The 43rd TPBM "Waiting (impatiently) for Noir" Random Chat

Belmondo wrote in post #11835469
BTW, I found this videoof a train derailment that occurred in my old stomping grounds in Northern California. It's interesting to watch them re-rail the locomotive. It's especially interesting to me personally, because it took place at a spot I drove past every day on my way home from the office. It's on Winchester Blvd. in Los Gatos. The Permanente local is the only train that uses those rails, and usually only a couple times a week. The tracks are poorly maintained, and I used to marvel that anything could stay on the rails. It was always a great source of entertainment to watch approaching trains as the rocked back and forth.

I was surprised by this video, because when we lived there, they never ran anything larger than a Geep. In fact, they kept a small pool of first generation diesels in Santa Clara just for this run.

Looking at the video, it appears a rail rolled over. That would make sense considering the weight of that big engine and the overall condition of the track.

Looks like this happened back in 2008

Looks like they were in the process of upgrading to welded rail. The stuff that was in place didn't look real good. That is an interesting method of re-railing things.

Skrim17 wrote in post #11834483
my boy this morning

Crissa, I love this one the best.

Thanks for the train talk while on my lunch break Great photos Wool

so does anyone know what the pixel density of the 20D is?

I've been working on some photos from a 20D and I am so impressed by the lack of noise, and the colors. I've pushed these photos pretty far and it's IQ is holding up better than most I've worked on recently (40D, the 5Dmk2 & 1D3).

Anyway, until now I've never worked with any 20D shots and I've never owned one.

Thanks Heather.

Poim.....2.4 MP/cm²

Woolburr wrote in post #11836608
Thanks Heather.

Poim.....2.4 MP/cm²

so (since I'm a math dufus) how does that compare with the other cameras I listed? If you don't mind.

and is the 20D 8mp?

basically I'm just wondering why I can do the things I do to these shots that would immediately plunge the others into the muddy red/green shadow grunge.

Permagrin wrote in post #11835955
okay so I heard about this new free antivirus/antimalware. It's got rave reviews. And it's for mac or windows. So I thought I'd download it and put in on our macs. It actually found & removed 15 trojans from one of our macs.

Anyway, since the MAC program is free and does real time scans as well as doesn't come with bloatware etc. I thought I'd tell you guys about it.

http://www.sophos.com/​products/free-tools/

We recently switched to this at work. I can't seem to find the free PC version though.

T.D. wrote in post #11836690
We recently switched to this at work. I can't seem to find the free PC version though.

they have it but it's not free. I don't know how much it costs.

http://www.sophos.com …rity-and-control/windows/

Permagrin wrote in post #11836561
so does anyone know what the pixel density of the 20D is?

I've been working on some photos from a 20D and I am so impressed by the lack of noise, and the colors. I've pushed these photos pretty far and it's IQ is holding up better than most I've worked on recently (40D, the 5Dmk2 & 1D3).

Anyway, until now I've never worked with any 20D shots and I've never owned one.

It's the same density as the 5D2. And the 5D2 is what I shot the red tripe you used for your red action. By the look of the shot, I focused on the D8 (green and yellow plane) behind it.

Permagrin wrote in post #11836659
so (since I'm a math dufus) how does that compare with the other cameras I listed? If you don't mind.

and is the 20D 8mp?

Yep. 8.2 MP.

Interesting. Thanks Jon.

Photographic terms:

• Rule of Thirds: Imagine the frame divided equally into thirds. Both horizontally and vertically. Which, in hindsight, is more like the Rule of Nine Little Imaginary Boxes in the Big Box. Apparently, having your subject anywhere NEAR the center Little Imaginary Box is verboten. It will result in your having to give up your camera and use only really chunky crayons for your artistic release.
  
• Sunny Rule 16: This rule, which comes with a TON of little rules, is based on a bright sunny day and you setting your camera to f/16. You know, so that you can get EVERYTHING in focus. Not just your little niece playing on the beach, making a sand castle, but that big hairy dude off in the distance wearing the embarrassingly small European Speedo. Also, the same principle is called "Where The Heck Is The Sun Rule 16?" in some parts of the Pacific Northwest.
  
• Mirror Lock-Up: A feature on many dSLR's that photogs use that "locks" the flappy mirror thingy in the Up mode before activating the sensor so as to reduce the vibrations. There is some debate as to the actual effectiveness of this feature. What is not debated is that the Mirror Lock-Up feature has been proven to be the absolute best way to attract dust to your sensor.
  
• Zone System: Established by great photogs, like Ansel Adams, it's a way to ensure the best possible exposure for a shot. There are, according to the last census, only fourteen people alive today that really understand this system fully. The ones that DON'T understand the Zone System, but talk like they do, are the ones that are just trying to impress cute, young photographers at swarmy cocktail soirees; also known as utilizing the Zane System.
  
• Camera Designations: There's the 5D. The 1D. The D3. But then you add little stuff behind that. The 5DMkII. The 1DsMkIV. The D3x. All of which are exponentially more expensive than the ones without the stars on thars. The pervading rule of thumb here is the more letters and Roman Numerals after the initial designator, the more you're going to pay through the nose. Also, the more suffixes you add, the more it starts to look like some atomic device that belongs in a Bond movie. Which, honestly, is kinda cool.
  
• Weather Sealing: The camera manufacturer has placed a very thin O-ring in the joints to protect the camera guts from moisture. Which, really, means a thick fog. Or a humid April in the Bayous. NOT Oregon beach weather in November. Let's just be clear on that.
  
• White Balance: A process whereby it allows the camera to make reds red, blues blue, whites white, etcs etc. This is done by an elaborate system of electronics within the camera itself and a bit of Photographic Voodoo. It is NOT the name of a militia in Northern Idaho, regardless what Wool says.
  

40D = 3.1 MP/cm²
1D3 = 1.9 MP/cm²
5D2 = 2.4 MP/cm²

Thoughts about processing from different canon cameras:

well the only thing I've noticed during the processing I've done over the last few months is that the detail in the 5D2 is amazing. It's not very forgiving if it's under exposed, but if it's properly exposed, it's got gorgeous IQ. You can manipulate the shots to a higher degree, if you start in raw and don't go hog wild with an underexposed shot....much less so if you start with a jpeg.

The 40D is less forgiving than the 5D2. Better nail those shots if you want to aggressively manipulate.

The M3 is a bit better for serious processing. Although you can get those same muddy shadows if you aren't careful with your exposures.

The 30D... just say no to really manipulating these. Everything turns out yellow green. Just nail the shots and go for a natural look.

and the 20D was the most forgiving of all. Man, these shots are a processors dream. lol I can just about do anything with them, starting off raw.

You totally sure on that northern Idaho bit?

Woolburr wrote in post #11836790
40D = 3.1 MP/cm²
1D3 = 1.9 MP/cm²
5D2 = 2.4 MP/cm²

Looking at the results I've been getting, I'm seeing a definite trend to the lower the number, the easier to manipulate. Wonder what the 5D classic is.

and thanks for the info.