Originally uploaded by papa351971.
Timing is everything.
Caught with the Canon Rebel XTi and 70-300 lens – ISO 1600, f/7.1 at 1/1000s.
[tags]photo, photo of the day, canon, rebel xti, 70-300, pic, birds, nature[/tags]
Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
By Eric Reagan
Originally uploaded by papa351971.
Timing is everything.
Caught with the Canon Rebel XTi and 70-300 lens – ISO 1600, f/7.1 at 1/1000s.
[tags]photo, photo of the day, canon, rebel xti, 70-300, pic, birds, nature[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
Intro
Talk about frustration. I first learned the significance of using color spaces the hard way – lots of bad prints. The worst part of it all was that the local photo lab I was using at the time didn’t either recognize and/or understand what the problem was. They blamed the problem on monitor calibration. That wasn’t the problem though.
See, when I took my digital files in on a disc or uploaded them to the store, they looked washed out and dull – nothing at all like the brilliant colors I saw on my monitor. So, I changed photo labs – same problem. Then, one day, I found the answer – I was submitting my prints in Adobe RGB color space rather the sRGB colorspace. After I switched to using sRGB exclusively I never got the washed out look on my prints again. Wonder why?
What is a Color Space?
I’ll admit, I don’t understand all the technical bits of what a color space is. If you’re into that kind of thing and want to know more, I’d say have a look at Wikipedia’s entry on color space. That said, if you think you can put the explanation into a short paragraph of plain english that I can understand, please post it for everyone’s benefit.
I’ll try to explain how I see this color space concept. There’s a lot of colors in the world around us. My camera sees a lot of them, but not all. Depending on the color space that I choose (either in camera or in my editing software) I’ll have more or less of these colors to display. sRGB is the standard set of colors that are used on the internet. You can thank Microsoft and HP for this. There’s only so many different values of Red, Green, and Blues (and combinations thereof) that we get on websites – because sRGB is the standard and that’s what web browsers use to see color. I suppose the simplest way to say it is that a color space is a defined set or range of colors.
About the Adobe RGB Color Space
Simply put, Adobe RGB has a bigger range of colors that sRGB. Adobe RGB was designed and implemented by (no surprise here) Adobe Systems, Inc. It was designed to help you get more color out of your inkjet printers that use a much bigger color space than sRGB. Particularly, Adobe RGB consists of a much wider range of greens and cyans (green-blue). So, we’re now clear on the fact that Adobe RGB gives photographers more color to work with. Sounds like a no brainer. Let’s go on to sRGB though.
What Adobe RGB color space looks like:
About the sRGB Color Space
sRGB, as noted above, gives us a smaller range of colors than Adobe RGB; however, don’t forget that it is the Internet standard (thanks Microsoft and HP). If you’re looking at pictures on the web via your web browser and they look nice and colorful, then you can bet it’s in sRGB color space.
What sRGB color space looks like:
More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that sRGB is what most photo labs use today. You name it, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Wolf Camera, Ritz, and Target all use the sRGB color space to print your photos. Online labs like Kodak, York, and Snapfish, among others use the sRGB color space. Even labs that market themselves as “pro” labs such as Mpix or Myphotopipe (which I use and love) use the sRGB color space to process your prints.
Which One Should I Use?
It depends. This isn’t too hard to figure out though.
If you print your own photos and you want every ounce of color that you get out of your photo, then learn to use Adobe RGB. I can’t really tell you all that you need to know. Take a look at some of the resources that I’ve linked to in this post. Feel free to educate the rest of us on it if you know how to do it. Note that there are a few photo labs that will accomodate the Adobe RGB color space. Consider Printroom.com, for example. Printroom will accept whatever color space you send them, including Adobe RGB. They don’t say that they’ll print your Adobe RGB color space but they will “use the color information in your image file to convert it to the color space of the printer used to print the particular size-paper combination specified in the order. As a result, the images are printed exactly how you see them on your calibrated monitor in a “color aware” program like Adobe Photoshop.” That’s better service than you get from most online labs. If anyone is aware of other labs that accomodate Adobe RGB, please let me know.
If, like me, you take your photos, make a couple of edits here and there and either upload them onto the web at a place like SmugMug or print them out locally or online at a site like Myphotopipe.com, then you now know that you should be using sRGB from start to finish. Likewise, if you go the path of Adobe RGB, you’ll need to convert those images to sRGB before you decide to upload and share them on the web.
Additional Sources to Learn More
sRGB vs. Adobe RGB from Cambridge in Colour
Dry Creek Photo: Introduction to Color Spaces
Color Space Fundamentals
Wikipedia – Adobe RGB
Wikipedia – sRGB
Adobe.com – Adobe RGB
Nature Photographers Online Magazine: Beyond Adobe RGB
Microsoft: Color Spaces and You
[tags]color space, adobe rgb, srgb, monitor, color, problems, photos, calibration[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
Originally uploaded by _Jaydee.
Looking through some of the past photos of the day, I realized I don’t feature many portraits. Here’s to trying to change that. Great lighting and composition.
Shot with the Sony DSC H2 at ISO 80 and f/3.2 at 1/40s.
[tags]photo of the day, photo, black and white, portrait, sony, camera[/tags]
By Eric Reagan
To continue my previous ramblings on technological innovations and photography, Science News Online has an interesting article on computed photos and how this technological trend will affect photography in the future.
HDR is part of this trend obviously. Love it or hate it, HDR and future innovations are now a part of the photographic world. There’s a world of innovation waiting out there. There’s already plenty here that is too much for one photographer to master it all. Embrace what you love and enjoy the creations of others.
Computational photography, however, transforms the act of capturing the image. Some researchers use curved mirrors to distort their camera’s field of view. Others replace the camera lens with an array of thousands of microlenses or with a virtual lens that exists only in software. Some use what they call smart flashes to illuminate a scene with complex patterns of light, or set up domes containing hundreds of flashes to light a subject from many angles. The list goes on: three-dimensional apertures, multiple exposures, cameras stacked in arrays, and more.
In the hands of professional photographers and filmmakers, the creative potential of these technologies is tremendous. “I expect it to lead to new art forms,” says Marc Levoy, a professor of computer science at Stanford University. Read the rest of the article. . . .
By Eric Reagan
Originally uploaded by zerajera.
Great use of framing.
Taken with a Nikon D200 and I expect a rather wide-angle fisheye lens.
By Eric Reagan
Camera Labs tests all of Nikon’s kit lens offerings. This was a great idea for a comparison.
Since many owners end up using their first lens for some time, or even the entire lifespan of their camera body, it’s clearly important to choose the right one from the start. In this group test we’ll examine the four most popular lenses bought with Nikon DSLRs, whether the official kit models, or popularly bundled alternatives. All are DX models which means they’ll work with any Nikon DSLR, from the entry-level D40 to the professional D2X. They’re also all AF-S models which means they’ll auto-focus when fitted on the latest D40 and D40x bodies.
Head on over to see the results.
By Eric Reagan
Popular Photography has reviewed the Casio EX-V7. What makes this little compact attractive is the unorthodox 7x zoom on such a small package.
Just when you’re about to give up hope, in walks Casio, who at January’s CES show, announced that they are making a statement about wimpy little zooms on point and shoot cameras. The 7.2 MP Hi-Zoom Exilim EX-V7 (street $ 400) fits in your shirt pocket and is the latest in Casio’s line of slim, sleek point and shoots. But, unlike the ultra-slim competition, the EX-V7 has a 7x (38-266mm f/3.4 – 5.3 35mm equivalent) optical zoom and a host of other features that make it an attractive option for those who want great features in a small package. Read the rest of the review. . . .
By Eric Reagan
Originally uploaded by swheatbrothabran.
I love these shots (I’m a sucker for these myself). Great use of the flash too!
Shot with a Nikon D200 and SB800 fired into the passenger floorboard.
By Eric Reagan
Originally uploaded by ManonManon.
A powerful backlit photo for Easter.
Camera Info: Kodak Z740, ISO 80, 1/1000s @ f/6.3
By Eric Reagan
Memory card prices have dropped like crazy over the past several months. I was just fishing around on Amazon for some new SD cards for my new Nikon D40 (Ken Rockwell thinks its the best bang for your buck right now – I agree) so I would have plenty for the Tour de Georgia in a couple weeks. This time last year, I paid around $100 for a 1 GB CF card. I picked up two 2GB SD cards today for $37. Along the way, I saw several other worthy deals for several types and brands of memory cards. They are as follows:
So, are there too many different types and sizes of memory cards here for you to figure out what you need? What about memory card speeds? Does it matter? How about brands? I’ve put a kind of intro to memory cards post together that will help answer some of these questions whether you’re shopping for just a memory card or two, or whether you’re looking at buying a new digital camera and wondering what the deal is with these memory card thingies. You can read the post by clicking here.
Finally, if you’re thinking about buying a card from ebay (it looks like a real deal right?), read this post to see why you might want to reconsider that plan.