Jens, I said "I recommended before that you meter your highlights and place them at the high-end of what the camera can record -- use the spot meter -- and this will give you a better overall image". I did not say "use the spot meter and set the swans to middle grey".
Come on now, at least read what you're responding to. Take a reading off of the swans and set that somewhere around 2.5 stops over. If you're unwilling to meter properly, at least stop complaining that your results are poor! -Aaron -----Original Message----- From: "Jens Bladt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subj: RE: Coming Soon - A new K-mount Film Camera Date: Tue Jul 4, 2006 7:01 pm Size: 3K To: "Pentax-Discuss Mail List" <pdml@pdml.net> I doubt spotmetering the highlights would work for me. The meter will try to expose, so the highlights would get an 18% grey colour, which is a lot darker than it should be. In a panorama scene, if I did measure the highligts (swans on the lake) - the result would pretty much be the same - an overall underexposed frame. I have just been reading about software - Photomatrix - that can post process images for a panorama. The dynamic range of a 360 degree panorama is much larger than any film or sensor can actually deal with - there's a bright and a dark side - especialy in Scandinavia, where the sun often is quite low. This software is supposed to help getting details in both highlights and shadows. But I'm afraid it will require multiple (three) exposures for every position. This means a lot work. And will emphasaize the speed issue. For the last two days I have done panoramas with my MZ-S a 31mm lens and slide film. With this combo I can actually shoot faster than I can move the camera from on place to the other. If this doesn't produce better results, I may move on to other options - perhaps one-shot solutions. This one, made by Hans Nyberg, is quite nice: http://www.panoramas.dk/newspanos/f26-sankt-hans.html Hans told me, that he is using one shot and six shot equipment! He did this one for the Danish television (the Royal Wedding 2004): http://qtvr.dk/bryllup/ Jens Bladt http://www.jensbladt.dk +45 56 63 77 11 +45 23 43 85 77 Skype: jensbladt248 -----Oprindelig meddelelse----- Fra: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] vegne af Aaron Reynolds Sendt: 4. juli 2006 16:36 Til: Pentax-Discuss Mail List Emne: Re: Coming Soon - A new K-mount Film Camera On Jul 4, 2006, at 10:09 AM, Jens Bladt wrote: > I didn't know there was a different mindset for digital - except for > trying > harder to avoid overexposure/blown out highlights. I usually regard > JPEGs as > slides, RAW as negs. > I have BTW noticed that I'm not the only one who normally underexposes > deliberately by 0.3-0.5 F-stop. (I shoot RAW 99% of the time). While others do it too, you're going about it in the wrong direction. I recommended before that you meter your highlights and place them at the high-end of what the camera can record -- use the spot meter -- and this will give you a better overall image, and less time spent on post-production. RAW files are like negs, but you still get the best print by exposing to each particular negative film's strengths. Just because a negative has a lot of latitude and can make an acceptable print from a lousy exposure, that doesn't make the lousy exposure the ideal way of exposing. -Aaron -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/381 - Release Date: 07/03/2006 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/381 - Release Date: 07/03/2006 -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net