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Post by nikkortorokkor on Nov 21, 2007 3:20:43 GMT -5
Ron,
As a kind of bozo on the computer who learns what he must and blithely ignores the rest, I'm quite gobsmacked by the way Picasa works. It does not rearrange your files other than to add a database file and a configuration settings file to each folder. So, if you open Picasa, your FOLDERS (not files) will appear chronologically, unless you choose another option: last modified, name or size (all the usual suspects).
If I can explain clearly, Picasa doesn't move your files, but rather accesses them in a certain way. It's pretty quick once you're set up. When I load a new CD of 24 or 36 exposures and then open Picasa, it usually takes 15 or 20 seconds to create the database and load your images.
I don't actually use Picasa as an image management program but as an editing tool. I've found its effect on my folders quite benign. You should be able to download it without the program shoving your files every which way.
Does that help?
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Nov 20, 2007 17:13:03 GMT -5
well, glad you all like the effect. Looking at it again, I think that the 'filter' does make the photo much more memorable. Picasa is a Google product. Yet another example of how we might become all pi**ed off and paranoid about the big G over the next 10 years like we have been about Mr Gates & co for the last 10. But I love their open source approach, so for now I'm having a lot of fun. You can download Picasa at www.picasa.google.com. I got it with the google pack when I went through my Google Earth obsessive stage. I've since chucked Earth away, but have become a convert to other google pack products, especially Firefox internet browser, Star Office and Picasa. Picasa is quite different to from any other photo management system I've used. Lets say I find it quirky rather than intuitive. It's quite a beast and I haven't put the time into learning all its file management features. Here's a review of the product that'll be more useful than anything I can write to assess its file management features. www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,1752155,00.asp One odd quirk that I've got used to, If you open an image with Picasa and dicker with it, Picasa will store your new version of the image without altering the original. Whenever you open the file with Picasa, you'll se your alterations, but if you open it with another program, say Windows Picture & Fax Viewer, the alterations won't show. If you save your alterations with Picasa, the original will be altered, but Picasa automatically backs it up. Thus, you can use Picasa to restore the image anytime. I, however, being a bit old fashioned, save all changes as a copy. This can be accessed through the 'File' tab and will save a copy beside the original with the a numerical suffix (1, 2, etc) on the filename. Now to the fun part, using the image enhancers. When you first open Picasa it'll automatically search for all images on your computer. These are organized chronologically and displayed as thumbnails in a tile on the left of your screen. Left click on a thumb and the image will pop up into the main tile. The left tile now gives editing options in 3 tabs: Basic Fixes (crop, straighten, etc); Adjustments (I think, I'm at a University computer right now, which doesn't have Picasa installed so I'm working from memory); and Effects. Hit the Effects tab and you are offered a range of tools, including 'graduated tint' . This tool gives you a set of crosshairs which allow you to place the 'grad filter' vertically and laterally, just like a Cokin system does. It only works top down, that is, dark at the top, light at the bottom, but you can always flip the photo upside down before working on it if you want to work the other way. Other cool effects include sharpen, which often can be very effective, but at other times results in an overmanipulated look. Perhaps the most intrigueing effect is 'filtered black and white' which is quite fun to use and can act as a good, instant lesson in the use of B&W filters for ignoramuses like me who eschewed the monastic delights of the darkroom for the seductive charms of Velvia. Glow, soft focus, focal B&W, Sepia and Warmify are some of the other effects on offer. Now my hint for those who aren't control freaks. After adding an effect, go back to Basic Fixes and hit 'I'm Feeling Lucky'. that's what I did with the above image of the rocks. Often you won't like the result, but sometimes, as in this case, the clever little elves in the program do just the right thing. In this case it was the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' function that heightened the contrast just a little, causing that front rock to 'pop' and become a focal point. If this is cheating too much, you can go into 'adjustments' and set fill light, highlights and shadows manually. I hope you find this useful and fun. It can certainly result in increased time playing with images: a mixed blessing?
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Nov 20, 2007 5:27:57 GMT -5
I thought that I'd post this here rather than in filters, since its actually digital 'cheating' rather than cheating with filters. I'm without any ND or grad filters at the moment. Correction, I have the filters and Cokin holder, but not the correct adaptor rings for my lenses. *sigh* I found a handy tool in the Picasa suite that helped 'correct' some exposures, echoing what I'd normally do on-site with an ND grad. Do you think the effort an improvement? Original after tinkering in Picassa The tool is easy to use, and the program free to download. The camera, BTW, was an SRT 101, Lens: Phenix 28-70 (I think). 200 print film Location, the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki on the South Island's West Coast. Looking South.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Nov 24, 2007 5:18:27 GMT -5
Michael, Good focusing -- must have been fast work! I especially like the first one. Thanks, Michael. Yes, it was fast work, Bush Robins hop and look, hop and look, so although they are 'friendly' they still make you work up a sweat! Still, they're not as bad as squirrels. It was not until I visited the States and saw my first one 'in the flesh' that the full meaning of the term squirrelly really struck me.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Nov 17, 2007 14:45:49 GMT -5
Thanks guys.
Bush Robins attraction to humans is down to the insects that we stir up, but their antics really are charming. Sometimes called 'the bush fireman' because of their attraction to light. If you light a match and stick it in the ground (flame up - of course) the ever-nosey robin will come and peck it out.
Unfortunately the non-streetwise nature of New Zealand's birds means that many have become extinct or suffer declining numbers. Cats, Dogs Wasps, Possums and especially Mustelids (stoats, weasels and ferrets) imported by our English forbears have have had devastating effect. Victorian birders filling the demands of the world's museums and private collection didn't help either. At least one species was hunted to extinction to fill glass display cases.
Collecting cameras is much more benign.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Nov 16, 2007 22:33:37 GMT -5
Male South Island Bush Robin SRT 101, Phenix f4-5.6/70-210 tele-zoom 200 print film, cropped from landscape to portrait. Missed his feet but got the catch lights. Female S.I. Bush Robin sitting on my foot. These birds ain't shy. She's taking off because of the mirror slap. Too fast for the shutter! lens, MC ROKKOR - PF f1.7/55mm. Cropped from landscape. Here she is, taken with a Phenix f3.4-4/28-70 zoom on the same SRT.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Oct 29, 2007 3:18:40 GMT -5
I took the (latest) Hi-Matic 7 to our local Agricultural & Pastoral Show. Unfortunately, all is not well with the 7, which is overexposing on AE. I think it's a shutter problem. Still, the pics I took on metered manual worked fine, and this cheesy shot of a very funny Llama proved the 7 does have a cracker of a lens. Here's an un-retouched crop. It was a blustery day (show day always is) and the poor wee llamas (they're just young'uns) were getting a bit tired and emotional with all the attention. They were always on the move, which is maybe why the eye is a little soft. Still, the detail on the snout reveals that the fault was the photographer's rather than the lens. It's not art, but this image of the shearing competition may interest some of you. It isn't surprising that in a country that made its money 'off the sheep's back', shearing is a deadly serious competition at the A&P shows. These guys are competing in the 'open blade' and thus, are using hand shears, like oversized, razor sharp scissors. Hand shears are still used on high country stations (mountain ranches to you in the US) because thay leave more wool on than the shearing machines. This event is a feeder for the World Open Blade Champs, which will be held in Norway. My wife, who is Chinese, had never seen a shearing competition before. She was fascinated, and watched several heats and the final of the machine competition, where the winner shore 12 woolly Corrodales in just over 14 minutes! Using 200 ISO film to capture inside action was a little much even for the fast Rokkor, so the whole scene is a little soft. The back of the shed seems quite sharp, so I'd better pay attention to focus in future. a detail for those interested. The guy watching intently is a timer. The timers swap positions and watches every few minutes to keep things as fair as possible. Film, Kodacolor 200 Print
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Feb 27, 2008 15:20:19 GMT -5
Peter, I notice that the lovely Welta Belmira (a camera I covet for its 'left eye' fiendly rangefinder) also uses the Vebur shutter, but this time wrapped around a rather nice CZJ 50/2.8 Tessar.
Mine was dozy on the slow settings, but after a little squirt of white spirits, perked right back up again.
My biggest gripe remains the shutter release. That lovely big lever is fine in principle, but my scientific test rig (an ancient set of pocket fishing scales) tells me that it requires just over 2lb (1 kilo) of pressure 'at the trigger' to release the shutter. In my experience, both with cameras and rifles, this is just too high, and the muscular tension required to shoot a picture results in the camera leaping perceptably every time. I'd hazard a guess that I wouldn't be able to hand-hold the Weltaflex at speeds under 1/100. A shame because it negates some of the advantages of a big, heavy TLR.
I thought about tearing the camera down to try and fettle the shutter release, but is it really worth it for a Meritar lens?
I think that all you lucky Rollie owners got the Mercedes 250 SL while I got the Trabant.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Feb 25, 2008 16:49:39 GMT -5
Thanks for some hole filling, Peter. It is a nice coincidence between Lausa and Lausar. I have an uncle who taught Japanese for many years, so I must run Lausar by him. It is certainly not too far from the Chinese Lao Shi (teacher). I was struck by the fact that both the Tri-Lausar and Ludwig Meritar were both very much entry level lenses, though I understand that Tamioka's original pre war Lausar was a Tessar type, which never gained widespread popularity due to it's cost being too close to that of imported German lenses. You are pefectly correct in your suggestion that my Weltaflex is a late one. A little sticker inside the back from the Camera Service Center (a Christchurch camera shop owned by German migrant, Theo Loeffen) has 6-6-67 hand written on it. Looking at the few pictures of Weltaflexes I've seen, the little tower logo seems to turn up on those with the 1 to 250 and B Vebur shutter, while the 1 to 300 and B Prontor carries the familiar Prontor shutter blade logo. This leads me to guess (& I'm only guessing) that the Vebur shutter turns up on later rather than earlier Weltaflexes. IMHO, by 1967 the Weltaflex was starting to look rather Eastern Bloc. On paper it has better specs than the Yashica-44, but in terms of style, feel & fit, the wee Yashi has it over the aging Welta.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Feb 25, 2008 0:30:31 GMT -5
I've mixed feelings about this 'un. Big, heavy & with 'system' pretensions -removable hood/screen and back(!?!)- the Weltaflex nevertheless feels somewhat tinny and awkward, with a pressed steel chassis and that strange shutter release masquerading as a motorcyce foot brake that looks better than it works. The whole thing just feels less fitted than the only other TLRs I've owned: Yashi 124G & 44 and Meopta Flexaret. The Ludwig Meritar lens seems not to have set the photographic world on fire either. Still, it's a handsome beastie and I'm tempted to give it a whirl with some film sometime soon. Anyone with experience of the Weltaflex? BTW, I was intrigued to discover that Ludwig were based in Lausa, near Dresden. This seems to close to the notorious Tomioka Tri-Lausar for coincidence, especially given that according to Camerapedia, some prewar Ludwigs were marked 'Ludwig, Lausa, Dresden'. Did Tomioka name their lens after a Dresden suburb as a way of gaining some Teutonic cachet or was there a more significant tie up? P.S. the rust spots came for free.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Jan 23, 2008 2:43:03 GMT -5
I agree with all of the above. Stunning images, talented photog, handsome camera. I now REALLY can't wait to finish the repair on my Weltaflex and get shooting (anyone got advice for a novice mirror cutter?) BTW, the South Bank footbridge in central Melbourne is a similar design. I can't find any of my pics of it (none are very good) so see one here if you are curious: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/0/03/20070727140640!Melbourne_Sheraton_Hotel_at_South_Bank_of_the_Yarra_River.jpg
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Sept 26, 2007 14:47:51 GMT -5
Thanks John. It'll be fun to go square again!
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Sept 25, 2007 20:03:54 GMT -5
Once again the online auctions confound me by spitting up a plethora of one make all at once. A few weeks ago it was Paxettes, now its Yashica TLRs. Anyone wanting to start a collection of Yashicas should visit trademe.co.nz On offer: Yashica Mat 124-G Yashica B Yashica ? (the one with the big Selenium meter meter, I don't know the model, but not a Mat, I think) You can't have the Yashica 44 though. When I saw a buy now of NZ$50 my finger twitched and I became the proud owner of a camera that takes an obsolete film size. I guess I can't make the 'I'm a user not a collector' argument much more. Still, the wee 44s are sooo Pretty ;D
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Feb 28, 2008 20:23:39 GMT -5
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Jan 17, 2008 2:56:40 GMT -5
Well done, Bob.
I know from experience that adjusting rangefinders is like bangining your head with a brick: sure feels good when you stop.
I'd LOVE to see a factory tech setting a rangefinder on a factory rig. I bet she (it'd have to be a she) would do it in seconds. Let me see you do another, Fraulein!
I never get mine right without lifting the darn top off at least 4 times.
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