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Alley Hat

Don Ellis

Member
Alley Hat

I like to wander down alleys, see the backs of restaurants and shops, discover what’s being discarded and what’s being prepared for lunch. I decided shooting the pork chops soaking in a tin basin was a little too close to the bone because the pork chop owner was so close, but I did find other things along this one tiny alley…

Like a hat…



And an oil drum… but whether the oil was for the generator or the deep-fat fryer, I don’t know…



And the cart of a literal bag lady, very nicely arranged, umbrella at the ready. What impressed me about this shot was the dynamic range between the shadows and the white bags in direct sunlight. The only thing I did was to use Highlight +5 in Photoshop to bring out a little more detail in the white bag, but at least there was detail there to reveal. I’ve been using the camera with no exposure compensation, after years of dialling in -1/3 on all the Canon G-series cameras. Perhaps I’ll try that setting next. In my experience, it’s easier to recover detail from the shadows than the highlights, so I tend to underexpose slightly… click for full-size image…



And then there’s me and the mop and the movie star… it’s very subtle advertising when it’s in an alley… click to see more of me :p



Don

P.S. These are all Sigma DP2 shots and I leave all full-size shots unsharpened so you can see the camera’s native output. Everything is shot in RAW and converted in SSP 3.5.
 
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fordfanjpn

Member
Don, you certainly have an interesting area to walk around in. I guess I should head out now that it's lunch time and see if I can find anything nearly as interesting. Nice self portrait by the way.

I dialed in a -0.3 EV on the DP2 the day I bought it and it has been that way ever since. I'm not completely sure that I need it, but I'm much more worried about blown highlights than I am about blocked shadows. In fact, I tend to like darker images. With the -0.3 EV I haven't had any highlight problems that couldn't be massaged in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Bill
 

Don Ellis

Member
Don, you certainly have an interesting area to walk around in. I guess I should head out now that it's lunch time and see if I can find anything nearly as interesting. Nice self portrait by the way.

I dialed in a -0.3 EV on the DP2 the day I bought it and it has been that way ever since. I'm not completely sure that I need it, but I'm much more worried about blown highlights than I am about blocked shadows. In fact, I tend to like darker images. With the -0.3 EV I haven't had any highlight problems that couldn't be massaged in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Bill
Bill... thanks for the comments... yes, it's very interesting around here. I live in one of the villages in the New Territories, but work in the city in Causeway Bay where there's all sorts of things going on.

Thanks for your note on exposure compensation. I totally agree with you -- and also love dark images -- so EC -1/3 is now my standard on the DP2. (Oh, and I put my lens adapter on and screwed in a UV filter and a lens cap... that's the way I carry all my G-cameras and there's no reason to change for the DP2. I enjoyed the slim profile for a few days, but I like the lens protection and the bigger handhold on a small camera and the fact that when you turn it on, you never have to worry about forgetting the lens cap and having the camera balk.)

Cheers,
Don
 
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ecliffordsmith

New member
Hi Don,

Another nice set here.

I did not really you were a movie star!

This camera is not available here yet but a shop that will have it is dangerously close to my office. The detail and dynamic range of this camera and its size is great.

Thanks for posting the large images too, it really helps to understand what you are getting with the foveon sensor.
 

fordfanjpn

Member
Bill... thanks for the comments... yes, it's very interesting around here. I live in one of the villages in the New Territories, but work in the city in Causeway Bay where there's all sorts of things going on.

Thanks for your note on exposure compensation. I totally agree with you -- and also love dark images -- so EC -1/3 is now my standard on the DP2. (Oh, and I put my lens adapter on and screwed in a UV filter and a lens cap... that's the way I carry all my G-cameras and there's no reason to change for the DP2. I enjoyed the slim profile for a few days, but I like the lens protection and the bigger handhold on a small camera and the fact that when you turn it on, you never have to worry about forgetting the lens cap and having the camera balk.)

Cheers,
Don
For the most part I keep the extension tube on the camera with a protection filter and the hood. I also have a 46mm lens cap for it so I can leave off the hood if I want to. And I made an adapter with one of those Ricoh caps that opens like a flower when the lens extends, and that works quite well too. So I have options.

Bill
 

fordfanjpn

Member
Hi Don,

Another nice set here.

I did not really you were a movie star!

This camera is not available here yet but a shop that will have it is dangerously close to my office. The detail and dynamic range of this camera and its size is great.

Thanks for posting the large images too, it really helps to understand what you are getting with the foveon sensor.
Ed,

I put several DP2 shots on my Flickr page, and they are all posted full size, so if you want to see some more examples (of IQ that is, not great photography), check out my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fordfanjpn/

Bill
 
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