How to Properly Calibrate Dell U2413 / U2713H / U3014 Monitors
https://livcophoto.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/how-to-calibrate-dell-wide-gamut-monitors/
https://fstoppers.com/originals/hardware-lut-calibration-dell-wide-gamut-monitors-104826
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=VJVPH
Picture Control Utility 2 which can be found in Nikon Capture NX-D or Nikon ViewNX2 software programs (as of June 26, 2014) or Nikon ViewNX-i software (as of March 2015).
I am having trouble with the results between the 2 cameras. I can’t remember if I applied a linear curve for the D3 before.
There is this curve that is allegedly even better than linear for the D7100 but everything is SUPER dark. I need to try some real pictures.
I would like to try IR photography. I was thinking of converting my D200 to IR. I know this would work out but it lacks some features. Namely it does not have Liveview. And that feature enables correct focus in IR without having to adjust focus calibration on each lens.
The D300 has LV. But it is damned old. Instead, I think a refurbished D7100 will be a better choice. Surprisingly, it has a screwdriver and meters AI lenses. Too bad I will have no use for any of that. It does do UniWB which I will use for IR. And it isn’t TOO expensive. Under 600.
2015.11.04: I saw a refurb D7100 for 500 shipped from Newegg. I jumped on it. It came 2 days later. I have a bunch of stuff I need to do to get it ready for IR.
-IR conversion. Lifepixel. High wavelength cutoff.
-Load UniWB and curves.
-Configure camera.
-Build RAW workflow.
-Memory cards.
I’ve used Gallery2 since possibly late 2006. Definitely since 2007. My installation was never upgraded to the very last release. I didn’t think it was necessary and upgrades are a pain.
My Gallery2 release blew up October 2014 while I was traveling in New Orleans. That last release might have helped. It occurred during an OS upgrade by my web host. Everything else came through OK. Not Gallery2. I tried to fix it but was not able to.
I decided to move to a totally different platform since Gallery3 was no longer being developed. It seems that the shift toward social media sites for things like pictures has removed all interest in development for these types of web applications. I find this sad but I am one of the few people not interested in social media.
I picked WordPress since I was very familiar with it and knew I could put together a platform for hosting my pictures. I found a theme that had a similar color scheme as Carbon had for Gallery2: dark gray and gray.The only thing about the theme I found problematic is the custom menu requires mouseover to expand and the pages widget does not have a tree structure.
I’ve wanted to have a gallery that used the Highslide lightbox since 2008 when I first saw it. I absolutely love this lightbox. I’ve seen nothing since that has similar features.
One concern with WordPress as a gallery is that it was not built for the task. A great many features standard across most gallery applications are just not available. One of these is directory management. I prefer to organize my photos in a very hierarchical manner. I want them organized on the webpage this way. I want the files organized this way. I was able to solve the file locations issue only partially. On the backend, WordPress still organizes the files by upload date but in the admin interface, I found a plugin called WP Media Folder that lets me organize them logically. I use TablePress to manually create thumbnails that link to pages for organizing the structure to the visitor. It is very manual and a pain in the ass but I get the results I want.
I wanted an easy way for the most recent pictures I’ve uploaded to be seen and found the Easy Image Display plugin. It puts the last arbitrary number of uploaded images in a widget or post.
I looked for a gallery plugin for WordPress to handle the gallery specific functions but never found one I liked. It turns out the built in gallery fits my needs well enough. I can get a single column at the right “thumbnail” size with click to expand from Highslide. My goal has always been to allow my visitors to scroll very quickly through the pictures and only click the ones they have any interest in. A feature I was not able to implement is EXIF data. This is only of interest to other photographers but really who else might visit an actual web gallery of a photographer.
It is past time for me to have a macro rig. I have seen some cheap arca clamps that might help a lot. I do want off camera diffuse flash. Wired. Maybe a second light source. Lens undecided.
I purchased a Nikon NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S from a camera shop in Osaka’s DenDen town sometime in 2008 or so. I think it was only about a hundred dollars. I really like this lens. I love how close it focuses. I use it often for taking pictures of flowers and the like. I prefer the wide close up to the telephoto close up because I see more context and more color from nearby flowers.
I recently finally tracked down a close up filter. The PK-11a at 8mm. I have been also looking for the K-1 ring at 5.8mm but that one is MUCH rarer. Not having tracked one down in Japan means I probably will never find one. This allows me to get even closer with a wide angle.
I put the close up filter on my 28mm and tried some test shots. They were blown out. I thought the aperture arm was broken on the close up filter. It wasn’t. My 28mm was developing a sticky aperture. And the lens is now shockingly expensive to replace.
So I take it to a local place and get it cleaned for $80. It looks like a solid job. And I am happy to know that I have a place. It seems a bit expensive but so is replacing it. I am dreading my other lenses going like that… I have a lot of Ai-S glass.
D200
70-200 2.8
1.4 TC
10-20 Sigma
Kiron 105mm 2.8
45mm AI-P
I’ve decided to try using UniWB for my D3 and D200 to get a more useful color histogram while shooting. This was a bitch to install. Tracking down the proper WB files to load. Figuring out how to install a custom flat tone curve. Getting it setup with the right picture controls on the D3. Figuring out how to load a new custom tone curve on the D200 (since I used to use a different one). Understanding why I want to use UniWB. Figuring out how this will affect my post processing. (I can no longer do RAW+JPG because the jpgs now look like shit. I have to batch a new set of jpgs from the RAWs for proofs.)
I’m also moving to AdobeRGB in camera. This will affect how my automation in Photoshop works. I will need to change my actions. I need to figure out what I’m going to do about CS4 too. I don’t want to but I really, really should. I also noticed that the software side of digital is suck ass. From having to upgrade Photoshop and upgrading workflows and upgrading the RAW developer and Camera Control software… Not only the cost but the learning curve.
As for UniWB, I think this will improve my shooting. Perhaps not by a lot but it puts me more in control of my exposure. And I think I understand what my camera is doing more now. It also makes a lot more work for me. Certainly not point and shoot. I don’t know how my D70 is going to handle the new workflow… if I ever even go back to using it at all. Might switch my 3rd body to a D40.
A netbook. Something with excellent battery life. Something with an Atom processor. Smaller is better. Higher resolution screen is better. The MSI Wind is the leading candidate (with a 6 or 9 cell battery). A GPS device for my camera. Something reasonably priced like a Geomet’r GNC-35. At 150, it is a steal. A 1.4 Kenko teleconverter. For the 300 2.8. [aquired for about 100 used from Map Camera]
Nikon K ring set. Or some extention tubes.
Nikon macro stuff. (coupling ring, reversing attachment thing, filter mount for other end of lens.)
