Camera and photography thread

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Homer
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by Homer »

J.J.B. wrote:Regarding RAW vs JPEG, I tend to shoot in both. My Nikon D200 has the option to shoot both modes so I can use the JPEGs for 'quick and dirty' shoots where I need to just get some shots, but then if they don't come out quite right I will revert back to the RAW file for colour correction.
Once I started shooting RAW all the time, I shot RAW + JPG while traveling because my traveling computer didn't meet installation requirements for my RAW editing program. Then I remembered dcraw.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dcraw

RAW files contain a JPG so the camera can show what it just shot. dcraw extracts those JPGs. Fast. Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Two ways to use it. First is command line:
$ dcraw -e *.CR2
(or whatever the three letter file extension your camera manufacturer uses)

Second way is a program that calls dcraw. These range from simple to complex. Windows has RawDrop that works as simple as the name: drag & drop your RAW files on the open app and it spews JPGs into the same directory.

You'll save camera battery and get a higher frames per second by shooting RAW and extracting the JPGs later on your computer.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by Homer »

I've been spending too much time lately in hardware oriented camera forums. It's an unpleasant, but useful part of narrowing down the choices. But some participants have a sense of humor. They post comments that skewer the others, but the others are so narrowly focused they don't respond, probably thinking the post was off topic or the mumblings of a newbie. Two favorite examples.

Argument: Camera A has 5 thingies, so it's better than the new camera B with 3 thingies. (B is too new to have been reviewed yet)
Skewer: Would you rather have a flashlight (torch to you Brits) with 3 jumbo sized batteries or 5 little ones?

Question: My camera came with a kit zoom lens. What should I buy now, a 40mm or 50mm lens?
Responses: The 40 costs less, isn't as sharp, not as well built, but is a decent lens. The 50 costs 3 times as much, but it's outstanding in all aspects.
Skewer: Go out shooting with your zoom. At a site, limit yourself to 40mm for a while, then switch to 50mm. Repeat until you decide which focal length you like better, then buy it.

And it goes without saying that the most vocal forum participants have long lists of their current equipment in their sig block, while the item in question often doesn't appear in that list.
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J.J.B.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by J.J.B. »

What are you after?

Thanks to that ridiculous shot of all of the Canon gear that Getty took to the winter Olympics, I just put all my Nikon gear on fleabay and spent the proceeds on a new 70-200mm f2.8L IS II USM lens for my video camera. Hopefully soon (probably next year or when the missus doesn't notice) I can buy a nearly new 5D MkIII to go with it for stills.

I know precisely what you mean about the hardware forums, none of them is as friendly as this place!
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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J.J.B. wrote:What are you after?
A micro four thirds (m43) with an integrated viewfinder, current generation sensor and meets a long list of little features such as electronic level, +/- 3 EV for HDR, control camera through remote app, etc. Came down to the Panasonic GX-7 and Olympus omd em10. The Panny costs 10k thb more and it's in body image stabilization is substantially inferior, so the em10 won. I'll pick it up in Bangkok tomorrow.

The forum searching was mostly about prime lenses. M43 has some small, lightweight, fast, high quality and high cost glass. Before buying any primes, I'll get used to the camera and the two middling speed kit lenses it comes with, a 28-84mm f3.5-5.6 (that weights 93 grams!) and an 80-300mm f4-5.6 (35mm equivalent).
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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I just got back from a trip to the U.S. where I picked up that new Sony RX10 and even though it cost an arm and a leg I think I got it right for me. It has all the bells and whistles of an SLR along with that super light gathering zoom lens and the bigger (than other non interchangeable lens cameras) sensor the results are pretty impressive, even in "Auto" mode at the best jpeg resolution. It came with a small booklet that named all the parts and options, but did not really give any help in using them so I basiclly just used it in Auto and Scene mode on the holiday. Now I've found a detailed shooting advice manual for it online and I'll try to learn how to really use it.

So far, after 3 weeks of daily use, I'm very happy with the purchase.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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^ After a year and a half of using that camera in all kinds of situations and after learning how to use some of the more advanced features, I still whole heartedly recommend it for anyone wanting a really good camera that is not an SLR. I just got back from a vacation in New York City where it was pouring rain half the time and I was determined to get photos anyway. This baby performed flawlessly in poor light and I never protected it from the rain (manual says it's water resistant). It got drenched a few times and I just dried it off and kept shooting. There's a newer model out with only slight changes so the original release that I have can be bought at a considerable discount now.

Or you could try this pocket sized camera that supposedly replaces a complete DSLR kit with results supposedly just as good...

http://www.refinery29.com/2015/10/95328 ... mera#slide
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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Creative photography... don't try this in Thailand. :D

"This Photographer Threw Hot Tea Into Freezing Air. The Result Is Stunning."

Image

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tea ... lp00000592
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oakdale160
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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I have never had any problem DL photos from my point and shoot Nikon into my laptop. Attatch camera, click on camera icon all pics come up , select which I want to DL and bingo all done. Today I attatch camera, click on camera icon--all the previously loaded and not DLed pics come up but the new ones do not appear--Any ideas??
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by J.J.B. »

It's possible the camera has created a new folder, presuming the card was not full, for a reason best known to Nikon. Alternatively there could be a reason it is no longer providing you with the thumbnail images you see when you plug it in. It's worth taking the memory card out of the camera and plugging it in to your computer as a separate storage device, which will allow you to interrogate it fully with your file browser.

Camera software can put images in many weird and wonderful folder hierarchies so you're looking for a large folder of many MB that will most likely contain your misplaced files.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by oakdale160 »

I can plug the card from my camera directly into my laptop???
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by Nereus »

oakdale160 wrote:I can plug the card from my camera directly into my laptop???
You can if your Laptop has a SD card reader. Otherwise, you will need a USB card reader device. There are many different types, some good, some junk. Kingston make a good one that accepts 5 different types of SD cards, and is
USB 3 compliant.
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oakdale160
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Re: Camera and photography thread

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Thank you nereus. perhaps I'll go to the S'market next to B King they havea machine to make prints there, I'll try the card there first.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by Big Boy »

Can't you connect your camera via USB to your laptop? You should be able to interrogate your card just as easily that way.
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oakdale160
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by oakdale160 »

Thats what I do, I have a cable and attatch camera to USB port on LT. DL photos, but new one do not appear. Chech the camera, yes the new photos are in the camera.
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Re: Camera and photography thread

Post by oakdale160 »

BB -what do you mean by ' Interrogate" the card
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