Daily Archives: June 27, 2014

O.K. for all those folks that are sick of my talking about how happy I am with my Fuji X-System, this isn’t about that, well, maybe a little, but lots of cameras have APS-C size sensors and there are a number of reasons you should consider one!  If only as a back-up body!

 

First, over the past four or five years the push was to go to “Full Frame” sensors, actually all sensors are full frame, (they occupy the entire frame no matter what their size!), what people mean is a sensor that is approx. the size of a 35mm film frame 36X24!  The push was because when they first became available they offered significantly better high ISO, low noise performance!  Not so much today.  The most recent top of APS-C size sensors have really been pushing the 35mm size sensors on noise, dropping the advantage to less than one f stop!!!   The other advantage for the 35mm size sensor was that lenses were their “actual” focal length, meaning super wide lenses, wet actually super wide.  Then the APS-C cameras got super wide lenses and super wide zooms, advantage gone.  The last big advantage was that depth-of-field was more shallow, thus leading to nicer Bokeh.  When the APS-C guys got very fast lenses, the APS-C depth-of-field more closely matched the 35mm sensors.

 

Now the APS-C guys had some advantages too!  They exhibit greater apparent depth of field at any given focal length, which a good thing when you want more depth of field, sharpness!  The APS-C lenses are smaller (translate: easier to design and make very sharp because they do not require as much light transmission!)  Size and weight?  Big advantage APS-C, they can be half the size of 35mm sensored bodies and lenses!  In my post of Wednesday I also talked about being able to use older “legacy” glass fro various manufacturers with adapters to get super long, very fast glass, sometimes at exceptional financial bargains!!!!  For me this is a real big thing! Here are some more images that would have cost  great deal more to make if I still was shooting a full frame (35mm) sensor camera.

 

Another great advantage is the close focus distance of lenses does not change, but image size does, thus, close focus performance is enhanced!!

 

 

 

 

 

Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, and many other companies make cameras with the APS-C size sensor, even if you already shoot a 35mm size sensor, a APS-C sensored camera can open up your horizons! Food for thought!

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

When I started working with Jim (Begley) I really started to get into using filters to alter straight shots.  My trip to Dave Jones Truck Rescue in Sprague, Washington, i got some great candidates for applying filers!  Jim does absolutely beautiful HDR images that take a lot of precise work with layers and layer masks, not me, I’m a one click kinda guy!  All of these images are simple NIK or Topaz filters!

 

 

 

Topaz Simplify applied to above image.

 

More images altered with Topaz Simplify painting effects.

 

 

 

 

Topaz Adjust Spicify applied below;

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow I will be in Kingsport shooting some more wonderful Americana at Memory Lane, and hopefully finding a new location for great Americana photography!

 

Have a wonderful weekend,

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim