PHOTOGRAPHIC THREADS: camera queries, any photo tech stuff!

[Maggi Young]

Perhaps today would be a good day for Cindy to treat  you to a new camera, Tom? Many Happy returns of the day!!

[TC]

Thanks for that Maggie.  I just wrote down my age on a piece of paper and looked at it.  How did I get to be this old.  It must have sneaked up on me when I was not looking.

I have now reached the stage where I don't really want anything.  It's just more things to clutter up the house.  Apart from Cindy's clothes which take up 3/4 of all the wardrobe space, my space is taken up by 6 guitars, 2 banjos, a ukulele, didgeridoo, mandolin, tom toms and a small harmonica.

Most of my camera equipment sits in the boot of the car with the remainder in two drawers in the spare bedroom chest of drawers

I have even found clothes with C&A's labels with a collar size which I have not been able to wear for 40 years !!  Even a couple of nylon shirts which glow in the dark when you take them off.

I am sure the V&A Museum would welcome these historical items !

[Maggi Young]

Don't worry about getting old, Tom - it's so much better than the alternative! 

[Lesley Cox]

Don't really want to go off topic here, it's one of few which remain pretty much as stated but I must say that it amazes me that so many young people say "I don't want ever to become old." The only alternative, as Maggi suggests, is dying young. Do they want to do that? After all, young doesn't go on for ever - except of course, the I and M kind.

[David Nicholson]

A belated Happy Birthday Tom. How do you get away with six guitars I had to struggle to get one?

[TC]

David
The secret is to buy it BEFORE you contemplate marriage.  I had an old plywood one when skiffle started.  Then I bought a top of the range model (Martin 000-18) with my first few salary cheques in 1961.  A long neck banjo  -( Pete Seeger model) followed in 1962.     
A long period of time elapsed before I bought my next one...after I retired in 2000 and the kids had married and left home.  We at last had money to spend on ourselves.
Next it was a S/H Raimundo classic guitar.  After that I had the bit between my teeth.  I had Andy Perkins to make up a banjo for me with a wide finger board and whyte lady top..
Next I got Moon Guitars to make me a guitar with some special wood I had stored away for over 40 years.  You can see a picture of it on his website under photos.
I decided I wanted a better classic guitar so an Esteve model in Madagascar Rosewood was obtained.  The  next was a Weissenborn model , then a Kala ukulele.  My son gave me a didgeridoo and a set of tom-toms for Christmas presents.
All I need to do now is to learn to play them all !!!

[David Nicholson]

David
The secret is to buy it BEFORE you contemplate marriage.................

Good Lord Tom, I was 70 before I decided to learn to play. I'm on my second guitar now, a not very expensive acoustic, Yamaha FG700Ms, but a lovely tone. The learning is very slow though!

[David Nicholson]

Given that it is Primula time in the greenhouse and I'm doing more than my normal bit of photography maybe I could ask for a bit of advice. Most of my Primulas, but not all, are at the pale blue/violet end of the spectrum and I find it difficult to get the colours not to look washed-out. They look even more washed-out on my camera screen. I have a relatively simple point and shoot (Fuji FinePix S5700) and use the built-in menu for flower photography or, if I want to use macro the Auto menu,  the flower menu won't allow macro. Is there something else available on my type of camera that I could use to giver better colour definition.

Since I have no photographic skill or knowledge I hope the above makes sense and if anyone can help please take into account my own limitations.

[Peter Maguire]

David, is it just the flowers that look washed out/pale, or does it affect the whole picture?

If it's the whole picture, you could have accidentally pressed the exposure compensation button (bottom right hand side on the back, it has a +/- sign on it).  They may be even more washed out on the camera screen if you've increased the brightness of the monitor too much - you'll go though batteries more quickly as a result.

If it's just the flowers then it may be that the sensor is not responding to that colour in the same way as our eyes. Not much you can do about that.

I'm surprised that you can't use the 'flower' menu for macro - that's supposed to be the button to use for close ups!

[David Pilling]

David - how about showing us an example of what you're not happy with. Another idea might be to see if there is a "white balance" setting you can change.

Perhaps the special modes like "flower" are only sets of values that you can set yourself in other modes.

[Darren]

If it's just the flowers then it may be that the sensor is not responding to that colour in the same way as our eyes. Not much you can do about that.

I'm surprised that you can't use the 'flower' menu for macro - that's supposed to be the button to use for close ups!

I've a form of Iris reticulata and a Romulea (linaresii graeca) of a purple which photographs really strangely no matter what I try so I certainly agree! And I've a seedling from a red Ranunculus asiaticus which has a distinct purple cast to my eyes but if I photograph it next to a normal red flowered plant they look identical.

The flower setting on my Canon is intended for close-ups but limits the aperture setting to a wider value than I'd like, so I can't get as good a depth of field as I can using 'aperture priority'. I never use it.

[Maggi Young]

Photography Classes with SRGC Plant Photographer

Sat 7 & 14 June: 0930-1545hrs at RBGE Digital Plant Photography I with Liz Cole
Sat 28 June: 0930-1545 at RBGE Digital Plant Photography II with Liz Cole
Contact RBGE on 0131 248 2937 or education@rbge.org.uk to book a place.

[David Nicholson]

David, is it just the flowers that look washed out/pale, or does it affect the whole picture?

If it's the whole picture, you could have accidentally pressed the exposure compensation button (bottom right hand side on the back, it has a +/- sign on it).  They may be even more washed out on the camera screen if you've increased the brightness of the monitor too much - you'll go though batteries more quickly as a result.

If it's just the flowers then it may be that the sensor is not responding to that colour in the same way as our eyes. Not much you can do about that.

I'm surprised that you can't use the 'flower' menu for macro - that's supposed to be the button to use for close ups!

Peter, many thanks for responding. No, it's not the whole of the picture that looks washed out. My pictures are usually of flowers, taken in the greenhouse, to post on The Forum and consist of flowers and a bit of the pot they were in. The pot always comes out true but the flowers often looked washed out especially at the blue/lilac end of the spectrum but also, like Darren, a picture of a red flower takes on a hint of white rather than a rich red.

I checked today and I hadn't pressed the exposure compensation button by mistake. I have to admit that until you mentioned it I didn't know it was there, not the least what it was for! I was wrong when I said that it wasn't possible for me to use the macro facility when using the built in flower menu. In fact macro is there but the usual flower icon denoting macro doesn't show on the camera screen in flower mode. As it didn't show I assumed it wasn't there and have always moved the setting to Auto to use macro. I should read the manual but it's not the easiest set of instructions to understand.

Today I found that, certainly in Auto mode, it is possible to change from 'standard colour setting' to something called 'Chrome', although this is not possible in Flower mode, and I shall give that a try next week.

Maybe you are right and I am getting the best I can from the camera. I think I should have a camera day and just wander around the garden taking pictures with all the settings available on the camera and see what's best. The thing is I'm almost certain to forget what settings I've been using

David, thanks also for responding. If you have time take a look at the most recent pics I've posted in the Primula 2014 thread. The camera does have a white balance thingy but I've never understood it and haven't used it. Maybe I should read it again and give it a try!

[Peter Maguire]

David,
Your pictures of Primula 'Joan Hughes' in the Primula 2014 thread are indeed washed out in colour - the closed bud in the centre of the picture is nearer to the colour of my plants. I notice that your pictures show a great range of contract (dark to light) and you say that you are taking them in the greenhouse. It may be that the range of contrast is too great for the camera, so it might be worth trying photographing the same plant in the greenhouse and in a shadier site where the contrast will be less to see if that improves things.
Looking at reviews of the camera on the web they all date from around 2007, which in digital terms is almost prehistoric times, so it may be that the older sensor and processor in the camera are not quite able to match what we have come to expect from digital cameras over the past few years.
You could also try changing the metering to spot metering as your subjects are mostly centered in the pictures you take and then the camera will not try to average out the exposure. It's on page 82 of your manual. I looked at the online version in case you were wondering. 
As for macro settings, the camera will focus down to 1cm when in super macro mode (page 66 of the manual), but only at wide angle focal length. To get that close, you have to zoom out, then use the analogue zoom, i.e. walk closer!   
That should give you a few ideas to keep you busy. Good luck.

[David Nicholson]

Peter, I'm very grateful to you for taking the time and the trouble to give me a very full reply.

Yes, you're right the colour of the unopened bud in the centre of my picture is the nearest to the actual colour of my plant. My camera is coming up to seven years old and I think I shall have to start looking around for a replacement. Recommendations anyone, but not DSLR! Provided it doesn't chuck it down on Monday I'm going to have go at the spot metering and will report back.