Steve Bingham
Veteran Member
I think Mike has the right idea, it's just that I disagree with some of his "findings".
1- I have spent enormous amounts of hours testing raw converters. Speed and tools available are a huge part of what I do. ACR has almost unlimited potential with literally over a hundred adjustment tools. It takes many, many tens of hours to learn what they all do. I am still learning, even though I taught PS for 3 years at the local college and was a beta tester. It is huge. Have I tried and tested all the converters? No way. However I have tried and tested Nikon's poor attempt as well as major players such as Capture One, ACR, and others. To this day I believe ACR is the fastest and most complete. To be fair, however, there is not enough time to check all aspects of every major converter. There is time, however, to run speed checks - which I have done.
2- Mike knows more about lenses than I will ever know. I use research for his suggestions often. And then I test my particular sample, both near and far.
3- Any major heavy duty tripod will suffice. I use the Induro carbon fiber models. Why? They are less expensive. As for ball heads I agree. I have two from Kirk. And they are expensive.
4- I use Photoshop CC 2017 exclusively - daily - and I am still learning even though I started 21 years ago and taught it at the college level. As for Lightroom, I am pretty much a novice as I find Bridge adequate for my needs. And do nothing without a properly calibrated monitor. I use a NEC PA272w. Eizo is great but expensive.
5- I have a Nikon D810, Nikon D7200 (wife's), and D5300 because I need the movable LCD to get those low angle shots. I can get down, I just can't get back up
I also have some reasonably good glass - at least good enough for my needs.
6- Sharpening. Many ways to skin a cat! I usually use sharpening in 3 phases. Initial gentle sharpening. Local more aggressive sharpening. Sharpening for web or print size. Sharpening an image is an art and requires many hours of practice. Many hours!
In short, Mike is correct. It takes many small parts to make a successful whole. Still learning!
Oh yeah, then there is the art part. This is a biggie and really can't be taught without many, many, attempts - and failures.
--
Steve Bingham
www.dustylens.com
www.ghost-town-photography.com
Latest postings are always at the bottom of each page.
1- I have spent enormous amounts of hours testing raw converters. Speed and tools available are a huge part of what I do. ACR has almost unlimited potential with literally over a hundred adjustment tools. It takes many, many tens of hours to learn what they all do. I am still learning, even though I taught PS for 3 years at the local college and was a beta tester. It is huge. Have I tried and tested all the converters? No way. However I have tried and tested Nikon's poor attempt as well as major players such as Capture One, ACR, and others. To this day I believe ACR is the fastest and most complete. To be fair, however, there is not enough time to check all aspects of every major converter. There is time, however, to run speed checks - which I have done.
2- Mike knows more about lenses than I will ever know. I use research for his suggestions often. And then I test my particular sample, both near and far.
3- Any major heavy duty tripod will suffice. I use the Induro carbon fiber models. Why? They are less expensive. As for ball heads I agree. I have two from Kirk. And they are expensive.
4- I use Photoshop CC 2017 exclusively - daily - and I am still learning even though I started 21 years ago and taught it at the college level. As for Lightroom, I am pretty much a novice as I find Bridge adequate for my needs. And do nothing without a properly calibrated monitor. I use a NEC PA272w. Eizo is great but expensive.
5- I have a Nikon D810, Nikon D7200 (wife's), and D5300 because I need the movable LCD to get those low angle shots. I can get down, I just can't get back up
I also have some reasonably good glass - at least good enough for my needs.6- Sharpening. Many ways to skin a cat! I usually use sharpening in 3 phases. Initial gentle sharpening. Local more aggressive sharpening. Sharpening for web or print size. Sharpening an image is an art and requires many hours of practice. Many hours!
In short, Mike is correct. It takes many small parts to make a successful whole. Still learning!
Oh yeah, then there is the art part. This is a biggie and really can't be taught without many, many, attempts - and failures.
--
Steve Bingham
www.dustylens.com
www.ghost-town-photography.com
Latest postings are always at the bottom of each page.
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