the light bouncing from the walls is significant enough for the flash orientation to matter less, but outdoors it appears the wireless range and usability is drastically limited. So what is the maximum distance and flash angle you found effective in various circumstances? Any tricks to make the flash sensor more responsive? Thanks. Servus, Alin arnie wrote: a yes, thats what i'm talking about. i you could get that information for me a i'd really appreciate it. a thanks a arnie a - Original Message - a From: Andre Langevin [EMAIL PROTECTED] a To: pentax-discuss@pdml.net a Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 11:27 AM a Subject: Re: Multiple wireless 360FGZ flash Hi Arnie. You can change the ratio between the 2 flashes, like 1/3 for one and 2/3 for the second one. Is this what you mean? If so, I'll check in the manual to see how to do it. I've done it once and it was effective. Andre Jack, it works great when I do that. Just I would like to be able to control them a bit.
Re[2]: Yummy Ektar 25
As much as I like RG100 or Reala, these are simply no match to RG25. Beyond grain and colour considerations, the difference shows up even on looking at the scan histograms: the 100 ASA histograms are visibly more compressed, while the 25 histograms are larger/reacher in tones, closer to slide film. Servus, Alin JCOCis most likely as good as any JCOC 100 they ever made and probably matches those old 25s too. JCOC JCO
Re[2]: Nikkei Article(long) WAS: Pentax Pro DSLR (WAS: RE: Spotted on another group ...)
Alan wrote: AC I don't know about average consumers, but the insisting on using smaller CCDs have AC kept me from buying Pentax DCs. For instance, 1/2.5 CCD is marginal for 3MP, but AC they kept using it for 4 5MP. The image quality simply suffers. I have to say that after testing the Optio S5i I was sorry to have it recommended to my brother. The image is soft and oversharpened with that dreadful video look even at 80 ASA/best jpeg/ etc. I'm not sure the culprit is just the too noisy sensor requiring a more aggressive noise reduction; the lens seems too soft as well, especially at the corners. For what it's worth I don't think image quality impacts Pentax compacts sales; rather the compact digicams are afflicted by the inherent consumerism trend, where quality comes last in the customer check list. Servus, Alin
Re[2]: When will we get image stabilisation for Pentax DSLR?
John wrote: JF I think if Pentax is going to offer IS they will put it into a full-frame JF SLR, aimed at least in part at 645/67 owners. It will be expensive. I doubt the in-body IS can be implemented in a full frame camera, at least not with lenses for 35mm format. It requires bigger image circle to cover for the sensor movement. Personally I favour full frame, everything else is redundant. ;o) Servus, Alin
Re[2]: flash on *istDs (was: Survey D and DS result)
Kostas wrote: KK TTL flash does not think in advance, it calculates as the exposure KK is happening off the film. What you are saying is that there is no KK off the CCD TTL sensor in the -D/-Ds (sorry I wasn't paying KK attention when you mentioned the camera you have). Nice! Unlikely, as the plain vanilla TTL flashes (500FTZ, 330FTZ, etc.) need off-the-film... err... CCD sensor in order to work. The TTL sensor is there, but according to the *ist DS manual the built in flash only works in P-TTL mode, with lenses set on A, and doesn't support TTL at all. If you want TTL flash with K/M lenses or with aperture set on the lens then you need an external unit like 360FGZ, 500FTZ etc. Just another deliberate software limitation to remind you have to pay to get more. Servus, Alin
Re: Out Dated Color Neg
Shel, I did shoot several rolls of Royal Gold 25 /12 frames, all well past the expiration date (yours must of the last kodak run). No colur shifts and virtually no grain. I'd buy 3 years out dated / refrigerated RG25 anytime. It's a beautiful film, best of colour negatives, ever. Find a good subject deserving it. Servus, Alin Shel wrote: SB Last night I found a roll of Kodak RG25 in the back of the fridge. It's SB about three years out of date, iirc. What sort of results can be expected SB from this film? Fogged? Color shift? Other things? Do I need to tell SB the lab anything to adjust development? SB Shel
Re: Scanning woes...
Frantisek, Is the subject low contrast? It's likely the blue noise is generated by the auto expanding of the contrast range in the scanner driver. Try re-scanning with a software that doesn't alter the original scanned image, like Vuescan, and then adjust the levels yourself. Servus, Alin Frantisek wrote: F What's worse is the horrible F grain or noise I get scanning iso 800 films and adjusting the colour F temperature to correct for tungsten light. Blue speckled noise all F over. And sharp :-( It almost seems as the nikon is sharpening the F blue channel?!?
Re: OT - Olympus E-300 DSLR review posted
William wrote: WR Think porro prism (as in those cheap and dirty viewfinders that we WR have come to hate) Oh, but that's how we come to love them. :oY Just have a long look through the E-1 than put a cheap'n dirty MZ-60 to your eye. [Warning: this exercise may induce temporary blindness. ;o)] Servus, Alin
Re: used MZ-3
Gasha wrote: G I can buy used MZ-3 body for about USD 150. G Is it that worth? Gasha, Don't miss it unless it has some obvious flaw. Servus, Alin
Re[2]: Scanning Question
Thanks Doug, I tried NeatImage some time ago and it seemed to me it tends to kill small detail and trying to avoid that was a too trial and error job. Picture Window gives me more control as I locate precisely the smallest detail I want to keep on the histogram then I take out of the process that part of the histogram. Servus, Alin Doug wrote: DF On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 12:14:51 +0200, Alin Flaider wrote: It's not the grain per se that bothers me but rather the some of the grains are very obvious due to the high difference of colour, i.e. isolated magenta grains in blue areas. DF NeatImage does a pretty good job on this sort of chroma noise. DF TTYL, DougF KG4LMZ
Re: Scanning Question
David, I think I have stumbled over the same problem. I am in the process of scanning and restoring some of my very first slides - burnt on Orwo 18 film - a grainy emulsion even at 50ASA. It's not the grain per se that bothers me but rather the some of the grains are very obvious due to the high difference of colour, i.e. isolated magenta grains in blue areas. To some degree I managed to overcome it by using the Noise reduction function in the Picture Window Pro (Advanced sharpen option). I don't know how adjustable the smart blur filter is in Photoshop, but in PWP the noise reduction can be quite fine tuned. Another approach I tried with acceptable results is speck removal on the offensive colour channel. For what it's worth I regularly scan Provia 100 and 400F at 2800dpi and never had this problem. Servus, Alin David wrote: DM FWIW I've encountered tonality problems due to film grain and I've not DM really found an easy way to deal with it. I've experimented a bit with DM the Smart Blur filter in Photoshop. This can help smooth out the grain DM without losing detail in the photo but it makes the tonality worse as DM the colour discontinuities become larger in size (but remain the same DM in magnitude) and thus they become more obvious when viewing on-screen. DM It might be easier to explain that in pictures, which I'll try to do DM if anyone is interested.
Re: Grain desolving programs
Jack, Picture Window Pro features a function named Advanced sharpening that allows you to selectively smooth grain or apply sharpen based on a details histogram. The results are quite impressive: it is very easy for instance to smoothen sky while not touching landscape details and conversely sharpen landscape details without messing with the continuous tones on the sky. Servus, Alin Jack wrote: JD Another naive subjective dip in the list knowledge JD well.. JD Do grain dissolving programs effectively discern what JD is grain? Are you left with an unrecoverable soft JD image? Does re-sharpening revive the grain and defeat JD the effect? JD Which program(s) have you heard good things about?
Re: December PUG is open
Uh, mea maxima culpa indeed. I stopped updating the directory when the komkon server died and I lost access to history galleries (the tool that generates the directory is a post process approach - it needs the gallery to be published and available for parsing). I just checked and seeing that the komkon resurrected I'll take a couple of hours and update the directory. I'll let you know when it's available. Servus, Alin AvK wrote: A No because Alin stopped to make these pages. A I hope that we will go online with the new PUG sometime next year, than you A will get all the archives you want. A Adelheid Than you very much for another great job with the PUG! Adelheid v. K. wrote: The archives seem to be working on http://pug.komkon.org/general/PugDir.html , at least through Jan. 04. A few weeks ago I was trying to complile a list of all the shots I've submitted to the PUG, and was unable to find a list for most of this year. Is there anyplace that might be available, at least the names, if not all the photos? Dan M Hi folks, The DEcember PUG is available on my website AND on the komkon server. This means: The archives are NOT!!! working on both pages. At least not for the last 5 months. But you have at least a link to Josteins page and you can look at the pictures of July. I don't have much space on my site, so only the current month and last month is available! No archives as such. You can have a look at the previous PUGs via the pastgalleries page on the komkon server. Thanks to Igor to bring the server back. So now the issue of the URL It will change each month at present it is: http://www.kirschten.de/PUG/04dec and http://pug.komkon.org
Re: OT Sharpening for D-Lab 2 Prints
Rob, I use a D-Lab 2 and the prints I get are quite sharp and crisp (printed as is, no changes from the operators, minimal USM from my part - I much dislike garrish sharpening of most digital prints nowadays). Except that once it happened that I received prints obviously not as sharp as I sent. Looking closer it became apparent that red and blue channels were grossly mis-registered. You may want to closely inspect your prints for that. Servus, Alin Rob wrote: RS Has anyone here done any experiments to determine the optimum sharpening to RS apply to image files destined to print on a D-Lab 2? I just received a 12x8 D- RS Lab 2 test print back and details appear far less acute than a print from the RS same file made on a relatively inexpensive Epson ink jet at A4 :-( RS TIA, \
Re[2]: OT Sharpening for D-Lab 2 Prints
Strange, I thought there is nothing to focus about lasers, after all those are in-phase, rectilinear beams with extremely low dispersion!? Could it be the so called focus procedure is rather an alignment process to insure the three laser spots overlap? Servus, Alin Butch wrote: BB There is also the possibility that the focus on the d-lab is off a touch. I BB never worked with a d-lab, but the frontiers have a routine that focuses the BB 3 lasers, so I assume the same is true with the agfa. Try giving them a BB negative you know is in sharp focus and see how the result comes out. It is BB also possible that they don't realize that their machine has drifted out of BB focus. That happened to me at Eckerds. My analog Fuji was a touch soft. I BB didn't notice until a new customer brought in a large order, complained BB that it was soft, took a couple frame to be printed at a competitor and BB brought them back. I then got to adjust focus on the machine without the BB proper focus neg. Luckily I have a masters in seat of the pants. :) It is BB also possible that they keep their focus slightly soft to minimize dust BB spots. An old pro lab I used to use did that. BB Butch
Re: Changing metering modes in Ds?
Great news, Jaume, it takes 11 clicks through menus at worst, 3 at best (hopefully one can wrap scrolling through the recording menu). Pentax placed the metering mode as well as flash compensation at the bottom of the menu page; image tone and size are considered far more useful options (or needed more debugging and the test department required faster access to it!?). :oY Servus, Alin Jaume wrote: JL The Ds has a great amount of interesting features but JL its simplicity (few wheels and buttons) can make the JL access to some of these features too complicated to be JL really usable. JL Being my current AF camera a MZ-5n, that has a JL dedicated and very convenient commandment to change JL between spot, multi-zone and CW metering mode, I am JL worried about how does it works in the Ds and how JL convenient it is to use 'in the field' (I use it a lot JL in the 5n). JL So, have any of you tried this in a Ds? JL Thanks and regards, JL Jaume
Re[2]: Do-it-yourself slide developing
Jon, You must have had fast and huge (over 20C) temperature cyclic variations in order to get reticulation (yes, this the term). You wouldn't sense fast alternating cold and hot water with a commercial thermometer. Never got it with E6 films, nor with Delta 100, HP4 or APX 100, though I did see huge reticulation occasionally on old Orwo BW films. Servus, Alin I used a deep sink of water at 40C to maintain the chemicals in the tank at approximately the recommended temperature, and did not find my results significantly affected by any deviation from the standard JG Back when I had my darkroom, I had a devil of a time keeping my water JG temperature consistent. Our old bathroom had two different JG faucets--one for hot and one for cold. It was difficult for me to keep JG constant temperatures. A couple of degrees, and the film suffered JG horribly from reticulation. It looks like bad grain, but the best way I JG know to describe it was like glass shattering. The temperature JG fluctuations would cause the emulsion to shatter. This was Tri-X 400 JG usually, BW. Is color slide film _less_ sensitive to temp. JG fluctuations than this? That would be convenient! :-) However, I JG personally would recommend assuring that your equipment can maintain JG constant temperature. I ruined some good pictures thanks to my setup.
Re: Do-it-yourself slide developing
With the 1200 ml Photocolor kits you get the most for the money but you need however to gather 7-8 rolls to run a batch. I found that preheating the tank/film by filling it with 40C water prior developing, and then having the tank immersed in 40C water bath during actual first and colour developing phases keeps the temperature to 38 +- 0.5C for the required 6-7 minutes session. Run a couple of dummy procedures and check your temperatures with a human thermometer to establish a pattern. It used to be that constant temperature was the biggest issue. Modern films (or modern E6 kits) are more tolerant to small temperature variations. Nowadays your worst enemies are dust and water impurities. You need clean tap water (no deposits or use a carbon filter) and a dust free closet to dry your films. Otherwise stick to the lab and your mental integrity. ;o) E6 is fun and hey, do it while you can. Soon it'll be fairytale subject. :oT Servus, Alin John wrote: JC I have used several E6 kits from Kodak very successfully at home, and JC cheerfully washed the dregs down the drain. I believe the kits are made so JC that there are no dreadfully harmful residues. How expensive would the chemicals be per roll of film? JC Cheaper than taking the film to a professional lab, in my case here in JC Australia. Would it be possible to do it in my bathroom with out too much fancy setup? JC Yes,you only need ordinary tank or drum processing equipment and some form JC of temperature control. I used a deep sink of water at 40C to maintain the JC chemicals in the tank at approximately the recommended temperature, and did JC not find my results significantly affected by any deviation from the JC standard. THere will be those who will say that you absolutely must JC maintain the baths at +/- .5 degrees of recommendation - too pure for me, JC and too hard to do at home without expensive equipment. What is the best kind of chemicals/developer setup? JC Try a Kodak Ektachrome processing kit - you can get them in various sizes, JC and from memory the smallest will do about three rolls. Francis *PENTAX SAMURAI* JC HTH JC John Coyle JC Brisbane, Australia
Re: Disable P-TTL on istDS
Matthew, It seems the only way to force TTL (single flash burst) over P-TTL is to use K/M lenses or to set the aperture fom aperture ring on FA/F/A lenses. Servus, Alin Matthew wrote: MT After some more researching, I think I can restate my problem more clearly. MT I want to use my AF-500FTZ off-camera in slave mode. As a consequence, MT I need to be able to disable the P-TTL or at least split the operation MT into a pre-flash, a delay and then the main flash. MT It looks like TTL becomes the operating mode if the flash is on the MT camera (the 500FTZ doesn't support P-TTL), so everything work well there. MT I can see that the option that I may need to go down is using a hot-shoe MT sync cord to connect to the flash off-camera, which will then drop down MT to the lowest common denominator of TTL. MT Any advice appreciated.
Re: Sigma 300 f2.8 being phased out
When was it last time that Pentax released a telephoto lens!? 4 years ago - FA 400/5.6 ? (various cheap 300- zooms don't count). This is precisely the area where ultrasonic motors and image stabilization are a de facto standard. I'd like to believe that P is phasing out current lenses in order to introduce some new technology loaded long glass but I doubt that. Somehow it seems more likely that all we'll be left with are a heterogeneous and overlapping collection of cheap zooms... Servus, Alin P.S. Leaving aside USM and IS how come P doesn't see a market for a quality ED 70-200/4? Ok, they gave up to 80-200/2.8 $1500 potential buyers but now $600 is too high a figure for the targeted consumers? SP Too bad. So options for high-end lenses for Pentax are getting narrower... SP Situtaion with 120-300/2.8 is exactly as I predicted a few years ago - this SP Sigma was planned since day 0 as ultrasonic motor-driven lens. If Pentax SP won't come with their own solution for this kind of AF drive, there will be SP more and more new Sigmas not available in Pentax mount (Canon, Nikon and SP even Minolta already have their USM solutions, used by Sigma to reverse SP engineer and to build their equivalents). It probably doesn't make sense for SP Sigma to build different mechanically (with screw-driven AF) version of the SP lens that will sell in very small quantities in Pentax mount.
Re[3]: Pentax Laboratory Batch Conversions
What I'm saying is that a process not doing context switch often enough doesn't impact other applications responsiveness but its own. The true multi tasking nature of the OS overcame this early restriction of 16bit Windows and that's a fact. What it does slow the OS overall is a CPU intensive, suboptimal code (i.e. multiple levels nested loops randomly addressing large memory blocks). Whether this code resides in a working thread or in the user interface thread makes little difference. I'm sure PhotoLaboratoty in particular has lot of room for improving in this regard. Should I own it, I might use Process Explorer or a similar tool to inspect its threads / load and make a better educated guess over its weak points. Servus, Alin Herb wrote: HC if you fire up PhotoLaboratory and start it doing a large batch conversion HC you will see how it is single-threading among its three main processes. that HC is why PhotoLab doesn't update its screens smoothly. the smartest operating HC system in the world won't help stupid software design. ___ Connex scaneaza automat toate mesajele impotriva virusilor folosind Trend Micro VirusWall. Connex automatically scans all messages for viruses using Trend Micro VirusWall. ___ Nota: Este posibil ca produsul Trend Micro VirusWall sa nu detecteze toti virusii noi sau toate variantele lor. Va rugam sa luati in considerare ca exista un risc de fiecare data cind deschideti fisiere atasate si ca MobiFon nu este responsabila pentru orice prejudiciu cauzat de decizia dvs. Disclaimer: It is possible that the Trend Micro VirusWall product may not be able to detect all new viruses and variants. Please be aware that there is a risk involved whenever opening e-mail attachments to your computer and that MobiFon is not responsible for any damages caused by your decision to do so.
Re[2]: Pentax Laboratory Batch Conversions
I make a living of writing, among other things, multi-threaded software. And you know what? It does work. BTW, you make too many assumptions. Servus, Alin Herb wrote: HC nice theory. shows you have read too many Microsoft white papers and haven't HC done it. all I/O has to be handled by one processor, no matter how many you HC have, and updating the GUI counts as I/O. HC Herb... HC - Original Message - HC From: Alin Flaider [EMAIL PROTECTED] HC To: Herb Chong [EMAIL PROTECTED] HC Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 7:23 AM HC Subject: Re: Pentax Laboratory Batch Conversions With the advent of multithreading programming the old paradigm of yielding control to OS became obsolete. The problem is that a very processor intensive worker thread holds the processor up to 100% load and makes the entire system especially the low priority user interface low responsive. ___ Connex scaneaza automat toate mesajele impotriva virusilor folosind Trend Micro VirusWall. Connex automatically scans all messages for viruses using Trend Micro VirusWall. ___ Nota: Este posibil ca produsul Trend Micro VirusWall sa nu detecteze toti virusii noi sau toate variantele lor. Va rugam sa luati in considerare ca exista un risc de fiecare data cind deschideti fisiere atasate si ca MobiFon nu este responsabila pentru orice prejudiciu cauzat de decizia dvs. Disclaimer: It is possible that the Trend Micro VirusWall product may not be able to detect all new viruses and variants. Please be aware that there is a risk involved whenever opening e-mail attachments to your computer and that MobiFon is not responsible for any damages caused by your decision to do so.
Re: *ist D AF and snow?
Scott, You'll find the MZ-5N struggles with moving subjects in general and high contrasts doesn't help at all. I shot alpine ski with it and the FA 80-320 and ended up with perfectly focused images all taken one second at least after pressing the shutter release. :o( Try to use only the central sensor and have it cover the subject all the time. As soon as it gets over the snow the camera will hunt across the entire focus range. Servus, Alin Scott wrote: SN I shoot a MZ-5n right now, but the AF has trouble with snow. I like to SN shoot backcountry skiing, so you can see how this is a problem for me. SN I was wondering how the *ist D AF handles this sort of thing. Does SN anyone have experience they'd like to share? ___ Connex scaneaza automat toate mesajele impotriva virusilor folosind Trend Micro VirusWall. Connex automatically scans all messages for viruses using Trend Micro VirusWall. ___ Nota: Este posibil ca produsul Trend Micro VirusWall sa nu detecteze toti virusii noi sau toate variantele lor. Va rugam sa luati in considerare ca exista un risc de fiecare data cind deschideti fisiere atasate si ca MobiFon nu este responsabila pentru orice prejudiciu cauzat de decizia dvs. Disclaimer: It is possible that the Trend Micro VirusWall product may not be able to detect all new viruses and variants. Please be aware that there is a risk involved whenever opening e-mail attachments to your computer and that MobiFon is not responsible for any damages caused by your decision to do so.
Re: AF 500 FTZ Question(s)
Patrick, The manual power setting is relative to the flash maximum output power. You cannot set multiple 500FTZ to different power levels in TTL operation, only in manual. To achieve that you need to use the more recent 360FGZ (with cameras that support the P-TTL mode) and dial specific compensation on each unit. Your example (main light with lower fill light) can only be achieved with 500FTZ in the so called contrast control mode where output is ditributed as 1/3 for the fill flash and 2/3 for the main flash. Servus, Alin PG When one sets the AF500FTZ to manual mode and sets the power to 1/2, PG 1/4, 1/8 power etc... PG The power level is relative to what : PG a) the 500FTZ's maximum power ? PG b) the metered reading taken by the camera ? PG If using multiple flashes e.g. 2 x AF500FTZs can you set the power level PG of one flash relative to the other and still maintain TTL operation PG using the 5p sync cord system. E.g PG Use a main light with a fill light at 1 or 2 stops below the main light. PG If i did not explain myself clearly pls say say so and i'll rephrase PG Tnx PG Patrick
Re: Pentax Laboratory Batch Conversions
With the advent of multithreading programming the old paradigm of yielding control to OS became obsolete. The problem is that a very processor intensive worker thread holds the processor up to 100% load and makes the entire system especially the low priority user interface low responsive. The new virtual multi-processor schemes recognize the intensive threads and allocates it on a quasi-parallel processor pipe leaving some resources to the OS. Real multi-processor machines do a better job but users should not expect a linear power increase. Servus, Alin Herb wrote: HC dual processors makes the machine usable while this is happening. the HC programmer who wrote this didn't know a lot about Windows programming as one HC of the rules since Windows started was to yield control occasionally, even HC under the newest versions of Windows. i can only assume that Mac users have HC the same types of problems since the program was badly written. HC Herb HC - Original Message - HC From: Rob Studdert [EMAIL PROTECTED] HC To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] HC Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 1:44 AM HC Subject: Re: Pentax Laboratory Batch Conversions It works but it hogs just about every resources, you just have to walk away from the computer until it's done.
Re[2]: AF 500 FTZ Question(s)
The MZ-S is the body that introudced the P-TTL. You should dismiss 500FTZ too fast: if contrast control doesn't satisfy you (the manual has a pretty good explanation of it) and the subject is rather static, you can always set up manually the flashes based on the working aperture, distance to subject and amount of compensation for each flash. A second approach would be to put the 500FTZ in Auto and wireless modes and dial compensation by setting larger apertures than the working one. Servus, Alin Patrick wrote: PG Since the 360FGZ was originally designed for the MZ-S am I right in PG assuming that the MZ-S has P-TTL mode ? PG I really hate flash work but i've got a small project that requires a PG mult-flash setup and am working out how best to set-up.
Re[3]: AF 500 FTZ Question(s)
I wrote: AF You should dismiss 500FTZ too fast: Of course I meant you shouldn't... Servus, Alin
Re[3]: AF 500 FTZ Question(s)
KK Does the 500 feature wireless? Sort of. Slave mode, no communication to the camera; does manual and auto as slave. Servus, Alin
Re[4]: AF 500 FTZ Question(s)
Patrick, It seems like the contrast control mode is what you're looking for. Set the flash on the bracket to contrast control mode and make sure it bounces in a reflector. This flash will deliver two thirds of the light which makes up for quite a balanced setup. I used 360FGZ with 200mm at 1:2 macro and f/11 and it is powerful enough. But you cannot use it coupled with the 500FTZ and dial compensation as this combination will fire in TTL mode, while 360FGZ needs P-TTL for compensation to be available. Servus, Alin Patrick wrote: PG My quandry is this: PG I already own an AF500FTZ and was considering purchasing a second flash PG for 2 reasons PG 1. Multi-Flash capability esp with respect to this project PG 2. My wife keeps taking the 500FTZ to use on her 5n and therefore I need PG a 2nd flash. :-) PG Although the 360FGZ is less powerful it would do fine in 99.9% of PG situations that I do use flash so the lower power does not bother me at PG all. I was also hoping to be able to use the 360 and the 500 together in PG a multi flash setup. with the 500 as the main light and the 360 as the PG fill light, since it has exp compensation built in. Given the subject PG (s) full manual mode is not an option, its too slow. PG If i'm talking gibberish pls say so :-) PG Btw my subjects for the project are small captive live animals (mostly PG bugs, larvae and some small mammals) in a simulated natural PG environment (trerrarium). A ring flash would be gr8 for this type of PG work but since I don't have much use for a ring flash other than this PG project so I'm not really considering it. A sturdy bracket for both PG flashes will be required but this I can borrow from a freind who built PG himself a really nice home made one. PG I will probably shoot with a 180mm Macro lens so that I don't need to PG get in too close to the subject. PG Tnx PG Patrick. PG [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The MZ-S is the body that introudced the P-TTL. You should dismiss 500FTZ too fast: if contrast control doesn't satisfy you (the manual has a pretty good explanation of it) and the subject is rather static, you can always set up manually the flashes based on the working aperture, distance to subject and amount of compensation for each flash. A second approach would be to put the 500FTZ in Auto and wireless modes and dial compensation by setting larger apertures than the working one. Servus, Alin Patrick wrote: PG Since the 360FGZ was originally designed for the MZ-S am I right in PG assuming that the MZ-S has P-TTL mode ? PG I really hate flash work but i've got a small project that requires a PG mult-flash setup and am working out how best to set-up. ___ Connex scaneaza automat toate mesajele impotriva virusilor folosind Trend Micro VirusWall. Connex automatically scans all messages for viruses using Trend Micro VirusWall. ___ Nota: Este posibil ca produsul Trend Micro VirusWall sa nu detecteze toti virusii noi sau toate variantele lor. Va rugam sa luati in considerare ca exista un risc de fiecare data cind deschideti fisiere atasate si ca MobiFon nu este responsabila pentru orice prejudiciu cauzat de decizia dvs. Disclaimer: It is possible that the Trend Micro VirusWall product may not be able to detect all new viruses and variants. Please be aware that there is a risk involved whenever opening e-mail attachments to your computer and that MobiFon is not responsible for any damages caused by your decision to do so.
Re[4]: AF 500 FTZ Question(s)
Kostas wrote: KK Does the 500 feature Auto? I don't think so. True, it does not. I was thinking to my 360FGZ when I wrote that. A truly versatile flash. Servus, Alin ___ Connex scaneaza automat toate mesajele impotriva virusilor folosind Trend Micro VirusWall. Connex automatically scans all messages for viruses using Trend Micro VirusWall. ___ Nota: Este posibil ca produsul Trend Micro VirusWall sa nu detecteze toti virusii noi sau toate variantele lor. Va rugam sa luati in considerare ca exista un risc de fiecare data cind deschideti fisiere atasate si ca MobiFon nu este responsabila pentru orice prejudiciu cauzat de decizia dvs. Disclaimer: It is possible that the Trend Micro VirusWall product may not be able to detect all new viruses and variants. Please be aware that there is a risk involved whenever opening e-mail attachments to your computer and that MobiFon is not responsible for any damages caused by your decision to do so.
Re: Very wierd 28mm on the ist D
Don, The lens mount doesn't ground the AF pin on the body mount (the closest from the AF shaft). Servus, Alin Don wrote: DS I put a cheap Vivitar 28/2.8 MF M type lens on the D this DS morning to see what the results would be. DS Though it's certainly not a sharp lens the results weren't DS as bad as I expected. DS Here's the wierd part: DS 1.) No matter what I focused on, the lighting, or how carefully DS I steadied the camera I NEVER GOT an in focus indicator DS on the D! DS 2.) The D's shutter WOULD FIRE no matter how in/out of DS focus the subject was OR where the focus mode switch DS on the D was set! DS Though this lens is certainly not a keeper, it apperars DS normal as far as being a standard KM mount and seems DS to be sharp/contrasty enough to activate the in focus light. DS My usual experience with WA lenses on the D is that they DS will indicate in focus even when they're not. DS And the part about the shutter firing even when out of DS focus in AF-S or AF-C mode is really strange. DS I've tried matrix, spot and selective focus point, DS doesn't matter! DS Anyone else ever seen this? DS Only lens I've tried that behaves this way. DS Here's a sample from the 28: DS http://www.donsauction.com/PDML/Turtle.jpg DS Don
Re[3]: *ist-DS english manual
Just to point that absence of the dedicated AF button can be supplanted by programming the OK button to act as focussing button. The same button can also be set to suspend AF while manually focussing (with lenses sporting quick shift focus). Servus, Alin
Re: *ist-DS english manual
Thanks, it does answer some questions. So it lacks the bargraph in viewfinder but at least it displays numerically the difference from metered exposure, which makes the manual mode almost useable. Looking in the viewfinder display again, the area wasted with program mode icons and manual focus warning (!) is horrifyingly large. It goes a long way to show how idiotic the targeted customers are in Pentax's vision. Consequently, there's no wonder we have no display of selected meter mode neither in the viewfinder nor on the back LCD. Digging through the menus is in order to find out what the meter mode is. But at least there is a spot meter (something that the more advanced Canon 20D lacks). It's still not obvious if the spot meter can be used in manual mode or it is restricted to the AE lock operation. With regard to aperture-set-from-the-lens implementation: in manual mode one can only check out the difference from metered exposure by pressing the DOF lever; there is no provision for automatic setting of the speed value like the *ist d does. Too bad, it renders old lenses almost useless, and I doubt this will be fixed by a firmware patch. Pentax is interested to maintain the ergonomic gap to *ist d, now that it's technologically surpassed by the *ist ds. Servus, Alin J Ist -DS english manual J http://81.205.100.252/pdf/uk/digitaal/OPM%20IST%20DS%20ENG.pdf
Re: More DS samples
The download is huge and yet the images are only 4 MPixel. How disappointing. Servus, Alin Alan wrote: AC http://www.slrclub.com/bbs/vx2.php?id=pentax_forumno=6274
Re[2]: *ist-DS english manual
The bargraph is extremely useful in the viewfinder as an intuitive way of assessing the exposure range of the scene (in manual mode, coupled with spot meter). I really don't see its place on the back LCD as it doesn't sport live preview anyway. Servus, Alin Sylwester wrote: SP I'd seriously miss one very important thing - exposure bar graph. It is SP not present either in viewfinder or external LCD :-( Even Olympus added SP it just at the back colour LCD in their similar priced E-300 exactly SP like here: SP http://www.dpreview.com/articles/OlympusE300/Images/Captures/ SP anim_infodisplay.gif SP Yeah, yeah, I know that can be done in firmware update, but it seems SP rather unlikely just like histogram in record review in *istD... SP -- SP Best regards SP Sylwek
Re[2]: *ist-DS english manual
G There is! LCD Panel on top shows the metering mode (page 22 in G manual). Thanks, I'm glad I skipped this one. Still, I find the metering mode buried too deep in the menus to be really useable. The same goes with flash compensation: commonly used functions that should be readily accessible, if not on a dedicated switch at least programmable on some universal button (4 way controller for instance). G Then, page 139: The aperture and shutter speed are automatically G adjusted to the appropriate exposure at that moment if the [AE-L] G button is pressed in a M (Manual) mode. Shutter speed is adjusted to G appropriate exposure according to lens aperture when lens aperture is G not set to s position. Though they don't mention the stop down phase that's required for proper metering, this seems like a positive confirmation. Servus, Alin
