Digital Imaging Thread :

Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 3423 Location: Hjørungavåg

The k-x is a very cheap camera. it should be ok in low light as it supposedly has a new stripped down version of the same sensor as the Nikons. But, it has bad battery life. And, limited lens selection (though in body IS). Hoya has said they are strongly considering dumping or closing the pentax line unless the k-x is a big seller. They currently have less than 4% total market share.

Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 2355 Location: UK

If that's so then I'm afraid Pentax literally just dug their own grave by announcing such a thing. No one in the right mind is going to buy a camera from a company considering such action - including me. Thank's for making me aware of it.

When we were discussing Samsung that time, I mentioned that I think they'll probably buy out Pentax. After this, it sounds even more likely.

Still, I reckon I know why Pentax might be in trouble. I reckon it's because they look like crap even though they're the opposite. I mean, even the font they use for their logo is extremely amateur. Not something you might associate with problems, but it's something that 'looks' cheap and will go some way to painting a wrong picture of the company.

People don't like 'cheap' where cameras are concerned.

Not only that, if what they say is true and they're wanting this camera to really sell, again, they've dug their own grave when they could have done the exact opposite.

Almost EVERYONE is whining about movie modes on ALL makes of DSLR, but have Pentax done something about it to make their camera stand out and sell?

Nope! Rolling Eyes

It would have sold by the shipload if they'd have given it fully manual movie mode. It makes you wonder how the people in charge of these companies ever got to the position they're in as decision makers. If Pentax are in trouble, it's because the decisions they've been making were the wrong decisions.

Ignoring 'manual movie' when just about everyone is crying out for it, is just another one of those "wrong" decisions.

Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 2355 Location: UK

PS: I forgot to say, I had a Lumix LX3 in my hands a few days ago.

Hell, what a classy piece of kit that is, very nice, very solid - even the buttons were engraved metal (and ALL accessories made from aluminium/leather/glass)! Unfortunately the movie mode didn't even have exposure lock so it was sadly out of the question. It's a shame as well because if the Lumix LX3 had the same movie functions as the Lumix FZ38 - I'd have bought it on the spot.

I already knew it was the best compact on the market, but when you actually 'feel' one you start to realise why the owners enthuse about it so much. It's fair to say it was the best quality construction I've ever seen in a compact camera, really nice.

It's got me thinking I should wait to see what the LX4 brings. If they'd added the FZ38's manual movie mode to it, it would be just too awesome for words - I mean serious 'Spore Tinglingly' epic awesomeness!

But yeah, if anyone is considering a 'pocketable' compact - Panasonic's Lumix LX3 is definately the cream.
http://www.panasonic.net/avc/lumix/compact/lx3/index.html

It's not fair, why couldn't it have exposure lock for movies? Sad

Hurry up LX4 - I'm curious!

Posted:Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:14 pm

Tonight was Halloween and our Jack' Lantern shone brightly to any who passed by. Unfortunately no "Trick or Treaters" but certainly I nice night for it with the nearly full-moon. Again I face the problem of choosing between a very dramatic (Fattal) and a more conventional (Mantiuk) tonemap. I am currently leaning towards the first because Halloween lends itself to spooky/unreal images. Please comment; and keep in mind that both have had extensive Photoshop work.

Posted:Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:12 am

Beamer - dramatic is the one. Less natural but more dramatic for the subject matter at hand.

Edit: The lower makes certain visitor of this forum think HDRI images always look washed out. Very Happy

Posted:Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:28 am

Was out shooting a few HDRI panos for Bryce IBL. I isolated this one and tone-mapped it separately for dramatic and later in the afternoon than it actually was. 8 exposures from 1/30 to 1/4000 seconds with f/16 and 200 ASA, using the 10.5 mm lens. Cropped for quadratic aspect ratio.

Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 2355 Location: UK

I see Horo's talking big-time peasant again Wink

Actually, these latest pics are enough to confirm what I'd always suspected. Basically, Horo's HDRI's look much nicer from a realism point of view, and Beamer's look much nicer from an artistic point of view.

If I'm totally honest, I think Beamer's 'non-artistic' ones look totally crap (including that one of the pumpkin). To me the bottom pumpkin looks the best, the top one looks crap because it's neither artistic or real.

However, on the other hand I think those 'intensely' artistic ones (like the canon) are something very worthy of learning. In fact, I intend to try and duplicate what Beamer' is doing as soon as I have time.

With Horo's stuff, like his last one, I think that's a nice one as far as looking real goes. I don't like it for being artistic, I like it for being efficient use of HDRI techniques where it is designed to look real, not artistic.

You both seem to have very different strong points where this HDRI lark is concerned Cool

Posted:Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:00 pm

Thank you, sir. In fact, the HDRI above might look natural but it isn't. The pano is more like it was: http://www.horo.ch/photos/hdri/html/hwasteland3_en.html - realism is in the eye of the beholder: what do you expect.

Posted:Mon Nov 02, 2009 12:40 am

pumeco wrote:

If I'm totally honest, I think Beamer's 'non-artistic' ones look totally crap (including that one of the pumpkin). To me the bottom pumpkin looks the best, the top one looks crap because it's neither artistic or real.

I do appreciate the honesty, but it seems we have extremely differing ideas about what looks artistic. I think you take artistic to mean visually pleasing. In this case the bottom one is better because it looks friendlier. However, I IMHO artistic doesn't always necessarily have to be pleasing. Some of the best art pieces are very disturbing by nature. Now I don't know how much you Brits know about Halloween, but over here it's a holiday to celebrate scary things (kind of odd I know). If this were a photo of a Christmas Tree, Fattal would inappropriately render an scary image of a comforting subject , but since this is Halloween I think a very unsettling tonemap is right a home in this situation.

pumeco wrote:

However, on the other hand I think those 'intensely' artistic ones (like the canon) are something very worthy of learning. In fact, I intend to try and duplicate what Beamer' is doing as soon as I have time.

Wow - poor peasant me has influenced The Impertinent Spore?! Shocked

Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 2355 Location: UK

Indeed you have, peasant - I really like what you did with the canon!

And actually, I owe you an apology - I didn't read your post properly Embarassed

I assumed the bottom picture was a normal photograph you'd put there to compare to the other one. I see now that the bottom picture (the one I liked) is actually a HDRI as well. That's a compliment because normally I don't like your HDRI's that you intend to look natural, but that one was so well done that I actually never even thought of it as HDRI.

Well done.

The top one still looks crap though, I hate that halo effect when it's so pronounced!

Funny thing as well, even those Lumix cameras I love so much have a halo that I notice when they record movies. In this case it is caused by oversharpening, it's horrible, and it's the only thing I don't like about Lumix cameras. You can switch it off with stills, but sadly, not with movies.

I dunno, maybe it's just me but I absolutely hate those bloody halo effects!

Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 2355 Location: UK

BTW, Horo, nice pano! Cool

Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 3423 Location: Hjørungavåg

Wow, your pumpkin looks just like this one I just stole.

Posted:Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:34 am

pumeco wrote:

BTW, Horo, nice pano! Cool

TUVM - and it gives nice neutral IBL ambient light. I have yet to use it in a scene.

Beamer - if I use local tone-mappers, I have the halo usually off. And I check the high contrast transitions. They can become quite ugly steps, which are only seen afterwards on the original size. I do like your first picture because it looks so ghastly. It fits the subject matter.

Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 2355 Location: UK

@Horo
What on earth does that mean - TUVM?

@Bjorn
Fancy stealing someones pumpkin, you peasant!

Still, I suppose it was Halloween after all. And I mean let's face it, if ever the kids needed a Halloween monster to go around with and scare the crap out of folk, they could always tie you up and remove the paper bag from your head.

I'm sure people wouldn't mind seeing you - not on Halloween Laughing

Come to think of it, can you imagine opening the door in the dark and finding Horo outside, staring at you?
Frackin' hell, imagine that Laughing

Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 3423 Location: Hjørungavåg

The image is not quite the same as Beamerped's. Since he had two very different versions of it, I fiddled with it and did a 3rd take on it.

On trick or treaters.... It is a fairly new thing here, but we get more of them here then we did in the states. Like 10 times as many! As far as kid safety and stuff, where I live is kinda like a trip back to "leave it to beaver" land (how's that for an obscure ref only those my age from and not from here are likely to get?). Kids just run outside and play. There is next to no danger of any kind. No one would hurt a kid. And a kid in trouble will get help from the nearest adult.

Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 2355 Location: UK

BjornLo wrote:

"leave it to beaver" land (how's that for an obscure ref only those my age from and not from here are likely to get?).

Yeah, any mention of the word "Beaver" where I come from means something totally different.

For the sake of keeping the forum PG, I'll not go into what it means.
All I will say is that it's referring to something that is indeed naturally furry, but they're not referring to an animal Wink

Posted:Mon Nov 02, 2009 1:03 pm

pumeco wrote:

@Horo What on earth does that mean - TUVM?

Thank You Very Much. Ever wrote telexes? No, you SMS guys probably don't even know what that is - or rather - was. 5 telexes fit into an analogue phone line. For a very long time the most reliable means of communication to just anywhere in the world. Of course, in the digital times, up to 8 digital phone lines fit into an analog one. There was a bit of progress in the meantime. Now CIP >bell< >bell< >bell<

Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 2355 Location: UK

Horo wrote:

pumeco wrote:

@Horo What on earth does that mean - TUVM?

Thank You Very Much. Ever wrote telexes? No, you SMS guys probably don't even know what that is - or rather - was.

Now listen here, peasant, I don't really have anyone to text. And, even Michele and Boekenwurrm haven't sent me any sexy texts for a while. I think I must be losing my sex appeal and I don't even know why!

Plus, there are advertisements on the telly every night. They keep showing these incredible babes with mobile phones and stuff. They keep smiling at me but not one of them has ever bothered to text me yet. I know they expect you to ring them first, but I'm hoping one of them will fancy me enough to make the first move.

There are a lot of these ad's on the telly.
They say things like "There is a Babe in your area wanting to do stuff" Very Happy

Unfortunately, they must all live in secret hidaways under the bloody ground - 'cause I've not seen one yet Confused

Joined: 24 Nov 2006 Posts: 398

pumeco wrote:

Now listen here, peasant, I don't really have anyone to text. And, even Michele and Boekenwurrm haven't sent me any sexy texts for a while. I think I must be losing my sex appeal and I don't even know why!

Ahhh plumy, it isn't you Twisted Evil

Well, maybe, but:

It is my new shiny plastic 50 mm tool.

...

Yes, buyed yesterday the canon 50 mm 1f/1.8 lens. I tried both lenses, but couldn't justify the price difference for me at this moment. I wanted a portrait lens for indoor and for family gartering, and I found the 1.8 perfect for me.
And I'm happy with it! All the comment about more creative photographing I tough that were exaggerated... I found myself agreeing with these people.

Not photographed anything worhfull of showing, but when the exams are over at the end of the week...

Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 3423 Location: Hjørungavåg

http://vimeo.com/7418830

Maybe the best DSLR video I have seen. Impressive!

You all know I diss the d90's video mode. The still image is probably the best this side of a full-frame. But this video is cool. Not only is it good artistically, it plays in to the d90's weaknesses in video and uses it to good effect.

Well worth 2 minutes.