Jaja, what have you done?

Preamble:

I have been lurking quietly in the dpreview forums for eight months reading posts at the various camera discussion areas. It has all been in quest of determining the ideal digital camera for me. Without the emotional baggage that comes with pride of ownership of a specific camera, I have been trying to separate wheat from chaff, bravado from fact and awareness from blind allegiance in an effort to find my digital home. Of late I am spending most of my time at Olympus SLR talk as I am this close - holds thumb and index finger one cm. apart - from buying an E-10.

The E-10 is as controversial a camera as I have seen in the dpreview forums, garnering zealous praise and vitriolic distain often on the same page. I have seen images so washed out, dull and noisy that no one would ever consider purchasing this beast and images so natural and “right” that its image capabilities finally seem at par with its apparent ergonomic delights. This dichotomy continually puzzles me and makes me somewhat nervous about this major investment.

The heart of the matter:

Whenever I doubt the merit of having the E-10 as my number one digital camera choice, I venture to belgiumdigital to view Jaja’s E-10 pictures. No one seems to have a better handle on the E-10 then he. Yet at times even his images are not as crisp as I think they might - or should be - and the colour saturation is often not to my taste.

Then Jaja posted the latest Bokrijk album images - page 4 - which to my eyes are technically superior to anything that he has posted to date. The images are crisp and tack sharp and colour saturation is ideal with excellent shadow detail and highlights. (Some lovely images as well.)

Jaja, what have you done?

Have you changed your procedure?

What were the original camera settings in terms of resolution and image size, quality settings, saturation levels etc.?
Have you changed your post processing methods?
Are these technical gems the result of subsequent software manipulation?

How did you prepare the original images for display in regards to sizing, sharpening, enhancement etc.?

Please share what you’ve done to produce these gems.

In closing, thank you to all on the Olympus SLR talk forum for your photos, insights and arguments.

Bert

PS: Jaja, have you done any black and images with the E-10? I’d sure like to see what you can do with that, as b/w is very important to me.

Member said:

Whenever I doubt the merit of having the E-10 as my number one
digital camera choice, I venture to belgiumdigital to view
Jaja’s E-10 pictures. No one seems to have a better handle on
the E-10 then he. Yet at times even his images are not as crisp as
I think they might - or should be - and the colour saturation is
often not to my taste.

Then Jaja posted the latest Bokrijk album images - page 4 - which
to my eyes are technically superior to anything that he has posted
to date. The images are crisp and tack sharp and colour saturation
is ideal with excellent shadow detail and highlights. (Some lovely
images as well.)

Click to expand...

I can see Jaja's head swelling from here...

Not that anything you said is untrue, he does have wonderful photos.

Yes,

Jaja is the great corrupter of minds and emptier of wallets around here.

Had it not been for his amazing photographs, and praise towards the E10 it would have taken me atleast another week before I broke down and bought my E10. )

I keep showing my E10 Jaja's pictures and telling it, this is the way. We must become one like the Jaja-E10.

Bert, all I can tell you if you haven't made up your mind yet is this. You absolutely cannot go wrong with the E10. It has a learning curve yes, but then most quality peices of equipment usually do. I think it's this curve that keeps pushing me to improve more each time I push the shutter button.

Vance.

Bert in Canada said:

Preamble:

I have been lurking quietly in the dpreview forums for eight months
reading posts at the various camera discussion areas. It has all
been in quest of determining the ideal digital camera for me.
Without the emotional baggage that comes with pride of ownership of
a specific camera, I have been trying to separate wheat from chaff,
bravado from fact and awareness from blind allegiance in an effort
to find my digital home. Of late I am spending most of my time at
Olympus SLR talk as I am this close - holds thumb and index finger
one cm. apart - from buying an E-10.

The E-10 is as controversial a camera as I have seen in the
dpreview forums, garnering zealous praise and vitriolic distain
often on the same page. I have seen images so washed out, dull and
noisy that no one would ever consider purchasing this beast and
images so natural and “right” that its image
capabilities finally seem at par with its apparent ergonomic
delights. This dichotomy continually puzzles me and makes me
somewhat nervous about this major investment.

The heart of the matter:

Whenever I doubt the merit of having the E-10 as my number one
digital camera choice, I venture to belgiumdigital to view
Jaja’s E-10 pictures. No one seems to have a better handle on
the E-10 then he. Yet at times even his images are not as crisp as
I think they might - or should be - and the colour saturation is
often not to my taste.

Then Jaja posted the latest Bokrijk album images - page 4 - which
to my eyes are technically superior to anything that he has posted
to date. The images are crisp and tack sharp and colour saturation
is ideal with excellent shadow detail and highlights. (Some lovely
images as well.)

Jaja, what have you done?

Have you changed your procedure?
What were the original camera settings in terms of resolution and
image size, quality settings, saturation levels etc.?
Have you changed your post processing methods?
Are these technical gems the result of subsequent software
manipulation?
How did you prepare the original images for display in regards to
sizing, sharpening, enhancement etc.?

Please share what you’ve done to produce these gems.

In closing, thank you to all on the Olympus SLR talk forum for your
photos, insights and arguments.

Bert

PS: Jaja, have you done any black and images with the E-10?
I’d sure like to see what you can do with that, as b/w is
very important to me.

Click to expand...

Hey Vance,

Couldn't have said it better.

Jason Busch

Hello Bert,

The E-10 is indeed a controversial camera. You love it or you hate it, and the opinions are often divided

To get it right: I'm just a "passionated" amateur photographer who spends every free time taking photos and share them on the internet to display the capability of today's digital cameras.
Of course, it's nice to read our photos are used as "reference".

Our "Belgium Digital team" uses several brands of cameras (Canon, Nikon, Olympus). They all are capable of producing wonderfull images.

My main target is to produces photos as good as possible "out of the camera". An overexposed shot mostley can't be rescued using post-processing and the same goes for blurred photos.

I started digital imaging in 1999 with a Canon Pro 70, had a Nikon CP990 untill end of 2000 when the E-10 arrived.

Regarding the latest Bokrijk album, that was a "free lance" job in bad weather conditions. One moment, bright sunshine, the next second the rain splashed out of the sky ...
I just used the "standard" settings/procedures to publish images on the web.

The standard camera settings are HQ (jpg 1:8, about 700Kb/image, 2200x1680 - highest resolution) and everything "normal" in the camera (sharpness, contrast, ...). I often use "P" mode and EV + -, autofocus and autowhite balance and ISO 80.

The standard post-processing for webpublishing are resizing to 800x600, adjust levels or contrast (which delivers the best results) and a minor unsharp mask (using Photoshop). So, no big secrets at all ...
No extra layers, masks, ....
I didn't use any "extra" lenses for that album, only the E-10 standard lens.

In some previous albums, I did a lot of Tcon-300 shots. They're quality is a little less than with the standard lens, but remains incredible good for a 420mm lens.

Colour saturation is a matter of personal taste, a good point.
But that can be adapted to ones personal taste using post-processing.
The E-10 images are very "flexible" regarding that subject.

The photos of my former Nikon CP990 were allways oversaturated in my opinion. The grass was to green ...
The E-10 colours are more natural, true.

But that's depending on ones taste. It's comparable to the choise of a traditional film. Should I use Kodak, Fuji, Afga ... all with their own 'accent'.

I've done some black and white images (but not that much) and the quality was great. The E-10 colour range (especially mid-tones) preserves the "in between" gray scale tints.

A lot depends on the used software to convert them. I used the standard Photoshop tools, but there are special "B&W" converting filters/actions that probably will deliver an even better result.

My conclusion
The E-10 is the best and most versatile camera I've ever owned.

Once you know "the beast", (mastering the settings and knowing which are best for what) it's capable of capturing nearly anything even using "P" mode (P stand for Perfect
The other modes give a more 'creative' control when needed.

I've used the E-10 for extra close up shots up to the 420mm tele range and all within that range is just a pleasure to capture ...

For me, the E-10 is just the perfect tool for my needs. It allows me to shoot the photos the way I want them to be and they allways come out that way ... and that for a reasonable price.

I've also invested a lot in extra lenses, FL-40 flash, ... but when taking over 3.000 photos a month, I can justify those costs

Oops, this has become a rather long reply, but I think it's important you know "all" the facts and some background.

Jaja
hrrp: www.belgiumdigital.com

Bert in Canada said:

Preamble:

I have been lurking quietly in the dpreview forums for eight months
reading posts at the various camera discussion areas. It has all
been in quest of determining the ideal digital camera for me.
Without the emotional baggage that comes with pride of ownership of
a specific camera, I have been trying to separate wheat from chaff,
bravado from fact and awareness from blind allegiance in an effort
to find my digital home. Of late I am spending most of my time at
Olympus SLR talk as I am this close - holds thumb and index finger
one cm. apart - from buying an E-10.

The E-10 is as controversial a camera as I have seen in the
dpreview forums, garnering zealous praise and vitriolic distain
often on the same page. I have seen images so washed out, dull and
noisy that no one would ever consider purchasing this beast and
images so natural and “right” that its image
capabilities finally seem at par with its apparent ergonomic
delights. This dichotomy continually puzzles me and makes me
somewhat nervous about this major investment.

The heart of the matter:

Whenever I doubt the merit of having the E-10 as my number one
digital camera choice, I venture to belgiumdigital to view
Jaja’s E-10 pictures. No one seems to have a better handle on
the E-10 then he. Yet at times even his images are not as crisp as
I think they might - or should be - and the colour saturation is
often not to my taste.

Then Jaja posted the latest Bokrijk album images - page 4 - which
to my eyes are technically superior to anything that he has posted
to date. The images are crisp and tack sharp and colour saturation
is ideal with excellent shadow detail and highlights. (Some lovely
images as well.)

Jaja, what have you done?

Have you changed your procedure?
What were the original camera settings in terms of resolution and
image size, quality settings, saturation levels etc.?
Have you changed your post processing methods?
Are these technical gems the result of subsequent software
manipulation?
How did you prepare the original images for display in regards to
sizing, sharpening, enhancement etc.?

Please share what you’ve done to produce these gems.

In closing, thank you to all on the Olympus SLR talk forum for your
photos, insights and arguments.

Bert

PS: Jaja, have you done any black and images with the E-10?
I’d sure like to see what you can do with that, as b/w is
very important to me.

Click to expand...

Working this camera in a professional capacity, read having no choice in subject matter, time, location or conditions this camera is acquitting itself well in most areas.

It is a fantastic piece of machinery in the studio - a place I am not very often but I am in the dark a lot, nightclubs, hotel dinner dances etc and I really appreciate its superior focusing – its IR in-the-dark focus, also very valuable in the studio with studio strobes. Otherwise I find it is a constant battle to achieve good focus, one cannot relax one’s focus approach with this camera at all – its snapshot ability is suspect. At a recent awards ceremony the winner rushed forward grabbed the cup and raised it over his head while the presenter was still holding it – a fantastic shot, perfectly caught – except it was out of focus. I have others taken just moments later which are in focus but the really great shot is lost.

Other than that I find I am producing more, consistently focused and exposed images than I have been heretofore. Whilst image noise can become an issue I have only found unedited 320ISO images to reproduce this noise in print.

Finally, having recently tried out other cameras in my working environment I can say that the E10 fits in and performs better than some otherwise “superior” cameras in my day-to-day routine. My images are printed alongside those from the D1 and an assortment of Kodak’s and in the colour reproduction my E10 often outperforms them in print.

Hello Ger,

I only can agree with you.

More and more people are discovering the true value and capability of the E-10. And yes, I also have sometimes an oof shot in those circumstances.
But overall, I think it's the best value/quality for money ...

Jaja
http://www.belgiumdigital.com

Ger Bee said:

Working this camera in a professional capacity, read having no
choice in subject matter, time, location or conditions this camera
is acquitting itself well in most areas.

It is a fantastic piece of machinery in the studio - a place I am
not very often but I am in the dark a lot, nightclubs, hotel dinner
dances etc and I really appreciate its superior focusing –
its IR in-the-dark focus, also very valuable in the studio with
studio strobes. Otherwise I find it is a constant battle to achieve
good focus, one cannot relax one’s focus approach with this
camera at all – its snapshot ability is suspect. At a recent
awards ceremony the winner rushed forward grabbed the cup and
raised it over his head while the presenter was still holding it
– a fantastic shot, perfectly caught – except it was
out of focus. I have others taken just moments later which are in
focus but the really great shot is lost.

Other than that I find I am producing more, consistently focused
and exposed images than I have been heretofore. Whilst image noise
can become an issue I have only found unedited 320ISO images to
reproduce this noise in print.

Finally, having recently tried out other cameras in my working
environment I can say that the E10 fits in and performs better than
some otherwise “superior” cameras in my day-to-day
routine. My images are printed alongside those from the D1 and an
assortment of Kodak’s and in the colour reproduction my E10
often outperforms them in print.

Click to expand...

Jeeeze, im glad he does not drive a jaguar!

Vance said:

Jaja is the great corrupter of minds and emptier of wallets around
here.

Had it not been for his amazing photographs, and praise towards the
E10 it would have taken me atleast another week before I broke down
and bought my E10. )

I keep showing my E10 Jaja's pictures and telling it, this is the
way. We must become one like the Jaja-E10.

Bert, all I can tell you if you haven't made up your mind yet is
this. You absolutely cannot go wrong with the E10. It has a
learning curve yes, but then most quality peices of equipment
usually do. I think it's this curve that keeps pushing me to
improve more each time I push the shutter button.

Vance.

Bert in Canada said:

Preamble:

I have been lurking quietly in the dpreview forums for eight months
reading posts at the various camera discussion areas. It has all
been in quest of determining the ideal digital camera for me.
Without the emotional baggage that comes with pride of ownership of
a specific camera, I have been trying to separate wheat from chaff,
bravado from fact and awareness from blind allegiance in an effort
to find my digital home. Of late I am spending most of my time at
Olympus SLR talk as I am this close - holds thumb and index finger
one cm. apart - from buying an E-10.

The E-10 is as controversial a camera as I have seen in the
dpreview forums, garnering zealous praise and vitriolic distain
often on the same page. I have seen images so washed out, dull and
noisy that no one would ever consider purchasing this beast and
images so natural and “right” that its image
capabilities finally seem at par with its apparent ergonomic
delights. This dichotomy continually puzzles me and makes me
somewhat nervous about this major investment.

The heart of the matter:

Whenever I doubt the merit of having the E-10 as my number one
digital camera choice, I venture to belgiumdigital to view
Jaja’s E-10 pictures. No one seems to have a better handle on
the E-10 then he. Yet at times even his images are not as crisp as
I think they might - or should be - and the colour saturation is
often not to my taste.

Then Jaja posted the latest Bokrijk album images - page 4 - which
to my eyes are technically superior to anything that he has posted
to date. The images are crisp and tack sharp and colour saturation
is ideal with excellent shadow detail and highlights. (Some lovely
images as well.)

Jaja, what have you done?

Have you changed your procedure?
What were the original camera settings in terms of resolution and
image size, quality settings, saturation levels etc.?
Have you changed your post processing methods?
Are these technical gems the result of subsequent software
manipulation?
How did you prepare the original images for display in regards to
sizing, sharpening, enhancement etc.?

Please share what you’ve done to produce these gems.

In closing, thank you to all on the Olympus SLR talk forum for your
photos, insights and arguments.

Bert

PS: Jaja, have you done any black and images with the E-10?
I’d sure like to see what you can do with that, as b/w is
very important to me.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Hello Brian,

If I drove a jaguar, I would have no budget left for an E-10 after the first overhault ... ))

Jaja
http://www.belgiumdigital.com

Brian Mackey said:

Vance said:

Jaja is the great corrupter of minds and emptier of wallets around
here.

Had it not been for his amazing photographs, and praise towards the
E10 it would have taken me atleast another week before I broke down
and bought my E10. )

I keep showing my E10 Jaja's pictures and telling it, this is the
way. We must become one like the Jaja-E10.

Bert, all I can tell you if you haven't made up your mind yet is
this. You absolutely cannot go wrong with the E10. It has a
learning curve yes, but then most quality peices of equipment
usually do. I think it's this curve that keeps pushing me to
improve more each time I push the shutter button.

Vance.

Bert in Canada said:

Preamble:

I have been lurking quietly in the dpreview forums for eight months
reading posts at the various camera discussion areas. It has all
been in quest of determining the ideal digital camera for me.
Without the emotional baggage that comes with pride of ownership of
a specific camera, I have been trying to separate wheat from chaff,
bravado from fact and awareness from blind allegiance in an effort
to find my digital home. Of late I am spending most of my time at
Olympus SLR talk as I am this close - holds thumb and index finger
one cm. apart - from buying an E-10.

The E-10 is as controversial a camera as I have seen in the
dpreview forums, garnering zealous praise and vitriolic distain
often on the same page. I have seen images so washed out, dull and
noisy that no one would ever consider purchasing this beast and
images so natural and “right” that its image
capabilities finally seem at par with its apparent ergonomic
delights. This dichotomy continually puzzles me and makes me
somewhat nervous about this major investment.

The heart of the matter:

Whenever I doubt the merit of having the E-10 as my number one
digital camera choice, I venture to belgiumdigital to view
Jaja’s E-10 pictures. No one seems to have a better handle on
the E-10 then he. Yet at times even his images are not as crisp as
I think they might - or should be - and the colour saturation is
often not to my taste.

Then Jaja posted the latest Bokrijk album images - page 4 - which
to my eyes are technically superior to anything that he has posted
to date. The images are crisp and tack sharp and colour saturation
is ideal with excellent shadow detail and highlights. (Some lovely
images as well.)

Jaja, what have you done?

Have you changed your procedure?
What were the original camera settings in terms of resolution and
image size, quality settings, saturation levels etc.?
Have you changed your post processing methods?
Are these technical gems the result of subsequent software
manipulation?
How did you prepare the original images for display in regards to
sizing, sharpening, enhancement etc.?

Please share what you’ve done to produce these gems.

In closing, thank you to all on the Olympus SLR talk forum for your
photos, insights and arguments.

Bert

PS: Jaja, have you done any black and images with the E-10?
I’d sure like to see what you can do with that, as b/w is
very important to me.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Hello Vance,

That's why I got the police knockin' on my door! ))

Thanks man, but you should know the amount of e-mails I get from angry "E-10 woman" ...

Jaja
http://www.belgiumdigital.com

Vance said:

Jaja is the great corrupter of minds and emptier of wallets around
here.

Had it not been for his amazing photographs, and praise towards the
E10 it would have taken me atleast another week before I broke down
and bought my E10. )

I keep showing my E10 Jaja's pictures and telling it, this is the
way. We must become one like the Jaja-E10.

Bert, all I can tell you if you haven't made up your mind yet is
this. You absolutely cannot go wrong with the E10. It has a
learning curve yes, but then most quality peices of equipment
usually do. I think it's this curve that keeps pushing me to
improve more each time I push the shutter button.

Vance.

Bert in Canada said:

Preamble:

I have been lurking quietly in the dpreview forums for eight months
reading posts at the various camera discussion areas. It has all
been in quest of determining the ideal digital camera for me.
Without the emotional baggage that comes with pride of ownership of
a specific camera, I have been trying to separate wheat from chaff,
bravado from fact and awareness from blind allegiance in an effort
to find my digital home. Of late I am spending most of my time at
Olympus SLR talk as I am this close - holds thumb and index finger
one cm. apart - from buying an E-10.

The E-10 is as controversial a camera as I have seen in the
dpreview forums, garnering zealous praise and vitriolic distain
often on the same page. I have seen images so washed out, dull and
noisy that no one would ever consider purchasing this beast and
images so natural and “right” that its image
capabilities finally seem at par with its apparent ergonomic
delights. This dichotomy continually puzzles me and makes me
somewhat nervous about this major investment.

The heart of the matter:

Whenever I doubt the merit of having the E-10 as my number one
digital camera choice, I venture to belgiumdigital to view
Jaja’s E-10 pictures. No one seems to have a better handle on
the E-10 then he. Yet at times even his images are not as crisp as
I think they might - or should be - and the colour saturation is
often not to my taste.

Then Jaja posted the latest Bokrijk album images - page 4 - which
to my eyes are technically superior to anything that he has posted
to date. The images are crisp and tack sharp and colour saturation
is ideal with excellent shadow detail and highlights. (Some lovely
images as well.)

Jaja, what have you done?

Have you changed your procedure?
What were the original camera settings in terms of resolution and
image size, quality settings, saturation levels etc.?
Have you changed your post processing methods?
Are these technical gems the result of subsequent software
manipulation?
How did you prepare the original images for display in regards to
sizing, sharpening, enhancement etc.?

Please share what you’ve done to produce these gems.

In closing, thank you to all on the Olympus SLR talk forum for your
photos, insights and arguments.

Bert

PS: Jaja, have you done any black and images with the E-10?
I’d sure like to see what you can do with that, as b/w is
very important to me.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Thanks to those that responded to my posting. It’s amusing to see that it’s inspired interest in Jaja’s choice of vehicle. I wonder what he really drives?

Thanks specifically to Vance for his encouraging comments, to Ger Bee (undoubtedly one of the most controversial members of the Olympus SLR panel who frequently raises issues that show an implied ambivalence towards the E-10 but reflect a mind grounded in reality) and to Jaja who will surely continue to inspire.

Jaja, I appreciate the time taken for, as you called it - “a rather long reply” - which addressed most of the issues I questioned. Your comments were enlightening and informative.

I’m surprised to see that you shoot at HQ with 1:8 compression. While that certainly maximises the number of images that can be stored on your choice of memory card, does it not compromise the ultimate picture quality? Is there nothing to be gained by shooting at the lower compression rates?

You really didn’t explain why those photos on page 4 of the Bokrijk album are superior to others you’ve posted.. (at least to my eyes) You do acknowledge you used a lot of Tcon-300 shots in other albums but surely many of the other photos in those were taken with the standard E-10 lens as well. You admit to taking no new or extra steps in post processing so I’m still in a quandary as to what you’ve done to achieve such splendid results. Can you see what I’m talking about in these photos or am I just imaging things? (Or maybe they’re really a D-30? )) )

Within the month I will be the owner of an E-10 and I’m looking forward to interacting with you all.

Regards
Bert

Wow, that’s as close as one can get to calling one a liar! Even in humor its in bad taste, IMHO.

But you’re lucky as, JaJa is the peaceful one. I would have taken much offense. Anyway, would it really matter if it was a D-30, a D620L, a Nikon 990? Not to a photographer, if you got it, man you got it, and guess what, Jaja and his crew GOT IT!

Jaja and his team have the eye, the touch, the discipline, the desire, the patience, and the soul required to be great! He also has the humility to deny it, another quality of greatness.

Jaja has a passion few can understand and most can only dream of. His zest and desire for a certain quality of life, spread through his teaching's and his personal life, his marriage, (I can say this without a single doubt, as we have spent lots of time talking.) I would say his posts, photo's and his personal life are beyond reproach.

So, Bert, if that’s really your name, (sorry you got me thinking like you) I wish you joy with your new E-10. Or D-30 or whatever camera you believe will give you what you want. But, try to enjoy it not dissect it.

peace.

Bert in Canada said:

Thanks to those that responded to my posting. It’s amusing to
see that it’s inspired interest in Jaja’s choice of
vehicle. I wonder what he really drives?

Thanks specifically to Vance for his encouraging comments, to Ger
Bee (undoubtedly one of the most controversial members of the
Olympus SLR panel who frequently raises issues that show an implied
ambivalence towards the E-10 but reflect a mind grounded in
reality) and to Jaja who will surely continue to inspire.

Jaja, I appreciate the time taken for, as you called it - “a
rather long reply” - which addressed most of the issues I
questioned. Your comments were enlightening and informative.

I’m surprised to see that you shoot at HQ with 1:8
compression. While that certainly maximises the number of images
that can be stored on your choice of memory card, does it not
compromise the ultimate picture quality? Is there nothing to be
gained by shooting at the lower compression rates?

You really didn’t explain why those photos on page 4 of the
Bokrijk album are superior to others you’ve posted.. (at
least to my eyes) You do acknowledge you used a lot of Tcon-300
shots in other albums but surely many of the other photos in those
were taken with the standard E-10 lens as well. You admit to taking
no new or extra steps in post processing so I’m still in a
quandary as to what you’ve done to achieve such splendid
results. Can you see what I’m talking about in these photos
or am I just imaging things? (Or maybe they’re really a D-30?
)) )

Within the month I will be the owner of an E-10 and I’m
looking forward to interacting with you all.

Regards
Bert

Click to expand...

Brian Mackey said:

Wow, that’s as close as one can get to calling one a liar!
Even in humor its in bad taste, IMHO.

Click to expand...

Lighten up, Brian. Surely the smileys appended at the end of my parenthetical comment indicate quite blatantly that I'm jesting, although you obviously don't see it as such. May I classify your reaction as a severe "sense of humour failure" (SOHF). Part of your message suggests you spotted the smiley I'd attached, but then chose to ignore it and infer by some odd notion that I'm calling Jaja a liar. Please don't publicly read things into my words that I never said nor intended. I certainly have no doubt that those are E-10 images, and would hardly not bother to ask Jaja how he achieved his fine results if I felt otherwise. In fact, if anything, the jibe should be regarded as a compliment; by inference suggesting that the photos are as supurb as those produced by the D30.

Brian Mackey said:

But you’re lucky as, JaJa is the peaceful one. I would have
taken much offense.

Click to expand...

Apparently you did on his behalf.
I'll be careful not to joke with you then, Brian.

Brian Mackey said:

Anyway, would it really matter if it was a
D-30, a D620L, a Nikon 990? Not to a photographer, if you got it,
man you got it, and guess what, Jaja and his crew GOT IT!

Click to expand...

I'm sure that Jaja could achieve aesthetic success with a pinhole camera

but that isn't the issue here. I'm here in this specific forum asking for guidance as to how such successful images were created with an E-10.

Brian Mackey said:

Jaja and his team have the eye, the touch, the discipline, the
desire, the patience, and the soul required to be great! He also
has the humility to deny it, another quality of greatness.

Jaja has a passion few can understand and most can only dream of.
His zest and desire for a certain quality of life, spread through
his teaching's and his personal life, his marriage, (I can say this
without a single doubt, as we have spent lots of time talking.) I
would say his posts, photo's and his personal life are beyond
reproach.

Click to expand...

I don't doubt that but why are you so defensive.
Did I suggest otherwise?

Brian Mackey said:

So, Bert, if that’s really your name,

Click to expand...

It certainly is. Why would I make up such a name?

As I see no smileys appened to your comment, it makes me wonder why you would say such a thing.

Brian Mackey said:

(sorry you got me thinking like you)

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No, you're thinking the way you're wrongly suggesting that I'm thinking.
There's a difference.

Brian Mackey said:

I wish you joy with your new E-10.

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Frankly, Brian, I doubt the sincerity of that statement and I must admit
that you have now soured me to a site that I've enjoyed for so long.
I've no idea why my little aside inspired such a vitriolic outburst from you.

Brian Mackey said:

Or D-30 or
whatever camera you believe will give you what you want.

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My closing statement was ""Within the month I will be the owner of an E-10 and I’m looking forward to interacting with you all"
I think that suggests "whatever" the camera will be.

Brian Mackey said:

But, try to enjoy it not dissect it.

Click to expand...

What is that supposed to mean?
Again, you're drawing conclusions about me.
Perhaps I enjoy dissecting things.

Brian Mackey said:

peace.

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Likewise to you.
You've certainly made me wish that I had remained silent. sighs

Hello Bert,

I drive a Fiat Ulysse monovolume ... 9 months old now, 42.000 km on the counter caused by all my "photographical" trips ...
Here's a photo of it's back (taken with Tcon-14B):



Another mystery solved ))

Regarding quality settings, HQ is the most used setting but it depends on what the image is finally used for. I've done some shootings that were published on high quality glossy paper and for those, I used SHQ (jpg compression 1:2).

After several tests, I could'nt find a major difference between orf (raw), tif (uncompressed) or the different jpg's. I did shoot orf and tiff and the orf files are very usefull for intensive post-processing jobs since one has control about nearly all, including white balance.

I did a lot of A4 prints and they were perfect using HQ. I also did several tests using the Oly P-400 printer and not a single "pixel" was visible on the largest possible prints.
So, why use a higher quality when it's mostly a waste of CF-space?

I just have 500Mb of CF-cards and so I can shoot over 500 images without having to transfer files to my laptop.

And no, I have not really an explanation why the Bokrijk page 4 images appear to be better ... I just used the same configuration, settings and post-processing as allways. So I can understand your 'confusion'.
And yes, they're all E-10 photos! ))

The E-10 stores it's unique serial number in the Exif-data and that's a nice feature (when Exif data are available

This feature is also usefull when someone has to prove the images are his/her property and he/she has the original files.
(that's why most of the Belgium Digital photos are "Exif-data-less ...

And "doubting" about the used camera is nothing but a great compliment to the E-10.

Regarding Brian's reaction, he's a hughe "fan" so don't be to hard on him. He's a really nice guy and certainly has misunderstood or misinterpreted your words, I'm sure about that.

The "peacefull" thing about me has all to do with previous threads in the past in this forum when some people posted here "trash" messages about the E-10 and it's quality. I allways posted "peacefull" reply's

Well, I hope you got you E-10 very soon and can be part of the club of happy camera owners.

This forum and it's members are ready to answer questions and give you all the help you should need. We're looking forward to your shots.

In my opinion, your message is one of the best compliments towards the E-10, it's quality and it's capabillities.

Jaja
http://www.belgiumdigital.com

Bert in Canada said:

Thanks to those that responded to my posting. It’s amusing to
see that it’s inspired interest in Jaja’s choice of
vehicle. I wonder what he really drives?

Thanks specifically to Vance for his encouraging comments, to Ger
Bee (undoubtedly one of the most controversial members of the
Olympus SLR panel who frequently raises issues that show an implied
ambivalence towards the E-10 but reflect a mind grounded in
reality) and to Jaja who will surely continue to inspire.

Jaja, I appreciate the time taken for, as you called it - “a
rather long reply” - which addressed most of the issues I
questioned. Your comments were enlightening and informative.

I’m surprised to see that you shoot at HQ with 1:8
compression. While that certainly maximises the number of images
that can be stored on your choice of memory card, does it not
compromise the ultimate picture quality? Is there nothing to be
gained by shooting at the lower compression rates?

You really didn’t explain why those photos on page 4 of the
Bokrijk album are superior to others you’ve posted.. (at
least to my eyes) You do acknowledge you used a lot of Tcon-300
shots in other albums but surely many of the other photos in those
were taken with the standard E-10 lens as well. You admit to taking
no new or extra steps in post processing so I’m still in a
quandary as to what you’ve done to achieve such splendid
results. Can you see what I’m talking about in these photos
or am I just imaging things? (Or maybe they’re really a D-30?
)) )

Within the month I will be the owner of an E-10 and I’m
looking forward to interacting with you all.

Regards
Bert

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Okay

Member said:

Lighten up, Brian. Surely the smileys appended at the end of my
parenthetical comment indicate quite blatantly that I'm jesting,
although you obviously don't see it as such. May I classify your
reaction as a severe "sense of humour failure" (SOHF). Part of your
message suggests you spotted the smiley I'd attached, but then
chose to ignore it and infer by some odd notion that I'm calling
Jaja a liar. Please don't publicly read things into my words that I
never said nor intended. I certainly have no doubt that those are
E-10 images, and would hardly not bother to ask Jaja how he
achieved his fine results if I felt otherwise. In fact, if
anything, the jibe should be regarded as a compliment; by inference
suggesting that the photos are as supurb as those produced by the
D30.

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Jumping in here - not commenting on this particular post but I recently roamed the Canon forum and directed one thread poster to my site where some of my E10 pictures reside. I got a reply starting that the pics were great and do I use the Canon A1 lenses as well? -- true story. ;-) So they, E10 images can look as good as …. – Anything really.

Or better

Ger Bee said:

Ger Bee said:

Lighten up, Brian. Surely the smileys appended at the end of my
parenthetical comment indicate quite blatantly that I'm jesting,
although you obviously don't see it as such. May I classify your
reaction as a severe "sense of humour failure" (SOHF). Part of your
message suggests you spotted the smiley I'd attached, but then
chose to ignore it and infer by some odd notion that I'm calling
Jaja a liar. Please don't publicly read things into my words that I
never said nor intended. I certainly have no doubt that those are
E-10 images, and would hardly not bother to ask Jaja how he
achieved his fine results if I felt otherwise. In fact, if
anything, the jibe should be regarded as a compliment; by inference
suggesting that the photos are as supurb as those produced by the
D30.

Click to expand...

Jumping in here - not commenting on this particular post but I
recently roamed the Canon forum and directed one thread poster to
my site where some of my E10 pictures reside. I got a reply
starting that the pics were great and do I use the Canon A1 lenses
as well? -- true story. ;-) So they, E10 images can look as good as
…. – Anything really.

Click to expand...