So you're saying if I diffuse the flash that I can use exposure compensation to make up for it?

Also, what's the lowest practical shutter speed for a hand-held shot done with due care? If I remember correctly, it was around 1/125 of a second.

I can't find the flash compensation function. But I'm going to find just a thin sheet of paper if I have to and see if it give a soft fill effect rather than that "I just god hit by Zeus' thunderbolt" look.

The 1600 is stretching it but the ISO800 should do well in B&W.

I'm gonna try that. I'll post an 800 and 1600 in both color and B&W and see how it looks. Crap, now if I can only remember the best conversion method in Photoshop. Last time we took this up there proved to be about six different ways to do it.
---


Well, I shot a couple photos in 800 and 1600 ISO, converted them to B&W, and the grain just seem to come along for the ride. Perhaps it was slightly less noticeable, but barely so.

And I tried diffusing the flash. I tried it first with a piece of typical white cellophane grocery bag. I thought the flash still came out too strong. For the second try I used a piece of 60lb. white offset paper. That was better but caused everything behind the subject to be severely underexposed. But I think if I can find a thick piece of tracing paper (or vellum, basically), that should work.

I'll post a picture or two when I've run into a good before-and-after success.

You may be able to use exposure compensation in lieu of using the flash.

In the manual page 50 explains flash exposure lock.

1/60th of second was a general rule for film as the lowest hand held shooting speed. Digital though you can go really lower as there is no real shutter you just have to pay more attention to holding the camera still.

The Sandisk card you have sounds like their basic model. It will get you by. Card Readers you can generally get for under $20. If you are downloading onto the MDD machine you might want to get one with a cord. Some will not work when plugged into the key board which makes it a pain to have to get to the back of the machine. Plus the older readers do not support SDHC. This transition is going on right now. I have a Kingston reader with a cord that works with the Kingston SDHC card I have. The only problem I have had with it is I can not put the machine to sleep when it is attached. I have to remember to disconnect it before hand. The nice covet is the readers with a cord usually plug into the reader itself so I can unplug the reader from the cord instead of the back of the machine.

I find that the most challenging thing in photography is capturing the feeling of the scene that is before you. It's relatively easy to create a scene, to create something you don't commonly see by getting down on your hands and knees and shooting a macro. Perhaps this is because these view are outside our normal experience. But I find it brutally difficult much of the time to capture the fullness of a scene, especially one that is more panoramic in quality, of both width and depth. I get frustrated because something always seems to go missing. The depth. The color. The detail. The panoramic character. Or just the whole almost unquantifiable breadth that standing before a real scene gives all on its own.

This photo is really no exception. It's looking down a great canyon where the trees fade away and you can easily suppose that Robin Hood and his merry men are just beyond that last stand. This is a scene that I have passed by often and I always stop and take it in. I'm somewhat mesmerized by it. But did I capture any sense of that in the photo? Maybe. Maybe a little. But it makes me want to go out there and look at it again with my own eyes.

Okay, I read that flash lock page. I think that might be useful (although on this small camera it will take a contortionist to do it) by metering the flash on, say, some foliage in the foreground (and then locking it there) so that a dark (or maybe even bright) background doesn't throw it off. I don't want a blown-out leaf and have the forest floor twenty feet away all nicely exposed, for instance.

And if you could be so nice as to link to the pdf of the manual, Rico. I've got a feeling that it will be a lot easier to use than this tiny printed one that is not searchable.

Plus the older readers do not support SDHC.

What's the main advantage of SCHC? Speed? Capacity? Something else?

There's nothing particularly special about this shot, but I love ferns. In fact, I'm enchanted (a fag word, I know, but I can think of no better) when I see them covering sections of the forest floor as if they were holding some kind of fern convention or gathering. But they're so still and reverent that it seems more like a prayer group than a noisy convention. Capturing a whole bevy of ferns (is a group of them called a bevy?) is difficult. But I'll try later. For now, one will have to do.

Try this link. It is to Canons download library. It is my third attempt at getting link to work. They are using Javascript heavily that will not establish a proper link.

The product/software manuals link will only work with pop blockers turned off. Pop Up blockers will stop access to Canon's website downloads.

SDHC is really all of the above. Higher sustained speeds. Exponential capacity over the old standard. Error checking. etc. There is nothing "wrong" with the old regular SD cards but they are a dead end. In the future devices may not work properly with them. The SDHC cards price wise are comparable and cheaper than what the old cards sold for. For example you can get an 8GB SDHC card fro around $80. The 1GB card you bought was $24. You paid over 2 times per GB for the 1GB over the 8GB card.

Why have an 8GB card? If you were to mount the SD1000 onto the handle bars of the Vista Cruiser you could use the movie mode to record while you are riding along. I am sure it would be pretty bouncy and shaky looking but in there you might find some real gems. Like the time a bear jumped out in front of you. Or the time you were attacked by the mountain lion. This could have all been recorded for posterity. Plus we would get to hear you singing the "Hills are alive with the sound of music".

The 8GB cards have the total capacity to handle prolonged movie mode. Though the 4GB cards are plenty enough. Some say it is better to have multiple cards instead of having all your eggs in one basket. I am not sure how I feel about that. Knock up on wood I have never lost more than a few images do to a card failure. I mean like 3 images or less. And it was a brand new card that had bad sectors or blocks that was corrupting one image around the 15-20 shot depending on the file sizes. It took me 2 times or so to realize it was the card having a problem. I sent it back and got a new card from the manufacture.

quote:

For thalo the LX2 will have full manual focus. There is a joystick that controls the focus.

Woo Hoo! That makes me feel better. But how hard would it have been to put the focus on the collar? It just seems so natural there.

I think I'm definitely gonna get an 8GB SDHC card, plus maybe a 2GB card.

Crap, sorry you had to go to all that trouble, Rico. But I'm glad you did. I think it's going to be a lot easier using the manual via pdf because at least I can search for terms.

You paid over 2 times per GB for the 1GB over the 8GB card.

Well, unless I start shooting lots of movies, the 1 gig card is going to do it for me for a while, although I see what you're saying about the better value of the 8 gig card. But like the Wise Master once said, just get a camera and start taking pictures. And I won't really know how I'll use the thing in the long run. If I start shooting lots of movies then I might indeed splurge for that 8GB card. I think what we all should do it shoot about 5 minutes of silly, dumb stuff of ourselves (bag over the head if necessary to protect identities), send it to thalo for editing (or whoever wants to volunteer), and then we'd have an official thalo.net rock video. We'll have to write some music for it. I can certainly help collaborate on the lyrics. I was thinking something like a duet. Think "Ebony and Ivory" but without the soupy music. The theme would be about crap settlers and less-is-morons trying to find peace together in this superabundant world.

Why have an 8GB card? If you were to mount the SD1000 onto the handle bars of the Vista Cruiser you could use the movie mode to record while you are riding along. I am sure it would be pretty bouncy and shaky looking but in there you might find some real gems. Like the time a bear jumped out in front of you.

I like that idea. I'll do it. And with appropriate use of a wrist strap, I might be able to just hold it in my hand while kinda-sorta gripping the handlebar. Should make for a last fun shot of me going over a cliff – or being eaten by a mountain lion. My last words will be something like, "That god damn thalo was right. Our house kitties and dogs would eat us in a heartbeat if they could…ugggg…spurt…spurt…"

---

Also, Rico, do you recommend one of those clear protective pieces of plastic that go over the LCD?

One of the problems I'm having, Rico, is getting the camera to choose a smaller f-stop so that I can increase the depth of field, particularly for macro shots. It seems stuck at the maximum of F 2.8. I've found the only solution to this (and this may be fine for my web purposes) is to increase the distance to the subject. I'm just gonna have to back a way a little and use all them megapixels that I've got. Any suggestions?


Headed for Earth

I'm trying out a feature on the camera called "digital macro." I had no idea what it was and sort of overlooked it. But it allows you to get within 2 cm of the subject. And if you shoot not at the highest resolution, you can then digitally zoom in even closer with supposedly no loss of detail. I'm just repeating what I read in the manual. Here's what it looks like:

I'll tell ya what, I'll have to get a USB 2.0 card for my OSX Mac. I love how fast those photos transfer on my PC.

Here's a better example of what the digital macro can do on the SD1000. This is the file straight out of the camera. I was illuminating the dime with incandescent bulbs so that's why it looks gold instead of silver.

This thing really rocks at continuous "burst mode" (1.6 frame per second). Sure, I've used power drives on SLR's that have been much faster, but for an inexpensive digital camera, this seems pretty good. And that's in the highest quality mode at the highest resolution. I didn't time it, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting at least that. And it will interesting to see if I can find anything to use the time lapse feature for. But it only allows for a shot every 1 or 2 seconds for up to two hours. Not sure what changes that much over two hours, although I suppose you could find something like mowing the lawn, washing the car, the sun setting, etc.

Digital macro. Ain't it interesting?

My Thumb Not My Butt

I have never used the protective screen covers. The way I looked at it is the screen is hard enough to see sometimes especially in bright circumstances having another film over the screen is not going to help.

But if it makes one feel safer with a protective cover over the screen then so be it. People use them without complaint.

Unfortunately the SD1000 has no aperture priority so you can not control this aspect or the shutter. I think you are on the right track of going to the long end of th zoom because the aperture is stopped down automatically to f4.9 with the SD1000. You just have to get farther away from your subject. Maybe the digital macro can get you in closer.

From some of your other comments which reflect quit well trying to capture the moment or the mood of scene or the immenseness can be difficult for certain. One reason I suggested the Pana camera's was for the 28mm at the wide end. It makes a bit of difference over the 35mm you are working with for landscapes.

The time lapse could be fun. You could set aside some reading for the mountain top set up for an hour or two with the camera on the tripod busily time lapsing away over the valley. There would be far more movement than one might imagine in the sky and shadows. With your handle bar mount you could time lapse as you are riding.

PSCS3 has a new plugin under Image:Adjustments that specifically does B&W conversion. It allows you to fine tune six color channels. You can use this to actually fine tune the digital noise down to a great extent. Like blotchy blue skies. It takes some patience but it can be done with fine results. I also just became aware that in PSCS3 Adobe RAW Converter (ARC) will open JPG and TIFF images. You can then work all the controls in ACR to the JPG and TIFF image. This is something that has great value. Like the dime picture you could adjust the white balance. There is several places in ACR that will convert to grayscale. The one spot that works Hue Saturation Luminance will let you fine tune 8 color channels. I saw this feature but did not realize ACR would actually open up TIFFs and JPGs like this. It actually has great potential for older files.

In the meantime how were converted the images to B&W? I found using channel mixer and the monochrome check box worked nicely because you could at least control 3 channels.

They look like river stones by the way.

One reason I suggested the Pana camera's was for the 28mm at the wide end. It makes a bit of difference over the 35mm you are working with for landscapes.

I'm okay with the 35 mm, but a wide angle lens is always a nice option. What I'm going to do next is try to stitch together a nice panorama of the Olympic Mountains and surroundings. I've already done one of where I live and it came out surprisingly well. I suspect that if I put the camera on a tripod and simply twist it around on the screw with every shot, I'll get a very nice stitching. By the way, do you know if it's best to provide a little overlap between panoramic shots, or should one try to match them up edge-to-edge as best one can?

Yeah, I think getting a little farther away from the subject is the trick. And I'll see if that digital macro assists in tightening up the frame a bit.

You could set aside some reading for the mountain top set up for an hour or two with the camera on the tripod busily time lapsing away over the valley. There would be far more movement than one might imagine in the sky and shadows. With your handle bar mount you could time lapse as you are riding.

Yeah, I could do the old "moving clouds" scene to suggest that maybe a couple hundred years had passed. You know that old movie cliché. And time lapse with the camera mounted to the bike would be interesting. I'm just not sure if I've got the know-how to mount the thing properly. You may want to avert your eyes because my solutions is going to look very Red Greenish. Lots of duct tape.

In the meantime how were converted the images to B&W? I found using channel mixer and the monochrome check box worked nicely because you could at least control 3 channels.

I converted by using the grayscale mode. And that usually doesn't do a very good job, in my opinion. I've tried the channel mixer technique before, and although the settings are very "touchy," it can produce some nice results. I'll shoot some black and white directly if and when I run across the right subjects. I find old buildings to be particularly amenable to black and white. If I were to run across an old shack or something, I could go nuts shooting old boards, doors, etc.

They look like river stones by the way.

They were rocks I picked up off the beach at Salisbury Point County Park, which is an itty bitty park just a couple hundred yards north of the Hood Canal Bridge. Ever driven across a floating bridge, Rico? It's very cool. Like driving on water.

Rico, I'm a bit confused by the manual in regards to recharging the lithium-ion battery. On page 127 of the "Advanced Camera User Guide" it first says that it recommends that you discharge the battery fully before recharging. And then it later on the same page it says that because this is a lithium-ion battery that "you need not completely discharge it before recharging." What do you know about this, Rico? What do you recommend?

They often say that photography is about "capturing" an image. And indeed, if you're freezing an Olympic sprinter mid-stride, I can't think of a better word for it. You capture something that we otherwise could never see. I think what a lot of tourists are doing (particularly the Japanese) are not capturing so much as they are trying to "keep" what they have viewed. And I'm a big, big believer in the outline method, so I can definitely see snapshots as markers and guideposts through which one can elaborate about one's travels. The pictures themselves may be unspectacular, but they help to jog memories.

What I do is I do not "keep." And I do not capture. I slow things down. My photography is the art of trying to see what otherwise goes missing right before my eyes. It's not about developing an appreciation for nature, although that can be a side benefit. Instead, it's about not ignoring the things I already appreciate and love. It's about fondling those parts with the camera lens, not trying to court new loves. Birds, I like. But I don't want to waste even one moment trying to shoot them because I do not find them very interesting when frozen still. And people I do find interesting, but I do not want to shoot them either because it is what is inside their heads which is of interest, not the outer packaging.

Photography can be painful because I think it is ultimately a lonely endeavor. Even while fixing the lens intently on some detail that no one else is noticing, you can't help but be aware that there is "in front of the camera" and there is "behind the camera." There is the watching and then there is the actual doing. Perhaps that is why I do not prefer shooting people and events. There's already that distance between me and the real doers and the camera just helps to amplify that difference. On the other hand, however, there is nature which needs a viewer in order for it to become alive. Does a tree falling in a forest make a sound if no one is there to listen? No. It does not. By looking deeply at nature we infuse nature with the ability to communicate. We are a necessary part of the act, not just a distant observer.

Rico, I surely do miss aperture and shutter priority, but it is extremely convenient to be able to slip the camera inside even a relatively tight jeans pocket – case included. I'll just have to try to work around those limitations as best I can. And if you are aware of a super-lightweight portable (but which still can extend at least three feet or so) tripod, I'm all ears.

Now, I think I'm going to freeze my ass off (and risk getting a little wet) in order to shoot a panorama from one of the most amazing lookout points that hardly anyone knows about.

I can't find those friggin' SanDisk 8GB SDHC Ultra II memory cards anywhere. I don't think they've hit wide release yet.

I got a double shot workout in the mountain today. About 5 hours. The weather was much nicer then the forecast. And I dare say that I'm almost in shape. Despite the extra 20 pounds, I have officially moved from the lard ass category, clear through couch potato, and I am at least in sight of physically fit. But I ought to take a picture of my gut to dispel any notions of true physical fitness. Aerobically I'm good and I've got some good endurance and strength going. But I'm still a blubber belly.

I can't find those friggin' SanDisk 8GB SDHC Ultra II memory cards anywhere. I don't think they've hit wide release yet.

I took brother Rico's suggestion and shot a movie today while riding the Vista Cruiser. It should be amusing. Thalo, I don't know what the limit is on my own server, but could I upload a file to thalo.net's server? If so, what's the max size? I'm certainly not thinking of anything over 40 megabytes. Let me know. And I don't know how to do that. I assume there are some top secret codes involved. But I managed to max out the 1 gig disk today because of that movie. It didn't stop me from shooting anything because I maxed out right at the end of the day and I must have had 20 pictures or so that I could have deleted that had already been offloaded or were just junk. But if I get into the movie habit, that 8 gig card isn't looking too bad. And I'd probably want to carry around a spare battery. They are about half the size of a book of matches so carrying around two or three extras would be no hardship at all.

I shot a bunch of pictures and did a couple panoramas. I'm not expecting much from them, but I should be able to come up with something that at least looks slightly better than hacked.

The Thoreau Report
This Thoreau Report brought to you by one bag of salted cashews, two PowerBars, and at least the equivalent of a small basketfull of salmonberries. They were ripe and they were all over the place. And as it turned out, I really needed the energy because I really didn't expect to be out there that long today. It was partially overcast when I went out and there was a chance of rain. More than just a chance, I could see rain in the Olympics which aren't that far away.

The major highlight of this trip is that I lost my trusty sunglasses. They were getting a little beat up anyway, but we've been through a lot together. I spend at least fifteen minutes hunting around for them because I knew the exact area that I lost them. But it was some thick bushes and they could have easily gotten swallowed up in a black hole of twisted vines, leaves, and plants.

I'm uploading the pictures to my computer now and apparently I took 147 pictures plus that one movie. I didn't realize I did so many. Looks like I've got some contenders. The movie turned our real well. It's 312 MB and I wish I could just post it as it is. The Silver Surfer (gotta think of a more nature-like name for it – any suggestions?) really takes nice video.

I think the funniest moment I had (one must amuse oneself when one is by oneself) was just at the very start of the hike when I was pushing the Vista Cruiser up the side of some really steep trails. Arduous work, let me tell you. And I kept thinking of that great Chief Brody line from the original Jaws. But I transposed it a bit and had this running around inside my head like a tape: "I'm gonna need a lighter bike." Well, I guess when the brain is a little starved of oxygen, it's a lot funnier.

By the time 2:00 hit, I was no longer alone up there. There were bikers galore. And that's fine except that I really do prefer absolute solitude. And so even in the midst of nature, almost totally secluded, it feels like rush hour to me if two bikes go by within a five minute period. But there's always a side trail I can hop onto, and that's what I usually do. Whatever it takes to leave civilization behind.

This is the next to the last picture I took today. I haven't looked at the others yet. I was going from back to front and this one caught my eye. The canopy floor is tinted a cool green, although the eye usually doesn't notice color tints very easily because the eye (the mind, actually) has the best white balance corrector of all. But looking up at these leaves, I was at least partially aware of the beautiful green light.

I know this isn't a perfectly melded panorama, but it gives you an idea of the great view from Gold Mountain. In the background is the west face of the Olympic Mountains. Near the far right is Green Mountain, which is that tall wooded hill with the radio tower at the top. There are three lakes visible plus Hood Canal which is beyond and slightly to the left of Green Mountain.

Here's the sequel to the above leaf shot: Leaf Frenzy

Now for the rock show:

Orange Crush

Leopard Rock

Not My Fault

Rock Waterfall

And I think it's technically illegal in the Northwest not to take at least one picture of moss and/or lichen:

Greenbeard