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I’ll give the HDR hole credit for one thing: it got me looking for alternatives to tone-mapping, which is really what most people are referring to when they mention HDR. That’s what shifts the colors around and produces all those surrealistic artifacts. My current fave is fusion, which I use on just about every landscape I shoot these days. AFAIK, it’s a simple substitution of the best-exposed pixels in your set of images so there is no local stretching of contrast or remapping of the pallette. The end results look very natural; well-exposed sky and shadows without tripping on the edge of the “uncanny valley”.

It also got me thinking about more traditional post-processing, ie. dark frame subtraction, flats, and making sure my shots were more systematic to allow for a semi-standard post-processing routine. Digital is noisy, especially if the shutter is open for more than a few seconds. Taming that noise was a big issue for me since I didn’t want the noise showing up in large prints.

[chupathingie]

Yup, I’m having envy spasms… anyone wanna buy a used 5DII? I’m especially envious over the 8-15mm… The 8mm that I have doesn’t give me a full image circle (it crops a bit off the top and bottom…would love a full circle). Also I’ll second the CA comments, mine also has noticeable CA near the edge of the FOV but mine is even more prominent (it’s not L-series glass).

How are you liking that body? It looks to be very similar to the 5DII… ie. a little big but incredibly solid. Did you get it with the kit 24-105? I’ve found myself using that lens most of the time, and it does great close-ups.

If the UI is anything like the MKII, you’ll LOVE the on-screen settings… select the setting to change with the “joystick” and use one of the wheels to adjust. This is just awesome for doing tripod-mounted things when you can’t really get in front of the viewfinder. I find myself metering on auto then kicking over to manual to set my center exposure based on that… then I’m a click and a wheel-spin away from auto-bracketing landscape shots when the dynamic range is beyond single exposure levels. I think the wheel functions are customizable, as well (assuming they carried that over from the MKII…I can’t imagine them NOT doing that, it’s just incredibly useful).

I’d be selling my MKII in a heartbeat if they had upped the rez to 30+MP on the MKIII, but instead I’ll have to drool over yours! 😆

[chupathingie]

Funny, that figure popped into my head as well…

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I sure do wish this had come up while I was living in DFW… one of my offices was in Granbury, and I always loved driving out there at night. Great place for a star party.

[chupathingie]

Welcome, Lenny! Always nice to see a new face around! I’ve picked up so much in this place over the past couple years, even though I never have time to do the contests. Between looking at others’ compositions and lurking in some of the threads there’s a lot of information, tips and techniques for anyone who takes the time to read and ask questions. Farktography is definitely one of the underrated go-to spots on the net for the photographically inclined…

[chupathingie]

Then experience the HDR HOLE…

It’s funny how that has practically become a rite of passage…

[chupathingie]

You’re making me want one of these… Just out of curiosity, what’s the minimum focus distance?

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Echoes here, those all look great! I can’t see any reason for them to be less than pleased.

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//err, yeah…that was in the original post.

DOH! You’d think I could read a post thoroughly before commenting…

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Watertown ain’t the ‘Dacks… it’s Lake Ontario… Heh, before long folks will be calling New Paltz “upstate” if I let ’em… 😉

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Are there any Farktographers in the Allegany area (extreme SW NY or NW PA)?

I’d love to do a meet and shoot when I visit the area in a couple weeks.

~20 years ago I’d have been all over that. I lived in Watertown for a couple years, less than 1/2 day’s drive. You’re not far from a lot of scenic beauty that only the locals seem to know about.

[chupathingie]

I like that, ennui. I spend so much time trying to get landscapes devoid of human presence. Part of that I think is due to not wanting to record someone else; I want to “own” the image without worrying over someone’s concerns over being in it, when I probably should not be so concerned. Sometimes the scale (both in presentation and at the scene) makes it moot. There are 3, maybe 4, people in the image underneath the arch left-of-center in this one.

On a side note: Ima jus gonna chalk it up to a learning experience that I shot my pics at Arches in AV mode, as opposed to manual. This one came out, 9 subs where the shutter speed didn’t drift, but most of my pano series’ didn’t fare so well. I’m at a loss to correct the bright and dark zones on the rest of them after several hours of tweaking.

[chupathingie]

Might be a silly question, rav, but do you have a second body? I shot A wedding (unpaid and for friends, and I know, different venue), and my 75-300 was very useful during the ceremony, while the 24-105 was more useful for the informal crowd shots after the ceremony. I see you dividing your time between lenses being a quick-change artist with them, using one for the “formal” and one for the “informal”, or carrying two cameras.

/this is why I shoot landscapes, folks 😉
//plus side, the happy couple wanted my prints for the relatives

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AYE!

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Oblig fisheye shot…

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