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one of those strange camera days

smokysun

New member
i'd been thinking the dp2 would be a good addition to the dp1. finally, ordered from amazon and it arrived this afternoon. immediately disillusioned. even with the new firmware it didn't seem to focus that much faster than the dp1 and it was three times noiser. downer number two: it didn't write to the sandisk xtreme three card any faster. that's what i'd really been looking for. i did like the quick set button, though i like the one push for iso change you can program on the dp1. the vivid setting very nice for jpegs. yet, i realized once again i'm a 28 mm guy and the 2.8 faster lens not much of an upgrade from the 4.0. you really need 2.0 or less.

the moral of the story is after spending more than $800 for the camera and accoutraments, i sent it right back, cancelled the lensmate order, and the extra warranty. money tied up for awhile, but i feel better. i'd been considering the the new epl-1 but you have to buy the panasonic pancake for 400 more dollars to speed it up, and the lens the equivalent of the dp2, without the foveon sensor.

i did pull out the polaroid x530 to console me. alas, you can make interesting pics with any camera (here are a few) but it's small sensor simply can't give the detail of the dp1/2

guess i'll keep honing my skills with the dp1.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 
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gandolfi

Subscriber Member
Wayne,

A timely post as far as I'm concerned. I'd been thinking of buying a DP2, and now you've made me question my sanity (not a difficult thing to do!). Sure, DP2 has great image quality, but most of the time I merely view my images on computer screen at 16 inch x 10 inch size. I also like the wide angle view of things I get with my LX3, the f2 lens and image stabilisation. So no reason at all for another camera. What was I thinking!!

Cheers,

Gandolfi.
 
D

D upton-Hackett.

Guest
I still love my DP2. Guess it's horses for courses.

Derek.
 

smokysun

New member
hi derek,
i've been thinking of you since writing the above! a bit guilty. i think it's really about 28 vs. 41mm in the end. you get great shots with the dp2. and i think the loud focusing on the one i got might be a lemon. mostly, i now feel if you've got one, you don't need the other. my apologies.

hi gandolfi,
it's really hard to resist the feeling of upgrading. however, if you look at stuff mostly on the screen, you don't need a 1ds III at seven thousand dollars. i'm really terrible on this score and have spent far more than i should.

best to you both,

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

ps. i will say i've had 20 by 30 prints made from the dp1 with an amazing amount of detail.
 
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smokysun

New member
hi derek,
the story not over. i researched the sigma digital slrs. one expert said the sd9 sharper than the later models cause those added micro lenses in front of the filter. high megapixals but degraded sharpness. i actually found a brand new sd9 never opened for 300 dollars. couldn't resist. i will have to pick up a couple of lenses and they say the sigma ex the best for the camera -alas more expensive. the sensor is the same size but the pixals larger and the total 10 megs. hope i don't lose out on less detail. here's hoping. i'll keep you up to date.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 

smokysun

New member
i have to admit, buying lenses seems like a sound investment. they never go down in price, as long as you keep them up. so, here's a blog on my weekend binge of buying:

http://smokysunsheaven.blogspot.com/2010/04/gambling-is-fun-if-you-dont-win.html

and today i got my first reward, a manual nikon lens 105 4.0 nikkor micro on the fuji. luckily, the focus confirmation light worked. examples below. this a famous lens for 200 dollars on ebay as opposed to the new af version (2.8) at 900 dollars.

this convinced me to finally get some m42 converters and try screw on lenses. there's a treasure hunt out there.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

ps. there will never be a fuji or sigma thread, so i'll post the results here. good to compare with what can by done by a small sensor and what not.
 
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otumay

New member
These are breathtaking, Wayne. The golden reflection on the water is particularly captivating.
 

smokysun

New member
thanks, osman. if you ever do want a dslr, i recommend the fuji s5 pro (i've the 3) and a couple of good nikon lenses for the great color. i do like the small sensor fujis i have, but they could benefit from higher resolution.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 
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otumay

New member
I am lucky to have an S5Pro Wayne. I lent it to my girlfriend, but nowadays she prefers shooting with Leica D-Lux 4. Maybe I shall start using it again, though I am getting on very well with Nikon D700.
 

smokysun

New member
ah, good, osman. it would be interesting to see side by side shots with the fuji and nikon. and they both use the same lenses. that's a bit of luck. (or good planning.)

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 

otumay

New member
Wayne, I did try to compare S5Pro with D2x a few years ago, but found my investigations to be fruitless. I think this was due to the totally different styles these cameras were offering; D2x was crisp and unforgiving, whereas the S5 was a bit cool on the white balance side, with better reproduction of highlights and darks. So I ended up selling the D2x.
 

smokysun

New member
hi osman,
interesting. yes, it's a matter of results. even though i can get beautiful color shots i still find my color unexpressive in a way the b&w's are not. (and i find very, very few photographers who get beyond color to meaning and mystery.) it's an eternal quest.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 
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otumay

New member
This subject always intrigues me, Wayne. I'm still wondering why black and white photographs seem to me much more meaningful than color shots. Maybe this is because the visual environment was mainly black and white during most of my fifty plus years. I don't know...
 

smokysun

New member
hi osman,
away from the computer for three days in san francisco. like a vaction from the very demanding screen.
the only thing i can figure out is color actually muddies our perception with emotion. B&w depends on line and symbol. color perception works in patches, not line. for example, blood in b&w becomes distant from us and thus can have a different meaning than blood in color. the latter doesn't allow us any objectivity. if you want a purely emotional reaction, color better. however, if you want the viewer to pause and consider, b&w grabs more of the mind and imagination. color may give us too much information.
well, that's as far as i've gotten.
best,
wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 
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otumay

New member
Thank you, Wayne. I appreciate your thought-provoking answer. I shall dwell on it.

Some weeks ago, I wrote in another thread somewhere about my experience in a 'Blind Photographers' Project': Seems totally different from what we are discussing here, but somehow feels relevant to me, as it also deals with perception. For further reference:
http://www.blindphotographers-project.org

More data than necessary (whatever this means) does seem confusing. I was surprised to discover how comfortable and fluent my thoughts became during the two-and-a-half hours we spent in total darkness.

Nice to hear from you,

Osman
 

smokysun

New member
very interesting, osman. googled blind photographers and came up with this group:

http://blog.blindphotographers.org/the-blind-photographers-guild/

even though i make my living with my eyes (firewatching) i often feel i'm shooting in the dark, always trying stuff.

did abandon the sigma slr project, sending stuff back. just too much overload. and i love what i get with the dp1, so.

did enjoy, however, getting the manual focus lenses. tried an older nikon 50 2.0 on the fuji. much more atmospheric than the new 50 1.8. a few samples.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 
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