Incoming !

[FutherMucker]

Since I got into this photography hobby of mine a couple years ago, I’ve always enjoyed having a decent/fun P&S to take out instead of the dslr anchor….I recently picked up an Olympus SP-570UZ….Decent/fun describes this camera perfectly…There is a “pre-capture” mode that allows you to press the shutter button half way, and the camera saves frames at 13.5fps until you press it down fully..This makes it pretty easy to catch something you would normally have missed….The cons in this mode: It lowers resolution to 3MP, bumps ISO to 400, and Oly still uses the SLOW xD cards :(…..Pros: Image stabilization is excellent, and the 20X optical zoom lens through the 26-520mm(35mm equivalent) is usable, and very handy….Macro is also decent for a P&S…I’m diggin’ it….Here is a 5 frame GIF compiled from a pre-capture burst….The full sized images are much sharper, but I wanted to try one of these…I guess the Sparrows were a bit intimidated by the Grackle.

[Killerclaw]

I have a UZ 550 and hate it.

[FutherMucker]

I have a UZ 550 and hate it.

You’re not alone on this….I’ve read many user reviews with the very same opinion…I went with a Canon S3 at that time, and then a Sony H9…The 570 outshines them all, so far…

[Killerclaw]

I was afraid of DSLR so I bought the SP for 500 plus 250 dollars for 3 years insurance, plus 30 for the stupid XD card. After tax, that’s about 800 , plus the cost of my XT (400) I could have bought a 40D. *is dumb*

Good that you are liking the 570 though.

[FutherMucker]

For me, the extended insurance on any P&S is not worth it, as I usually sell the cam to one of my friends before upgrading to the next & best model…They have no shutter life, so it’s a bit pointless…..The 40D is going to be my next Canon…Just waiting for a slight drop in price….Same goes for the Rebel XSi….I want one of those to have modified to shoot infrared….That should keep me content for, at least, a year or so…..My Canon S3 has been modified to shoot IR, but it lacks the sharpness I was hoping for, and no freedom to use lenses other than the shiatty wide or tele conversion glass available……Always waiting !

[Killerclaw]

A rookie mistake on my part, to be sure.

[FutherMucker]

A rookie mistake on my part, to be sure.

Been there, done that…Look back with a grin on your face 🙂

[Killerclaw]

A rookie mistake on my part, to be sure.

Been there, done that…Look back with a grin on your face 🙂

Hard to do when your 18 and spent 1/3rd of your yearly salary on it. (I’m in college, don’t have time for much work) I’m putting the SP-550 on ebay, even though I DO like the 500mm lens on the SP even if it’s not that sharp past about halfway zoomed. I’d rather have a 18-250 sigma as a walk around lens, so proceeds will go towards that.

Took this the day I bought the SP-550

Not very sharp with the lens fully extended 🙁

[FutherMucker]

Sure, it’s on the soft side, but I’ve never met a superzoom that wasn’t. Especially on the long end. A good run through photoshop, and that one could easily be a keeper. Man, I wish I had some wild eagles around here !

[Killerclaw]

Sure, it’s on the soft side, but I’ve never met a superzoom that wasn’t. Especially on the long end. A good run through photoshop, and that one could easily be a keeper. Man, I wish I had some wild eagles around here !

I don’t have any PS =(, think I could fix it up in GIMP? (doesnt know how to use gimp but can try)

[Elsinore]

Try the unsharp mask filter in GIMP (or PS for that matter). It’s under Filters, then under Enhance. If you resize for web, say 640 to 800 pixels on the long side, then try 0.5-0.7 for radius, then match that amount for amount, or maybe go over by .005 (e.g. if you choose 0.6 for radius, try 0.6 to 0.65 for amount). Leave the threshold at 0. For the full size photo, you’d need much larger amounts, but keep in mind the size you’re displaying at. If you print it at 4×6, it will appear more sharp than if you printed it at 10×13. Likewise, if you’re just displaying at web resolution, you don’t need to put up a big file, and you will get some sharpness improvement from downsizing alone. Also, don’t do unsharp mask until the very end before saving.

[soosh]

my 100-400 is sharp enough on the long end, but it wasn’t cheap.

this was taken the other night from a small boat on the ocean at 400mm.

[Killerclaw]

Try the unsharp mask filter in GIMP (or PS for that matter). It’s under Filters, then under Enhance. If you resize for web, say 640 to 800 pixels on the long side, then try 0.5-0.7 for radius, then match that amount for amount, or maybe go over by .005 (e.g. if you choose 0.6 for radius, try 0.6 to 0.65 for amount). Leave the threshold at 0. For the full size photo, you’d need much larger amounts, but keep in mind the size you’re displaying at. If you print it at 4×6, it will appear more sharp than if you printed it at 10×13. Likewise, if you’re just displaying at web resolution, you don’t need to put up a big file, and you will get some sharpness improvement from downsizing alone. Also, don’t do unsharp mask until the very end before saving.

I’ll give it a go, it should be fairly obvious from my weekly entries that I don’t use any post processing. 🙁

[FutherMucker]

That’s great advice !…..I was smack dab in the middle of typing out something similar when my roof estimate guy showed up at the door….Below is a quick example of how you can make your soft images “pop” a little more….Of course, all the cloning I have done would be a Farktography sin….If, for some reason, you’re not comfortable with me posting this, I’ll remove it in a jiffy…I don’t mind when people play with my images, but some folks have a real beef about that….Good luck !

[Elsinore]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention contrast. Sometimes just bumping the contrast a bit can improve the looks of things overall and the appearance of sharpness.

Besides the cloning, what all did you do to that, FutherMucker? I’d guess some contrast and unsharp mask at least? Maybe levels too?

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