[John Bennett]

Randy. From what I’m reading Elements is the way to go. In an effort to keep this short, you can think of it this way.

Lightroom. (fairly expensive)
Robust Database management with good editing properties

CS5 (really expensive)
Robust editing via PS and old school data base management

Elements. (cheap)
75% functionality of the above LR and CS5.

ALSO
keep in mind. Both CS5 and LR are resource hogs. Is your hardware up to it? If not, it wont be long before your adding, incurring thinking about a new PC (and the cost)

[John Bennett]

Was going to say AFAIK for free people look to Gimp and Picassa.

Were I you, I’d get Photoshop elements. Now or later
Far Cheaper than CS5 and easier on the pocket book than LR for 75% functionality.

[John Bennett]

Paul for the purpose of this discussion/thread which deals with the use of histograms…The first rule (imo) is to view it like almost anything else….Its a tool (like a flash)…that one can utilise in a couple different ways. no more, no less… The more tools we have at our disposal, the more options we have and thus the more power we have.

Its the power of choice. Just as carrying filters give me the choice to use, not use, expand my options…So to a histogram.

Make sense?
No?

[John Bennett]

Good article

However there are some “subjective” points I think it’s done a disservice to. In an effort to keep it short im just going to paraphrase and wing it per se.

Reading through the article it leaves the impression that “good” photos have histograms that represent  something of an even and consitant graduation from shadows through to the mid tones and then down again to the highlights.

hogwash.

The “shape” of your histogram can be all over the map, there is no right/wrong or preferred shape. If there is a rule (imo) that suggest what a histogram look like is that you strive to have information (data) in your highlight/shadows and avoid clipping either. What shape it takes inbetween is for the most part/arguably/

meaningless.
Who says you want most of your data in the midtones like an “umbrella”???

To whit.
I can gaurantee you the histogram for this shot looks nothing like what they are suggesting people aim for in their photography. Without looking at it I would say its alot of blacks/shadows…midtones…..and alot of highlights.

Nor this

Nor this

and on ad nauseum.

[John Bennett]

At one time Brett pheasants were well established and numerous. As a kid I can recall seeing them regularily, pretty much everywhere. These days, I haven’t see a “wild” one in about 4 years and I suspect even most of those are escapees and the odd “released” pheasant.

By far the largest culprit is habitat loss, mostly due agricutlure expansion and then urba sprawl, followed by predation and competition for what little habitat is left.

Don’t know for sure but I’d guess that 98% of any pheasants harvested in Ontario are
a) Game farms where the owner plants 6 birds in their fields and then you and your dog go hunt them.
b) “released birds”. There are a few area’s where clubs/organisations release say 1,000 birds before the season and what ever happens happens.
c) remnants of b that move into bordering regions area’s

crying shame but I don’t think anything can be done about it. There have been efforts in the last 10-20 years to restore and preserve what natural habitat is left but all to the best of my knowledge have failed.

/sigh

White tail season has for the most part been a bust this year. I can’t quite nail down why. God knows Ive put probably close to 100 or 200 hours in between pre season scouting, and the last 3 weeks every hour I can in the hardwoods and marshes.

Seeing sign (lots of scrapes and rubs) and trails are beat down hard but “good” bucks have been non existant. Seen some immature bucks and lots of does but “ops” at good bucks have been nil and sighting of anything almost as bad.

Game cam and experience.
Still lots of nocturnals. Gam cam is picking up very few daylight bucks and most sighting Ive had have come just minutes before sunset and upto 30min after by which time its pitch black.

Climate?? hard to say. Its definately a lot warmer than normal this year. (14 degrees today, normal should be near zero). Double the avg rain in Oct…resulted in corn fields being left up a lot longer. Most just started being harvested this weekend. So a lot of deer are likely still in the corn and impossible to see and feeding well (no need to browse for food as well).

Rut
should be on as I type this. But hard to say. I didnt see a thing except 2 does this weekend at all despite about 10hrs in the marsh. So am wondering if Bucks and Does alike are already locked down.

[John Bennett]

Nice shot Brett.
Love pheasants, shame we’ve lost almost all of ours here in Ontario. Naught but a few left in some very few,scattered pockets.

[John Bennett]

A slight difference in DoF due to the plane/axis and a little vignetting Eric.These shots are “to spec”. The buyer wanted little more than the sights in focus,  preferably with a perspective that was more “down the arrow”. Basically seeing what the shooter was seeing, with “focus” on the sights/pin placement. Not unlike what you might actually “experience” in the field…aka “tunnel vision”

Tried a couple “test” shots before hand with the 85 f1.2 so as to further reduce the DoF but found the angle of view too tight as well as the DoF. Also found that by going below f2.8 background elements were “too” obscurred. So it was a case of trying to find the happy medium.Thin DoF with enough separation to throw the BG out, yet maintain enough form to convery the “suggestion”.

[John Bennett]

Thanks guys.
A is more to my liking as well for the above noted points

The differences between them are very slight.
A was shot at f2.8 and 48mm,
B at f3.2 and 66mm

Both were hit by remote strobe firing into a soft gold reflector and B ended with a couple hot points. However I do like the perspective of B (its ever so slightly more in line). Can’t quite decide if thats enough to overcome what I don’t like about it relative to A

[John Bennett]

I agree Maarten.

Anytime this discussion comes up, (here or elsewhere) I always have a difficult time “quantifying” it. In large part because, I want to avoid at all cost..the impression that’s there’s anything “wrong” with other filters.  There isn’t. Its just that SRs (at least imo) have this certain “something”.

So I want to stress if someone is thinking about introducing filters to their “kits” don’t feel as though you can’t/shouldn’t consider brand X.

Are SRs worth the extra?
Thats a subjective question.

When on assignment at the end of August (see “over the rainbow”). I shot a lot with the 16-35 f2.8. It’s not a lens I use “a lot”. By far, and I do mean by far, my workhorse is the 24-70 f2.8.

16-35 is 82mm (very few lenses are 82mm)
24-77 is 77mm (by far the most common diameter of good glass).

Most of my CPs are 77mm.

I use BWs top CP for the 16-35mm. Why?Because the SR 82mm thin (neccessary at 16mm) warming color CP is over $500 Canadian. Plus its been out of stock for months.

Many, many of the shots I took with the 16-35 (alot because I was in a tin can and needed the wide end) I was not entirely satisfied. In fact I ended up spending quite a bit of time in post “correcting” some things on shots I didnt outright delete due to CP IQ “problems”.

16+35 + BW CP (some time in post correcting)

24-70 + SR warming CP. No time in post. Pretty much out of the box raw to tiff

and I still see differences 🙂

But to spring $600 for a 82mm SR thats been out of stock forever, for a lens I maybe use 5% of the time?

Subjective.
I will say, hopefully next spring or fall I have a SR for the 16-35

[John Bennett]

Hi Loren.
All my CPs, and NDs, GND etc  are Singh Ray. Pricey? Yes, and thus why it’s taken me a few years to acquire what I have (with a few more to go yet).  

Subjective
To me and in my opinion only, I’ve yet to own or use any filter that I felt delivered the same IQ as the Sing Rays. That’s not saying others deliver “bad” or even poor IQ but theres just a subtle difference that I a) don’t like and b) notice anytime I do use one of my B+H or Hoya’s. Subsequently anytime I do use one, I find myself wishing I had that in the SR.

So, to answer your question.
The Variable I own is SRs, but the bare bare bones.
Reason being, I own a few CPs, and I like the ability to choose which I want to mount on the variable at any given time (if at all).

Its the power of choice/options versus being locked into a combo “warming CP + Variable”.

Its not as convenient and there are times Id rather the all in one, but I always try to “open doors”….”expand my options/choices” when shooting.

[John Bennett]

I am currently “loosely” planning a trip next year.

[John Bennett]

Nice Roy.

I’ve been dreaming about a trip to YNP for years. Always find an excuse not to go 🙁

[John Bennett]

Thanks Bri. Re “latest”
Septs cover or the 13 pointer in Oct’s issue?

Im up in Caledon all day (6am to 7pm) Saturday on assignment. Its Whitetail season and you know what that means. I have 3 more to squeeze in before Dec15th. One for 3 days during the rifle hunt (nov 7-11)at a camp, another one day gun hunt and then yet a 4th back at a different camp in Mid dec for 2 or 3 days .

What time are you going? Sunrise? If I can drag my sorry butt out of bed following Sat I’d love to. Failing that, give me a call. Would love to get out for a day together, been way too long.

J

[John Bennett]

Kind of pleased they didnt go more than 18mp. I’m sure in some small cases 18+ is nice to have but really “nesseary”?? not in my world.For too long all the manufactorers were caught up in the MP race. Its really refreshing imo to finally see one that is focusing on improving other features rather than dangling the to megapixel carrot.

Again at this time its far to early to bank on either improvements or “revolutionary” ground breaking changes “but”.

Theres a fair amount of both “new” and “improved” on features. From menu and settings controls (even simply moving to duo CF slots vs split CF/SD)..To larger photsites, 3 processors, the ability to effectively do hdr in camera with upto 9 composites.

ghetto increased dynamic range.
(im interested is seeing just how this plays out and output files between the revamped metering with dedicated processor).

And much, much more (incuding “revolutionary” AF tracking…remains to be seen).

So rather than figuring out how to cram more MP and yet maintain performance…Just making it FF, 18MP and 12FPS requires alot…………Its nice to see one of the majors not bother and focus on improving in other area’s

[John Bennett]

I had a mkiv within days of it being released in Cda without pre ordering. So once it’s “released” it will be available. I expect I can probably put my hands on one in May, providing that is of coarse when it ships.

However your right. My guess is it won’t be widely distributed until June next year. First shipments will go to the press and sports shooters for the Olympics. It was the same with the mkiv with the winter Os in Vancouver. Once that’s covered they will start filtering out to retialers.

For myself, I dont know if I’ll jump.
I certainly wont be at the front of the line

[John Bennett]

Im pretty intrigued by it. May jump at one, may not. Will wait until this time next year and give it 6 months-1 year in peoples hands. There is a lot to like about it.The bummer is I was thinking about a 5Dmkii in the next 1-3 months. So that is now on hold indefinately.

No idea what Canons 1 to 3 year plan is ( all kinds of pure spec abounds). But there is going to be a huge gap now both in price and specs between the prosumer 7D and 5D and the Proline 1Dx.

“If” this truly is the end of the 1D and 1Ds bodies theres no way and no price (well almost no price) that would see me sell my MKiv

[John Bennett]

Thanks all.
Wray I used the 16-28 f2.8 L II for probably 90% of the images. Largely because I was in a boat (tin can) for most of the fishing and wanted the extra room.

Also had the 24-70 f2.8, 85mm1.2 400 f5.6, and a ton of accessories (filters pocket wizards,TC,a tube). One of those assignments (travel/destination) when I had to go loaded for bear to cover the different things the AD wanted to see.

Zach, didn’t really answer your question.
I brought 3 sticks hoping to do some casting along the shores in 10-15FOW but the water was still too warm (end of Aug). Or maybe catch a hatch in the evening and see some fish feeding then on the surface or in the shallows.

Surface temp was 69 during the day so the fish were still deep. All the fish we caught except one bow (casting into 15fow) were caught trolling in 30-60FOW and we marked some more 90+ in spots. I wasn’t set up with sinking lines to get me down like that.

That said Id love to fish it after ice out when they are all still shallow. The Brookies and Lakers are naturals, the bows were stocked once back in the 50s and have been reproducing since. Would have a blast on the fly then.

[John Bennett]

A few yeah.

I brought 3 sticks of my own and did manage some fly fishing. The

[John Bennett]

I just noticed that to Zach, even I see it. Ive been revamping my website (moving/merging old galleries and images)and must have inadvertantly flipped a switch  on one galllery to prevent Downloading (also prevents sharing/linnking). Will see if I can figure it out.

/edit add.
Think it’s fixed, atleast I can see them now.

[John Bennett]

Don’t know that it really matters and doubt it will affect iq one way or the other.I went variable so I could control how much light I was reducing at any given time, in order to get the shot I want.

The longer you leave the shutter open, the more things are “smoothed” out when shooting something in motion. Be it water, long grass, etc.
Again, keep in mind theres no “right or wrong” answer, but I (and maybe you) don’t want always want to slow things down as much as possible.

With waterfalls for example, the water will start to lose “definition” and become a uniform white ribbon.Also keep in mind the SS you use and the effect you achieve will be determined by the volume and speed of the water.

3 seconds

.5 second

Had I shot that at say 1.5 seconds the individual ribbons/streams would have become more of a uniform curtain.

similar also at .5 sec.

Heres one at 3.2 seconds

That WF doesn’t have the same flow, as the first 3 images. Had I shot it at .5 seconds the finer area’s of the fall (where theres very little flow) likely wouldn’t have come through as well or much at all. All shot one the same day so light would have been similar for each.

in the end I don’t think it matters much at all which you get. There are ways are to fiddle with exposures times (open/close lens, raise/lower iso).To me I always like having as many choices/options as possible.

With a variable the choice is yours with regards to how much light you want to reduce. Sometimes maybe just a little, others maybe a lot.

[Author]

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