Neal Osborn
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. . . tried working with some HD video I shot and it simply can not handle it. .
Kyle, some food for thought. The minimum specs (bare minimum) for doing HD video, say AVCHD or any of the lower formats, includes a Pro level Mac, say MacBook Pro, or tower (iMacs can do it but with significant challenge to the rendering), 4gb Ram (8gb or better much preferred), a good external monitor, and an external drive with minimum 7200rpm (10,000rpm even better) – Raid 0 for performance is great but other setups will work. I strongly recommend you purchase according to your video requirements and then you will be more than setup for doing a RAW photography workflow.
Remember – ALL macs are also PC’s! I have Windows loaded on my travel MacBook Pro and run PC programs with Parallels everyday. That is one thing people often miss with these price comparisons. Macs are two computers in one 😀
I just spent 4 days on the flats in miserable, rainy, cold weather. After 3 years and much cursing I have decided that my 8wt Xi2 was just not right for me. However (and here’s the lesson) it took me 3 years and tons of casts and missing tough shots and reds in the mangroves and more cursing before I finally realized “WHY” the rod is not right for me. That’s the way it goes – one must know the rod in their own hand before moving on to another or considering a new tool for the job. During this trip my skills finally sunk in and I knew in an instant that the Xi2 was preventing me from feeling the front load of the road which in turn was making me “pull” the front haul. Long story short – the best 8wt rod is the one that works for what you need it to.
That being said, the best 8wt rod I have is my old Orvis 9wt, ha. That rod fits me perfectly and every guide or good caster I know says that my casting is much better with that rod. Yet, I have struggled with the Xi2 for so long because frankly it was expensive – thus, the best rod is not always the most expensive. Also, everyone tells you that a 9wt is too big for the flats, etc. Only by experience have I learned that the 9wts are often excellent rods and much more versatile.
I know now that my next 8wt will likely be the Helios or Scots S4, but as always, I will need to go cast them first. BTW, the Xi3 is a great rod but I am a bit shy on Sage right now in that line class.
Unfortunately, most people who ask the question of which 8wt is best for saltwater are typically new to saltwater casting and the skills necessary to perform in those conditions. So the responses they get are skewed by others who already have an opinion on the matter. Plus they are so expensive that making a wrong choice really hurts.
Edit: The two post above echo what I was trying to say, we must have all been typing at the same time.
Bob,
See below. Things are a bit opposite down here in Boca Grande. The backcountry snook were most affected.
Brett,
Austin and I hit the back water today and waded far in to the creeks. DUDE, it is horrific! Snook carcasses everywhere and not a live one anywhere in the backcountry. Seriously gloomy scene down here, not to mention the fact that it rained all day and I could even see my breath in the freezing cold (in February, wtf). The Reds are still alive but unfortunately not tailing. On a positive note we did see two big snook along the mangroves so at least a few will live to spawn another batch. Based on my background in environmental science, it will probably be 3-4 years before the back creeks see the healthy snook population come back in this area.
Everyone is most worried about red tide at this point. If that occurs things could get ugly.
Steve,
I am fishing with Cpt. Austin Lowder.
I still haven’t found a web development program. I’m not really interested in Dreamweaver, what do you all use?
I have used iWeb and Dreamweaver in the past; both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Mike . . . sorry I haven’t responded to this thread earlier; time is a scarce commodity lately. Congrats on the new Mac! You will have a steep learning curve ahead of you but it is worth the effort. I have been with Mac forever so much of the minutia is just second nature by now. However, if you want to ramp up quickly then consider a one month subscription to Lynda.com. They have some very high yield tutorials on the Mac operating system with many pearls of wisdom.
All good stuff above.
I recently did exactly what you are intending to do Morsie; a B&W fly tying sequence. After much trial and error and research I found two methods most helpful for the specific capture of “fly tying”. Both involve a beginning workflow of capturing in RAW and doing basics edits (white balance, clarity, curves, etc) in Lightroom and batch processing from there in PS (my usual workflow). Then you have two options: 1) convert to B&W and tweaking with selective masking layers via channels, generally the red and blue channel offer the best results, or 2) Silver Effex Pro by Nik Software! In the end, the Silver Effex is flat out amazing, one of the best software add-ons I’ve purchased. I learned that you can add it to Lightroom as a plugin – thus, the workflow would be RAW-LR_tweaks-SE_plugin. The plugin will export all your files to TIFF automatically and put them in a separate window where you can apply the exact same settings and “structure” slider to each photo, at which point the plugin will then magically save them back to LR as separate files. You can process an entire sequence in less than 2 hours. Needless to say, I prefer this method because it is simple, fast, and your images all get the same treatment without having to record an action sequence.
Matt, everyone has offered great advice and I fully fully truly truly agree with Ben above. In fact, Ben mentored me through the whole macro lens setup in the beginning. I have both the 60mm (older version) and 105mm macro lenses amongst others. I make good money off the 105mm on the medical side but I find the 60mm much more enjoyable and practical; as explained below. Over the past year I have had the opportunity to compare these two lenses countless times and the final answer is that they are both great lenses.
Short answer: The 105mm is a fantastic sharp lens, great for macro and portrait (killer actually) but it is very limited on a Dx sensor camera body. The 60mm is a moderate-good sharp lens that is great for macro but also serves as a “normal” prime lens for a Dx body camera. If you have an Fx camera (i.e. D700 or greater), the 105mm is perfect (the new 85mm macro is probably even better – that is my next purchase).
Medium answer: The 105 requires more practical knowledge to operate, kind of like a fast action saltwater rod. The 60mm is more user friendly while still being an excellent lens in more situations, kind of like a top of line expensive 5-6 wt rod.
Longer answer: Speaking from experience it is my humble opinion that the 60mm macro lens is a better choice for amateur photographers with a Dx sensor. Why? 1) It is a great lens even if you upgrade to Fx in the future, thus no buyers remorse, 2) it is a fantastic fast-glass normal prime lens for both Dx and Fx, 3) it is shorter and lighter than the 105mm (which is a tank), thus you will actually put it on your camera body more often, 4) For macro shooting less than 12 inches to subject, the 60mm does a fine job and doesn’t get in your way, 5) you can shoot without a tripod most of the time because of it’s size. However, the 105mm has advantages of a near perfect focal length and compression and sharpness for portraits at the prosumer/professional level, it has VR (it needs it whereas the 60mm does o.k. without it because of weight). Also, after reviewing internet chatter on this topic over the past two years I have concluded that there is more buyers remorse with the 105mm for Dx users.
NIKON LISTENED! Matt, you aren’t the only one with this dilemma (60mm vs 105mm). That’s why Nikon came out with the 85mm f/3.5G macro lens last year http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/656971-USA/Nikon_2190_AF_S_DX_Micro_NIKKOR.html. It is no coincidence the the “85” is in between 60 and 105; also that is a fantastic portrait FL. It is too early to judge it’s performance (even Ken Rockwell hasn’t reviewed it yet). I will get one regardless because I am a macro junkie.
Final suggestion: it’s up to you. It is always fun having two lenses to play with like you mentioned. Hope my ramblings help you make a decision. Either way, they are both great lenses. Over the past year I have been grabbing my 60mm much more often for doing the fly art stuff.
P.S. Be very very careful about reading internet reviews on the 105mm lens. Most are done by people with no practical experience in macro photography, let alone proper training. This lens DOES auto focus properly and the rumors about skip-and-jump AF with drift are noticeable only if you improperly set exposure at less than 8 inches from the subject. In other words, if you manual focus at 1:1 like your supposed to this lens is flawless.
Two sample images from the older generation Nikon 60mm Macro.
Zach,
I still remember the first time I watched you cast a Sex Dungeon 60 feet across the Hootch 😀
I have been tying articulated patterns a lot lately and plan to do a tutorial on either the Sex Dungeon or the Circus Peanut in the near future. In the interest of time (of which there is none, aagghh) here a few pointers.
1. The best tutorial online for the Sex Dungeon is by Charlie Craven http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/. His SD pattern is a variation made with rabbit strip and while it is a beautiful pattern, it is a bit heavy to throw on anything less than an 8wt. However, the tutorial is excellent, as usual, and provides a good foundation for the pattern.
2. I use wire instead of fireline or hard mason mono to make my articulations. It’s a personal thing; I like it better. If you use hard mason, go with 20lb or higher based on experience.
3. Learn the Circus Peanut pattern first! It is the foundation for the SD. The only good online tutorial is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHdYxFlUX20/. Make sure to watch part 1 and 2.
4. MUST SEE! http://www.theweeklyfly.com/index.php/TheWeeklyFly/2009/08/03/kelly-galloup-s-zoo-cougar-37-59. This is a superb video by Kelly Gallup online and it lays down the fundamentals for choosing deer hair, trimming the head, and building the body with correct form. He shows here how to tie the Zoo Cougar, which when combined with the Circus Peanut becomes the Sex Dungeon.
5. Choose the right hook! Two choices. I use TFS 9395 size 4 in front and 6 in back because I prefer straight eye hooks for articulated patterns. However, TFS 5262 will also work well if you like down eyes.
6. Get your beads at Michaels. You want the 6/0 (i.e. large) “E” glass beads in red (or orange) because they have a metal inner ring which prevent breakage and prolongs the life of the fly. Typically three beads are used but lately I have been using only two because it just seems less flashy.
7. Tie them sparse! The action comes from the articulation not the materials. The skinnier they are the better action they have when swung in the current.
8. Yellow and orange is the killer color scheme on the Hootch for trout. White is the killer pattern for Stripers. Green and brown with a flash of orange is good (not killer) for small/large mouth bass in Georgia.
Call me if you have specific questions.
A few quick shots from a recent batch of articulated patterns.
Fly Artsy Fartsy
