All posts filed under: F.A.Q.s

F.A.Q.s – What camera bag did you use in India?

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I usually use a Lowepro DryZone 200 bag for hiking, and a Pelican 1510 for studio shoots. However, while in India I used a Lowepro S&F belt and harness system. Attached was a Lowepro Toploader Zoom 55 bag for my 645D, a utility pouch for the other lens, batteries, etc, and a water bottle holder. The above pic clearly shows the system although it’s much less conspicuous if you wear a black t-shirt. Even better is to then put on a loose fitting shirt which covers all the straps. You now have easy access to the equipment, but are not drawing attention to all your expensive gear. Both bags have zippers so your gear isn’t going to bounce out. The shoulder straps make carrying the 645D far more comfortable than using a single strap. They also prevent your gear from crashing to the floor if the waist buckle pops open, or from disappearing if someone tries to grab the belt, pop the clasp, and run. I first tried this setup in Istanbul a couple of …

F.A.Q.s – Lighting Setups

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I’ve had several people asking if I can explain how I took the latest set of studio portraits. Here is the answer with the help of  the Lighting Setup generator by Kevin Kertz. The mainlight, a 150cm gridded octobox, was powered by a Profoto Pro-7a 1200W generator. The two hair lights, 30x120cm gridded softboxes, were powered by Profoto ComPact monolights. The generator was triggered with a PocketWizard which then triggered the two hair lights via their optical slaves. I used the Pentax 645D with a Pentax 67 105mm lens and a 67 to 645 adapter.

F.A.Q.’s Which camera should I buy?

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I’m asked this question just as frequently as What lens should I buy? and it is even harder to answer. If you want a simple point and shoot,  then I’m still a big fan Pentax’s waterproof Optio series. I’ve mentioned them in previous posts, and their latest model is the W90. I also have friends who are very happy with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 the Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 and the Sony DSC-TX5. They all do a similar job, they’re waterproof, shockproof and take reasonable pictures / video. The next group to consider are the entry level digital SLRs. Moving from a Point and Shoot to an entry level SLR has several advantages and a few disadvantages. Advantages include a larger sensor, minimal shutter lag, and more creative control. This means you tend to have higher quality images, you are less likely to miss the moment , and you (rather than the camera) can easily adjust things like focus or depth of field. Disadvantages include cost, size, weight and maintenance. Digital SLRs are great, but the best …

F.A.Q.s What lens should I buy?

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This is an almost impossible question to answer without knowing all the details. But here’s some general advice 1) A lens that fits your type of camera, both brand and sensor size. A Canon lens won’t fit on a Nikon / Pentax / Sony camera. A lens designed for a smaller sensor won’t work on a camera with a larger sensor. 2) A lens that fits the type of photography you want to do. If you’re a birdwatcher get a long telephoto lens. If you’re into bugs get a macro lens. 3) You get what you pay for. But like most things the relationship between cost and performance is not linear. My brother asked this question recently so I can share the answer I gave him. About a year ago he bought his first digital SLR camera, a Nikon that came with two kit lenses a 18-55mm and a 55-200mm. He wanted a new lens to broaden his horizons (Insert pun about buying wide angle lens here.) and help  improve his photographic skills. I recommended …

F.A.Q. How big are the files from the Pentax 645D?

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The file sizes produced by the Pentax 645D are around 15 MB  for JPEG files, 50 MB for DNG files, and a massive 225 MB for a 16bit TIFF image. As I said in a previous post this means you will fill up memory cards and hard disk space quickly. Also it means that you need a computer capable of some heavy lifting if you are going to start processing those files in Photoshop. A 225 MB TIFF image is huge, but if you start working with layers, you could easily be dealing with a file over 1GB . Digital Discovery #11 I had never really used Adobe Bridge until I started shooting with the 645D. With film the process of selecting images is done on the light table. Only the best images are scanned, catalogued, filed, and stored. Once scanned I would open the images in Photoshop. With digital it’s quite easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of images, but Adobe Bridge seems to be a good way of organizing things. I …

F.A.Q.s – Can I check out the raw DNG files from your Pentax 645D

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After putting up some full size Jpegs from the 645D on Flickr I’ve received several requests asking if I can send people the full raw DNG files. The first issue is that the file sizes are very large, too big to send as attachments to an email. The second issue is one of control and copyright. I rarely put images on the net that have a width larger than 470 pixels and these are all watermarked. As you may have noticed I have not attached full sized Jpegs of my latest images to Flickr, but will post crops when I need to show how much detail there is in the image. I feel that sending out the raw DNG files to people over the internet would be asking for trouble. The decision I have made is that I can burn a selection of raw DNG images to DVD and include copyright information explaining clearly that these files are for personal evaluation purposes only. Having the files will allow photographers to process the raw images and …

F.A.Q.’s: Which printer do you use?

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Short Answer: Canon image PROGRAF 5100 Long answer: I use the Canon image PROGRAF 5100 for many reasons. The first is the Lucia 12-color pigment ink system that produces vivid colors and archival levels of longevity. The second is that it can handle rolls rather than just sheets of paper which enables me to use a thick cotton rag Hahnemühle paper for my prints. The third is that it has a special print plug-in for Photoshop that allows you to export 16-bit RGB files directly to the printer. Printing at 16-bit produces higher quality images particularly with regard to areas of color with smooth graduations e.g. an expansive blue sky. I love this printer and have recommended it to fellow photographers and artists. However… this is a big machine which will take up a large chunk of your room, not just your desk (It comes with it’s own forklift pallet). The printer is expensive and the ink cartridges, of which there are 12, are close to $80 each (a shocking £95 in the U.K.). This is …

F.A.Q.’s Which film do you use?

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95 % of the time I shoot with 220 rolls of Fujifilm’s Fujichrome Provia 100F. The Pentax 67II gives you 10 images on a 120 roll, and 21 images on a 220 roll. Using 220 means I get one extra shot compared to shooting two rolls of 120, processing is a little cheaper and I spend less time changing film. 220 rolls of Provia aren’t available on Amazon but you can get them from B&H Photo. I use Provia 100F for it’s ultra-fine grain, and great color reproduction. However, I sometimes use Provia 400X if I have to shoot on an overcast day or for fire festivals. (Provia 400x is not available in 220 so I use 120 rolls) On my next trip as I’m going to be shooting some landscapes (hopefully with blue skies and cherry blossom) so I have also got a couple of boxes of Velvia 100F for higher color saturation. I wouldn’t use Velvia for portraits, for this Astia 100F would be a better option. I have only used Kodak products …

F.A.Q.s Which digital SLR should I buy?

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I get asked this question quite a lot, and in all honesty, I am not really the right person to answer. The only digital camera I currently use is my little point & shoot W60, while for work I still use my Pentax 67II medium format film camera. Getting balanced opinions isn’t made easier by the fact that many photographers are extremely proud (or defensive) of the brand they use. The situation is akin to sports teams. Asking a Nikon user about the quality of Canon’s gear, is similar to asking a Liverpool fan about Manchester United. You may get an honest answer, but you are more likely to be told the other brand is trash or that Rooney looks like  Shrek. Photography magazines are usually better, but you have to raise an eyebrow when the glowing review for a particular camera is followed by a two page paid advertisement for the exact same camera. I would first take a look at the digital SLR buyers guide at Digital Photography Review. Another good introduction to …

F.A.Q.s – Do you use a light meter?

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Short Answer: Yes. Either the camera’s built-in meter, or a hand-held meter. Long Answer: The AE prism of the Pentax 67II is able to do spot, center-weighted and matrix metering. The built-in meter, like all in-camera meters is a reflected light meter. It works very well, but sometimes when the lighting is complicated it is best to measure the amount of incident light rather than reflected light. To do this you need a separate handheld incident light meter. If I used the in-camera metering for the following shot of AIBO the white background (which the meter would presume to be grey) would fool the camera and consequently underexpose the image. When shooting in the studio a light meter that can measure the amount of light (including that from strobes) is invaluable. A cable from the light meter allows you to trigger the flash, or the Sekonic can also be fitted with a transmitter to wirelessly communicate with pocket wizards on the strobe or battery pack. (I used the light meter attached to a pocket wizard transmitter for a studio shoot yesterday …