Pages: 1 ... 38 39 [40] 41 42 ... 54   Go Down

Author Topic: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences  (Read 615478 times)

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #780 on: March 04, 2013, 12:41:07 am »

Converted to B&W in 5.5.



Cheers,
Bernard

EricWHiss

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2639
    • Rolleiflex USA
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #781 on: March 04, 2013, 12:54:51 am »

Juan,
Looks like you're coming to terms with the Sigma and producing some fine shots. I noticed some banding in your B&Ws; did you try correcting this in SPP? I'm contemplating one of the Merrills for B&W landscapes, but this banding issue could be a deal-breaker; and I thought this problem had been resolved. Thanks.

Yes, this banding is quite apparent if you open the images in flickr and look at the sky.  It's the kind of banding that actually shows more in the print than on the screen.  What I wonder is if this is in just your particular camera and you need to get it serviced or if all the DP2M cameras have this? 
Logged
Rolleiflex USA

juan_amores

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 53
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #782 on: March 04, 2013, 11:16:14 am »

Indeed the bands are there but I'm not sure that is my camera or if it is something that happens to all merrill...
Logged

Aguirre

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 8
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #783 on: March 04, 2013, 03:06:02 pm »

From what I gather, this is a well-known issue; thus the reason Sigma added a specific "banding" tool in SPP to address the problem. Just wondering if you had used that specific tool, and if so, to what degree of success. I'm probably going to give the Merrill a try; but as I love to shoot skies, banding is not something I can live with.
Logged

Kirk Gittings

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1561
    • http://www.KirkGittings.com
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #784 on: March 04, 2013, 05:07:20 pm »

i've been thinking about this camera. That banding is worrisome especially as I would use this for prints as a final product. What do people think of using this camera for a simple b&w camera for stitching say 2x and 4x stitches. Skies are oftentimes problematic in stitching landscapes in general because of lens vigneting etc. But specifically what about the DP2 its lens and stitching images with sky. Thanks
Logged
Thanks,
Kirk Gittings

juan_amores

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 53
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #785 on: March 04, 2013, 06:52:40 pm »

From what I gather, this is a well-known issue; thus the reason Sigma added a specific "banding" tool in SPP to address the problem. Just wondering if you had used that specific tool, and if so, to what degree of success. I'm probably going to give the Merrill a try; but as I love to shoot skies, banding is not something I can live with.
With the tool "noise banding" in SPP, the banding continue there  :( :( :(
Logged

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #786 on: March 04, 2013, 08:01:51 pm »

i've been thinking about this camera. That banding is worrisome especially as I would use this for prints as a final product. What do people think of using this camera for a simple b&w camera for stitching say 2x and 4x stitches. Skies are oftentimes problematic in stitching landscapes in general because of lens vigneting etc. But specifically what about the DP2 its lens and stitching images with sky. Thanks

I did some stitching with the DP2m at base ISO and didn't see any problem.

- I used f4.5-5.6,
- I used PTGUI Pro automatic light fall off compensation capability, just like I do with my DSLR lenses. It seems to equalize the skies within less than 1 RGB point, totally seemless to my eyes.

This prevents issues in skies.

Cheers,
Bernard

Pete_G

  • Guest
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #787 on: March 05, 2013, 11:06:17 am »

i've been thinking about this camera. That banding is worrisome especially as I would use this for prints as a final product. What do people think of using this camera for a simple b&w camera for stitching say 2x and 4x stitches. Skies are oftentimes problematic in stitching landscapes in general because of lens vigneting etc. But specifically what about the DP2 its lens and stitching images with sky. Thanks

Kirk,

I can't answer your question with a deal of experience as there have been precious few blue sky days in London for some time now. You can get banding with the DP2M that's for sure but it appears to be on a per image basis and in my limited experience isn't as bad as all that. Until I get to the deep blue skies of Spain in a couple of months I can't be sure how it's going to affect me but I'm not too worried. I have bought a circular polariser so I can darken skies in camera, leaving less to do in post. As for vignetting, I don't think that's too bad with the Sigma lens and I have made an Adobe Camera Profile that reduces it anyway. I will be using the DP2M set up vertically for 2-3 shot panos and I'm not expecting too many problems although now and then there many be a lost shot. For it's definition and it's size and weight I love this camera, and if used carefully I have even got very decent results at 1600 ISO, using the new SPP 5.5 monochrome mode and whacking the colour mixer all the way into the blue channel, where noise is drastically reduced, adding grain and Clarity in LR gives a nice "film like" look. What's nice about the camera is that is DOES have limitations.
Logged

mezzoduomo

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 349
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #788 on: March 05, 2013, 11:33:51 am »

Maybe I'm a blind old fool, or maybe I don't know what to look for, but I really don't see banding in these images  on my MacBook Air screen. I do however see banding and other artifacts in skies all the time on 500PX and elsewhere when folks push too many sliders too far.
Logged

EricWHiss

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2639
    • Rolleiflex USA
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #789 on: March 05, 2013, 12:18:37 pm »

Maybe I'm a blind old fool, or maybe I don't know what to look for, but I really don't see banding in these images  on my MacBook Air screen. I do however see banding and other artifacts in skies all the time on 500PX and elsewhere when folks push too many sliders too far.

Look for horizontal straight dark lines going through the open sky areas.  Helps if you expand the image larger.

Logged
Rolleiflex USA

Slobodan Blagojevic

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 18090
  • When everyone thinks the same, nobody thinks
    • My website
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #790 on: March 05, 2013, 01:32:15 pm »

Look for horizontal straight dark lines going through the open sky areas.  Helps if you expand the image larger.

Could you take a screen shot and use arrows to point it out to us, please? I do not see it either.

Rob C

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 24074
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #791 on: March 05, 2013, 02:14:18 pm »

Converted to B&W in 5.5.



Cheers,
Bernard




I like the shot, Bernard, but I don't think that the file has converted well to b/white. The problem (in my eyes) is that the image looks 'milky' and the whites especially don't look clean. It's something I noticed with my D200 quite often, but haven't with the D700, perhaps because I've made fewer with that camera. I believe that converted colour transparencies make for better black/whites than do digital files.

Rob C

Slobodan Blagojevic

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 18090
  • When everyone thinks the same, nobody thinks
    • My website
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #792 on: March 05, 2013, 02:20:21 pm »

... the whites especially don't look clean...

Perhaps there were no whites (i.e., white umbrellas) there?

TMARK

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1841
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #793 on: March 05, 2013, 03:26:43 pm »



I like the shot, Bernard, but I don't think that the file has converted well to b/white. The problem (in my eyes) is that the image looks 'milky' and the whites especially don't look clean. It's something I noticed with my D200 quite often, but haven't with the D700, perhaps because I've made fewer with that camera. I believe that converted colour transparencies make for better black/whites than do digital files.

Rob C

I know what you mean, and I believe, in this shot, that the whites were recovered, which is a digital thing as we've been trained to recover highlights, keep texture in everything.  I like the shot and the conversion, but I think its nothing a curve or level adjustment wouldn't change.
Logged

EricWHiss

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2639
    • Rolleiflex USA
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #794 on: March 05, 2013, 05:38:25 pm »

Could you take a screen shot and use arrows to point it out to us, please? I do not see it either.

Hope this helps - and that Juan doesn't mind.  From the top left corner of the Camino Yunquera image.

Logged
Rolleiflex USA

juan_amores

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 53
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #795 on: March 05, 2013, 06:03:01 pm »

Hope this helps - and that Juan doesn't mind.  From the top left corner of the Camino Yunquera image.



Don't worry, I don't care and the bands are there ....  >:(
Logged

mezzoduomo

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 349
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #796 on: March 05, 2013, 08:04:01 pm »

How about in this picture?  Banding in the beautiful blue sky?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnloves/8504075319/

Logged

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #797 on: March 05, 2013, 09:01:29 pm »

I have personnally been able to get rid of some DP2m banding issues with Topaz Denoise plugin.

It does have a special banding removal capability where you can adjust the width of the banding, it helped a lot.

Cheers,
Bernard

Jim Funston

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #798 on: March 05, 2013, 11:33:11 pm »

I guess I am glad I am old and my eyes maybe aging and I do thank you for trying to show where the banding is but I swear I still don't see it and I even put my fly tying glasses on to magnify the image.

I recently had some 16x20 prints made and went over them with a magnifying glass and do not see any banding either on these. Guess I will remain blissfully content about my DP2m images because what I can't see can't bother me. ;)  I had some of my friends and family look at your example and my images and they don't see anything either and 2 of them are in their 20's  ???
Logged

Rob C

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 24074
Re: Sigma DP2 Merrill Experiences
« Reply #799 on: March 06, 2013, 03:48:32 am »

I guess I am glad I am old and my eyes maybe aging and I do thank you for trying to show where the banding is but I swear I still don't see it and I even put my fly tying glasses on to magnify the image.

I recently had some 16x20 prints made and went over them with a magnifying glass and do not see any banding either on these. Guess I will remain blissfully content about my DP2m images because what I can't see can't bother me. ;)  I had some of my friends and family look at your example and my images and they don't see anything either and 2 of them are in their 20's  ???


Wel, Jim, then I can only assume it's your  monitor. I can give your youngsters fifty years and yet I can see the banding!

Banding was a problem with some early D200 bodies too, but I guess I was lucky with mine in that respect.

Rob C
Pages: 1 ... 38 39 [40] 41 42 ... 54   Go Up