asr

Technically speaking, there are two different types of X-ray machines at most airports; one to scan carry on luggage, and another to scan checked-in luggage. The X-ray machine that scans carry-on luggage is relatively of weak strength and is usually much less damaging to film/slides than is the one that scans checked-in luggage.

Also, FYI, you can buy X-ray proof bags to store your film/slides in when you travel. You should be able to find them at the relatively larger photo stores.

So I am now more decided about my trip!

It is going to start in the last few days of April, and go into mid-May. About 15-20 days in total.

My plan is basically the Goecha La trek, from Yuksom onwards (Yuksom->Dzongri->Thangshing->Samiti Lake->Goecha La->Lam Pokhari->Kasturi Odar->Labdang->Tashiding->Martam.)

However, my problem is that I have no trekking buddy and am alone So I'm looking around for trekking companies that do tours of 2-3 people, or independent guides that double up as porters.

My budget isn't too much, so I wonder if I should reach Gangtok and then start looking for independent guides? Does any of you have experience with this?

Anish,

Your question is perplexing to say the least.

Here I am wondering about making the switch from digital to film; and the only issue that seems to be still holding me back is the high cost of media (and processing, storing, archiving and scanning it, and storing it again).

One issue that I want to highlight is that with film, there is almost no post-processing to worry about - whatever hit the film is what it is and that was what it was able to capture.

With digital however, whatever hits the sensor is just plain unuseable, and is the beginning of a long drawn and ardous process - which people claim is versatile and flexible, but in reality it isn't.

You can't even change contrast and saturation and temperature without blowing out details and color, and once you start manipulating things in digital to bring the image to look like the way you think it should have been - we're already beginning with a shot that the hardware sensor found itself capable of shooting but worthless.

Take the example of color temperature - I doubt the color temperature slider in digital RAW software can achieve anything close to what a warming filter can do on a film camera. Here is a great example from Darwin Wiggett I would like to use:

Here's a shot without all the filters stacked: http://www.singh-ray.com/gallery/mpwiggettfbefore.jpg

And here it is with all the filters: http://www.singh-ray.com/gallery/mpwiggettf.jpg

That warm glow you see in those photographs - I doubt that can be achieved with the color temperature slider in digital.

I do agree that film is expensive and clumsy; but it's lightweight, doesn't need extra batteries in the field nor extra storage in the field, and works at almost all altitudes; and gives a first hand proof of what you really composed in the field.

Hi all,

I am interested in trekking in the Himalayas, especially the Indian part of

them, in the state of Sikkim. I am not a mountaineer, so I am not intending to

climb Mt. Kanchenjunga, but I would certainly be interested in doing a trek

beginning from Darjeeling upto Kanchenjunga Base Camp.

I would love to hear about your opinions on this matter. I would like to go with

a group of experienced hikers, and am looking for opinions from people who've

had prior experience with the trekking tour companies.

Being a landscape photographer, my primary interests lie in being able to shoot

as freely as I can during the treks. Otherwise I have no other hankering for

luxuries of any sort (I lived in India for 22 years) other than the standard 2-3

meals a day concept.

Specifically:

- which travel company did you do the trek with

- in which year, and which month(s)

- how much did it cost

- how large was the group?

- how many people were employed by the trekking company on the specific trek you

took?

- how would you rate your epxerience?

- which cameras did you use?

- any specific issues with batteries and charging them? (I am all digital)

- would you reccomend taking a second body even when going only to base camp?

Thanks in advance, and appreciate your responses.

Thanks,

Ashutosh

Thanks a lot for your responses! I appreciate your feedback very much.

I think I am going to settle for a normal multi-coated UV filter.

Thanks and regards, Ashutosh

Hi everyone,

I am looking to buy a good multi-coated UV slim filter for my Canon 10-22mm

lens. My issue is that I cannot tolerate any kind of vignetting, since I usually

work with the Cokin P filter holder (with two slot sawed off) and Grad ND filters.

I heard B+W makes a good slim UV filter, but I haven't been able to find it. I

would love to buy the Singh-Ray Hi-Lux filter, but unfortunately it is too

expensive, and shipping and customs make it even more so.

Can you suggest any?

Appreciate your feedback a lot,

Thanks and regards,

Ashutosh

Seven,

I doubt my account has been compromised, since there is no incentive for anyone to do so. One can just make a new account and start randomly rating anyone.

I genuinely think it is a forum software bug that un-intentionally gives ratings to the wrong photograph than the one you wished it did, if you went through the "Rate Recent" feature.

Hi everyone,

Sorry to raise this rather emotional topic again, but I have noticed something recently that I must bring to the attention of the site administrators.

(BTW, I am also one of the people who wonders about the anonymous low raters, and also how some of my allegedly decent photographs got really trashed, whereas other mediocre ones got quite high ratings.

I had also started a thread sometime ago in response to this issue; but have decided to move on and just take it FWIW.)

But, a few days ago, I was going through the list of photographs I had myself rated (I used to use the "Rate Recent" feature a lot before, which I almost never do now), and I was quite shocked from what I saw.

Apparently my ratings appear on photographs that I never ever rated! (with all due respect to the people who took those shots in the first place) (An example: http://www.photo.net/photo/3822807) How do I know this? Well, I had the habit of sometimes putting comments on the photographs I rated, and it turns out the comments I put don't make any sense at all!

I am guessing that my ratings got messed up by the software and went to completely different photographs than I was rating.

I can genuinely confirm that I was in a conscious state of mind when I was rating, and that I am not raising a bogus issue; because in some critique posts, I am talking about snow and there is no snow in the photograph (example: http://www.photo.net/photo/3825655)!

This could be the real result of things that go through the "Rate Recent" feature - it is jumbling up the ratings and might be the root cause of the low ratings issue.

Regards,

Ashutosh

Well, I think I might as well join the chorus about the low ratings issue. I am learning new photography techniques, and one of the ways for me to learn more is to post my photograph and see whether I made errors somewhere - where the opinion of others would come into picture.

However I don't seem to be getting many comments. Some comments are very good and encouraging, but most of the photographs go unnoticed. However they do get rated - and almost immediately after posting my photograph for a rating, I get these mysterious 3/3 and 4/4 type ratings without any comments, and from somebody I have no idea who or what.

This is very disturbing to me, and to some, it might even be quite demoralising. I personally don't think I am a great photographer at all. I am just learning new things from you guys on this website, and attempting to do better. However I don't really think my photographs would fall into a 3/3 rating. They surely aren't that bad.

I am baffled about these rating incidents. Is there indeed some bot that goes around randomly rating photographs with low ratings? Or is it some disgruntled visitor/subscriber? I do not know for sure.

But one issue for me remains is as to how do I get good critiques and ratings? Hopefully, these incidents would be noticed and solutions to it found. I would only wish these anonymous raters be more forthcoming with their comments and gripes when they do their ratings.

Regards,

Ashutosh

Thanks everybody for your responses.

I am also wondering about the possibility that my Sigma 18-50mm is a having issues. It certainly seems to take consistently softer photographs; a far cry from the reviews I was hearing about it before I bought it. The contrast is also a bit low than what the scene seems to be showing.

A good example would be this photograph of mine: http://www.photo.net/photo/3974805 It doesn't look too bad to me, but it is certainly soft. And the contrast is off. I remember the contrast being much higher that beautiful evening.

My current lens+filter setup is the SIGMA + Cokin UV filter 67mm + Singh-Ray ND filters and/or Singh-Ray plain circular polariser.

Can't believe any of these would add to the softness and contrast, but one never knows...

Regards,

Ashutosh

Hi everyone!

Let me introduce myself: I am a hobbyist landscape photographer always

wanting to improve and improvise. I currently own a Canon EOS-20D with

a Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC lens, with a Cokin filter holder, and

several Singh-Ray filters (mostly ND grads).

I initially purchased the Sigma lens to give me a good walkaround lens

for a reasonable price and good coverage mm. On my 20D it translates

to roughly 28-85mm.

It is indeed a good lens, but as you can tell from my photographs, I

do realise that it is more of a "portrait" lens than a landscape lens.

The focussing is quite good, but it does remain noticeably soft at the

corners at wide angle.

So now I am looking at other lenses I could buy. I also wonder how

reliable to Sigma reverse-engineering job would be, given the fact

that the lens contact signal codes aren't publicly published

standards.

Should I go for a pure Canon lens? I also wonder if I should bother

with getting a "EF-S" lens, since I think everybody might just switch

to full format sensors in a couple of years time.

I also want my lens to wide enough. 10-22mm Canon looked interesting.

The Canon 17-75 IS also is interesting, but unfortunately both are EF-

S lenses. What do PN members think about these lenses?

Any particular things I should be aware of when choosing a good

landscape lens?

Thanks for your time, and regards,

Ashutosh