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Re: [OM] IMGs: Showy Desert Flowers & Yesterday's Desert Hike

Subject: Re: [OM] IMGs: Showy Desert Flowers & Yesterday's Desert Hike
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 01 May 2012 20:56:20 -0700

On 4/29/2012 6:08 AM, Chris Trask wrote:
> It may be more due to my compressing the image down to 400-500K before 
> uploading it into Flickr.  The originl JPG images are 1.7M or so and I would 
> quickly use up the allowed space if I didn't compress them.

No, that isn't it.

> There's also the nagging problem that I have with windy conditions.  
> Sometimes I get lucky if I wait long enough and everything stops moving for a 
> few moments.  If not, I open up the aperture and knock down the shutter speed 
> to get a good image, which leads to some DOF trouble.  I took ten photos of 
> those Clarkia and only two of them were presentable.

I suggest you check out the Wimberly Plamp. 
<http://www.tripodhead.com/products/plamp-main.cfm> Very light and quite 
effective. It can also hold shades, diffusers, etc.

Meant to be clamped to your tripod. Doesn't work with a monopod because of 
movement and vibration from your body. Absent 
a full size tripod, it may be used with a stake, a spiral, auger style 'stake' 
or a small tripod. Here is mine with a 
small, $10 tripod. I wouldn't use the tripod extended with the cameras, but it 
holds the Plamp nicely. 
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=Tech/Misc&image=_MG_6568croof40.jpg>

I see that they have changed the outer end clamp again, but that shouldn't 
matter.

However, I'm not entirely convinced the trouble is all wind. Several images do 
indeed have an overall blurriness that 
could be subject movement. And a few are nicely sharp. But there are several 
that show front or back focus. Of course, 
wind does move the blooms around, so it could be the subject moving toward and 
away from the camera, with shutter speed 
high enough to stop motion blur. Is that saguaro really dancing around in the 
wind? :-)

Here are a handful where I've circled in focus areas in front or back of what 
should be the primary focal plane. 
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=Tech/Front_and_Back_Focus>

Maybe you need to upgrade to a later E-thingie with live view and use Jim's 
trick of a dark cloth over your head to 
focus in that bright desert sun?

This from Sunday was taken with a mid level DSLR, consumer grade lens, tripod 
and live view. 
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=California/MtDiablo/MitchellCreek&image=_MG_6503oof50m.jpg>

Then look at a 100% sample. 
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=California/MtDiablo/MitchellCreek&image=_MG_6503fp.jpg>

>
>       Speaking of mongrel lenses, I came across a 3X teleconverter with a 
> Sears label the other day on eBay.  It looked curiously similar to a couple 
> of Vivitar/Tokina accessories that I have.  Sure enough, even the positions 
> of the screw holes matched.  Turned out to be just as sharp as the Sigma 
> tele-macro I've been using.

And here I thought 3x telextenders were only for blurring things for artistic 
effect. ;-)

>       Okay, it's not dead-nuts professional quality, but I'm enjoying 
> photography more than before now that I have more degrees of freedom and it's 
> not costing me a king's ransom.

That's pretty darn fine, and more power to you! The Trailing Four O'Clock and
Sacred Datura 02B are right on, the Milkweed and Albino Poppy very close.

If my occasional pushes to help you get better results are too much, just say 
the word.

Signing off of this subject now,
      Opinionated Moose

-- 
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
-- 
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