Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/04/15

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Subject: [Leica] DMR: first year (long)
From: philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent)
Date: Sun Apr 15 12:39:48 2007
References: <77F44A34-A921-4144-B930-4F38A275BB7B@earthlink.net>

Impressive. And I learned so much about the DMR, too.
Thanks for showing,
Philippe



Op 15-apr-07, om 08:19 heeft Doug Herr het volgende geschreven:

> 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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>


In reply to: Message from telyt at earthlink.net (Doug Herr) ([Leica] DMR: first year (long))