bugmeister

Nicely done. Both good bits of kit to get going on the DSLR route.

+1 for not bothering. I often shoot fully manual, and with digital I estimate the settings, take  apicture, then check the histogram to make sure it's not too far out. +/- 1 stop is easy to adjust in RAW conversion although it's good to get it right to start with.

Now if you are shooting film  it's a different story because you don't have the option of immediate feedback

I didn't actually use it in it's previous incarnation apart from occasional viewing and I always thought it looked a bit scrappy.  This looks a bit better although as you say, currently quite slow.

Keeping a common theme as you have done really helps the images and there's some nice looking ones there, just from this reduced image

Greetings from another recently accepted inmate

They are a nice friendly bunch around here

Nice choice Annie and a cracking character portrait by Fuzzy. Well done you

Basically everything is stored by year-month-date as raw files and I have a spreadsheet that I record where I shot on any date and if it was a special event.

The processed files I normally add a tag to the file information which gives the subject, location and/or event, which allows searching in Windows.

I must be doing something right because I can normally find any particular subject or location in  few minutes, and I have something like 80,000 photos on my drives (all backed up to multiple externals, and the RAW files also backed up to DVD)

stream

They are spectacular and that is understating things somewhat.

They do show the great results you can get by stacking multiple shots but that is difficult outside a studio or static setup and the purist in me doesn't like the idea of putting a bug in crocodile clips to keep it stationary (unless it's already dead).

On the other hand some of the others in that forum are in the wild and they are still fantastic.

Thanks again everyone

They are a good set and give a nice sense of the atmosphere.

Pic #1, is for me the one I return to as the best of the bunch.

Oh WOW   thank you so much

This is a fascinating insight, both into the lifestyle that you have and the fabulous flora and fauna around you. Please don't stop.

I don't think you can tell the camera to convert after recording the RAW.

Some cameras will allow you to record both but essentially a camera jpg is the camera converting the raw data that hits the sensor instead of just recording it to the card.

The amount and type/method of processing applied is very much down to what the camera maker thinks is right for the situation or according to the settings you have chosen before taking the shot.

If you are confident in the lighting and other conditions and know how your camera behaves or has been set up, then jpg can save a lot of time in post processing but I tend to use RAW about 95% of the time just for the latitude I get with respect to exposure pushing or recovery.

Also, any sharpening I apply is done in PP so I choose how much gets applied instead of the camera deciding which would mean I couldn't reduce it (for example)

With a digital camera, the ISO is a measure of the sensitivity of the sensor and is increased or decreased by changing the electrical charge applied to it. The higher the charge, the more sensitive the sensor.

Sensors in different cameras behave a bit differently and have a native range which is described by the manufacturers as the usable range (yeah right), and normally the low-end is 100 or even 200 ISO, using ISO 50 is possble on some and for landscape work it's often worth trying, although it does mean you will have slower shutter speeds and if anything moves like a person, car or even a cloud, you may get blurring.

The extra quality comes from the lower charge applied to the sensor, as opposed to raising the charge for higher sensitivity which will also increase the noise evident in the picture. Again different sensors behave differently. I had one camera where ISO800 was unusable because of noise, but with my current one I have used ISO3200 at a wedding with good results

So yes, in theory ISO50 would give you the best quality, but you also need to consider the shutter speed (maybe a tripod needed) and aperture, since a low sensitivity sensor may make the camera select a wide aperture with the accompanying shallow depth of field.

I just found this,and it was a compelling account of the natural effects and more especially the personal effects of the fires that break out in such dry areas.

Thank you for writing it and showing the pictures.

You're on the verge of making me bury my head in the sand, Bugmeister No offence, I don't claim to be anything other than a 'happy snapper'.

Phooie, that's a term that sounds a bit self-derogatory but I always interpret it literally just as someone who enjoys photography, which is why we do it

Stunning pictures indeed!

and I had the nerve to think I could take a decent macro shot.

There is a reference on the ebay page to 'mediachance' and their HDR software looks to be about $59 for the high end and $39 for the 'quick' version.

This being sold for £7.99 sounds  a bit iffy to me

Wow, what a warm welcome! Thanks very much indeed.

Good morning and welcome.....and if Annie recommended you then I suggest you find a new friend as she is a very strange young lady!!!

It was indeed and Annie seemed quite normal to me.....   

oh dear...   does that mean I'm strange as well? 

Hi Martyn, I only just joined as well and they seem a very friendly bunch.

You have now entered the slippery slope of never seeing things the same as the people around you and wanting to capture what you see

Welcome

Hello, I hope you have a camera, preferably a Panasonic, they are the ones that produce good pictures, just stirring the pot.

Sorry, no Panasonics

Just a couple of kodaks (1940s/50s?) a little Nikon point-and-hope as a pocket camera, and a few Canons from budget 35mm up to a four year old dslr.

I'd echo the comments about using a zoom lens, whichever you go for.  The main reason is not to change lenses in the humidity which you're more likely to want to do with fixed length.

Greetings peoples,

Just signed up and Phil tells me I should say hello so....

hellooooooooooooo  

You can blame one of the existing members for me being here. I was emphatically told that this is just about the friendliest place around so here I am.

I shoot just about anything that moves (or doesn't) from the large to the very small.