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A couple from the street

fordfanjpn

Member
After 23 years in Japan, perhaps you're close?

We live in parallel Asian universes... I'm just over 23 years in Hong Kong. And I'm expecting my DP2 today at 5pm... a bit behind you, but I had to wait to see what you could do with it before I made the leap. :)

Cheers,
Don
I wish I was close to retirement, but I have another 6 years to go before I'm 65. Don't want to wish my life away though. I would love to visit Hong Kong someday, but the way the economy is lately, I hardly have two yen to rub together. I was glad I actually put the money aside for the DP2 last year. I'm certainly glad I got it. I think it's safe to say that it's my favorite camera ever.

Bill
 

ShiroKuro

New member
Great shots Bill,
Tokyo is one of my favorite places to photograph ...I can walk the streets hours and days ; ) ..... Another place that is amazing to photograph is Onomichi .... any way your photographs make me want to get on a plane ..... now
 

fordfanjpn

Member
Great shots Bill,
Tokyo is one of my favorite places to photograph ...I can walk the streets hours and days ; ) ..... Another place that is amazing to photograph is Onomichi .... any way your photographs make me want to get on a plane ..... now
Thanks. Let's trade places, you come back to Japan and I'll go live in Hawaii. :D

Bill
 

Jonathon Delacour

Subscriber Member
I was getting a lot of tilted shots, but the bubble level has helped a lot with that. I'm still getting a lot of motion blur though, so my technique needs work. It's all good fun though.Bill
Out of interest, Bill, how is the bubble level attached to the DP2? With epoxy? :LOL:

I must say that your pictures are making me nostalgic about Japan too. It might be time to start planning another visit.
 

Don Ellis

Member
I wish I was close to retirement, but I have another 6 years to go before I'm 65. Don't want to wish my life away though. I would love to visit Hong Kong someday, but the way the economy is lately, I hardly have two yen to rub together. I was glad I actually put the money aside for the DP2 last year. I'm certainly glad I got it. I think it's safe to say that it's my favorite camera ever.

Bill
Hi Bill... I'm three years ahead of you, but there's no retirement in my future. I've always been more grasshopper than ant, so I think I'll die at the keyboard. Fortunately, my father's mind was sharp until the day he died, so one can always hope to follow in those same synapses.

Hong Kong is a great place... with the same sort of atmosphere of personal safety you find in Japan. Leela and I love Japan... I think she wants to come back Japanese. :p

Our first trip together was to Kyoto years ago and we accidentally arrived during sakura. Magical... it was towards the end and it was like being in a warm blizzard of flowery snowflakes. We've also been to Tokyo since then and enjoyed it. I must say, however, that Japan is expensive enough that I'm not sure how the Japanese live there... I know we ate a lot of noodles.

Back on a photography note, I picked up Hong Kong's first DP2 last night at 18:15. I'll post a few impressions and photos sometime soon.

Thanks again for your role in helping me decide on this camera. I already love it and have done almost nothing with it.

Don
 

fordfanjpn

Member
Out of interest, Bill, how is the bubble level attached to the DP2? With epoxy? :LOL:

I must say that your pictures are making me nostalgic about Japan too. It might be time to start planning another visit.
Right now the bubble level is just attached with double-sided tape, but I'm worried about it falling off so I'm trying to find an adapter to convert the hot shoe to a double shoe so I can mount both the finder and the level.

If you're planning a visit to Japan, I'd avoid Tokyo in the summer as it gets unbelievably hot and humid, and it seems to get worse every year.

Bill
 

fordfanjpn

Member
Hi Bill... I'm three years ahead of you, but there's no retirement in my future. I've always been more grasshopper than ant, so I think I'll die at the keyboard. Fortunately, my father's mind was sharp until the day he died, so one can always hope to follow in those same synapses.

Hong Kong is a great place... with the same sort of atmosphere of personal safety you find in Japan. Leela and I love Japan... I think she wants to come back Japanese. :p

Our first trip together was to Kyoto years ago and we accidentally arrived during sakura. Magical... it was towards the end and it was like being in a warm blizzard of flowery snowflakes. We've also been to Tokyo since then and enjoyed it. I must say, however, that Japan is expensive enough that I'm not sure how the Japanese live there... I know we ate a lot of noodles.

Back on a photography note, I picked up Hong Kong's first DP2 last night at 18:15. I'll post a few impressions and photos sometime soon.

Thanks again for your role in helping me decide on this camera. I already love it and have done almost nothing with it.

Don
Don, I'm afraid I'm also more grasshopper than ant. I'll probably still be working two years after I'm dead. My parents were divorced when I was still a kid, but I recently learned that at about 80 years old my father went to prison for making "improper advances" toward a girl who was still underage, so I guess my libido stands a good chance of remaining intact.

There are some nice things about living in Japan (Japanese girls being one of them :eek:), but the safety factor is starting to diminish here as the Japanese become more westernized in unfortunate ways. However, it's still a lot safer than some US cities, and there is certainly a lot to see if you have the time to go looking. The cherry blossom season is a high point. But you're right about it being expensive. Before the economic situation got so bad I was working 3 jobs (one day job and consulting for two companies on the side) to make ends meet and buy new "toys", but I have now lost both of my consulting jobs so things are getting tight. I know that things are bad everywhere, but I'm afraid that's not much consolation.

Congratulations on the new camera! If you love it already, it's safe to say that you're hooked. We'll all be looking forward to seeing some pictures from you soon. The only advice I would give is to spend some time learning to get the most out of Sigma Photo Pro. I was looking at the sample pics on DPR and it looks like they did a lousy job of processing the raw files. That's really unfortunate because it's giving people the wrong idea about the camera. Anyway, best of luck and start posting soon! :thumbup:

Bill
 

Don Ellis

Member
Don, I'm afraid I'm also more grasshopper than ant. I'll probably still be working two years after I'm dead. My parents were divorced when I was still a kid, but I recently learned that at about 80 years old my father went to prison for making "improper advances" toward a girl who was still underage, so I guess my libido stands a good chance of remaining intact.
Well, first things first, of course -- survival of the species is a greater imperative that the ability to play Sodoku. :D

With that in mind, you might enjoy a gourmet treat. Had I known I wasn’t just shooting grocery shelves, I might have upped the ISO, but there was no time.

There are some nice things about living in Japan (Japanese girls being one of them ), but the safety factor is starting to diminish here as the Japanese become more westernized in unfortunate ways. However, it's still a lot safer than some US cities, and there is certainly a lot to see if you have the time to go looking.
I’m sorry to hear that… one of the pleasures of Hong Kong has always been the ability to explore a large city any time of the day or night. We had 18 homicides in 2007, compared to the “record low murder rate” of New York – “the safest major city in the country in 2007, according to FBI statistics” – of 496. The population of Hong Kong and New York is approximately 7 million and 8.2 million, respectively.

References for those who care…
http://www.police.gov.hk/hkp-home/english/statistics/compare08.htm
http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mayor-city-drives-drop-in-us-murder-rate/86396/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City

But you're right about it being expensive. Before the economic situation got so bad I was working 3 jobs (one day job and consulting for two companies on the side) to make ends meet and buy new "toys", but I have now lost both of my consulting jobs so things are getting tight. I know that things are bad everywhere, but I'm afraid that's not much consolation.
It’s always tough losing those side jobs… I had a freelance client for six years who decided they could start writing their own English. The only amusing thing about the situation was reading their new copy.

Congratulations on the new camera! If you love it already, it's safe to say that you're hooked. We'll all be looking forward to seeing some pictures from you soon. The only advice I would give is to spend some time learning to get the most out of Sigma Photo Pro. I was looking at the sample pics on DPR and it looks like they did a lousy job of processing the raw files. That's really unfortunate because it's giving people the wrong idea about the camera. Anyway, best of luck and start posting soon!
Having used a variety of RAW converters over the years, I’m quite pleased with the look of the Sigma’s. In general, I tend to simply convert RAW files at default settings and then work with the resulting files in Photoshop. From what you say, it sounds like I should stop that. :p

I’ll take a closer look at their converter and do some adjusting before I output. Thanks for the advice. I’m unfortunately busy at the moment, but I’ll try to post some photos soon.

I did read the forum members’ comments on the DPreview sample images… they were pretty caustic. On a selfish level, that might keep the size of the DP2 Club fairly small… but on a higher plane of self-interest, I want to see Sigma continue to develop these small cameras, so I hope the DP2 sells well.

Don
 
N

nei1

Guest
Right now the bubble level is just attached with double-sided tape, but I'm worried about it falling off so I'm trying to find an adapter to convert the hot shoe to a double shoe so I can mount both the finder and the level.

Bill
Bill,I dont suppose this would fit,would be a coincidense but might be worth an e-mail.

http://matchtechnical.com/ThumbsUpCSMod4.aspx

Im sure youve already thought of it but just in case,all the best ,Neil.
 

bbodine9

Member
Bill - a couple of questions

Bill,

I really admire your street photos and wonder if you would share your camera settings, how you focus, aperture used etc. Also what is your process in adjustments using SPP? I have a newly acquired DP1 but I would like to apply some of your techniques both in shooting and processing. Thanks for anything you can share!
 

pollobarca

New member
[
With that in mind, you might enjoy a gourmet treat. Had I known I wasn’t just shooting grocery shelves, I might have upped the ISO, but there was no time.



For real Gourmets it appears :bugeyes:
lovely photo that has worked marvellously. She takes over the whole thing.

paul
 

fordfanjpn

Member
Well, first things first, of course -- survival of the species is a greater imperative that the ability to play Sodoku. :D

With that in mind, you might enjoy a gourmet treat. Had I known I wasn’t just shooting grocery shelves, I might have upped the ISO, but there was no time.
What a great shot! I absolutely love it. And look, there's a grocery store in the picture too!

I have been playing Sudoku a lot lately, but maybe my time would be better spent shopping for groceries! :D

Bill
 

fordfanjpn

Member
Having used a variety of RAW converters over the years, I’m quite pleased with the look of the Sigma’s. In general, I tend to simply convert RAW files at default settings and then work with the resulting files in Photoshop. From what you say, it sounds like I should stop that. :p

I’ll take a closer look at their converter and do some adjusting before I output. Thanks for the advice. I’m unfortunately busy at the moment, but I’ll try to post some photos soon.

I did read the forum members’ comments on the DPreview sample images… they were pretty caustic. On a selfish level, that might keep the size of the DP2 Club fairly small… but on a higher plane of self-interest, I want to see Sigma continue to develop these small cameras, so I hope the DP2 sells well.

Don
I also do the basic raw conversion in SPP and then move the tiff files to Photoshop for most everything else. However, I have noticed that you need to spend a little time with the WB in SPP as that seems to be Sigma's weak point. I usually start with either the Auto setting or the X3F setting, tweak a bit from there, and then convert to tiff. Seems to be working well so far.

The pics posted on DPR were pretty disappointing.

Bill
 

fordfanjpn

Member
Re: Bill - a couple of questions

Bill,

I really admire your street photos and wonder if you would share your camera settings, how you focus, aperture used etc. Also what is your process in adjustments using SPP? I have a newly acquired DP1 but I would like to apply some of your techniques both in shooting and processing. Thanks for anything you can share!
I sent you a PM. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Bill
 

Don Ellis

Member
What a great shot! I absolutely love it. And look, there's a grocery store in the picture too!

I have been playing Sudoku a lot lately, but maybe my time would be better spent shopping for groceries! :D

Bill
Very observant... I look forward to more illuminations in the future. I have so far resisted Sudoku... maybe if it gets less popular.

Thanks for the nice comment... glad you enjoyed the photo.

Don
 

Don Ellis

Member
I also do the basic raw conversion in SPP and then move the tiff files to Photoshop for most everything else. However, I have noticed that you need to spend a little time with the WB in SPP as that seems to be Sigma's weak point. I usually start with either the Auto setting or the X3F setting, tweak a bit from there, and then convert to tiff. Seems to be working well so far.
Bill
Yes, you're right about the white balance... the photo I included in a different thread of Mr. Poon (First DP2 Shot) was a little off with Auto White Balance, so I tried Fluorescent in SPP -- and it was even worse. I finally just accepted AWB (which was better than I usually get with my G-series cameras), and then just adjusted in Photoshop. Auto-Color worked quite well in this case.

Another odd thing that has happened several times with the camera is that it will just freeze after taking a shot. The hour glass stays on-screen and you can't turn the camera off using the button -- you have to remove the battery. Then it works again.

In all cases but one I've lost the photo... in that one case, I have a photo with a big green streak in it. It's early days, so perhaps I'm doing something the camera doesn't like. I know I have a habit of pressing the shutter button and keeping it down -- because that freezes the photo on the G9's LCD viewfinder so I can review it until I release the shutter. Maybe the DP2 doesn't like that, although I've done it a few times on purpose to see if the problem is repeatable and it hasn't been.

I'll keep searching.

Don
 

Kofronj

New member
Don,

That error you see may be a low battery condition. It's similar to some issues that I've had with the SD14. That would be my first guess. A bad SD card might be a (stretch) second issue. Getting the fastest SD card you can for the DP2 is a good idea.

Jim
 

Don Ellis

Member
Don,
That error you see may be a low battery condition. It's similar to some issues that I've had with the SD14. That would be my first guess. A bad SD card might be a (stretch) second issue. Getting the fastest SD card you can for the DP2 is a good idea.
Jim
Hi Jim,

Thanks for the thoughts... Definitely not a battery problem... it has happened with several full batteries. And the 8GB SanDisk SDHC card has been used before and I formatted it in the DP2 before I started using it. But I will try a different card... you never know.

Cheers,
Don
 
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