Share your January Photos! (2022!)
It snowed again! The past few winters have been pretty sad. The long, cold stretches were rarely accompanied by snow, let alone this much snow. When it did snow it usually melted in the next day or two. So I have been enjoying this weather a lot.
Yesterday I went on a hike with my Dad, his dog, and my indomitable K-3 + 18-135 WR, and boy did I put that weather sealing and ruggedness to the test. We both fell on ice very early in the hike, and my camera and lens were absolutely covered in snow. Below is a photo of the lens after I wiped the snow off... I wasn't hopeful for clear images after that, but I kept snapping anyway. If I pixel peep I do feel like the smudged lens had an impact on IQ, but nowhere near as much as I feared. 🙂
2022-01-23 16.09.27 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
This is the spot we both fell. You can't tell there is ice under there, but boy is there.
IMGP0755 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
I blew out the highlights big time, but I am very happy with this action shot. He's such a good boy.
IMGP0788_DxO by Mobusaki, on Flickr
IMGP0792 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
IMGP0812 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
IMGP0900 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
I'm thinking this kind of photo is my bread and butter. I do it a lot and I'm always happiest with the results.
IMGP0954 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
IMGP0971 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
Beaver!
IMGP0992 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
IMGP1017 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
IMGP1038 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
IMGP1049 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
Back to the Jeeps. We were happy to make it back before nightfall because we thought we might have to winch our way out, but we made it out just fine. 🙂
IMGP1066 by Mobusaki, on Flickr
A happy surprise to end the day, I saw this young buck on the way home. He ran into the woods but stopped not too far in, close enough for this crop.
IMGP1073_DxO by Mobusaki, on Flickr
I forgot to mention what an absolute life saver DXO can be. I am still on my trial period but after it saved this image I feel I cannot be without it. Here's the before/after with DXO - it saved this image.
I had exposure compensation up +1.5 or +2 from a previous shot and this pushed the ISO up to 9000 (not over 9000, Vegeta). So I had two problems: noise and blown out highlights. I can't do anything about the highlight problem, but it isn't so bad since it's a snow scene. While I consider the K-3 capable of clean images at 9000 ISO, this one didn't come out so well. DXO to the rescue.
I learned about DXO from Snappy's video about it, so I'd like to give a big thank you to Snappy!!
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Quote from SpruceBruce on January 21, 2022, 7:54 amI haven't been very active lately, been obligated with a future career move that's occupying free time. Glad to see all the new members submitting awesome content! Welcome as well, if I've yet to introduce myself. I traded my Nikon Z50 in for a Z7 that had some cosmetic damage for an irresistible deal. I took it to a junk yard this afternoon to rural western Minnesota with a work buddy, that was full of classic cars. We were so excited that the -14F temps didn't even hamper our shooting. Minolta MD Rokkor 28mm F3.5 was the lens of my choice, and SOOC JPEG. It's so satisfying being able to use the whole image circle with full frame and my film adapted lenses.
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
French Lake Junkyard by Bruce Foster, on Flickr
Good luck with the career move!
Sweet snag with the Z7! Full frame and some crazy amount of megapixels, right? That's how I got my K-1 back in the day too. Super cheap with some damage that didn't matter. Runs like a champ even to this day. Well, have fun with the FF and those vintage lenses. Being able to use them closer to their native format is really nice. Brings out a lot of the character I think.
What an awesome place to shoot too. I'm a little jealous, though maybe not of the cold. Trying to think if I have anything around me like that that would let someone like me wander around in it...
Quote from JBP on January 24, 2022, 5:00 pmIt snowed again! The past few winters have been pretty sad. The long, cold stretches were rarely accompanied by snow, let alone this much snow. When it did snow it usually melted in the next day or two. So I have been enjoying this weather a lot.
Yesterday I went on a hike with my Dad, his dog, and my indomitable K-3 + 18-135 WR, and boy did I put that weather sealing and ruggedness to the test. We both fell on ice very early in the hike, and my camera and lens were absolutely covered in snow. Below is a photo of the lens after I wiped the snow off... I wasn't hopeful for clear images after that, but I kept snapping anyway. If I pixel peep I do feel like the smudged lens had an impact on IQ, but nowhere near as much as I feared. 🙂
This is the spot we both fell. You can't tell there is ice under there, but boy is there.
I blew out the highlights big time, but I am very happy with this action shot. He's such a good boy.
I'm thinking this kind of photo is my bread and butter. I do it a lot and I'm always happiest with the results.
Beaver!
Back to the Jeeps. We were happy to make it back before nightfall because we thought we might have to winch our way out, but we made it out just fine. 🙂
A happy surprise to end the day, I saw this young buck on the way home. He ran into the woods but stopped not too far in, close enough for this crop.
Haha, I have a picture of my K-3 with the 18-135 and snow on it too 🙂 Classic Pentax.
That looks like an awesome hike! Beautiful snowy day. Lovely pictures. I like the lake and the lane of trees. Also the dog shot.
I haven't been out this last week due to the family being sick, but I am hoping to get back out again in a few days! Get to finally take some more pictures.
Thank you. It was a great day. 🙂
Sorry to hear the family is sick. I hope everyone is feeling 100% soon!
Went around my neighborhood for a walk during my lunch break. Brought along my Sony F-828 and a powerful magnet. I was tipped off that this camera has a IR cut filter that can move out of the way without any modification. It's used in the nightmode setting over the camera when the camera detects it is shooting in the dark. Unfortunately, the nightmode doesn't allow manual settings and will not activate IR in daylight. However, someone figured out that because the IR cut filter is controlled via an electromagnet, you can put a powerful enough magnet at exactly the right spot on the outside of the body and it will trigger to move the filter, allowing you to shoot full-spectrum in daylight and manual mode! Pretty amazing!
Works like a charm. I added a 720nm filter I already owned and converted to black and white in post. What an awesome inexpensive hack to get an IR camera that can also shoot normal color!
Hah! That's a neat hack alright, and the results are great. I love that kind of stuff you would normally never think to do.
@james-warner-b I won't lie, the first thing I did was to shoot a jpeg of my living room houseplants, and just see how far I could push the file for dynamic range and cropping. The Z7 lives up to the hype for sure lol. Love the trick with the magnet on the Sony F828.
@JBP the Pentax 18-135 is one of the best kit lenses I've ever used, if not the best. Maybe I'd put it in a tie with the Fuji XF 18-55 F2.8.
I'm switching airlines, starting with Delta now. It's been a long four month process. I'll be stationed in Atlanta for training through February. The logistics of doing the background check, interviews, and compliance documents has been absurd lol, while balancing work duties and responsibilities at my current job. It's my dream job that'll take me into retirement in a few decades. I'm bummed I won't fly as much as I used to, but the current state of affairs with corporate leadership isn't positive at all, and I felt my time to move onto greener pastures has come. I may have to finally might make a zine for my time at Sun Country since I've had interest.
I'll end my great resignation rant with today's photo drive around the house. I took the Minolta 7D paired it with the 28mm F2.8 & 70-210 F4 Beer can. .MRW Raw files converted to JPEG after pulling out the shadows and lowering the blown highlights in Photoshop. I find it odd Adobe can't import these into Lightroom, but they're supported on the PS end. I'm pretty impressed by the ability to pull out detail on a 2005 CCD sensor.
Uploaded files:
Quote from SpruceBruce on January 28, 2022, 6:50 am@james-warner-b I won't lie, the first thing I did was to shoot a jpeg of my living room houseplants, and just see how far I could push the file for dynamic range and cropping. The Z7 lives up to the hype for sure lol. Love the trick with the magnet on the Sony F828.
@JBP the Pentax 18-135 is one of the best kit lenses I've ever used, if not the best. Maybe I'd put it in a tie with the Fuji XF 18-55 F2.8.
I'm switching airlines, starting with Delta now. It's been a long four month process. I'll be stationed in Atlanta for training through February. The logistics of doing the background check, interviews, and compliance documents has been absurd lol, while balancing work duties and responsibilities at my current job. It's my dream job that'll take me into retirement in a few decades. I'm bummed I won't fly as much as I used to, but the current state of affairs with corporate leadership isn't positive at all, and I felt my time to move onto greener pastures has come. I may have to finally might make a zine for my time at Sun Country since I've had interest.
I'll end my great resignation rant with today's photo drive around the house. I took the Minolta 7D paired it with the 28mm F2.8 & 70-210 F4 Beer can. .MRW Raw files converted to JPEG after pulling out the shadows and lowering the blown highlights in Photoshop. I find it odd Adobe can't import these into Lightroom, but they're supported on the PS end. I'm pretty impressed by the ability to pull out detail on a 2005 CCD sensor.
I had to look up the Z7... that's a fine looking camera, and those pictures were magnificent. I know very little about the mirrorless camera world, but I've been learning more recently and considering getting one eventually. If the AF is really that much better than a DSLR it would help me with photos of my kid. There's so many mirrorless cameras out there... I'm like "when did this happen?!" Just trying to wrap my head around one brand has been tough. I've been looking at Fuji so it was neat to see you say how good the Fuji XF 18-55 F2.8 is. I was thinking I would get the Fuji 18-135 if I went that route since I love my Pentax 18-135 so much. It's almost annoying how good it is, because when I'm outside I never want to use anything else! haha
It IS amazing how nice those images from a 2005 sensor are! The detail is great, surprisingly so for a 2005 camera. But for me it's all about the colors. Something about those old sensors, it's just great.
Sounds like the job transition has been a hassle but it's gonna be worth it for your dream job, congrats!
@jbp, I've used the Fuji 18-55 f/2.8-4 quite a lot, and can definitely say it's really good! I should post some photos from it on the Kit Lens Appreciation thread (which is just such a cool topic and proves how refreshingly unpretentious this group/forum is). I've been learning on a Fuji X-T1 that we have at work, and now my own X100F, and I can definitely say they're really nice cameras, and am happy to weigh in with any tips if you or anyone is interested in trying one.
