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The New and Improved Fun with Nikon Images!

rayyan

Well-known member
Just back from three days in Singapore. Boring weather, great company :)

All photos with S5 and Nikkor 105mm f/1.8 AIS at varying apertures.







If you buy instant noodles in Singapore, the chances are that there's no fork or chop sticks included. Hotel rooms on the other hand, usually include two tooth brushes. Buy noodles, book a room, problem solved :thumbup:

S5 with 105mm f.1.8

Jorgen: Yes indeed Lovely Company. Excellent preservation of memories here!:D

I have tried in vain to use the chopsticks, in S'pore and elsewhere. No dice.
I stick to eating dates with a knife and fork[ without any luck either.:LOL:

Thanks for the kind comments pal.

Regards.
 

Corlan F.

Subscriber Member
In Jorgen's case, the "S" setting on the dial is for "Superb".
Agreed, Tim
-was kidding though, esp in doubt that "S" would be of any help with an AI lens :)



Rayyan, superb colors and reflections. Nice to hear from you, too!
Hope all is well under the sun (we don't have any here).
 

shtarka1

Active member
click for larger size


Nikon D300 • Carl Zeiss Planar 1.4/85mm ZF • 1/2000 sec. at f/2 ISO 200 • Capture NX
If you buy instant noodles in Singapore, the chances are that there's no fork or chop sticks included. Hotel rooms on the other hand, usually include two tooth brushes. Buy noodles, book a room, problem solved :thumbup:

S5 with 105mm f.1.8

Hello there lovely people. Just got tied up. I have not read any of the posts yet. Must be a picture fest!!

Apologies for that.

One from my trusted friend the ultimate in exotic optics..nikon 50mm f/1.4 af-d
on the d700.


Regards.
Gentlemen....Magnificent!!!
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member
Thank you Corlan, Osman, Jorgen and Steve.

(...) On the technical side, interesting DOF you get @f2 (or the Exif's wrong?). Probably an advantage of DX, which gets you more in the 135mm range with the 85. Perfect control in any case.
Corlan, the aperture f/2 Exif information is actually correct, and I always leave all the Exif informations intact in the file.
I'm an Exif peeper myself and I wish others would leave the Exif informations in their files as well.
And in case they don't know how to do it, I wish somebody would teach them how to leave the informations intact with their preferred Raw converter.
I have learned a lot from Exif peeping. I use Opanda IEXIF for pc, it's extremely easy and convenient, you simply rightclick on an image and choose IExif, that's it.




With regards to the Depth Of Field in the picture I believe DOF would have been even more narrow with a larger (FX) sensor, i.e. with better subject separation and more blurred background rendering. Especially because with a larger sensor I would have gone closer when using the same optic for the same framing.




* * * * *​


(...) Very interesting shot of the two sculptures, Steen. I particularly like how the details in the face of the first one come out. Did you have to do any pp to obtain that?

Jorgen, the most important Post Processing was to choose the best profile: D2Xmode1.
These prefabricated Nikon profiles can be found in Capture NX and NX2, and according to Stuart Richardson also in LightRoom:
see his post # 8 in this thread: http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/showthread.php?p=141871

Apart from this profile ("Picture Control Mode") I only added a tad of curve and 10 or 20 % sharpening in NX.
I actually did play a lot with this picture (which I rarely do) because in bright daylight the face of the wooden sculpture was barely visible at all on my laptop screen.
But I felt it ruined the strength of the image and just made it look silly when I tried to brighten the face, so I gave it up.
Just send me an email or a PM with your email address if you want the Raw file to play with, any of you.
And Jorgen, I love that Tooth Sticks photo :D priceless

Btw, I have just finished a job with documentation of a big painting collection. Basicly this is not all that easy colorwise.
But again the D2Xmode1 profile turned out to be invaluable for that purpose. In D2Xmode1 the colors are very real and accurate.
I recall others stating this as well, Corlan and Leica 77 come to mind.
I do admit that in many circumstances I use the Standard profile because I think I get more sparkling and pleasing colors, i.e. with a tad more saturation.
But I don't think the Standard profile is as accurate colorwise as the D2Xmode1 profile.
Maybe some day I end up being a total purist shooting exclusively in D2Xmode1 :D
 

Corlan F.

Subscriber Member
With regards to the Depth Of Field in the picture I believe DOF would have been even more narrow with a larger (FX) sensor, i.e. with better subject separation and more blurred background rendering. Especially because with a larger sensor I would have gone closer when using the same optic for the same framing.
Steen, that was my exact thoughts (oops, was not clear enough :D) and my point was that the added DOF serves this particular photo very well. Which was handy re the low light situation, unsing a larger aperture.



Re processing, D2XMode1 is good to match "true colors" (not saying that faithful colors/saturation are always the best or even the most suitable for many photographic needs). That said, i've found that with the last D700 firmware it was less a significant tip and that Neutral mode in NX2 or C1 profile was an excellent starting point. Even more flexible, and accurate in the end, but requiring more work in between.

In that regard C1's advanced color/"skin tones" tool are a strong asset -where NX selective tools bear different advantages.

A "funny" thing in C1: for D700/D3 files (D300 also?) the best curve/profile is repeatedly the D3X's... (+ either Neutral or Standard curve depending on the work at hand). But in turn, C1 does a terrible job with the D3X NEF files. Go figure. (i already mentionned that in other terms, but it's still quite frustrating)

From what i understand the new LR3 may offer a good compromise between the pros and cons of NX2 (workflow, slow) and C1, but i still did not find enough time to investigate this update on my own. Maybe soon.


Would be really interested in seeing your paintings work, and to hear more about your findings and conclusions regarding specific color processing techniques. Did, and still do, paintings and gallery work myself and there's room for improvement (still have to shoot a reproduction series with the D3X and the new light transformers though... most were made with the D700).
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member
Thanks for the useful tips, Corlan.
I cannot post the painting photos on the internet, but I can tell you that after some experimentation along with the owner of the paintings I ended up with an extremely simple solution.
Shooting in an atelier with daylight coming through a top vindow in the roof and light from a side window as well, meaning White Balance = Daylight: Direct sunlight (which in NX equals 5200 K).
Since it was cloudy weather all the shooting days, I experimented with Daylight: Cloudy, but the colors came out too warm, so the WB setting ended up staying at Direct sunlight all the time.
Picture Control Mode = D2Xmode1.
Carefulness with getting the exposure (histogram) right in the capture, so that no exposure and brightness tweaking was necessary in post.
No other post processing tweaking apart from adding 10 % sharpening in the conversion. That was all.
A true purist solution, no attempt to make the paintings look better than they were. Just hunting accuracy.
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member
49 Fantastic Photographers and Me

Just like the above sculpture picture this shot is from Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek which is a Museum of ancient and modern art in Copenhagen.

click for larger size


Nikon D300 • Carl Zeiss Planar 1.4/85mm ZF • 1/6400 sec. at f/2 ISO 200 • Capture NX
 

Lloyd

Active member
Re: 49 Fantastic Photographers and Me

click for larger size


Nikon D300 • Carl Zeiss Planar 1.4/85mm ZF • 1/2000 sec. at f/2 ISO 200 • Capture NX
The light here is magic Steen. :salute: Wonderful image.

If you buy instant noodles in Singapore, the chances are that there's no fork or chop sticks included. Hotel rooms on the other hand, usually include two tooth brushes. Buy noodles, book a room, problem solved :thumbup:

S5 with 105mm f.1.8

Necessity really is the mother of invention, isn't it? Great shot.

Hello there lovely people. Just got tied up. I have not read any of the posts yet. Must be a picture fest!!

Apologies for that.

One from my trusted friend the ultimate in exotic optics..nikon 50mm f/1.4 af-d
on the d700.


Regards.
Welcome back, my friend. You've been missed!! Wonderful, painterly image. Really impressive color.

Just like the above sculpture picture this shot is from Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek which is a Museum of ancient and modern art in Copenhagen.

click for larger size


Nikon D300 • Carl Zeiss Planar 1.4/85mm ZF • 1/6400 sec. at f/2 ISO 200 • Capture NX
Another winner Steen. Love the composition on this one.
 

rayyan

Well-known member
Osman, Corlan,Steve,Steen,Jorgen,Lloyd..

Firstly, my Greetings to all DPI members, their families, loved ones, and friends across the globe, a Happy Eid on the first day after the month of fasting; in the Islamic Calendar.

Thank you kindly folks for the welcome. Just popped in to see what was happening. Lots of superb posts.

My apologies for not singling any particular post . Superb work by all, as usual.

I continue with a small house renovation project that has become a monster!

The concrete was poured, and then had to be dug up etc. etc. It shall continue to be hectic.. A few images..




Thank you all and best wishes.
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member
(...) I continue with a small house renovation project that has become a monster!

The concrete was poured, and then had to be dug up etc. etc. It shall continue to be hectic.. (...)

:lecture: may I suggest you go on a travel, rayyan :angel:
 

Lloyd

Active member
Osman, Corlan,Steve,Steen,Jorgen,Lloyd..

Firstly, my Greetings to all DPI members, their families, loved ones, and friends across the globe, a Happy Eid on the first day after the month of fasting; in the Islamic Calendar.

Thank you kindly folks for the welcome. Just popped in to see what was happening. Lots of superb posts.

My apologies for not singling any particular post . Superb work by all, as usual.

I continue with a small house renovation project that has become a monster!

The concrete was poured, and then had to be dug up etc. etc. It shall continue to be hectic.. A few images..

Thank you all and best wishes.
Yikes! That doesn't look like fun... way too much like work! Good luck with that, and I agree with Steen. Looks like time for a holiday.
 

Corlan F.

Subscriber Member
Thanks for the useful tips, Corlan.
I cannot post the painting photos on the internet, but I can tell you that after some experimentation along with the owner of the paintings I ended up with an extremely simple solution.
Shooting in an atelier with daylight coming through a top vindow in the roof and light from a side window as well, meaning White Balance = Daylight: Direct sunlight (which in NX equals 5200 K).
Since it was cloudy weather all the shooting days, I experimented with Daylight: Cloudy, but the colors came out too warm, so the WB setting ended up staying at Direct sunlight all the time.
Picture Control Mode = D2Xmode1.
Carefulness with getting the exposure (histogram) right in the capture, so that no exposure and brightness tweaking was necessary in post.
No other post processing tweaking apart from adding 10 % sharpening in the conversion. That was all.
A true purist solution, no attempt to make the paintings look better than they were. Just hunting accuracy.
Zenithal light, overcast weather is the purist way. I knew an old school wizard who did a lot of repro for major museums, he was working pretty much exclusively outside under overcast skies with his Rollei. Used to laugh about it even in front of the clients "i'm paid by the day, so why make things easy?". Of course it was indeed about the results, and they were remarkable.

Some artwork can't be shot that way, though. Some cannot be moved for various reasons, some need extra DOF and smaller apertures. And then, some jobs are not only about reproduction, bit also giving some context such as the venue, gallery, atelier or visitors. Or you simply don't have time on your hands... or the right light at the time of shooting. In all these cases, you have to deal with either low, bad, and/or artificial lights , and lighting is required to adjust, compensate...

Plus, when a series has to go over several days (or simply times of a day) and in need of editorial uniformity, well let's say that controlled conditions are welcome :))

Oh btw, before playing with the light temp in processing, for the task a good neutral card is a much welcome starting point. In that regard, the combination of the X-Rite Passport with LR3 looks promising since it apparently allows not only to find the neutral point but to build a whole profile based on the various colors on the card. Didn't look into it formally yet, at least for now... but a neutral card is already helpful.



P.S. love the Glyptotek shot. Great image, great b&w processing!


.
 
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