Meadow Curves Center VERSION II (Kodak-Nikon version, April 13)

This version was done in an effort to approximate the color tones ofthe Canon 5D II using the Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n. I wanted a simpleformula that I could remember, and so I added CYAN +13 and BLUE +13,which I call the "13-13 Rule." On some kinds of shots, the warm tonesof the Kodak are very nice, including much portrait photography. Onother shots, the effect is not so great. My early comparisons werefocused on resolution. Now I am looking at color, with an eye towardusing the old Kodak for some serious landscape work. Commentswelcome--and if anyone has a better rule for color adjustment, I amall ears.

--Lannie

I think this is a nice mix of the two -

Thanks, Diane.  I like it, too, although I will continue to experiment with other color adjustments for different applications.

--Lannie

NOTE: The point of this particular set of three postings of images derived from this Kodak camera and the Canon 5D II was not resolution but color adjustments.

Nevertheless, the file size displayed here is 1500 x 1045 pixels, as shown on the Photoshop thumbnail.  The standard output of the Kodak DSC Pro SLR/n is 4516 x 3012 pixels (for a total of 13.602 megapixels), as shown on the Photoshop thumbnail from which the above was cropped and then resized.  (The official specs given on dpreview.com for the Kodak are 4500 x 3000 pixels for a total of exactly 13.5 usable megapixels.  That is a very good approximation, but not--for the record--precisely what one actually sees on Photoshop thumbnails.)

The point here, however, is that this version was NOT simply downsized from 4516 x 3012 pixels directly to 1500 x 1045, as displayed.  It was actually first cropped down [to 1860x1296] before being further downsized to give the actual dimensions of the version displayed here: 1500 x 1045 pixels.

The actual numbers for the Canon 5D II used in these comparisons of these three similar files are somewhat different, in part because the Canon files were much bigger out of the camera, and in part because the crop ratio was not absolutely precisely the same as for the two Kodak versions--although it was very close.

--Lannie

 

This just in from Mike Palermiti via Photo.net messaging:

HI Lannie,

I have followed the outdoor landscape work that you have been doing with the Canon and Kodak DSLR cameras.

As for "an easy setting" that you requested for the color levels, I always rely upon the companies "Auto White Balance " setting, followed by the Auto Color or Auto Tone"  tool in Photoshop.

This has been very reliable for the majority of natural lighting encountered when doing landscapes. These companies have established very well documented algorithms to set their sensors to the appropriate levels.

Now. there can be slight deviations due to the sensor settings, like ISO. I like to use ISO 100 or 200 as this is the baseline for the majority sensors being made today and in the past as well.

Some of the lens have their own transmission characteristics that do provide more or less contrast and saturation levels in certain colors, too. The better lens can have such a high degree of color correction, that sometimes the "richness" of colors is missing because there is not a third or fifth order chromatic aberration component that adds that extra color.

I also set all my cameras, Nikon, Canon and Olympus to normal color. No enhancements or special processing is allowed in the camera. I also like to under expose at least 1/2 stop to fully develop colors that otherwise would "bleed" or be "washed out".

I like to keep my f-stop between wide open (on my superb lens) to F/5.6, since most landscapes have nice details to offer, and too much f-stop causes too much of a lens performance compromise for my liking. If wide field lens are used, their inherently large DOF works from a few feet to Infinity anyway, so F/5.6 is all that I use. If I am using a longer focal length lens and I need to have a close focus ed subject, then I manually focus between the closest and furthest subject and use no more than F/8 if I can not change my working distance or perspective relative to the subjects.

Eastman Kodak has long be the leader in color photography. I have spent a few years in their research facilities characterizing the "color space" parameters that are used and the interaction between ISO, f-stop and exposure values employed during a capture.

Again, while anyone has the freedom to change color saturation levels , and presets, I have always found that the factory baseline set point and the use of the proper Photoshop color space provides a very consistent result from daily images taken.

Best Regards,  Mike

 

If I understand your goal in a nutshell, it seems like you are trying to batch process ALL your landscape photos in a standard way.  That is not possible because the quality of light varies.  Sure, it could work under studio conditions, but I think the exercise is futile outdoors.  

I can see why you would infer that, Jeff, but I was simply trying to find out if there might be a "fix" for this particular camera in terms of my own preferences.  Even that is probably impractical, given what you say about light.  All that I can say for sure is that I have learned a little bit from doing the various tests.  I do want to reduce the guessing game or "trial and error" approach to color correction.  I am not really sure how to do that, although along the way I have found some things that definitely do not work.

Whether the old Kodaks and I have a future together is the real question for me.  I have been shooting Canon EOS since 2006 (at which time I sold my Kodak 14n and most of my Nikon lenses), and I believe that the Kodak is qualitatively different in terms of its color (or color balance) presets--hardly an earth-shaking conclusion.  The question is whether there is any advantage to keeping these cameras and the handful of lenses that go with them.

I do believe that the guys at Kodak knew what they were doing when it came to color.  Is there anything to be learned from studying the output of these old cameras?  Well, one learns something from anything that one does, but so far I have not learned too much.  I can say, however, that I have rather enjoyed the exercise.

--Lannie

Six.  best, j