CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-18 21:16:16 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Gauge on a Defunct Locomotive

I don't know what the gauge was for. It's for the rust now.

2013-05-18 21:15:17 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Porch Pooch

Would be SOOC if I hadn't cropped it in Lightroom. The dog seemed pretty happy to have its portrait made.

2013-05-18 21:14:32 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Kickflip Underbridge

If you look closely...

2013-05-18 21:13:58 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I'm rather behind on… dumping trash into the stream. So here's some old rusted metal and cracked rubber.

2013-05-18 20:27:40 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

The only thing I'll miss from full frame is 35mm f/1.4. Of course, 35/2 equivalent isn't too shabby, which I'll have later this year when Fuji releases their 23mm f/1.4 for XF cameras. Plus the camera + lens combo that I used to make this (slightly out of focus) picture  weighed 1.6kg (3.5lbs!). I will not miss that.

2013-05-18 06:17:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Rust and Sky

It was a lovely day, 10 miles from the storm.

2013-05-18 01:39:57 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

"There are few actions taken that are as hopelessly, embarrassingly pathetic as quoting yourself on the Internet." —Zachery Jensen

2013-05-17 05:17:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

So, I saw the new Star Trek movie today. I was noting once again how wonderful it is to see a color in Sci-Fi. I mean, sure, it's nothing like The Fifth Element for vividness, but, it's a much brighter future than, say, Oblivion :)

2013-05-16 04:34:45 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Disassembly of Earth

Anyone out there? No? Then you won't mind if I just take this all apart...

2013-05-16 04:32:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Google Glass looks like a pair of broken safety goggles.

2013-05-16 01:27:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Trash and Flowers

Don't mind me. I'm just trying to squeeze Eggleston blood out of a stone.

2013-05-15 23:29:46 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Wow, Google+ is a big shitty mess today. Gotta love I/O keynote day. The tiling is one thing, annoying but at least I can turn that off (and get a single narrow column instead of big posts, but wtf, why do things that make sense?). But, now all the critical cues in the consumption UI are low contrast, and largely monochrome? What is this, 1992 laptops?

Hey, follow me on Twitter. Maybe I'll post there more since I can interact without the IKEA-grade visual insanity.@_ztj http://twitter.com/_ztj Even better, on Twitter nobody expects a dissertation for a damn picture post.

*throws hands up in the air and walks out*

2013-05-15 20:27:06 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

So I wrote this here thing...

I had a few people ask for my thoughts on the Fuji XF system or simply wondered why I finally picked this system. So here it is. Hopefully it's informative to anyone making this same kind of decision. And as a bonus, all of the images interspersed through the article are "SOOC" JPEGs uploaded to Blogger which then does whatever it does, down-samples mainly I guess.

2013-05-15 04:34:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Death in the Gutter

HOWTO Fuji X-E1: Set WB to Daylight, Film simulation to Velvia, DR to AUTO, ISO to AUTO, choose Aperture as appropriate, point and shoot. Upload results to interwebs.

2013-05-15 02:16:06 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Street Photography II

The title is fairly descriptive on this one.

2013-05-14 22:39:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Who likes 21mm (or equivalent)?

Who's got favorite images shot in this equivalent focal length? That would be 14mm on APS-C cameras. It would be 10.5mm on Micro Four Thirds. Whatever the system, it's a 90º angle of view.

I'm asking, because, I now have this very very nice 14mm (APS-C) prime lens and I am trying to get to know it. I'd love to see any favorite images of yours made at this angle of view, whether it's your work or someone else's.

2013-05-14 03:54:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

569 Teeth

I've begun compiling my thoughts on why I finally picked Fuji X despite the problems with that system that I have commented on previously. Until that's finished, enjoy a little camera JPEG goodness.

2013-05-13 05:50:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I don't get Hasselblad. Why did they do this Lunar crap? I can't interpret it as anything besides their open admission that they believe their customer base are the most amazingly idiotic gullible fools out of all camera customers. Period.

Now, it's not that the NEX-7 is a bad camera. It's a nice camera. It's my favorite camera in some ways. But what have they done to it? These Lunar cameras look lower quality than the plastic body kits teenagers bolt on to their wannabe race car Honda Civics. And all that extra crap takes a camera that is quite excellent looking and small and makes it hideous and significantly larger.

Makes no sense at all… unless they're raking in tons of money and their aforementioned admission is entirely accurate.

2013-05-13 02:31:41 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

This Fuji X-E1 is the first camera where I've been frequently pleased with JPEGs straight from the camera. Today's Mother's Day pics… other than deleting a few bad captures, was just a straight dump to Ye Olde Facebook. No effort required and quite satisfied with the results. The only thing I would do differently next time is get a fix on white balance as one or two shots had some make-up-induced incorrect white balance. I did switch (via the handy Q menu) to Astia film emulation and DR set to Auto since I was shooting mainly people in a dim restaurant setting lit with typical spot style lighting.

I'll just tack on one of the images as an example of what I was getting, unedited except for resizing and watermark via LR export.

2013-05-12 04:33:57 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

What's it like to live in a 25th floor apartment on the corner of a shopping mall?  What's it like to look at a photo of a tall building that doesn't converge vertically‽ I <3 my ghetto shift lens. Besides avoiding vertical convergence providing an unwanted perspective point, I also took advantage of shifting to the side (so diagonal net shift) to move the single perspective point of convergence to the bottom left portion of the image where the row of plants leads to the base of the building. It's a subtle effect, but, something you can't mimic by simply moving around as that would change the projection of the row of plants.

2013-05-12 00:17:38 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

RED 7457

I guess it's National Train Day. So here is a melodramatic locomotive.

2013-05-11 22:51:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Pretty Pink Petals on a tree of some kind. Not cherries. Or, if it's a cherry tree, it never actually gives fruit. I dunno. Vibrant though, amirite? This is how the Fuji X-E1 saw things in Velvia mode.

2013-05-11 07:42:46 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

The Mountain Seemed So Big Until the Clouds Came

It's not a long exposure. The clouds were just uncharacteristically interesting today. And yes, those little hills are full on mountains. Some of the peaks rise over 7000 feet from the valley floor. The clouds made chumps of them.

2013-05-11 02:50:48 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I had a short hands on session with a Surface Pro today. I couldn't believe how heavy it was. It seems a little cheaply constructed but, perhaps it's necessary for weight reduction? I doubt it though. MacBook Air is light and aluminum…

Anyway, despite its weight and the oddity of the cover, oh and the seeming lack of a pen attachment point… it remains slightly intriguing as a photo editing tool with its pressure sensitive Wacom digitizer and relatively high resolution screen.

2013-05-05 22:50:32 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Hazy Day Sunset Over SLC

I suspected the sun might peak out despite the overcast hazy nature of the day and I was not disappointed. It shined on the city like this for five minutes or so. Then the mosquitos came :(

2013-05-05 20:24:02 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Seeking Clarity

Heeeey I have a macro lens again. Also, this is SOOC, Velvia film emulation, Fuji X-E1. It was an overcast day. I took this handheld while wandering around the city.

2013-05-05 02:07:16 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Just doing this.

2013-05-01 03:46:16 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

If you're wondering why I would bother with a shift lens, instead of digitally fixing verticals (and that is definitely not the only reason to use a shift lens, but the most common) then have a look at these images. One is corrected with a shift lens, one is not corrected at all, one is corrected in software. None are cropped (except the software fix with its warp-imposed crop).

2013-05-01 03:22:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Why Did I Wait So Long‽

Why, oh why did I wait so long to get a shifting lens? What I have might be a cheapass hack job, but, damn, it's fun to shoot with. At the extremes it's a  little Lo-Fi with some sudden heavy vignettes that will only show up on one corner and the falloff you usually expect from a small ultrawide lens only showing up on one side. But, I don't care. I'll shoot with this until I can put together something a little more pro for my X-E1. Even with the janky extremes, the cool stuff you can do with a shift lens is worth tolerating a little ugliness here and there.

Oh. Also. A rare instance of B&W processing from me. 

2013-04-29 20:03:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Spring in SLC

The city's showing a little enthusiasm for the season. It'll be gone soon enough.

2013-04-28 05:43:47 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Now Entering City Creek Center…

A few more days and I'll be able to shoot this kind of thing without the converging verticals. Yay for hacked together shift lenses!

2013-04-27 20:04:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Look Up, Don't Walk

It was a really nice evening. And, I must say, now that I've progressed beyond the issues I had with processing X-trans images from RAWs, I'm really enjoying the X-E1 and the lovely lenses Fuji has produced. Admittedly, for $600 you should expect great results from a normal prime and I'd say it delivers. I just hope they can keep it up, especially with the 23/1.4 expected in December and 56/1.2(!) coming next year.

2013-04-27 10:23:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Caution in Twilight

Straight out of the camera, right after I reprocessed the RAW with the X-E1's built-in RAW processor. So, straight out of the camera. Right?

Actually, I did then import this JPEG into LR for tagging 'n' bagging and then export it the same way I do all my G+ uploads. So there could be a minor difference from the original. Not that you'd ever even know.

Fuji X-E1 at ISO200 with XF35mmF1.4 R at ƒ/1.4 and 1/300s

2013-04-25 00:47:17 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

It's so weird to have a kit lens that I actually like to shoot with, performs well, and is generally useful even when lighting isn't fantastic and bright.

What a novel idea…

2013-04-23 07:28:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

PSA: You aren't "bucking under pressure" you are buckling under it. with an "L".

That is all.

2013-04-22 21:14:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I love this game, and it's free now. If you haven't played it and have any respect for skills-based platformers, you have to get this.

2013-04-21 22:55:59 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

This wood crap on the bottom, is this some kind of joke? What value could this possible provide? It's being referred to as a wooden "grip". But obviously, it has no shutter release or anything. It does nothing but look stupid as far as I can tell.

I feel like some photo accessory companies are just trolling camera geeks.

2013-04-21 03:36:24 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

More Fuji X-E1 Tests

I went out to try for some new material to test out some variations in processing X-Trans images in LR4.4. I have to say that as of now, I'm satisfied with the degree of detail retention in these images. I will only add the precondition that the output medium is expected to be 200ppi or greater density. If not, different techniques would probably be needed to hide some of the aliasing that occurs (mainly stair-stepping artifacts).

Between the LR4.4 improvements and a little better understanding of what seems to be going on in the Fuji JPEG engine, I think I'm equipped to get satisfying results from this camera on a consistent basis while shooting in RAW and processing in Lightroom.

I've changed my default sharpening terms slightly to 40 sharpening and 0.8 radius, but added 10 luminance NR even at 200 ISO, it appears that the JPEG... more »

2013-04-20 04:59:20 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Who is shooting with Fuji X-Trans based cameras?

This includes the X-Pro1, X-E1, X100S, and X20.

I want to know what you do for processing, I'm curious how may X-Photogs just live with JPEG, or if you've been using a particular RAW processor/workflow manager/DAM.

Anyone?

2013-04-19 00:33:12 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

NEX-5R and E 20mm ƒ/2.8 Pancake Final Notes

The touch screen features of the NEX-5R are severely hampered by a rather insensitive resistive-tech digitizer. It's especially hard to make use of the touch screen when it's flipped out at all. I find it really disappointing. It may as well not even exist.

The AF is also far less reliable and fast on the NEX-5R than NEX-6 or even NEX-7. This surprised me a little. I guess the 5R must have a weaker processor something.

All-in-all, I wouldn't buy the 5R unless its diminutive size was paramount.

I'll be selling mine shortly in may-as-well-be-brand-new condition in case you're interested (despite my negativity in this post, I'm sure someone will pay for this).

Also, my final word on the new E 20mm ƒ/2.8 pancake lens: It's twice as good as the 16mm pancake. It's slightlys... more »

2013-04-18 03:52:03 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Shadowside of Washington Square

Here's an attempt at a detailed image made with the Fuji X-E1. Processed from RAW with LR4.4, it's not as trivial to get the kind of popping detail out of this sensor as it is with the 16mp sensors in more typical cameras like Sony NEX-5R, or Nikon D7000. From what I can tell, the JPEG engine in the X-E1 applies a moderately aggressive edge-detect based sharpening algorithm to compensate for the effective resolution loss of the much larger bayer array on the X-Trans sensors. The results can still look pretty good, there is just some real resolution lost. But, processing from LR is harder as LR isn't doing anything to help deal with the different demosaicing results. 

Basically, I intend to keep experimenting to find a reasonable "baseline" preset that will give a more appealing starting point for working with X-Trans derived... more »

2013-04-17 23:31:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Aperture Supports Fuji X-Trans Cameras

So, you know, if you're still using Aperture, get your updates and see how it treats your RAWs.

2013-04-17 06:57:23 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Do your part, to protect… yourself, basically. (US Residents)

CISPA.

Seriously now. You may have heard Obama is threatening a veto of this bill. Last time he did so, we got indefinite detention of US citizens via NDAA legislation. Don't buy it. Also, don't expect any big corporate white knights as this bill provides them protection from responsibility when the gov comes knocking asking for your private information without so much as a warrant. They aren't going to stand up for you this time, because, it is in their best interests that the public be screwed over.

Google isn't going to help this time. In fact, Google is explicitly in support of this bill, because, as I mentioned, it gives them an out. If you ever thought Google actually meant that old saying "don't be evil" it is so cute that you're so gullible.
more »

2013-04-17 04:52:19 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Fuji has updated their official lens roadmap for the XF system.

Someone must have divulged the secrets to appealing to my photo gear sensibilities because the one major change was delaying the 56mm ƒ/1.4 to early next year… and increasing the maximum aperture to ƒ/1.2

Yeah… 

2013-04-16 04:53:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 Sample Images

Here, have 28 images shot with little regard for any process but capturing some random crap with this lens to get a feel for its performance, outside, with varying degrees of iffy evening light on a partly cloudy day.

All images processed from RAW at default settings with LR 4.4, no CA correction, no distortion correction, etc. There are a couple of series of aperture-bracketed shots to give a sense of the quality change (if any) by stopping down, images should contain EXIF info.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2pccm36omu4wxm9/A2aB4ulgYs

2013-04-14 06:37:37 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Sony NEX-5R with E 20mm ƒ/2.8 attached

Just a little camera porn. You can see the optional hood included with the lens sitting next to the camera on the left and a CF card to right for a little sense of scale.

Image made with D800 + Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG HSM at ƒ/1.4 3200 ISO.

2013-04-14 00:45:56 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Where's your Google now, nerds?

2013-04-13 21:32:55 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Sony E 20mm ƒ/2.8 for NEX Cameras

Today I took delivery of the brand new pancake lens for NEX cameras, the E 20mm ƒ/2.8. It's approximately 1mm shorter than the 16mm f/2.8 lens which I believe has been discontinued (or will be).

In case you haven't followed NEX lens development over the last few years (or you are a hopeless 16mm fanboy), you should know that the original 16mm pancake lens was just terrible. Really, you had to stop down to ƒ/8 just to get half-decent images outside the very center of the frame. Furthermore, 16mm is a rather awkward focal length for general purpose shooting. In reality, that lens was "okay" for video, and nothing else.

Fast forward to now. Sony has made good on their roadmap that indicated a new pancake lens. Firstly, it's slightly smaller. 1mm approximately. That makes it 20mm long, so 1mm reduction there isra... more »

2013-04-12 03:48:11 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Up the Downspout

Raiding the backlog a little more here. I still find this kind of stuff super interesting, visually. I suspect I always will, regardless of how mundane it seems.

2013-04-12 02:17:25 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

I just realized today that my 5 year old doesn't ask me to "click" things. When asking me to do something on my computer, she instructs me to "touch" things. She typically uses an iPod Touch or iPad, so it makes perfect sense. Add in the fact that I use a touch pad, even on my desktop machine 99% of the time and it all falls together.

But every adult or even teenager I know says "click", even when talking about touch devices.

As an avid technologist, watching this kind of subtle but important change in human-machine interaction perception unfold is fascinating.