marc p.

<p>Thank you all for your answers! I have / will checked the sites and get back to you.</p>

<p>Best<br>

Marc</p>

<p>Hi All<br>

I am looking for a wedding photographer for a celebration in Sevilla later this year. If you know any good one out there, any tips are welcome!</p>

<p>Thanks<br>

Marc</p>

John,

 

By DSLR responsiveness, I mostly mean for follow-up shots. I don't feel particularly limited by shutter lag - which is not substantially different from other compacts I have been using. But once you've taken one shot (I only shoot RAW which may not help - so cannot comment on JPEG) you need to wait a few seconds to take a second one. In the end it will depend on your shooting style: trigger happy people will find it painful but if you're into thinking pictures through before taking a shot, it's no issue, since the first shot will generally be the good one.

As to ISO, I have used up to 800 without thinking too much about it - no issues for me on that side.

 

Illka: "The lack of responsiveness of that camera is legendary etc."That's well chosen terminology, thank you for making my point. To clarify, here is Wikipedia on "legend":

 

Legend (Latin, legenda, "things to be read") is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and passive participants, includes no happenings that are outside the realm of "possibility", defined by a highly flexible set of parameters, which may include miracles that are perceived as actually having happened, within the specific tradition of indoctrination where the legend arises, and within which it may be transformed over time, in order to keep it fresh and vital, and realistic.

This post is meant for those who may be interested in purchasing Sigma's DP1 camera - but who may hesitating

given the bad press this camera has received.

 

A little background information: my job sends me everywhere around the world, and I had been travelling with a

Fuji F30 up to now - a great little camera which unfortunately neither offers the image quality I am looking

for, nor the level of control I want to have when making pictures. The other cameras I use (a whole range from

Nikon DSLRs to Medium Format RFs) are either too large to carry on business trips or too impractical to use for

the type of pictures I make on these trips.

 

After doing more than a bit of due diligence and despite all of the negative comments I have seen, I decided to

give a chance to what seemed like a nice concept, and I went to the store to check on the DP1. I thought it may

fit my needs for a smaller camera to fit in my briefcase to snap quality shots on all these weekends and nights I

spend away from home - when lugging around the heavy stuff is unfortunately not an option.

 

I took my chances and bought that camera based on a 5 minute in-store review. And I am thrilled. I finally found

something that fits most of my requirements, and I will happily be using it for most of my picture taking in the

coming year.

 

On the image quality side .... the clarity of the pictures the camera delivers is nothing short of amazing - a

step beyond the other digital cameras I have been using up to now. There is a quality to the pictures this sensor

produces which I had not quite seen before. You need to see those raw files full-size on screen to grasp what it

means. I am now eager to go back home to print them to see how it translates on paper.

 

As to camera / operations, I was indeed nicely surprised. After reading all the comments I was expecting

something catastrophic - the quick in-store experience showed me how wrong I had been. The camera certainly has

its limits: it does not have DSLR responsiveness - and its action camera capabilities are thus fairly

limited. That being said it's not as bad as people report it to be. This will of course depend on your point of

reference: I still use film rangefinders and I don't feel limited at all.

 

All in all a great camera - I highly encourage people to go and check it for themselves.

 

Marc

If you have not done so already, try to ask the question on wetpixel.com. I know at least a guy there who has(had?) one of these (Alex Mustard) and he may be able to help you source these.

 

Good luck!

Marc

Hi,

 

I recently moved to Belgium and need to get a Zeiss Ikon Nettar 518/2 cleaned up (sticky blades). Can

anyone recommend a place in Brussels, or nearby, where I can have this done properly?

 

Thanks!

Marc

The filter is actually 1.5

I'd say 2 to 3 stops.

Roger,

 

I have the strange feeling that the picture you are refering to here was taken by a view camera. I don't want to hurt anyones's feeling on the digital camera forum with this comment, but be aware that you should not expect to get this type of detail from a $1,500 digital camera.

Disgusting is a strong word ...

 

John, I think you can improve the sharpening process (it looks oversharpened to me - hence the noise) to make this picture on screen the excellent picture I am sure it is on paper.

 

Have you been happy with the Sigma 50-500?

Marty, I don't think it's very fair to compare the S1 to the S70. For a start, I would not call the S70 a pocketable camera at all.

 

You know, the good thing about free market is that you are free to make your own decisions and purchase whatever you want to purchase. If you believe that other brands fit your bill better, go ahead and make your purchase. I, for one, think that the Fuji F10 really kicks Canon equivalent cameras - we don't all have the same needs!

 

In the end, though, I don't see the point in putting any such posting on the Nikon forum. Or is that a troll?

Yet another vote for the Fuji F10. It really is a surprising camera!

Arkady,<br> <br>

 

You will find a review of the Sigma (although for Canon mount, but it should be the same optics) on luminous landscape: <br>

<br>

<a href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/sigma_14mm.shtml">click here to link </a><br>

<br>

Hope it helps,<br>

Marc

Nick,

 

Unless you're planning on staying shallower than 10 feet (end even then ...) I'd say you're setting yourself up for disappointing results.

 

A proper housing provides the comfort and safety that you need when diving with a camera - the waterproof clear bags provide a quick and dirty solution - which, IMHO, does not work very well (these bags squeeze around the camera and the lens as you go deeper until a point where they become useless - you just can't use the camera any more!).

 

More importantly, though, you will very quickly see the limits of not having the possibility of proper lighting underwater (at best past 10 feet without a dedicated strobe) - and the pictures will show strong blue cast and as such not really be usable. I have even taken pictures in pools that came up very disappointing for this reason.

 

Unfortunately, I am afraid that if you want to take U/W shots with your camera, it means spending the big dough ... (at least $1K for housing, $300 for good strobe support, and $800 for a strobe).

Nick,

 

A couple of articles on Luminous Landscape that compare the Sigma to the Canon equivalent - I know it does not compare to the Nikon - but the images of the Sigma should be a start for your evaluation.

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/14-vs-16.shtml

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/ultrawide.shtml

 

Cheers,

The Domke F-803 "Satchel bag" I think will be your Nirvana.

 

I used it for my Leica M equipment for years - and now I use it with D-70 for travelling. I just fit it in a bigger carry-on to be able to take a laptop, and other stuff on the side.

 

I regularly fit in the F-803 the D70 w/ 18-70, 50f1.4,and 60F2.8 in the main pocket (with separately purchase separators), all my cables in my of the side pocket, and additional stuff in the other side pockets (CF cards, bubble level, tripod plates, etc.). If you don't have the extra lenses, I am pretty sure the Ultrapod will fit.

 

I just LOVE that bag. Plus, it really does not look like a camera bag, which is great for travelling.

 

There is a picture on that site (not mine ...)

 

http://web.telia.com/~u32008343/domke.htm

 

Cheers,

Marc

Ellis,

 

Thank you very much for a very clear explanation. It worked!

 

Cheers,

Marc

I have a quick question regarding Nikon Capture: since I installed it

on my Mac, whenever I try to open a NEF file in PS CS, a small "Nikon

Capture style" window opens instead of the usual Camera Raw window.

 

Is there any way to revert to Camera Raw? I would like to be able to

use Nikon Capture when I want to (i.e., by opening my file in

Capture) and Camera Raw when I want to (i.e., by opening my NEF files

from the PS file browser).

 

Many thanks for letting me know,

Marc

For a good primer on sharpening techniques (at what stage, how much, etc.) I would recommend you take a look at the photokit sharpener website:

 

http://pixelgenius.com/sharpener/workflows.html

 

They have pretty good recommendation (all using their software, but you can generalise).

 

As to how much can you blow the D70 pictures, it all depends how far you'll be looking at them - and with what type of printer you are printing them.

 

I would say that whatever the distance, 14x11 should never be a problem - after that, you can always up-res if you need to print bigger (knowing that for anything bigger, you are bound to look more from a distance).

 

Cheers,

Juan,

 

If you're just starting, I would also take a look at the digital alternative. UW photography is a lot of trial and error and digital is very helpful in learning. Plus shedding a few thousand dollars on a decent housing is an investment, and you want to make sure film will be the media of choice for you before you decide to do that.

 

Check wetpixel.com for more relevant information on the subject. The Olympus 5050/5060 systems are favored by many (beginners, and more experienced people) for a lot of good reasons.

 

Renting is also a good alternative - just to check that this is something for you. I rented Nikonos and digital cameras for my first UW pictures, and it was really helpful in determining what I needed. Well worth the $100 or so I put into it (and negligible compared to the price of a full system anyway).

 

I caution you, however, that UW picture taking can put quite a load on any diver - and housed SLRs in particular are not recommended for divers with limited experience (in diving or UW picture taking). Fumbling with the controls of a bulky housing while making sure you do not pop up to the surface or kill decades of coral is just not a fun thing to do!

 

Good luck to you in your search -

Marc

 

PS: in regards leaks, there are specialized insurances for that. An average housed system, with dual strobe, is probably worth around $6,000 ($2,000 for the housing; $1,000 for the camera; $600 for each lens; $750 per strobe; the rest in miscellaneous accessories). I, for one, would not want to take it down there without being properly insured!<div></div>

I agree with Oliver when he says that even though your initial investment will be within budget (for camera and lens in less than average condition), the cost will be huge when you make additions to the system. I would not think about starting a hasselblad system for less than $1200 (500/back/80 CF) in any case. Also, you can of course do portraits with the 80, but you will probably quickly feel limited; for tighter crops, you'll need to add extension tubes (around $350 new per tube) or get other lenses, which means big bucks. I used to do most of my portrait work with a 120 makro lens, which cost me an arm and a leg.

 

Ask yourself if you need it for studio work, or if you'll want to travel with it as well. If it will be studio, definitely look at RB/RZ67, which you can always crop down to 6x6 if you want to (and which will definitely remain within your budget). If you think you'll travel, then take a look at pentax 67 - which will also offer you more real estate for the money than hasselblad and which you can also crop down to 6x6 at will.

 

Cheers,

Ditto what Mr. Ellis Vener says; I use the exact same workflow, starting from RAW, converted to psd (really the same as tif at this stage). I find that fine edge sharpening works best for landscapes in general.

Sherrie,

 

I shall add - let me know if you are interested in seeing the difference for yourself; I will be happy to send you a couple of pictures at different ISOs for you to judge (that is, if your mailbox can take full res pictures).

I see minimum difference between 200 and 400 (that is, I see a difference, but not one that I care too much about). I have taken portraits at 400 iso without noticing it - I would say though that more than noise, you loose a little bit in resolution of fine details (which may or may not be important for the type of portraits you make).

 

I generally do not hesitate to use ISO setting up to 640, at which stage I find noise starts to be part of the picture.

 

What I would say, though, is that this is a personal preference and some people may have a lower or higher tolerance for noise. I would also say that I believe we are today spoiled by the quality of the sensors and we tend to expect a lot from our cameras; the noise you get at 1600 iso on this camera is still much less distracting, IMHO, than the grain you were getting with 1600 iso film a few years ago.<div></div>

Olli,

 

Keep in mind that if you ever sell images from film to a stock agency, they will do the final scanning on a high end scanner, not you. You would most likely send them low res files of your portfolio for them to assess them, and then send them the negatives for scanning. So unless you want to print yourself, no need to dump big $ on the scanner.

 

As for the difference in quality, my take is if you are willing to make an investment such as a high end back for medium format, you should be able to try it before purchase. That would be the best way for you to determine quality and see if any system fits.