jeff_b2

The users and administrators of photo.net certainly are at a crossroads. The responses to this thread show remarkable divisiveness. Some folks seem interested in a user content focused community. Others appear to simply want a commercially supported site that dishes up editorial content for consumption. Both are legitimate models. There are currently successful examples of each as well as some mixtures of both. The admins (owners?) need to decide which path to follow. All I can do is tell you what used to appeal to me when visiting photo.net is no longer found here. I view this site from a PC. The current site appears optimized for mobile viewing and swipe navigation which I find inconvenient. You'd better figure out who your audience is and how they're primarily interacting with the site. I'm not suggesting going back in time. The world today is not the same as it was just a decade ago. But perhaps there are valuable lessons to be learned from what worked in the past. If readership and participation was exponentially higher in 2010, maybe the 2010 format is worth looking at for inspiration. I wish you the best of luck and hope for the site's success.

Half of the home page screen real estate is consumed by a generic static banner. Move new activity and images to the top so that's what people see when they first hit the home page. When I first hit the home page I almost mistook it for one of those generic "domain available" pages. People visit forums to see what's new. Put new and changing content up first.

Kenko Flash Meter KFM-2200 Price: $350.00 Payment method: PayPal Item condition: 9+ Shows little or no signs of wear Shipping instructions: Free to lower 48 US states. AK, HI, Canada based on actual rate. Includes: printed manual, case, lanyard, original box. Ambient, flash, reflected and spot metering. Spot meter viewfinder displays measurements. Requires one AA battery.

Minolta Flash Meter VI Price: $350.00 Payment method: PayPal Item condition: 9+ Shows little or no signs of wear Shipping instructions: Free to lower 48 US states. AK, HI, Canada based on actual rate. Includes: printed manual, case, lanyard and original box. Ambient, flash, reflected and spot metering. Spot meter viewfinder displays measurements. Requires one AA battery.

<p>Sadly, <a href="http://www.metabones.com/article/of/faq">Metabones FAQ</a> says a Leica M speedbooster is impossible because "<em>there is not enough room for the optics</em>".</p>

<p>Mark,<br> To greatly paraphrase and summarize what I have learned about the optical effect of these adapters: It's complicated.<br> I think to some degree you are correct that the performance of some lenses may be improved relative to given exposure. If you have an f/2.8 lens and stop it down to f/4 it will likely have less aberration and more resolution. Attaching the speedbooster then concentrates that same "f/4" image onto a smaller sensor area. So you could expose for f/2.8 rather than f/4 thereby increase your shutter speed and reducing potential camera shake in the image.<br> However, your lens is now effectively 0.7 of these focal length it was without the adapter so the CoC (circle of confusion) is different. This means you should really be doing math for a 35mm lens rather than a 50mm lens for example.<br> The <a href="http://www.metabones.com/assets/a/stories/Speed%20Booster%20White%20Paper.pdf">speedbooster white paper</a> has significant technical detail.</p>

<p>The biggest problem with short focal length macro lenses is that the front element is so close to the subject at 1:1 that you are likely blocking your own light. Working distance is a critical factor when using macro lenses. I find anything shorter than 100mm is too difficult to use because I'm either interfering with the subject physically or casting a shadow with the lens.</p>

<p>My purely subjective opinion is:<br> Best: Metabones<br> Good: Zhongyi<br> Bad: Kipon<br> I have used all three of the "booster" adapters for Nikon lenses on Fuji X cameras. <br> Metabones: Feels like a better build quality than the others. Heavier in hand so likely better quality glass. I especially like the tripod mount on the Metabones. I use it mostly with large T/S lenses that are much heavier than the Fuji bodies so mounting on the adapter creates much better balance.<br> Zhongyi: Optically, I cannot see a difference between the Zhongyi and Metabones. I have not done any sophisticated testing but have no concerns about using them interchangeably. Due to the lack of the tripod mount on the Zhongyi I'll likely use that just for smaller lenses.<br> Kipon: I returned the brand new Kipon without even attaching it to a lens as the glass was completely fogged. Didn't bother with another attempt. Maybe a got a bad copy but that doesnot bode well for QC on a new item.</p>

<p>I like the contrast but agree with Jochen that it would be more dramatic by cropping down to just a few of the flowers. This is a great example of how our eyes deceive us. When we look at a small isolated object amidst a bland background our brains tend to amplify the small object. It is the predator in us. We pick out targets and focus on them in our 3D world. But when rendered to 2D in photography that small subject becomes much less important to our eyes and brain. Flowers in particular are notoriously difficult to represent in an image in a way that captures our attention. For subject like this you cannot be too close. </p>

<p>My light meter is still an essential tool to me. The only real difference in shooting digital versus film is that you can easily and instantly review lightly and exposure. That is nothing groundbreaking. A polaroid accomplished the same purpose in analog days. There is nothing more magical about the exposure metering in current digital cameras versus the last generation of film cameras. My "old" Nikon F100 meters exactly as any digital body does.</p> <p>A light meter is about consistency and saving time. If I shoot a subject in consistent lighting (indoors or out) the camera metering may drift slightly depending on exactly where I place the subject in the frame. For portraits, background and clothing can throw the camera further off even if the lighting is constant. Metering once and shooting the same exposure and white balance for many frames gives me a fixed baseline to adjust from in post. Then if I do want to make a change to the raw processed images, I can apply the same change to ALL the images in the set because they are all exposed exactly the same. Otherwise, I'd have to adjust each image individually.</p>

<p>PDF may contain ICC color profile(s). Those profiles have to be specifically associated with objects also in the PDF to be used. A profile can be set as the default for any object in the document depending on device dependency. The objects (images, graphics) may have their own embedded profiles too. </p>

<p>Seems like every other Windows OS is a flop. <br> 98 = Great<br> 2000 = wonky<br> XP = Amazing<br> Vista = Sad<br> 7 = Superb<br> 8 = Annoying<br> 10 = ???</p>

<p>I look for packs that have a large shovel pocket on the back which makes a great place to hold tripods. My Kelty redwing is great as it has openings behind the "wing" pockets on the sides through which I can slide 2 legs of a tripod.</p>

<p>Cameras are not professional. People are professional.<br> You need to have a tool that is adequate for the job you intend to do. Get the best equipment you can afford and learn to use it. I do not mean that sarcastically. Your ability to fully take advantage of whatever piece of equipment you have to work with is important.</p>

<p>You can use any neutral surface to get a custom white balance. A pure white sheet of paper with no color cast will work as well as a gray card. You're meter will expose a white surface to appear 18% gray. So don't use white to calculate average exposure unless you are purposely working from the highlights.<br> A gray card is a more generally useful tool and more likely to be truly neutral in color. But in a pinch a sheet of clean paper will work well especially if you are dealing with odd color light sources like tungsten. I have set white balance from a pure white cotton t-shirt a subject was wearing.</p>