Tuesday, June 12, 2012
...the lost art of black and white
...I've never had much luck with black and white...I mean I see some great stuff, but MY stuff always looks like soft-serve grey scale...Yecch !... so, I recently shot some Hot Rods at the Good Guys event in Colorado this June...thought maybe, I would try converting some of the better shots into B/W, in the camera (yes, the K-01), using the Monochrome digital filter and sliders... the sliders allow a red, green, blue or infra-red filter to be applied to the grey scale...or something like that, as the only thing I'm certain of is that B/W is a science to itself... and the variations are continuous and never ending
...kind-of-snappy, huh ??? you decide... they are BOLD ! and will generate a lot of comment...hate mail can be sent to ronnie_b@comcast.net...but hey, you may like them...I do, and I think these, like the posterization pix shown earlier would make interesting wall art for some part of a home, but NOT the main living area... actually, these would do well on garage walls, as the Posterization pix are already lining the men's room ...enjoy !
...posterization, not pasteurization !
... so, I picked up the new Pentax K-01 mirrorless camera (I'll have a K-01 review upcoming)...it, like the Q, has the ability to apply a pre-process or a post-process to the image...in the camera, rather than having to use a computer based post processing image editor...that was a lot of words to say, "do it in the camera", Verge !
...the K-01 has an assortment of post-process digital filters that you can select, like monochrome, extract, toy, sketch, others, more others, and of course POSTERIZATION, which is not the same as Pasteurization... ...as it turns out, PS is actually a technical problem to be avoided by maintaining adequate bit depth...got it ??? but the interesting part is that the poster problem (PS) creates a bold, vibrant image, that in limited quantity you may like or hate...kind of like the K-01 itself... got it ?
...the K-01 has a plethora of these digital filters available...ALL with adjustable sliders that allow a true "custom" blend or layer of a final pix, to your taste... ...gimiky ? yeah maybe, novel ? somewhat, but bottom line, the option is YOURS, and the process is a breeze...all before you ever download the pix...neat-o !!!
...these pix were shot at the recent Good Guys Hot Rod Show in Colorado, then Posterization applied in camera... I think they would make good "framed wall art" for a man's office or a boy's room, or maybe a men's room, but I do believe they would generate a lot of attention, one way or the other, people will comment ! ...buckle-up-buck-o !
...the K-01 has an assortment of post-process digital filters that you can select, like monochrome, extract, toy, sketch, others, more others, and of course POSTERIZATION, which is not the same as Pasteurization... ...as it turns out, PS is actually a technical problem to be avoided by maintaining adequate bit depth...got it ??? but the interesting part is that the poster problem (PS) creates a bold, vibrant image, that in limited quantity you may like or hate...kind of like the K-01 itself... got it ?
...the K-01 has a plethora of these digital filters available...ALL with adjustable sliders that allow a true "custom" blend or layer of a final pix, to your taste... ...gimiky ? yeah maybe, novel ? somewhat, but bottom line, the option is YOURS, and the process is a breeze...all before you ever download the pix...neat-o !!!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Pentax Q ... the last straw !
in a previous post, I discussed the most maligned camera in today's market, the Pentax Q...I gave it a quick workout in the studio and discovered the Q was no laughing matter, in fact, the IQ was quite exceptional with the prime 8.5mm (50mm approx) f1.9 lens. And, the overall studio performance was really quite clever and enjoyable, it was a blast... but what about an outdoor shoot, c'mon, the Q does not not even have an EVF, or worse yet for the purists, a GVF...just a rear LCD panel that would have to be next to useless in an open sun venue.
...and speaking of SUN, Colorado has easily over 300 days of sunshine a year, ranked number 2 in skin cancer in the US...we are talking SUN in this state ! ...think I'm kidding, well for you fair haired folks, spend 30 minutes in direct sun here and you will rival a pink lobster in a look-a-like contest...nuff said !
so off I went to Leadville, a land from long ago in a far, far away place...yep, the sun was ready for me, so let's see if I can find that elusive straw, to break this camel's back...
Leadville is over 10,000 feet in elevation, they leave 'em where they lie...they eat there own dead. But I was ready, this time I had the Q with the Pentax 5~15mm (27mm ~ 82mm approx) f2.8 ~4.5 zoom. The 5~15 is a bit pricey at about $250 so I was expecting good to great results, thinking this performance should be just short of the 8.5mm prime lens. So, I began roaming the back streets looking for my usual prey. They were there... and waiting. The scuffle began, and the Q was up to the task. Even the dreaded bright sun was manageable. Not like looking through a VF, but manageable all the same.
I could not find the damn straw. The Q was a blast to shoot, just do a quick frame job and shoot away, nothing missed, even in the continuous sun. But DO remember to bring extra batteries, they go quickly. The ONLY camera I took to Leadville was the Q...a bit gutsy, but it is a solid performer ! I LIKE this machine !!!
Muy Bien to the Q !
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
...the Pentax Q, maligned or muy bien !
...I like reviews, there entertaining and just plain fun (thank you reviewers, let's catch a beer after work).
Recently I perused a number of Pentax Q reviews and quickly decided that this must be the most maligned current production camera in the market...so, I immediately ordered one... As, the one "quiet" thread I had noticed in the reviews was a brief mention of fun and competent, hmmm !
The Q arrived and was quickly un-corked. First off, the supplied lens was an 8.5mm (50mm approx.) f1.9. I mean, how bad could that be, as a 50mm prime lens seem to be quite fashionable these days, and oh yes, I believe Pentax has a reputation of making some outstanding glass. The lens is about the size of a ping-pong ball and maybe just a tad heavier.
Moving on to shooting functions I was surprised to find the Q had a ton of functional capability similar and or exceeding a majority of the dslr market, sweet ! Plus it had a couple of fresh show-ponies. This is were the fun comes in. Blur Control (BC). The Q has the ability to shoot a sequence of 3 immediate pictures at different focus points, it then combines them magically to create a background/foreground blur similar to a shallow DOF. This diminishes the lack of DOF associated with very small sensor cameras...interesting... another "fun" feature is the ability to apply digital filters either prior to or after exposure ...its' like an availability of 70 various combinations of these weird, wacky and or very useful filters, you slice'em, you dice'em ! ...
...I'm sure at this point you've noticed that I am not maligning this camera. I am Impress-o.
Is it, the one camera you could live with for all your day-today shooting...ummm, probably not, but maybe...say a sports-action camera...naw...how about an arctic expedition camera, nyet, well maybe a pro camera of comparable ability to canon 5d, ninski... but I rate this camera as Muy Bien ! ...as long as you are aware of the specialty nature of the beast...buyer beware, but I am well pleased and with the recent price adjustments to the $500 range with the 8.5mm lens, why not ?
I took the Q to the studio a few days ago and managed to snap off a few shots using a wireless trigger mounted to the hot shoe and triggering a couple of elinchromes and a background flash (the background flash could be a bit problematic). You be the judge, but I would say the Q did Muy Bien !
Recently I perused a number of Pentax Q reviews and quickly decided that this must be the most maligned current production camera in the market...so, I immediately ordered one... As, the one "quiet" thread I had noticed in the reviews was a brief mention of fun and competent, hmmm !
The Q arrived and was quickly un-corked. First off, the supplied lens was an 8.5mm (50mm approx.) f1.9. I mean, how bad could that be, as a 50mm prime lens seem to be quite fashionable these days, and oh yes, I believe Pentax has a reputation of making some outstanding glass. The lens is about the size of a ping-pong ball and maybe just a tad heavier.
Moving on to shooting functions I was surprised to find the Q had a ton of functional capability similar and or exceeding a majority of the dslr market, sweet ! Plus it had a couple of fresh show-ponies. This is were the fun comes in. Blur Control (BC). The Q has the ability to shoot a sequence of 3 immediate pictures at different focus points, it then combines them magically to create a background/foreground blur similar to a shallow DOF. This diminishes the lack of DOF associated with very small sensor cameras...interesting... another "fun" feature is the ability to apply digital filters either prior to or after exposure ...its' like an availability of 70 various combinations of these weird, wacky and or very useful filters, you slice'em, you dice'em ! ...
Is it, the one camera you could live with for all your day-today shooting...ummm, probably not, but maybe...say a sports-action camera...naw...how about an arctic expedition camera, nyet, well maybe a pro camera of comparable ability to canon 5d, ninski... but I rate this camera as Muy Bien ! ...as long as you are aware of the specialty nature of the beast...buyer beware, but I am well pleased and with the recent price adjustments to the $500 range with the 8.5mm lens, why not ?
I took the Q to the studio a few days ago and managed to snap off a few shots using a wireless trigger mounted to the hot shoe and triggering a couple of elinchromes and a background flash (the background flash could be a bit problematic). You be the judge, but I would say the Q did Muy Bien !
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
...I did NOT see that banana peel coming !
...it surprised me, I did not see it coming ! I had been pleasantly shooting along with my C* equipment when I suddenly noticed, I had a need. What more could I want ? ...it goes like this
I had been shooting a large number of animal stock shows. The main theme was to bring the animal on to the stage and shoot 6 or so pix, real time and real quick...as these animals can become most impatient, and may need a toilet...well, the best camera setup was atop a tripod set at its' lowest height...yes, you guessed it, that left me sitting on a milk stool...and doing the dippity-doo in order to view and compose the shot...think, lots of dippity-doo's
... I spotted the Sony SLT A33 and A55 and promptly ordered one of each, a roll of the dice. But today, I shoot everything except outdoor shots with "live view" and it completely changed my paradigm of photography. No, I do not miss the glass view finders of yesteryear...it's all about live view !
...so there we have it, the beginning of a number of paradigm shifts that I will discuss in upcoming posts
...the above JPEG pix shot with Sony SLT A65, Sony 16~50mm f2.8, Studio Flash, and settings un-recorded
I had been shooting a large number of animal stock shows. The main theme was to bring the animal on to the stage and shoot 6 or so pix, real time and real quick...as these animals can become most impatient, and may need a toilet...well, the best camera setup was atop a tripod set at its' lowest height...yes, you guessed it, that left me sitting on a milk stool...and doing the dippity-doo in order to view and compose the shot...think, lots of dippity-doo's
...so there we have it, the beginning of a number of paradigm shifts that I will discuss in upcoming posts
...the above JPEG pix shot with Sony SLT A65, Sony 16~50mm f2.8, Studio Flash, and settings un-recorded
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