NO pixels

backyard creatures part 2

Pawel — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:12:40 +0000

I came to realization that the same exact shots presented as photos would be something completely different. There are frames in this video that I would have considered my very best macro shots if they were taken as stills. A video however needs to have a story and a flow. A bunch of very different unrelated shots put together as video doesn’t really work but as photos can create an interesting collection. Here it is, second part of my macro explorations (part 1 available here):

rain, spiders and other bugs in HD @100Mbit

Pawel — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:37:46 +0000

most first half of the video is shot @50Mbit that I thought was enough for my purposes. The second half is shot @100Mbit! The difference is huge! I’m surprised that my hacked GH1 has no problems with such high bit rate.

here is my “professional” setup with pink dolly, and lots of sticky tape

low tide fun

Pawel — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 08:29:15 +0000

weeeeee

Pawel — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:45:19 +0000

spring colours

Pawel — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:10:48 +0000

SD15 + lightroom workflow

Pawel — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:38:36 +0000

At the time I write this none of the Adobe products can properly read SD15 raw files. Luckily they support DP1s which is more or less the same hardware (AFE etc). With a fair bit of help from Roland and Arvo I came up with a way to convert SD15 files to a special DP1s format. By “special” I mean modified in a way that preserves highlights and gives good results in ACR. Most likely SPP will not read it properly. The current solution is set up for the daylight white balance (or similar).

here is a package that contains all you need:
http://nopixels.net/uploads/SD15_LR_hack.zip
you can use it to convert a single file or a whole folder:

>SD15_process_single.bat "c:\path\to\file\SDIM0343.X3F" >SD15_process_folder.bat "c:\path\to_folder"

Files converted that way have a whole bunch of information missing (like lens, iso etc) as I primarily focused on getting the image part working. I might fix it one day but I just hope that meantime we get proper support from Adobe and this is only intermediate solution.

I also built a profile based on converted file (using Macbeth chart and Adobe DNG Profile Editor). With the above method I only update RAW data and the color transformation matrices in the file are left from DP1s. They are close as the hardware is very similar but not exactly the same. The profile makes sure that all the colors are spot on.

here is the profile created for my SD15:
http://nopixels.net/uploads/SIGMA DP1S sd15 hack 002.dcp

and examples (left SD15 in lightroom, right hacked and profiled SD15 in lightroom):

More samples and history of this workflow:
http://nopixels.net/sd15-struggle
disclaimer:
While I make every effort to deliver high quality products, I do not guarantee that my products are free from defects. My software is provided “as is,” and you use the software at your own risk.

I make no warranties as to performance, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or any other warranties whether expressed or implied.

Under no circumstances shall I be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from the use, misuse, or inability to use this software, even if I have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

These exclusions and limitations may not apply in all jurisdictions. You may have additional rights and some of these limitations may not apply to you.

Aliens

Pawel — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 23:20:45 +0000

weeeee

Pawel — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 03:05:22 +0000

manual focus and a swing… wrong combination

(btw weird halo around the legs is natural)

pentax SMC 50mm 1.7

Pawel — Sun, 22 May 2011 10:51:07 +0000

I bought this lens on eBay a while ago for around $20 and had it just sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Finally time came for some DIY and after some modifications it fits my Sigma mount quite well. The first very pleasant surprise was to just look through the camera’s viewfinder, the picture is bright and clear. But quite often what we see through the viewfinder is not the same that ends up on a photo so I didn’t have high hopes (it is $20 lens, it cannot compare to my $1000 ones, right?). I didn’t want to waste time on usual boring tests, the weather was awesome so I just went outside and had some fun.
The lens is stunning! The sharpness, bokeh, even lens flare, everything. Wide open is unbelievably sharp, bokeh is simply beautiful. Just see for yourself. All pictures shot at f1.7.

bokeh:

lens flare:

sharpness:

The only problem is that it has a greenish colour cast. That could have been an issue in late 70 when the lens was actually manufactured but not now in digital era. I think it is my favorite lens at the moment, just love the results. I shoot using manual focus quite often anyway as it removes the need for re-framing the shot (check this post), the lens flare on glass without all the coats looks really cool and this bokeh is just unbeatable. And it is so sharp even wide open that it is hard to believe.

playing with 5D mkII and mushrooms

Pawel — Mon, 09 May 2011 07:08:01 +0000

Being Sigma user I quite often dream about switching to a camera with a larger sensor. Every now and then I look at some older photos shot on film and the DOF is just so much nicer there. So i took 5D mkII for a spin for a weekend. I was sure I would fell in love with it but at the and I have rather mixed feelings.
The camera is a pleasure to use and I took many more photos that I would have with my SD14. It is just too easy! But to be honest I expected better image quality. The amount of noise in the shadows is just staggering. Quite likely I didn’t use the camera in the most optimal way but still, ISO 100 even underexposured one f-stop should be noiseless.

On the other hand quite often Sigma users are raving about ‘film like’ quality of their photos, the best colors and so on. I was able to get the same look I’m used to from my Sigma with very simple corrections in lightroom. Cannot complain about 5D colors at all.

(click any image for more and larger photos)

croatia 1996

Pawel — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:21:05 +0000

many many years ago in europe…

last rays

Pawel — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:40:23 +0000

desert

Pawel — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:14:52 +0000

twilight

Pawel — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:22:13 +0000

innocence

Pawel — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:28:47 +0000

storm is coming

Pawel — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:19:11 +0000

central coast #2

Pawel — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:58:31 +0000

central coast #1

Pawel — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:08:25 +0000

bubbles!

Pawel — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 04:46:35 +0000

(very) blue mountains

Pawel — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 03:43:09 +0000

hanya blue

Pawel — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 10:54:32 +0000

some fun on a dark rainy day with a 500W work light.

coastal formations

Pawel — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 02:05:41 +0000

alien

Pawel — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:27:39 +0000

when it rains… moss is even nicer :-)

Pawel — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 05:34:17 +0000

moss+torch=macro

Pawel — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 10:19:01 +0000