macgregor_anderson

definitely all the 7/7s I get

I got the friendly bot last night! 7/7 and it wasn't even a nude. Of course it was gone in the morning, and a few of these indifferent bots got me with 3s and 4s today. The nasty bots with 1s and 2s seem to have taken a break, at least for now.

 

It's such a shame when the indifferent bots outnumber the kindhearted bots by such a ratio. I look forward to a time when the world is full of happy friendly bots, when the cruel and uninspired bots have come around to our bright outlook on photographic critique. That will be a grand day indeed...

 

Mac

Buy a large format setup. That's what I did. Now the F100 is my dedicated light meter. My D100 is used where I used the F100 in the past. I keep telling myself I'll use the F100 again for some fast action situation but so far, after one year, I haven't.

 

Why not use the D100 as my light meter? Good question. Sometimes I do. Best excuse isn't a good one...that it only goes down to 200 and I like to shoot FP4 at 100. Even I can multiply by 2.

 

That is a somewhat tongue in cheek answer from a hobbyist who lacks solid decision making skills and can't seem to sell gear, only buy it.

 

Now that FM2 really should find a new home one of these days. You buyin?

 

Mac

I used to be a lot better about giving back to photo.net. Got too busy for my own good recently and dropped back from rating and offering critiques. Thanks for the reminder to give more back. I needed it.

 

I took a slightly different approach to giving back to the site when I was more active. What I've always appreciated most here was thoughtful critiques. Ratings are valuable, and supportive comments are encouraging, but real insight on improvement has always been best.

 

That means taking real time with critiques. Spending some time on photos from people who just picked up a camera for the first time recently. Sometimes it's nice to be the only one who took the time to comment on a photo when others passed it by. Of course it's impossible not to spend some time complimenting those photogs you admire, and conversing with those photogs with whom you share an interest. That's fun and good. But helping out the new folks has got to be the best way to give back. At least for me.

 

Thanks for the gentle reminder.

 

Mac

The coast is beautiful. I'm partial to Central Oregon and the high desert. Take a look at my portfolio for a few ideas on what the area around Sisters (near Bend) looks like. The gorge is great and you'll definitely want to spend time there.

 

If you have any questions and want help, feel free to email me.

 

You'd have a hard time going wrong. Only thing to remember is if you get hit with lots of rain while here and can change plans, just head over the cascades for some sunny weather.

 

Mac

Portland also offers a backup plan...the zoo. Natural enough looking setting.

 

That's where I got this shot. I know it may be an unsavory practice to purists, but I'm no wildlife photographer. Just a guy who brought his camera with him while escorting a 3 y/o around.

 

So, depending on your ethical angle, the Portland zoo might not be a bad last resort after chasing them in the wild.

 

Mac

I may have answered my own question after reading a dpreview review. Looks like anti-shock setting is what you need to select. Apologies. Hope it helps someone else out.

I see on the D100 menu a greyed out selection offering mirror

lockup. I can't select it. I am unable to find a menu option for

prefiring the mirror when using self timer. Is there no way to lock

this mirror on this camera unless it's for cleaning and is attached

to a computer and Nikon Capture?

 

I figured this would be in the archives but I wasn't able to find

it. Also checked Nikon's site and didn't get far. I maybe should

have searched more but I have a very slow internet connection right

now.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

mac

I don't have a powershot but here are a few things I learned last night.

 

Play around with the exposure settings. Your camera is trying to average the light in that scene and in exposing long enough to get a bit of detail in the dark areas, it is overexposing the moon. I don't have a powershot, but if you have manual settings for shutter speed and aperature, try a few shots with a smaller aperature (larger number) or faster shutter speed or both. That means taking the camera off any auto exposure settings.

 

You can do the same thing by adjusting the exposure compensation to a negative number. Leave it in some auto mode if you must, but set the +/- to something like -3.

 

Look at your histogram. Try to expose so it doesn't quite go all the way to the right.

 

The important thing to understand is that your meter is averaging a lot of dark area with a little very bright area and guessing how best to expose. You need to take over from the computer in this case because the computer can't figure this one out properly.

 

Note this means that you can't very well get other things exposed properly in the same shot. If you want the moon and the foreground in a shot, your camera just won't be able to expose all that in one frame. If you use a tripod, you can take two shots and merge them in photoshop.

 

Mac

Check out www.lfphoto.info

 

Nice site with a good rundown on the basics. Also has a forum. I've seen a lot of photo.net people who also post there.

 

I started out beginning of this year doing 4x5 black and white using traditional film holders (as opposed to quick loads). It's very straight forward. But you may have different needs so check out one of the books listed above or that link.

 

Have fun.

 

Mac

I think you'll find greater exposure latitude in tradional b/w film vs a digital sensor. The other guys answering know a ton more than me and they certainly get great results. But isn't that at least one thing worth considering? Even if the printing medium can't use all the stops, you have more information available to work with.

 

Mac

Andre,

 

I always find it amusing what a grumpy snippity crowd Photo.Net attracts in these forums. Although most people are helpful, and many others very knowledgeable, there are always those few who are quite anti-social. Why are so many experts like you so snappy?

 

While recommended film speeds are often too high, the question seemed to be about contrast. I think we answered that pretty well.

 

I also suggested that if shadow detail were missing that he could expose his film more. Which is kinda your point.

 

And you forgot to mention metering technique, the meter itself, and a whole lot of other factors that are beyond the scope of a beginners question.

 

I'm just a novice, though I have tested T-Max 100, HP 5, FP 4 in 4x5 best I could. I shoot Tmax at 100, HP 5 at 320, and FP 4 at 100 usually. Sometimes a tad slower if I am real worried about my shadows. Bottom line is, I know that when I meter a scene carefully I can predict what will show up on the film and what won't. One of these days I'll get around to learning more.

 

People who know what they are talking about have looked at some of my negatives and felt that they weren't too thin.

 

How are your negatives? I take it they are perfect.

 

Mac

To help you understand the process a little better I'll try to explain the difference between increased exposure and increased development.

 

When you develop b/w negative film, the shadows of the scene finish developing pretty quickly. There just isn't that much exposed material to convert. The brighter areas carry on developing through the entire development time, and they are not through usually by that time. Increasing development time further means the shadows stay the same but the highlights develop even more. That's because the highlight areas received a lot of light and there is a lot of material in the negative to be acted on by the d-76. So you increase contrast when you increase development.

 

Increasing exposure will bring out details in your shadows that you didn't have, as well as increasing the highlights. Except in extreme conditions, this will happen evenly across the film from dark areas to light. So if you add some exposure, but develop for the same time, you'll get better shadow detail as well as brighter highlights, but the change will be about the same for both.

 

I'd advise increasing development time a little if you like. If at any time you are finding thin negatives in the shadow areas where you'd like detail, increase your exposure then.

 

I'm a novice myself so if someone contradicts this advise, listen to them.

 

Mac

And, go into a camera shop and get a Hasselblad H1 pamphlet. Take a highlighter pen and randomly highlight certain specs. Crumple slightly and leave in a conspicuous place. Also leave an eba# digital back auction up on your computer screen accidentally from time to time.

 

At some point a few weeks from now, explain that you were considering buying some pro gear but realised that good high end hobby stuff could be made to work for you.

 

This, and the sheets, and you're all set.

I have a very practical and off topic solution to all this. Save up a hundred bucks and keep an eye on overstock.com or smartbargains.com (not, I'm not affiliated in any way). Look for sheets with very high threadcounts. Like 600. You'll see em all the way up to 1000. Not 300. Aim for around $100 reduced from $300 and up. In the 500 or 600 threadcount variety, plain white is fine. Make sure pillow cases are included.

 

This is one very inexpensive investment that can offset a whole lot of questionable purchases. I don't have a wife, but I do have a girlfriend.

 

Mac

I decided some time back to wear really cheap clothes, drive a boring vehicle, watch a lousy tv, eat at home more and seldom out, stop paying two figures for wine except on special occaisions, and own some nice camera and fly fishing gear. I look like hell, get headaches from the cheap wine, don't watch much tv, but I'm a better cook and catch more fish and good photos.

 

A better photographer than me can make better pictures than I can with cheaper equimpment. Me, I need all the help I can get. I don't care so much about the camera body so long as it works, but the lenses need to be sharp.

 

Ya, I own that one. And an 80-200 2.8. And a 12-24 dx.

 

I think my 24-85 needs upgrading. I'm just waiting for a good run of sales at the supermarket. Meat Bonanza is the ticket (that's real).

 

Oh, and I don't have a wife.

 

Mac

found a low grade scan of this shot. No critiques please, there honestly was some shadow detail! But might give you an idea of the perspective from here. Can't remember what time of year this was so dunno exactly where the sun will be.

I'd aim for Tower Bridge (the big disneyland looking one, not to be confused with London Bridge which is just upstream and fairly plain looking). Cross to the right bank of the river (if you were floating downstream, your right side) and head down river by all the restaurants at Butlers Wharf. There is (or was a few years ago) a pink building just across a footbridge about a five minute walk down. I used to live in the apartment in the middle and one floor up. My best sunrise shot ever was from that balcony looking downriver (Only one Canary Wharf tower at that time). Rather than knocking on the door, just scout around there for a nice vantage point.

 

Alternatively, you might be able to get tower bridge into the photo by shooting from upstream of it.

 

I'd love to see the shot once it's done. Been four years since I lived there.

 

mac

I just drove over Santiam pass a couple days ago. The lava fields are covered in red foliage. If you are in the area and don't mind a bit of a drive, you might find some cool stuff up around 4000 feet.

 

By the way, I don't know my plants and trees. These were shrubs. I noticed some nice foliage along the N Santiam river as well.

 

Nothing really has turned yet on the Metolius, just over the pass.

One place to check locally is Costco. I'm aware of several drugs there that are 1/3 (and in one case less than 1/10) the price of Walgreens. It was absolutely mindblowing to me that this could be the case. But we've found they are cheaper than some canadian options and more convenient for us.

check out the viewfinder in the H1. Slap on a digital back, and away you go. May have to sell a few things (car, house, kids) but it's the next best thing to an upside down backwards piece of ground glass viewed under a cloth.

 

I'm kinda tired of cropping things I don't mean to with my D100.

 

Mac

I have owned one for about six months. My first LF camera. Shoot mostly landscapes with it, and have had some very nice results. But the lack of rear movements is a serious limitation for some types of shots. I ended up buying an inexpensive used monorail afterwards so I could fool around with a more flexible camera. But that one is too bulky to easily backpack with. I think the build quality is not great on that CF, especially the cheap tabs that hold the filmholder in place. They look like they could go at any minute. I've not had any noticable alignment problems (negatives sharp corner to corner when I get the focus right).

 

When you start adding up all the other equipment...a few lenses, filmholders, loupe, cloth, tripod, meter, etc, I think you'll find that an extra pound or two will not make as big a difference as you thought. That's just my experience.

 

If I had it to do over again, I would not have been so hasty in my purchase. I would go the used route next time with a more flexible and better built field camera. Or consider a slightly higher priced new model like those mentioned above.

 

That said, you can have a great deal of fun with the CF and it will allow you to take some very nice photos. I still use it over a much better built and expensive Hasselblad MF for a lot of things, which says something I guess.

 

mac

and at high noon (but with light filtered through the trees)...

Following this post I decided to get off my butt and shoot a sunrise/moonset type shot. Timing was perfect for what I was trying to do. Lots of effort to get out of bed, but only a short 5 min drive to make the shot. It turned out...well, ok. Nothing to get excited about.

 

One of my favorite shots, and certainly the most popular on photo.net was taken along a trail I walk every week. At high noon.

 

I think Ross has great advice there.

 

Mac

I've got a clock/weather unit that displays all that, along with moon stage rise and set, barometric pressure, temperature. Guarantees that I will feel badly for not getting up at o-dark-thirty when there is a full moon setting just as the sun is coming up.

 

Those tables are on a lot of weather websites. You won't have any problem finding them.

 

I suggest arriving with plenty of time to a spot you think might work, getting set up, and then reading a book. Patience is key. Having something else to do for a while can take the pressure off a little.

 

I find that I will find a spot, go back in "good" light, and then often return many times to improve upon the light, composition, etc.

 

Carrying a compass might be a good idea to help anticipate light direction.

 

Best approach probably depends a lot on how much time you have to shoot, how close you are to locations that you like, etc. I'm lucky, I live 20 minutes from a lot of good landscape ops. I'd have a different approach if I had to drive three hours every time I wanted a nice view.

 

Also, I'm just a novice. You should get some more informed answers shortly. And yes, RAW will give you lots of flexibility and better quality during the editing stage.