Feb 14, 2009, 05:15
These are the first new Highway Series photos in a long time.
Had my gallery show of them last May, so probably February was the last time I shot any?
Definitely the first ones since getting my DSLR, and an important test.
The wider angle available with the 18-70mm kit lens is appreciated, although the lens flare is certainly worse than with my old camera--bordering on un-fixable so I didn't even try.
![[Image: kak.ramps0901.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/kak.ramps0901.jpg)
A few similar scenes were in my show--they sure look dated now that everything is finally painted.
I had been driving on/under these ramps for well over a year cursing the lack of color.
This is my favorite:
![[Image: kak.ramps0902.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/kak.ramps0902.jpg)
I suppose some WA lens distortion compensation might be worth a try if I print it.
The extra resolution is certainly welcome as is the more accurate white balance, and since there are no bright lights to flare my cheap lenses aren't a drawback on scenes like this.
But I can't help thinking that the in-camera noise reduction is much too aggressive.
In high-iso NR my Sony does rather well in that there's still enough grain to retain texture.
On long exposure NR it ends up too smooth for my tastes--I think I must try some similar shots with NR turned off and see how the files look.
For much of my night work with the old camera NeatImage NR was mandatory, but was often faded to 50-75% to keep things looking "real".
I fear that this photo is much too smooth, and that I have been denied any artistic control over my results.
Mainly, I'm just glad to be so comfortable with the new system to finally be able to knock out shots like this in a few minutes without having to think too much about technical details and camera operation.
The time for thinking is before or after, not during the shoot.
Had my gallery show of them last May, so probably February was the last time I shot any?
Definitely the first ones since getting my DSLR, and an important test.
The wider angle available with the 18-70mm kit lens is appreciated, although the lens flare is certainly worse than with my old camera--bordering on un-fixable so I didn't even try.
A few similar scenes were in my show--they sure look dated now that everything is finally painted.
I had been driving on/under these ramps for well over a year cursing the lack of color.
This is my favorite:
I suppose some WA lens distortion compensation might be worth a try if I print it.
The extra resolution is certainly welcome as is the more accurate white balance, and since there are no bright lights to flare my cheap lenses aren't a drawback on scenes like this.
But I can't help thinking that the in-camera noise reduction is much too aggressive.
In high-iso NR my Sony does rather well in that there's still enough grain to retain texture.
On long exposure NR it ends up too smooth for my tastes--I think I must try some similar shots with NR turned off and see how the files look.
For much of my night work with the old camera NeatImage NR was mandatory, but was often faded to 50-75% to keep things looking "real".
I fear that this photo is much too smooth, and that I have been denied any artistic control over my results.
Mainly, I'm just glad to be so comfortable with the new system to finally be able to knock out shots like this in a few minutes without having to think too much about technical details and camera operation.
The time for thinking is before or after, not during the shoot.
