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songtsen

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    What to do with old Power PC G5

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p><em>"... if you read the thread before posting, or used google, you'd know it's clearly possible." </em></p>

    <p>Garrison, I haven't been able to find anything on Google about using CS5 on a Pentium 3 PC. The guys on the seven forum you linked to earlier don't seem interested in running any programs (other than Windows Experience Index) on their older hardware.</p>

    <p>Please provide a link to a website or forum thread where someone has actually demonstrated that "it's clearly possible".</p>

    What to do with old Power PC G5

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Garrison said:<br>

    <em>"When it was beta and free, for giggles I loaded and ran Windows 7 on a P2 with 256 megs of ram." </em></p>

    <p>That's interesting. Microsoft specifies 1 GHz and 1 GB RAM as the minimum requirement for Windows 7. I think the fastest P2 processor was only 450 MHz.<br>

    <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/system-requirements.aspx">http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/system-requirements.aspx</a> </p>

    <p>Google tells me that someone did manage to install Windows 7 on a <strong>P2 (266 MHz) with 96 MB RAM</strong>. Wonder whether he managed to run any apps too. According to PC World, boot time for Windows 7 can be as much as <strong>17 minutes on a P3 system</strong>. </p>

    <p><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/166992/windows_7_hits_a_new_low.html">http://www.pcworld.com/article/166992/windows_7_hits_a_new_low.html</a><br>

    <em>"Although he didn't say how long it took him to install or boot the operating system, other forum users have chimed in and timed the installation for a Pentium III-based system at a low 17 continuous hours. And the boot time? 17 minutes."</em></p>

    Canon A590 IS

    in Mirrorless Digital Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Robert: Thanks for pointing out that DNG is a more convenient way to use CHDK. </p>

    <p>If I understand this correctly, the RAW files can be processed directly in rawtherapee or ufraw (but not in Lightroom or Photoshop). GIMP should be able to open the RAW files with the ufraw plugin installed. </p>

    <p>To use Photoshop or Lightroom, I would need to convert the RAW files to DNG using dng4ps, rawtherapee or ufraw. But CHDK can also save files in DNG format, so it would be simpler just to shoot in DNG instead. </p>

    <p>This is very interesting! </p>

    Canon A590 IS

    in Mirrorless Digital Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Andy: Thanks for sharing your experience with this camera. I found the manual controls on my old Olympus very helpful to preset exposure and focus and would definitely miss that with the newer models (A495 and 3100IS). I like the S95 for that reason (except for the rear dial). </p>

    <p>Bill: Thanks for the link to the interesting discussion. I hadn't realized the CHDK format only works with ufraw.</p>

    <p>Robert: Would the CHDK files open in GIMP (with ufraw)? I'm reasonably confortable with GIMP but haven't tried RawTherapee (which was referenced in Bill's link).'</p>

    <p> </p>

    Canon A590 IS

    in Mirrorless Digital Cameras

    Posted

    <p>I want to replace my Olympus C-4000 as my "SmartMedia" cards have started failing. I'm looking for a smaller camera with a similar feature set:</p>

    <p>- small size<br>

    - manual control over exposure and focus <br>

    - fast zoom lens (I really liked having a constant aperture f2.8 zoom on the Olympus)<br>

    - custom modes (to save at least 1 set of camera settings - the Olympus had 4)<br>

    - RAW format (missing on the Olympus)</p>

    <p>I've handled a few of the recent "high-end" compacts in a store and the Canon S95 seems about the right size. But I found the controls a bit fiddly (particularly the dial on the rear) and the lens is pretty slow beyond 50mm equivalent (f3.2 at 50mm equivalent, f4.9 at 105mm equivalent). I liked the Panasonic LX5 better but it seems just a bit too big to be a shirt-pocket camera (ditto for the Canon G12).</p>

    <p>I also found a Canon A590IS available "new" for the equivalent of $180 (US). Its lens is f2.6-5.5 (only slightly slower than the S95). It has a (tiny) viewfinder, runs on AA batteries, and can be CHDK-enabled to save RAW files. However, it's slightly dated (almost 3 years).</p>

    <p>I've read a couple of reviews online and it sounds like it must have been a good bargain back in 2008. Is it still a good option for casual shooting (family snapshots, random pictures of people on the street etc)? How do the CHDK-RAW files compare to native RAW files from a G or S series camera?</p>

    Smart Media cards

    in Mirrorless Digital Cameras

    Posted

    <p>I came across my old Olympus C-4000 in a drawer a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised to find that it makes (slightly) better pictures than I remember it doing when I put it away 3 years ago. I've been using it quite regularly since this discovery (?nostalgia). A couple of weeks ago, the camera suddenly froze half-way through a 128MB Smart Media card (after taking around 25 JPGs). The focus and flash indicator lights suddenly started blinking and the camera was completely unresponsive. Switching the camera off and on again didn't help but I was able to use it after changing to another 128MB card.</p>

    <p>I transferred the pictures from the first card to my laptop when I got home, formatted it in the camera and was able to take roughly the same number of pictures the next day before the camera froze up again. So I figured there must be a bad sector on the card.</p>

    <p>Surprisingly the same thing has now happened with the second card (just a few days later)! I don't think it's a problem with the camera because it's still working fine with card #3 (64MB).</p>

    <p>I found a couple of <a href="../olympus-camera-forum/00IrRM">old threads like this</a> about problems with Smart Media which were similar but not identical to my experience. Would certainly appreciate any suggestions about recovering these cards (if possible).</p>

    Best Main Prime Lens?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    <p>Vincent, I just had a look at the Flickr examples you provided. As others have suggested, you would probably be quite happy with a Sigma 30 f1.4 (or Canon 28 f1.8) although those pictures don't really require a fast prime. However, it sounds like your only other lens is the Canon 28-90mm which is a bit long for a standard zoom on a crop body.</p>

    <p>I think you may find a 17-50mm zoom lens more useful than a 'normal' prime as you could then experiment with wider angles than your 28-90mm lens provides. It would also be sharper and less prone to flare than your 28-90mm lens. You could even tape it to a different focal length every day to simulate a bag full of primes. :-) </p>

    Best Main Prime Lens?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    <p>Vincent, it might make it easier for us if you could provide a link to an example of the sort of picture you have in mind when you say that you would like to "do close ups and blur the background".</p>

    <p>By the way, an ultra wide angle lens may not be the best <em>single choice</em> for "Groups of people, portraits, close ups, landscapes, architecture, indoor."</p>

    Best Main Prime Lens?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    <p><em>"Groups of people, portraits, close ups, landscapes, architecture, indoor.... I would like to go for a prime because I like how I shoot with a prime... My zoom lens is not wide enough for me...and yes I believe it is 28-90mm..."</em></p>

    <p>So you're looking for a prime that is wider than 28mm. Canon has two general-purpose 24mm lenses (the third is a tilt-shift lens). The 24L is f1.4 and expensive (<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/590449-USA/Canon_2750B002_EF_24mm_f_1_4L_II.html">$1574</a>). The 24 2.8 is small (<a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_24mm_f_2_8#Specifications">67x48mm, 270g</a>) and affordable (<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12091-GREY/Canon_2506A002_Wide_Angle_EF_24mm.html">$319</a>) but has the same aperture as the Tamron (or Sigma) 17-50mm zoom lenses and restricts you to a single focal length.</p>

    <p>The Tamron is surprisingly compact (<a href="http://www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/prod/1750_diII_a016.asp">74x81mm, 430g</a>), inexpensive for a fast zoom (<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/423714-REG/Tamron_AF016C700_17_50mm_f_2_8_XR_Di.html">$459</a>) and gets good reviews:<br /> <a href="http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Tamron-17-50mm-f-2.8-XR-Di-II-Lens-Review.aspx">http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Tamron-17-50mm-f-2.8-XR-Di-II-Lens-Review.aspx</a> <br /> <a href="http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/289-tamron-af-17-50mm-f28-sp-xr-di-ii-ld-aspherical-if-canon-test-report--review">http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/289-tamron-af-17-50mm-f28-sp-xr-di-ii-ld-aspherical-if-canon-test-report--review</a></p>

    <p>There's also a VC version which is larger (<a href="http://www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/prod/1750_vc_b005.asp">79x94mm, 570g</a>) and costlier (<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/652136-USA/Tamron_AFB005C700_SP_AF_17_50mm_f_2_8.html">$649</a>) but has the advantage of image stabilization.</p>

    Best Main Prime Lens?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    <p><em>"I have a basic zoom lens (20mm-90mm I believe)..." </em></p>

    <p>i) Is that a <strong>28</strong>-90mm lens? </p>

    <p>ii) Re: the choice between a fast zoom and a prime, you may find <a href="../canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00P46V">this thread</a> helpful ... I settled on the Tamron at the time and added the 35 f2 later. </p>

    How do you relate posters to their portfolios?

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    <p><em>"how does it effect how your rate, interpret or otherwise gage their posts? " </em></p>

    <p>I started posting because I wanted <em>a cheep lense</em> and I had a question about <em>lense aperature</em>. It <em>effected</em> me to <em>gage</em> posts according to their content. However, a post by a dead Tibetan king without a portfolio is somewhat difficult to <em>gage</em>.</p>

    It's time for me to buy the camera

    in Beginner Questions

    Posted

    <p><a href="../beginner-photography-questions-forum/00XfeU">http://www.photo.net/beginner-photography-questions-forum/00XfeU</a>: <br>

    <em>"I have never had a camera of any kind but now I have decided to take up photography as a hobby. I want to make it a serious hobby and I am willing to devote time as well as money toward this hobby."</em> </p>

    <p>Canon 60D or Nikon D7000. With a kit zoom and/or a 35mm prime. A good tripod. Perhaps an external flash. Photoshop Elements 9. And a couple of good books. Assuming you already have a decent computer...</p>

    Talking to Ned Bunnell at the PhotoPlus Expo

    in Pentax

    Posted

    <p>Geoff wrote: <br>

    <em>"My guess is that Darwin was comparing 100 per cent crops from the 18 MP 7D against 100 per cent crops from a 12 MP rebel. That is simply comparing apples with oranges."</em></p>

    <p><a href="http://darwinwiggett.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/the-canon-7d/">http://darwinwiggett.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/the-canon-7d/</a><br /> <em>"Because each camera has a different number of pixels on the sensor it is difficult to do a direct apples-to-apples comparison but below are the <strong>100% views</strong> of the 7d files compared to the Rebel and Mark III files." </em></p>

    Which one? T1i or 20D?

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    <p><em>Ken wrote: </em><br>

    <em>"Do this: Sell ALL OF YOUR current EOS gear and <strong>buy exactly one body + one lens </strong>and love taking pictures:</em><br>

    <em>An <strong>EOS 7D with a 24-70 2.8L lens</strong>." </em><br>

    <em><br /></em><br>

    5D or 7D? Which one?</p>

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