Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/04/14

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Subject: [Leica] DMR: first year (long)
From: telyt at earthlink.net (Doug Herr)
Date: Sat Apr 14 23:24:26 2007

It's been one year more or less since good fortune graced me with a  
DMR. Its features that have made the biggest differences in my photos  
are common to most DSLR cameras: the extremely low cost per exposure,  
the superior high-ISO image quality, and the near-instant feedback.  
The DMR's excellent dynamic range and color rendition have also been  
a huge benefit. I will always be thankful for the benefactor who  
offered the DMR to me on very favorable terms and for those whose  
generosity permitted me to keep the DMR during my family's crisis  
earlier this year.

My favorite pictures so far made with the DMR, with photographic  
notes where appropriate, all at ISO 400 with -1 stop compensation  
(prevents highlight clipping) except where noted.

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/cago01.html

Canada Geese - R8/DMR, 280 f/4 APO + 1.4x APO-Extender-R
One of my earliest DMR photos, and the one where I learned to  
"chimp". I had been working close to the ground with the camera on a  
tripod collapsed as low as it would go. I heard the geese coming and  
saw that their probable flight path would give some good backgrounds.  
No time to switch to shoulder stock or monopod so I picked the whole  
rig up tripod and all to pan along with the birds. Exposures made and  
geese gone, a silly grin came over my face as I reviewed the new  
photos. I had learned to "chimp".

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/tyrannidae/atfl00.html

Ash-throated Flycatcher - R8/DMR, 560mm f/6.8
With this photo I learned to take advantage of the DMR's high-ISO  
capabilities and excellent shadow detail retention. The ISO setting  
on the camera was 400, but I had set exposure compensation to -3  
stops to keep shutter speeds workable (~ 1/125 sec), bringing up the  
image tones during development and further refined with Photoshop.  
This is cropped with no noise reduction.

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/coha05.html

Cooper's Hawk - R8/DMR, 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R
In this pair of photos (second is below) I realized how much better  
the DMR's color quality is than professional ISO 400 slide film. Both  
photos are uncropped from the same location; the only difference is  
the camera body.

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/coha06.html

Cooper's Hawk - Leicaflex SL2/Provia 400F, 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R
It also dawned on me that to get the same image size with the film  
camera I could use the 1.4x extender, and that with the extender's  
loss of light I'd have to use a faster film to use the same shutter  
speed as I did with the DMR and no extender. Thus a valid comparison  
for my purposes is DMR @ ISO 400 vs. ISO 800 color film. In technical  
quality it's no contest, the DMR wins.

http://wildlightphoto.com/mammals/artiodactyls/dash01.html

Dall's Sheep - R8/DMR, 560mm f/6.8 Telyt
ALASKA! I spent six summers in Alaska in my younger days and now on  
the 30th anniversary of my first summer I brought the DMR. Chimping  
and the histogram display made this photo possible. In my first few  
exposures of this ram the brightest whites had lost detail due to  
clipping; histogram review and subsequent exposure adjustments  
brought back the detail in the brightest white areas (clearly visible  
in the print)

http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/corvidae/grja00.html

Gray Jay - R8/DMR, 280mm f/4 APO
I was beginning to notice some aliasing and color moire in the fine  
feather detail, particularly when using the 280 APO which can resolve  
more than just about anything else. A photoshop plug-in from  
fredmiranda.com tamed the beast, and only where it reared its head.  
The DMR's battery life was a problem occasionally, fortunately I was  
car-camping and had 12-volt power available overnight.

http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/corvidae/stja02.html

Steller's Jay - R8/DMR, 560mm f/6.8 with 1.4x APO-Extender-R
I'm not a big fan of the cropped viewfinder OTOH it allows the SLR  
user to see the action outside the frame lines and anticipate when  
the action will be in the picture area.

http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/come10.html

Common Merganser - R8/DMR, 560mm f/6.8 Telyt
I've gradually realized that the DMR's high-ISO image quality as made  
the 560mm Telyt much more usable than with film; I can use higher  
shutter speeds in weaker light and still get image quality equivalent  
to E100G, my current favorite slide film. All the E100G photos made  
of this bird were tossed due to subject motion.

http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/corvidae/ybma01.html

Yellow-billed Magpie - R8/DMR, Novoflex 400mm f/5.6
Birds with large areas of black and white plumage were always a  
problem with film because I could get detail in the white areas or  
detail in the black plumage or neither. The DMR's dynamic range plus  
judicious histogram chimping helps keep the detail in these black-and- 
white birds.

http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/rallidae/clra02.html

Clapper Rail - R8/DMR, 560mm f/6.8 Telyt
DMR's dynamic range to the rescue again. With film I'd have lost  
shadow detail or white detail or both.

I'm showing these photos just 'cuz I like 'em. All: R8/DMR:

http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/falconidae/amke01.html
http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/turdidae/webl06.html
http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/recurvirostridae/amav01.html
http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/strigidae/leow01.html
http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/strigidae/nsow00.html

Problems: the battery life can be a problem especially with heavy  
chimping, the R8+DMR is a hefty package, and I'd really like an SL  
viewfinder in the R8. All things considered though I'm looking  
forward to another year with the DMR.

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com



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