OK, I'm going for high-res. I had to retire the beloved Yashica rangefinder camera (Hence my choice of 'handles': "Finder") due to inferior optics. I can't ignore it any more. Just as soon as I can I'll get a Leica, or Voitlander, or Contax .. maybe Hexar.., or some other QUIET, high-performance rangefinder camera; but until then, sharp optics are mandatory. I'm switching to an old Minolta SLR (70s vintage) with killer Rokkor optics. Sharp optics - even though every time the shutter is released on an SRT101 it sounds like someone's cocking a machine gun! It's RUINING my candids! The image, by the way, is the Milwaukee Art Museum. The artwork pictured here is the Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion. This thing opens up into a big freaky thing - I just can't explain it. Dig it. Joe

Cool picture, looks almost sci-fi, and the purple-y monochrome is great! They had a pic of this in the paper here not long ago, in an article on museum/aquarium architecture (we're getting a huge new aquarium) - it was taken at night and was all gold and darkness, and (if I remember correctly) was opened up - I do remember thinking, man that's awesome, they'll never build anything like that here, it'll just be another square box! :-P

Yup, It's pretty sci-fi, all right. But what'ya gotta picture is that this huge thing moves - I'm say'n it UNFOLDS into a bizarre giant bird-thing. It's huge! This high-res sample JPG file unpacks into a 6Mb beast. I hope your RAM can handle it. Oh! Another way I'm going hi-res is this: I've been in the habit of using high speed film. I've been going for depth of field (so I don't have to focus as carefully), and higher shutter speeds (so I don't have to use a tripod). Lately I've been learning the value of planning, and thinking-through the exposure process - the value of using a tripod, and thinking-through depth-of-field vs. exposure time optimization. I think that plenty of my shots that slightly lack a certain sharpness, or 'just don't sparkle' were never properly diagnosed as CAMERA (read 'photographer')-INDUCED MOTION BLUR! The grain in 400ASA or 800ASA film - which, if I read correctly, are actually "dye clouds" in this type - causes not only 'lack of resolution', but rather DISFUGURES the details. Slower films have not only a 'finer' grain, but a smoother grain structure. This image was recorded on Fuji one-hundred speed print film. I can see now that if the speed isn't required, and the optics can cut-the-mustard, then the fine grain offers an appreceable advantage (better evidenced in the actual photographic print). I'm just begining to develop a style of photography. I don't mean composition - I mean, technically speaking, the actual aquisition of the image. An eye for composition is another matter - that's where I would be more likely to fail. Am I talking too much?

No, I don't mind. That's exactly what I dicked-around for about an HOUR-AND-A-HALF trying to achieve. How did you do that ?! Anxoiusly waiting, Joe ...

Nice stuff, Finder.....know what you mean, cause my F4 (and my previous Nikons too) sound like I'm trying to gun someone down, especially in continous mode :) And yes, it does ruin candits. That's the only thing I don't like about my camera, and makes me think about changing sometime in the future. A few weeks ago I was like the center of attention with my f4 and 180mm ED telephoto at a Xmas fair....I saw some awesome scenes, but people were staring at me when I aimed at them. =(

Pssst......despeckle first, resize, unsharpen and then correct the color with hue/saturation for precize work or levels or even varations to do it faster. :) Hope that helps....lemme know if you need anymore info. Btw Alpha, 100 % true...oh, about the sound I meant that the shutter sound is just too loud with Nikon =( Guess that's a big advantage with your camera, Alpha :)

(What's Alpha running?)

Nikor. Yup, that aught'a do it for World-class sharpness - and they'll do it with a wide open aperature! I love my Yashica Electro 35, but you have to stop it down to at least F/4 or better for a crisp one. I was reading about these deep sky wide field astrophotographers running Nikors ..was it a 90mm f/1.4? ..Something like that - and they run'm wide open!. I want a Leica. Small, quiet, reliable - with that Zeiss glass. Oh-yeah! Joe

Here's a try:

crap, compressed it too much....

Okay, less compression :P