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  1. Ray Sachs

    News Smugmug has acquired Flickr

    I got the email from Flickr this morning about the change and figured I'd check in at good ol' Serious Compacts to see what other people had heard, being more tied in than I am lately. And I arrive at this new site, so I guess being adaptable to every sort of online change is the order of the...
  2. Ray Sachs

    Snow at the Beach

    Where we are itā€™s just a minor nuisance, but our older daughter is up in Maine and theyā€™ve really been getting hammered up there. Sheā€™s smart about this stuff and Iā€™m sure sheā€™ll be fine, but I worry about her driving in this mess...
  3. Ray Sachs

    Snow at the Beach

    I tend to be the kind of person with many interest and hobbies, but I tend to get really intensively into them one at a time. Photography was on the front burner for about seven years, now itā€™s on a back burner. Guitar was on a front burner for about 10 years, a back burner for about 30, and now...
  4. Ray Sachs

    Snow at the Beach

    Hi all, It's been a long time since I've posted. Hello again and Happy New Year and all that! I haven't been shooting really at all lately, other than family stuff. I sold my RX1 II and a couple of bicycles to help finance some guitar upgrades - another long dormant hobby coming back to life...
  5. Ray Sachs

    Sony Zone focus with RX1 - neat little trick...

    On cameras without a physical aperture ring, you can usually have the user setting remember the aperture, but with a physical aperture ring, like the RX1 and several Fuji lenses, the camera can't override they physical setting on the lens. I can do what you suggest on the Nikon Coolpix A, and I...
  6. Ray Sachs

    Explanation of great NYT shot of Comey Hearing

    He did mention he zoomed all the way out. I'm guessing it was something like a 16-35 or something full frame. Or the equivalent if not full frame, something like the Fuji 10-24... Must have been shooting JPEGs to be able to wi-fi it out so quickly - not sure what other technology that instant...
  7. Ray Sachs

    Explanation of great NYT shot of Comey Hearing

    There's a great ultra wide (I assume) shot from the Comey hearings in front of the Senate Intel Committee on Thursday. It went viral within minutes. Here's a cool little article where the photographer tells how he got it. And how it went viral almost immediately within minutes of him snapping...
  8. Ray Sachs

    Sony Zone focus with RX1 - neat little trick...

    It's in the "gear" menu (2nd from left) at the top, then in page 5 under that in the "custom key (shoot)" menu. It's the last item in that menu (on the second page): AEL Button. Set that to "AF/MF Control Hold" and the AEL button will AF when you press it, even if the camera is set for manual...
  9. Ray Sachs

    Software Google drops support for the Nik Collection.

    I still use the Nik stuff for almost everything. I guess as long as I never buy another camera that needs a newer version of LR, which may or may not work with the Nik plug-ins, I'm probably OK. Of course, I'm sure some future OS update from Apple will probably render all of this stuff useless...
  10. Ray Sachs

    Cyclists - Panning Shots

    Hey Pete, Well, I think you've done really well. Having done some of this myself, I'd have to say there's a good bit of luck involved, or not luck exactly, but a high failure rate. It's just hard to nail. I've done best with medium wide lenses (35mm mostly, some 28) rather than trying to get in...
  11. Ray Sachs

    Sony Surprise: RX10 for My Birthday

    Happy Birthday! I had a loaner of one of those for about a month when they first appeared and was quite impressed. It didn't fit my shooting very well, and I was frustrated by the slowness of the zoom, but I think I recommended it as a great all-in-one camera that would be perfect for a lot of...
  12. Ray Sachs

    Overexposed - The Queen's Wayfarers #1 - now published!

    Just downloaded it onto my Kindle. I have a bit of a queue to work through, but I look forward to getting to it... Congratulations on getting it out there! -Ray
  13. Ray Sachs

    Sony RX1 street shooting using the macro ring zone focus trick and back button AF

    Well, this doesn't speed up the auto-focus, but the zone focus technique pretty much makes it irrelevant it for some types of shooting. I use zone focus for wider angle street shooting pretty much regardless of what camera I'm using. It's just that some gear makes it easier and particularly for...
  14. Ray Sachs

    Sony RX1 street shooting using the macro ring zone focus trick and back button AF

    In this thread (Zone focus with RX1 - neat little trick...) I discussed a way of using the RX1 for zone focus street shooting using the macro ring as essentially a "mechanical" focus ring. And incorporated Bruce's suggestion to override the manual focus settings using a back button auto-focus...
  15. Ray Sachs

    What's the skinny on bluetooth turntables?

    Interesting, so it's the same as sending a signal from an iPhone to a BT speaker, but it's playing the phonograph as well. Well, the BT turntable is gonna have to convert the sound from analog to digital to send it and then it's limited to the BT signal, so I'd guess you'd lose whatever...
  16. Ray Sachs

    What's the skinny on bluetooth turntables?

    I haven't read anything about specific components using bluetooth to connect to an amp or whatever, but audio over wifi can be damn good (again, for an audio FAN, but not PHILE). I have a Sonos system in my home that's not as good as the best wired speakers I've ever had, but it's pretty damn...
  17. Ray Sachs

    Coming soon... nearly there...!

    Do you have other books available on Kindle Bill? If so, I'd be interested in checking them out... -Ray
  18. Ray Sachs

    Sony Showcase RX1 Images

    Spent the weekend in West Virginia celebrating my brother's 70th birthday. We all (my brother, his wife and daughter, my sister and her husband, and my wife and I) all stayed in a cabin my brother and I built together during the summer of 1975. It was a wonderful weekend. I took loads of family...
  19. Ray Sachs

    Abandoning Facebook

    But that's each person's choice Sue. I absolutely look in people's timelines because I unfollow the vast majority of my "friends". The handful of people who I follow regularly are close friends and family who don't post incessantly about nothing in particular - if they do, I unfollow them even...
  20. Ray Sachs

    Abandoning Facebook

    From what I've heard, it already is. Now we're well along into the next one - the "internet of things", which is the way your toaster and dishwasher and thermostat and microwave are gathering information on us and sending them to... Google probably, but who knows? Maybe Assange?
  21. Ray Sachs

    Abandoning Facebook

    Facebook to me is like cars, a pain in the ass but sort of a necessary evil. The key, as with most technology, is to use it but don't let yourself get addicted to it. I realized a long time ago that most of the people I care about in the world are on it to some degree or another and if I wanted...
  22. Ray Sachs

    Innocent Me: I had NO idea...

    I've never even seen Instagram (except for a few shots I know a friend of mine has cross-posted to Flickr). But as I mentioned in another thread, the bots love me, so maybe I should check out IG. Sounds like I'd be a hit. And golly wouldn't that be good for my self-esteem. To be loved by bots...
  23. Ray Sachs

    Nikon Viewfinder

    Oddly, I do use the EVF on the RX1R II a LOT, and I did with the external EVF on the original RX1 as well. I don't really use it for most street shooting, framing from the hip or belly also, but I use the RX1 for so much beyond street shooting. Whereas with the Coolpix A, something about the...
  24. Ray Sachs

    Okay, now I'm properly insulted . . .

    The bots love me. I've had an unusual number of shots show up in Flickr's explore page, a few of which I really like but many of which I consider pretty pedestrian shots. I just put a handful of shots into this thing, two of which I really like and three of which I don't consider any better...
  25. Ray Sachs

    Sony Zone focus with RX1 - neat little trick...

    It all works well - pretty seamless experience... Thanks again for that back button focus trick... -Ray
  26. Ray Sachs

    Harrods People - London Street with Sony A6300/Ricoh GD Digital

    Nice set Pete. I particularly like the 3rd and 4th from the bottom - not sure why but they both really hold my interest. Maybe the juxtaposition between the guy's funky hair and his formal-isa attire, and, OTOH, the young woman's stylishly ripped to shreds jeans juxtaposed against her...
  27. Ray Sachs

    News Ban on cameras in cabin baggage - back to film?

    If they're banning any camera with electronics in it, most film cameras from the past 20-30 years would qualify too. My old Pentax K1000 from the 1970s may not have had any electronics beyond a basic light meter (and I frankly don't recall if I had to change a small battery for that), but I know...
  28. Ray Sachs

    Sony Zone focus with RX1 - neat little trick...

    That's my street setting, where getting the shot is more important than IQ, so I have it set to aperture priority and auto ISO with a max ISO of 25,600 and a minimum shutter speed of 1/500, which seems to work for me as I often shoot moving subjects while I'm also moving. I tend to shoot in good...
  29. Ray Sachs

    Micro 4/3 Olympus PEN-F

    Those watch shots look about as good as I think you'd ever need them too, short of really big print ads on really high quality magazine type paper. And maybe even for that??? Looks great. -Ray
  30. Ray Sachs

    Sony Zone focus with RX1 - neat little trick...

    This will probably be of interest to almost nobody, but it's bigly (big league?) of interest to me, so I'll share it just on the off-chance anyone else is interested... First, the "problem". This isn't a huge problem - I've worked around it without much trouble on both the original RX1 I owned...
  31. Ray Sachs

    Micro 4/3 Showcase Panasonic LX100 I/II picture thread

    Two things. One, an auto-ISO setup with good minimum shutter speed control. Two, and this is something that the LX5 and LX7 had a pretty nice version of, a good distance scale when in manual focus to facilitate zone focus... There are just too many good cameras around today with at least...
  32. Ray Sachs

    Micro 4/3 Showcase Panasonic LX100 I/II picture thread

    I like so much of what I see from this camera - I'd love to own one. But my thing seems to be shooting people more often than glass (and for glass, the RX1 works awfully well too) and the LX100 is missing at least two features that are absolutely essential for the way I shoot. So I'll never own...
  33. Ray Sachs

    Philly Street with the RX1R II

    Actually, if a camera has a good auto ISO setup (with minimum shutter speed controls) and a reasonably accessible way to zone focus, and I can move between street and non-street settings quickly, I can adapt quite quickly. The biggest difference between the RX1R II and the Coolpix A, in terms of...
  34. Ray Sachs

    Philly Street with the RX1R II

    Thanks Miguel. That mural (of Frank Rizzo, Philly's strongman mayor during the '70s) is down by the Italian Market and I seem to take at least a couple shots of it every time I'm down there. I always trying to do something with the context, but it's hard because it's on a huge wall next to a...
  35. Ray Sachs

    Philly Street with the RX1R II

    On the tech side, I suspect I'd have gotten most of these shots with the Coolpix A if I'd taken it too. What the RX1 seems to need and ISO of 12,800 or even 25,600 to do, the Coolpix can mostly handle at 6400 with a larger aperture (for similar DOF) and similar results. A number of these lower...
  36. Ray Sachs

    Philly Street with the RX1R II

    It's been quite a while since I just hit the streets in Philadelphia for the better part of a day. But yesterday was the day to take the RX1R II for it's maiden voyage of the sort I expect it'll take quite a few of. I don't seem to have the need to do this type of shooting ALL THE TIME anymore -...
  37. Ray Sachs

    Nature Spring in the Sonoran Desert

    Thanks for these. You have to live in the desert quite a while to really appreciate its subtle charms. Having grown up in the Sonoran desert, I'll always love it and, aside from the occasional visit, mostly miss it. So it's really nice to get a taste of it every now and then through your...
  38. Ray Sachs

    Nikon Showcase Nikon Coolpix A Image Thread

    I'm not holding my breath. Funny, though, since I bought the RX1R II, I haven't picked up the Coolpix A. I just took the DF and RX1 for my two months in the south. And damned if I didn't miss the Coolpix A. I'm gonna head into Philly for a day of shooting in the next week or so and I know I'm...
  39. Ray Sachs

    Sony Original RX1 vs RX1r2 rendering, which is better?

    Or upgrade the original RX1 firmware to provide the auto-ISO fix. Woulda saved me a lot of money. But Sony doing major FW upgrades is not the world we live in... -Ray
  40. Ray Sachs

    Sony Original RX1 vs RX1r2 rendering, which is better?

    Yeah, great work indeed. Grokgod, IMHO, you're working waaaaaay too hard on this. Trust your gut. If you keep reacting negatively toward RX1R II files, that's all you need to know. My brain leads me in the wrong direction frequently. When I incorporate my brain's input into my gut but then...
  41. Ray Sachs

    Micro 4/3 Around town ... (PART 2)

    Great stuff Miguel. Every town, large or small, has lots of little details and tucked away spots that you have to live there a while to start to notice, or at least to appreciate. You obviously have a keen appreciation for your town and a real artist's eye for portraying it. I was particularly...
  42. Ray Sachs

    Sony Original RX1 vs RX1r2 rendering, which is better?

    I just saw several between about $1000-1400 on eBay, FWIW. Down converting in post would have the same effect as shooting lower res to begin with, but I agree that if you don't like the rendering, that's not gonna make a difference.
  43. Ray Sachs

    Sony RX1R II yes or no?

    FWIW, here are a few examples of different results based on processing. The first three are all from the same shot, the first neutral, the second soft, and the third with some extra sharpening and contrast applied. I tend toward the third approach more than I probably should with this camera -...
  44. Ray Sachs

    Sony RX1R II yes or no?

    There are any number of ways to soften images in post processing. If you look at my Savannah post, I think there are a number of shots in that thread that show a smoother rendering closer to the original RX1 (as well as some processed in a way to show every bit of detail, arguably overdone). I'm...
  45. Ray Sachs

    Ho Chi Minh - Vietnam

    Yeah, I think that nails it. The original was great - this is better. A classic IMHO! -Ray
  46. Ray Sachs

    Ho Chi Minh - Vietnam

    Really excellent - I LOVE that next to last shot with the three guys in blue shirts on their scooters, evidently a work uniform. The way the guy on the right is reclined and likely asleep on the top of the scooter is such a great detail and tells you so much about how thoroughly adapted to their...
  47. Ray Sachs

    Stroll Dublin Bay strolls

    Gorgeous! Because this place is less (edit - originally said more spectacular, but meant to say less here) spectacular than what you were shooting in the PNW, it's brought out a totally different part of your creativity personality. The PNW landscapes were so spectacular you would often do a...
  48. Ray Sachs

    Nikon Showcase Post Nikon Df Photos

    Thanks Peter. And not to worry. It's the first camera I've owned in the digital age that I've never even THOUGHT about replacing. For what and how I shoot, I haven't seen and can't even imagine a camera that would do everything I want/need it to do better, and before now I could always at least...
  49. Ray Sachs

    Nikon Showcase Post Nikon Df Photos

    Finishing up our time in Wilmington, NC this week, I finally got around to touring the Battleship USS North Carolina. The ship was only in commission from 1941-1947, so it's frozen in the WWII time frame. I was actually surprised that the ship wasn't bigger than it is - I guess I had an...
  50. Ray Sachs

    Sony RX1R II yes or no?

    It's theoretically an issue at the pixel level, but assuming you display at the same sizes as you did with the 24mp sensor, shouldn't be any difference. I haven't been shooting it any differently personally... -Ray
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