Finally some news on the Lightroom front! Lets be honest and admit that LR has been fairly underwhelming up until now and that the updates to the 2.x series during the last year or so has left at least me wondering whether Adobe was dropping the project. But at long last, Adobe has released LR3 and added substantial improvements both in terms of features and speed.
The new drag and drop publish services stand out of course. As do the improvements to noise and sharpening algorithms. I was also pleased to see lens corrections as a brand new feature. For those of use that suffer from cheaper / dodgier lenses this is a very welcome addition. In fact, most lenses could probably use some post-processing. Unfortunately, only two of my four lenses were available among the lens profiles. Both the Tamron 17-50mm and Canon 100mm Macro were nowhere to be found. No big deal for the would-be L-class prime perhaps but the Tamron is an entirely different matter, at least at 17mm. Overall there were virtually no Tamron lenses in the database. On the other hand, Sigma was extremely well stocked and much to my surprise I found the Sigma 150-500 OS. As well as the Canon 70-200 L obviously. Now the question is if people and lens manufacturers will comply in making lens data available. And where to collect and download this data? I cannot find a site for 3rd party profiles anywhere.
With these new improvements there is virtually now reason to look for complementary tools like Noise Ninja or DXO Optics anymore. Almost everything can be accomplished from within LR.
Now all we need is for Jeffrey Friedl to update his plugins for LR3. Particularly the PicasaWeb export. I do run his Folder Watch plugin as well, but it has become increasingly unmanageable as it has to move through thousands of images every run. Still wondering how to automatically get images from the camera into LR fast and hassle free. And still preserve a folder structure (like year_month_day). Or perhaps you can only have a few hundred photos in the database at a time.
Filed under Software by Björn Hallberg 2 months, 3 weeks ago | 90 views
About 56 blocks, about 8 meter circumference. Well, it’s a start! Plus I got to inaugurate my angle grinder. Worked like a charm and didn’t wear down the disc all that much.
Picasa: Garden 2010. So far the gardening season has been ok. Not as dry as last year, though a tad chillier. Almost everything survived the winter, save for a few grasses. And the Cotoneaster ("Skogholm") which looks suspiciously dead after ten winters. Normally it should start to flower in about a week and there aren’t even any leaves yet. The bamboo ("Rufa") seems to be making a beautiful recovery at least.
Filed under Garden by Björn Hallberg 3 months ago | 97 views
Wow. That sure sucked. A lot. At least if Crunchyroll gets their streaming deal, which is a definite possibility.
Behold the future people, where crappy streaming sites like Crunchyroll try to take a bite out of fansubs and honest piracy. Yes I do know that there are several groups (like HorribleSubs) that specialize in ripping Crunchyroll videos. But like the group name says, Crunchyroll subs are allegedly HORRIBLE (or liberal vs literal subs). We’ll soon find out I suppose.
Can’t believe people are cozying up to shitty places such as Spotify, Voddler, Hulu and the like. Nice going sheeple. Big media is going to have all of you back in their pocket in no time.
Addendum: The day has come. This was the last episode by DB. HorribleSubs swiftly moved in and filled the gap though. The upside is that you can now get 720p versions. And the subs seemed nice. From their Q&A:
Are VIZ Media’s subtitles for Bleach as good as Dattebayo’s?
The answer to this depends on your personal preference. Many like Dattebayo’s subtitles due to the addition of swear words, how they keep the Japanese honorifics intact and how some other Japanese words are left untranslated. VIZ Media’s subtitles do not contain swear words, mainly because there are few swear words in the Japanese language and merely ways of saying things in a rude manner. But I just heard that VIZ’s subtitles will keep the original Japanese attack names and include Japanese honorifics (not sure if this is just for Simulcast episodes or if it will include previous catalog episodes) . So, strictly from a translation point of view, VIZ Media’s subtitles are most likely going to be comparable to Dattebayo’s and not "terrible" as many seem to think.
Filed under Leechings by Björn Hallberg 3 months ago | 111 views
This is something that I was meaning to do last year but never got around to. It’s not a novel idea, and I have seen many version of it online, but the problem is that I’ve been unable to find any of the materials for the actual arms anywhere.
The model for the macro clamp is of course the Wimberley Plamp and the FM Photography McClamp. They both utilize flexible arms made out of a product called Loc Line (or a cheaper knockoff perhaps). Turns out Loc Line is one of the most useful products I’ve never heard of. It can be found in applications ranging from industrial coolant distribution to complicated aquarium setups and inside some stuffed animals. And the DIY applications seem endless [1|2|3|4|5|6|7].
Everything about it is great – except for the fact that I can’t seem to find it. There is only one company in the whole country that I’ve found selling Loc Line (original) and they charge maybe 2-3 times the US price. And imports are out of the question this time, even if RDG Tools could work. Instead I’m currently looking into knockoffs available locally. Luna apparently has them and I hope my local hardware store is able to get it for me. If the price is right of course.
This could solve so many problems with macro photo like stabilizing moving object or getting the right background at the right distance. Or holding up small reflectors.
And btw. Here is an alternative design using something called Kwiktwist (a product I’ve had even less luck locating).
Addendum: This DIY is dead in the water already. Prices in Sweden were crazy across the board. And buying from RDG wouldn’t work since they didn’t have all the parts and sizes. As for importing from the US, shipping alone would be $34. Kind of what I wanted to spend on this entire project. That would mean that two three feet 3/4 inch arms with the correct parts would come to a total of about $100 including shipping. $90 maybe if I moved to 1/2 inch. Unacceptable for something you’d use a handful of times per year.
Filed under Gear by Björn Hallberg 3 months, 1 week ago | 169 views
Now that I have started getting used to my new Meindl Island Active, I’ve also begun looking for suitable replacement insoles / footbeds. And not just for the Island but my other shoes as well. The insoles that comes with most Meindl boots have virtually no cushioning to speak of, certainly no arch support and seem mostly focused on moisture control. And now I want new footbeds that can excel across the board at a reasonable cost. Yeah I know, it’s asking the impossible.
The first thing I did was to check out orthopedic footbeds that are moulded after your foot by a professional. A perfect match with reasonable cushioning but unfortunately made out of some icky black rubbery material that will turn your boot into a swimming pool. Also, prices are hilarious. 1100 SEK for the first pair (and the mould), 600 SEK for subsequent footbeds on the same mould. Given that insoles have to be replaced every other year or so, and that you might need at least two different insoles with different height, price is definitely a deciding factor.
Moving on to commercial insoles, I found a number of manufacturers like Sof Sole, Sole, Superfeet and AFS. Sof Sole seems to be the most affordable, and at least a limited assortment is sold by a local Swedish chain of sporting goods stores. I did try one of their footbeds, probably "Athlete", with the old Meindl Island Pro briefly and it felt … less awkward. Found this video review of the Sof Sole "Custom" which seems somewhat promising.
Addendum: I ordered a pair of AFS Orange Medium since AFS insoles were 30% off at Addnature this week and with free shipping. That made them as "affordable" as Sof Sole so lets give it a whirl.
Filed under Apparel by Björn Hallberg 3 months, 2 weeks ago | 101 views
Some ideas on how to get rid of that awful slope once and for all. Proportions are pretty much accurate.
Google Sketchup would be the perfect garden planner if there were only more specific components you could download. As it stands, whatever you do it tends to become a bit generic. Plus some of the components you download are extremely high-polygon and render extremely slowly. Or perhaps it’s just Sketchup that is extremely crappy at a high polycount. I should probably stick to 2D illustrations of plants in Sketchup anyway.
I should really take the time to accurately model the entire garden some day. Just need to learn how to use Sketchup a little better. Doing slopes (or in other words surfaces that are in the same place as and connect to surfaces on another plane) for instance nearly drove me insane. As does the automatic "healing" when you draw or copy something on top or adjacent to something else.
Filed under Garden by Björn Hallberg 3 months, 2 weeks ago | 128 views
I got rid of my Fastpack 250 in favour of the Flipside 400 AW. Camera bags sure are a real nuisance. There is no such thing as the perfect bag, and most have serious caveats.
The Fastpack for instance has a brilliant fast access system that I will miss, but hangs on your back like a sack of potatoes and doesn’t swallow much equipment at all. The perfect application for such a bag would be if you had an 18-200 "super zoom" or whatever that you never changed AND you wanted to carry a laptop. But carrying a few extra lenses makes the bag uncomfortable, especially since it lacks a chest strap.
The Flipside on the other hand employs a semi-fast access, better ergonomics, a chest strap (flimsy but still) and far more camera specific storage. Even so, my first impression of the bag was how small it was. Disappointingly small. And that like many Lowepro bags it hangs way too high on the back. Even with adjustments, getting the waist belt to actually rest on your hips seems like mission impossible. Still, it’s pretty good and in many ways a big step up from the Fastpack. Having said that, I still can’t fit all of my equipment, nor do I even know if it would be a good idea. The important thing is that I can fit a gripped 40D with the Sigma 150-500mm mounted (hood reversed). The 17-50mm, 70-200mm L and 100mm macro will fit as well, but after that I have no place to store either the standard flash or the macro flash. So I’m still going to have to prioritize. It’ll probably be better for my back as well.
Continue reading ‘Lowepro Flipside 400 AW’
Filed under Gear by Björn Hallberg 3 months, 2 weeks ago | 236 views
I just unboxed (picasa) the boots.
So far so good. The final total including shipping came to €204 (Outdoortrekking2010). Or about €100 less than the typical price here in Sweden.
As this is more or less a brand new boot it feels a bit like uncharted territory. Even if you have used the Meindl Island Pro MFS I would certainly recommend trying the Island Active on for size before taking the plunge. I certainly did but was nevertheless surprised by what seems to be a new narrower fit. Possibly aggravated by a slightly larger right foot or a smaller right boot. Or some form of slight swelling / beginning bunion.
But I think it’s safe to say that this is not really radically different from the usual break-in period that comes with a pair of boots at this level. And speaking of break-in, I have to note that this was no walk in the park. Not that it’s supposed to be. I’m not that naive. But some people have been making the case that Meindl boots have virtually no break-in period. I’m just saying, expect the usual break-in torture walks. Hopefully the pinching across the right foot will go away. I’m trying the Meindl prescribed wet grass method in the meantime.
One thing though that is still a bit sketchy is the issue of shock absorption. And the usefulness of the air-active sole. It’s kind of hard to make out when your entire feet and lower legs are aching. The inlay sole doesn’t look like much in terms of cushioning but is allegedly also vital for moisture transfer. So if it isn’t sufficient and needs to replaced I’d have to find a sole that does both of those things, has better arch support and is mouldable. Correct me if I’m wrong but this insole feels completely flat.
Filed under Apparel by Björn Hallberg 3 months, 3 weeks ago | 374 views
And this time it’s a big round number. I’d be terribly anxious if I wasn’t already so desensitized. Perhaps it will all sink in with time, creating some sort of colossal crisis.
Good news is that at least you get free leech with a few torrent sites. Yay. That is about as festive as it’s going to get.
Filed under Uncategorized by Björn Hallberg 3 months, 4 weeks ago | 92 views
Got the Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM.
Nice lens for the money. You’d be hard pressed to find anything more affordable. A slightly better Canon zoom equivalent would be almost twice as much. A Canon prime would be almost ten times more expensive. Only a super serious pro could ever hope to justify that. It’s the sort of lens that gets you torn to shreds by homicidal Apache helicopter jockeys in some parts of the world as they "mistake" it for an RPG. But I digress.
Now, all I need is a new camera bag to carry this thing together with my other lenses. Currently I have only the Lowepro Fast 250 and the (now discontinued) Toploader 75 AW. The former was too small already a couple of flashes and lenses ago, doesn’t feel good to wear and has a signature laptop compartment that is of no use to me (I don’t own a laptop). The latter is a shoulder bag basically that I’ve never used, with a an optional harness that enables you to use it on the chest while using a normal backpack - also something that I’ve never used. Both were bought rather hastily at a sale.
Continue reading ‘Sigma 150-500mm OS’
Filed under Gear by Björn Hallberg 3 months, 4 weeks ago | 121 views
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