stevey14y-blog

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The EOS 4000D Canon's cheapest DSLR for students photography beginners

The EOS 4000D Canon’s cheapest DSLR for students photography beginners

Looking for your first interchangeable lens camera, then the Canon EOS 4000D might just be for you.

The Canon EOS 4000D aims to make DSLR photography available those o a tighter budget.

The EOS 4000D DSLR will provide you with quality photos and Full HD movies via it’s 18 Megapixel sensor.

Social media fans can share instantly and shoot remotely via a compatible smartphone with Wi-Fi…

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Last post

Well, I have been using the free version of wordpress for sometime now and have enjoyed using the platform and meeting people here. However, I have decided dive in at the deep end and pay for a hosted site. After much searching I have opened an account with FastComet

My site still has the same name Before, After and Other Stuff but has a new look at feel.

So, see you all there and thank you for…

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I sometimes struggle with shooting RAW and JPEG and generally shoot both. At the end of the day, every photographer must decide for themselves their prefered way of shooting and adapt to each photographic situation. For me, there are a number of benefits in shooting both RAW and JPEG together.

Putting aside the arguments of shooting in RAW or JPEG from a post-processing perspective, I think that the fundamental thing to understand when choosing between shooting in RAW or JPEG or both is how this affects what functions and settings you can and cannot use on your camera. Generally, if shooting in RAW many of your camera’s picture settings are irrelevant and can be ignored.

Of course, there are exceptions to this in that if you use the software provided by your camera manufacturer, this can often render your RAW files with the settings you applied at the time of taking your pictures. However, most other third-party photo editing software providers don’t do this and its up to you how you process your RAW file.

Three things I find useful about shooting with JPEG are

They allow me to see how my camera processes an image and helps me understand the features, functions and limitations of my camera.

 They are useful as a reference point for processing your RAW files.

The can be used without any further editing.

There are plenty of articles out there on the benefits of shooting JPEG or RAW, although I do find sometimes that they are not so helpful in helping you decide whether to shoot RAW or JPEG.

Of course, if you shoot both RAW and JPEG then you have to think carefully about how you are going to manage your images. Generally, If I shoot both RAW and JPEG and if I am not going to use the JPEGs, I just delete them and keep the RAW files.

You can still post-process your JPEGs to enhance the final image, the advantage being that you don’t have to play around with RAW edits as your camera has already processed your JPEGs.

Take a look at the image below. It’s a JPEG straight out of the camera with no edits applied. Shot with my Lumix GX8.

This is the same JPEG, cropped and enhanced with DxO Photolab 2 and a subtle use of NIK Collection 2018’s color effects pro.

This is the final image, finished off in ON1 Photo RAW 2019 where I touched out the kitten’s blemishes (her name is Nina) added a sunlight filter and border to the image.

I did not have to worry about sharpening, colour temperature, exposure adjustments or any other RAW file edits making this a speedy post-processing job!

The three stages morphing as a slide show.

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In summary, shooting in RAW means that many of the functions and features of your camera may be redundant. If you shoot both RAW and JPEG at the same time, then you may find that some of the features and functions of your camera do not work. As an example, my Lumix GX8 can take HDR images but not if I am shooting RAW or RAW+JPEG. I like using JPEGs to exploit the many functions and features of my camera. After all, Panasonic spend a lot of time and money developing their cameras as do other camera manufactures so why not exploit your cameras inbuilt features!

Taking a Cat-nap from RAW files I sometimes struggle with shooting RAW and JPEG and generally shoot both. At the end of the day, every photographer must decide for themselves their prefered way of shooting and adapt to each photographic situation.

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Are you taking advantage of your camera's constant preview mode?

Are you taking advantage of your camera’s constant preview mode?

What is constant preview

Not all cameras support this mode but if you do have a Constant Preview setting, then you might want to consider turning it on, especially when shooting in manual mode.

What does the constant preview mode do

Basically, it allows you to check the effects of your chosen aperture and shutter speed when shooting manually. As you make changes to your chosen aperture and…

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Lumix Post Focus Explained - Great Tip

Lumix Post Focus Explained – Great Tip

Personally, I have never used post focus my camera. However, I came across this video from Panasonic explaining how post focus works!

It is just 2 minutes long (approx) and the gem in this video is at the end, when the man from Panasonic explains how you can use post-focus for exploiting the technique of focus stacking, Nice!  

I…

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Brexit is no longer about leaving the EU, it’s about what is good for the UK.

Brexit is no longer about leaving the EU, it’s about what is good for the UK.

By now, it should be clear to all that you cannot undo 42 years of integration with the EU in two years!

Brexit is no longer about leaving the EU, it’s about what is good for the UK as a whole.

It makes no difference how people voted. Brexit has been divisive, and we need to find some common ground by which to move forward.

That common ground is the fact that our current endeavours to negotiate…

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Should you worry about noise?

The answer is yes and no, read on to find out why.

I have started shooting images in manual mode with my camera’s iso set to ‘iso auto’.  Why am I doing this? Because, rather than being forced to choose between aperture priority mode or shutter priority mode, I get to choose both my aperture and shutter speed combo letting the camera set the iso for me.

Of course, it is still good to work on the principle that the lower the iso the better the quality of the image as there is less noise. However, if you have a pro-consumer camera or better and the right post-processing software, then you will be surprised at what you can achieve.

I wanted to test the capability of the sensor of my camera and DxO Prime noise reduction. Take a look at the three images below.

But before you do check out my exposure settings.

I am using my cameras highest iso setting.

JPEG

RAW file unprocessed

JPEG from RAW file DxO Labs

The first image is an out of the camera JPEG, processed in camera with standard settings, the second image is my unprocessed RAW file, take note of the noise in the RAW unprocessed file. The last image is my RAW file, processed in DxO labs and output as a JPEG.

Given the high iso and poor lighting conditions, the JPEG is an acceptable shot. The camera’s sensor and processor did a good job.

JPEG

But the image can be improved greatly by switching to shooting in RAW and post-processing the image. (I actually shot JPEG and RAW together).

The RAW file contains a lot of noise

RAW file unprocessed

The final image was processed using DxO’s prime noise reduction setting. I also boosted the saturation, vibrancy and applied local sharpening to the eyes.

JPEG from RAW file DxO Labs

Let’s compare the camera’s JPEG to the JPEG output from the RAW file using DxO Labs.

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As you can see, the difference between the in-camera JPEG and the JPEG output from the RAW file is quite a change.

I wanted to see if I could get more from the JPEG file, but after trying, I decided that the limitations of working with the JPEG,  in terms of post-processing, meant I could not improve much on the original file, so I did not post it here.

So, if you are only shooting JPEG and not RAW  and you have poor lighting conditions then you need to worry about or at least consider the effects of noise on your image. If you are shooting in RAW and have a good RAW processor then noise might be a lesser consideration.

Things I learnt from this exercise

 The limitations of my camera’s ability to produce good JPEGS in poor lighting conditions and where noise is an issue when shooting at high iso ratings.

The ability of my camera’s sensor to capture a good RAW file to work with.

The power of DxO Labs prime noise reduction technology.

 Not to be frightened of using high iso settings if it means I get my shot!

I always use DxO Labs as my main RAW processor and JPEG editor because of the science behind the software and its automatic corrections that can be applied to both JPEG and RAW files.

The three files together.

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So why don’t you try shooting in manual mode with auto iso and see how you get on.

  Noise, Should you worry about it? Should you worry about noise? The answer is yes and no, read on to find out why.

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On1 releases On1 Photo RAW 2019

On1 releases On1 Photo RAW 2019

ON1 Photo RAW 2019 released

ON1’s Photo RAW 2019 is a photo organizer and has a sophisticated raw processing engine. letting you apply quick, non-destructive edits and stylized effects to your photos, much like Adobe Photoshop. This includes a sophisticated layers functionality that lets you composite images quickly and easily and images are re-editable.

The software can handle panoramas, HDR and…

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SALON ANTIQUITES BROCANTE DESIGN 10/11 Nov 2018

SALON ANTIQUITES BROCANTE DESIGN 10/11 Nov 2018

There is an antique trade show at the exhibition centre in Quimper this weekend.

I’m told that people attend from all over France and there is much to see in terms of fine design furniture, antiques and collectables.

I might drop in myself 🙂

For anyone who is interested in the exhibition, the link  with more information is here SALON ANTIQUITES BROCANTE DESIGN

And here is some useful info for…

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So many features

I don’t know about you but having had my camera for a while, I still get lost in the many menus and features and settings of my camera! Now, ‘My advanced Operating Instructions for advanced features of my Lumix DMC-GX8 ‘ manual, is 15.8 megabytes and contains 13 chapters and 400 pages of instructions for operating the advanced features of my camera!

I probably only use 20% of them, why is that? Well, mainly because of my mindset of shooting in RAW. Many of the features of our cameras only apply when shooting JPEG. When shooting JPEG, our cameras in built sensors and processor create the JPEGs based on the settings or features that we have enabled. When shooting RAW, we do our editing, processing and converting images from RAW files to other formats on our computers.

That age old question, should I shoot RAW or JPEG

I can never make my mind up about the arguments for shooting in RAW or JPEG as it always depends on the context of how you are going to use your images. Clearly, there are some huge advantges to shooting in RAW. But there are also advantages in shooting JPEGs as well. After all, if shooting RAW was the only way to take good pictures, then why do camera manufactures spend so much type developing sophisticated cameras that shoot only JPEG or JPEG and RAW?

Personally, I like to use both. However, this can be discouraging too, as some camera features cannot be used when shooting RAW and JPEG. I find this quite frustrating but I understand why that is. For me, we should be taking advantage of more of our cameras features, after all, we did pay for them and they work well!!!

Any picture is better than no picture

Below are some shots I took of some surfers. I came accross them whilst out walking, I only had my 18-60 zoom with me and could not get close enough to the action.

I needed to take advantage of my camera’s in built Ex tele conv function. The Extra tele convertor in the Lumix GX8 allowed me to enlarge the images without loss of quality.

However, the trade off was that I could not shoot RAW and had to except smaller file sizes. I was even able to crop the images. Now, are the exhibition quality? no. Will they win any awards? no. Can I make big prints from them? no. But they are good enough for the web and displaying on my computer or TV screen. And, they do capture the thrill of the surf. I guess from a journalistic viewpoint they might get used, if no other photos were available and a paper wanted some shots for an event they covered, as any picture is better than no picture!

So, If you are of the mindst of only shooting RAW or have not read your camera user manual to understand all of the features and functions available to you, maybe you should.

                  Are you taking advantage of your cameras inbuilt technology So many features I don't know about you but having had my camera for a while, I still get lost in the many menus and features and settings of my camera!

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Brittany Costumes exhibition extended until November

Brittany Costumes exhibition extended until November

www.ouest-france.fr/bretagne/quimper-29000/en-images-quimper-70-ans-de-costumes-des-eostiged-6009517

if you are visiting Quimper, then you really should check out this exhibition of colourful costumes.

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Coming to Quimper?

Quimper Official Video

If you have booked wih us or are planning to visit Quimper and the region you may like to check out the following video to give you a flavour of Quimper.

Airbnb

We have provided some useful links on our Airbnb page, which you can  check out our here. This includes links to upcoming events, official tourist…

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Common sense & Brexit

Common sense & Brexit

What is common sense

I once attended a meeting where a senior executive in my organisation said” managing and improving processes is just common sense!”  But what is common sense? A quick check online and I came up with the following definitions:

Sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or fact

Good sense and sound judgement in practical matters

Your common sense…

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Brexit a personal opinion - Free movement of pets.

Brexit a personal opinion, it's like removing your some of your own vital organs

I read this article on the Guardian website entitled; Jean-Claude Juncker seeks deal on free movement of pets and felt complied to put keyboard to screen.

This may seem like a small thing to some people but it is not! It’s a very good example of how there are so many hidden consequences to leaving the EU.

The whole concept of Brexit, it’s purpose and outcomes being so ill-defined, means that…

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Are you struggling to find the right workflow and post processing tools for your photography?

Are you struggling to find the right workflow and post processing tools for your photography?

Getting the right workflow and exploiting tools

Getting your workflow right and exploiting the various post processing software tools that are around is not easy. There are so  many tools out there, and every vendor wants you to use their particular software suite. So, how do you choose the software to fit your workflow needs?

Personally, I have found that there is no one tool that meets all of…

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Huge Update – ON1 Photo RAW 2018 ON1 Release On1 Photo RAW 2018.5 ON1 has just released the its latest version of their photo editing software ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5. 

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Coming to Brittany? Visiting Quimper Cornouaille?

So the holiday season is fast approaching and some of you may be heading to Quimper and Cornouaille. Quimper is a great location to stay and  explore the region.  If you have not already done so, why don’t you check out Tourisme Bretagne’s unmissable sites guide. It’s a good way to get you started in planning your visit.

brittany costline

St Corentin Quimper

Brittany Forest

Place St Corentin

Need a place to stay – Check out our two studios in Quimper

If your coming to Quimper and need somewhere to stay then you  might want to check out our two studios, located in the heart of Quimper.

Studio Audrey

Studio Marylin

See our reviews on Airbnb

If you have not already done so, you may want to check out our reviews on Airbnb.

Happy holidays 🙂

                Holiday Season Brittany Coming to Brittany? Visiting Quimper Cornouaille? So the holiday season is fast approaching and some of you may be heading to Quimper and Cornouaille.