Photography Chat

12:03 AM

anybody know an easy way to get exif data into a form such that it could be put in a DB, graphed, etc....something that takes a collection of photos and makes a csv or something

D. Lambert

1:14 AM

@rfusca I think ExifTool should get you close: sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool

Evan Krall

10:30 AM

hey @rfusca, here's a pentax k-x for $120

you could save yourself some big money on your switch =P

mattdm

1:35 PM

@EvanKrall Ha — big difference between "K-x" and "KX". :)

@DLambert Yeah. It can output in various useful formats, including tab-delimited and json.

rfusca

3:11 PM

@EvanKrall I see you're looking too, eh ;)

rfusca

5:45 PM

this guys macros are insane

flickr.com/photos/tanneryates

rfusca

7:49 PM

@jrista 2100 and midnight, very different lightwise in some places

jrista

8:21 PM

?

oh...

I thought it said 2400

or rather, I misinterpreted 2100 to be "midnight" rather than 9pm

0

A: In what situations should I use which lenses while traveling to Paris?

Choosing the right lens It looks like you have a pretty solid range of focal lengths covering everything from 11mm through 200mm. Not a bad set of lenses to work with. One thing that should be noted is that lugging around all that gear might get tiresome after a while, so you might want to think...

^--- I hope people can read this and understand where I am coming from when I argue about everyone debating what should and should not be allowed, what should and should not be on or off topic, etc.

When I come across a question like this, I instantly start thinking about how I can ANSWER it and HELP THE ASKER.

Then...I see the comments...debating whether it is a worthy question, whether it should simply be closed as a duplicate, whether it is actually off topic...or just sitting there musing about whether any of the answers will be useful.

I know EVERY single one of you who commented has more than enough skill to actually answer that question better than I did.

But none of you did.

rfusca

@jrista i agree...and I read your answer, and maybe thats what he was looking for...but it sounds like "tell me what to shoot on my vacation"

jrista

THAT is why I worry about our site.

@rfusca Who cares what it sounds like?

People are rarely articulate....most people have a hard time figuring out how to formulate a "perfect question"....rarely are people as perfectly spoken as an actor in a movie or on a TV show.

rfusca

@jrista Because if i'm interpreting the question like that, I can't answer it

and i'm not trying to nitpik

jrista

It is normal for people to fumble with words and come across in a different way than they intend.

rfusca

i REALLY feel like he was asking how to shoot around Paris and thats not something I can answer

jrista

8:28 PM

I don't see that

rfusca

so don't go attacking me and saying I could have answered the question when I really don't think I could

jrista

here is his actual question:

"I'm an amateur still learning everytime I use my camera so my question might sound basic but in what situation/landmarks should I use these lenses when in Paris? Also, any tips on using my new ultra wide angle lens would be appreciated."

I'm an amateur....

so, the guy doesn't know much, if anything

"What situations/landmarks should I use these lenses"

Thats not asking what to shoot...its asking how to know which lens to use when shooting around paris

"Any tips on using my new ultra-wide angle lens would be appreciated"

rfusca

@jrista right, and I don't know that...I can't tell him what landmarks in Paris you can shoot with what lens.....I don't know how close you can get to the Tower or what style of a photo he wants

jrista

Again, not asking "should I shoot the eiffel tower"...its "how do I effectively use my wide angle lens"

rfusca

no, thats a seperate question...he's got..."what lens do I shoot what landmark with?" basically and "how do I use my wide angle" - which was basically just asked

jrista

8:31 PM

@rfusca Sure you could. "You can use a wide angle lens to capture the full Eiffel Tower up close, stretching out to the sky above you, while still capturing its base"

I guess I don't see whats wrong with offering the guy something like that

is that really wrong?

to ask for an exemplar? and is it also wrong to actually offer a specific example of an actual use of his exact lens in an exact scenario?

rfusca

@jrista I don't think its wrong, but I certainly don't think its useful. You can stick nearly every landmark in place of the eiffel tower in your sentence

jrista

@rfusca well, I don't want to attack you. Sorry about that.

@rfusca sure, you could...but its just an examplar

and the guys isn't actually asking for you to tell him all the specific things he should shoot on his trip

thats just the dump humanish way he worded his question

rfusca

@jrista right, but you could then rephrase it..."you could get far back with a telephoto"...or "you could get medium close with a normal lens"...I just don't think thats helpful

jrista

well, you'll never actually know unless you offer up an answer and see his response

rfusca

@jrista thats just the way I read it...i wasn't trying to NOT help the guy...I just don't see how we can answer the question I thought he was trying to ask

jrista

8:34 PM

its not specifically you, btw

its a lot of people at this site

they see how questions can't be answered, rather than how they can be

rfusca

ya, but you pointed out the people who commented...which is me...so you were saying specifically me

jrista

sorry

I guess I'm not really sure I still belong here.

Seems the community wants to take a different direction than I do.

Maybe its time I moved on.

rfusca

i think you do, i think you're helping keeping the community from skewing off to far in that direction personally

jrista

hmm

rfusca

thats why the SE is what it is...there are so many different people that just because I read the Q one way and didn't think it was answerable doesn't dictate that its closed....somebody else (you) thought it was ok and answered it. Thats the beauty of the system and why we still need dissent among the ranks to keep things moving

jrista

8:40 PM

8

A: How do I take a portrait at night with detail in the background instead of just blackness?

Ok, so I totally misread the question. Bulb mode, get your exposure right for the stars behind. Once you have this, set the shutter open for the required time, put the lens cap on / something over the lens (you'll have to count the time, the shutter needs to stay open). Have your girlfriend sta...

Thats an interesting technique....bulb mode, cap, position person, flash

rfusca

ya, jam and I talked about it at length here in chat

jrista

@rfusca Yeah, thats a good point.

@rfusca Did you guys design the technique here in chat??

rfusca

personally, I'm glad that everybody doesn't agree all the time. And that @mattdm brings up way he thinks it can be improved (even when he's shot down). It keeps it moving and not stagnant

@jrista heavens no

its an old technique

jrista

oh

I was going to say, WIN ONE for PhotoSE!

rfusca

usually you put a hat over the lens instead of a lens cap though

lol

jrista

8:42 PM

lol

so, how does that work exactly

with film, I would figure the film would simply maintain its current exposure

but...with a digital sensor

does putting the cap on have any effect of reducing the exposure at all? or does it behave the same as film?

rfusca

its basically a multiple exposure...but you are going to get a ghost of a background through the person

jrista

oh....even with the flash?

rfusca

sure

just not much probably

jrista

interesting

rfusca

but it'd most certainly be better than a long exposure with the person standing there and then flash

the edges of the person would look fuzzy then

jrista

8:44 PM

yeah

that would make a great answer to some of those double-exposure/multi-exposure with digital questions we got in the past

rfusca

hmm, i dont think i've seen those

jrista

they are rather old

maybe even from the beta days

lol

"Attention,

This is Mr.Timothy Rogers,I write to confirm if you receive my first email about your late uncle's fund of US$27,846.00.19 Million Dollars in the bank?

Return back to me by fax: +44-704-308-5388
"

$27,846.00.19 million dollars

love that

rfusca

lol

jrista

lol

rfusca

man, i just can't find anybody whose used one of those mirror lenses for astro work...i wanna try, but I don't want to waste $100 either

its not like I've heard 'dont' - i just can't find anything

jrista

8:50 PM

hmm

rfusca

i've seen at least one example where it looks sharp enough

flickr.com/photos/sudheeras/4021721122/in/photostream

and funky bokeh isn't an issue, neither is the aperture or manual focus

jrista

forums.dpreview.com/forums/…

rfusca

the compactness of it certainly makes it nice for balancing reasons

'image missing' lol

jrista

yeah, sadly

its whats after the image thats helpful, though

namely:

"Second, it is very difficult to get an accurate focus with these lenses, especially when you are trying to focus on a star or planet that is barely visible in the viewfinder. However, I think this can be overcome with practice, and the short exposure shots actually looked like focus was pretty close, if not dead on."

that may not really be a special case

its pretty difficult to focus with any lens in total darkness

rfusca

yup

focus in astro is difficult regardless

and i can crank up the iso to test if need be

esp since i'm pretty sure i'm gonna get a k5

jrista

8:55 PM

nice :D

rfusca

yup

jrista

I don't think there is a better low-light performer on the market

rfusca

nope, i think d7000 is closest

jrista

better?

or just close?

rfusca

i think just very close

i think i'm gonna get that and just a 40mm limited - got the ok from the wife to spend a lil' since its just a seriously good upgrade

and then i'll try to pickup a few manual lenses for cheap until I can save up for 'the good stuff'

jrista

8:58 PM

what a wonderful wife :)

rfusca

that she is

jrista

So on these pages:

dxomark.com/index.php/en/Camera-Sensor/All-tested-sensors/…

dxomark.com/index.php/en/Camera-Sensor/All-tested-sensors/Nikon/…

The scale in Full SNR is logarithmic

and the K-5 is a fair ways below the 0.01% mark

where as the D7000 is right at the 0.01% mark

If I ever switched, I would probably chose pentax

rfusca

Ya, i was reading an article earlier....apparently Pentax pioneered most of the features of SLR's we're used to. Basic layout, TTL metering, autofocus, etc...they just feel behind once it went digital

been trying to catchup, but they're still doing some crazy things in advancing though. Like they're really doing neat stuff with the ability to move the sensor.

Not just the IS in body, but the astro tracking, auto horizon leveling, fine adjustments for macro work, etc

their IS even apparently compensates up/down,left/right, and rotational

jrista

auto horizon leveling

and macro adjustments

wow

how does that work?

rfusca

ya, in a landscape, if you get your horizon close to level but not quite, the sensor will rotate slightly to adjust (if you have it enabled)

jrista

9:07 PM

the macro adjustments I mean

thats basically another way to focus for macro work, right?

or am I thinking about it wrong

rfusca

macro adjustments - you can nudge the sensor a bit in each direction to change the framing slightly...kinda light a mini shift lens

jrista

does the sensor move perpendicular to the plane of focus for the macro work?

ooh, so its still planar shifting, not fully three-dimensional shifting

rfusca

ya, i believe

jrista

I'd love to have super-fine control over macro focus

rfusca

ya, not quite as awesome as you were hoping

jrista

9:08 PM

if I could move the sensor forward and backward by say 1/10th of a mm at a time

rfusca

i'd love to see exposure bracketing as a feature

jrista

that would be awesome

?

rfusca

err

focus bracketing

jrista

lol?

rfusca

:P

jrista

9:09 PM

AH! Yeah, THAT would ROCK!

rfusca

you could do that pretty simply with tethering though for macro work

for camera that support tethered focus control

jrista

are there any cameras that support tethered live view?

rfusca

or you could build a lil' motor rig to turn the focus ring

jrista

I've always wanted to get a touch netbook or tablet

tether my camera to it

rfusca

don't nearly all canon's support a tethered live view?

jrista

9:11 PM

and use the much larger screen on the pad to compose and focus

er, no

most support tethering

rfusca

ya, i had to replace my laptop and bought a netbook so that in the field tethering was a option

jrista

but thats just piping the photos directly to a computer

rfusca

oh, hmm ic

jrista

tethered live view is something I've not seen yet

on any camera

rfusca

its possible, i've seen it in demonstrations online

jrista

9:12 PM

do you know which cameras?

rfusca

not off the top of my head

jrista

oh...actually...I guess the 5D II supports it...

or does, but there isn't any software that supports it...or something like that

rfusca

looks like pretty much every Pentax supports it with pk_tether

"Preview on large color corrected monitors"

jrista

nice

I wonder if that would make it easier to focus astrophoto shots

hmm

rfusca

possibly

jrista

9:17 PM

an "amplification" mode would be really handy for night shots

configure the software to digitally amplify the liveview image, showing enough features so you can focus

rfusca

there are astro focusing programs that download a series of shots at different focuses and then tell you which was the most in focus- but its hard to get back to that point

jrista

yeah

rfusca

which i finish my rig, i'm going to cut out a Bahitov focusing mask

jrista

?

rfusca

uses a diffraction pattern to help show whether a point light source is in focus

jrista

9:19 PM

ah

so is it like a perforated plate?

rfusca

Bahtinov mask

The Bahtinov mask is a device used to accurately focus astronomical telescopes. It is named after its inventor Pavel Bahtinov. Accurate focusing of telescopes and astrographs is particularly of concern to those involved in astrophotography. The mask consists of three separate grids, positioned in such a way that the grids produce three angled diffraction spikes at the focal plane of the instrument for each bright image element (star). As the instrument's focus is changed the central spike appears to move from one side of the star to the other. In reality, all three spikes move but the ...

jrista

sweet

rfusca

yup

jrista

do they make them small enough to fit on a camera lens?

rfusca

a generator to make them here: astrojargon.net/MaskGen.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

just use that generator, print it out and use a xacto knife to cut it out

or send some money to @JayLancePhotography and maybe he'll cut one out with one of his 3 CNC machines ;)

jrista

9:22 PM

lol

rfusca

guy in my astro club did it- printed it out, traced it on to foam and cut a mask out of foam

his focus definitely improved afterwards

jrista

I could probably cut one out that would fit in my Lee filter system

rfusca

yup!

jrista

that would make it easy to mount and remove

rfusca

yup

jrista

9:25 PM

you get your tracking mount working yet?

rfusca

grumbles i accidentally soldered a 100k ohm resistor in a 10k spot on my last try and its too difficult where it is to remove. Trying again tonight prolly, I'm in no rush - I don't even have a camera right now...its still in the mail towards Adorama.

jrista

oh, how much is adorama giving you for selling your gear?

rfusca

took me like 3 hours to figure out that it was that though

they quoted over the phone around 70%, which is just under the craigslist ad and it would be super nice to get rid of all of it...so they asked to quote it in person and they would pay for the shipping and insurance to get it there

i'm hoping they'll keep that quote and I can get a lil' more out of them in a trade/store credit towards a k-5

we'll just have to see. It'll be towards the end of next week before I know for sure

it's killing me lol

jrista

lol

I bet

good idea about store credit though

rfusca

ya

jrista

9:31 PM

its all win-win for adorama at that point