[Gimp-user] photography
Although I have been trying to use Gimp for quite some time to enhance digital photographs it is only recently that I have begun to realise how powerful a piece of software it really is. Photography has been a hobby of mine for over 50 years but it is only in the last week or so that my 'digital darkroom' has started to flourish. This is very much due to a video course I am following on www.meetthegimp.org which, in my opinion, is a great place to start for the amateur photographer. One of the things which has emerged is the importance of producing photographs in RAW in order to get as much information as possible for processing. For me, this means finding and purchasing another camera and I wonder if anybody could suggest a good starting point for me to find what I need. I have tried Google but have not found the sort of information I think I need. I have just two criteria, the camera must be light and easy to handle (a bit shaky due to age and arthritis) and shoot in RAW. All suggestions gratefully received. Norman ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
Norman, first of all, you should decide, how quality photos would you like to have. You have 2 options: 1. Digital camera . Pros: small weight and dimensions, built-in lens can have a range zoom, video. Contras: Low image quality, high noise at any ISO over 100-200, no control over depth of field, low focusing speed and accuracy... Almost all of modern digicams do not have RAW. 2. DSLR - a camera with interchangeable lens. Pros: high dynamic range, high focusing speed, high image quality even at ISO up to 800-1600, control over depth of field (bokke), very good optical viewfinder... Contras: weight, quality lens can be expensive, no video, some models do not have live view - image can be seen on the screen after it has been shot, not during. If you have enough will I would recommend you buying DSLR. norman wrote: Although I have been trying to use Gimp for quite some time to enhance digital photographs it is only recently that I have begun to realise how powerful a piece of software it really is. Photography has been a hobby of mine for over 50 years but it is only in the last week or so that my 'digital darkroom' has started to flourish. This is very much due to a video course I am following on www.meetthegimp.org which, in my opinion, is a great place to start for the amateur photographer. One of the things which has emerged is the importance of producing photographs in RAW in order to get as much information as possible for processing. For me, this means finding and purchasing another camera and I wonder if anybody could suggest a good starting point for me to find what I need. I have tried Google but have not found the sort of information I think I need. I have just two criteria, the camera must be light and easy to handle (a bit shaky due to age and arthritis) and shoot in RAW. All suggestions gratefully received. Norman -- With respect Alexander Rabtchevich ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
John Allsopp wrote: Jan Tomasek wrote: Shooting in RAW is just same as into JPEG on Nikon, saving to memory card is done in background, but because of bigger size of file camera's buffer is able to hold only 2-3 images and after that you have to wait. Just to clarify that: the similarity is in the file saving, otherwise saving to RAW still saves more info, right? RAWs have more bytes per pixel, no WB is applied, nor sharpening or excessive noise reduction. PC RAW-image algorithm is much more complicated and quality than the one from any camera. You camn easily apply some exposure compensation after shooting... This list can be prolongated. It's just, I haven't got Gimp to do RAW yet (but I will, now you've pointed out the plugin below). I won't bother if there's no difference in the file quality. Gimp have limitation on 8bit per color channel, that is shame because cameras are usualy producing 12bit. Other software like Adobe Photohoshop is able to work in 16bit, but that adds another expences to your hobby. I'm sure I read there is a professional version of The Gimp which provides more bits. I don't know how that compares price-wise with Photoshop. Those pics are very nice, Jan :-) Cheers UFRaw (ufraw.sf.net) handles RAWs with no posterization (it has more than 8 bits internally). Upcoming GIMP 2.4 has only 8 bits, 2.6 is planned to have 16 or even more. -- With respect Alexander Rabtchevich ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
Alexander Rabtchevich [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: 1. Digital camera . ... 2. DSLR - ... I'd say there's quite a lot of camera's in between. I'm still quite happy with my Sony DSC-V1 which has all the things a (semi-)professional photographer requires (even a flash mount shoe) without being a DSLR. -- Johan ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
norman wrote: For me, this means finding and purchasing another camera and I wonder if anybody could suggest a good starting point for me to find what I need. My rule is, if I haven't the time to research which is the best product, I just buy the PC Pro recommendation. In this case, it was the Nikon D80. I'm not a gadget kinda guy, but the D80 is a beautiful thing. Thank you for your suggestion I must have a look at the photo magazines. Norman Well, the reason I like PC Pro (UK, no idea if it's available elsewhere) is it goes buy this, and I don't have to think. If I wanted to make a decision by reading the photo magazines, I'd have to understand everything and make proper decisions. Plus those magazines often have the feeling of everything's positive, so this lens is great, oh and so's this one, this one's fantastic, but this one will blow you away. How do you choose? Time's money, and sometimes I have to be efficient and or quick, in those situations I often delegate to PC Pro. I think part of my relief at having the complexity taken away, sometimes, is I deal with complexity all day, so it's not a pleasure for me to delve into the specs. I imagine if you have a job that doesn't tax your head too much and are a hobby photographer, then delving into the specs would be a pleasure. Anyway, PC Pro's current recommendations are: Digital SLR: Sony DSLR-A100 or Nikon D80 in second place Digital Compact: Canon Digital Ixus 900 Ti or Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W35 Must admit, I bought their compact recommendation of the time a few months ago, the Canon Digital Ixus 65 and was disappointed. I think the exposure washes out colours, there's a dark patch on the screen. Not sure there's a RAW format mode anyway on that. J ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
On Thursday 13 September 2007 17:58:02 norman wrote: This is very much due to a video course I am following on www.meetthegimp.org which, in my opinion, is a great place to start for the amateur photographer. Hello from sunny Tullah, Tasmania, where dialup is the peak of modern Internet connectivity. Videos are not a real option here, but OTOH there is plenty to point a camera at. Here are some grotty throwaway shots from a Fuji camera: http://tullah.fit2.bur.st/ I've heard good things said about the Canon 40D (a DSLR) by people who actually use the suckers for a living. Still ghasp dollars an item, but fairly good value for the ghasp. It's like a cut-down version of the 5D, which is an excellent little gadget. Cheers; Leon ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
Johan Vromans wrote: 1. Digital camera . ... 2. DSLR - ... I'd say there's quite a lot of camera's in between. I'm still quite happy with my Sony DSC-V1 which has all the things a (semi-)professional photographer requires (even a flash mount shoe) without being a DSLR. I would not agree :). There have been a prosumer class, but now it is dying. DSLRs killed it due to higher image quality and more profits for a manufacture due to interchangeable lens. Pro compacts for amateurs? Can you remember CURRENT compact cameras with RAW? Minolta is not in the market. There are no Sony compacts with RAW. I can recall Canon G9 - not so small and with awful image (12MP on a small sensor) from any strict POV. Nikon? No. Ricoh Caplio G100 - they put too much MP on a small matrix too plus it costs way too much. That is the whole list. Dot. -- With respect Alexander Rabtchevich ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
On Thursday 13 September 2007 20:25:33 you wrote: To set in turn of cost: Sony Alpha 700 (1400 USD), Canon 40D (1500+ USD), Nikon D300 (1800+ USD). Thaks for that nice, simple list. I got good value out of a Sony DSC-F707 until the day I ran it over with my 2t van. Several of the pro photographers I know have longed for a Canon 5D but not been able to afford one; they all seem to think well of the 40D, after studying it, Not perfect, but close enough, sort of thing. (-: Cheers; Leon ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
Note, these prises are without lens. The cheapest kit lens cost about 100$ shipped with the camera. Nikon's one is more expensive due to more quality. Sony provides 3 kit zooms: 100$ 17-70, new 16-105 and Zeiss 16-80 (set in turn both of price and quality). Nikon and Canon have several kits too. Canon 5D main advantage is full frame. It is not cropped. So in features it is weaker than 30D or 40D, but image quality is higher. Leon Brooks GIMP wrote: On Thursday 13 September 2007 20:25:33 you wrote: To set in turn of cost: Sony Alpha 700 (1400 USD), Canon 40D (1500+ USD), Nikon D300 (1800+ USD). Thaks for that nice, simple list. I got good value out of a Sony DSC-F707 until the day I ran it over with my 2t van. Several of the pro photographers I know have longed for a Canon 5D but not been able to afford one; they all seem to think well of the 40D, after studying it, Not perfect, but close enough, sort of thing. (-: Cheers; Leon -- With respect Alexander Rabtchevich ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
On Thu, 13 Sep 2007, Alexander Rabtchevich wrote: [...] Canon 5D main advantage is full frame. It is not cropped. So in features it is weaker than 30D or 40D, but image quality is higher. Did you do a comparison of 5D vs. 40D? There is a review http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/canon-40D-handson.shtml which states ...the IQ of the 40D is on a par if not even slightly better than that of the Canon 5D (I don't have either of them ...;-) Arnd ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
Thank you all for the interesting comments and information. In the past I was a great fan of the SLR and I had several starting with a Russian camera, 'Zenit', which I still have and finishing up with a Nikon with 28mm and 135mm lenses which unfortunately were stolen. My Arthritic problems were just starting so I moved to an Olympus compact camera with built in zoom and have staggered from then into the digital era. In my earlier years I had a dark room which eventually I had to give up and now I see my computer taking over the functions of a dark room. So you see, I am not a newcomer to photography and I am well aware of the problems with dust etc especially with SLR cameras. As I said in my original posting I need ease of handling and RAW. Changing lenses is not so easy when one hand is holding a walking cane even standing for any length of time is a problem. Carrying equipment is not comfortable and I do like to wander on my own when out for a shoot. Norman ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
So you see, I am not a newcomer to photography and I am well aware of the problems with dust etc especially with SLR cameras. As I said in my original posting I need ease of handling and RAW. Changing lenses is not so easy when one hand is holding a walking cane even standing for any length of time is a problem. In that respect I think the Nikon D80 lens changeover is a hassle .. the button's not easy and I've a tamron lens that doesn't have the dot so I have to work it out every time. I've big hands and I think the whole thing's finicky: things like manual exposure settings, the wheel doesn't feel very ergonomic, and white balance setting's a faff too. From that pov I wouldn't recommend buying one unless you've tried it in the shop first. J ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
Norman, there are several possibilities for you. First, you can stick to 50 mm prime and use it most of the time. It is light, very qualitative and fast (F1.4) or 1.7. Second, you can buy light slow zoom such as 18-200 (26-300 in 35 mm equivalent) and use it all of the time. It provides less quality but has a very large focus distance range. Or you can use any of the kits like 17-70... Note, to obtain normal focus distances you should multiply them by camera crop factor -1.5 for Sony, Pentax, Nikon and 1.6 for Canon. norman wrote: Thank you all for the interesting comments and information. In the past I was a great fan of the SLR and I had several starting with a Russian camera, 'Zenit', which I still have and finishing up with a Nikon with 28mm and 135mm lenses which unfortunately were stolen. My Arthritic problems were just starting so I moved to an Olympus compact camera with built in zoom and have staggered from then into the digital era. In my earlier years I had a dark room which eventually I had to give up and now I see my computer taking over the functions of a dark room. So you see, I am not a newcomer to photography and I am well aware of the problems with dust etc especially with SLR cameras. As I said in my original posting I need ease of handling and RAW. Changing lenses is not so easy when one hand is holding a walking cane even standing for any length of time is a problem. Carrying equipment is not comfortable and I do like to wander on my own when out for a shoot. Norman -- With respect Alexander Rabtchevich ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
You sure discovered a nice little subculture on the Gimp mailing list, Norman. Here are some of my thoughts. In my opinion, if you are just interested in getting a raw image out of the camera, buy a low-end DSLR and spend as much as you can afford on glass. I have a Canon 350d and a 1d Mk IIn. IQ is similar, just more features and durability with the 1d - better autofocus, spot metering, etc. As for net resources, The best all-around net community for photography, in my opinion, is photo.net You can get lots of good advice, and some bad advice, in the forums there. You probably won't even have to post a question, just comb the archives. If you want very detailed, highly technical reviews of equipment, you'll find those at dpreviews.com. The links you will find on those two sites will lead you anywhere you need to go. On an unrelated, amusing note, I've been receiving so much bulk email from Sven Neumann lately that my spam filter tagged it. I set it straight. I would view that as a compliment if I were you, Sven. Thanks for all you do. -- --alex http://alexfeldman.org begin:vcard fn:Alex Feldman n:Feldman;Alex adr;dom:;;686 North Morningside Way;Boise;ID;83712 email;internet:[EMAIL PROTECTED] tel;work:208-426-3374 tel;home:208-386-9164 x-mozilla-html:TRUE url:http://alexfeldman.org version:2.1 end:vcard ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
Hello Norman, I will be adding my opinion to the growing pool. The Canon G9 was already suggested earlier and it might well be a good solution for you. It is a light compact camera, produces RAW and has a hotshoe if you want to use a flash. In addition it has image stabilization, which might be helpful in your situation. Read for example http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/06/on-assignment-on-vacation.html for a review of the preceeding model, the G7, and http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/09/new-canon-powershot-g9-makes-my-g7-feel.html for a list of changes. Best wishes, Christoph ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
John Allsopp wrote: I'm sure I read there is a professional version of The Gimp which provides more bits. I don't know how that compares price-wise with Photoshop. You might be thinking of Cinepaint which was based on an early version of GIMP. It handles up to 32-bits per channel and is available for free. Cinepaint is focused on use by people in the film industry. -- Cheers! Kevin. http://www.ve3syb.ca/ |What are we going to do today, Borg? Owner of Elecraft K2 #2172 |Same thing we always do, Pinkutus: | Try to assimilate the world! #include disclaimer/favourite | -Pinkutus the Borg ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
Re: [Gimp-user] photography
On Thursday 13 September 2007 06:13:52 Mogens Jæger wrote: Thank you all for the interesting comments and information. In the past I was a great fan of the SLR and I had several starting with a Russian camera, 'Zenit', which I still have and finishing up with a Nikon with 28mm and 135mm lenses which unfortunately were stolen. My Arthritic problems were just starting so I moved to an Olympus compact camera with built in zoom and have staggered from then into the digital era. In my earlier years I had a dark room which eventually I had to give up and now I see my computer taking over the functions of a dark room. So you see, I am not a newcomer to photography and I am well aware of the problems with dust etc especially with SLR cameras. As I said in my original posting I need ease of handling and RAW. Changing lenses is not so easy when one hand is holding a walking cane even standing for any length of time is a problem. Carrying equipment is not comfortable and I do like to wander on my own when out for a shoot. Norman Depending on which focal area is of your interest, there are more interesting suggestions - all of the bridge type, witch means bigger compacts. My suggestion is (being an Olympus fan) the Olympus SP-560 UZ. It has a 27 - 486 (35 mm equivalent) lens, 8Mp and saves in RAW. Besides that it has an CCD-based image stabilization system. And of course full manual exposure control. Just add a couple of points: 1. If you do decide to buy a DSLR which IMHO is the only sound choice if you do want to produce high quality images, then it is really important to carefully consider what lenses you really need. 2. My personal choice for professional use is the Canon 5D (I have two bodies) which has a full frame chip rather then the reduced chip sizes of the consumer DSLR. Inevitably, as cost of producing full frame chips drop they will become available on consumer range camera. This means that any lenses you buy which cannot be used on full frame will be useless when you upgrade to full frame. (e.g the S lenses on the canon range will not be a good long term investment. Most phtographers change their bodies far more frequently than lenses. Over a lifetime a photographer will spend much more on lenses than camera bodies. 3. If you do want to produce projected images then gimp will serve you well because digital projectors have very low resolution (most run at 1024x768). For such images you do not need a high resolution camera. HOWEVER if you want to produce large high quality prints then unfortunatelyt gimp does not cut the mustard. The current lack of supprt for 16bit per channel means it is far below the industry standard. (Photoshop CS3 now has support that extends well beyond 16bit per channel).and for that reason I most other other professionals use photoshop much as we would like to be able to use gimp. Another gimp problem is the learning curve -- it does not have an interface that makes it an easy step to move from photoshop to gimp. Anyway you makes your choice from waht suits you ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
[Gimp-user] photography
I think that the Resynthesizer Plugin is a good match for what you wish. There is an excellent tutorial demonstrating how to use it at http://www.schwarzvogel.de/resynth-tut-en.shtml -- ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
[Gimp-user] photography
Hi! I am new in the Gimp world'' and I bought Akkana Pecks book Beginning Gimp which is useful but I like something more about photos corrections. If someone, please check on my flickr site there are a fountain photo and on this picture is moire very heavy. Where could I find more information, help how to correct moire? On the picture with ship is heavy tilted horizon. Okay, with rotating and crop I can correct but on this way I lost a lot of photo. Are there any instructions how to correct tilted horizon for example, please? Thank you. -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumiwa ___ Gimp-user mailing list Gimp-user@lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user
