Midyear Non-Resolution Resolution Recap

I went out to take a few more photos with the K-10 but the battery died so I whipped out the P-300 to get a shot of the Veterans Memorial centerpiece above. I had the camera set on full auto so I guess I can’t complain but I have no idea why it selected f2.8, 1/1600 and ISO 160 for this shot. I’m pretty certain the thing was not going to move but the result is not bad. 

Every once and a while we should all take a moment to reassess where we are with regard to our goals. Destinations aren’t everything. The journey is usually what is really important and a plan is helpful even if we choose to not always follow. Back in January I refused to make any New Year’s Resolutions but did set some goals for the year and now that we have reached the mid-year point it seems a good time to reassess and see how I’ve done so far. 

As you may recall the first thing I said I wanted to do was to complete the pin hole camera kit I had started and take some pictures with it. Well I did that and took part in the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day posting one of my photos to their web site and exploring the world of pinhole photography rather extensively in the process.

The second goal was to get involved in double or multiple exposure photography. I had some ideas about how to use that technique for exploring a couple really creative photographic ideas. I still have those ideas and I guess that’s one thing I have yet to accomplish so stay tuned if that’s of particular interest to you. I hope to get to this shortly.

Third, I noted that I had gotten maybe a little too comfortable shooting ISO 400 film both in color and B&W and wanted to get back to shooting some film in the ISO 100-200 range because that is where the best quality images are produced. Well I’ve shot some Ektar 100 and Portra 160 and the image quality was very impressive. In spite of the great improvements in the higher speed films you just can’t beat the slower films if you have the light.

I have yet to explore the world of slow speed B&W film although I did buy a couple rolls and will certainly explore their benefits and share my experiences here with you.

Fourth, I really wanted to do a more in depth comparison between analog and digital photography. I have explored this from a number of different angles including my most recent posts revisiting the whole DSLR question. I have also continued to use and explore the Nikon P-300 I bought last year and extol the virtues of this digital compact “point & shoot” with full manual capability and a host of other features.

Of course I have explored some other photographic paths too and will continue to do so as I get the urge. I have been studying up on and am currently planning a series of posts about 3-D photography. To stay on track however, I must also rededicate myself to getting around to doing some multiple exposures and low speed B&W.

DSLR Revisited – Part 3, The DSLR – in this case the Pentax K-10

Here’s my cat of the week shot (a two for one special) of Gandalf & Merlin posin’.  This one was taken with the K-10 through the 70-200 zoom set at f4.5 and 1/60 with ISO at 100. I used Picasa to lighten it up a little.

Now, back to the DSLR discussion - When I first started using a DSLR I fully expected it to be essentially the same as my SLR but with an electronic sensor instead of film, especially since I made sure to get one with a full manual mode as well as all the other programed modes. Turns out that isn’t quite the case. The first thing I realized is that with a DSLR there were many more choices to be made – many more choices.

The good news is I don’t have to choose which type of film I want to use anymore, but ISO is important. Now I can choose a specific ISO rating (as with the film SLR), an ISO range, or just set it to AUTO and let the camera choose for me (I’m not sure what the camera uses as a basis for making this choice); and presumably I can change my mind with each and every shot whereas with film I can only make the choice once for each roll of film.

The same is true for “White Balance,” which I had never heard of before digital photography but it involves the color balance and was generally taken care of before with the selection of the film simply by choosing either “Daylight” or “Tungsten” film. As with so many things in the digital world there’s a bit more involved with it. I can now choose a variety of settings to deal with whether I’m inside with tungsten or fluorescent lighting, whether it’s cloudy or bright, whether I am in the shade, whether I am using a flash and I can even set an actual color temperature but I suppose I would need a color thermometer for that! 

The next thing to decide is which mode to use. There are seven different exposure modes on my DSLR’s with varying degrees of automation all the way from full AUTO (point & shoot mode) to full Manual and there appears to be some overlap between the seven that frankly I don’t quite understand; and if that weren’t enough to deal with, I can again change my mind with each and every shot. 

Next there is the EV Compensation. Here is where no matter which exposure mode I choose I can “tweak” it from one to three stops over or under the exposure selection, almost. There is actually at least one mode where the camera is in full control and I don’t think you can “tweak” it at all.

Then there is the focus setting. Again – more choices! There is of course manual focus (although some autofocus lenses either don’t have a manual focus ring or it is difficult to use) and automatic focus just as you would expect - but there’s more! There is “autofocus – single” and “autofocus – continuous.” On top of that there are apparently several different types of autofocus algorithms as well as manual spot autofocus I can use. I would not try to explain all this even if I could because we would be here all day just talking about autofocus choices. 

That is just the photographic basics. I also have to choose the file format I want to end up with. Most folks think RAW files are the best choice here because you can do more with them but they are huge. Generally, other less sophisticated cameras output in jpeg format and that seems to work just fine for most people. With my camera I can also choose RAW+ which includes both – I guess for those who can’t make up their minds.

Then there is whole system of menus and sub-menus that allow me to select such things as what language to use on the menus, time zone settings, whether I want the image stabilization function on or not, flash mode (built in vs. external, TTL, wireless, slow sync vs. high speed sync, red eye reduction, etc.), preview mode, what play-back mode to use and what things look like on the display screen; do I want to display each shot after I take it (or not), what filters I may want to use for post processing (B&W, Sepia, IR etc.), how the camera connects to and interfaces with A/V equipment, printers and computers (newer ones even have wireless internet connections and GPS settings to deal with); how the camera deals with various storage media, the image tone, saturation, sharpness, & contrast of the images, drive mode (how many pictures it takes & how fast); and then there is the automatic bracketing menus.

Automatic bracketing is….nah, never mind.  I’m not going there. This has already gone on too long and I haven’t even broached the subject of in camera post processing, shooting video or memory card formats.

 Are you beginning sense my frustration with all this technology and all these decisions? I started out just wanting to take better pictures and ended up getting involved in a whole host of other things I don’t much care about. No wonder toy film cameras are making a come-back and digital point & shoot cameras are dominating the market.

Anyway, I told you all that so I can say this. I still believe digital photography is here to stay and I am determined to master it. I am just hoping that someone eventually comes out with an advanced (DSLR type) camera that is not so difficult to operate other than to put everything on full auto and hope for the best.

DSLR Revisited – Part 2, The 35mm SLR (for comparison)

The above is similar to a photo I posted last year except this one was taken with the Pentax K-10, 18mm – 55mm, kit lens at f4, 1/90 and ISO at 100 and the EV at +1. I like looking up into trees and this particular tree is always pleasing for some reason.

Now back to the DSLR discussion I started in my last post. F or comparison purposes let’s first consider the operation of the SLR – in this case  a 35mm film, all manual camera, my preferred photographic tool for nearly 40 years. What I am currently using is a smaller lighter version of the old Pentax K-1000.

First I must choose a film. In this up front choice, made before I take the first picture, I decide whether I want to shoot black & white or color, inside or outside, and the ISO or film speed based on what I expect to be shooting. Once that is done and the film loaded into my camera I have only three things to worry about; aperture, shutter speed, and focus. Indeed, there are no other buttons, dials or “thingies” to mess with even if I were so inclined. 

Now even with an all manual camera I (and I believe most photographers do the same) shoot either aperture priority or shutter priority. That is, I either preselect an aperture, or a shutter speed and “dial in” the other while composing the picture. In my case I almost always shoot shutter priority. 

What this really means is that when I go to take a picture I pick a shutter speed based on what I am shooting, “dial in” the correct aperture based on the cameras light meter display in the viewer while focusing and composing the picture. If necessary I will over expose or underexpose depending on whether the subject of the photo is lighter or darker that the surrounding background. This is easily accomplished by simply turning the aperture ring while watching the meter display in the viewer. Then I push the shutter button – picture taken!

Now admittedly, I have been doing this same thing in the same manner since the late 1970's so it is natural and almost automatic for me but millions of photography students have learned this same process on similar cameras in just a few weeks with little problem and produced excellent photos. Next we will take a look at the operation of the modern DSLR.

 

DSLR Revisited – Part 1

Here’s a close up of the blooming Bottlebrush in the back yard shot with the Pentax K-10 at f4.5, 1/125 and ISO 200, through a 70-300 zoom lens and shown here with no post processing at all.

It’s been a while since I “played” with a DSLR. For about a year now, I have been shooting film and occasionally using the Nikon P-300 digital compact I bought last Fall (see my 10/31/12 post, “The Perfect Digital Camera – Part-2) so I decided it was time to revisit the subject and re-explore why I don’t like digital cameras again.

Some of you may be wondering why I keep coming back to this subject. Why not just shoot film and forget about digital? Others may be wondering why I shoot film at all. Why not just give up and give in to the inevitable march of technology? Well, it’s complicated.

First of all I am no technophobe. I started using and programming computers in 1969. I bought my first personal computer in 1985. I have a smart phone and an e-reader. I have always been fascinated by the latest gadgets, and never shied away from change. Change however, to be good should improve and simplify things, not make them more complicated or harder to use. I embrace technology whenever it makes my life better. With that said, in the next few posts I will take a look at the difference between my 35mm SLR and my DSLR and revisit the whole issue after nearly a year of film & DSLR abstinence. Stay tuned.

Testing the 2X Teleconverter

Here’s another shot taken with Kodak Portra 160 film using the 135mm, f2.8 lens fitted with a Pentax 2X Rear Converter. This teleconverter effectively doubles the focal length of the lens from 135mm to 270mm. Unfortunately, the teleconverter also reduces light to the film by 2 stops and reduces the depth of field significantly.

Taken in the evening as the sun was setting it was necessary to open the lens up all the way and shoot at 1/125 shutter speed to get this shot.  All of the test photos taken with the converter appeared sharp and more than acceptable although the loss of light and depth of field was definitely noticeable and had to be accounted for. I would seriously consider using a faster film and/or limiting the use of this lens arrangement to brighter venues or times of the day.