Hi all,

I received a new toy a little over a week ago, and have been playing with it since then, which explains my absence from FPN for several days .

Anyway, it is a new digicam, and here are the first 2 pictures as a result of all this:



Quite interesting is the fact that although I cleaned the pen, it is stil speckled with dust, and the white bit at the bottom right is cat hair . I only saw it after I checked the picture on my monitor . Bill Riepl was so right that you have to make it absolutely spotless...

Here is another one:


I wiped the nib several times prior to taking this picture, but the Ottoman Rose didn't want to be wiped off...

The 3 different reflections you see are caused by the 3 flashes used, one to the left, the main flash, one top right, and one to the right.

Great fun, all of this. Hope you enjoy it too.

Warm regards, Wim

So that's what you've been up to! I worried about you ....

Oooh, nice closeups, Wim....

What kind of camera did you get?

Here we go again

:bunny1:

... waiting to hear about the camera!

A little Photoshop will take care of the dust. i've never been able to get pens fully cleaned, but PS sure works wonders. Oh, and it'll work on that inky nib as well.

Nice photo! Great pen. And the camera?

Hi Maja, Karin, Inkyfingers,

Well, I got a Canon EOS 350D, also known as Rebel XT in the USA, with a few extra lenses. The shots here were taken with the EF-S 60 mm macro lens, and the TS-E 90 mm (tilt- and shift lens, in this focal length ideal for macro too).

I had a Powershot G5 before this, and I can assure you, there is no comparison. It's like a small 1.3 litre car vs a Porsche or Ferrari, that much difference. And the G5 is not a bad camera at all...

I used to do a lot of photography, until about 20 years ago, when computers took over my life. 4 years ago I sold off all my analog stuff, except for some generally applicable parts, like a sturdy tripod etc. I got a digital camera for general picture taking in the mean time (the G5), and I guess the occasion was right to get into digital stuff for real... And it is great fun to pick this hobby up again...

Oh, Karin, you have enough pens for now, wait until next year, just like me (no more budget at all, let alone pen budget ).

Warm regards, Wim

Very nice! My husband is jealous of those lenses of yours...

Hi Kendall,

Thanks!

See my reply above for the camera . I know PS will take care of the dust etc., but until now I have always been using PSP 7, and do realize it is a little antiquated when it comes to producing big, perfect pictures . I did get myself a few books on PS as a result, and plan to get around srudying them over the next few months.

In the mean time, I am really impressed with the sharpness and picture quality of this camera and the lenses that go with it . I compared it to some of my old B&W pictures, which were taken with state of the art equipment in 35 mm photography at the time, and my, do they look grainy compared to the pics taken with this camera! And I did make a few A4-size prints to compare.

BTW, the pictures here were non-cropped ones, just resized, to scale, to fit on-screen.

Warm regards, Wim

Hi Maja, Thanks! They are nice indeed. I always wanted a T&S lens, actually wanted to get a technical camera. I guess this is the next closest thing...

Warm regards, Wim

Here I was thinking that your absence from FPN was due to a demanding work schedule, and all the time you were working with a new camera!

But, you WERE working hard before this last week so I guess a new toy was deserved. Good pics, but remember that doing it right in the camera means little or no Photoshop required.

Nice new toy, wim. Nice pics, too. I've got a new digital camera I'm still trying to figure out, albeit not anywhere near the level of yours. I hope to post some pics of my first Stip soon.

I have a G5 and love it. Tromped all over Europe with it as my only camera. The new D5 looks amazing, but not for $3,000+ Digital SLR photography has priced itself WAY beyond my wallet's threshold of pain, even if I went for a body, it would be without lenses for a long, long time......

-Bruce
(Worse than collecting accordions!)

ohhhh, niiiccceee pictures.

boy, you can really see every speck of dust! did you roll your pen in flour just before you took the pics?

lovely color of the celluloid. i'm thinking it's the same as on my da vinci infinity.

Hi Roger,Well, yes, but I do live a double live, you know. Just that there isn't much time left for a triple .
Yes, I realized that, which was why I wiped the pen clean, at least I thought I did . Amazing how unforgiving a camera can be...
Next time I make sure the pen is no longer inked prior to shooting it, and painstakingly clean the surroundings too... Just looking for some props first, though. The same ink bottle just gets a little boring after a while .

Warm regards, Wim

Hi southpaw, Thanks! I'll try to improve on them, though, as in removing all the unwanted bits prior to shooting the pen . The camera doesn't really matter very much if you're publishing for the internet. It is really about making sure you know how the camera behaves, and how to make close-ups and macro shots, that is all there is to it. Essentially, take the time to try out a lot. Fortunately, you can look at the results on your monitor, so the price of trial and error is just time . Oooohhh, looking forward to that!

Warm regards, Wim

What a wonderful new toy! I didn't notice the cat hair until you pointed it out--but I sure noticed that I could read Etruria on the pen! Good job with those photos. I know you'll have hours & hours of fun with this toy.

Best, Ann

Ok, but don't reach too hard for perfection, Wim. Someday, somebody's gonna achieve it and it just might be you! Problem is that then, you wouldnt be "one of the boys" any longer.

So, a little ink on the nib ain't bad!

Hi FLZ, It's an absolutely great camera. Here are some pics to prove it:
















































BTW, many of the extreme close-ups were done with the aid of a close-up lens, like the aniseed flowers, the blue-bell, the cotoneaster, the sunstar (or whatever it is called ).

I guess the quality of this little (ok, not that little) cam is absolutely marvelous! However, it is not an slr, and the add-on lenses are generally not that great. The wide-angles are ok, but don't add that much. The telephoto lenses, however, are nothing short of atrocious, including the original Canon ones.

Well, that is why I settled for a 350D . In the end, the lenses are most important, as there aren't really any bad cameras anymore, provided you go for the main brands.
Depends on how many...

BTW, more pics in next message .

Warm regards, Wim

Now, here are some glider pics taken with the new cam. Just compare these with the ones taken with the G5. Essentially, the pictures here really show the advantages of good, interchangeable lenses. And the sharpness in the full size pics is just awesome...















































Warm regards, Wim (who is grinning from ear to ear again )

Hi Davy, Thanks!
Yes, amazing, isn't it?
It actually is the same material. Notice the lovely red marbling. With time this actually becomes even better, I've noticed...

Warm regards, Wim

Tnanks, Ann! Yes, you can read the lettering, it is incredibly sharp. You should see the full size pics, it really is awesome...
I think I will have hours of fun indeed!

Warm regards, Wim

Hi Roger, Nah, perfection is like searching for the missing link: when you find it there is the next level, or the missing link in between, lurking somewhere around the corner . And I have still waaaayyyysss to go . Many hours of playtime fun!

Warm regards, Wim

I actually recommend PhotoShop Elements. Somewhat less feature filled than PS, but easier to learn and sub $100. However a lot of the really key tools from PS are preserved, and for those that aren't there are work arounds. Get the software, and get a book or two, one that uses PS examples. I used to have PSP 7, but elements has about the right mix of advanced elements and user friendliness.

I pulled your pic and removed the ink and the dust, unfortunately, I forgot to save the photo, so I can't show it to you.

Hi Wim, great photos! The 350D is a great little camera. I've been using one since it came out, though I don't have any macro lenses so pen photography is tough. So far, my best photos were taken with the 300D, my previous camera. Maybe it's just because my sons were a bit slower then, easier to get in the frame . Here's one of my older son Oliver holding my father's hand:

Nice pics - or what I saw of them anyhow (killer on us dial-ups). Don't expect the photos I post to be near that level.

Wow! Those are incredible pictures. Is Morgan flying in any of those shots?

amin, what a priceless shot! I hope you have a copy blown up and framed.

Is cable or DSL access available to you, Michael? If so, give it a try.

It's like power windows on a car. Once you have it you'll be hard pressed to do without it. Especially for a guy like you who is noodling around the Internet and D/L ing pictures all the time.

Hi Amin,

Wow! Great shot. I just love it how Oliver looks up, glad, trusting. Extremely well captured!

Warm regards, Wim

Hi Elaine,

Yes, Morgan is in the ASK-13 (the PH-1288) in the first set of shots, taken with the Canon G5.

When I took the set wih my new gear, Morgan was flying towed behind a light airplane, from a military base, where one of the other clubs has its base. Since they didn't ask permission for me to enter, and didn't register me there, I couldn't join in in the fun. You are not really allowed to take photographs there, either.

Fortunately, they flew from their own air strip to the other, which is only a few miles away anyway. And one of the newbies was going solo, which allowed me to do a photoshoot on the most beautiful November Sunday morning ever .

Oh, the yellow plane is privately owned, and it is a French two-seater glider plane, a Breguet Atlantique. It can fly very slowly, due to its enormous flaps, and it is a great plane to fly all day with, and do overlands.

I took a few more pics of people near their planes or in other places, too, but I didn't want to intrude on their privacy by posting those here. I think the one of the two "oldies" in the ASK-13 sufficed . All of these pics are incredibly sharp as well...

BTW, I was asked to do a photo shoot for her new club (there is a student glider club at university too), when they saw those pics. Very flattering. I just hope I can come through...

Warm regards, Wim

Hi Southpaw,

I'm sure you'll do fine! That first set of pictures, including the macro shots, was all taken handheld, outdoors. The camera is just a 5 MP one, with a decent lens, for some of the macro shots aided by a close-up lens, that's all. And that was only because I knew I couldn't come close enough to the objects otherwise. With many other cams you can, like the Nikon Coolpixes, and Canon's Powershot S-series.

HTH, warm regards, Wim

All I can say is...lovely photos, gentlemen!!

Thank you for posting them here

The two things that the SLRs have over the G5 is better DOF control and lower CA.









Sorry to the dial-up users.

-Bruce

Wim what a great close ups they're very nice indeed.Great new camera btw.Canon cameras are have good lenses.
amin very nice photo.Your son is very cute and lastly FLZapped your pics look great too.
Thanks for sharing with us

Emrecan

Elaine, Wim, Emrecan, thanks for the nice words about Oliver. Elaine, I do keep a nice large print of that one on my desk .