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I chose the Sigma because...

Laurence, one of the SD14's "features" that never ceases to please me is its DR, especially detail in shadow areas.

Sincere regards, Jim R

And that gives me added impetus to use the Sigma! If there was EVER a need for dynamic range capability, and shadow improvement capability, it would be any shot in the northwest rain forests. Low light abounds, but it is often interspersed with spots of brilliant sunshine that finds a hole in the canopy. Tough conditions indeed.

I also am anxious to try out the "semi-spot-metering" mode of the Sigma metering system. It could be very valuable for getting quick averages for the best set of brackets to program into the Sigma.
 
Funny thing is, Laurence, if the truth is known, I have never ever bracketed. If the need arises, with PS, I can bring out the detail in layers, because with the SD14's DR, the details are present and just need to be "coaxed".

It's like dodging and burning in my long defunct darkroom. Mind you, it's not always necessary to do this PP. More often than not, the details have already been revealed, through the magic of "Foveon film". ;)

Sincere regards, Jim R
 
Funny thing is, Laurence, if the truth is known, I have never ever bracketed. If the need arises, with PS, I can bring out the detail in layers, because with the SD14's DR, the details are present and just need to be "coaxed".

It's like dodging and burning in my long defunct darkroom. Mind you, it's not always necessary to do this PP. More often than not, the details have already been revealed, through the magic of "Foveon film". ;)

Sincere regards, Jim R

This is good news to me, Jim! Man, there is more and more information being gained in these posts and threads that seems to point to some very good qualities of the Foveon imagery.

I am so "wrapped up" in film over all these years, that I tend to correlate things like spot metering, bracketing, deliberate stop-downs and stop-ups to the exposure, towards shooting digitally.

I have much to learn in this transition from film. That said, I HAVE used the Pentax K110D with some M42 lenses for good results, and was pleased that the "bracketing" wasn't really needed if the RAW exposure was "close enough" to what I saw. As you indicated, I could pull details out with the imaging program.

I would still use the K110D as it is a fine camera indeed. However, one thing I couldn't seem to "pull out" was any dimensionality...everything seems rather flat. This might be a function of the sensor and/or the lenses I use, OR it could be user error. (Yes, I've been known to make errors, but please don't TELL anyone on this forum, okay?).
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Laurence
 
Great! Thanks for the tip, Uwe! One reason why I ordered the SD14 is because I think (hope) that I can capture a bit more of the rain forest realm, as well as other areas in my home state, and come ever closer to the "true" colors. I really don't like the drudgery of Photoshop, but have used it to try to manipulate an image so that it appears like it did in person. I look forward to the SD14! If it works for me, great! If it doesn't...well...I would still probably keep the camera for its unique characteristics unless it was a total washout.

Post processing Software is an essential part of Digital Photography just as much as hardware is. In fact there is software inside the lenses and a great effort is made in the camera by tiny computer chips running very small lines of code to "come ever closer to the "true" colors" as you say .

Your images will benefit by using better lenses as well as better software. Do not be afraid "to manipulate an image so that it appears like it did in person". That is what you are supposed to do.Luis
 
Post processing Software is an essential part of Digital Photography just as much as hardware is. In fact there is software inside the lenses and a great effort is made in the camera by tiny computer chips running very small lines of code to "come ever closer to the "true" colors" as you say .

Your images will benefit by using better lenses as well as better software. Do not be afraid "to manipulate an image so that it appears like it did in person". That is what you are supposed to do.Luis

Luis, thank you for the impetus to get "into" the software. As I've said above, it is a learning curve for me, coming from film. I guess I could "spray and pray" and just shoot everything in sight, but I'm so damn old that I can't see any other way than just taking my time for the "good shot". :)
 
Luis, thank you for the impetus to get "into" the software. As I've said above, it is a learning curve for me, coming from film. I guess I could "spray and pray" and just shoot everything in sight, but I'm so damn old that I can't see any other way than just taking my time for the "good shot". :)

What do you mean you are Dam Old. I got my Computer Science degree when I was 62 years old . Don't let your mind get in the way of your dreams .
 
Laurence, I taught an 80 year old to use PS some 10 years ago and his use of it is amazing.

As Luis quite rightly says, don't let your mind get in the way of your dreams.

Sincere regards, Jim R
 
Oh gosh, I WON'T let my age get in the way. :)

In actuality, I was "speaking" metaphorically when I indicated that I'm so damn old I can't see any other way other than taking my time for each shot. In this case, though I did a poor job of paraphrasing the actual thought I had, I actually meant that it is somewhat difficult to let loose of old habits.

Thank you for the encouragement, and really I don't feel old at all at age 60. I'm still doing a lot of hiking, and some of those days I'll rack up 20 miles or so, especially if I'm set on just "sightseeing" rather than devoting time to photography.

That said, I DO perceive a slowdown in my ability to change elevations by foot. Going up or down is harder on the body than a basically level trek, of course. But last summer, even though I was scaling hillsides that were up to 1500 meters in relief differential, I was doing it with more rest stops than even 10 years ago.

And I always have the reminder of sweat running down my face and dropping of the tip of my nose, that I'm working hard at it!

My hope is that I can do this into my 80s. After that...well, I guess it will be time to start looking through the literally thousands of transparencies from medium format and 35mm cameras accumulated over the years. And also, using the ever-increasing abilities of software to render nice images from digital files. And that would be just a fine alternative if I'm no longer ambulatory.
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Even if my survivors are daunted by all the images, and decide to just throw them out, I'll still have been enriched by images, if only for myself.

And this brings out a larger question that I put to anyone who would care to answer: What do you expect from all your images after passing away? Are you like me, and just like to have the images for personal memories and personal satisfaction of any of the "good" shots - with no real cares about what happens to them? Or...is there another purpose that you hope to fulfill with the images?
 
Oh gosh, I WON'T let my age get in the way. :)

...............And this brings out a larger question that I put to anyone who would care to answer: What do you expect from all your images after passing away? Are you like me, and just like to have the images for personal memories and personal satisfaction of any of the "good" shots - with no real cares about what happens to them? Or...is there another purpose that you hope to fulfill with the images?

In my opinion the answer to that depends on how you see yourself and the world . I for example see images as a mental boundary between me and the Physical world..

We contact the world with our eyes , not too differently as to how we touch it with our fingers . The sensation happens right at the boundary where the one meets the other . However I also think that we and the world are not separate but one. The mind creates the artificial separation in order to begin to understand. In our younger years we think with the lower part of the body , as we grow older we begin to think with the heart and in later years we finally begin to use the head, and if we live long enough ,we abandon the "thinking" that separates us from the rest.( And that includes our dreams.)

So what do we do with our images ? In my opinion nothing. They just served a purpose in our way to wisdom . As you get closer to that point you will begin to dissociate from worldly concerns .

We are in every photograph that we take , because we and the world are one.But the Photographs are more like our shadows . When we disappear they go with us.

All is left is print paper , screen photons , computer bytes, old silver. Unless you happen to have given them life , meaning and purpose , separate from yourself. In that case they will live on regardless of what you might think now .

Luis
 
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