As well as some sensational sunets/moonsets lately, we’ve been treated to some simply super sunrises too and I’ve been up early enough on a few mornings to watch them unfold.
I’ve also downloaded a trial version of DxO PhotoLab 5 to have a play with, mainly for it’s AI noise reduction feature.
Now, I know Photoshop pretty well and have a good grasp on selective noise control and sharpening but it can be time consuming doing lots of images (wedding shoot for example), so I’m keen to see if DxO can improve my workflow and results. I’ve also considered the Topaz range of tools too an might give their trial a go.
I really only started playing with DxO tonight on a few images and at the moment it’s slowing me down finding my way around but it’s reasonably intuitive. I’ve had mixed results with it dealing with noise pretty well, but need to work on retaining detail where I want it, so will give it some more time.
The image below was run through DxO for noise reduction, opened as a RAW DNG file directly into Photoshop and adjusted highlights and shadows some more.
I’ve also taken a few shots with the “new” 70-300mm lens, but it’s like the birds know and stay away! But, below will give you an idea of it’s reach – an amazing range with just two lenses.
The shot above was taken with the 14-150 @14mm (28mm FF). The shot below is uncropped and is at 300mm (600mm FF) – zoomed in on the lowest bright orange bit of sky seen between the tree branches (left third of shot) above (also shown in the middle of the header image).
And lastly, the image above cropped to pixel size …
Scroll back up and have another look at 14mm ….
Insane right?!! Bed time.
TasView 
Wow man, that’s some extreme zoom! I can see the slight differences in the first two photos, they still look very similar to me.
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My previous largest zoom was a 200mm on Nikon APS-C, I’ve always wanted a longer reach. Great flattening effect in landscapes as well as for birds animals.
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I’m jealous! I love the new 200mm Nikkor I picked up recently and man do I like the extra reach! 😎
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You can get teleconverters that fit between camera and lens to double the reach affordably but they do cut down the light coming through, but still good for those rocky landscapes of yours 😉
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I have never tried that, Tone, maybe my local camera shop has them. Thanks for the idea.
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Probably cheap options on ebay too 🙂 Make sure you get the right mount for your camera.
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Right. I don’t like ebay, had a hard time closing my account! Hey what time is it there now? it’s 4:50 PM Monday here on our fourth of July holiday.
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Almost 10 am and time to feed ponies! I’ve gone off ebay too with their fees. AliExpress and BangGood have been good for electronics and some camera gear from direct China but delivery is always slow! I don’t like Chinese rubbish either but sometimes there’s not much choice.
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Very nice photo of the trees and the sky in the edited version. It would sit on someone’s wall very nicely
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Thanks David, much more detail pulled out of the clouds from the raw file, it was tempting to push the colours further but it looked unnatural with purples coming out.
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I see you’re having fun playing with your options. Nice results.
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Thanks Anneli, I have so many photos lines up to edit and post ideas at the it’s ridiculous! Work keeps getting in the way of creativity
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We do what we can, right?
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I like the unedited version!
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Ha ha 😀 Thanks Morgaine, the first pic was taken with the Pen-F I think in vivid colour mode so is only “processed” in camera. It does a great job of keeping detail even with the colours pushed and noise reduction in the jpeg. The Raw file is quite noisy and that’s why I’m trying DxO to see if it is any better handling noise.
The zoom pic was taken with the bigger OM-1.
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Nice edit! and yes, the range you get with the M4/3 system is simply amazing.
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Thanks Marc, The only real limiting situation I’ve found with M43 over FF is moving subjects in low light, other than that the system and features rock!
I don’t have any big aperture primes yet but am considering something like the Kaxinda (Meike) 25mm f/0.95 or Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95 lens for a more budget friendly option. I haven’t fully researched it yet. I think they are manual focus but that’s no drama.
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They are indeed manual focus, I’ve had some myself and Meike has disappointed me twice already. 7Artisans also has a 25mm f0.95, and there is also the Laowa Argus 25mm f0.95, the most expensive but also the best I think, I would certainly consider this one too. The downside is that they are all large and heavy lenses.
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Thanks for the feedback Marc, I have the Laowa 7.5 f2.0 and love it! seemingly well built and great images, so small it feels like an old toy. I will look into the Argus, cheers!
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For a beautiful sunrise like that, I will also get up early! I don’t know which I like most – the original or edited version … both are just amazing!
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Thank you, I’m very much a night owl and don’t do mornings often enough, it is a great time of day!
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I love the colours of nature’s canvas. Great photography, my friend. I’ve been watching Tassie on Masterchef this week. Beautiful landscapes and lovely venues.
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It’s pretty special, like a mini New Zealand but better 😉 I tell the tourists at the market that we only go on holidays occasionally just to remind us how good it is here!
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Haha, love it!
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