Although I may make some changes still (swapping an image or two and possibly adding links to a few others) I have finally - and just in the nick of time - posted my 2007 Favorites.
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.31.2007 :: Commentary, Site News :: No Comments »
Declining memory prices are hardly headline news, but these prices are quite interesting: under $43 for 8GB CF cards and under $69 for 16GB (!) CF cards. (Does anyone know if I can even use a 16GB compactflash card in my 5D?)
Every so often someone opines that moving to a higher MP count camera doesn’t make sense, asking “how will you afford the memory to handle those giant files?” The answer is that the memory gets cheaper and cheaper all the time. Hard drive prices have dropped a lot recently, and 500GB drives are now regularly available for around $100. I haven’t done the math to prove it, but I have a hunch that the cost of storing one image from a 16MP DSLR is now probably less than what we paid to store a single image from a 4MP camera a few years ago.
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.31.2007 :: Commentary :: No Comments »
Oak Grove, Winter. Calero Hills, California. December 27, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.31.2007 :: Photographs: Central California :: No Comments »
I’ve been using a nice little Lexar Firewire CompactFlash Reader to transfer files to my computer. Last week, after a computer upgrade, the reader stopped working. Since I’ve been through the upgrade cycle many times I contacted Lexar to let them know about the issue and find out about updates.
The reply was basically, “Go buy a new one” and “contact our sales department to get the right one.”
Does Lexar miss the irony in their email message? It tells me me that since Lexar doesn’t support its products I should buy another Lexar product. I paid (a lot) more for the fancy Lexar reader when I made my original purchase, assuming that I’d get a more reliable product and better support in return.
I won’t buy any Lexar products in the future. Instead, I think I’ll just go for the cheapest no name comparable products and accept their shorter life spans.
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.29.2007 :: Commentary, Equipment :: 2 Comments »
Oak Trees, Incoming Storm. Calero Hills, California. December 27, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.29.2007 :: Photographs: Central California :: No Comments »
Winter Oak Leaf. Calero Hills, California. December 27, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.28.2007 :: Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature :: No Comments »
Every year around this time I slog through all of my RAW files from the previous year - largely because I’ve learned that I can discover interesting photographs that I originally overlooked. (The most recent photo on this page is one I shot last January.)
One product of this task is my annual “favorites” page. I’m working on creating the list this week, and my plan is to post it here before January 1.
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.27.2007 :: Commentary :: No Comments »
Sellers sell, and many buyers buy, UV (ultraviolet) filters for their DSLR and other cameras. The advantages are said to be twofold: some reduction of haze that is invisible to the human eye but which the sensor might register, and some protection of the front element of your lens.
On the other hand many photographers wouldn’t think of putting an extra layer of unnecessary glass in front of their lenses. They would rather accept the (rather small) possibility of a scratch on the front element of a lens than possibly reduce the quality if their images and/or they prefer to protect the lens by using a lens cap and lens hood.
I’m in the latter camp. I don’t own any UV filters and I can think of darn few situations in which I’d want to use one. (One possible exception being the use of some of Canon’s sealed lenses on which the seal is completed by adding a front filter - and here only if I were to use the lens in an extremely hostile environment, and with a camera body with more environmental protection than my Canon 5D provides.) My preference is to handle my camera and equipment relatively carefully, keep the gear in bags when not actually using it, use a lens cap, and to almost always use a rigid lens hood. Continue Reading »
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.27.2007 :: Commentary, Equipment, Popular :: No Comments »
Fog and Pond. Calero Hills, California. January 20, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.27.2007 :: Photographs: Central California :: No Comments »
Winter Solstice at Muir Woods. Muir Woods National Monument, California. December 21, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
G Dan Mitchell :: Dec.26.2007 :: Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Night :: No Comments »