[LRflex] Re: IMG: Playing with high ISOs and Oly lenses.
- From: Philippe AMARD <philippe.amard@xxxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 04 May 2008 22:08:21 +0200
Hi David, here are a few answers
David Young wrote:
Philippe showed:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Phileica/Playground/Red+Dot.jpg.html
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Phileica/Playground/Mitsibou.jpg.html
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Phileica/Playground/Tractor.jpg.html
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Phileica/Playground/Tractor2.jpg.html
A couple of questions, if I may...
1) Was the Red-dot shot taken with any supplemental close up device
(extension rings, +6 diopter lens, 2x converter, etc.) or simply
using the close focus limit of the lens? It taken without any
supplemental devices, it's quite remarkable!
Nothing but the lens - the exif says it is above 100 so it can't be the
D Elmarit - and I played with the 40-150 and the 70-300, but I can't
remember which one I used on that specific shot. What I wanted in fact
was to include two more "f... " couples in the background (clearer spots
but so fuzzy/bliurred), but I wasn't able to get them as the lens lacks
a nice bokeh - and the Angenieux was at my place ...
2) Mitsibou is a nice looking cat, if I ever saw one! (I wouldn't fret
about the blown nose highlight... almost unnoticeable.) And the
noise, for ISO 1600 is very well controlled.
the raw file in LR is much better - I hadn't realized the highlight were
that blown out until I saw the pix on the LUG ... What I conclude from
this is when there's light, there's hope for higher ISOs, , which is
news to me, at least on the L1.
Personally, I've never been bothered by the pursuit of perfection in
noise ... for almost any decent digital camera will exhibit much lower
noise at high ISOs than the equivalent grain in any film of similar
speeds.
Still, when making larger prints for exhibition/sale, I usually run
them through Neat Image - a noise reduction program which works very
well and is not very expensive. In fact, there is a free version
which saves only in jpeg form, and has limited batch processing, but
is otherwise identical and runs without limit. Neat image, like any
noise reduction program makes any shot just a wee bit softer ... but
the improvement in background noise more than compensates - especially
in larger prints. Give it a try! I used the Demo version for about a
year, before I spent my money. And if you buy a license, you get
upgrades to all later versions without cost.
Download the demo version from http://www.neatimage.com/download.html
<http://www.neatimage.com/download.html%A0>
Another good choice, at slightly higher cost is Noise Ninja, from
http://www.picturecode.com/ <http://www.picturecode.com/%A0> However,
it places annoying watermarks on your images until you pay the fee.
I might try this as soon as I get a week off - I'm keeping the link, thanks.
3) you mention that in "Tractor" you've turned the 300 into a 1200mmm.
How? By using a 2x converter? The Oly one? If yes ... how do you like
it? (I'm very happy with my 1.4x version.) BTW, I like this shot the
best of the four, though they're all good. :-)
300 to 1200 is simple: on the L1, if you shoot JPEG (no raw at all
allowed there) , and decide not to use the top quality/resolution
feature, you can set the camera to use only a part of the sensor, and
get an optical, repeat optical, doubling of the focal length ( I really
DK how) . So, using the lens at 300, using the above described feature,
I get 600mm , then, knowing you're dealing with a 4/3 sensor, you double
that again to get to 1200. It only works in the Lview mode. There's also
a digital feature to extend this, but I haven't tried it in 18 months'
of intensive use.
In Tractor 2... the blue cast/haze gives it a wonderful effect, and
you've used the "live view" to great advantage.
My next experiments will be with (faked) HDR using the multi-exposure
feature in a reasoned/systematic way.
PAW n° 3 here:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Phileica/PAW-2oo8/
shows something of what I have in mind in terms of density and
"richness" (no reference to the beverages displayed though)
Amitiés
Philippe
Thanks for sharing!
---
David Young,
Logan Lake, CANADA
Limited Edition Prints at: www.furnfeather.net
<http://www.furnfeather.net/>
Personal Web-site at: www.main.furnfeather.net
<http://www.main.furnfeather.net/>
Stock Photography at: http://tinyurl.com/2amll4
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