Chat- Twisted W/E comp 4th Feb- 6th Feb 2011

[silversnapper1]

Originally Posted by jinky

You`re probably right silveesnapper. Looking at it again now to check I just see the reflections of the colours in the centre rather than a cast. Must have been my eyes - sorry to have worried you. Hinfrance eventually battered me into submission on the need to get a screen calibrator and I must say it made a difference so it`s a wise investment when you can nevertheless. That said I never understand the technolocy bit - I mean the fact that I see it right on my screen does not mean you see it the same way on yours

Thanks Paul. Know what you mean about the techy bit. My youngest did an IT course a college when he finished school and he is now IT support here. He hates letting anything along those lines beat him and, if it does, it's usually beyond repair.

@ Andy. Thank you, I will have a look at that.

[michaelb104]

Originally Posted by jinky

I mean the fact that I see it right on my screen does not mean you see it the same way on yours

I’ve always wondered about that, I’m guessing that all of us look at the same picture and see it differently because of our screen calibration. I do the up and downs at work so only have access to my work laptop which hasn’t and will never be calibrated. I know that my own images are so much different when viewed at home and viewed at work.

I guess that begs the question, who sets the standard to which one is right or is it just personal preference??

Originally Posted by michaelb104

I’ve always wondered about that, I’m guessing that all of us look at the same picture and see it differently because of our screen calibration. I do the up and downs at work so only have access to my work laptop which hasn’t and will never be calibrated. I know that my own images are so much different when viewed at home and viewed at work.

I guess that begs the question, who sets the standard to which one is right or is it just personal preference??

Put it this way Mike. After the usual tweak to brighten (to compensate for back illumination between screen and paper) I have not had a problem with any printing including that done by outside print shops. ; yet! As I quess there may be a first time around the corner

[Reinardina]

Originally Posted by ogri1st

Im in the same boat as you Reinardina, Ive only just got elements but havent yet got to grasp with it. (still trying to learn to use a slr camera.) I totaly agree with your comments, after a morning out and about withmy camera it was the only original shot i had.

as for above and below my skills are still a bit basic so im on a learning curve and i will leave my thoughts out until i Know what im on about, Hope you get my jist on this,

You're ahead of me as far as the camera is concerned; I don't think I'll ever work with an SLR.

Come on, have a go at the 'ups and downs,' I too find it rather daunting, so I just stick to what I see and like.

[Reinardina]

Originally Posted by michaelb104

Up and downs
Reinardina – I found this a really interesting take on the theme, you have captured the inside of the shop and the reflections really well. I do find the window frame not quite right but I’m not sure how you could make it better, overall a really nice shot.


Mark, hope you feel better soon. The forum isn’t the same if you’re not here

Thanks for your critique Mike. I agree about the window frame and have played around with it, but couldn't really get it any better.
I liked this 'corner shop' because I could not only see the shop itself and the reflections, but also, through the shop interior, the street round the corner, so I had a lot of 'reality' all mixed up.

"Mark, hope you feel better soon. The forum isn’t the same if you’re not here "

I couldn't agree more!

[ogri1st]

Originally Posted by Reinardina

You're ahead of me as far as the camera is concerned; I don't think I'll ever work with an SLR.

Come on, have a go at the 'ups and downs,' I too find it rather daunting, so I just stick to what I see and like.

Thanks for the encouragement, I will do the ups and downs next time, But at the mo ive just ripped out the old kitchen so its head scratching n hunting in boxes for kitchen implements for the next challange!

[HinFrance]

Originally Posted by Reinardina

You're ahead of me as far as the camera is concerned; I don't think I'll ever work with an SLR.

The price of DSLRs five years ago was such that I didn't think I would either. But I saved hard, prices fell and I now have 3 generations of DSLR from Pentax (always the best bang for the buck, just got a K5 ). I bought older Pentax F and FA lenses and accessories from eBay to get a reasonable set up.

Mind you I had to sell my Fuji S9500 to help fund it all, and I rather miss that camera at times.

[Reinardina]

Originally Posted by HinFrance

The price of DSLRs five years ago was such that I didn't think I would either. But I saved hard, prices fell and I now have 3 generations of DSLR from Pentax (always the best bang for the buck, just got a K5 ). I bought older Pentax F and FA lenses and accessories from eBay to get a reasonable set up.

Mind you I had to sell my Fuji S9500 to help fund it all, and I rather miss that camera at times.

Originally Posted by ogri1st

Thanks for the encouragement, I will do the ups and downs next time, But at the mo ive just ripped out the old kitchen so its head scratching n hunting in boxes for kitchen implements for the next challange!

HinFrance: I have been playing around with the idea of trying an SLR, but I'm not sure I'll be able to handle one, or if it is suitable for my way of taking photographs. I'm partially sighted, which makes me a very slow photographer, as I have to focus my eyes, before I aim the camera. (That's why I photograph mainly static objects, if something moves, I lose it - literally - and have to start the focussing process again). I'm also not sure if I can handle the fiddly lens changing etc.
No, I will probably go for one of the more elaborate bridge (?) cameras in the future; a nice all in one, with a lot of possibilities. But first I want to try out, and get to grips with, the possibilities of my present camera.

Ogri1st: The shell of the ripped out kitchen might provide you with a dramatic kitchen shot!

[HinFrance]

I'm sure you'll be happy with a top end bridge camera, they're very good.

You might find, however, that if you try a DSLR that the extra speed and precision they are capable of will be very useful. Something like the Sony A33 or A55 with a transtandard zoom might be something to go and have a play with - just a thought.

Now someone earlier mentioned screen calibration, and I recall that jinky fingered me for getting him to buy a colorimeter and software. Andy pointed out that he didn't feel he was missing anything, and indeed he may not be. Not all monitors are created equal.

And someone else asked who decided what the colours should be. That one is easy; if a monitor is sRGB - the vast majority - then the displayed colours should map exactly to the colours set out in the sRGB colour space. If it's a wider gamut model then the colours should map to that standard.

The colour slope on my monitor was definitely changed after calibration, the dark colours becoming much richer. On the other hand, my daughter's computer runs linux and I have simply used the calibration charts on her monitor with entirely acceptable results, notwithstanding that in some images the differences can be very clearly seen.

The people who seem to have the biggest problems are those using uncalibrated Macs. Apple set the gamma, or slope, of the monitor to give a display much brighter than it should be (we all know people only buy Macs because they like shiny things, don't we ). The upshot is that if you have a calibrated monitor, either PC or Mac, it is usually pretty obvious is something has been edited on an uncalibrated Mac because the whole thing looks darker than it should and shadow detail is often poor or completely lost. But unless you have a colorimeter and software package it is best to leave the gamma alone and tweak your brightness and contrast controls.

That said, PC displays are often factory set to look more shiny and contrasty in the shops too.

So I would say that at the very least everyone should check their monitor using one of the free tools on the web like THIS. On my calibrated monitor the difference between all the bands is perfectly and evenly visible.

Colour accuracy is another matter entirely, and simply can't be done without the tools for the job.