Some new thoughts on computer performance and use of resources by PDCU :

In the Mini Guide I made some observations based on my own experience of computer performance when using PDCU 4. I said that my machine ran hot and was sluggish generally when working on images in PDCU, but not in other editing programs.

I have now upgraded and moved my image catalogue and editing programs to a shiny new laptop, which has nearly twice the CPU power and more than twice the installed RAM. This has in fact really transformed the experience of working with PDCU 4 - all aspects of operating in the program have become quicker and more responsive, especially the immediacy of slider inputs and preview updating.

This has the effect of making it much easier to experiment with adjustments back and forth and see the results faster, so I am actually able to achieve better results and output rendered files more quickly, and so process more images in the same time!

So the message is, if you have a computer that is 3-4 or more years old and you have the performance issues I spoke of when using PDCU, then an upgrade may be the answer if it can be justified generally. I'm certainly glad I did as I am enjoying developing my shots in PDCU even more

Great Clarity! The 'dinosaur' hall is a great location, challenging to light up evenly, but you've done that beautifully.

My favourite is the 'hanging gardens of whales & dolphins', really because I know that mixed lighting here is tricky - I love the white balance and tones that you have struck.

The dramatic sky in the Parliament shot has great colour, but I see distracting grain - I wonder if a shot of strong noise reduction would be worthwhile?

Snow fell fairly thickly around the hills here last month, and I got a chance to get out and explore one fine day.

All shot on the K7 with 14mm (approx 21mm equiv on full frame), mostly f6.7 or f8.0, handheld with SR on. As usual initial development in PDCU followed by work in Sagelight 4 & PS Elements with Topaz DeNoise & Detail plugins.




































































There are two shots here that were developed initially in Photomatix Pro HDR software both from 5 individual braketed images. I'd be interested to know if they can be easily spotted!

Thanks for your comments. Nigel.

When we refer to 'IQ improvements', a lot of the emphasis, both on what people desire and what might be delivered, is on high ISO / low light performance (ie reduced noise at ever higher iso settings), which is obviously important to people.

As a photographer who only infrequently makes use of high iso settings (400 +), I am curious to know whether upgrading to a newer model (which boasts of improved high iso performance) would also offer any additional IQ at the low settings - I mean, would the sensor give more IQ to images shot at ISO 100 with the camera on a tripod?

I don't see sensor performance under these conditions referred to in discussions (or advertising) about new models.

Check out the 'Poster Prints' at FOTO.COM - they come in a range (most of my landscape ones are 90cm by 60cm) with black plastic 'hangers', sort of strips that grip the print along the top and bottom edges and hang on two small hooks from the top.

Have a look - you might be surprised at the prices for the sizes. All printed on Fujifilm archival paper - great quality.

Good point - I chose the K7 because it provides a number of key settings controls with actual physical levers & buttons rather than menu items. The tactile aspects are important , and I imagine this is the case with the flashgun settings as well.

Then there's the 50AF, which still has actual buttons I think. Maybe some of those will be going for a good price.

Thats the approach that this book takes - 'Understanding Flash Photography' by Bryan Peterson. Very readable with clearly illustrated examples. Sounds like I'll get this full manual functionality on a Metz unit.

I see they have a new one out - 52 AF with a touchscreen. Looks tempting!

TBH, with these modern lenses at the more average focal lengths, the distortions are not very apparent. You may find its not worth having them activated. They will slow down the rendering of the JPEG preview on the LCD screen when you're shooting, which can be annoying if you're working quickly and checking the LCD preview for feedback.

If you get it working try a few test shots with it on and off and have a close look - at 16mm you may see some effect, and the CA can pop up in many situations, so the correction may help.

Is your Jessops branch still open out there?

I've been doing some RAW conversions to TIFF on my K7 recently, so I've been using all the in camera parameters, including the lens corrections, and my only concern is with the distortion correction, which always seems to crop into the shot a bit too much. Have to be careful to allow a bit extra in the framing if planning on using this function.