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  • October 27, 2011 at 9:15 pm #1309
    Pete Walentin

    rudlinfineart;1099 wrote: Can you provide a “rule of thumb” for the amount of clarify, sharpness, etc. you typical find necessary when you make your initial color image in LIghtroom? I am trying to get a feeling for the “scale” of these items. (For example, on my D300, even a “sharp” image takes about 15 in NX2, whereas somewhat ironically it takes 15-20 for the D3X.)

    I think the feeling is what you should rely on because it is the feeling you would like to transfer with the picture. *wise-guying off* 😎

    I recognized so far when I am having good results with a specific recipe, that I try to use it for other subjects as well. BUT and even it is sometimes hard, I do think this is the wrong approach. Moving the slider into the opposite direction sometime feels liberating. 😉 What I want to say: As I am loving to shot a wide range of different subjects my experience is that there is no rule of thumb. When taking a picture of a young child sometimes I decrease the clarity. I'am also a big fan of slight desatured looks… so no rule of thumb.

    BUT coming back to the S2, if I do not want to overdraw the image I mostly use things like clarity or sharpness only slightly as the general quality of the images is quite high AND if I do not print them and scale them down for the web you can get away with so much…

    Hope that all makes sense.

    Cheers.

    Pete

  • October 27, 2011 at 7:22 pm #1307
    Pete Walentin

    Guys,

    Thanks for the feedback.

    AM6;1082 wrote: Pete, great images – the 2nd and last really stand out for me.

    We are totally on the same page. 😉

    rudlinfineart;1085 wrote: Fantastic images, and in particular the last one with the billboard.

    Would you kindly reveal your “secret”, i.e. which lens, and what were the
    settings? What post processing did you use to create the almost illustrative
    look (which is particularly striking and appreciated in this image).

    Thanks
    craig

    Of course.

    70mm 1/180s f/8 ISO 160.

    This picture was developed in Lightroom and SilverEfexPro2. In Lightroom I just made a “decent” colored picture, what I usually do as a basis when making b/w pictures. “Fixed” the exposure a bit, increased contrast, added clarity, raised dynamic and saturation as well as the sharpening.

    In SilverEfexPro2 I choosed as a starting point a Low Key effect to increase the “darker approach” I had in mind. Then I adjusted the details in brightness, contrast and structure. On top of this I used the selective points to darken certain areas and to highlight others, like the billboard or the heart on the wall. At the end I added a vignette.

    And I kept the sensor dust because at the end, there is no time for details anymore. 😉

    Cheers.

    Pete

  • October 27, 2011 at 3:26 pm #1302
    Pete Walentin

    David Farkas;1090 wrote: 30mm f/2.8 announced today. See new thread and article on main page for details.

    You made my day! 😉

  • October 18, 2011 at 5:17 am #1180
    Pete Walentin

    allegretto;950 wrote: Ummmm… well I work regularly with German and Swiss engineers and have had many opportunities to interface with them, both in English and their native tongue

    I would politely disagree. They mean to be that arrogant. It has to do with a certain sense of their past and perceived destiny. Leica cameras are expensive, but relatively small ticket compared to laser systems. German designers/engineers are simply that arrogant. I have even made suggestions on equipment and been met with similar replies, only to have them come out with the improvement soon after having them tell me it “wasn't needed”. So I knew it was past the planning stage when they rudely shot me down. They just have “that attitude”.

    Just is, in my experience. And like it or not, often they are right…

    As I am one of them I could say this is the kind of attitude a lot of Germans have. It is the total opposite of what the general US American attitude is. Very, very direct. But it would fill a whole book to write about this and whats good and whats bad about it. What I do like about it is that I got a definite answer and do not have to read between the lines. Which is maybe much more friendly but could be unclear.

    Sorry for the detour – back to topic. :rolleyes:

  • October 18, 2011 at 5:05 am #1179
    Pete Walentin

    Here we go:

    Upper left: ISO

    Lower left: Bracketing

    Upper right: Exposure Compensation

    Lower right: Mirror Lockup (I do change from time to time the Drive Mode but as it is only two clicks away to get there I prefered Mirror Lockup.)

    Rear Button: AF-L (AE-L with half-pressed shutter)

    Wheel – Long Push (Haven't played with this button so far.)

  • October 12, 2011 at 9:39 pm #1121
    Pete Walentin

    Thanks Josh. But being in Germany, paying transport, customs and import tax, it will not make a difference.

  • October 12, 2011 at 8:23 pm #1115
    Pete Walentin

    Josh Lehrer;892 wrote: Pete:

    The adapter I used is our Leica S2-Mamiya Mount lens adapter. It works will all Mamiya 645 manual focus lenses. Along with the Schneider, we like to use the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 as well.

    Thanks. This is not the Leica M645 Adapter right?

  • October 12, 2011 at 7:28 pm #1113
    Pete Walentin

    Josh Lehrer;890 wrote:


    The Leica S2 combined with the new Schneider 120mm Apo Macro Tilt/Shift lens is a formidable combo.

    Hi Josh,

    Great stuff. It is always fun to take a look “behind the scenes”. 🙂

    Could you please let me know which Adapter you have used for the Schneider 120mm Apo Marco Tilt/Shift lens / which mount the lens have?

    Thanks,
    Pete

  • October 12, 2011 at 12:11 pm #1110
    Pete Walentin

    David Farkas;887 wrote:
    You will not be able to use your existing Cokin holder, though. The glass filters are 4mm thick vs. 2mm thick for the resin ones. Schneider modifies the Lee holder with two 4mm slots, which have individual thumb screws for locking the filters in place. The glass filters are heavier and could slide through if tension isn't applied.

    Looking at technical data from the shots I've posted, you'll see that these filters were invaluable for easily getting the shot. Not one image posted is an HDR merge. They are all single shot exposures (except for the one pano of the waterfall).

    Hi David,

    When taking a look at my adapter earlier today I thought the same. Glass isn't likely to bend as it is “plastic”. So I have to rethink about a new investment. 😉

    Thanks,
    Pete

  • October 12, 2011 at 2:43 am #1107
    Pete Walentin

    Does one of you can tell or has made any experience how much battery life the cards are using? Any numbers?

  • October 12, 2011 at 2:39 am #1106
    Pete Walentin

    What a swaggerer! 😉

    But I would say the swaggerer is representing 2% of all S2s in America. 😎

  • October 12, 2011 at 2:33 am #1105
    Pete Walentin

    Cam Garner;856 wrote: Here are a few more from Hawaii. BTW, I converted these to sRGB. Is that necessary considering that most people that view these images have a calibrated monitor? Comments welcomed – both positive and negative. Thanks

    Cam, I really love the second one. I like the dynamic, the texture of the wave, the composition and the colors. Really Hawaii. :p

    I'm always converting my images to sRGB when showing pictures in the net as you never know who is watching on which device and having it as an “action” it is just one click. But maybe my point of view is a little bit outdated in the meantime. 😉

  • October 12, 2011 at 2:24 am #1104
    Pete Walentin

    David Farkas;877 wrote: Pete,

    I use the B+W F-Pro Kaesmann Circular Polarizer MRC. I've found no loss of quality when using the filter. Additionally, many of these shots were done with a polarizer and a 3-stop graduated ND and a solid 4-stop ND. The Schneider glass filters are second to none, especially when compared with resin filters. They don't scratch or attract dust, are easy to clean and have no negative effect on image quality.

    Hi David,

    I've used the Kaesmann Circular Polarizer MRC 82mm back in my Canon days with the UW lenses. That works fine for me as well. I have not used them on the S2. I was a little bit unsure about their effect. At all I am not a big fan of filters. 😉
    What I have used on the S2 are Cokin Filters. But they attract dust which makes them not very attractive to me. It feels like I always have to clean them but I never get them as clean as I would like to have them. 😉 On top of that I do like to make “my photography” as simple as possible. One of the reasons I switched to the S2.

    But it looks like the Cokin Filters have the same size 4×4 and 4×6 as the Schneider Filters so I could use my adapter and try the Schneider Filters. So thanks for the tip.

  • October 12, 2011 at 2:00 am #1103
    Pete Walentin

    David Farkas;871 wrote: Pete,

    These are really powerful images. I especially like the first one. The symmetry is just perfect and really works here, with the arch framing the cross.

    Thanks. The first one is actually a stacked image I have made with Helicon Focus. First time I used it, as the results PS5 are delivering with blending the layers is not satisfying enough.

    Cam Garner;875 wrote: Very nice work – war cemeteries would make a great book project

    Thanks. And totally agree. It offers a lot of possibilities for interpretation/messages.

  • October 11, 2011 at 4:23 pm #1096
    Pete Walentin

    Really like the first one. With the roof of the barn complementing the foliage colors.

    David, what is your experience in loosing IQ when using a Circular Polarizer? Which one do you use? Is there any, if at all, which is delivering the best results?

    Thanks,
    Pete

    P.S. Also like the Pano.

Viewing 15 posts - 121 through 135 (of 159 total)
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