All Forum Comments
Comment by MattMatic posted on Dull Day Photography at 15/02/2008 - 09:17
In Silkypix:
1) Get the white balance right. You can start by dropping down the list and choosing Auto - it's pretty good (but slow)
2) Choose Colour "Memory Color 2". This will give a good bit of zing.
3) Make sure that the histogram stretches all the way across. If it falls short of the right side, then increase the exposure compensation. If it falls short of the left, then adjust the "Black Point" in the contrast section. (Again, there is an Auto setting!)
NOTE: Silkypix DS also has complete "Tastes". Try pulling down the landscape, or fine street scenes. They may just do what you want automatically.
Also, check out my quick guide to Silkypix here
Matt
1) Get the white balance right. You can start by dropping down the list and choosing Auto - it's pretty good (but slow)
2) Choose Colour "Memory Color 2". This will give a good bit of zing.
3) Make sure that the histogram stretches all the way across. If it falls short of the right side, then increase the exposure compensation. If it falls short of the left, then adjust the "Black Point" in the contrast section. (Again, there is an Auto setting!)
NOTE: Silkypix DS also has complete "Tastes". Try pulling down the landscape, or fine street scenes. They may just do what you want automatically.
Also, check out my quick guide to Silkypix here
Matt
Comment by MattMatic posted on Dull Day Photography at 14/02/2008 - 13:50
Galoot,
I would have a go in a controlled test situation with the Focus Test Chart. My K10D was back focussing like mad (on all lenses) and it was especially noticeable at very wide apertures.
It doesn't back focus any more though I left a thread here about it...
(Very interesting that the K20D has complete control over focus - both overall and per lens.)
Matt
I would have a go in a controlled test situation with the Focus Test Chart. My K10D was back focussing like mad (on all lenses) and it was especially noticeable at very wide apertures.
It doesn't back focus any more though I left a thread here about it...
(Very interesting that the K20D has complete control over focus - both overall and per lens.)
Matt
Comment by MattMatic posted on Pentax A-50mm / f1:1.4 at 18/02/2008 - 09:54
Shooting wide open at f/1.4 (or even f/1.7) isn't the kind of thing you do for a landscape
Stepped down to f/4 or f/5.6 and the lens is astonishingly sharp (better than other lenses at f/8 - f/11 IMHO).
However, the situations that call for f/1.4 are particular and, as I said, you have to be super critical in your focussing. You have to be aware of the bokeh and "blooming" that can result, and put it to your advantage.
It is still possible that you have a dud... but I'm not so sure. I'll have to get out and compare the SMC-F 50/1.7 and SMC-F 50/1.4 with the kind of shots you have shown to see how they match up (but don't hold your breath... it could be a while before I get the chance!)
Matt
Stepped down to f/4 or f/5.6 and the lens is astonishingly sharp (better than other lenses at f/8 - f/11 IMHO).
However, the situations that call for f/1.4 are particular and, as I said, you have to be super critical in your focussing. You have to be aware of the bokeh and "blooming" that can result, and put it to your advantage.
It is still possible that you have a dud... but I'm not so sure. I'll have to get out and compare the SMC-F 50/1.7 and SMC-F 50/1.4 with the kind of shots you have shown to see how they match up (but don't hold your breath... it could be a while before I get the chance!)
Matt
Comment by MattMatic posted on Pentax A-50mm / f1:1.4 at 14/02/2008 - 09:02
Galoot,
Can't work out the f/1.4... but the DoF will be incredibly shallow. At 2m it is pretty unforgiving
Personally, I found I messed up the SMC-A a lot... turned out it was mostly because I was using the red dot as a focus aid. Doh! Should use the green octagon at the bottom of the viewfinder for focus confirmation.
When I got a portrait manually focussed with f/1.4 it was sharp, razor sharp, but with a DoF of a couple of mm (or so it seemed). No room for error!
I personally haven't tried taking landscape style shots at f/1.4.
It's a different beast, and takes a little getting used to, but the optics should be the same between the SMC-A and SMC-F/FA versions.
Hope that helps!
Matt
Can't work out the f/1.4... but the DoF will be incredibly shallow. At 2m it is pretty unforgiving
Personally, I found I messed up the SMC-A a lot... turned out it was mostly because I was using the red dot as a focus aid. Doh! Should use the green octagon at the bottom of the viewfinder for focus confirmation.
When I got a portrait manually focussed with f/1.4 it was sharp, razor sharp, but with a DoF of a couple of mm (or so it seemed). No room for error!
I personally haven't tried taking landscape style shots at f/1.4.
It's a different beast, and takes a little getting used to, but the optics should be the same between the SMC-A and SMC-F/FA versions.
Hope that helps!
Matt
Comment by MattMatic posted on Pentax A-50mm / f1:1.4 at 13/02/2008 - 21:39
Simon,
I've had a Photium site for several months. Haven't had a single enquiry or sale The hits are high though (probably because of being on here and on ePhotozine).
As has been said here before, there's no substitute for getting out and selling prints face to face And don't forget there are zillions of web sites and people advertising as "photographers"... somehow you have to be different from them all!
Matt
I've had a Photium site for several months. Haven't had a single enquiry or sale The hits are high though (probably because of being on here and on ePhotozine).
As has been said here before, there's no substitute for getting out and selling prints face to face And don't forget there are zillions of web sites and people advertising as "photographers"... somehow you have to be different from them all!
Matt
Comment by MattMatic posted on Advertising and selling photos at 13/02/2008 - 21:33
You did well for £50
Full = focus all the way from infinity to macro
Limit = either infinity to 1m (ish) or 1m to macro.
If you're using the lens as a fast telephoto, setting it to "Limit" will help with focus speed. It will hunt far less. If you have it on "Full" it will often go winging off to macro regions and take an age to focus.
(The Pentax SMC-F 100/2.8 macro has the same thing)
Matt
Full = focus all the way from infinity to macro
Limit = either infinity to 1m (ish) or 1m to macro.
If you're using the lens as a fast telephoto, setting it to "Limit" will help with focus speed. It will hunt far less. If you have it on "Full" it will often go winging off to macro regions and take an age to focus.
(The Pentax SMC-F 100/2.8 macro has the same thing)
Matt
Comment by MattMatic posted on ebay-itus at 13/02/2008 - 15:23
Clarky - use them in Wireless mode from the K10D pop-up
Ideally you could set up a long track bar with a flash at either end and the camera in the middle.
I've done this handheld with macro shots - held the AF360 with a Stofen. It's useful because you can position the AF360 further away than the lens, and you can gain some directional light too.
Matt
Ideally you could set up a long track bar with a flash at either end and the camera in the middle.
I've done this handheld with macro shots - held the AF360 with a Stofen. It's useful because you can position the AF360 further away than the lens, and you can gain some directional light too.
Matt
Comment by MattMatic posted on Macro Flash at 15/02/2008 - 13:31
Quote:
Does the sensor on the flash body not get used at all during P-TTL operation?
Jamie, P-TTL stands for Preflash Through The Lens metering Does the sensor on the flash body not get used at all during P-TTL operation?
The sensor on the flash is used for A mode and remote slave.
I've been trying to find out dimensions of the SB800 and 580EX to see which would fit the AF540 or AF360... might have to measure a friend's 580EX
Matt
Comment by MattMatic posted on Macro Flash at 13/02/2008 - 16:44
Quote:
I find it to be a total pain due to its location. Shows up in both Raw and JPEG, camera is an istDS.
FYI, Silkypix Developer Studio has excellent hot/stuck pixel removal algorithms. Saves a pile of editing in Photoshop I find it to be a total pain due to its location. Shows up in both Raw and JPEG, camera is an istDS.
Matt
Comment by MattMatic posted on Does your camera have any stuck pixels? at 26/03/2008 - 09:46
From the Silkypix manual:
This mode creates colors of such memory color or colors ordinary people want to see.
Although the directional character is different for each color, in short, saturation tends to be high, and the saturation level is higher than the "Standard color" mode.
This mode provides "beautiful color photo" for many scenes, but colors of some objects with high saturation such as flowers become too vivid and changed wrongly.
In such case, adjust with '4.10 Fine Color Controller', set lower saturation level or lower development gain to correct the color.
Memory color 1 performs the same color reproduction as "memory color 1" in the previous version of the software. Memory color 2 provides human-oriented touch of memory color with the new color reproduction technology "3-dimentional color mapping method."
Select the mode, as you like.
The film modes have different responses. They will probably bear a resemblance to Velvia, Provia, Agfa and Kodak films
You definitely have to play around and see what you like.
However, make sure your monitor is calibrated! There used to be an excellent free package called WiziWYG that would let you get approximately right. Something like a Pantone Huey or Spyder does the measurements for you. Without a calibrated monitor you could be making completely the wrong adjustments
Matt