Colors of Autumn

Posted on September 20, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

Fall colors in Southcentral Alaska often don’t last long.  Predominantly yellow with some orange and crimson hues, the challenge is always the weather.  Mid-September is peak time for color, and is also often when storms roll through with rain and strong winds that tend to strip leaves in a hurry.  It’s not just deciduous trees that brighten the landscape…lots of shrubs add their share like the Devil’s Club below.  Bearberry and Bog Blueberry are among the brightest red groundcover

Autumn is a special time with accelerated purpose and a quickened pace for many wild creatures.  Snow could come at any time as the temperatures slide downward, and animals that store food work extra hard to put enough away.  It’s a good time to be out and about.

Alaska. Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) in autumn hues of yellow and orange along Turnagain Arm in mid-September.

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RAW?

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

One of the most significant evolutions in digital imaging was the introduction of RAW, the ability to record in-camera files of all the sensor information available at the time of exposure without additional processing.  [Note that different authors use different spelling—RAW, Raw, raw—all referring to the same more or less “unprocessed” file.]  This was envisioned as a means of recording capture data in a lossless fashion and protecting the original file from additional information being added.  This way the photographer could return to the original “digital negative” at any time in the future with confidence it was unchanged and re-develop the image non-destructively as desired.

One niggle was that develop settings were recorded in an additional .xmp file that needed to accompany the corresponding RAW file; this occurred seamlessly as long as the image was being edited within Adobe programs, but could easily get separated when moving files by other means.  Then along came DNG, Adobe’s version of a universal RAW file, to which addition data could be added (like the develop settings and other descriptive metadata).  This was convenient since the pesky .xmp file was no longer required.  However, DNG files cannot recognize all the proprietary and undocumented information of certain camera’s internal processors, and Adobe provides the DNG converter.  See this article for more on the RAW/DNG debate

And then there is the question of RAW file compression is lossless or not.  Sony has gained a big following with their extensive line of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, the latest being the a7R II.  In this and many other models they use a two-part lossy compression routine while writing the RAW files to the memory card, kind of turning the original concept of “RAW” on its ear.  Some photographers see this as anathema; others aren’t particularly bothered by it.  If you use a Sony body or anticipate the purchase of one, you should be aware of this issue and understand it well enough to make an informed decision.  This DP Review article describes the details of Sony’s RAW compression, and Michael Reichmann’s review of the a7R II includes his view that this isn’t as critical a matter in the real world as some believe.  Sony has at least said they are aware of the concern and are looking into it.  Time will tell.

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Harvest Time

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

Summers are short and autumn comes early in Alaska.  Fall colors are already evident in many areas, and small creatures—like the Collared Pika below—are working diligently to lay up stores for the winter.  It’s a busy time between now and the first snowfall.

Collared Pika.

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Waiting for Skylake

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

Computers don’t make photographs, but they are fundamental to the development and processing of captures made by digital photographers.  As previously noted, there are a number of advancing technologies rapidly coming down the pike that will make a big difference for image-makers.

Among the potential game-changers is integrated graphics.  Intel has been leading the pack in processors for quite some time, and one of their big pushes with the upcoming 6th generation of Skylake CPUs is vastly improved built-in graphics capability.  While it remains to be seen how this will play out, it’s possible that integrated graphics in some of the new chips will be sufficiently powerful that even pro-level laptops may not need additional discrete GPUs (see discussion here.)

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Image File Management

Posted on July 26, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

There are myriad ways of managing image files.  Whether one uses a simple folder system within the computer OS or an automated catalog that hides the files within its program structure, the files themselves have to reside somewhere on your storage medium.  The trick is to know where they are and be able to find them.  I primarily use Photoshop CC and a simple set of folders based on date of capture and camera body.  There are three parts—Captures, Derivatives, and Collections.  This works for me, but many prefer the catalog approach Lightroom uses.

If Lightroom is your program of choice, you’ve no doubt dealt with the issue of how to manage images made while traveling and how to integrate them into your primary catalog or catalogs.  John Shaw uses one approach described in his blog here.  Tim Grey has also discussed Lightroom catalog and image file management in his free Ask Time Grey eNewsletter (sign up here) and in his excellent electronic Pixology magazine.  There’s always more to learn, and these are just two of a host of great resources.

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Bridging the Gap

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

SSD1_Main_2

Storage is undergoing a rapid evolution with solid state options increasing in size while new protocols offer quantum increases in speed with the newest interfaces, but sometimes you can’t get it all in one package.  If your computer (laptop or desktop) is more than three or four months old, chances are your internal storage connections and BIOS only allow for the older SATA 3.0 (6Gbps) interface and AHCI drive controller mode.  While that may limit the maximum throughput you can experience, Samsung is now offering much more SSD capacity.

Just announced are their new 2TB 850 Pro and 850 EVO SSDs in standard 2.5” format and SATA 3.0 interface.  For those using computers with just one drive, this offers twice the previous capacity of (relatively) fast consumer storage, perhaps lending some additional useful life to your present system.  Looking ahead, Samsung intends to follow with an m.2 form factor which promises significantly higher performance.

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Wildflowers

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

Shooting Stars

Lots of local blooms now in Southcentral Alaska with spring in full swing.  These bright shooting stars are just some of many varieties adding to the show.

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More Convergence

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

Computers—laptops in particular—are in the middle of some very big changes, and any photographers pondering a new purchase would do well to consider technical features that are either here now or will be available in the next few months.  Advancements in components are coming fast and I’ll list of few here.

Windows 10.  If you are not totally enveloped in the Apple Macintosh camp, the next version of the Windows operating system is due for release July 29th.  This is a major upgrade and a very important step for Microsoft as its success (or lack thereof) will have a big impact on this sector of the consumer computing universe.  Expectations are running high, and manufacturers are already showcasing devices designed specifically to run the new OS.

New processor chips.  The second wave of Intel’s Broadwell processors is being released, promising modest improvements in power consumption, CPU performance, and a new top-end Iris Pro 6200 integrated graphics component.  The complication is that this release was significantly delayed, and the next Intel chip iteration (Skylake, which portends even greater performance gains) is just a few months away.

PCIe storage.  Solid state storage using fast PCIe 3.0 lanes and either the current AHCI or rapidly emerging NVMe host controller interface opens the door to a quantum leap in data transfer rates.  Capacity is growing too, with many benefits.

Screens (displays).  Higher and higher resolution is the marching order for laptops and desktops with some reaching 4K or even 5K (the Retina iMac).  Some are moving in the direction of a wider gamut as well, though few laptops even still reach 100% of the sRGB color space.

Batteries.  Battery technology continues to improve, though more slowly than other components, it seems.  Processors with lower power demands help increase battery life.

Peripheral connectors.  USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3 are either here now or likely to be incorporated before the end of the year using a USB Type-C connector.  Faster data transfer is always welcome and the small size of this plug/socket combination will see it used in a great many devices.

Ongoing assault on overall weight.  Laptop builders continue to carve weight from devices, though at some point there’s a practical limit.  A laptop requires some physical mass and weight to balance and be comfortable in use, but there is likely some room for more trimming on many machines.

Apple’s latest update of their 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro incorporated a few of these advancements.  See this review for a better understanding of current realities and future possibilities.

My idea of a perfect laptop for photographic mobile use would be one with a 14” or 15” hi-res (3K or better) wide-gamut non-glossy display, an i7 quad-core CPU, 1TB (or more) of PCIe 3.0/NVMe storage, high-end discreet graphics, 16GB or 32GB of quad-channel RAM, at least four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a battery that lasts at least 8-10 hours in normal use.  That’s a lot to ask for, but doesn’t sound unreasonable given the latest advancements.  Anyway, one can wish.

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Owlet

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

The big eyes of a young Great-horned Owl track movement from its perch on a limb well above its nest in a tall cottonwood tree.  Not yet quite able to fly, it is exploring as much territory as possible.

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Parsing Protocols

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Chuck_Maas

The methods of moving electronic data from one medium to another have evolved greatly over the last three decades.  Think floppy disks, SCSI, and even FireWire—all of which have been supplanted with faster hardware and transmission protocols.  Sometimes the changes have come quickly, leaving older interfaces stranded and requiring significant investment in new tools.  But all of us tend to like the increases in throughput and eventually make the change, whether voluntarily or otherwise.

The big news of late has been USB.  The original incarnation was designed to standardize the connection between computers and a host of peripherals and quickly gained wide support.  Over the years, the USB specification and connectors have evolved, with the most recent being the USB 3.1 standard and USB Type-C connector (also called USB-C).  This connector is used in Apples new 12” MacBook (2015) for both power and data, and uses USB 3.1 specifications.  But future computer purchasers will need to carefully read and understand the tech specs in new devices to know what they’re getting, because the design of the Type-C plug and socket is separate and distinct from the USB interface protocol; it’s possible that a Type-C connector could be used to only supply USB 2.0 specs.  Of note is that USB 3.1 supports a data rate of 10 Gbps (double the previous rate), while still being backward compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.

Adding even more variables to the mix, Intel just announced Thunderbolt 3, with a maximum bandwidth of 40 Gbps (twice that of Thunderbolt 2), and it will use the same USB-C connector using both passive and active cables and supporting USB 3.1, DisplayPort 1.2, and 100W of power.  This certainly makes it look like the peripheral connection port of choice in the near future will be USB Type-C.

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