tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1521886514323049392024-03-05T21:45:58.528-05:00Through the LensA look at anything through a camera lens.MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-47024128695385140252014-01-10T17:03:00.000-05:002014-01-10T17:03:41.133-05:00The Sony QX-10 - A Little Competitions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I recently picked up one of those Sony QX10 cameras, you know the ones that pair with your phone. They are the lens and the camera internals, but you control the whole thing from your phone. When you are done, the pictures are all on the phone (ready to be modified or shared as you wish - though a copy also remains on a memory card in the camera). So if you have read this (and I do not update it often), you will know I like to carry around as little as possible. I have been taking more pictures with my phone as a result of that (and when I wanted a better camera I bring the Canon SX260 along - I almost never carry the DSLR anymore). However, the SX260 still leaves a lump in the pocked, and the QX10 is much easier to carry around (and no funny eye-fi cards to deal with). <br />
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However this all begged the questions. Is carrying anything around really worth it as the GS4 gets pretty good pictures on its own? Will the QX10 be able to fully replace the SX260? Does any of this really matter anyway? and finally why do I really care. Well, if we ignore the last 2 questions, I think we can really get somewhere.<br />
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First of as I said before, the SX260 can not replace the DSLR. I know I take fewer and fewer pictures with the DSLR, but when I really want something off the wall and special, I have to get the DSLR out (though it is getting old in the teeth as I have not updated in along time). It has all the controls for exposure - more flexible flash and I can mount a lens that best suites the situation. So I still have the DSLR, but do not use it much anymore.<br />
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Just looking at the SX260 and the QX10 somethings will jump out at you. First is that the QX10 has no flash. I think this really is its biggest short fall. I like to use a little fill flash on many of my shots, and the QX10 just does not offer this option (I can use the flashlight on the phone, but that is not much use most of the time). The second obvious item missing is the zoom range. The QX10 is a 10x optical zoom (which is respectable). The SX260 is 20x (and it does mean alot). There is also one non-obvious short coming to the QX10 and that is control. The QX10 is largely automatic (there are varying levels of automatic control, but there are no manual modes like the SX260 supports). <br />
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However, where there are short comings, there are also strengths. The first is that the camera is stand alone. There is a little piece that allows you to attach it to your phone (so it works more like a phone), but I hardly ever use this (and I do not carry it). This means that I am able to get different vantage points easily. For example I can hold the QX10 over my head while composing the shot on my phones screen. This allows me to get over a crowd (or just a different vantage point). This is also really nice in pictures I plan on being in (I can actually see the end result instead of framing it and walking over). Yes the QX10 does have delays (so you have time to put the phone in your pocket or get it out of the picture). Obviously this also means that I can leave the camera somewhere (hanging with my Gorilla tripod) so I can get even different perspectives. <br />
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The major strength however is the connectivity. If you look back, I purchased the eye fi card for the SX260 as I am a bit paranoid about losing pictures (it happened to me once when out on vacation, the story should be somewhere below). With the QX10, there are copies on the phone and on the camera (so you need to lose both). Once on the phone they are easy to upload and save (no clunky eye fi interface). <br />
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Ok, so those are the physical differences, but what about quality (and why did I not bring up the GS4 by itself yet - though really those shortcomings and strengths are obvious extensions of the above). So I went outside and took a few pictures with each (it was a grey day, so I apologize). The last set of pictures are probably the most important with some low light issues.<br />
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As always, click the picture to get a full view. Also for the GS4 and the GX10, I left them in Auto (they are designed to be in Auto) for these pictures. For the SX260, I left much of it in Auto, but forced the ISO to 200 as any higher the noise starts to get bad.<br />
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First we will do the GS4 by itself:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggf_ClJ4hVKXcVrDJfJMmebBa1OkI3r8mzW8H7pZslT-X38bkeJzk3H8GSHsEtLpjWnkHkNVJev5hmLZ18N0iXymxjPLfRPuj78UPAd5rmPYJ6s3n115ksM9GqFsBut9wa55aG4mrhxPM/s1600/20140110_144212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggf_ClJ4hVKXcVrDJfJMmebBa1OkI3r8mzW8H7pZslT-X38bkeJzk3H8GSHsEtLpjWnkHkNVJev5hmLZ18N0iXymxjPLfRPuj78UPAd5rmPYJ6s3n115ksM9GqFsBut9wa55aG4mrhxPM/s1600/20140110_144212.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Not bad. The green comes out and there is reasonable sharpness though it looks like a little haze crept in.</div>
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Now for the SX260:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iKCKoiMNsxSDfjJPLP-d89e7rZBfItdlCKXpTEiisEyNi7-oEYhoJ7pOyXAnSqRld_oE2YnfTBf5Os_-t2gL5IslIrm2GiyPkaxw2P3SF85fdcwQVTK2a7WM83TkNvZRSO0jHcx3EbI/s1600/IMG_3072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iKCKoiMNsxSDfjJPLP-d89e7rZBfItdlCKXpTEiisEyNi7-oEYhoJ7pOyXAnSqRld_oE2YnfTBf5Os_-t2gL5IslIrm2GiyPkaxw2P3SF85fdcwQVTK2a7WM83TkNvZRSO0jHcx3EbI/s1600/IMG_3072.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Again, not bad, the color on the canon is actually a little greener and there is no haze.</div>
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Now for the GX10:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d7nJ21pJ7YFEqJK3BwXSizFbvfvs6E-QhbqlKzeBE_IcGFoU6fnEZXZD2ncHLGG_4V5V4s1_P05eu_HktTd-5tcLqUSa4XYvYoa3DN_J7Pn4rN5s1fBfY_IPcHl26jntZs2ieAWEnw0/s1600/PICT_20140110_144443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d7nJ21pJ7YFEqJK3BwXSizFbvfvs6E-QhbqlKzeBE_IcGFoU6fnEZXZD2ncHLGG_4V5V4s1_P05eu_HktTd-5tcLqUSa4XYvYoa3DN_J7Pn4rN5s1fBfY_IPcHl26jntZs2ieAWEnw0/s1600/PICT_20140110_144443.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately this is a little more zoomed in, but the colors are still good, but the sharpness is off the charts compared to the others (but the zoom might help). It is even possible to make out the moss on the bark for the tree. This is pretty good and the best of the bunch (though the zoom helped it a little that does not explain it all).</div>
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Now, lets try a turning around and looking at a few leaves. Again, we will go with the GS4 first.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j-aPrBP6L5bim63UjdFhD2nN0yAq_CbWIAuMSW-vWq0fIHxJ0hLSvWXe_cDl0p5XXeDGFBYUrCTvZB9NReE3L4FsLLrAGfbR-a-1eKhJLar3Ijf-24UxSRh__7u7nl_qEgMjKlRhWLA/s1600/20140110_144224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j-aPrBP6L5bim63UjdFhD2nN0yAq_CbWIAuMSW-vWq0fIHxJ0hLSvWXe_cDl0p5XXeDGFBYUrCTvZB9NReE3L4FsLLrAGfbR-a-1eKhJLar3Ijf-24UxSRh__7u7nl_qEgMjKlRhWLA/s1600/20140110_144224.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sharpness is good close up. The details and blemishes show up well in the leaves.</div>
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Now for the SX260:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2SVj1icE_CYpJ0dJGRxjbZss7SE5CKwAbOLDJ40ItU23_sJRHHyrCAwVtgA-W6K793gpr8hRUO6rRskt_rbSMjD7dqhJ1z2yUlEtkn6fZWeWqAeRpv27Y069QvLvJk31lpcwSYi4kkA/s1600/IMG_3073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2SVj1icE_CYpJ0dJGRxjbZss7SE5CKwAbOLDJ40ItU23_sJRHHyrCAwVtgA-W6K793gpr8hRUO6rRskt_rbSMjD7dqhJ1z2yUlEtkn6fZWeWqAeRpv27Y069QvLvJk31lpcwSYi4kkA/s1600/IMG_3073.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Again, the zoom is off a bit, which will end up working against the GS4, but the SX260 also has very good detail in the leaves.<br />
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Finally lets go to the GX10:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJNtIWRzr1wManI-Qn2YTBTXdkQby0PMdaLG1Hnj_2wjzbS9jMcL_yzSU0JdaHg8rMO1WMnuwwKv30sBaxmhUcAAOUJ43yQtB2rf11H3tKqh2QseYZLLA4H4z2tOYUEL1tlpyVQAgyrQ/s1600/PICT_20140110_144506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJNtIWRzr1wManI-Qn2YTBTXdkQby0PMdaLG1Hnj_2wjzbS9jMcL_yzSU0JdaHg8rMO1WMnuwwKv30sBaxmhUcAAOUJ43yQtB2rf11H3tKqh2QseYZLLA4H4z2tOYUEL1tlpyVQAgyrQ/s1600/PICT_20140110_144506.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ok, so I was not having a great day (I need to think this more through when I start). The exposure here is a bit different as I am now looking into more snow and down not up as much (the advantage of being able to hold the camera differently from the viewfinder). However I think you get the point, detail is really good here as well. </div>
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So all the cameras behave pretty good when outside and plenty of light (guess that should not be a surprise to anyone). What happens when I bring them inside and take my normal test picture of the book case. </div>
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First up for the final picture is the GS4:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5q5ahQw5WECJ31xOHgYUKqUHl3njtv0JORnqqunNnUJhtCDhEpBWxcwxzd60SykMhpU4TtjKm5IPU0e22iK3FerC3OvQ6spxdaCSortnIACU_7sbmq_3F860qECcpsUFFKu9EZ8I_sC0/s1600/20140110_145048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5q5ahQw5WECJ31xOHgYUKqUHl3njtv0JORnqqunNnUJhtCDhEpBWxcwxzd60SykMhpU4TtjKm5IPU0e22iK3FerC3OvQ6spxdaCSortnIACU_7sbmq_3F860qECcpsUFFKu9EZ8I_sC0/s1600/20140110_145048.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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So this is where the GS4 starts to suffer (don't worry, I will post a blow up comparison below). There is really starting to get to be some noise and even some strange halos (maybe the GS4 is doing quite a bit of noise reduction/sharpening). <br />
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Now for the SX260:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zgi86yHPI1P8PZ4-iSdTDN8AzKnRzyzSM-iOmzrm_-ify00OzrF9Oaws8jeTiwtqcEK5e4BtP3_fSb5iAlR9LzQma4ShUR6khczcshf44jOgIt-OJRHqoCKUunaW6pV9GbhxNJ8Ooak/s1600/IMG_3074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zgi86yHPI1P8PZ4-iSdTDN8AzKnRzyzSM-iOmzrm_-ify00OzrF9Oaws8jeTiwtqcEK5e4BtP3_fSb5iAlR9LzQma4ShUR6khczcshf44jOgIt-OJRHqoCKUunaW6pV9GbhxNJ8Ooak/s1600/IMG_3074.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ok, so this is better, but the SX260 still has noise in the picture (if you read below, that has always been my complaint). However the strange halo's are missing. This is not a bad picture and for most uses will be really good.<br />
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Finally the GX10:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFip9LkY-hyZPdS-LrP-0eK5Cfvprop-bdiAVvO-CI2a4J_fg9FoOQub3ez3ZZskMmU_Rra3D6T9SqOPfc0LGXASDH99_BxwB06nQ6AIp4YMPhuDo4iUBRauCGMiLh0QSCld42GF9A6HY/s1600/PICT_20140110_145148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFip9LkY-hyZPdS-LrP-0eK5Cfvprop-bdiAVvO-CI2a4J_fg9FoOQub3ez3ZZskMmU_Rra3D6T9SqOPfc0LGXASDH99_BxwB06nQ6AIp4YMPhuDo4iUBRauCGMiLh0QSCld42GF9A6HY/s1600/PICT_20140110_145148.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sharpness here is fantastic. The detail is extraordinary for a camera of this type (more on that below). I am really impressed by this.<br />
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So to make it easier on all of you, there is a blow up below. The pictures are not all zoomed the same (look at the box of tissues and the end of the cabinet). However, I zoomed the SX260 and GX10 about the same (the GS4 is actually zoomed a little less). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy4Pd51rgqDS0PveCcXLL423QqJkA4jGDyJAp4metqFM7Y4AzEjn_VAGYoD0jVuRqWg1Q7PeVbV5-Kbrmwj1JriORny5Im1fnN5oRQmRceAyV2KzHYxsls1Kko7KxUDfQyV6QInqT8-w/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy4Pd51rgqDS0PveCcXLL423QqJkA4jGDyJAp4metqFM7Y4AzEjn_VAGYoD0jVuRqWg1Q7PeVbV5-Kbrmwj1JriORny5Im1fnN5oRQmRceAyV2KzHYxsls1Kko7KxUDfQyV6QInqT8-w/s1600/Capture.JPG" height="203" width="400" /></a></div>
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The GS4 is on the left, the SX260 in the middle and the GX10 is on the right. This is not a case of the Sony having more pixels bringing in the sharpness (though it does not hurt), this is the Sony just not having nearly as much noise. If you look below in other comparisons, you will see how Canon loses noise at it approaches the magic 10MP size (what I thought was probably the best size for there compact cameras). <br />
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The Sony is an 18MP sensor, and still look at the colors in the books. Yes there is some noise, but it does not compare with the others. So for low light use (and don't we all seem to take our pictures in low light), the Sony seems to be the camera of choice.<br />
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After this, I think I am going to be much more comfortable leaving the SX260 home, and just carrying around the GX10 (when I expect to take pictures, the GS4 will still work for some of those surprise settings). The only item I would like Sony to address with the next version would be some type of pop up flash or something. I think that the small flash would make this a complete solution.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-5679224248326312552013-06-06T23:57:00.001-04:002013-06-06T23:57:40.623-04:00The Phantom in the SkyAs promised (maybe not as timely) here are some pictures from the sky. In the past I have posted some pictures from the Parrot Drone 2.0. That is fun to fly, but I can get a higher perspective and better camera with the Phantom (it has a GoPro 3 Black mounted underneath it). The picture quality is really nice, so lets kick this off. As always, click the picture for a bigger sample<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2SwPZt-5R6GSy9qTNFI7k86vzYb9ys8sMUhEphXLvCMb1MKc8aOXvXvedAOYF6IsEFZS25kCy38FgJXAnFubXwnkpdPVM0qqgIqtD5vXfUH3Ktq_RriOX3RsV0wSdkKI7yyhYeE_Fa0/s1600/G0020011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2SwPZt-5R6GSy9qTNFI7k86vzYb9ys8sMUhEphXLvCMb1MKc8aOXvXvedAOYF6IsEFZS25kCy38FgJXAnFubXwnkpdPVM0qqgIqtD5vXfUH3Ktq_RriOX3RsV0wSdkKI7yyhYeE_Fa0/s400/G0020011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So it is winter, and I still want to play with my toys, so I take it out anyway (no touch screens, this one has a real remote, so that helps). This is before I got good at mounting the camera so you can see the landing gear in the right side. This is a picture of the house you can compare this view with the one I posted from the Parrot. Much better camera here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0hav7UvbCCJuGFZAP6Oi31yH6i2m4TLSXFHeHTrPo6C7-P__ATBTrV0RNgMSfzWtvhSlVULvf-zmel-aydZgLx3yccLPzDJlizEpOUosj5-k_D0ez01nE9WaN7utQlnIHfnKFvaU1a0/s1600/G0020066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0hav7UvbCCJuGFZAP6Oi31yH6i2m4TLSXFHeHTrPo6C7-P__ATBTrV0RNgMSfzWtvhSlVULvf-zmel-aydZgLx3yccLPzDJlizEpOUosj5-k_D0ez01nE9WaN7utQlnIHfnKFvaU1a0/s400/G0020066.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So I took it down to Virginia when I went to see the Grand Parents in March. Weather was nicer (it was warm, just a few traces of snow around). This is a shot of there backyard (you can even make us out in the yard watching it go. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzf9ViBcRnz17BfbUqXBhviOqWCSloqEd8_CNMEcArbgHS4CPcL6eqEexkH2oNQnhEA-5n105LBVsuxq0WGfWWgBSnRE1aeR9Km44xGK3HS893SfNMKs0nvoWLfTaowbW5Wpp0zNjdvEo/s1600/G0010014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzf9ViBcRnz17BfbUqXBhviOqWCSloqEd8_CNMEcArbgHS4CPcL6eqEexkH2oNQnhEA-5n105LBVsuxq0WGfWWgBSnRE1aeR9Km44xGK3HS893SfNMKs0nvoWLfTaowbW5Wpp0zNjdvEo/s400/G0010014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So now we have a grey sort of day in early April. This is taken from the Riverside field looking back into the town of Hawley. Got that pesky landing gear in the picture again. However nice view of the town.</div>
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Here is another picture taken from my backyard (still in April). This time, instead of looking at the house, I took it much higher and looked out towards the lake. Still no foliage on the trees, so everything looks a little bare. Funny thing, is my house is really up a fairly big hill from the lake, but this picture makes it all look sort of flat (so we do not look like we are on such a big hill). That would be a result of the angle and the very wide angle lens (which also magnifies the curvature of the earth effect).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORY85HGNuGBk3hkdkrWgvIF0MYvXxFP_v50Q8_gxmB4aoN_QSruGu4U-71WenYd8TMnYFpa1dZLrKsRovZXxoXjfw1HSZG2RGYmkLmGRfr9p16DC18QCrT6ZL14-z-uR7PcehuLek7Fk/s1600/G0010031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORY85HGNuGBk3hkdkrWgvIF0MYvXxFP_v50Q8_gxmB4aoN_QSruGu4U-71WenYd8TMnYFpa1dZLrKsRovZXxoXjfw1HSZG2RGYmkLmGRfr9p16DC18QCrT6ZL14-z-uR7PcehuLek7Fk/s400/G0010031.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So here we are in the beginning of May. I venture out to Lackawaxen with my Phantom in tow (I also had the Drone). I remembered this field, on the intersection of the two rivers. I got some nice pictures during the sunset (had I gotten there an hour earlier the light might have been better to shoot towards the rivers junction).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeiUqZYG6Jp6Zq1dln-6PzERzcuc3MG176lkY8CJgsZeut5mLx4Y_PUHNLQecDa2Eeyhl4zwltVmDYeKwk25e96j4RxhXgdvHOkOkFf65wP1-ejiz3-PRp2x22xYId4Yy-8D4ub9dO3M/s1600/G0010007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeiUqZYG6Jp6Zq1dln-6PzERzcuc3MG176lkY8CJgsZeut5mLx4Y_PUHNLQecDa2Eeyhl4zwltVmDYeKwk25e96j4RxhXgdvHOkOkFf65wP1-ejiz3-PRp2x22xYId4Yy-8D4ub9dO3M/s400/G0010007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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When I drive the little guy off to baseball practice, and take the Phantom with me. Though I like to watch him practice, I steal away for a few minutes to get some high flying shots. This is in Newfoundland. I took it from the soccer/football field looking back towards the school (so all the smaller soccer fields and the baseball fields were in the picture. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJg6GPaJYOxAnMPZpC5UAv4nz4TLc578IF_C8D5T6M5yBcyd6W79TMr-5Q30-XxroADUWCJJHaW6VV-tfBsfGVqHbqa000ttclwUYRHy3g1OxZGLZ_6prtFNh6zwy2CsW_udSgxXz9Muw/s1600/G0020072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJg6GPaJYOxAnMPZpC5UAv4nz4TLc578IF_C8D5T6M5yBcyd6W79TMr-5Q30-XxroADUWCJJHaW6VV-tfBsfGVqHbqa000ttclwUYRHy3g1OxZGLZ_6prtFNh6zwy2CsW_udSgxXz9Muw/s400/G0020072.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I decided I wanted to try a different camera angle, so I got an extension, and pointed the camera straight down. This is my house from directly (quite a ways) up. You can even see the lake a bit in the top right corner (again we are up a big hill, it is further down than it looks). This is an interesting perspective, and one I will be playing with a bit more (maybe not straight down, but more down than forward).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXRQmwF6OwiERKytqDaSEBK3ZriEEm5S98HtRpoVXZ8KxCiBtIf6w0FtndxORx3TFRAsoSvGFJHdHP-mQMqiUvcWDr0p-W4lguNMrzxcd3kI8pRqzaadgPO0dp7HfEhawtIhSfPHTC1w/s1600/G0010006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXRQmwF6OwiERKytqDaSEBK3ZriEEm5S98HtRpoVXZ8KxCiBtIf6w0FtndxORx3TFRAsoSvGFJHdHP-mQMqiUvcWDr0p-W4lguNMrzxcd3kI8pRqzaadgPO0dp7HfEhawtIhSfPHTC1w/s400/G0010006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, a shot from June. This one from the park in downtown Hawley. I took this into the sunlight, and I was impressed with how good this little camera did (picture almost looks HDR, but I have done no processing on this one or any others, these are straight out of the camera). The picture is of the Gazebo, IGA and Settlers Inn in the distance (with the great sunset above). </div>
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These were just some of my favorites (obviously I have many more). I am really looking forward to hitting more areas, and trying some different angles. The Autumn should be really nice, and I hope to take advantage of that (last fall the Drone was broke, so I missed out). Sort of a fun way to get a different perspective on some pictures.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-2684475461776382252013-05-15T02:48:00.001-04:002013-05-15T02:48:52.915-04:00The Phone as a Creative ToolMy continued push into Photography has taken on two different approaches. One being more use of the phone as a camera (the topic here) and the other using a new quad copter (the Phantom) and getting photos from on high (subject of a soon to be published post). Not that I do not carry a camera (well not as much). I still use it for some of the family photos (the quality is still better). I am just finding having the extra processing power on board (the case of the phone) allows some new artistic freedoms that I am exploring.<br />
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This is not to say that I could not duplicate any of these with a regular camera and photoshop (indeed I could probably improve on the end product quite a bit). However, working in camera, I can go from idea to finished product in a matter of minutes. Lets get started, you will get what I mean.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5fWUd96R8bgH0dEIVjAygduZIcYkKIXsu3DXqBz1Xc0Dxs_VEZ03RxP-BtgRPAH0EcnmcTNtjsVQKcWggm_2FQlchmcgO5aGTjnUlzltp83KrBwYQdGTCmoh06Efxoyz53oyeyzynaU/s1600/1366311522744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5fWUd96R8bgH0dEIVjAygduZIcYkKIXsu3DXqBz1Xc0Dxs_VEZ03RxP-BtgRPAH0EcnmcTNtjsVQKcWggm_2FQlchmcgO5aGTjnUlzltp83KrBwYQdGTCmoh06Efxoyz53oyeyzynaU/s400/1366311522744.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This photo was taken for another project. Normally I would have used a camera, but the goal was to see what I could do with the phone. These are two super heroine statues in front of a white sheet and a light behind it. The color was added quickly and easily in snapseed. The whole thing from capture to upload took only a few minutes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoILwrhUzFsOJJaY-a-aXEikEB4XnowD2KdNfvvDzlCpfcgWWksnUrO7x3aYRo2xUgTmarwx3k1_GY0luU9GI1X_FEEkBUETnx5mUZH5se5Sfc5hgwUVBQ_ilBd_l07gOf5PaJBjmIPIw/s1600/PicsArt_1364261471413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoILwrhUzFsOJJaY-a-aXEikEB4XnowD2KdNfvvDzlCpfcgWWksnUrO7x3aYRo2xUgTmarwx3k1_GY0luU9GI1X_FEEkBUETnx5mUZH5se5Sfc5hgwUVBQ_ilBd_l07gOf5PaJBjmIPIw/s400/PicsArt_1364261471413.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
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This picture is another setup one I was doing as a project (like above). I have a Cuckoo clock hanging on a knotty pine wall. The processing was done in PicsArt Pro. Again it only took a few minutes. I was looking for a look that made the scene more rustic (to go with the old fashioned clock and knotty pine wall). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAWMWKI6cMmnxLEw8cUYvaVLqtU4tKUSd6Jrm3M4EsvaPoinKTOH9wMdt5-SNTSUim9pzNXOfpw2DODjvb7C9mzHZvSbYKs1OD5gCXrxzrds4dZZdwyvt_uua_VvcEDv-OZ51gF9XEuI/s1600/CameraZOOM-20130311200716123_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAWMWKI6cMmnxLEw8cUYvaVLqtU4tKUSd6Jrm3M4EsvaPoinKTOH9wMdt5-SNTSUim9pzNXOfpw2DODjvb7C9mzHZvSbYKs1OD5gCXrxzrds4dZZdwyvt_uua_VvcEDv-OZ51gF9XEuI/s400/CameraZOOM-20130311200716123_0.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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The above is a picture from Johnny Rockets. It is an old fashioned Burger and Shake joint. They have juke boxes at each table all with the older songs. When the fries come, they give everyone a small bowl for ketchup (and start you with a smiley face). Mine sort of looked like it had a black eye, so I wanted a picture. To go with the old fashioned theme, I applied a filter to match. I went from snapping the picture to having it setup as I wanted in a matter of minutes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7C1OiLQ5Yu9nLtF61H_JmHtpIROtdgEJcNMADSvnCD9uX2ccYUz-673NapK4DZ0yXlc0xqw8P4Jw8U1AMVuLa7FkL6_Pa_eYmOhcfZ2Lagv_Q-BHIu-68GwSq519DnAr4we0F0MjJUv4/s1600/hdr_00064_0_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7C1OiLQ5Yu9nLtF61H_JmHtpIROtdgEJcNMADSvnCD9uX2ccYUz-673NapK4DZ0yXlc0xqw8P4Jw8U1AMVuLa7FkL6_Pa_eYmOhcfZ2Lagv_Q-BHIu-68GwSq519DnAr4we0F0MjJUv4/s400/hdr_00064_0_0.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here is a picture outside of Johnny Rockets taken with Pro HDR. For pictures taken in the dark, that are lit as the restaurant was, you get a nice glow. This picture required no editing, it was HDR (High Dynamic Range - allows a greater span of lights and darks by combining multiple photos) right out of the phone (no blending photos in photoshop). I find HDR to be especially effective for sunsets as well, just look at the next two examples.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQn0APTkvzaurK345vgw-C7s7U5D9r6-GIr7ic5S3f7LghwZM42HVfN0kKI4lY8NNS0SLmRxIx39eZ_99m2mh55I6rinYBmfEFOSgBdGrE649O3Rs8ZOKd8fqTWaWycNsGJb0R-GTaiQQ/s1600/hdr_00063_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQn0APTkvzaurK345vgw-C7s7U5D9r6-GIr7ic5S3f7LghwZM42HVfN0kKI4lY8NNS0SLmRxIx39eZ_99m2mh55I6rinYBmfEFOSgBdGrE649O3Rs8ZOKd8fqTWaWycNsGJb0R-GTaiQQ/s400/hdr_00063_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This photo is straight out of the HDR program with no more modifications. If I could have been ready a few minutes earlier, I would have had alot more color, but no matter what you are using as your camera, obviously timing is important (and if you look back at the older posts, you will see how big a difference a few minutes makes for sunsets).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98-faKmVbuVxzFnfCWy4jLDgpAw1WYQf312sSmTanuMjmV6p09uemBHoic7A9Xwp5V3-swEpbwSViA4XD51a-9Um0K_rPdKhb76Nt0LZ-XZYqtpSwdtCTCGg0JVCojPZQUFOhRYmPDgI/s1600/1368155316156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98-faKmVbuVxzFnfCWy4jLDgpAw1WYQf312sSmTanuMjmV6p09uemBHoic7A9Xwp5V3-swEpbwSViA4XD51a-9Um0K_rPdKhb76Nt0LZ-XZYqtpSwdtCTCGg0JVCojPZQUFOhRYmPDgI/s400/1368155316156.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This one is almost straight out of the HDR program. I did use Photoshop Touch to play with the curves (basically effects the lightness/darkness). The HDR program really allows capture of the colors of the sunset to occur very easily.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q7_q1ViNhLIt5gb6CxvVm-AkXA_NPXGCLfGah0Wmkt9YKAUnW7NXXzXxem890RgqoEeZ7yJDizQbWdGCcrL5xgMNCDOCECZKn3dLs1Wgnqffxx4GuM6PVnsYyZl6kPoxaNR6hGovueY/s1600/1367108167946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q7_q1ViNhLIt5gb6CxvVm-AkXA_NPXGCLfGah0Wmkt9YKAUnW7NXXzXxem890RgqoEeZ7yJDizQbWdGCcrL5xgMNCDOCECZKn3dLs1Wgnqffxx4GuM6PVnsYyZl6kPoxaNR6hGovueY/s400/1367108167946.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The above picture was taken at Steamtown. A nice old train, in need of a bit of love. By reducing the saturation, I gave it the old time feel (without dropping to direct black and white). Again, this took very little time from capture to upload (on Google+). </div>
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In addition to the setup pictures, or trying to get the phone (err camera) to capture the scene the way it feels to you, you can also have some fun with it. If you look down a bit, you will see the memes of Florida. Well you do not need to do a meme to have fun, sometimes a picture is all that is needed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOOBwxB37-sPWZLyIz0j6ulns0cctbtOpYa_Y8nQqXZkNYxz5xb8hPr3LS45RjXB20ZXJkmp423-9p0BPzTqXBRrpoyTDn8ZZQzqpmRdvflIR4Ltbqfczz5kWI8A7KeNp0TYmvUUhIDw/s1600/Wake+Up+Quin+Hotel+Lobby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOOBwxB37-sPWZLyIz0j6ulns0cctbtOpYa_Y8nQqXZkNYxz5xb8hPr3LS45RjXB20ZXJkmp423-9p0BPzTqXBRrpoyTDn8ZZQzqpmRdvflIR4Ltbqfczz5kWI8A7KeNp0TYmvUUhIDw/s400/Wake+Up+Quin+Hotel+Lobby.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Seems Q does not get enough sleep. Just walking out to the elevator, he needs to stop and nap in the chair in the lobby. Well to show just how hard it is to wake him, I decided to add some fireworks (lets see him sleep through that).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gDezsrC5G2GAGbrucdEc-ICvSF8v9tboDc5ARcJqwc1EKYaqEFqxmbHnKhgr8luE32rvl8nVb3-CDx7BVPkRFu1LaxN2FmkYMP1zwW1OkyO6yDZ65Zt7U_sY9tHAGt6v_Gz-rMSO2b0/s1600/Quin+Hulk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gDezsrC5G2GAGbrucdEc-ICvSF8v9tboDc5ARcJqwc1EKYaqEFqxmbHnKhgr8luE32rvl8nVb3-CDx7BVPkRFu1LaxN2FmkYMP1zwW1OkyO6yDZ65Zt7U_sY9tHAGt6v_Gz-rMSO2b0/s400/Quin+Hulk.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Walking around in the woods, there is a new tree that is down (mostly). As I had Q with me, I figured it would be a great time to make a hulk picture. Here he is appearing to lift the tree. In Photoshop Touch, all I had to do was duplicate the layer, make the bottom layer green, and then erase the face and hands on the top layer. This was extremely easy and a really fun photo to share.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QogUbF5KBawzY9bR8k-2VylquMD9B2TDRldsq8dPAiwptEv_Sz9mr7UB9O3L7dPtjFxP6mZukp6NCzg0hwpRpiJWEqZdZcJxhStNj_kHcf1aYQGAObdhZu-S7B0lsf4ZkWdb67b6pQI/s1600/hdr_00078_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QogUbF5KBawzY9bR8k-2VylquMD9B2TDRldsq8dPAiwptEv_Sz9mr7UB9O3L7dPtjFxP6mZukp6NCzg0hwpRpiJWEqZdZcJxhStNj_kHcf1aYQGAObdhZu-S7B0lsf4ZkWdb67b6pQI/s400/hdr_00078_1.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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Finally we have a fun picture that took no post processing. I was sitting (in a mall) across from this fountain. The color lights were changing on it constantly. I decided to use the HDR camera to get a combination of multiple lights (and that worked, and I took a handful of those pictures and they are all a little different based on timing). So I figured, have Q walk in front during the exposure (if timed right, he would only be in one of the three exposures and we would get a ghost image of him). As you can see it was timed right.</div>
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So this has been a fun look at using the phone as a camera. Not all phones are equal (I think Denise gets better pictures out of her Sony compared to my Motorola Atrix 2, but with a little work, I think I do pretty well anyhow). This blog will continue to have more and more pictures from the phone as I am really not taking as many with the camera anymore (but trust me I still have some camera pictures I might post).</div>
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Next up however will be some high flying pictures. No, not from the Parrot Drone, but from the Phantom (with GoPro mounted on it). The quality of pictures is much better than the Drone, and the altitude is also much higher. Stay tuned, that will be next.</div>
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<span id="goog_1516050169"></span><span id="goog_1516050170"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-81898504698131400822013-01-29T03:21:00.001-05:002013-01-29T03:21:35.531-05:00Christmas Lights - A New PlaceThis year I went to the Lockheed Users Conference (and it was held late in December opposed to the more normal October). Across from the hotel I was in was the Shady Brook Farm and there very bright and colorful Christmas lights. I have been to a handful of the drive through light displays and I will admit that none has impressed me as much as this one. So lets get this started (and as always, click the image to get a bigger version).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPDANjDTzObd7_PixrViLOG8sIGMOo2DZWQaTRr8dyO_fED6qPVQG6agI_Inope_9pwZAbOLnfLuK3qdTiJlS0_EerC_KXkMe1iHt5iPY7LF0_OtkC6MwK1O__bGunp33NiQf62Xno5I/s1600/drummers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPDANjDTzObd7_PixrViLOG8sIGMOo2DZWQaTRr8dyO_fED6qPVQG6agI_Inope_9pwZAbOLnfLuK3qdTiJlS0_EerC_KXkMe1iHt5iPY7LF0_OtkC6MwK1O__bGunp33NiQf62Xno5I/s400/drummers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above is a display I have seen many times (so what makes this stand out). The big reason is that there are 12 of them (12 drummers drumming). Most places have 3 or 4, but not all 12 (you might not be able to see them at this angle, but they were all there). There were plenty other more standard displays as well, but in all cases they were at least full displays.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-a2QKf4AjbxzDE4CLVUF9wcoeplIGNL1GRhjpJ1Pf8D4sdxEzlGt9q27CieNfYakE5YRfxuT44sndg06DOqw81YdxRCw0Wcc_lxl_CwhSzI-zSu0qzvhyphenhyphenqySqAE6YEiER3ZbPT_Lu6Ks/s1600/train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-a2QKf4AjbxzDE4CLVUF9wcoeplIGNL1GRhjpJ1Pf8D4sdxEzlGt9q27CieNfYakE5YRfxuT44sndg06DOqw81YdxRCw0Wcc_lxl_CwhSzI-zSu0qzvhyphenhyphenqySqAE6YEiER3ZbPT_Lu6Ks/s400/train.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The above one is another somewhat standard one (I have not seen the train too often before, but it is a more Christmasy type of display). So enough of the standard ones, how about what was different.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PVr-Otk9Ik4IzCoxugfQ38-BJvgM8QhMrebUR3iJBE5lxUc2j9H6lrgliZmD7IAOKs1IoLt8ZWHXLkZw8YOHBBtdOE9eYInymTXKMJQuT0Zk65tAGQ7mzbEHWgqzZWasQHddSPphOfA/s1600/Liberty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PVr-Otk9Ik4IzCoxugfQ38-BJvgM8QhMrebUR3iJBE5lxUc2j9H6lrgliZmD7IAOKs1IoLt8ZWHXLkZw8YOHBBtdOE9eYInymTXKMJQuT0Zk65tAGQ7mzbEHWgqzZWasQHddSPphOfA/s400/Liberty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above we have one that is not holiday focused, but more patriotic. The Statue of Liberty was new for me as well as the tree. You will see they lit many trees in many different colors throughout the drive. I think the trees are what stood out the most for me. It was something I had not seen alot of (and it was used very well here). But we will get back to the trees in a minute.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsW9_RBS7PWr-GCJkaUiGEDEVSTamKRWjN_7Fs2Mskjp6Ww8DSc1VmzCUjV4RPCo1uaPE4CbN739zGnUG4xgbRYqustkrCfxDoT832DfQ9Wg7P41Fex0vBHl2Bh-Elhfa81n5wcZztsVw/s1600/Fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsW9_RBS7PWr-GCJkaUiGEDEVSTamKRWjN_7Fs2Mskjp6Ww8DSc1VmzCUjV4RPCo1uaPE4CbN739zGnUG4xgbRYqustkrCfxDoT832DfQ9Wg7P41Fex0vBHl2Bh-Elhfa81n5wcZztsVw/s400/Fish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another example of a display I had not seen before (but again not very seasonal either). Multiple fish and plant displays were grouped together to make a larger display. It does not show well in the picture, but this really was a larger display. A bit bigger scale than most places I have seen.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CpIbTix3rWehPWy-968b01G4UBjm7vY32YvMdzyxbfF31sBX5P5ot_ForcUCAUaT8ptsk6hOaUQ-Y_Fdi_TNFViDpjP-N02heFOCjgiJdmQhmqMqVr1BgcK6avZH72t4rFvdBBk5rbk/s1600/Trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CpIbTix3rWehPWy-968b01G4UBjm7vY32YvMdzyxbfF31sBX5P5ot_ForcUCAUaT8ptsk6hOaUQ-Y_Fdi_TNFViDpjP-N02heFOCjgiJdmQhmqMqVr1BgcK6avZH72t4rFvdBBk5rbk/s400/Trees.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well, as I said, we would get back to the trees. Here are a group of them (this time in blue). They used the trees as filler between different areas (here it is between a more "nature" area and a coming more Christmasy area (where they had more red in the trees).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_h6p90sjGLEVyoi4nfpmcRW_Fa7P0w1D_EywovFwSAnIiNtQzicwg1Oi2DUPW84Eoeu1CUuCfjntPkwrYbpQRv-QywolMJsgb0LEQQ6nvc0RB-xtT0KwBntcpC3_iHyFqLyJkkEKOFk/s1600/Swamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_h6p90sjGLEVyoi4nfpmcRW_Fa7P0w1D_EywovFwSAnIiNtQzicwg1Oi2DUPW84Eoeu1CUuCfjntPkwrYbpQRv-QywolMJsgb0LEQQ6nvc0RB-xtT0KwBntcpC3_iHyFqLyJkkEKOFk/s400/Swamp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For a close on the trees, I move just before the blue trees above, to a green set that were well integrated into a grassy scene (complete with butterflies and dragonflies). Here nature was well integrated with the displays for a really interesting scene. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ96HjmY_ogilKlGi-lKLkbPvMJJsuTapYGVnsu6T22yQ2mTFFhdCqfZNYsBJz5YM5edcoSwtRuNCy8bx9kf2SG-NH4FCe8D2HBFUyGMCL8GPL2sGbt5M5H_qhhvfBaF6454BVn-LG-Wo/s1600/Exit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ96HjmY_ogilKlGi-lKLkbPvMJJsuTapYGVnsu6T22yQ2mTFFhdCqfZNYsBJz5YM5edcoSwtRuNCy8bx9kf2SG-NH4FCe8D2HBFUyGMCL8GPL2sGbt5M5H_qhhvfBaF6454BVn-LG-Wo/s400/Exit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well here we are at the exit. There was a little more light here from the stop (where you could go inside get hot chocolate etc). This lit up the road nicely. </div>
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All pictures above were taken with the SX260 and hand held. As there were not many cars (it was a week night well still a few weeks before Christmas) I was able to get really nice dark backgrounds (on all bt the last picture). That is important when picturing lights as this makes them really pop out. Also because there were not alot of cars, I was able to pull over and take all these (and other) pictures (had there been a line of cars, that would have proven to be more difficult.</div>
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So if you want nice pictures, go out early, and when they are not busy. This will make for the best conditions.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-47526509169005740062012-11-16T18:27:00.001-05:002012-11-16T18:30:16.704-05:00Look up in the Sky - Its a Bird, Its a Plane, Its a FrogNot bird nor plane, nor even frog, just little old me - Parrot Drone (ok so it doesn't rhyme anymore, still needed to throw out to one of my childhood heros. So you might have guessed (especially if I am in one of your Google+ circles) I am having some fun with my new Parrot Drone. <br />
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So what is a Parrot Drone? It is basically a quad copter that can be controlled from an Android or Apple phone (or tablet). The interesting thing about this is that it has a camera on board. The camera allows pictures to be taken and stored directly on the phone (to be shared). It also does HD video. Overall a cool toy (though easy to break, fortunately repairs are almost as easy). So the camera allows me some interesting perspectives on what is already sort of a hobby.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnGByykIvbhpAoqceLbzKHBXC4FejpQ0XnXSHQx007k54ohLoGaCYRAGss8CWQkQE75m0wPOV-SzGuhAK4IEMYb6UovgzePLK1mr0LRB53UGGpviGJUoeQQkRHJ4q5Z3VNYE0nR6Lw-s/s1600/IMG_2269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnGByykIvbhpAoqceLbzKHBXC4FejpQ0XnXSHQx007k54ohLoGaCYRAGss8CWQkQE75m0wPOV-SzGuhAK4IEMYb6UovgzePLK1mr0LRB53UGGpviGJUoeQQkRHJ4q5Z3VNYE0nR6Lw-s/s400/IMG_2269.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the Drone in action (so you can see what it looks like). We had it out in the park a week or so ago, and I was able to snap this picture. Too bad Sandy made it a short Autumn, did not get a lot of chances colorful leaves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0Pl7d-HUkyPxNH731Iz5a8ePVmDrSde1CNXm4F8mOjt1j4P2wEcZH4WsNvrVnAVA4Z35pFTmNEJf-yD6PSJd2eBmsQ28W9S5PuT2dHNP3jujtgXfjEJ5U9kLHn_P4a6xbC_76GOT0MI/s1600/Quin+fly+near+Drone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0Pl7d-HUkyPxNH731Iz5a8ePVmDrSde1CNXm4F8mOjt1j4P2wEcZH4WsNvrVnAVA4Z35pFTmNEJf-yD6PSJd2eBmsQ28W9S5PuT2dHNP3jujtgXfjEJ5U9kLHn_P4a6xbC_76GOT0MI/s400/Quin+fly+near+Drone.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here we have the little guy flying the Drone. Yes that is an Ipad he is using (I use my phone). He is currently a better pilot than I am, but I am getting better (we have both damaged parts on it, but replacement parts are not expensive, and working on it is easy).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplxBPzt51UBnF23mowXr_F3t0uka7m0sZq4q9zW3AhfPWMzs2ptEPAyLEJxKj7RlyCUyVw6feKvSXSfDTsVS6Dmm1jVLsaoThVsieRfW1zUJe_U-9nhwlHqw_xXFzrrMCIrXBwT_Ox3Y/s1600/picture_20120901_145234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplxBPzt51UBnF23mowXr_F3t0uka7m0sZq4q9zW3AhfPWMzs2ptEPAyLEJxKj7RlyCUyVw6feKvSXSfDTsVS6Dmm1jVLsaoThVsieRfW1zUJe_U-9nhwlHqw_xXFzrrMCIrXBwT_Ox3Y/s400/picture_20120901_145234.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is a picture of the house from the Drone. Camera quality is not the best, but not bad considering it is up on a vibrating 4 propeller helicopter. It is fun to be able to take some of these very interesting pictures. Note the distortion around the edges. This is a very wide angle camera (wide angle is much better if you are flying using the camera, and want to see where you are going).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvaThBGGx3_6HwvS8NHe3eOCKz6llRopvWNmNVsy-Ia8fRHitqBcuy5yI_tzJNT2pGQK84o4mc2YSzjCXRdbzmw-F1bM6zUUAcJO2yCWOH7HNw6KGX-HP85ukEQ-bEbbFPGjy4ZO37u8/s1600/picture_20121014_130012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvaThBGGx3_6HwvS8NHe3eOCKz6llRopvWNmNVsy-Ia8fRHitqBcuy5yI_tzJNT2pGQK84o4mc2YSzjCXRdbzmw-F1bM6zUUAcJO2yCWOH7HNw6KGX-HP85ukEQ-bEbbFPGjy4ZO37u8/s400/picture_20121014_130012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is a nice aerial shot of the field the little guy played on last year (his home field). You can go quite high with the drone (up to the limit of the Wifi receiver). However, have to keep in mind, if you mess up, the higher you are, the further you fall (and though the falling is ok, its the hitting the ground that determines what needs to get repaired). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQI4hGS8IEh4XjUWqj3UKqM4JpXOfoTlOzbaXxbqqnLwkpxE2flTdraFYBOdONVBobBKCDhCgAqmIhjpZGPy5VDzx7TINgia-yCHMYq8lnoF5uIDHgSlLSCLOfF56TECOMuwuILxORMVA/s1600/picture_20121027_132638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQI4hGS8IEh4XjUWqj3UKqM4JpXOfoTlOzbaXxbqqnLwkpxE2flTdraFYBOdONVBobBKCDhCgAqmIhjpZGPy5VDzx7TINgia-yCHMYq8lnoF5uIDHgSlLSCLOfF56TECOMuwuILxORMVA/s400/picture_20121027_132638.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This picture was taken from the park in Hawley. Again, a nice perspective. Too bad I could not get out when there were still colors in the trees (that will be next year I suppose).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip6-1xthunIny-74ddsX8JFYG4PdDlXe2xN144f8xckJVLVrSbzNMrFyNNbIgvYL8Q1ELaTS0rI4fEv3tbdW2zbaK4xCsxDXwc22EOMDZTwTbkyNWfjSS_FN23zht8-FAW2TJS1jSa18/s1600/picture_20121111_150055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip6-1xthunIny-74ddsX8JFYG4PdDlXe2xN144f8xckJVLVrSbzNMrFyNNbIgvYL8Q1ELaTS0rI4fEv3tbdW2zbaK4xCsxDXwc22EOMDZTwTbkyNWfjSS_FN23zht8-FAW2TJS1jSa18/s400/picture_20121111_150055.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I shot this one into the sun (at the Lakeville Park). Normally I would have moved to avoid the halos from the sun (and I have some pictures taken from the 3rd base side without the halos), but I liked them here. Sort of gave me the feeling of waiting till next year (which is what the field is doing, letting us use it now as it gets ready for next year). <br />
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Below is my first attempt at a movie on this blog. The movie is also from the drone (I told you it did HD movies). I picked a shorter one (so loading times should not be that bad). This video is a simple up and down (no tricks, no flips). Just so you get the idea.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyjiQkvrHfWVkkxzWgIwxOAehkCxJ7bEarDyb3gIJtbbbDay4ORaGw_v2AOdL1ehFbncOMhI37UZcXUXurvQw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Another nice thing I have found is that the camera is actually somewhat IR sensitive. So this summer, I might be able to get some nice IR pictures (if you read this blog, you know I sort of like that). I have had issues trying to find a filter, but I have a few months (I have found a different lens that actually even makes the camera more IR sensitive, but I will still need some small filter). <br />
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Additionally, some people have lifted a Go Pro camera with one of these (better quality pictures). Something like that might be fun at some point to try.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-30198472768715148422012-10-04T17:41:00.000-04:002012-10-04T17:44:27.034-04:00The MEMEs of FloridaAs I had some computer issues (I am on a new computer as brought up before) and did not get photoshop installed too quickly (work was more important), I figure it has already been way to long since the last update, so prepare for pictures edited on the phone (and posted to family for fun).<br />
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So as I stated before, I bought this EyeFi card and put it into my camera. This allowed me to copy all the pictures from the camera to my phone (then from my phone up to Google Docs) so I would not lose them (I had a problem with a memory card on a previous visit to Florida). One of the other side affects of this is the down time (waiting for food at a restaurant etc) sometimes I pull out my phone and have some fun (in this case with some of the pictures).. <br />
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As I said, all edits to these pictures (sharpening, adding text etc) were done on my phone (I brought no tablet or laptop with me, I planned to use the phone exclusively . The quality came out pretty good for pictures taken with a pocket camera (the SX260) and edited on the phone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1yrxgvfvJcYTHq0uxmlTz9wJHBv9tWLRnSzE2lRV_oPHaORw5hykPMeWIq6tKdK7PVEvV4BOJexu0ijYWnoibt8I4Vj7vtwAhP011p_xmDkZ9wVMHB-12QoQkafqEEwbVkWLVtIzItE/s1600/Dumbo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1yrxgvfvJcYTHq0uxmlTz9wJHBv9tWLRnSzE2lRV_oPHaORw5hykPMeWIq6tKdK7PVEvV4BOJexu0ijYWnoibt8I4Vj7vtwAhP011p_xmDkZ9wVMHB-12QoQkafqEEwbVkWLVtIzItE/s400/Dumbo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The above picture was taken at South of the Border on the ride down. If you have been there you understand. It is a bit of a dive, but fun nonetheless. However, even the little guy would never confuse it for Disney. </div>
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Next stop was Kennedy Space Center, and here Autumn sees beyond her plans for world domination, and decides to go for the universe. It was bright (see her struggle to keep her eyes open). When I took the picture I was thinking playing with the world as a beach ball, but then when looking at it on the phone screen my impression changed just a little.</div>
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I thought this next picture just said something. Our oldest could not make it. We had always sort of associated him with Goofy. So a picture of us with Goofy just made it confusing (especially when Goofy was dressed as a ranger, which Andy had done in the past). </div>
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So vacationing is hard work. Here is the little guy just not making it into bed. Funny thing is, the table is his bed. The wall behind him folds down, and that would be his "convertible" bed. However, he fell asleep watching videos on the iPad. The picture just spoke to me (along with the words out of gas as he definitely was).</div>
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So, I always complain that the little guy ruins my pictures. Whether it is eyes closed (as is the case here) or something else (so I normally snap multiple pictures so I can delete the bad ones). However here having his eyes closed sort of worked out (use the force Quinnlan). </div>
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This one shows some of the short comings of editing on the phone (one of the reasons I included it). Though there maybe a way, I could not figure out how to move the pointers coming out of the speech bubbles (so the wife's is pointing into the water instead of at her). This is very close to the actual conversation (little guy was not too desirous of sticking his hand in there, and though he did, he would not hold the food properly, so they had problems eating from him. This was taken at SeaWorld.</div>
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There were a few others, but I think this makes the point. It was good to be able to post this into our huddle (we keep an open huddle with the family) so they could see what we were doing. I do not want to sound like a advertisement for EyeFi or Android (I used PicShop for all of this in case anyone was wondering). However, the combination got me the quality pictures I expect when on vacation (because I was able to use a real camera) as well as the ability to instantly share.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-27114694761318739742012-08-25T01:39:00.003-04:002012-08-25T01:39:48.986-04:00The Castle's of DisneyFirst let me start off with apologizing for the delay (again). I wanted to work through the Disney pictures as other are building up. However, I had to get a new computer (and I still have not installed Photoshop yet, so all these pictures are directly out of the camera). For this reason when you click on the image, you will be getting full size images (I have not cut them down at all).<br />
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When one thinks of Disney, the castle pops right into head. The Magic Kingdom is known for there main castle (technically Cinderella's castle). But a castle by any other name (maybe a giant hat or a golf ball looking thing). Here are some interesting pictures on what might in some cases be termed loosely as castles.<br />
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Since our first Disney day was at the Animal Kingdom, lets show the Tree of Life (technically not a castle, but its my blog and I can be loose with the definitions if I want to).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCQWWghsyvLo6k2hhiRIB_c5iDQ-J0uA27Hj9-a1TF4k3jw_NT3vU3jPsYzEvoCPIlzTSUikhAl5TBEYiOKtoBFtpMc8oroG95rwXsLOiKIXMHCDZaL_PHCDAgQ9Ow9u2qksQxEsIHGQ/s1600/D5+DAnimal+Quin+Aut+Tree+of+life.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCQWWghsyvLo6k2hhiRIB_c5iDQ-J0uA27Hj9-a1TF4k3jw_NT3vU3jPsYzEvoCPIlzTSUikhAl5TBEYiOKtoBFtpMc8oroG95rwXsLOiKIXMHCDZaL_PHCDAgQ9Ow9u2qksQxEsIHGQ/s400/D5+DAnimal+Quin+Aut+Tree+of+life.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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So we have a hot Quin and Autumn (I have not said this yet, but we were in Florida during the major heat wave). The tree of life is in the background. It is one of the more interesting structures of Disney (well thought out) with all the animals together in the bark. Not the best picture of the tree (I think I have one from the past somewhere), but I wanted to include this park (and the weather did not cooperate as when we were closer to the tree later, it was raining quite hard).<br />
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The next Disney Park we visited was the Magic Kingdom. This one is known for its castles (and it is adding more).<br />
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The theme of having people stand in front of the castle is prevalent (hey its a vacation and we need some of the "standard" pictures, and the castles are the best places for them). The castle looks good during the day.<br />
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It also looks good at night. This is just before the fireworks. It required a very steady hand to hold the camera up over my head, steady enough for a dark shot in a crowd of people moving around. Came out pretty good. I needed an ISO of 800 (which I try to avoid on the SX260), but I did not get much noise at all, and was able to hold still for 1/13 of a second (and a reasonable zoom).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCf9ef7Q_aVJ7WoZ-jidA8Ek7YZjjAdh0hsE7zd93QK-ItXN574GED5jepba03TROu3_uFLFMBBeRoBFoDKx4_5epxSrSA_BZ71pCkk0qGNxUGgo_nUlaSvBU-aI0foKch3SEl-8Gm7GQ/s1600/D7+DMK+Beasts+Castle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCf9ef7Q_aVJ7WoZ-jidA8Ek7YZjjAdh0hsE7zd93QK-ItXN574GED5jepba03TROu3_uFLFMBBeRoBFoDKx4_5epxSrSA_BZ71pCkk0qGNxUGgo_nUlaSvBU-aI0foKch3SEl-8Gm7GQ/s400/D7+DMK+Beasts+Castle.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I did say that they were adding castle's and here is one of them. This is Beasts castle. It is quite far back behind a wall (in an area under construction). I had to use almost all of the 20x zoom to get this picture. It looks interesting (looks almost like a toy). I wonder how it will be setup when it is open.<br />
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So next we were off to EPCOT. There are multiple buildings that might be able to be called castles in the different areas of the world, but I will just stick with the globe at the beginning. My best pictures of this came at night.<br />
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So I was being funny in this picture. The princess (see she is wearing a tiara) wanted a picture with the globe. I figured I would set it up around her head. I had to use flash, but with a slower shutter speed (to get the dark areas). She and I did a good job of holding still. I can't say that for everyone else as they all look like ghosts of themselves (I like this one). I did take another after showing this one off (guess my sense of humor was not appreciated). However, that one is not as interesting.<br />
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Our last Disney park was Disney Movie Studios. If I stick with my theme of the main icon of the park being a castle, we will get a wizards hat. Note, I obviously did not take this picture (was my turn to join the group in the foreground). Not much special about this one except to say that it is nice that Disney hands out those little cards (we used the same through all the parks). Hand the card to the photographer, and when you are done, with your vacation, log into the site, and you can see all your pictures. It is a bit pricey, but a nice alternative to have everyone in many shots.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-2982779182582697562012-08-03T17:09:00.001-04:002012-08-03T17:09:08.542-04:00Florida Animal PicturesWell, just got back from doing the Florida tour with the family. So, I did not get a chance to edit while I was out, but I have lots of pictures from the parks (and other). So, I am armed with lots of material, lets see if I can get a few updates out there in a more timely manner.<br />
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I had to pick some way to group the pictures. I could have done by day, but decided to go with subject (lets see if that is still a good idea after a few updates). I will start out with animals. Figured it seemed fair. On a cautionary note, not one of these pictures has had any photo shopping. I normally at least touch the sharpness (and to down the resolution a bit so looking at them would be faster), but my computer died (yeah lots of things working against my update) and I have not installed any software on the new one yet. So these are right off the card.<br />
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So what do you think about when you think Florida. Well one thing is killer whales working to make people in the first few rows wet. The little guy had never seen one of these shows (so we had to get him here). I chose an action shot, as they are a bit harder to get (the SX260 does have a little delay, though not much). They do not have any called Shamu anymore, but its ok the ones they had were fine.<br />
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The seals did a spoof on the other shows (yes this is really a walrus). Didn't any of these kids pay attention during the day, everyone else knew what was coming (and it was not just a photo op with the Walrus). This was probably the funnest show (the seals really have some fun, in fact as they can not get the crowd as wet as a whale, one seal comes out carrying a hose - this works for him). That and the Walrus did a really good wiggle wiggle wiggle in the Party Rock Anthem.<br />
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Still in Sea World, here is a Seal in its normal habitat (a pool, not a stage). This one did not look too interested (people were allowed to buy fish and feed them, but this one was just enjoying the sun).<br />
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Well enough of SeaWorld, obviously, if you are thinking animals and Florida, Disney's Animal Kingdom comes to mind. This guy seems quite happy there (give him a head of lettuce, and he will just hang out and let people take pictures of him). There were quite a few of them together. It was interesting, almost like they were trained, they all picked up there food, and walked over to a nice area for better pictures.<br />
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Well, the little guys favorite animal is the elephant, so good we got to see one on the safari. There was also a little one following this one around. I have separate pictures of the two together (but those pictures were screaming out for a little modification). Animal Kingdom is nice as the animals do appear to be in more natural settings. <br />
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Well, good for me I guess. I always like the Rhinoceros, and lo and behold here one is. Probably could have cleaned up a little better for the picture, but I'll take it. They had both White and Black Rhinos, but I really did not see a color difference (probably because they are not named for the color).<br />
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Even EPCOT gets in on the animals with there Manatee. It is also eating lettuce (Disney must go through lots of lettuce). There were two in the tank that you could watch from above or below. This was the favorite of my oldest (who did not make the trip).<br />
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Though this one looks a little weird, I decided to use this giraffe (the wife's favorite animal and no we will not find the middle ones favorite animal, so she loses). You do not get a picture of a giraffe looking right at you too often, so it is a little different. This was taken at Silver Springs (I also got a Giraffe in the Animal Kingdom). Not sure why it was looking at me.<br />
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This was also taken at Silver Springs, and is one of the main attractions there. They have not one, but two albino alligators. They claim that they do not do well outside, and that they do have to put sunblock on them (I wonder who gets that job). These were inside (through glass hence the noise). <br />
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Ok, so this is cheating as we are no longer in Florida, but at South of the Border (at there reptile exhibit). Apparently nobody piles on the gators like South of the Border. I thought it was cool just to see so many in one little area.<br />
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Ok, so maybe not technically an animal, but definitely a creature many a man has hoped to run into while out boating. This was taken in Weeki Wachee. The Mermaid is also having a snack here (but she gets an apple, not lettuce). They have 2 shows, one the little mermaid (ok, so not too original) and the other a history show where they do some interesting feats. You can see a turtle swimming over her hand (many a turtle out in the spring).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-17330372658595005102012-06-21T23:12:00.001-04:002012-06-21T23:15:13.695-04:00Finally a Sunset and a little "HDR light"I finally got the timing right on one of my drives home from Canada. There are a few nice farm houses on top of a mountain that looks over to a rest area. I was hoping to get there for a sunset, and finally, the timing worked out for me. As you can see from before, I tend to like the sunsets anyway, so any chance at one really makes me happy. However before the sunset, lets look at the farm house (I will get to why). <br />
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I have always liked old farm houses, and enjoy taking pictures of them. Notice here the sky is white (as I exposed for the farmhouse. Now lets look at the sky on its own.</div>
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So, now HDR (High Dynamic Range) is getting really popular in photography. HDR is basically accomplished by taking multiple exposures and combining them so that all the pixels are exposed properly. I do not do much with this, but I have often put the sky back into the picture (which I guess is sort of like HDR light). So, I will now combing the exposures (note the sunset is zoomed out a bit more, but that will not matter). </div>
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Had I not zoomed out for the sky, the dark clouds would not have been there (they were higher in the picture). I could still have easily removed them by just sliding the picture up. However, I tend to like the look that they give, so I figured I would leave them like this. </div>
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This is a pretty cool image. All I had to do was put the farm house on a layer over the sunset, use the magic wand and select the sky and delete it. Then a nice picture with an exposed farm house and sky (in very simple steps. Notice, I used this technique with the church photo down further in this blog (but tried multiple skies) as well as others.</div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-30371320100703263352012-06-07T17:13:00.000-04:002012-06-07T17:14:21.506-04:00Comparison for a new camera (SX-260)I picked up the SX260 to carry around. I just seem to find I use smaller cameras much more than the DSLR (it really helps that it just slides into my pocket). So I am always looking at a way to improve my pictures in the smaller camera (improving the camera I carry most supplies more bang for the buck). With the SX260s 20X zoom, I can use it to get the kids even when they are far away. I tried the SX240 when it came out, but did not purchase that one as the improvement did not seem worth buying another camera (there is a comparison of that on in my older posts) <br />
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The SX260 dropped the resolution to 12.1 MP (from 14 for the SX210). This is good, I still think 10 would be better (look at the old review to get an understanding of why, but in short it would reduce noise). Obviously the quality of the pocket camera does not compare to the DSLR, but as it is around me more often, it gets points for that. <br />
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So instead of posting lots of pictures showing the comparison (as I did last time) and boring most people, lets just get to the point. For that, I only need 2 pictures (remember to click them to get full size pictures). My biggest complaint with the SX210 (and SX240) was noise. So does the SX260 help that. Lets use the picture of my book shelf as a guide. <br />
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As my office is not the brightest, both pictures were taken at an ISO of 800 with no flash (remember this is a noise test, not so much real world). The upper picture is from the SX210.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwbQgVwIMD4yNXZ0tp6S7CoXzwfSPO5o6RjIGfdiiYxVPYrPVaGubLp2A5OwuS0KGr5NLbZnM7VyEXDxpBZmbMdELIVtuJmIsDVBgeAlzKDWZ053FpYm65gHUmPcaTSZCIU8z07ElQKM/s1600/IMG_4162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwbQgVwIMD4yNXZ0tp6S7CoXzwfSPO5o6RjIGfdiiYxVPYrPVaGubLp2A5OwuS0KGr5NLbZnM7VyEXDxpBZmbMdELIVtuJmIsDVBgeAlzKDWZ053FpYm65gHUmPcaTSZCIU8z07ElQKM/s400/IMG_4162.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The picture below is from the SX260. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFI2bg05bDfy9wC9Hv7-3cgJ7ANomysha7twE5xffGOxEV6rm4AKZcBq9Eb13qrF9p2fh8J4MJhGtBWfAcwdn_7Ml9NHD13UXkeKMolrHXmkvhNgG2RZGQwOKD-Zj0zku339pZaayS_sg/s1600/IMG_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFI2bg05bDfy9wC9Hv7-3cgJ7ANomysha7twE5xffGOxEV6rm4AKZcBq9Eb13qrF9p2fh8J4MJhGtBWfAcwdn_7Ml9NHD13UXkeKMolrHXmkvhNgG2RZGQwOKD-Zj0zku339pZaayS_sg/s400/IMG_0021.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you compare the images on a pixel by pixel looking for noise you would get this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRSBj3XrdBrF9BJcILSJEY7OQWrjxh7pS9zIjAIPB5uo2dX5Ys1a91YR_p3sqKkpng805zAaNwPXDso11uanu9uPAF20ASusWLh-mfI0d7_Ue_5DO4o3mz9BEtVkOzci0hFXTk_hjqF0/s1600/sidebside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRSBj3XrdBrF9BJcILSJEY7OQWrjxh7pS9zIjAIPB5uo2dX5Ys1a91YR_p3sqKkpng805zAaNwPXDso11uanu9uPAF20ASusWLh-mfI0d7_Ue_5DO4o3mz9BEtVkOzci0hFXTk_hjqF0/s400/sidebside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The SX210 is on the left, and the SX260 is on the right. Though neither image is really great (go back to see how the DSLR did with this image in the first comparison), there is less noise in the SX260. So it is making strides in its weakest area.<br />
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However, was that enough to justify buying a new camera. I am not sure, it is definitely an improvement in what I considered the chief weakness, but fortunately, I did not need to use this as the sole decision maker. The SX260 also has some nice new features. One being live mode. Below are two pictures taken one right after the other outside in real world conditions (sun set over a hill).<br />
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The first is from the SX210. Note, I have taken lots of sunsets with this camera (again see some of the past posts), so I know how to configure the camera to get the best of the situation. Even with all of that, below is the best I could do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7F50WwOsmbg6Du2aBIctTlb0RJpi3vBvGhuUztRbxKJIDwU-yZlkRq-bvHA7tG1ncky30JtiR2rOwr36ehKDb6mzSHXHxDnKlfiBIWjTydcMdRojxgZE8PtSqYophtNkL1w0JXkJGIjM/s1600/IMG_4193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7F50WwOsmbg6Du2aBIctTlb0RJpi3vBvGhuUztRbxKJIDwU-yZlkRq-bvHA7tG1ncky30JtiR2rOwr36ehKDb6mzSHXHxDnKlfiBIWjTydcMdRojxgZE8PtSqYophtNkL1w0JXkJGIjM/s400/IMG_4193.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Note, I could most likely enhance this in photo shop, but that adds another step. Below is what I was able to get out of the SX260 just using the live view sliders.<br />
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The SX260 matched the actual colors much better. Using the live controls it was easy to get the camera to match what I was seeing. This is something that the SX210 does not have.<br />
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The other feature that made the SX260 nice was the slow motion video. Both do regular video fairly well, but the SX260 adds a feature to do a reduced resolution slow motion video (again, something the SX210 does not do). Take a look at the example below.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwlEoHTyg456CrmVyXXeZQSChZZQcczz25I4O8K0BAVrUsgncAiEwkou2wrCMr6uiguvhMu4bj2mskMGeucmg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Note, that this was ball 4, he was not hit, nor is he rushing the pitcher (though I thought it skimmed his helmet at first). <br />
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Though the resolution is really low (I would like to see future cameras increase the resolution in slow mode), it is still something I have lots of fun with the kids. We have taken videos of all kinds of things, and it is always fun to watch them play back in slow motion. <br />
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So to conclude this, the quality out of the SX260 is better than the SX210, and that alone is most likely worth the purchase. Additionally with some nice creative and fun modes, the camera really stands out. So I kept the camera, and am using it regularly.<br />
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Note, my next update will be soon. I have been using this as an infra red cam already (and the reduced noise again helps here as well). I have posted one of the pictures on Google+, but will go through it all here a bit more.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-60507818381679038572011-12-19T17:57:00.000-05:002012-01-03T21:39:49.643-05:00Tis the Season for night light picturesI do not seem to be updating this as often as I at first hoped, but judging by my reader count that is not bothering anyone. I have linked this to my Google+ account (and I may move more over there, my web page is going next). Maybe if I can put it all together, I will actually update this some more. Enough of that, now onto the task at hand.<br />
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Normally when I go out for an outing, I take my little SX210 with me. It is easy (as we are doing other things). Funny thing is that I have not been really happy with the SX210 from a quality perspective (noise is the big issue here), and wanted to step up. I have not been able to find anything that made me happy though (no small package - might as well use the DSLR). So since I own a Digital Rebel, I took it with me to Kozair's Christmas Village this year (I wanted some better pictures - not getting anything from the DSLR if it is being protected in the closet and only used on specific occaisions). <br />
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Though the goal was to improve pictures, this had a funny side effect that ended up messing me up though. The DSLR gets better pictures, but has more configuration on it. I last used it taking pictures of the Soccer playoffs (in November, so it was not that long ago). Now, I am smart enough to change the mode appropriately for Christmas lights (as well as other settings), but I am obviously not smart enough to check the focus settings (it was set for center which I use for fast moving activities so I keep my subject in the middle and go). Alot of my pictures had the close subject but off to a side (so they were out of focus and it did not stand out in that little screen). I think I would have caught this sooner but my new glasses seem to not do the job quite as well (I did not notice the focus light shining in the middle with all the lights - it just blended in). So the first of my pictures were ruined (this is a side effect of using a more simplified camera so much I stopped thinking when doing other activities instead of focusing on the camera for a few seconds). <br />
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Additionally though the 28-135 is my favorite multi purpose lens, it has drawbacks. For some of the shots of the buildings it was great. However when I wanted to put someone in the foreground, it was tough. With all the crowd (and it was crowded when we went), I had a hard time standing back far enough to frame it properly. Also I took a picture with Santa (they allowed one picture). I just could not get far enough back. For these photos the 10-22 lens would have been best (now I am starting to remember why I carry the SX210 most of the time). <br />
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Enough of the crying, I will be carrying the DSLR more often. I know how to use it, so I will get more used to checking the settings before I take the shot (not letting the camera do it all). Laziness should not be an excuse (strange that I am using it as one though). Picking the right lens will be more difficult though. I tend to use the 75-300 most (kids sporting events wildlife etc), but if I have it in more settings I will have to be more aware of what I carry.<br />
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The image above (way up there) is on the other side of the lake at Kozair's Christmas Village. Gives sort of a nice reflection in the lake (though the water was not perfectly still). I figured it was a good start to my blog (sent the right message so I put it up front). However, now lets step back and be a bit more ordered. The first of my pictures was actually the one below taken at the Ottawa Parliament building.<br />
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You can see the trees in front are lit up, and they project snow flakes onto the building. There are lots of random lights scattered throughout the city, but we did not see a concentrated display like the others below. Note that this was taken with the SX210. It actually did not do a horrible job. For the picture it took, there was not alot of noise (so the SX210 might be fearing losing snaps to the DSLR?). The 210 did not do as good of a job with someone in the foreground (one of the other came out well). So I kept none of those pictures. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfRqDRL5XVW7Pq_tZo61FOkQw2-q_CNJiB-01Ql85N-FYtCFu0eQ34cerKE50uXO0lTEygf-2Ej0gREudwBs04KJjg4TRfgftP2xPRWIzZ1V0UfZQ3XRRIB4yrcsidqjwt6s2OtA1Az4/s1600/Hershey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfRqDRL5XVW7Pq_tZo61FOkQw2-q_CNJiB-01Ql85N-FYtCFu0eQ34cerKE50uXO0lTEygf-2Ej0gREudwBs04KJjg4TRfgftP2xPRWIzZ1V0UfZQ3XRRIB4yrcsidqjwt6s2OtA1Az4/s400/Hershey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The picture above was also taken with the SX210. Again not a bad job at all. I tried to get a little bit of reflection in the stream in the front, but it did not work out that well. However the lights are sharp and noise is not an issue (note, these pictures work out better as there are lots of black, put some other dimly lit object in the picture and noise starts to become and issue). These were dancing lights, so it was hard to capture (they kept changing). I had to snap alot of pictures to get one with the colored lights on.<br />
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The above was taken from the road leading up to Kozair's. This was also taken with the SX210 (its what I had on me, the Digital Rebel was in the back). No, I did not pull over to take the shot, but believe me, I was not moving. As I said, we picked a bad day (Saturday instead of a weeknight). The traffic was backed up, and we were not moving at all at this point. Just needed to snap when there was not a car on the other side (which fortunately there were not many). However a few shots were ruined by cars coming up the road in front of me. Normally I do not like pictures taken from the car (through the windshield etc), but this one is not bad (again a not bad for the SX210). </div>
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The above shows a good example of what can happen taking light pictures (handheld in a crowd). It is often hard to hold still. Here it makes the bulbs look a little long (must have shifted left to right a little). The exposure was long (1/3 second) and I was zoomed a bit. I used ISO 800 to try and limit the time, but maybe I should have gone to 1600. Note, to me this looked fine in the display on the camera (not the best of displays, and my new glasses as I commented before seem to be lacking - good to blame something).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQN8CPpM51Gy43eUWfBtN6B1SzXYcicya8eWV4XdGpDQLl7HyE-I9mfsA8mm5KOLl9rYKaBuIRvkXFST73_ludLgLSK4D06H_fRnhHxLzhH83Mi1YNxUnpiJpE0Rr9KDh7ZhJqEUc5H4/s1600/House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQN8CPpM51Gy43eUWfBtN6B1SzXYcicya8eWV4XdGpDQLl7HyE-I9mfsA8mm5KOLl9rYKaBuIRvkXFST73_ludLgLSK4D06H_fRnhHxLzhH83Mi1YNxUnpiJpE0Rr9KDh7ZhJqEUc5H4/s400/House.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now this one worked out a bit better. I was not as zoomed, and the exposure time was a lightning fast 1/5 second (ok, I jest). Either way, I was able to hold still and get a nice shot of the house (still in Kozair's) all decorated and some of the trees in the yard. This one came out well, and is the type of picture I hope to get more of with the Digital Rebel. <br />
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Now too bad I was sort of bumbling with the Rebel at Kozairs. The picture above had some nice depth, and adding someone in the foreground would have really added dimension. However, as Kozair's was the warm up, we have the picture below from Nay Aug Park in Scranton. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggutjyBwE5pFyrEgDq6EgR3-TahUyzz0cXC0zfewP2_uDRHDsqYNqIq1nn_Oh2_Y1FkGuT6gWkTjSD1gEYm5eZXhzPD_cxcTcvGczcmQyjz19Nn2gq16sW8RS-KPX4Oi4gwNG65cBIkjk/s1600/Nay+Aug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggutjyBwE5pFyrEgDq6EgR3-TahUyzz0cXC0zfewP2_uDRHDsqYNqIq1nn_Oh2_Y1FkGuT6gWkTjSD1gEYm5eZXhzPD_cxcTcvGczcmQyjz19Nn2gq16sW8RS-KPX4Oi4gwNG65cBIkjk/s400/Nay+Aug.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is not a good picture, but I am a bit limited. First, it is hard to get them together for a picture. Second, there was not alot of good opportunities (they removed all the walking areas at Nay Aug and it is drive through only. We had to park, let cars go by and go out and get a picture (I wanted to get something). Because it was just for drivers, it was just a bunch of flat displays along the road. I did get some in the back ground though to show how it could have been captured. It would have been nice to not have been such a bone head, had the focus setup right, and taken some pictures like this at Kozair's (there is always next year).<br />
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I do plan on using the Digital Rebel more this year (so next time I will be more used to it, and not expecting the more automatic SX210). This should change up this blog a bit (as pictures will be taken with a phone, pocket camera and DSLR). <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-17796450137142213582011-09-30T22:44:00.004-04:002011-09-30T22:44:53.151-04:00Ocean City Kite FestWell, here we are with one hobby meeting another. I enjoy flying kites, and taking pictures, so what to do. Guess I should do both. So, I will probably be commenting more on the kites (and a little less on the photos) in this update. <br />
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Before I get into the pictures, a comment about cameras. I spent sometime here stating how nice it is to have a camera in ones pocket. I even took it as far to start to compare that SX210 with my phone (portability is most important when quality is close). I am now questioning my logic. When I look at pictures with the SX210, and the Digital Rebel there is really no comparison. Still way too much noise in the SX210 (guess its time to try and find something that better fits my desires). Personally, I am thinking that the sensor is just too small, and I need to really think before I move on (but have started looking already).<br />
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Having said that, I was happy to have the SX210, not the Digital Rebel for the kite fest. I wanted to do some flying and not focus on the camera. This year I even competed (well we will get to that, competed might not be a good word). Carrying around the DSLR would have been tough (and I might have had to lay it in the sand for the kite fights). Additionally, I gave the camera to Denise to take some pictures while I was competing (that word again) and she would not have had an easy time with the DSLR, but the SX210 was just point and shoot for her (I will show one she took later).</div>
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Lets start off with some of my kites (its my blog). A word of warning, weather was far less than optimum (both for pictures and for kite flying). The sun did not show itself at all during the weekend (and there were many periods with no wind at all). As always, click the image for a larger one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQaYwOfPm_1B3-QBkHERbsyCi0T64bk0a7Jgfdq0w_jlmNVh9fb27QLUU2zc3cUflK_ImORM8tWzvqbcJi_5vCsDowmAtguTVjU3CmVMGTE_RMwtLPONivxqKHa2vTDiFQGPuVFBaKKY/s1600/My+Spinnerl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQaYwOfPm_1B3-QBkHERbsyCi0T64bk0a7Jgfdq0w_jlmNVh9fb27QLUU2zc3cUflK_ImORM8tWzvqbcJi_5vCsDowmAtguTVjU3CmVMGTE_RMwtLPONivxqKHa2vTDiFQGPuVFBaKKY/s400/My+Spinnerl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The kite above is just a 6 foot delta (nothing special). However the wheel is cool (if this were a movie and not a picture, you would be watching it spin). I needed the 6 foot delta to get the wheel up (not alot of wind). Was not easy to put up, but I worked it up (using air spaces between and around the hotels etc). Because of the tail, it got alot of looks. </div>
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Before we move on, this picture is a good example of an issue with the SX210. Notice the corners are a bit dark (in this and the other images). This was not just the cloud pattern, but happened on all the images at full zoom. So not just noise, but vignetting at full zoom.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AUOVw4ncQK9NorrnlRVYjSJ829LOWuFKz9JekkFfymFYOmLNFHB5b5rWZHZgG_pTzcPDyCML81jeOoXIXMpg4DKMgjpdLTFeRRDOEP4GQ00pucbDdr75XvyzZU5SPp9AJaj43cLtSlo/s1600/My+EOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AUOVw4ncQK9NorrnlRVYjSJ829LOWuFKz9JekkFfymFYOmLNFHB5b5rWZHZgG_pTzcPDyCML81jeOoXIXMpg4DKMgjpdLTFeRRDOEP4GQ00pucbDdr75XvyzZU5SPp9AJaj43cLtSlo/s400/My+EOS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above is my EO 10 (Expandable Object). I think it should be EOS (edge of sanity). Kite looses its wind, collapses flat (which is how it is carried) and comes down in an interesting dance (as I said, wind was inconsistent). It looks better when the sky is a bit brighter as you can really see it has three colors. However, this is less than optimal conditions (so it is what it is). This is considered a box type of kite, did not replace my old favorite though.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfftXMd5JqhUSwTJt8Kf5rArKUIraIZSBU_ObAvG70vUPWQyO-zXfydbMrDwSE3icTKKnIRjPvxKL-iYk5dOJfiQZaMxhxnztt0RPulrBnMZdzE9fX31-zXzYKCectpDZWzJNH6q6y3s/s1600/Box+Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfftXMd5JqhUSwTJt8Kf5rArKUIraIZSBU_ObAvG70vUPWQyO-zXfydbMrDwSE3icTKKnIRjPvxKL-iYk5dOJfiQZaMxhxnztt0RPulrBnMZdzE9fX31-zXzYKCectpDZWzJNH6q6y3s/s400/Box+Cross.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above was one I bought this festival, still hoping to give my favorite a rest. This is the Mega Wolf Cross Box kite (impressive name isn't it, good start). The top is a box, and the bottom a cross. I think this would look really cool in sunlight, as the black would really make the colors stand out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChjMTarqJwHcYourklxKkFb2BOfdIg7pyMSMpya12yPuy0v7ZrynSyGWggq4I1cwD4rnaRHfwXQGprFCRCrVQWaXQikus0VuTWa88zZ4pOaxDYRmuoSzmYsQSJb8kHJ88JXdWLnmmqXY/s1600/box+blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChjMTarqJwHcYourklxKkFb2BOfdIg7pyMSMpya12yPuy0v7ZrynSyGWggq4I1cwD4rnaRHfwXQGprFCRCrVQWaXQikus0VuTWa88zZ4pOaxDYRmuoSzmYsQSJb8kHJ88JXdWLnmmqXY/s400/box+blue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is my favorite kite. The sky should be a give away that this was taken last year (but I wanted to include it). I did fly it this year, but I had the camera in the housing - see the post below this one. I was taking pictures of the kids on the beach and playing in the sand and wanted to keep the moisture and sand out of the camera. I had this picture (which was better than anything I would have gotten on that gray day anyway). </div>
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Notice most of my kites are darker in color (I think darker colors stand out better against the bright sky, so I avoid light colored kites). This is a simple box kite, no wings nothing but box. This always gets alot of looks and points from the people going by. Also when it is up in the sky, the colors give an optical illusion (starts to look inside out and like it is standing up, not laying down). </div>
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That's enough of my kites. Lets look at the festival a bit. There is a nice selection of kites you just do not see anywhere else as well as activities (stunt kite demonstrations, fighter kite contests, and games (like dancing and even a silly band drop). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY94zopD4xn6m7RK1buv1F_2ge8x4AukZW-4DprjW9nnjqgEDuCxMYDX2TQplUNxSUTUSwKCZiTTtmhZVBOfPzQSGJ58PntG9p0FYtp3XffBTctuyWORsVjnq2yaZTrrEmFAcURMXXR4/s1600/squid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY94zopD4xn6m7RK1buv1F_2ge8x4AukZW-4DprjW9nnjqgEDuCxMYDX2TQplUNxSUTUSwKCZiTTtmhZVBOfPzQSGJ58PntG9p0FYtp3XffBTctuyWORsVjnq2yaZTrrEmFAcURMXXR4/s400/squid.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Speaking of interesting kites, here is a squid (flying above the ocean, wonder how he feels about that). Do not see this one everywhere (bright and colorful, though some sun would help). The vignetting looks particularly tough here (though mostly in only three corners this time). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlSTTTsx8hyopOtf50y7fVMcTky3RWy9OeAZ7iGkJk39ZEAL2AlehqaaXnn8IRWvnNlcRDkAAGVD95QZgqjB0ReOne6bMdZHCPqhZseikJytiP72P5UGF-Z5QBhcu2gmQiJ4VEpEG_po/s1600/Turtles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlSTTTsx8hyopOtf50y7fVMcTky3RWy9OeAZ7iGkJk39ZEAL2AlehqaaXnn8IRWvnNlcRDkAAGVD95QZgqjB0ReOne6bMdZHCPqhZseikJytiP72P5UGF-Z5QBhcu2gmQiJ4VEpEG_po/s400/Turtles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In addition to kites, there are also alot of interesting wind socks. These are tide to the strings of big kits and lifted by them. There was not as many up this year as I have seen in the past (the wind was a little less than helpful). Even here the red and yellow turtle just cant get fully off the ground. Wait is that some blue in the sky in the background (I do not think so).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOf_8YP7siCVauBD76RPg_UsKA-SOe1UyLW-crvLquHF-4yinQD7hDK8dEQNkZXWdbHwPBlZBvyyTc5U-ilnSXcKrp8WSYvoWXN9oiWJsKmdD_FsB46xxO5w68cyXVV6xZ-v3SdwlQZV4/s1600/Trio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOf_8YP7siCVauBD76RPg_UsKA-SOe1UyLW-crvLquHF-4yinQD7hDK8dEQNkZXWdbHwPBlZBvyyTc5U-ilnSXcKrp8WSYvoWXN9oiWJsKmdD_FsB46xxO5w68cyXVV6xZ-v3SdwlQZV4/s400/Trio.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Even more traditional kites are operated in a less traditional mode (here are three strung together. I liked these. The black with the color really stood out (again could have been better with some sun, even a drab, drizzly day on the beach flying a kite beats a day at work anytime). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4T87yo9-mDlwDkumoSDI_IHsE4cqJd31-zKgYjvEJmfvUhbAbsc2_o1LpjCVH5Pawu6F_6-GjjDrO_Ag4kg79pMQk9hz6BFVptQV_lxA39fcdE7cMU3Xz2RxyAXJpOzC6C9TZWZln1k/s1600/rev+stacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4T87yo9-mDlwDkumoSDI_IHsE4cqJd31-zKgYjvEJmfvUhbAbsc2_o1LpjCVH5Pawu6F_6-GjjDrO_Ag4kg79pMQk9hz6BFVptQV_lxA39fcdE7cMU3Xz2RxyAXJpOzC6C9TZWZln1k/s400/rev+stacks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As I said above, there are lots of stunt kite demonstrations. The Revolution is probably the most popular being demonstrated. The four lines make them highly maneuverable (they can tap the shoulder on people on the boardwalk as they walk by). They also require surprisingly little wind. Here are three strings of revolutions all flying to music (music is a large part of all the performances). This is really the best part, and the biggest reason to go. Alot of the demonstrations are really good, and they even setup a little space in the background to let others try there hand at stunt kites (more wind would have made it better). </div>
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Finally, I made the comment about err competing. Below is a picture of me in the mini Rokkaku fights (getting ready). I participated in this and the fighter kite. I was able to do both without scoring a single point (even my kid scored). To make some excuses, I do not normally kite fight (I do fly a single line fighter, but I fly it like a stunt kite - kites do not want to fight, they want to fly). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bv0j4oIoxVeIJKS6gAjPm76apBScolfRHbymZw8MVBOF64gC8huaPKvjkkZcBVitVF-13Px1VxHBv94BJe_B_RnTFzwCxCwoHDl_9rxUcTjoNYBTgYzonGxw0tp7q03WO-yIFCXcSvY/s1600/mini+roc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bv0j4oIoxVeIJKS6gAjPm76apBScolfRHbymZw8MVBOF64gC8huaPKvjkkZcBVitVF-13Px1VxHBv94BJe_B_RnTFzwCxCwoHDl_9rxUcTjoNYBTgYzonGxw0tp7q03WO-yIFCXcSvY/s400/mini+roc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I am the one in the hat in the picture above (I am normally the one in the hat). I did give my kid my kite in the Rokkaku fight (it was flying better (and took his which was giving him problems). There was no wind so the only thing keeping the kites up was us pulling them in. First two rounds I went down quick, and then I used a different attach point on the bridle (which seemed to be working better - I did not want to win, but a point would have been nice). However my kid (yes mine) was in front of me, got my string under his arm and ripped it. I also ran into the eventual winner (she is behind the gentleman next to me in the picture) in the first round of the fighter kites and she just took me out. </div>
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Well, those are the pictures. Not great, but I had fun. Better conditions would have made better pictures. I think the DSLR would have done a bit better getting over those conditions (but then I would have to carry that and I was really there to play with kites (and throw the occasional boomerang) not so much take pictures. So I guess the pocket camera has its uses (as well as its drawbacks). </div>
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My next update will be back to infra red. There will be pictures from both the phone (I fixed the issue seen a few posts down) and the SX210 (the DSLR is not setup for infra red). Still not as sharp as I want, but better. I just want to grab one more example before I do the next update, but hopefully soon. I will show some examples of true infra red and false color. All will be processed as shown previously (way down in this blog). So the next update should be back to more photo focused (pardon the pun). It should be fun.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-2522087503393051362011-08-03T23:06:00.014-04:002011-08-23T21:48:35.863-04:00Water Fun<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With the summer, water becomes a huge draw. It is a shame that on there own most cameras do not do well in a water environment. In order to work around this a good camera housing is required. My first one was a special one made specifically for the camera. It was a hard case with water proof buttons lined up with buttons on the camera. It was nice as all push buttons and controls were easily accessible. </div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, every time I upgraded cameras I would need to get a new housing as well. As these are generally expensive (over $300) that makes it difficult to justify the cost (just bought a new camera, and need to come up with another $300+ for a water housing). In order to save some money instead of buying a second dedicated water housing, I bought the one pictured below from Ewa Marine. I have had this for many cameras and many years. It is still available under $100, and stands up to almost anything (may not look it, but the rubber is quite thick).</div><div style="text-align: left;">
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<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHCHrdi8oO9vOrh363NF_3zH3_uxuSnPICOIA4mJtelet0V1iP1MyOA0JT9w_jz8COom7r6NCCjbnA3xEP6vzVo1hHmlMAYhukn7A2Wy1Ih-x7eSFMokVy2k_6fowOXnAhQ999BUQWxE/s400/IMG_3663.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644224054444141042" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This works with any small camera (and not so small). I currently use this with the SX210. It does not support the full zoom range, but lets me do some zoom. Though it is not as easy to operate all the controls on this generic housing as on a dedicated one it does gets the job done. The rubber is soft enough that most controls can be operated with some playing. This approach has saved me considerable money as I continue to upgrade to get the latest and greatest camera, but can continue with the same water housing.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The folded up paper in the housing is actually silicon gel packets. These are helpful for two reasons. The first is that they keep moisture out of the casing, so the lens does not fog over. The second is that they are good to place around the camera, in order to hold it in place so the camera lens lines up with the lens in the housing. </div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A final advantage of this housing is that it floats (so if you do let go of the camera, it will go to the surface). Additionally, if you need to go deeper, the housing will accommodate this (within reason). All you need to do put more air inside the housing with the camera, and it will support deeper dives (though the controls might get harder to operate).</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Even with the housing, there are still obstacles to getting good water fun pictures. For example, it is tough to see and time pictures well inside the housing (or underwater), so sometimes you have to try a few times to get a good picture. The picture below is a fun example. I snapped lots of pictures of the little guy diving/falling and jumping into the pool. Though I did fairly well percentage wise, not all were equal (for example some just had a splash, no little guy). The one below was just as the arm was starting to break the water and really looks fun.</div><div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqAmDhL4AliaFt616DkJ1lTRw1SvAvSgTCxXnCstPFcHIfuqNRiDPJAMakTu9NTZL4Sb9N7cL527i-jgfhjgRQp2etHDFSbgss_pL4z_SG-7bm3hqFncjKTrEYUrc2WazDBUEmaoFJEw/s1600/Quin+thumbs+up+falling+into+pool-picsay.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqAmDhL4AliaFt616DkJ1lTRw1SvAvSgTCxXnCstPFcHIfuqNRiDPJAMakTu9NTZL4Sb9N7cL527i-jgfhjgRQp2etHDFSbgss_pL4z_SG-7bm3hqFncjKTrEYUrc2WazDBUEmaoFJEw/s400/Quin+thumbs+up+falling+into+pool-picsay.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636835831356396050" /></a></div><div>
<br /></div><div>In order to get this picture, it was obvious that both I and my camera were going to get splashed. Well, I was already wet, so no worry there, and the camera was safely protected inside of its housing (so we were good to go).</div><div>
<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqAmDhL4AliaFt616DkJ1lTRw1SvAvSgTCxXnCstPFcHIfuqNRiDPJAMakTu9NTZL4Sb9N7cL527i-jgfhjgRQp2etHDFSbgss_pL4z_SG-7bm3hqFncjKTrEYUrc2WazDBUEmaoFJEw/s1600/Quin+thumbs+up+falling+into+pool-picsay.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>Of course,with the housing, one can also go under the water (no reason to just hang out on top). Though this picture below is a little boring, you get the idea. We have had lots of fun posing for and taking pictures under the water.</div><div>
<br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBq438IJTsDnpE6odTQTZsDsNfZkIdWvhKIuGfT6JnJAL_xcws1Bz2eQ8XmUZWtDc78lu0HYxDjQRNExzKeAb671CMEpmWvNY2e3w1EnTUznd5N-tMkUjppEv4bdbt7F1W-A2LMgHkes/s1600/Quin+swimming+underwater-picsay.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBq438IJTsDnpE6odTQTZsDsNfZkIdWvhKIuGfT6JnJAL_xcws1Bz2eQ8XmUZWtDc78lu0HYxDjQRNExzKeAb671CMEpmWvNY2e3w1EnTUznd5N-tMkUjppEv4bdbt7F1W-A2LMgHkes/s400/Quin+swimming+underwater-picsay.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636835667163749970" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I would like to show one final shot. The picture below was taken way back in 2oo5. Though it was a different camera, it was the same housing (that's why buying a generic housing is so nice). We are here standing in the ocean, getting hit in the back by a large wave (the little guy's facial expression is great). I shot this myself, and the wrist strap is really handy in these cases (obviously holding onto the kid is more important than the camera, but with the wrist strap, you can let go of the camera if necessarily). Obviously, I would not want to take this picture without some protection for the camera. </div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlxRaWBBhlRes6-Zmy429yOom7b1TkOqIsOTcIQ4sIQZ9HpxuZt8Q2rzAMozqlnJnzZfjJhc8Dp4mXdv8YHeizNR_YjciUspJqNxdxPvaLJ56xcS5k2BB_x8J2Re65ggwv0iSfFOgGLQ/s400/CIMG0423.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644217928671793938" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></div>
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<br /></div><div>The water housing makes a nice addition, as it gives you a good reason to cool off while you are still snapping photos. As you can see, though the generic housing has some drawbacks regarding ease of use, I definitely have gotten alot of use from it. I find the housing a necessary part of my camera kit, and allows me to have alot of fun with my photo hobby. </div><div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-45247198502209752242011-08-01T15:12:00.015-04:002011-08-01T18:08:59.214-04:00Why then a DSLR?I think I have been doing too much comparisons on the low end (my pocket SX210 vs the Inspire cell phone). Though both have there places, and can take reasonable pictures once there capabilities are well understood, there is a reason people pay more for a DSLR. This update will show that off extremely well as I compare some pictures from the SX210 and the Digital Rebel XTi (the recent holiday provided the perfect opportunity).<br /><div><div><div><br /><div>All these pictures were taken from a tripod (it was needed due to the long exposures). I took these while sparklers and other small fireworks were being burned. I did not get a chance to play with the settings too much (I think both sets of pictures could have been helped a bit). However, the difference between the DSLR and the SX210 is dramatic.</div><div><br /></div><div>First lets start off with a picture from the SX210. To start off simple, we just want to see some pattern in the sparklers. We shoot, no flash, and just grab what is there and should get a nice trail. Actually there is a good mode for this already on the camera (fireworks).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWyNs-2yEqjOjCjIZbJ7XFVi8JRRG6CzWAjj2FrkpmhgHn2Venr9Pis-E7mMIwGqgsT1An5VsjioPSqaVcLMF0ZW48l7-F8DM2xc0c24t6aDY39BOOsb8stjepoiLivNVf6J1c1YLhJQ/s400/Sxnoflash.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635983745077250642" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, it is hard to get a long enough exposure to really get a long stream from the fireworks. This could be worked going into a manual mode (but A manual mode is more complicated on the smaller cameras, and B due to the limited aperture range, we would still be limited in our timing).</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now for the Digital Rebel. There is no fireworks mode on the camera, but by setting a higher apeture (in this case 7.1) we are able to get the camera to fire for a longer period. Note all pictures were taken in aperture priority mode (so I tweaked the aperture and let the time calculate itself). </div><div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSb5kzmwBOzgIgHZq86C4q4t8kaNu70EiqnhnsBv2Hsb2pV5R3iy8U3p98M4UTlQgrmN44MbQXiRo9FsYZbZm_6gp4rVBIUE_k9xXWU5nubg65dGY5POiVL5qzJ3_tNqYck1ZZeloarw/s400/Drnoflash.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635983479691243730" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>There is a bit of the background getting lit up slightly. Might have reduced the ISO (it was 200) and that should have cleaned that removing any background. The advantage of the tighter apeture is increased depth of field (so focusing becomes much easier). This is also evident in the sharpness of the stream.</div><div><br /></div><div>The stream from the DSLR picture is easily long enough that a word can be written etc. Obviously it is an easy adjustment. Want more time, tighten the apeture, if you want it shorter, open the apeture up. The DSLR definitely wins here for flexibility.</div><div><br /></div><div>What if we want to see the person behind the fireworks as well (especially for family members etc). Then we would want to fire the flash. Again the SX210 has a mode for this (night protrait), but can also be coaxed to fire the flash and still provide some time for exposure in other modes.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_Wz3Td_HxZvi_X5vKgKTAxiX9Coate4uMQaWe7NLg7d989ttlCHbJVqubbO07_oiQwlpJK41KAntWnUoqkpqcpUbU_zrexwkr5QyISgRl1JjOCONSQTFnmOAYoDzUNrbrWgbBJ7nwZQ/s400/Sxflash.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635979588734716658" /></div><div><br /></div><div>You can see here, that we can definitely make out the person in the picture, but there is not a long trail on the fireworks. Though there is the ability to adjust this, there is not as much (there is not as much aperture range on the SX210 as on the Digital Rebel (will with the DSLR, it is really a function of the lens, but most lenses have considerably more aperture range than a pocket camera. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally lets look at the same setup with the Digital Rebel. I used the on board flash (it has more power than the SX210, but there are also external flashes that could be used). Again using the same trick to close down the aperture, and in this case, I bumped up the ISO to 400 (to better grab the person).</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOyQD9QPvnmn-eyr0J_b65e_p0YofdFylet9Gbm1RyAvJStIWAoM3laIcDRGG5qW1qCUmxxbXO2IF_KdvKZZjKAo5V8A8oD_43oz1jIGHDHB8ec9HNC4DC-TtTqMT-WVhJOHUFLK7Y6A/s400/Drflash.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635979045584923890" /></div><div><br /></div><div>This ended up being a 10 second exposure. The problem with this is it is hard for the individual to stand still (especially when waving fireworks frantically), so you get a little ghosting. It is obviously a trade off, opening the aperture (I used 7.1 here again) would decrease the time, which would reduce the ghosting, but would also reduce the fireworks trail. I think the flash did a nice job of grabbing a sharp subject and really overpowering the ghosting (though you see it off to her left). </div><div><br /></div><div>You can see depending on what you are looking for, it is possible to get nice pictures of fireworks. As the actual firework itself is really bright, small apertures can be used as the bright will still capture on the sensor. Firing a flash can stop action for a particular portion of the picture. This is useful with the fireworks, but can also bring out other portions of a picture (I once took a long night exposure of a tree in the fall that had the leaves change to a fiery color - I walked under the tree and fired the flash up into the tree during the exposure (hiding the flash behind the trunk) for a very nice effect). </div><div><br /></div><div>With all the talk about how phones are replacing cameras (well the pocket variety anyway), I seemed to have gotten caught up in it. Prior to having a good camera on my phone, I would say I took about 70% of my pictures on the SX210. However, the hard ones, or the important ones, I always grabbed the Digital Rebel. This allowed me to focus where important, but not have to carry the big DSLR around much. I am finding that I now take some of the pictures with my Inspire (though I have not really started to do anything with them). </div><div><br /></div><div>Though it is possible that the line might blur between the Inspire and the SX210 at some point and the SX210 might lose some of its snaps to the Inspire, the Digital Rebel still has its strengths and will not see its snaps diminished in the least by improved phone cameras (well not for the foreseeable future anyway).</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFIZRiK33ZWnTGrzTnLF3lXwcRWhlX9znVQsp7FE5udIxvPdbKuxzg3N76miwd6uYEEiUJ4zAUcSI72EYrKGtveMniaNkQ6jrEoVe633f1E0cGDViHa-Xa26paSFQlbGQd1MU1HGcXQw/s1600/Sxflash.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309487945731317013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-53501560349808458492011-06-07T21:38:00.000-04:002011-06-07T21:38:13.450-04:00Infra Red ComparisonOk, here is a comparison you will not see on too many websites. Its the SX210 in one corner with the HTC Inspire in the other corner. Both wearing the infra red filter (well the SX210 has its brace and gorilla tripod, and the Inspire has me holding the filter in front of the lense). This did not seem to hurt the Inspire as shutter length did not appear to change with the filter in front. There must not be any filter to stop the infra red light on a phone. This makes some sense as cost and size is the priority. <br />
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Note, all pictures are processed as outlined earlier in the blog.<br />
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I had another visit to Mohonk Mtn, and figured this was a perfect opportunity to take some infra red pictures. The one above is from the SX210. I had hoped for more sun (that would have popped the sky a bit better and driven better contrast), but I had to deal with more of a grey weekend. Given the troubles, this is a great example, with the water (which comes out so black) the foliage and the sky.<br />
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The picture above was taken a few minutes later from the inspire. There is a bit of a dark spot in the middle (and if you remember my orginal write up on using digital cameras with an infrared filter this can happen sometimes). It should be possible to miminize ita bit if playing with the sliders (instead of just going with the defaults in the process also as described in an earlier post).<br />
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There is an interesting point not evident from the pictures themselves. First a low ISO (80) was used on the SX210 to reduce noise seen in other pictures. This worked well, but required a long exposure (1 second in this case). The phone used an ISO of 604 automatically, and the exposure was just the same as normal (not listed). It might have a little more noise, but it is close (I was able to handhold this picture holding the filter in front of the lense).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBFvriccy9WqIbqRrNYKjzUkylqSsFQPKgo7xIS0HLch95uktAd-SFMeg930qlFWKIivuV_-x0avNHQfHz0n8ds6noV4iHyfqoCaX5ii9HWyv0dXhmvDhH1jTkDsRhBBbpNN5l0SAS77Q/s1600/Camera+Mohonk+Monument.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBFvriccy9WqIbqRrNYKjzUkylqSsFQPKgo7xIS0HLch95uktAd-SFMeg930qlFWKIivuV_-x0avNHQfHz0n8ds6noV4iHyfqoCaX5ii9HWyv0dXhmvDhH1jTkDsRhBBbpNN5l0SAS77Q/s400/Camera+Mohonk+Monument.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The picture above is of the monument on top of the hill taken by the SX210. It is interesting how the rocks ended up a bit false colored. This is nice and sharp and with out unwanted noise. Again this was at an ISO of 80 (which I think really helps). The drawback is the exposure took a whoppping 4 seconds (yes it was on a tripod - a large gorilla tripod). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQ2Y3OTR1v5EKMBzOwGSx5_9-DdgXuEk07n5HamAsxyUTwHfyiYSPqMhNjVKaQ9PSAyT1MfW7gyGakmQGOjC0PGDvU7AyOf8dyuPoCeFuPuQi8N3xhPPAliqBtzYMTbJZ9loYaSWS0-nJ/s1600/Phone+Mohonk+Monument.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQ2Y3OTR1v5EKMBzOwGSx5_9-DdgXuEk07n5HamAsxyUTwHfyiYSPqMhNjVKaQ9PSAyT1MfW7gyGakmQGOjC0PGDvU7AyOf8dyuPoCeFuPuQi8N3xhPPAliqBtzYMTbJZ9loYaSWS0-nJ/s400/Phone+Mohonk+Monument.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Finally the monument from the Inspire. Obviously the ability to zoom does not exist (I do not believe in digital zoom, just throws away pixels you paid for, better to crop afterward). Again the dark spot in the middle. It can probably be minimzed with a little work, but probably not removed easily. <br />
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Well this is the comparison. I would say that for outdoor landscape pictures, the flexibility and quality of the SX210 was too much for the Inspire. The pictures hold more capability for false color with the SX210 (though the whites in the Inspire are stronger). However, having said that, with a cheap filter, it appears possible to get reasonable infra red pictures out of your cell phone (well the Inspire anyway). <br />
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Unfortunatly, none of the pictures were in ideal light. There was some sun, but it was broken, so it is possible that the performances might have improved on both with better lighting (next time hopefully). <br />
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Note, I was specific with the outdoor landscape pictures for a reason. I have tried to take indoor portraits (against soft light backgrounds) with the SX210 with no success. I just have not found a light that puts out enough infra red to get the picture. The Inspire with its much quicker response might allow me to do some portrait work (I know, it will look funny holding the filter over the camera, but I think it is worth a chance).MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-13218585194429381192011-05-20T00:37:00.000-04:002011-05-20T00:37:19.940-04:00BestBuy is the BestThey let me do it (even though it was extra work for them). They had to pull the SX230 off the display, so I could put my own memory card in it. They did this, let me take a few pictures (while I took duplicate pictures with the SX210). This allowed me to get some reasonable comparison (no outdoor photos, but what I got was enough for me as low light was really my focus). <br />
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Now keep in mind that the resolution on the new camera is actually a little less than the older one (12MP vs 14MP). When I originally wrote up the SX210, I thought 10MP would be on the high end (the Canon PowerShot G series has both a bigger sensor, and 10MP, and it gets really nice pictures, squeezing more pixels onto a smaller sensor seemed like a chore and likely to increase noise). <br />
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The 230 uses the standard Canon Digic sensor, where the 210 was a break away for Canon and used a CCD (actually I was not aware of that initally). Canon really spec'd out the 230 to be better in low light than the 210 (and needed the processing of the Digic sensor to do that). All these pictures were taken with similar settings (and either mostly auto, or for the last one, I specified ISO 800). Click the pictures to get a bigger view.<br />
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Lets start off by looking at a full zoom. This picture is 14x across the store (over the TV section). Not terribly dark, but dark enough to make photo's challenging.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeoUr1vW_5CXcxVQ08zEvOfrkdkVWLNVk3SumVMYBKhtQtRigW8kXwkcQgJ3FRJYzaR44O1FEU1RGJjr27Pm4982sS31ALhRFwrPFXr5PBH33T9SVTyvMnyGlT2WhLuUSiww_4I8vT0cd/s1600/210+long+zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeoUr1vW_5CXcxVQ08zEvOfrkdkVWLNVk3SumVMYBKhtQtRigW8kXwkcQgJ3FRJYzaR44O1FEU1RGJjr27Pm4982sS31ALhRFwrPFXr5PBH33T9SVTyvMnyGlT2WhLuUSiww_4I8vT0cd/s400/210+long+zoom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> SX210</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLYiUuGT299y2yJ5sKgkrjlCR12orKqw4wiISu7xDBLVC6DQ6NN72zpu8vXdl_ksYHeizpgmoSqmz8n6WFH7ICEOyY8JvfxOIhayQZ13Ad8fspjpFXaOQjVVG7t91gC9KfTjbDmSCzME5/s1600/230+long+zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLYiUuGT299y2yJ5sKgkrjlCR12orKqw4wiISu7xDBLVC6DQ6NN72zpu8vXdl_ksYHeizpgmoSqmz8n6WFH7ICEOyY8JvfxOIhayQZ13Ad8fspjpFXaOQjVVG7t91gC9KfTjbDmSCzME5/s400/230+long+zoom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">SX230</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now since I used auto, both took different approaches. The SX210 used ISO 800 and a 1/13 exposure. The SX230 went to ISO 1600 and had a 1/20 exposure. Funny thing is, based on the ISO, I would have thought the SX230 would have more noise (it had the higher ISO), but as you can plainly see, it is cleaner. So far, the SX230 is meeting its claim as the less noisy picture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lets keep with text for a minute, but remove the zoom. Honestly the zoom performance should be the same as it is the same lense (really the sensor is the only quality difference, there is GPS, but I am not reviewing that as I do not see the need, I always name my pictures based on where they were taken).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was taken off a sign right in front of me in the camera department. Again, on auto settings, the SX230 had the tendency to double the ISO. In this case the SX210 used an ISO-500 and 1/50 exposure (F/4 for apeture, in the zoom shot above, the apetures were identical at f/5.4). The SX230 bumped the ISO to ISO-1000 and the exposure to 1/80 (apeture was f/3.5 not much different, there are not alot of choices on these cameras). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was a bit of noise in both of these, but the SX230 definitely outdoes the SX210 even with the ISO setting doubled. This is looking pretty good for the SX230 (and I am trying to justify an upgrade).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, text is sort of easy, lets do a portrait. This will be a zoomed in section (just above the left eye). Keeps my model happy (as she does not make the blog, she was not ready for her picture) and allows us to again look for the noise.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now things start to get interesting. First, there is a little difference in size. Part of it might have been not being zoomed exactly (or leaning etc), but part is also the number of MP (14 vs 12). However, trust me, either would print out more than spectacular even at 8X10, and both could even go larger (I have done 6MP on 13x17 and it looks good). However, that is not the issue. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The SX230 is begining to look softer. Now this is not totally fair as the mode was portrait, and softness is often desired in a portrait, but the SX210 is definitely sharper (the fear is the SX230 is softer due to noise reduction being done post processing). Note the SX210 was ISO 200 1/60 f/3.1 and the SX230 was ISO-320 1/60 and f3/1. The fact that everything but the ISO is the same does mean that the processors interpreted this differently (might be light around her, zoom etc). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So the portrait brings up a possible problem (but it could be a one off picture issue as well). Finally need to look at something to verify that. In order to remove the ISO issue the last two pictures were taken at ISO 800 (so we are comparing apples to apples, not just marveling that the SX230 has less noise with a higher ISO). Note the exposure was identical as well in the following pictures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first image is a highlyt zoomed in image of a camera and its sign on an end cap (the end cap had the point of focus, so it should be fairly sharp). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Both pictures are noisy (it is not bright in the store, even if it looks it to the eye). However, the SX230 both looks less noisy and a little sharper. However, here the difference does not seem as pronounced as it did in the text above (though still more than obvious). Lets grab one more section from this photo. We had a small gamer playing an xbox, who was nice enough to stay in the frame for both shots. Note that these snips are not taken from the focus point, so they are expected to be a little out of focus.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok, so no face, but we have his pants, and that verizon guy asking if you can hear him. The SX230 is definitely sharper and less noisy at the same ISO as the SX210. So Canon did hear the complaints and made the improvements. I have not decided if it is enough better that I want to spend the $300+ to upgrade (they are not cheap cameras), but you can make your own decision.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It would be interesting to take many portraits and compare to see if it was just a single picture, or if there is some noise reduction algorithm involved (I would not be surprised if it were the later as that is listed as one of the improvements in the new camera). However, changing modes seems to change the noise reduction (as it should), so you should have plenty of control to get the picture the way you want (and with less noise than on the SX210). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One thing to note. I keep my SX210 in auto mode, but have the P program mode set for ISO 200 and flash on (I can turn off the flash by pushing it down). I probably use both of these modes as often (the ISO 200 allowed me to keep the noise to a reasonable level). I think the same would have to be done on the SX230. It seemed to want to increase the ISO. Though there is less noise than with the SX210, still a lower ISO could make even a cleaner picture. It would take some playing with to figure out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After this, I am back to comparing the SX210 to my HTC Inspire (I wanted to take a break after the below comparison to see how the SX210 stacked against its newest update - as the HTC Inspire performed fairly well so far against the SX210). So come back (I might even be able to compare some infrared pictures from both).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-18951158492008686612011-05-06T21:21:00.000-04:002011-05-06T21:21:36.592-04:00Well, so far - I am surprisedNow that everything is fixed, I took some time to start comparing my SX210 to my HTC Inspire. I figured my first test would be were both should perform well - outside in a nice bright day. Note the previous review of the SX210 did show some noise at higher ISO with less light. I expected both to perform well, but the SX210 to show its stuff. However, this is why we run the tests.<br />
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There have been no modifications (except size or cropping on the close ups) to the photos. So you are seeing them as they come out of the camera or the phone (and as always click to get a larger version but it will be large as I left them as the original 14mp (for the SX210) and 8mp (for the HTC Inspire). All pictures were taken in full auto mode.<br />
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</div>The upper picture is from the SX210, and the lower one is from the Inspire. This was a good picture to take as it seemed to stretch the contrast in the Inspire (not it seems to lack a little). However, the colors are beter in the inpire (look to the sky and the tracks (the rust color comes through a bit better). Performing some adjustments in the SX210 prior to taking the picture could probably improve the colors, but as it stands it would be easier to work the Inspire picture in photo shop. So in this picture not really an edge.<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Once again the SX210 is the upper image. The bird house was the focus point in the picture. The Inspire just got a sharper image than the SX210. Also the lighting and coloring looked better with the Inspire. This is not looking as good as above, as in this picture there is a definite winner, and it is the phone (if you do not see it in the images above, click on them and bring up the full size - you will see the softness in the SX210 which I commented about in my original review.<br />
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For the next 2 pictures I put the SX210 into widescreen mode. This reduces the pixel count a bit (but cutting off the top and bottom), but duplicates the camera for dimensions (still has more pixels, but the shape is the same). I did this to rule out liking wide format images better.<br />
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Again, the SX210 is on the top, but the better picture comes from the Inspire. The colors are more correct from the inspire, and it captured more of the blue sky. Additionally, the sharpness is better on the inspire (the bag on the fence was the focus point). There is just a blue hue to the SX210 that needs to be removed, and the saturation needs to be improved (and again the softness overcome). The Inspire also has more of the picture in focus (but there is a reason for that, and I will get to that after the next set).<br />
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Once again, the SX210 is above, and again, the better picture came out of the inspire. Better color, better sharpness and just better tone. However, a comment about sharpness when comparing different camera types. <br />
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If you look closely at the larger images (click on them), the lower image looks sharper both in the foreground and the background.. There is a good reason for this, and that is that the depth of field of the two imaging devices is different. <br />
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To illustrate, on a DSLR, the sensor is further from the rear lense element. This forces focus to a narrower range of distances (in fact the rule of thumb is that a portable camera has 4 stops more depth of field than a DSLR - as apetrure is the largest factor in depth of field). The science behind this is a bit complicated, and I will leave that for another day (I have done a study of multiple subjects in the past varying apeture to change the overall feel, maybe this will come up again).<br />
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This means that more of the picture is in focus in a pocket camera than a DSLR. The same effect happens here. The HTC Inspire will have a larger depth of field than the pocket camera due to the distance between the lense and the sensor. <br />
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So what have we learned. So far, for certain pictures, the Inspire will not just be able to replace the SX210, but will be able to out perform (I am assuming standard size prints which are very possible with the 8mp from the Inspire, and do not need the 14mp from the SX210). Now, there could be some things that I could do to make the SX210 perform better (and I will look into them - like changing the color balance etc). However, the increased depth of field that the phone provides, actually makes it more suited for some types of landscape photography. <br />
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There are some things the Inspire just does not do. There is no optical zoom on the phone (so getting close to a distant object is not happening). The SX210 has 14X zoom, and can get close to alot of subjects. However, some of the softness seen here with the SX210 were also noted in my original review. Canon just came out with the SX230 which is the next version. Instead of a CCD it has a back lighted CMOS sensor which is supposed to solve some of the noise issues (and if noise can be solved at the source, then less noise reduction would be needed, so the pictures should be less soft). Guess I am off to BestBuy to see if I can take a few pictures with my camera and an SX230 there and see how they compare (but I will also compare the SX210 to the Inspire in less than optimal situations).MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-3052430174225667782011-04-05T23:02:00.000-04:002011-04-05T23:02:49.047-04:00Sorry for the delay - Can a phone replace a pocket cameraSo it has been a long time since I posted any pictures. I will admit I have read some things that bothered me regarding phones replacing pocket cameras. At the same time I sort of got tired of my Windows Mobile 6.5 phone (it had issues which helped enforce the feeling) and used my free upgrade to get into the Android world (in fact I jumped in whole hog and am typing this on a Motorola Xoom I am playing with). <br />
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So what does this have to do with photography? Well when I first read about people ditching pocket cameras for there phones, I thought this was nuts and was going to dedicate an update to the topic. Though I have not changed this opinion I think I see the argument much better. The options for taking and modifying pictures right on the phone is much better on Android than anything I had used on Windows Mobile (any version). Note I have looked at the options with the iPhone and though I have no direct experience, they look as good (or better) than I have seen with Android. Not trying to compare the platforms, but make the point that there has been a step up with phone pictures that I was not aware of.<br />
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However does all of this justify movement from away from dedicated pocket cameras to phones. I do not think so for me anyhow. If your plan is to post to flickr or some online location, current phones are probably good enough. However if the goal is to get to print (especially enlargements) the phone just seems soft.<br />
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My next post will include some comparisons (sorry my new phone is already broke and being replaced - this seems to be a trend with my electronic hardware that I hope is ending so I can get back on schedule). I will try and present it in a manner that demonstrates what I mean (or else I will have to eat my words). I will use the SX210 not the Digital Rebel as all the blogs and articles dealt with phones replacing pocket cameras not DSLRs.<br />
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Be back soon.MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-52418600674795961692011-01-12T22:54:00.000-05:002011-01-12T22:54:31.318-05:00Christmas LightsWe have just gotten through the holiday season, so I took advantage of the surroundings to snap a few pictures. Guess this is a million different lights (instead of a big sunset). Christmas lights offer there own challenges as well as there own rewards. I will start off with one of the more interesting shots. As always, click on a picture to get a larger version.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQEeVTzAsbYlR7dVI8fwVyhbagE1bDUQiZubWV4sOX7z4hnhkL05vFlJCi5bSm2B7gI0nfwFJ4plK13xsv4YSGFLl5OPDSsz3MgQfkQIpucLRv4_kBYIgHVPEQpM2bWsnkgmTTaSAjaNb/s1600/Parliment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQEeVTzAsbYlR7dVI8fwVyhbagE1bDUQiZubWV4sOX7z4hnhkL05vFlJCi5bSm2B7gI0nfwFJ4plK13xsv4YSGFLl5OPDSsz3MgQfkQIpucLRv4_kBYIgHVPEQpM2bWsnkgmTTaSAjaNb/s400/Parliment.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This is a picture of Parliment in Ottawa. There are lights scattered around the entire city, but they do a nice job with the Parliment building (both with trees lit to the side, and the foliage in the front as well as the projectors onto the building. They actually use this same concept to project other scenes onto the building (for other holidays). It is a nice touch here, and well done.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYe503Ry2dW5R0rJJ7rmijcSxmDWw_db-OYHncKNkqy9h4IXz5eN6qYn1klTxMSlP9KX64zamzArIpvL7d10r81OYYkQkKcf4VwLeD_eDZB7KrHrqUwPkBUawYw7nZ53Xi1ySYcSh3gKe/s1600/Hersheydl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYe503Ry2dW5R0rJJ7rmijcSxmDWw_db-OYHncKNkqy9h4IXz5eN6qYn1klTxMSlP9KX64zamzArIpvL7d10r81OYYkQkKcf4VwLeD_eDZB7KrHrqUwPkBUawYw7nZ53Xi1ySYcSh3gKe/s400/Hersheydl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
One of the things we like to do for Christmas is go to Hershey park. Yes, some of the rides are open, but they also have plenty of lights (they also have a drive through display, but we stayed too late at the park, and could not get there this year). This is a picture of the light show. These lights dance and change color to the music. There are multiple places to watch the show (I am on one bridge, and you can go at the one in the distance, or one beyond that). The candy kiss is sitting ontop of the Kissmus tree (a little corny, but you gotta give it to them).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_qDQceX9Qax0Ebk-OThlP_MQY0cKukS89DytVtBRq0C9aGh4LwELz3LEivVnzn6I4sST54h0NsvZpcbFex9S0y22-0DXFHGKb_E9HwLDOSxED8xAAaugWp02rYLbuDQ0fuYJGaxTJgxY/s1600/Hersheywhite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_qDQceX9Qax0Ebk-OThlP_MQY0cKukS89DytVtBRq0C9aGh4LwELz3LEivVnzn6I4sST54h0NsvZpcbFex9S0y22-0DXFHGKb_E9HwLDOSxED8xAAaugWp02rYLbuDQ0fuYJGaxTJgxY/s400/Hersheywhite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is a picture from the other side (so again not from the lower bridge in the middle, but the other side). I wanted to show the opposite (no color). There are little trees on the left (not lit when I snapped this) that also light up. The lights can change quickly, so snapping alot of pictures is a must. These come out nice and sharp because they are taken from a bridge with a strong rail. When taking these pictures, it is likely you will not be carrying a tripod, so the best alternative is to hold the camera against something solid. I did that for both of these Hershey pictures and they came out well. Reducing camera shake is important in trying to get sharp pictures of the lights.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fmSgENoznzs39627CKjH2yhUNo78B2_01zTFpI0HXwS-G58dDq1fFcOpDUadv8BtTxla9RMV4xvel3fWUI3odFQxIAQGhZ1SaaP0l3Q1CQBMYcsq6QbRBi2bbJf9OhaX7jZ1XHOx6eh0/s1600/Kozairstrain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fmSgENoznzs39627CKjH2yhUNo78B2_01zTFpI0HXwS-G58dDq1fFcOpDUadv8BtTxla9RMV4xvel3fWUI3odFQxIAQGhZ1SaaP0l3Q1CQBMYcsq6QbRBi2bbJf9OhaX7jZ1XHOx6eh0/s400/Kozairstrain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Another visit we like this time of year is Kozair's Christmas Village. They have the most lights in one setting that I have ever seen. Unlike Hershey, this is all lights (they do not have the rides Hershey does, the lights do not dance to the music, but they both do have a Santa). This picture looks sharp as well. I did not have anything to brace the camera against, so I had to hold still and depend on the anti shake in the SX210. This worked out better here as there are more (and brighter) lights, so the exposure time was not as long as those up in Hershey (you can see from the shadows near the model buildings from the other lights). Not all the pictures came out this sharp though as some areas were a little darker.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNZco9aP-WQuqh0uOVi-Axwgv-JAaA_mCKaHP1QTNdLY_zOtbE_b1wI5ECDzBJZGwvoNKWZ4SDcq9N7DqEcLLRo87kuh7ZFxZIjNdA7oWeGOK1mhDEpXRCgDacAduDPVZ9x4jOBgIHdSd/s1600/Kozairswalkway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNZco9aP-WQuqh0uOVi-Axwgv-JAaA_mCKaHP1QTNdLY_zOtbE_b1wI5ECDzBJZGwvoNKWZ4SDcq9N7DqEcLLRo87kuh7ZFxZIjNdA7oWeGOK1mhDEpXRCgDacAduDPVZ9x4jOBgIHdSd/s400/Kozairswalkway.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is a picture of a walkway at Kozair'sI sharpened it a bit, but you can still see it is not as sharp as the Hershey pictures. The bigger point here is that the cardboard cutouts are very visible (so there is considerable light from all the lights (there are alot of lights)). Note there are cutouts all around (these are peanuts, there are other christmas themed (many with the stories written on them) throughout the farm. In locations like these, it is easy to get pictures with lots of lights. The harder part is finding pictures that make sense (and not just lots of lights). I tried to segment my shots to do that (Hershey was already worked out due to the bridges and the staged lights). At Kozairs, I pictured buildings or areas and tried to capture surrounding lights (my pictures thatdid not have a real focus just looked distracted).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGt1y_pC2-5zF2bpGC05D2gJfqGVlfFvRhQJoZXTK3-TAPLi5z9hZV-3ERFpUtE_zNiCMOUupoCfrCniTjjQljiFVypObhWj3-JPwUcwZCjO5353pgYTp__HbKIbB_Pizpm2VnPR5_BIW/s1600/Kozairsice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGt1y_pC2-5zF2bpGC05D2gJfqGVlfFvRhQJoZXTK3-TAPLi5z9hZV-3ERFpUtE_zNiCMOUupoCfrCniTjjQljiFVypObhWj3-JPwUcwZCjO5353pgYTp__HbKIbB_Pizpm2VnPR5_BIW/s400/Kozairsice.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I added this picture to show the final hazard for taking Christmas Light pictures. But first, notice all the smaller buildings in the background. All lit up, some are small with displays inside of them. Others are larger with shops inside (gifts, hot chocolate or Santa). Also all the lights provide enough ambient light for the rocks to show up in the picture. However having the focus point of the snow man and foreground added to the picture (if I just zoomed in on buildings and lights it would have looked chaotic). <br />
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Now for the final hazard. Notice all the ice near the waterfall in the foreground. Baby its cold outside (I heard that somewhere). So dress warm and enjoy the lights.MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-18906309125104356252010-12-15T03:01:00.000-05:002010-12-15T03:01:23.868-05:00Sunsets - When Light Gets DramaticSunsets are one of the favorite scenes. They have been known throughout the ages to be both beatiful and romantic, and stir many emotions. For a photographer, sunsets are also known as the magic time (when the light is at its best). I will admit that in the past, I had to work hard to get sunsets to come out really nice. This was both in camera when taking the picture, and even some post processing. Seems it was difficult to get the proper exposure on the sky (exposing on the sky properly, at the expense of the ground is the secret to getting good sunset pictures). Even with all this fiddling, the colors in the picture never matched what i was looking at in real life. However, this is no longer the case. The little SX210 in auto mode (yes auto mode) gets great pictures. I wish I could take more credit for this, but seems this camera is able to capture the colors and not let the extreme wide contrast (from a bright sun down to dark) get in the way.<br />
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Though these pictures all had some post processing work, most of it was to change the size up the contrast a little on some (so the ground was less hazy) maybe some lightening (again only 1 or 2) and finally a little sharpening (again mostly for the ground). I spent under 2 minutes on each picture in post processing (so this is what it looked like coming out of the camera).<br />
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My first comment is timing is crucial. Though you can get good pictures separated even by a few minutes, they will look very different. Even with this, a few minutes can mean the difference between a great picture and a really bad picture. I was trying to get a picture of a sunset over a farmhouse, but was not able to get setup in time (it was close though), and missed it (and that picture is not worth showing - all for about 2 minutes). Remember as always, click the image to get a larger view.<br />
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To show you what I mean I have a few pictures taken a few minutes apart. Though I like all of these (so the wait did not ruin the picture), you will see how different they really came out. I will start out at the beach in Ocean City, MD.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02Nw32HFVO6G24wsULihiVw2maYTycKMo9UcXE-6OnyjOnolErV6Bxa-l10sTS6UsyPVV9NBRgAsAXytql5xJT0ubfE5xrii8dqdQHVmv4bITds8HntT27nh1GM2EscoGhVNX93augKER/s1600/IMG_1762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02Nw32HFVO6G24wsULihiVw2maYTycKMo9UcXE-6OnyjOnolErV6Bxa-l10sTS6UsyPVV9NBRgAsAXytql5xJT0ubfE5xrii8dqdQHVmv4bITds8HntT27nh1GM2EscoGhVNX93augKER/s400/IMG_1762.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It was a little hazy when this was taken. This caused the colors really to bounce, but also left the sun more as a circle (the haze reduced the glare etc). The colors are nice on this picture, but really that is all. Other than that, this picture is not that fascinating. Normally something a little more (clouds or foreground) is a nice offset. Now, lets wait a minute.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHHqQHLO-PO2k4ylvkiWFZzII62YLu2ok-6g1WpRse4WLKKc0AJ1IhgkUNsehtDnncgQAgJ0f54jCQoI-CBcBuL-Q1nssG8UJHZFpEDp7-MBmSXLgZF_xR6BREzzaqD9akLAxM7ddmwy3/s1600/IMG_1785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHHqQHLO-PO2k4ylvkiWFZzII62YLu2ok-6g1WpRse4WLKKc0AJ1IhgkUNsehtDnncgQAgJ0f54jCQoI-CBcBuL-Q1nssG8UJHZFpEDp7-MBmSXLgZF_xR6BREzzaqD9akLAxM7ddmwy3/s400/IMG_1785.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
A few minutes later, and all of a sudden the sun is under the haze a little bit more. This causes us to lose a little of the nice orange, but adds other elements. We get the halo around the sun (well the haze lit up). We get the reflection in the water as the sun has moved down (and this has lit the water more so the waves are more visible). This picture adds some elements to the sunset that improve the picture. Though both these pictures are nice, the wait of a few minutes might have lost some richness in color, but added other elements to the picture. <br />
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The next pair show even a bigger difference. These were taken out of a hotel window in Ottawa (just outside the city, looking over the city (though not the center of the city)). Here a few minutes really changed everything, but again I like both pictures. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LJ75hH8uH0LuVmU8RS82jrduTassXhp88eTsUMqnlVt4qn4SEViJS7oSmbK-pKPUDxSWU_JHEuTZITahPvHVhbkcBjfk4OYKJSmTKF7uWXqCNPTr0qkiufRq8Cn4Cj7GtWmnvRQsGzbo/s1600/Ottawa+Sunset1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LJ75hH8uH0LuVmU8RS82jrduTassXhp88eTsUMqnlVt4qn4SEViJS7oSmbK-pKPUDxSWU_JHEuTZITahPvHVhbkcBjfk4OYKJSmTKF7uWXqCNPTr0qkiufRq8Cn4Cj7GtWmnvRQsGzbo/s400/Ottawa+Sunset1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Here is the first picture. it was cloudy, but there was a break below the clouds. The sky was lit a vivid orange. This is a nice scene, very different from the natural setting of the beach above. here we have the steel and cement of civilization with a colorful backdrop. However, in just a few minutes, this picture also changes, but in his case, the change is much more dramatic.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQ0H6jd6PqK1TUMwINgLI3_MXM7HW7bEAjUTaK8u099M46BAJl0GMfidiDpqc_paI2J_A_LfmxP5XyiALGEQ3b5uf8IiR-8NRtaGErP_t3gOr1t4aIGNLYNyMG9rZ7Q0QHKKUXWx5UZAU/s1600/Ottawa+Sunset3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQ0H6jd6PqK1TUMwINgLI3_MXM7HW7bEAjUTaK8u099M46BAJl0GMfidiDpqc_paI2J_A_LfmxP5XyiALGEQ3b5uf8IiR-8NRtaGErP_t3gOr1t4aIGNLYNyMG9rZ7Q0QHKKUXWx5UZAU/s400/Ottawa+Sunset3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Just letting the sun set a little more just totally darkened the clouds. With this different color, the view also needed to be adjusted to take advantage. The prior image was zoomed in fairly strongly (remember the SX210 has a 14x zoom). The building from the above picture is off to the left center here. However to capture the dramatic black and orange sky, and offset it with the lights from below, for this picture we needed to zoom back out and capture the total scene. In the first Ottawa picture, we wanted to zoom in so we could capture the buildings and close ups of the clouds lit with the brilliant orange sunset. Below, we did not want to focus on any small details, but zoom back out so we can show the entire dramatic scene.<br />
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So as you can see, timing is very important in sunsets. A few minutes really changes the picture and tells a whole different story. When you get out and take pictures of the sunset, make sure you are there early enough, and keep clicking (digital is nice that way). Keep an eye out to make sure you are capturing the elements that really stand out. You may surprise yourself and end up with multiple good pictures (though they are widely different).<br />
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So with that out of the way, lets look at a few other examples of sunset type pictures. The first does not include the sun at all, but is just the sky just after the sun went down.<br />
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This sky was visible upon exiting the local grocery store. As noted above, I did not have much time, so I pulled out the camera, made sure it was set to auto, and took the picture. I snapped three pictures, but really this one came out best (as above, timing is critical, and it changes quickly). I liked the way the sky turned pink, and the texture of the clouds. The hill in the foreground added some nice contrast.<br />
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The next picture reminds me of an old west scene, but the actual taking of it was quite difficult.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiukxX59AduaKFqsCi9FojhdzfJ7Fti6SRJWRGFUmVavDFXi50i4Ij5tN4AWqedjwfYb2Cws7De_xIo6j1grInkAbZ9WsfLA3het5pHh27twRgYZa0Dlo0JXIskvye139NufhpeGOOGhtE/s1600/IMG_2515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiukxX59AduaKFqsCi9FojhdzfJ7Fti6SRJWRGFUmVavDFXi50i4Ij5tN4AWqedjwfYb2Cws7De_xIo6j1grInkAbZ9WsfLA3het5pHh27twRgYZa0Dlo0JXIskvye139NufhpeGOOGhtE/s400/IMG_2515.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We were driving on the highway, and saw this nice multi colored sky You can still see some of the blue through the clouds, the yellow glow and the clouds all caught different colors. Again the trees add a nice foreground element. I really wanted this picture, but did not have time to pull over. So I flipped the camera to my daughter in the back of the van, and asked her to start shooting (auto mode works - so yes these were taken while we were traveling at ~60mph on the highway). Note, because it metered on the sky, it was releatively fast, so we only see a little motion in the foreground. It really pays to keep looking around (and carry the camera), never sure when a good picture will jump out.<br />
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Some nights, the sunset just isn't going to pop. Not to fear, even on those nights there might be something to shoot. The next two are examples of them. Though we are not really getting a good sunset, by changing the angle of the light, we do get some interesting light patterns in the clouds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVTsejXN_9r7xcaw-n44umhnyAgHe3HyvwJg5F-Laq4l2CJal6oBPL16D0PonA0NK1FxIPTVBFNoJGgNvJhgBBifii0sMKjs8P2niu6JEFbLDilj8MCT5jBTvnXZqPTjjDu30x8Z8OhG4/s1600/IMG_2297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVTsejXN_9r7xcaw-n44umhnyAgHe3HyvwJg5F-Laq4l2CJal6oBPL16D0PonA0NK1FxIPTVBFNoJGgNvJhgBBifii0sMKjs8P2niu6JEFbLDilj8MCT5jBTvnXZqPTjjDu30x8Z8OhG4/s400/IMG_2297.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Normally we see the streams of light coming through the clouds going downward. However, as the sun <br />
gets lower, this can change (if the opening in the clouds is such that the light can get through). The above is a good example of this. It makes for an interesting picture. However, even when not getting a good sunset, timing is still important (that sun moves faster than you think).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFrePD9PVBMicXYz2pIXYAf8gB2B1kU16pC3uYotVkkvdCJMDugRBvr2Re6ZRx0ppMuYfqH-vOJS4VRhbIC8MZj29QvSkGO5PEVKFqh_Dr_n5PVtL1X6ZcDbmgVFcgL00AqPR1NegjnGc/s1600/IMG_2298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFrePD9PVBMicXYz2pIXYAf8gB2B1kU16pC3uYotVkkvdCJMDugRBvr2Re6ZRx0ppMuYfqH-vOJS4VRhbIC8MZj29QvSkGO5PEVKFqh_Dr_n5PVtL1X6ZcDbmgVFcgL00AqPR1NegjnGc/s400/IMG_2298.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
A few minutes later, this is the picture we get (we about 14 minutes later, the sun has further to move, so you get a little more time here opposed to a direct sunset). Though this picture lacks the streams, it is nice the way the sun is streaming below the clouds, hitting them in lines (making them glow). <br />
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So what do you do if you miss the sunset totally:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XsCJuYEX46U1YUmusoCQDIH60O5HyHivbTcK9XL298Q98tEQDk-k362_oYo6nXhEqb-QZ31GmGsF7FDQ9E8ryRE7SQySqjwsuMBnE0cYll910qnTaUWNgd24aGnrnnimpKAyro0d2L4C/s1600/IMG_2189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XsCJuYEX46U1YUmusoCQDIH60O5HyHivbTcK9XL298Q98tEQDk-k362_oYo6nXhEqb-QZ31GmGsF7FDQ9E8ryRE7SQySqjwsuMBnE0cYll910qnTaUWNgd24aGnrnnimpKAyro0d2L4C/s400/IMG_2189.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Look for the moon. This is the moon through a tree and some clouds. I had to lighten this one a little bit. Did not really fit in, but I thought it was a nice dramatic picture, and was a nice ending. Interestingly, this was taken handheld. It is good to practice holding the camera steady (anti shake only helps so much).MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-60686648246380887052010-11-16T00:19:00.000-05:002010-11-16T00:19:52.599-05:00Close Ups of a Train SetI have not updated this in awhile as I have been busy (both work and personal). This has forced me to change my plans for this blog for the short term. One of the events was the passing of my father in law. One of my first memories of my father in law was the great train setup he had in the back room of his house. I had never seen a train setup this large privately owned before (and it was as large as most commercial setups I had seen). Over the years, as his children moved out, and there needs changed, they downsized (as many do), making it impossible to maintain a set of this side. Even with less space, he still enjoyed his trains (as did his grand kids at this point), so I figured I would show some close up work and display some pictures of the set he had at the time of his passing.<br />
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As always, if you want to see a larger image, just click the picture.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYxosbSuGc5TQvzQEjn0kD-rOEcLw0pYjS8j6X9qbvGka3uLky6Obiei3SNnss3V49zQ0BUK_p22tNhG9zVIo_riUy6x1mb71YTsX8xKzywefButY6pH-5QGJXw3ngwQuZzoPpzIF0jEW/s1600/above.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYxosbSuGc5TQvzQEjn0kD-rOEcLw0pYjS8j6X9qbvGka3uLky6Obiei3SNnss3V49zQ0BUK_p22tNhG9zVIo_riUy6x1mb71YTsX8xKzywefButY6pH-5QGJXw3ngwQuZzoPpzIF0jEW/s400/above.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Before we get into some close ups, I figured I would show it from above (to give some context for the other pictures). Trains are running (it is a loop within a loop setup). The smoke in the middle is coming out of the diner (smoke comes out the chimney).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOQJnGb4jg5NoenzNSP8IAyXy90qxMxXDszZB-U0AIsrVLAPky1pA7SQ3Gwe8NOnafJZGZ-BBasfJIja78eyPv4V_H0QeEH-kfaeksBcRjBgtHUfa8Wa3_eAZw2C09ITCZZq1bDGZloox/s1600/Train+Corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOQJnGb4jg5NoenzNSP8IAyXy90qxMxXDszZB-U0AIsrVLAPky1pA7SQ3Gwe8NOnafJZGZ-BBasfJIja78eyPv4V_H0QeEH-kfaeksBcRjBgtHUfa8Wa3_eAZw2C09ITCZZq1bDGZloox/s400/Train+Corner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is an example of a bad picture (I will fix it in a minute). When shooting minatures, you want the camera low to get better perspective. Once you do this, you really have to pay attention to angles. This picture just looks like a mess (though the reason for this was the trains are moving, and I was trying to avoid them). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjwHLYfjsy2fl66teCZ2IWPg_h2agqVw7hSOV-32TZTpVoqeA-W7D7zGnoKknWnXNCHd4tFgzg6WCu3PcTVR7Ui8csxUbPfJYb0BJQzIEKRkKDvuCA1bk3K6cuO_MuVA-Rrhfhb9BzDsu/s1600/Trains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjwHLYfjsy2fl66teCZ2IWPg_h2agqVw7hSOV-32TZTpVoqeA-W7D7zGnoKknWnXNCHd4tFgzg6WCu3PcTVR7Ui8csxUbPfJYb0BJQzIEKRkKDvuCA1bk3K6cuO_MuVA-Rrhfhb9BzDsu/s400/Trains.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
By changing the angle so the view was more along the lines, the picture sharpens up greatly. More scale is seen, the size of the tracks. Also by timing the trains to be further away, they stay in focus better. The smoke from the diner is a bit much, but it is part of the set.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpwQzG7W1HjXCzzBtL_DXPoN_poTPMzxuGSolDAhqEI5DTdjrCrh647u2dir7Hlno3qNET0Ob4h7SrmTM7O8TDD-i2xvAunLCChUGFOuJH5gHy_dU18McHnhFiZYkHVTDsOV3N11l2Tjs/s1600/Church+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpwQzG7W1HjXCzzBtL_DXPoN_poTPMzxuGSolDAhqEI5DTdjrCrh647u2dir7Hlno3qNET0Ob4h7SrmTM7O8TDD-i2xvAunLCChUGFOuJH5gHy_dU18McHnhFiZYkHVTDsOV3N11l2Tjs/s400/Church+Street.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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For completeness, I took a similar shot down the back of the inner track to show the street view. Though this setup was much smaller than the previous one that I had known, his personality really shines through in it. The scene is Christmas time (we will see a Santa later), his favorite holiday (he had the decorations to prove it). Additionally, it was an old time scene with old cars and buildings, and he enjoyed antiques (and old toys). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakXPrDJJyNvtEilL-hlH0ai2LU6ikVQhmpLK9L2NXY8cxBcXvGlCXt0iI_njZh5jD8Q6atniUthZvxrtWzZrn3SvNv8xYFivDUVUSOpICUvNjTDHT1LrI72Wvoa29UIeCihDl2gFPtmSb/s1600/Police+Corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakXPrDJJyNvtEilL-hlH0ai2LU6ikVQhmpLK9L2NXY8cxBcXvGlCXt0iI_njZh5jD8Q6atniUthZvxrtWzZrn3SvNv8xYFivDUVUSOpICUvNjTDHT1LrI72Wvoa29UIeCihDl2gFPtmSb/s400/Police+Corner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is a picture of the far corner (so it was what you could not see before - with a train speeding by behind the buildings). Once again to get the look, the camera has to be low to get a good view (this would be how it would look from the train window on the outer track). Alot of attention to detail in this section and others (people out and about, the dog, christmas decorations etc). Though the ice cream truck seems a little out of place ;-). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheognoVkoDASXnnI7sWEjh1cVZ-dqCwdF-RFbpHPFkBGQCECck1BDgwmvxoz7IzarPILxDJKpNW__kYQccRIwv6oH5N6p6jQCDbHEeDiVLFnaSpg380Ft3GpkCc2_1D03qojaVA4OR_2_u/s1600/Diner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheognoVkoDASXnnI7sWEjh1cVZ-dqCwdF-RFbpHPFkBGQCECck1BDgwmvxoz7IzarPILxDJKpNW__kYQccRIwv6oH5N6p6jQCDbHEeDiVLFnaSpg380Ft3GpkCc2_1D03qojaVA4OR_2_u/s400/Diner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Here is a close up of the diner (with all the smoke). The smoke was turned off at this point (to help with the pictures). The stack is up on the left side of the sign (looking from here). What would a train set be without a train car diner? Notice the sharpness throughout the frame. None of these were shot in macro mode. Macro mode would leave to small of an area as the focus point (leaving too much out of focus). They were also all handheld with no flash (that would make the lighting look unreal). The stabilization in the SX210 did a good job, and allowed me to get sharp pictures holding the camera at weird angles (this exposure was 1/60 sec long). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xTFjPj3rhVN4Klm0WZebItIKs-WYN8z1tHZ1cLyaxQt2yd8tgVYYInBUgE48HxbPgxMx4Y2R4-9Owwd-1LKn_ReGedIG4mRQxOFuHfl5IlRv40Q4bOjQEZjszCLD7mAFpnHIWRO18mof/s1600/Gas+Station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xTFjPj3rhVN4Klm0WZebItIKs-WYN8z1tHZ1cLyaxQt2yd8tgVYYInBUgE48HxbPgxMx4Y2R4-9Owwd-1LKn_ReGedIG4mRQxOFuHfl5IlRv40Q4bOjQEZjszCLD7mAFpnHIWRO18mof/s400/Gas+Station.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Here we have a nice full service gas station, with an attendant waiting to service your car. Here you get a nice view of the gas station, the platform a bus in the street behind and the buildings behind that. Once again in macro mode, this would not have been possible (and the "boca" would have been beyond believable). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLblTjvPSh_o-w2bCbOevERAj2lIBkWPBU4KnX_3k5X4a2Uh_t6UiamUfH4U33FLP6-ef5FJJ1jc0APRPfjlXbXGsiBY1OQE-9VL2nztFg0aLzuvx9lol0Xm4ChVWlc2hJax0pXYrvzYCp/s1600/Esso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLblTjvPSh_o-w2bCbOevERAj2lIBkWPBU4KnX_3k5X4a2Uh_t6UiamUfH4U33FLP6-ef5FJJ1jc0APRPfjlXbXGsiBY1OQE-9VL2nztFg0aLzuvx9lol0Xm4ChVWlc2hJax0pXYrvzYCp/s400/Esso.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
However, if this is supposed to be an old time scene, we need more than just gas stations. We need an Esso station (is that Esso as in Standard Oil - oops). Now that is a gas station.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kHs0ZjZ-SLQshDci4L8VDLozxqHDGosEKuKK8Zf00iMdsftX_KHGry1Br7KNT5tgkqiI7H41aBW93sdV_7ZukePr9gkrpmwUtigcguPIIcxs0JsdCL6WRgF78vsqfRgN3mOlrOeTG4wJ/s1600/Platform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kHs0ZjZ-SLQshDci4L8VDLozxqHDGosEKuKK8Zf00iMdsftX_KHGry1Br7KNT5tgkqiI7H41aBW93sdV_7ZukePr9gkrpmwUtigcguPIIcxs0JsdCL6WRgF78vsqfRgN3mOlrOeTG4wJ/s400/Platform.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I left this picture in here as I liked the angle and to show some issues. This is a platform. There are taxis waiting to pick up the travelers. The tracks are around the other side of the platform. Looks like Santa on the platform, but it is hard to see. This picture was not really in good focus, but repaired to this level through sharpening. That gives the halo look around the lines that are seen here. Not a bad picture, but could have been better.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRLXfV7GtFbh9cka1_Ib7iUv_YnzqW4Xt3hxc26ZnZOpLEUdyvggef9HPtxAsscpLJuHwuSUKncLqkgEJHqM4QWVpI25EYjcIyO6DtwmDWwX8K_zHYpVG_wifHuUn9qsH3hnldZzb5HCE/s1600/Platform+close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRLXfV7GtFbh9cka1_Ib7iUv_YnzqW4Xt3hxc26ZnZOpLEUdyvggef9HPtxAsscpLJuHwuSUKncLqkgEJHqM4QWVpI25EYjcIyO6DtwmDWwX8K_zHYpVG_wifHuUn9qsH3hnldZzb5HCE/s400/Platform+close.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I wanted to make sure Santa got seen. However, this shot also shows another problem (one that I did not have the time or setup myself to work around). The shadows on the platform are a bit too dark (trust me the flash does not help, but makes it much worse). Taking pictures of minatures really requires that lighting be taken into account. I fixed this one a little by using the shadow highlight feature in photoshop (to lighten only the dark areas). It is not bad, but a small light (or using softer ones above at mulitple anges) would have helped greatly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovj4yGWU24FBD0EkEUy6-XBjZ6uBzcg7pk2erkOxRuVfU55UC5Xnu3-fcik_HX8op-aZEGEjFU-xmLVIT7vMoaRGUgt5ec73yVZgtTf-TKkPr_cJdLbMNkgJHKZhdhMP5VpNfr76PtbzB/s1600/Church+close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovj4yGWU24FBD0EkEUy6-XBjZ6uBzcg7pk2erkOxRuVfU55UC5Xnu3-fcik_HX8op-aZEGEjFU-xmLVIT7vMoaRGUgt5ec73yVZgtTf-TKkPr_cJdLbMNkgJHKZhdhMP5VpNfr76PtbzB/s400/Church+close.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I figured I would close this out with the church. More evidence of the Christmas theme (Christmas mass is advertised on the sign). The pastor is waiting on the steps to greet the traveler. MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-13051172562668508182010-09-29T22:42:00.000-04:002010-09-29T22:42:06.026-04:00Goodbye Jack.....We'll Keep Looking Up (and get better)!!!!!I remember staying up late and watching Dr Who on PBS (yes, we sponsored them just for the Dr Who, and they cancelled it after that season). After Dr Who, Jack Horkheimer would come on with his short spot on interesting events in space. These were short blurps about what you could find interesting in space (with a small telescope or even the naked eye). I always enjoyed his spots, and even looked for them often on the internet. Unfortunately Jack passed away on August 20.<br />
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I figured the fact that Jupiter was as close as it would be for a long time, I would take advantage of the event to get some space pictures as sort of my memorial. Well, good thing Jack was good natured, and always encouraging (after my attempt it would be necessary). I commented that I would post the pictures good or bad, and go over my struggles.<br />
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First the struggles. I ended up with only one shot at it. Weather and travel worked against me, and I was unable to get out for a second night. Well, I setup the telescope and snapped a few pictures of the moon to get started. Obviously a full telescope is not really needed for the moon, but it was more of a checkout. A picture is below. Note, I was not really as interested in a moon shot as Jupiter was my real target.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aHiayGu57Xpk8EYtbU5MHfTeh5DeladFieQ80WFgiYhWJtlAqsZbWzsdjJZxxpiASPDxtfSLjHhu1UZI5rvT1mqgyp-mzFS_dF8mUF_ZsmNn-AUuVDwTNjLxqLpzCKv9l4TMCvw1dexf/s1600/Moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aHiayGu57Xpk8EYtbU5MHfTeh5DeladFieQ80WFgiYhWJtlAqsZbWzsdjJZxxpiASPDxtfSLjHhu1UZI5rvT1mqgyp-mzFS_dF8mUF_ZsmNn-AUuVDwTNjLxqLpzCKv9l4TMCvw1dexf/s400/Moon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Even with just a quick take, I was able to get some reasonable detail. This was with the wider lens (as the longer lense was too long and the moon was too big to fit in). Additionally the moon is really bright (so it was a quick exposure). The combination of the wider lens and the bright moon made this possible.<br />
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Now we discuss Jupiter. Sure it is alot bigger than the moon, but it is also a lot further away. In order to get any visibility of it, I had to use the longer lens. What this means is that the image moves across the field of view much quicker (the longer lens has a smaller field of few, and since the earth turns at a constant rate, items move quicker in the smaller space). Making matters worse is the fact that Jupiter is not nearly as bright as the moon (much smaller and furter away, so less reflected light). This means a longer exposure is needed. Dark and movement are the bane of the photographer. <br />
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Additionally, a camera is very different from an eye. An eye can look sideways more into the lens to find objects. The camera sort faces forward (it is mounted to do that). It can not look around, so the object you want the picture of needs to be near the middle of the view (easy for the moon, not so much for a smaller object). <br />
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Now some of you are saying, I need a better telescope. There are telescopes that will track objects in space to help overcome this. Well, my telescope is capable of this, but unfortunately the callibration process is manual. You start by pointing it flat towards the north. Then it will find an object that is bright, and ask you to center the object in the frame. It does this a few times, then wholla, it knows where it is, and can find and track anything in the sky. My problem is not so much the telescope, but my location. Living in the woods is nice, but has its drawbacks. I tried multiple times unsuccesfully to calibrate. My problem is that the horizon is so high for me that all I could see were trees (except straight up, which did not help with the calibration). I wanted to try going out to a field or something, but never got the chance. <br />
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So with no further belly aching, I will go with my poor pictures.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOcJhbJRg4gvo1GkkapYElAmcNlCYra4B3rj3umPUPHpqyda4e77uWITTNBG3W9Bfe34HaJ7nfmJltl4aceoIbbfqqiZdjDS7PhQbGUNIWxs_7ahh8UYdYPcGCPF84RE_I_SoRk0vzmgz/s1600/Jupiter3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOcJhbJRg4gvo1GkkapYElAmcNlCYra4B3rj3umPUPHpqyda4e77uWITTNBG3W9Bfe34HaJ7nfmJltl4aceoIbbfqqiZdjDS7PhQbGUNIWxs_7ahh8UYdYPcGCPF84RE_I_SoRk0vzmgz/s400/Jupiter3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Note, it did look a bit better through the telescope without the camera. Not as much color as we see in the pictures from Nasa, but you could see the lines etc (just more gray and white than the pictures). Did not come out well in pictures. However, I am not giving up, I will give this another go in the future (just probably not Jupiter).MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-30156245004395700922010-09-22T22:30:00.000-04:002010-09-22T22:30:27.900-04:00Fall Fair SeasonI was hoping to do a post on some stellar pictures in memory of Jack Horkhiemer (who recently passed on). However, so far my results are laughable at best, so I am going to take a few more shots (yes I will go over my problems as well, might as well see the problems). So in order to not leave this blog un-updated for too long, I decided to show some pictures of one of the things we all like about fall and that is the fairs. <br />
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These pictures were all taken at the GDS fair. A fair is a great place for color and contrast. Every ride has its color and the flags and decorations. These make for some great pictures. In order to really make the colors pop, you will see that I bumped up the saturation (and vibrance) on each of these pictures. <br />
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Another thing to keep in mind while taking fair pictures is to look up. For example, look at the picture below.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqfA2N4ZZLUwVCnswsWplUPlirxtun6A8fBGhRx-uYDSHiFTS8jbvXjF6lW6tSCC7iNZhzMggxJeGIbyPS3iEWXuAmj8Ar4MhvfMwpJmmsMG8jii7hNBt_ug4H7IKBg__pDV4oH1kbQaj/s1600/Fair+High.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqfA2N4ZZLUwVCnswsWplUPlirxtun6A8fBGhRx-uYDSHiFTS8jbvXjF6lW6tSCC7iNZhzMggxJeGIbyPS3iEWXuAmj8Ar4MhvfMwpJmmsMG8jii7hNBt_ug4H7IKBg__pDV4oH1kbQaj/s400/Fair+High.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are alot of rigging and rides that stick up into the sky (which if the weather is nice, gives a nice background itself). This was taken from a corner of the fair, to try and get alot of the high rides. The jumper is in the foreground with the ferris wheel, zipper and slide in the background (I could have gottne the round up and the pharohs ride, but would have lost the slide, and not gotten the jumper in the foreground (with the nice colored flags). I liked this picture better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In addition to the randomness of a bunch of rides, also try and isolate some (as in below).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpuVKWrLWMl-coGAzlBzUPhGP7wIF8E3EFSaDIRTZ_Su1NxN-LpKCV8CgdveAwkV2lYDva0jXYLmW38GbZ94wAialeWeBmYfmZR9ltpmyL2b5KV39FExljZiHnW1hU-hVBX9hUl7xQ3B4/s1600/Ferris+Wheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpuVKWrLWMl-coGAzlBzUPhGP7wIF8E3EFSaDIRTZ_Su1NxN-LpKCV8CgdveAwkV2lYDva0jXYLmW38GbZ94wAialeWeBmYfmZR9ltpmyL2b5KV39FExljZiHnW1hU-hVBX9hUl7xQ3B4/s400/Ferris+Wheel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the Ferris wheel (always a nice choice). This really stands out because we have a nice blue sky. Clouds would break up the image, but as it stands we get the Ferris wheel by itself. It would have been nicer to get a few more colors in the Ferris wheel (and maybe not as much blue). However, you have to take what you get.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are other things at the fair, not just rides. I like the old machines. They do not run them all at once, but they all get going. They actually had an old mixer setup and making ice cream (which they were giving away).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CiKMGBr3Vx8FCN5UOimj6gNCvL7EgJBOxTC2fvH9SebEa7mG90UCmC13jr-52zZyIt551Rz1XRNRsNwhe6p8GMWZ2SQIxW7xXFMT9nzQm6F5I2QLcs1Jwj7VVDbMAxHoVso7L9b_eNJ6/s1600/Farm+Eq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CiKMGBr3Vx8FCN5UOimj6gNCvL7EgJBOxTC2fvH9SebEa7mG90UCmC13jr-52zZyIt551Rz1XRNRsNwhe6p8GMWZ2SQIxW7xXFMT9nzQm6F5I2QLcs1Jwj7VVDbMAxHoVso7L9b_eNJ6/s400/Farm+Eq.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Instead of the normal picture in the front of the tent, I decided to take one from the back. It is a different perspective of the equipment. I sorta liked the pile of equipment in the wagon. All waiting its chance to get out front to be shown off and operated. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, there is another fair tradition. Not always the most photogenic, but definitely a popular event.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mQ0eq1QVlxyzRjYA7uQAlb3tHn2rPT9Oz79B9ldJxkJ3UCG56km0ZUFM7veEfierlcyRRB74McOfVmvUWk8AQZ_EHaL50sDt9J31ScsVU6PqGmtDHH5XooU_6GWjBnPStaZtl5iVxGvI/s1600/Derby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mQ0eq1QVlxyzRjYA7uQAlb3tHn2rPT9Oz79B9ldJxkJ3UCG56km0ZUFM7veEfierlcyRRB74McOfVmvUWk8AQZ_EHaL50sDt9J31ScsVU6PqGmtDHH5XooU_6GWjBnPStaZtl5iVxGvI/s400/Derby.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What would a fair be without the metal bending of a smash up derby. This was the first one the little guy watched (we normally do not attend, but enjoy the mostly empty fair while others cram in). It was fun. They did 4 rounds, they had a truck round. 3 of the trucks got hung up or stalled and came back at the end to bend some metal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, after the derby it starts to get dark. No need to put the camera away, fairs are normally well lit, and offer alot of good picture opportunities. This one below was actually not night (but dusk). I ran out to the car between heats at the derby (get some jackets it was getting cool). The entrance offered a nice picture so I stopped and took one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCNs9jr8WyE1MKSDHGBI1iikwfZ1Rx8Q42BqvBB5e6ATr8Fa8hgKGWdAIKJVdesFNhNY_y9WXMR2ZUL7qQhFttlQbv8CqKVvaPwmUwAfAxHCQRCbVv8ermm7_uR09FSjQXLFv3XpEE9Sp/s1600/Dusk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCNs9jr8WyE1MKSDHGBI1iikwfZ1Rx8Q42BqvBB5e6ATr8Fa8hgKGWdAIKJVdesFNhNY_y9WXMR2ZUL7qQhFttlQbv8CqKVvaPwmUwAfAxHCQRCbVv8ermm7_uR09FSjQXLFv3XpEE9Sp/s400/Dusk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I like the lights and the color. And some broken clouds add a nice background. I probably should have tried to move around to the other side a bit, and taken a longer photo (with a few other rides on the side). This would have reduced the sky a bit and added more color and light. Next time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, as I said, try it at night as well. Here is an example of a night picture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3oB9UYIGo8HsGwzD8_ECa_F2F8AQe4g5XlqWNRLoknkyAAgcKAuEypCBH3DQkNVafrlOZX-LDHu8vMknhUFjfcOl-oh5xI5-xo4bJVmqxqUYxMf1iIleEeU39gJMdXkjF09uJYf0ChDW/s1600/Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3oB9UYIGo8HsGwzD8_ECa_F2F8AQe4g5XlqWNRLoknkyAAgcKAuEypCBH3DQkNVafrlOZX-LDHu8vMknhUFjfcOl-oh5xI5-xo4bJVmqxqUYxMf1iIleEeU39gJMdXkjF09uJYf0ChDW/s400/Night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Fair Princesses Palace is right in the middle (looks like a barn - but hold the negative thoughts, lets keep it nice). I took a few pictures, but liked this one the best. Another interesting one had the zipper as a blur in motion, but I preferred the defined structure. Still alot of colors, now offset by the black sky. You can see that there is plenty of light (some of those rides are moving - you can see if you look closely). The picture was taken at an ISO of 400 appeture at f/4 and the exposure time was 1/8 of a second (I did brace the camera against a rail to ensure it was steady). Another trick for long exposures is to set the delay to 2 or 10 seconds. This way you can steady from the act of pushing the button before the picture is taken.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fairs are bright, colorful and offer alot of picture opportunities. So next time you go to the fair, take your camera, and dont forget to just look for some interesting shots.</div>MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-40868900028174201122010-09-03T17:25:00.000-04:002010-09-03T17:25:22.623-04:00A Infrared Walk ThroughMuch like I did with the church, I thought it might be nice to go through an infrared project and my work flow with it. Note, the fun thing about this is that you can really make your own changes, and come up with something nice, but at least this will be how I go about it (and experiment to see what I will get). You can follow these steps and get reasonable results (or deviate and use your own settings as I will point out to get results that really appeal to you). I am picking a subject that has not been on the blog before, and one that I think I would stop early on (and not take to completion as the next to last step actually looks the best). <br />
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The picture was taken during the more recent trip (with the family) to Mohonk Mt House. With the girls at the spa, I was able to take the little guy up the mountain to the tower. Though I got some nice pictures from up there, the best infrared picture was actually of the tower itself. <br />
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Before we begin, a note about setup. I used the Canon SX210 for this picture (it is the only one I have setup to do Infrared). I use a HOYA Infrared (R72) filter attached to an Adorama camera/filter adapter (allows us of standard filters that are 52mm thread type). The adapter holds the camera and the filter in front of it, and can be mounted onto tripod (and I use the larger DSLR sized gorilla flexible tripod as it is easy to carry and stable with all this weight). For processing I am using Photoshop CS4. With that out of the way, lets get started. Remember clicking on a picture will bring up a larger version of the picture.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuizakWiP8a7qqx4zSjJ4WVWIgSxVYy_LM60eCW07LUmAc4hzaQ9J5JHVkkNQTP8hIWoCZvhc3eI7cLUGbOSb7srpSzH8u7myqGyKEkRrJXTfCUHaKUB-ABdSPGmO_WpYepF7vx1L84fb/s1600/Initial+Picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuizakWiP8a7qqx4zSjJ4WVWIgSxVYy_LM60eCW07LUmAc4hzaQ9J5JHVkkNQTP8hIWoCZvhc3eI7cLUGbOSb7srpSzH8u7myqGyKEkRrJXTfCUHaKUB-ABdSPGmO_WpYepF7vx1L84fb/s400/Initial+Picture.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Here is the picture as captured by the camera. Notice the red shift. Seems most of the cameras I have tested with the filter seem to shift to the red (though all a bit differently). With the Hoya R72, there is a little normal light that gets through (but very little, looks black to me when I look through it). This little light seems to mess with the white balance and shift the color to red. Note, I say this because of some research I have done, it appears that changing the white balance can change the image (and other cameras do shift differently). However, I have not experimented with it, because in the end, this image is not what I want to show (yeah even though I posted it here).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVff0pxOPqqLqxJB9x5Hri1hKrkWfDsBj-6T1lUc8CP9bDn1BdhTcQ8n5Yhu54vzeJDAtQ9jf9C2z-CyC9-XHGIfPt_Pm6PuwAa2kD46CN8NFI6Noa0NOdsE8L8fmumccZ34YzTz3mlFe/s1600/BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVff0pxOPqqLqxJB9x5Hri1hKrkWfDsBj-6T1lUc8CP9bDn1BdhTcQ8n5Yhu54vzeJDAtQ9jf9C2z-CyC9-XHGIfPt_Pm6PuwAa2kD46CN8NFI6Noa0NOdsE8L8fmumccZ34YzTz3mlFe/s400/BW.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>So here is the image converted to black and white. For this I do not do anything too fancy (I just de-saturate). I do bump up the contrast and the sharpening (as it helps with the look). This image is much better than the above, and did not require any real effort. So normally I save off a copy of the black and white version (to have it for comparison etc) then undo this step (go back to the first image above as I want access to that little bit of color information).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEU6a7BA7keokBorBN8-5fLWsFVdhSC4uvDR8QcWeMr5U4BdfkaZrt9qRfIWtrRi4gUCBf3p_oMYV_At8BWwlL5Ldg9a2GuePuF6is9RcPVmO8hM-XRTi3Bij3o42Jj43hhk9I3UEQGAo/s1600/Tone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEU6a7BA7keokBorBN8-5fLWsFVdhSC4uvDR8QcWeMr5U4BdfkaZrt9qRfIWtrRi4gUCBf3p_oMYV_At8BWwlL5Ldg9a2GuePuF6is9RcPVmO8hM-XRTi3Bij3o42Jj43hhk9I3UEQGAo/s400/Tone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Now I play with the coloring a bit (for this example I used the auto settings in Photoshop CS4 - to show how that works, you can change the results quite a bit by using the sliders and coming up with your own settings). Step one is auto color. That cleans it up quite a bit. Step 2 is auto tone. That leaves the image above. I like this image, I think the sky is really nice. If I were going for an image to publish, I would probably stop here. Instead of using the auto functions above, I would use the sliders and pull out a bit of the darker red (not in the sky, but tinting in the building). I might even select just the building and perform the next step.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDOPAwoHgzS_Saxy7AkezdNyuTibyw4rx7kJMDMiNSX_jqGlNNhlq-bqhBoJyQMooGgGI7FbPsYgCWtZBKQ0tSS9hN3U5syokjhA56Nfdd78kHBUedGOQMkywEzHsyLmMuaUuYyll-8pE/s1600/Std+Channel+Mix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDOPAwoHgzS_Saxy7AkezdNyuTibyw4rx7kJMDMiNSX_jqGlNNhlq-bqhBoJyQMooGgGI7FbPsYgCWtZBKQ0tSS9hN3U5syokjhA56Nfdd78kHBUedGOQMkywEzHsyLmMuaUuYyll-8pE/s400/Std+Channel+Mix.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So some people really like the sky to shift back to the blue. Doing this is easy. Just go into Adjustments - Channel mixer. Once in that pop up, select the red output channel. Set red to 0, and blue to 100%. Then select the blue output channel. Set the blue to 0 and the red to 100% (basically flopping the blue and red collors). Doing that yields the picture above. Note, using someting other than 100% can change the hue a bit (and it is good to experiment, I was using the normal full swap for illustration). <br />
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So it is possible for relatively little money to get some very artsy options in your picture taking (really changes people as well as landscapes, I will continue to play with this). So go ahead, point the TV remote at your camera (hit any button) and see if it lights up in the screen (if it is good an bright, your camera lets alot of infrared through and you are almost there). Then purchase a simple filter and a way to attach it and you are good to go. Note, this can be done with better results on a DSLR, but it is not as simple, nor as cheap, so I am holding off on it (your DSLR will be permanently converted, and not do regular pictures anymore).MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152188651432304939.post-32810232237992013822010-08-17T21:20:00.000-04:002010-08-17T21:20:13.065-04:00TIme for some animals<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Looking at the blog, I feel I have left out the animals. I tend to take quite a few animal pictures, so they seemed to be missing here (living in the woods provides alot of chances to get some animal pictures). I figured I would post a few here. No little squirrels or chimpmunks this time (but I am sure I will get some in the future). I have a good archive of pictures of animals, and if I go any period without getting any new ones, I will go back to it (I have some baby foxes, bear, and of course the squirrel and chimpmunk pictures). Thinking about it, I do not get alot of birds (maybe I should focus on that for awhile).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As before, just click the picture to get a bigger view.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_lKbknymQSEFwlA2PK1FcyqPvA_uPRSb5eGSd8v1Aw-FoP4lvafhAsDm5agXD5DDsot9Gsw-u827VItz3utxVDKAN2c5tZc52wrVmb5rjYYUufpB4Ytt1QhoHXz1Qcd4ehAPh08J3Obn/s1600/Racoon+on+Porch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_lKbknymQSEFwlA2PK1FcyqPvA_uPRSb5eGSd8v1Aw-FoP4lvafhAsDm5agXD5DDsot9Gsw-u827VItz3utxVDKAN2c5tZc52wrVmb5rjYYUufpB4Ytt1QhoHXz1Qcd4ehAPh08J3Obn/s400/Racoon+on+Porch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well hear some crashing on the porch and what do you get. This little guy (actually he was one of two, but the other ran off first and stayed further away). Here he is with his ill gotten goodies (or at least the little bag it was in). Forget to take a little gabage down just once and leave it on the porch and look what happens. Well, at least he let me get this picture of him. The little Sx210 did pretty good considering it was dark (the big light is behind him, notice the light in the porch). </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifu17meVf5cDmfRngq4RUyW5OVScJelpfdFdE2o79a39KvD4eu-vk5W5p4RXWyKBaJqoc5mpCHBVt0aLDnU7juF-Upc9GAEAtadvXhSb79J_SXLfSutKSfmtlDiqm9ghc2Av4hKzlkynOK/s1600/Deer+under+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifu17meVf5cDmfRngq4RUyW5OVScJelpfdFdE2o79a39KvD4eu-vk5W5p4RXWyKBaJqoc5mpCHBVt0aLDnU7juF-Upc9GAEAtadvXhSb79J_SXLfSutKSfmtlDiqm9ghc2Av4hKzlkynOK/s400/Deer+under+Tree.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here is a Deer resting itself in the shade. This is actually in our front yard under an evergreen tree (I put the rock pile there as they will eventually be a small wall around a garden). Deer often sit in the yard under the trees during the heat of the day. They are used to humans, so you can get close, but not too close (they will run away if you get too close). However, with 14x zoom, I do not need to get too close.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_rAkQSiSsYGcsL3h9bXXwq_nzclm_RIkhcbBp4qmTLriJXzR7dlCI74C0FCAibMMZ_e1N-SRkHDqqPbzMSzN_xDgE2i_SU_pheBddpzFp9WQLcFkG04jzEreG-dtTIHBOZDtxV2qTklk/s1600/Fawn+in+woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_rAkQSiSsYGcsL3h9bXXwq_nzclm_RIkhcbBp4qmTLriJXzR7dlCI74C0FCAibMMZ_e1N-SRkHDqqPbzMSzN_xDgE2i_SU_pheBddpzFp9WQLcFkG04jzEreG-dtTIHBOZDtxV2qTklk/s400/Fawn+in+woods.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So obviously if you wait, big deer with end up having little deer. So here is an example. We get a handful of these each year. They are normally more skitish than the older ones, but sometimes when they are sitting, the just do not like to get up (so you can get close). It is fun watching them run around. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr88FpT0SJhq0_uSFX5J9d8y7AqL4KL5FNjAf4oIHRBkIbqIvNN74trN7woC5xip4Zobfiof78Wn8wMsVIJyCkat3Spcl9L-ODuHmeAN8_NoRGWuXEh113U5hTBGLP1PFP5t6MuxsnAlo/s1600/Hwell+Bfly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr88FpT0SJhq0_uSFX5J9d8y7AqL4KL5FNjAf4oIHRBkIbqIvNN74trN7woC5xip4Zobfiof78Wn8wMsVIJyCkat3Spcl9L-ODuHmeAN8_NoRGWuXEh113U5hTBGLP1PFP5t6MuxsnAlo/s400/Hwell+Bfly1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well, I might not get birds, but I do get butterflies. I liked thie picture mostly due to the colors. The butterfly blended very well with the middle of the flower. Nice picture, was hard to get the butterfly to stand still for me (but obviously I worked it out).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAejHXR8AVOOnjtT_fJl2J8NFmracFlKnMahlfT2Qg-NDR3Vd_HAbWIuaeXqrJbKJlJa_8ODXF0vWABbMACczFazhxgac1OWG6dlAbkUxx8as2cD2RCtxRidP4pOFGV95O-0X_4h-q_u4F/s1600/Hwell+Bfly2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAejHXR8AVOOnjtT_fJl2J8NFmracFlKnMahlfT2Qg-NDR3Vd_HAbWIuaeXqrJbKJlJa_8ODXF0vWABbMACczFazhxgac1OWG6dlAbkUxx8as2cD2RCtxRidP4pOFGV95O-0X_4h-q_u4F/s400/Hwell+Bfly2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here is another butterfly (also hard to get to stand still). I thought both pictrures worked out well with the surrounding colors. Unlike the last one where the butterfly matched the center of the flower so wekk, here we get a bit of a contrast. Still looks nice.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBwLHgcUL7RZwDq9X4Zq1FB25kWVJ3BJsi-sQELPzB53aT9TT-aqTM7LEkr8jHD7B-TYE7dfOrZbUYuV2wDSeUKqDyDseaIcsjy7kkQsJptT5wEwTbXOZt2SsDlDwVx595icJ3dxFzqnC/s1600/Frog+in+Pool3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBwLHgcUL7RZwDq9X4Zq1FB25kWVJ3BJsi-sQELPzB53aT9TT-aqTM7LEkr8jHD7B-TYE7dfOrZbUYuV2wDSeUKqDyDseaIcsjy7kkQsJptT5wEwTbXOZt2SsDlDwVx595icJ3dxFzqnC/s400/Frog+in+Pool3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well, for my final picture I have picked a strange one. We have been having frogs in the pool (and need to figure out a way to stop it). Here is the first one (the water was not cleaned yet). First, what is a water frog (or 8) doing this far from the water (the lake is way down the hill). Last year I dug a 6 ft hole in the yard, and 6 frogs moved in when it filled with water. We carried him out far into the woods many times, and he kept coming back. Finally we located him down to the lake (so hopefully he has a better home). This picture was taken early when we could get close (after capturing him a couple of times he started to jump and swim away as soon as we approached).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Those were some animals. I am actually looking at some lunar pictrures as well as some more examples of infrared for my next posts. I am learning alot taking pictures through the telescope, also getting better seeing the infrared before processing it on the computer. Both will be fun, so stay tuned.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>MartySpeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17449963140025689105noreply@blogger.com0