Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Nov 26, 2011 7:43:17 GMT -5
A chipmunk ... cool ;-) We have sugar gliders as pets. They look similar, but they are completely different animals. Very cute though :-)
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Nov 23, 2011 8:51:37 GMT -5
I think, I already introduced this service, but it might be worth an own topic. There is a ( free ) service for displaying 3D pictures visable on a normal 2D screen by some kind of animation, which they call "Piku Piku": www.start3d.comIt's not perfect, but not too bad, I think. I tried it with a few of my own 3D pictures as well: www.start3d.com/de/7399836787/0001I wonder, if some of you guys have 3D pictures to share, maybe even old stereoscopic ones on film ? That might be an interesting way to do that. The upload is quite easy and doesn't require any special format. Just ... I couldn't manage to display a single picture here. There is some kind of code provided ( underneath each picture, marked as "Embed"), which supposes to be the code for getting pictures inserted and 3D animated in blogs, but doesn't work and just look like that: <div id="vS2921799963488925" style="position:relative; overflow:hidden;"><a href="http://www.start3d.com/de/7399836787/0001/2921799963488925"><img id="iS2921799963488925" style="position:absolute;padding:0px;" src="http://www.start3d.com/uploads/7399836787/2921799963488925_composite.jpg?v=6" onload="function Piku(t,n){var T=t,N=n,I=document.getElementById('i'+T),V=document.getElementById('v'+T).style,W=I.clientWidth/N,D=0,X=0,P='px';this.F=function(){X=Math.min(Math.max(X+D,0),N-1);D=(!X?1:X==N-1?-1:D);I.style.left=-W*(.0439+X)+P;setTimeout(T+'.F();',33*(5-X*(N-1-X)/N));};V.width=W*.912+P;V.height=I.clientHeight+P;this.F();};S2921799963488925 = new Piku('S2921799963488925',11);"/></a></div> Looks like some kind of secret service cipher code to me. Hope, this forum will not blow up because of that ... hahaha ...
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Nov 15, 2011 11:01:43 GMT -5
Daveh, my computer skills are not that advanced, I guess ;-)) Even though, I wrote a lot of own programs in the pioneering days of computer technology. As I remember, I won some award for realizing the calculation of an infinite place of "Pi" on one of the first Casio calculators by just using 126 program steps ... but that has been long time ago ;-)) Now, computers are just a "black box" and I can barely handle them.
My dissertation has been written on a program, called "Signum", which has been quite an amazing piece of software, BTW. The whole program didn't need more than 2MB and could do nearly everything, what a modern WORD can do. 2MB ... that's less than the size of a picture nowadays ... hahaha ...
But ... it was actually just an example anyway. I truly think, that formats are the biggest problem of letting our data survive over the time. It might be true, that JPEG will be among us for a while, but there are so many specific formats, which are changing with a new version of a software too soon. Older and newer versions of common softs like the Adobe graphic programs or simply WORD are already incompatible and people might collect all their photos in an iPhoto library, which might be discontinued already with the next version of iLife, like they did it with iWeb. Or if people want to change from Windows to MAC or the other way round, most of their data ( like mails, etc. ) become just garbage.
Sure ... there are always ways to restore something by using emulators and stuff, but that can't be the way for common users and if I look at the amount of datas on my harddisks ... those are TeraByte, stored in hundreds of different formats. It would take years to convert all of them into newer formats all the time.
Plus ... why do every camera maker wants his own format ? That's ridiculous. Good example are 3D cameras. It is basically very simple to store a 3D picture, but every maker needs his specific format for that. Fujifilm f.i. is the only company, capable of printing 3D pictures in Japan yet ... and of course, they only accept their own specific picture format for that. Same situation for cellphones or movies on cameras. The AVCHD codec of my Lumix camera hasn't been cracked for years ( so that it can be simply unwrapped instead of converted ).
Some standard formats might survive for a while, as Peltigera said ... hopefully ... but in general, I think, a lot of data will become lost as they are already becoming now.
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Nov 14, 2011 0:39:29 GMT -5
I think, when it is about non-fictional literature, the internet might be the better source meanwhile. Google is more efficient than an encyclopedia of the past, but if I want read a novel, I definitely prefer a real book, which smells like a book and feels like a book.
I worry more about the writing. How will an imprtant letter, written by a famous person be displayed in a museum of the future ? As an e-mail on a screen ? ... strange imagination somehow ... and it also affects things, we ( as normal people ) are writing every day. My E-Mails of a few years ago are already gone, but I still have my handwritten love letters from my youth. My dissertation from my time at the university is just digital garbage, because I wrote it on an old Atari Falcon ... no computer can read this format anymore.
But it is also about picture/movie files. Will there still be a "jpeg" format ten years ahead ? The memories, I recorded on my camcorder just three years ago ... can't open them anymore, because the filetype is not supported anymore and the software for converting has been discontinued.
So, obviously, nothing is for the eternity anymore ... or not even for the period of our own existence ... unless we are constantly converting billions of files into newer formats ... or simply write on paper or photograph on film.
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Nov 12, 2011 21:38:45 GMT -5
Frankly speaking, I wouldn't say, that modern digital cameras are taking better pictures in those kind of sceneries ( nor that it is much easier to do so ). First of all, film has a wider range of density, so there is definitely no HDR needed for taking a decent sunset picture ( it's mostly not needed anyway for capturing this kind of scenery ). And second, many digital cameras do not have a real mechanical aperture, what can be a decisive point. For example, I took a classic picture of the "Diamond Mt. Fuji", when the sun is going down exactly in the center of the mountain twice a year with two cameras at the same time: With an analog TLR from 1954 and my GH1 ... and there are worlds between those pictures, even using the same settings. Closing the aperture completely ( f 22 ), the sunbeams are getting perfectly dispersed in detail on the analog camera, while everything around the sun just looks like a shapeless blotch on a digital sensor, like on this picture here as well. The nuances in the colors of the sky are also completely different on real film. In many situations, digital cameras are already pretty good and can produce sharper and more contrasty pictures than film ... for a sunset pictures, I would vote for film and a mechanical camera ;-) www.lomography.com/photos/13229622
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Nov 10, 2011 21:05:44 GMT -5
Thanks a lot for those valuable explanations. I will try to follow them !!
Although, I will most likely not do the processing by myself ( I have no experience with that, no darkroom and I am not sure, if it is worth buying all the tools and chemicals for that ).
So in case, I want to bring it to a lab ... what do you think, would be a good way of transporting the exposed sheets ? Should I leave them in the metal cartridge ? Can I collect and store them in some kind of container, impermeable for light ? Silly questions maybe ... but I wonder, how it is usually done.
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Nov 10, 2011 9:57:27 GMT -5
Good job ... and the test pics already look fantastic !!!
I also wanted to try film sheets for the first time. Just finished restoring my old "Orionwerk", a folder camera, which looks pretty much like yours but using 6.5x9 cm film sheets, which I ordered and which finally arrived.
The thing is ... I have no experience with those kind of cameras yet. As I assume, that I need to insert the film sheets into the cartridges in complete darkness, I would like to know, where the "to be exposed side" is, if I open the package ... front or back ? A not unimportant question ;-)
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Nov 3, 2011 20:28:57 GMT -5
Looks definitely like a nice guy !!
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Nov 3, 2011 7:56:05 GMT -5
I would say, that those pictures are mostly just overexposed.
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Oct 29, 2011 21:07:47 GMT -5
Dave, well stated.
Plus ... often not sufficiently considered in price guides, the condition of a camera. I think, the price of a vintage camera ( if not ultra rare ) can be basically within a wide range ... and there are personal demands as well. If somebody just wants to put it in a showcase, he might want to look it just beautiful from outside, regardless if the shutter is not working perfectly anymore, etc. but if I really want to take pictures with it, a camera with a million pinholes in the bellows or a stucking shutter is just junk.
It is possible to make pretty good deals sometimes if knowing, what can be fixed on a camera quite easily and what not. For example, some sellers are stating a camera as junk, because the lens is not clean ... but especially on older cameras with simple lens constructions, the lens can be cleaned within a few minutes without any big effort.
And there are psychological issues. Best possible deals are always, if the seller doesn't know anything about cameras ( the classic grandfathers camera, found under the roof case ). Those people often don't say much about the cameras condition, because they simply don't know. Then it's a gamble, but many people refrain from bidding as well, so it might become a bargain.
Also temporary rareness can be a point. If there is just one Leica or Zeiss camera at the auction on a weekend, the price can rise incredibly high ( I WANT this one, because I don' know, when I can get the next ), but if there are many, people cool down.
Or local effects. For example, foreign vintage cameras are usually traded for a much higher price here in Japan than japanese ones ( especially the german makers ). It's a local market. E-Bay is forbidden here and only a very few people are capable of understanding English anyway ... and vintage cameras are heavy. High shipping costs, the fear of paying taxes, etc. etc.
What I also noticed is, that the prices between shops and auctions differ much. That's of course the case, because dealers usually buy at auctions and sell at shops, but here in Japan, the difference can be tremendeous. But here, I return to my first point. The dealers usually repair and refurbish everything before selling it again and they are masters in that. A Zeiss or Leica at an exclusive shop in Shinjuku or Ginza often really looks like new.
Funny story at the end. I once bought a 1941 Clover Six in perfect condition for about 10 USD, which I would consider as very cheap. Obviously nobody else found it at Yahooauctions ( the japanese E-Bay ), because the seller declared it as "Lover Six" ... hahaha ... misspellings are not rare here, because Japan is still not using our alphabet. They use "Katakana", characters which are immitating the sound of a word. As for an example, "Mc Donalds" is written here as "Ma-ku-ro-da-nu-ro". If you say "Mc Donalds", nobody would understand you ;-)
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Oct 29, 2011 5:22:26 GMT -5
The creator of this slides how used www.start3d.com/Interesting technique for animating 3D pictures and making them visable even on a normal screen. So MIK, why don't you try to share your old stereocards this way. They will look certainly fantastic, I think. What I like most about T. Enamis work is, that he could manage to take ... let's say, snapshots with this ancient equipment. On pictures of that time, people are mostly posing ... so no natural looking shots, people at work, daily life, etc. The first 120 film has been introduced in 1901, I think and from that on, things might have become a little bit easier ... but before ? Settings must have taken time. That's why I think, his photographs are incredible.
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Oct 28, 2011 3:46:55 GMT -5
If not posted here yet, I would like to introduce the early japanese photographer T. Enami, who took amazing photographs at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Here a beautiful little slideshow of some of his early 3D pictures: and some more pics at Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/72157613882959896/I really admire his work. Enjoy !!!
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Oct 28, 2011 3:31:40 GMT -5
RIP ... so sad, that it is gone :-( There is nothing like it ... neither in the analog nor in the digital world of photography.
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Oct 27, 2011 23:43:12 GMT -5
Thanks everybody for the warm welcome !!! @wayne: You don't like MACs ? ;-) Well, I have to say, that I am also not an addict of the "iWorld" but it was like a blessing for me, buying an iMAC a few years ago after years of using Windows ... but I also have to say, that a computer is really just a tool for me. It must function and I actually don't care, why and how it is doing so ;-) @ Dave, Bob: Japan is indeed a beautiful country and worth a visit especially in spring and autumn. The cherryblossom is covering the country in a sea of white and pink and the colors of the leafs are so incredible ( especially the red maple leafs ), that it is nearly impossible catching the beauty of the reality on a picture. I probably already took a million pics, but it is always a challenge ;-) Some of my videos about Japan can be found on my Vimeo page, for example those about cherryblossom and colored leaves: ... for getting the basic idea. This year, I plan to take only still pictures, mainly on medium format, I guess. Difficult to make a choice if owning so many cameras ... hahaha ... but I definitely want to give my "new" Zeiss Super Ikonta 531/2 a try as well as the really old Kodak No.2 Folding Autographic Brownie ( 1915 ? ), which I have just finished to restore. And ... my favorite TLR, a 1954 Airesflex will be certainly on board as well. It is capable of taking really good pictures ... www.flickr.com/photos/30634008@N08/sets/72157626512277189/... and I love to work with it. Bought it for the ridiculous price of about 30 USD. randy: Well ... it does not provide me a villa in Beverly Hills yet, but it is fun ;-) The only chance for surviving here in Japan as a foreigner ( who are still a rarity somehow ) is selling yourself exactly as what you will be seen here ... some kind of alien or "exotic animal" :-) Some people break by this kind of "friendly racism", others are using it for their advantage ... like me. Quoting the only famous foreign TV star here in Japan, the american Dave Spector: "Making foreigners cuter takes away the threat of foreigners being more powerful, or having more know-how, or more sophistication. So definitely, they use that in a way to make themselves more comfortable. So I've done things on Japanese TV that are totally silly, or ridiculous. I mean like jumping rope with French poodles. Doing things like the lowest Bozo, circus kind of stuff. But it doesn't bother me at all. A lot of times the foreigners on TV, models and what-not, are compared to pandas. They use that term here--pandas-- because they're cuddly, you can go and have fun with them, and throw a marshmallow and that's about it. And you don't get involved any more deeper than that. But...since I'm making half a million dollars a year, I'm very happy to be a panda. I'd be a much lower animal. I'd be like a sloth, or something, or a hedgehog, you know, for that money. So it doesn't bother me at all." The difference between me an Mr. Spector is just ... I don't make half a million dollars a year ... hahaha ...
|
|
Berndt
Lifetime Member
Posts: 751
|
Post by Berndt on Oct 27, 2011 6:12:39 GMT -5
Cheers from Tokyo !!! I am a freelanced actor and video-/photographer, living and working in Tokyo. For movies and professional ( in the meaning of paying ) photography, I mostly need to use digital tools, but therefore it is my pleasure and relaxing time, using just real film and analog cameras in private. Am I a camera collector ? My wife would say so ... hahaha ... but more interested than in collecting vintage cameras, I am actually interested in really using them. I am just interested in cameras, which work ... and I usually try to work on them until they will do so ;-)) Taking pictures with vintage cameras is for me like "viewing the present through the eyes of the past", something, that I consider as very exciting. I have been too lazy yet for counting all the cameras I own ... so you might forgive me, that I can't present a list or homepage with pictures yet. The thing is, I actually feel more comfortable in the analog than in the digital world ... and I am spending too many hours in front of my MAC anyway. So I just have a Vimeo portfolio for my movie work yet: vimeo.com/user494934/videosa Flickr account, where upload something occasionally www.flickr.com/photos/30634008@N08/and my actors profile, which is unfortunately not updated for two years as well: www.berndtotto.tk/Getting hard and time consuming, keeping all the web appearances up to date ... and there is Facebook of course. THE communication portal of our times: www.facebook.com/berndt.ottoSome people hate it, some people like it ... but I learned to appreciate it over the time as it would have been impossible to keep in touch with so many people, I know in any other way. So ... that's me ;-)) Other hobbies than photography ? Mmmmh ... maybe travelling, my wife and my pets ( sugar glider ). How did I come to photography ? It was my grandfather, who was crazy for photography himself. He gave me a very simple camera when I was 14 years old ... no distance metering, no exposure metering ... that's what I should learn to take pictures with ... and I did and had fun with that ever after. Cheers from Tokyo ... and "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu" ( the probably most important japanese expression, impossible to become translated exactly, but meaning something like "please welcome me, please treat me kindly, please have a good relationship with me, etc." ). It is basically used at the end of every communication. Berndt
|
|