If you shoot in JPEG, aren't you setting yourself up for failure? You will most certainly have to save as JPEG again.
Storing as TIFF doesn't add any benefit unless you're storing in-progress works where you may need to save multiple times.

Other than the conversion time, that scenario is identical to shooting in RAW then converting directly to JPEG. Perhaps worse, because you allowed the camera to process the image. SilkyPix probably could have done more for the original JPEG image and produce a better initial JPEG from which to do further work.


Although I do agree that you should consider converting to TIFF (or other loss-less format) if you think you'll be doing more work and saving again.

One extra save in JPEG using maximum quality is really going to loose very little - depending on the image. I'm not sure it always warrants the extra effort to avoid JPEG at all costs.

Depending on want you consider "the end", and depending on your "need for image quality", your method may be quite acceptable.

Although technically if you save to JPEG from SilkyPix, load into PhotoPaint/PhotoShop to do modifications, the save again... you are saving JPEG twice which will exaggerate the amount of loss from the original.
But if you only save the one time, the loss is probably not noticeable. (again, depending on photo and how good your eyes or audience's eyes are.)

If you plan to do more complex changes like layering with gradient transparency can cause major degradation very quickly. You may even need to save in 16bit TIFF if you foresee such modifications.
Hopefully mods such as levels/curves adjustments would be a minimum and handled in SilkyPix ahead of time.

Personally, I save to JPEG, unless I see a need to do otherwise.

No clouds, just poor quality lens.

Funny,the clouds parted, and clear skies remain. Getting some "nice" shots... for now... Unfortunately the lens is so soft the results will likely be rather disappointing. Might as well be behind clouds.

Oh well, maybe I'll have a better lens for the next eclipse in 2010.
Of course, cant quite justify a great 300mm+ lens for one use every three years.


This is what I've got so far. The single images were not great by any stretch, but thought they may be OK if I keep it small and make a composite. (OK, really small!)

[Edit]
Here's what I've got. Not too bad...

Would love to, but the snow came in today and clouds with it. Skies have been clear for past week and a half... until today.
Actually moon poked out briefly, and I realized how BAD my zoom lens is. Cannot focus worth a darn.
Well, if I get anything I'll post anyway, just for the humor of it all. Argh...

Ah, sorry... anything over 1/125 gives a black bar at the bottom (shutter too fast for the remote flash sync). On one channel I can get up to 1/160.
I cannot get 1/180 without the bottom of the frame being clipped.
Obviously, I do not have this problem otherwise. It is only when using the Cactus V2s remote that I have the problem.

Anyone have the Cactus V2s wireless flash trigger and getting sync speed of 1/180 to work on a K10D? (I am quite sure I remember the subject being been brought up quite a lot but I only found a few posts here. So sorry if redundant...)

I've been reading a bit on the web and it seems some people even get 1/500, but I'm finding that hard to believe.
I put in new a battery but the results are the same. On three of the four channels I get a max 1/125, but on one channel I can get a clean 1/160.

Probably fine for most uses, but still find it disturbing that I can't use the X-sync speed of 1/180. Other than that, I'm quite happy with my $35.

Th built-in wireless flash is nice, but to have absolutely no additional light from the camera is nice too. And no more sticking a huge dumb (non-PTTL) flash on the camera for firing strobes is even better!

Is the main problem that the remote does not cause AutoFocus? Or that the camera does not focus where you expect?

There is an option to turn on/off AutoFocus on remote - [C Custom Setting] Menu. Make sure that is on.

[Edit]
I guess that is also what Classvino referred to, but I misread the first time around...

I like the last two most. The tighter crop helps.
Especially with the horizon being so close to the middle on most of the images, the tighter crop shows more strong lines across the through th image that break up scene more and I don't tend to focus on the centered horizon.
The tree also takes more of the area, so the sky does not compete so much with the lower half where the tree was otherwise hidden.

I have a hard time deciding between the color and B&W. Something isn't quite catchy enough in the B&W, but I'm not sure what it is.

I thought the same thing, but it takes along time to load.
Almost two minutes for me before the entire image was done.

If the flash is like the Pentax flashes, when the wide angle panel is down, the head inside the flash focuses for widest angle regardless of your lens's focal length. The diffuser plate just adds to the effect.

The camera is going to adjust exposure Dependant on the amount and coverage of light. With PTTL, the entire frame is used for metering the amount of flash used, so flash coverage plays a role.

I personally have found most of my images are slightly underexposed (K10D with Pentax 360 or 540 flashes). I often jack up the flash by .7 or 1 stop.

It could be that the camera gets less light from the flash and compensates more. PTTL isn't perfect and I have not found it to be very consistent...
Take the same scene with camera on a tripod. Adjusting ONLY the aperture, the flash and camera should adjust to get very similar exposures. Yet you will likely find that for each stop or two of aperture each frame may be off by half a stop or more.

If you're not using a controlled scene with a tripod, it will be difficult to tell if your exposure is caused by the flash or by environment.

Even the slightest movement of the camera can cause radically different exposures depending on the scene. A bright reflection, or someone standing and shifting/leaning by half an inch could greatly affect your exposure.