Few days ago San gave me an early birthday present – a new camera :happy:
The reason I got it before birthday is to give me more time to practice with it because on June 15th we plan to go watch Orcas in area close to Vancouver Island.
So, yesterday a weather was not good enough for hiking, instead we went on Stanley park which proved to be a good decision.
Coal Harbour and marina
We've seen a lot of birds – especially herons
and some Canada Geese grooming 😀
But a real treat was this one:
San and me noticed something swimming toward the sea wall and decided to wait and see what it might be. At the end I had maybe 2 seconds to make a shot before otter disappeared in the hole. The photo is a bit blurry but I am very happy for being able to make it 😀
gdare 
The camera produces fine shots. :up: Have lots of fun with it! :)Btw, weather here is not good for hiking this days, as well. But it did not prevent me from going to an excursion. He he 😀
Darko, since you're a Camera Guru, I have a question for you.Okay, on this camera and any other Digital Cameras that you've had, does the picture size setting stay absolutely set at whatever you set it? It doesn't change on its own for whatever reason?The reason I ask is because my oldest sister periodically E-mails me pics and more often than not, most of them turn out to be of the HUGE size that are like 2 or 3 MegaBytes each. I've told her over and over and over that not only can I NOT download them with my Dial Up, but also, it's not a good idea to be using such huge pics for her facebook page cuz the MegaBytes do add up even for those with High Speed Internet.She swears that after they select a size with the 1280px or 1650px width that I recommend, they don't change the size. Yet SOMEHOW I guess the picture size setting changes because those pics just keep on coming at those 2000px and 3000px width huge sizes.
Ana, so where your next trip will be to? :DCarlos, if she is using automatic settings on camera – such as Portrait, Landscape, Sport, etc., whenever the camera is turned off or when different pre-set is chosen, some cameras reset settings to a default value. That may be the cause. I don't know what is her camera brand but Canon cameras tend to do that. The only setting that remain the same are in Manual mode, Aperture priority (Av), Shutter priority (Tv) or Program (P). However, it would be a good idea to tell her to experiment a bit more and see what happens :up:
Ahhh, Okay, that makes sense, Darko. I'll toss her that bit of Info. It could very well be what's happening.I think her camera is a Nikkon something or other. By now I forgot the Model. I had Googled it once and it appears to be a good camera. Yet her pics never approach the quality of yours. So, it's almost looking like it does take quite some doing to get seriously good at this Photography thing.
Carlos, tell her to write to me and send me some pix … I've found that most of the better cams nowadays do not produce pix suitable for mailing. What does she have, and how has she got it set, etc., etc. See your email.I'm usually pretty good at figuring out what the trouble is.Dare, these are very nice … set yours at Aperture priority and leave it there … no smaller opening than f/11, and no bigger, unless there's good reason (like you want very shallow DOF or it's too damned dark for f/11). I think you have a choice of focus points; pick one and be sure you don't accidentally move it … it will make you faster if you don't have to hunt for it.I would also set the exposure compensation to about .7 f/stop underexposed … you won't blow the highlights, but the shadow data is there, and your P'shop will bring it out. Also, the first shot has a disturbing tilt, but you're not pointing up or down, you're tilting the camera. We all do it; P'shop can fix it.One further caution: NEVER sharpen until you've finished work and done the final resizing. That goes for your sister, too Carlos … and she really should resize in the computer, not in the camera.
That final shot is wonderful, just to see an otter like that. Enjoy the new camera (I'm sure you will).
dW, unfortunately neither my sister nor my brother-in-law are anywhere near the sticklers for details as you or I are. My sister loves her facebooking, but on a much more casual level as far as the quality of the pics goes.Whatever Photoshop tips or any other type of Photo Editing tips you and I could give my sister would be more trouble than she'd want to bother with. My 2 brothers and I are Details Fanatics / Details Junkies. My 3 sisters … Nnnnggg, not so much … bordering on not at all. I don't know. I'll wait until my sister returns to the USA in August. MAYBE I can convince her to let me give her some tutoring on the basics of photo resizing, adjusting contrast, sharpening and simple stuff. After all, at one time she thought all facebookers were crazy. Then when she retired and her husband opened up a facebook account for her … BAMM! She was hooked! :yikes:
Cool :cool:Nice photos, many hours of pleasure in front of you! :up:Have you give him/her a name yet? 😀
Otter! 😀 Awesome gift, and awesome shots. You say the last is blurry, but by my standards, that's not blurry 😆 but, I know what you mean.
Carlos, my guess is that she probably has one of the ultra compact cameras and pre-defined settings are what is troubling the size :DdW, I almost never use sharpening in Photoshop; rather play with some other options and/or contrasting. Also, I try to make photos using manual settings except when I need to make photograph very fast, then it goes to automatic and then I play with it in PS. I've found a good practice to make manual settings for what I expect to photograph and stick with that :up:Words, that was a real treat, something you don't see very often. Last time we saw otter in Vancouver was about 8 months ago… :up:Louis, I am still thinking about names… Emma, Ena, Eleonora… :PKimmie, it was really fast, one moment it was in water, then suddenly it was running toward the entrance of its cave (or nest). And I was waiting for it :left: But I am pretty happy with the result, anyway 😀
It's too bad you didn't have your camera the day we saw the otter relieving himself on that rock…:rolleyes:
Nice picture machine. ;)I'm still very satisfied with my EOS 500D.
Is that bottom image an otter? He's great whatever he is and I must have one. :love:You're a better photographer than me. Every shot I take somehow adds fifteen years and a hundred pounds to me yet leaves everything else looking normal. It's really frustrating. 😉
Dare, the "Unsharp Mask" sharpening routine is essentially a contrast control routine … it increases the contrast between adjacent pixels. The people who complain about digital cameras not being sharp are full of the stuff that otter left on the rock. They're pros, and they oughta know better. They've got the finest equipment money can buy, and it's not sharp? Nuts! Digital cameras are sharp, and autofocus, properly handled is plenty sharp. The contrast is low, is all, and everything LOOKS unsharp. Perceived sharpness is low, but perceived sharpness is a function of contrast. The Unsharp Mask routine allows you to control that contrast , from 0% to 500%, and the number of pixels involved. It's quite possible to overdo it, and the photo looks yucky, but it's also possible to get it right.Nothing wrong with the 500D, Martin.
Point the camera the other way … Kimmie's pertier nor you, ennyways.
What a great present! Happy (early) Birthday, Darko! Enjoy your camera.And, San, excellent choice for a present.:up:
San, 😆 That was unexpected :DMartin, some people say there is no big difference between T1, T3 and T5 which is the latest model from the series. It is like with some software, newer versions have only "cosmetic" improvements but main thing remain the same. With cameras it is important to have good optics IMHO :up:dW, I was using Unsharp Mask a lot on my previous job in Serbia. Still, I am not a big fan of it.Mik, it is otter :yes:Originally posted by Furie:
Thanks :cheers:Star, thank you. My birthday is on June 15, so I still have enough time 😀
Personally I don't think unsharp mask works that well in Photoshop, however, in Corel paint it works much better. But, as you say, don't overdo it.
The optics are of course what makes the difference between good and not so good cameras. A good example is mobile cameras where you can actually take fairly good pictures with say a Nokia N96, 5 MP, 2592×1944 pixels unit, because it has the Carl Zeiss optics.
ooh otter!!! :p ok I only realised what it was by reading the comments :p
I think the Geese were taking their morning shower , did you throw for them some crumbs for bearfast .
Martin, the most famous optics ever :DClint, I guess :rolleyes:Rania, they don't need crumbs, rather a loaf of bread 😛
Originally posted by gdare:
Canon, you mean … yes, kinda. It's always been a tossup between Canon and Nikon … one of them makes one better, the other makes something different better. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice. All I know is that I've used both, and none of them has ever disappointed me. All those Gemini copies were made with Canon equipment, for instance.In Europe, Leitz, Steinheil, Zeiss, and Schneider are names to conjure by, And Alpa, a Swiss company, used to put apochromats in their cameras as standard lenses. There was even one American company that made superb lenses for a while … Bausch & Lomb, now out of business.
Actually, I was thinking about Carl Zeiss, it was the first lens I actually used, with my friend's camera. It was long time ago, I was in high school and didn't have a clue about photography. My photos were all bad but hers were excellent :up:
What a great present. Perhaps he will let you use it :p
the whole loaf :left: , I think this is one of the disadvantage of the big family , the over consumption .
Rania, I seem to be at least half-stupid this morning … would you mind explaining that statement more fully, please?
Sal, she can use my old camera :whistle: :PRania, it has to do only with Canada Geese 😆
dW, take a look, I think this is what she meanthttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2319825/The-great-global-food-gap-Families-world-photographed-weekly-shopping-reveal-cost-ranges-3-20-320.html
look DW i don't live in a rich and peaceful country ,where The primary concern of the government is the citizen .I live under the trampling of the Civil War .I've lost my job ,every thing is very expensive ,so I can not prevent myself from thinking about the expenses ,for example, in the current circumstances i live , I can not even dream of a camera like Darko's camera ,maybe this is reflected in some of my comments , there is about five ducks in the photo , the first thing i thought about is "the big family and consumption".Darko I went to the link , Inspired me with ideas about an important subject" the food ", I think I'll write about it .
Rania, I'm sorry if my thickheadedness caused you any offense … you may address me as Herr Dummkopf, in future, if you like. I actually caught the meaning of what you said … after I opened my mouth. (An old saying: "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak, and remove all doubt.") It was actually some time before I located your remark about "the loaf".My apologies.And I do admire your courage in living under such circumstances. I must confess that I don't know if I would have the sheer guts to do it myself. We have had only one Civil War in our history, and the latest estimates are 750,000 casualties, but that was long ago. Some people (including most of our "Founding Fathers") chalk this up to the fact that a very large proportion of citizens are armed, so that the government is hesitant to start anything too oppressive. As Japanese Admiral Yamamoto said, when he refused to considerthe possibility of invading the US, "There is a rifle behind every blade of grass.", and the US government knows that, too. It's just too expensive, in blood and treasure.Dare, That's a very interesting article … there are many things in it that need to be thought about, one of the most obvious being that although the amount and variety of foods differ wildly from culture to culture, most of those people look relatively healthy, save, perhaps, the fat Americans. Of course, we're not seeing the top and bottom ends of the scale in all cases.
Rania, that kind of camera was not even in my dreams when I was living in a war torn country during 90s. I get you completely about that. But life is full of surprises and unexpected turn offs and it always comes a sun after rain. Believe in that.dW, I remember someone here in Opera posted photographs from that article, I think it might be Dirk. When Rania said that thing about over consumption, that one came to my mind at once 😀
That was my post
:heart:
Herr Dummkopf its OK , am happy that you understand me , am happy that you call me dare .:)
grade , on day the sun will rise .
Originally posted by raniakasim:
LOL … I was calling Darko Dare … it';s a masculine name, and it is not appropriate for you.If I were to make up a name for you, "Daring" might be appropriate, as would "Brave".
Originally posted by raniakasim:
LOL … I was calling Darko Dare … it';s a masculine name, and it is not appropriate for you.If I wereto mke up a name for you, "Daring" might be appropriate, as would "Brave".
Looking forward to seeing the orca photos! :DAnd a great series. I've seen the otter on FB, as you know, but nice to see it again. Lovely creature 🙂
Adele, I am looking forward to see orcas, I never got the opportunity before. Not even in a zoo. Can't wait :happy:
The Northwest Indians used to consider the Orca the highest form of life, and could only be achieved after having lived an exemplary life as a human. I remember one man telling the story that, as a little boy, he'd be out picking berries on the seaward slope of the mountain, and when a pod of orcas swam by, his mother would say, "Wave to your Grandfather!".
That's a nice story :yes:
Herr Dummkopf , this is me,Always committed mistakes. 😮
LOL
What a great gift. Great photos. The water in the first photo looks like glass, so smooth and clear. The Canadian geese photo is my favorite. :)Happy Belated Birthday Darko. :hat:
Carol, thank you :up:
You are welcome Darko. :happy:
happy birthday, belated, Darko!last photo is very nice! how are you liking your camera? Joe very recently got me one, too. I'm still with Nikon- but so often use my cell phone. so convenient. I wonder where cell technology will take us in the next 5 years…
I am very happy with it 😀
glad to hear! enjoy! I'm getting a bunch of blur that I'm not used to with mine. will have to look for image stablization…