Posts: Larryshuman | Ugly Hedgehog

Years best

Here are a few of my best work from 2022

Dec 29, 2022 17:27:43 #

Some of my best this year

Here are 10 of my best images this year.

Dec 19, 2022 05:36:48 #

"Upgrading"

... meanwhile somewhere in Norway wrote:

I have yet to see any proof "Upgrading" is anything but marketing. If you move to FF from crop or buy a better sensor camera, that will show results, but the rest is simply smoke and mirrors... much like pixel count vs pixel quality.

Driving in a nail with a brand new chrome hammer will not produce any noticeable difference over a used iron tool if you are skilled. The job may go up faster, but it will not change the outcome in the end, unless the hammer was worn out... or you are a poor craftsman.

I have made mistakes in the past, so i am not innocent, but sensor technology is not really that much better quite yet, especially in the past four years. All of the whistles and bells being marketed today are great, and things like live EVF and focus points is really all about efficiency, convenience, and speed.

A 1969 440 Roadrunner came stock with radio delete, hand crank windows, rubber floor mats and beanie hub caps and cost only three grand. Today a new Challenger Hell Cat has every conceivable creature comfort known to man... and will break the bank at more than seventy thousand plus... but that's nothing if you take out a nine year bank loan...

I like what is new and great for a lot of things, but I do see a continuing evolution in the name of corporate needs to sell, sell, sell. The reasons seem logical and compelling in what we are fed, but dumping your 850 for a Z9 will not make much of a difference in my opinion for image outcome. Someone benefiting from you dumping your old gear for the latest and greatest may be the other side of the equation none the less...

My advice is to hang on to your current gear until you have used it beyond its expected life cycle. People used to keep washing machines and dryers for thirty years in the old days. We all invest in gear partly based on how long it will last. I believe we all should spend more time improving our editing knowledge, composition skills, and relaxing, instead of thinking of excuses to empty your pocket book... lenses are an exception.

I have always admired my neighbors who kept their cars and trucks for 10 or fifteen years, but I would somehow ignore this and trade in every two years. I believe there will a time the DLSR will have a resurgence like the old Hasselblad's and their are many current models that may gain in value. According to some, removing the mirror has changed the world of photography forever.

Bit of a pun, I am expecting inferior images that were produced before 2022 to be discarded by most museums and galleries soon for good reason. How dare we consider anything less than absolute tac sharp perfect resolution... damn those dlsr'a and filthy film boxes...

In the end... the 440 Roadrunner would be my first choice for me at the drag strip. A marshmallow smooth Hell Cat is what the advertises say I must have, and I do agree it would be safer and more suited for today's commuting needs...

In the end a shinny new Tesla will gobble up the Hell Cat at any side by side battle. Arguments will persist both ways on what is more technically superior... but
meanwhile my trusty RR will be turning many more heads and have much respect, and though bare bones, for me it is the perfect tool to be competitive. That is if I drive it right and sharpen all of my God given skills...

I have yet to see any proof "Upgrading" ... (show quote)

I bought a used D3s with 19,400 clicks last year and its married to my 600mm F:4g VR. I have no problem in producing very nice 8.5x11's and larger with minimal investment. My original D3 is still running and I use it for racing.

Dec 15, 2022 06:10:26 #

Snow Buntings and Bufflehead

The zoom mechanism got stuck and wouldn't move at all. That's twice that has happened. Once under warranty and I paid for the second time. Since this problem has only occurred when the zoom lock switch is accidently partially moved when picking up the lens. Its repaired now and I've applied a small piece of electrical tape over the zoom switch so it cannot be moved at all.

Dec 14, 2022 10:13:15 #

Why RAW?

Using Raw I can do much more with raw than I can with a JPG. Changing blue shade with a little color yellow. I have lens corrections on ARC. I can change highlights, raise shadows much more easy than a JPG. If you ever shot film that is raw is the same as film but much better than film these days.

Dec 14, 2022 10:02:51 #

Snow Buntings and Bufflehead

These are taken with my repaired 200-500mm F:5.6g VR and a repaired D810

Dec 4, 2022 17:04:28 #

From yesterday and today

Yesterday I looked for these Snow Buntings and I could not find them at two large parks that we have. So today I checked the first one and nothing. I get to the other one and nothing there. I drive back to the first one and find at least 100 are in the parking lot. But they are jumping like they are peens in a pot so I not going to get too close.

Nov 15, 2022 07:56:50 #

My Z9 Bricked trying to update firmware to 3.0

I'm starting to think that the Z9 is a beta camera issue. Look at the Z9 failure over at Steve Perry's site.

Oct 20, 2022 21:13:16 #

A collection of warblers from this year at Magee Marsh

For this year I had to use my old D600 with my 200-500 and a SB-910 instead of using my D810 because it was in the shop. I'm amazed at the quality of the work with the little D600. I know I can enlarge any of these to 8.5x11 very easily. Maybe even up to 16x20. The little D600 even produced a 24x48 print a few years ago that is simply stunning. So given this body of work would a mirrorless system be able to improve on these? I will add that I've incorporated Topaz Denoise AI into my workflow last year.

Oct 2, 2022 11:11:38 #

American Redstart

Curmudgeon wrote:

Because in most male American Redstarts the yellow feathers shown in this photo are red and some Ornithologist who collected and described it in the 16 or 17th century named it that.

Is this image taken in the fall time of year. Birds change appearance drastically in the fall of the year. Or is this a bird from the South America? They have a lot different coloring down there. Attached is a image of a Redstart male and female from last May.

Oct 2, 2022 10:55:27 #

General question

CHG_CANON wrote:

The internet says a Nikon D3s was a $5200 new. Used, the prices are running $500 to $800. If you can get one for $500, there's no reason to buy one for $800. Low shutter count doesn't mean much for a camera with a shutter rated to 300,000, but with a measly 12MP.

At 45MP, a Nikon D850 is still holding value as a relevant DSLR. How long will that last? Will you wait until it's down in the $500 - $800 range too?

Well CHG_CANON:
Many of the Piping Plovers you saw last year on this site were shot with a D3s and a 600mm F:4g VR. I have several decades experience with Nikon equipment and with the addition of Topaz Denoise. You can't tell looking at my images whether I used a Z9 or my trusty D3s.

Sep 21, 2022 10:26:32 #