Forum Replies Created
How Large Can You Print?
I had been talking to Joe Donovan whom I met on David Farkas' New England Trip about his large format Epson printer, a 9800. He offered to print one of my images on his printer as an example that I could use to show myself and clients what very large format fine art printing looks like from an S2. Earlier in this posing I discussed that I have clients who have huge prints of mine, but on canvas. I sent him the image from Mirror Lake discussed and shown higher/earlier in this post. BTW, several of us had shot this set of rocks that day, and each of us had slightly different interpretations. Joe has a very nice B&W version of the rocks himself. I suggested that he make this print whatever large size he thought the file could hold up to. He subsequently decided that it could go all the way to 40″x60″, the max of his printer.
He sent the finished print off to me saying he thought I would like it. Well the old adage for a given photo was print it big, never envisioned wide format digital printing. This big is breathtaking in it's fine detail. Joe did a masterful printing job. He also sent me some smaller versions of sizes more normal.
I will keep this unframed for a bit, as it is useful to carry around to clients to show just how much detail can be held in a large fine art print. I am also taking my time to figure out how best to frame large prints. Any advice would be appreciated.
I would urge any S user to have a little experiment in seeing just how good an S file prints when one goes truly huge. But find a top printer. The photo below captures the size if you remember I am 6'4″. It's just a snap shot of a fine art print, so you have to take it from me that Joe's print perfectly matched the color in the file shown earlier in this post.
Thanks Joe for your offer, expertise, and execution.
Thanks David Farkas for getting a group of photographers together who keep working together long after the shoot.Jack
JackIf I had been able to sel the client onl the use of fine art paper on the triptych, I would have mounted it bare onto sheets of aluminum backing, or I would have had them laminated onto the back of plexiglas, given that the client did not want any frames or borders to break up the flow so to speak.
JackAttached is the installation of the vertical triptych. 11 feet high.
Again, thanks David F. for the idea three years ago, and the trip from which it was taken two years ago.I told the client we had enough resolution to print on fine art paper, but the client preferred the look of canvas wrap to match other artwork in the area.
JackGary,
Having tried your D-Lux 6 I agree with you that it is a very nice handling camera.
Thanks for letting me try it.JackI asked if anyone has tried the MindShift and now I have.
They have a two week trial offer and I took them up on it. Others have done complete reviews, but I shot some photos of the compartments filled with S gear to suggest how much it can hold, and how versatile it can be. Essentially, with the deluxe version, you are buying three or four bags. A backpack, a back pack with 180 degree belt back, a belt pack removed and used separately from the back pack, and a removable compartment for storing S gear. The removable compartment can be stored in the back pack, or used separately. I use it when I am working out of my car. Other reviews show how and where it can easily be stored in the back pack. I also show a Think Tank lens bag I added to the group.
Normally I prefer just the S2 when walking around. If I need one extra lens, I use the lens bag. If I want all three lenses, I add the belt pack. Until I tested the MindShift, I did not realize that the belt pack was totally removable from the back pack. I will at that time carry the camera separately from the belt pack, as it is very heavy with a body and three lenses. If I am hiking, or biking I will use the back pack plus slide out belt pack. It lets me access the gear without taking the pack off my back, which is a wonderful plus. Trust me, a fully loaded belt pack rides in the back pack much better than alone.I have decided to keep the set up rather than the offer to return it. It is a pretty good all-round solution. It is a terrific solution for biking. The special tripod carry is an extra purchase, which I am making too. The offer for a free trial for two weeks makes sense as this is not yet in stores for checking out to see if your gear fits.
I am posting this under “Traveling Light” but fully loaded with a tripod, we are no longer traveling light here.
Here is one very complete review.
http://www.ronmartblog.com/2013/06/review-mindshift-gear-rotation-180.htmlJackSpeaking of patience as a photographic tool, along with LR,
When I had finished posting the above photos, I returned to the scene and the clouds had realigned. A cloud acting as a diffuser on the foreground would smooth out the left and right set of trees using nature. So I retook the shot, this time with the foreground in the shade, which to keep the background from washing out meant I would have a pretty dark, but more evenly lit foreground. There was much less retouching required. You tell me which you like better. By the way, getting the color correct between the two shots was not something I yet tried to work on. If I ever print this shot, I may do further adjustment. I like both sets of color, but there is a difference. The blue of the sky had shifted with the angle of the sun, so all the colors had changed. I used the walkway as a color sample. Here is when you are glad to have RAW files to color adjust.
In case you were wondering, I am now in Wisconsin, not Arizona.
JackYou are all correct, but the photographer still has to transfer the number onto the slide.
The numbers on the slide do not necessarily match with bayonet distances. So to be totally sure of your accuracy, the checking procedure is worth doing. Here is another different tutorial:
http://dgrin.smugmug.com/Tutorials/Shooting-Tech-and-Tips/Finding-The-Nodal-Point-of/2114189_sdwC9KJackEasy to do if you have a nodel plate.
This is Moose Peterson's description of how to do it:
http://www.moosepeterson.com/digitaldarkroom/lessons/panoramas.htmlTo find the nodal point, we’re going to need a stick, branch or some straight line about 3-5 feet in front of the camera. Then we need something in the background, anything about 30-50 feet away from the camera. What we’re going to do is look at the relationship of the stick in the foreground with the object in the background. Then we’re going to slide the nodal plate back and forth in the clamp of the tripod head so that when you pan the camera with the ballhead, the stick and object stay lined up no matter where the camera is directly pointed.
Let’s say you have a car antenna five feet in front of the camera. In the background off in the distance you see a patio umbrella in your neighbor’s backyard. The car antenna is directly centered in front of the umbrella when you look through the lens. It needs to stay in this exact same position as you rotate/pan the camera back and forth. So if the antenna/umbrella are in the dead center of the viewfinder and lined up with each other, when you pan so they are either on the extreme left or right side of the viewfinder, they are still perfectly lined up with each other. If they are not, then you simply move the nodal plate either forward or backwards until they remained lined up when you pan. It’s really easy and takes only a few moments. If you’re using the RRS MPR-CL, D2H and 28mmPC on the BH-55 head, all you have to do is line up the grove on the end MPR-CL with the leading edge on the BH-55 clamp and you’re there. Whether by accident or design, it works every time. With your nodal point determined, you’re ready to go.JackPeter,
David explained this to me a few years ago regarding download speed. And I thank him.
It is an amazing difference! There is a reason CF still exists for pro cameras.I probably didn't care years ago when I was shooting small files.
JackDavid,
I stand corrected on salt water spray.
This blog:
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog
Explains why they do not insure their lenses when renters “abuse” equipment in salt water.Also warns about certain kinds of color dust used in color bomb runs.
Never had heard about that.JackAs soon as I posted the ThinkTank bag, a friend informed me I was out of date.
ThinkTank had invented the MindShift Gear Rotation 180. It has a internal fanny pack that can slide out to the front when you need a lens or filter change, and then backside for being on the move.
Naturally it solved all the issues I had with the backpack I had purchased just 6 weeks ago.
Well it didn't solve what to do with the now out of date backpack.Naturally this solution costs an extra $300, but solves the need to take off the backpack to switch lenses. The fanny pack swings out from inside the backpack when you want to change lenses. And the 2 way tripod carry solution is very cool.
http://www.mindshiftgear.com/products/rotation180-professional-deluxe
You need to view this video to understand the action of the fanny pack feature:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ871_TaIL4&feature=player_embedded
The guy on the bike is me?
If anyone is using one of these let me know if you like it.
Jack
