Your Canon Photos No. 32: 10th to 16th December 2023

That Leica does produce some nice night shots David. Love both sets

@mocha123, I would have love to be there right now, nice sunny weather and temperatures, we did have lots or rain again

@Digirame, It's a nice one to have that RP. It does deliver nice pictures.👍
But older cams can also deliver nice ducks 😁

What do I have to add this week?

Nothing, the weather was not great, lots of rain again we both decided to get comfy at home😄
Only thing photo related was a little (side) table I build for the Canon Selphy CP1500 that she uses.
And I like that little printer also 😋

Just an older photo, stitched a few to create a panorama near Glenfinnan Viewpoint at Loch Shiel
We visited the Highlands back in 2015:

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Steve Thomas

Mocha,

Yes, I remember you telling me that...that you use software to remove noise. I wonder if Canon uses some software like that now to remove noise "in camera". I think what you are doing is great. That processed image you show is impressive.

I think the direction Canon is taking is to eliminate all DSLR and M series cameras eventually and focus on creating new R series cameras and RF lenses. So you might as well do what is best now with what you have. Then later you can upgrade into the R series if that happens. Let's keep a lookout for deals and Black Friday specials. 😀 You have been too good, not following our example of buying too much stuff. 😀 I keep telling myself, that that is it...no more buying...and then I'll see something else. Hmmm...that Canon RF 200-800mm lens looks interesting...I'm going to have to get a second job and buy it. And then I need a Canon R8 too, or maybe a Canon R7 or both.... LOL 😀 Hmmm...there's too many toys out there. 😀

Speaking of toys, I have to share with you...I just discovered with the Canon RP that I can take in-camera HDR photos. I tested it and was amazed. It's only a JPEG but what we get is the final processed image (not the three separate images). It looked really good, not like the HDR photo I tried to create of Mt. St. Helens with software previously. I think the Canon M6 Mark II could also do that, but I didn't like that camera because it did not have a EVF viewfinder. I think the Canon R7 replaces the Canon 90D and Canon M6 Mark II with the same or similar 32.5mp sensor.

And I should add...that HDR photo can be taken hand held. There's software within the Canon RP that will align the three pictures when placing them together. Isn't that cool?

Mocha,

I just checked...the DxO PureRaw is available for $129 (USD). That's reasonable. I'll have to think about that...could be useful for anyone as we all have some noise in our high ISO images.

David,

Seeing those eagles on top of those two towers is amazing...wow...what an interesting thing to see.

Photobygms,

That's a beautiful panorama. I gave up with home printers. The wet ink dries up and then when I got a (dry ink) laser printer the paper jammed up so bad, it was useless. I can't find a home printer that allows us to remove jammed paper (like when it chews it up and swallows it). 😀 But I guess I'll have to look again. I put that home printer project on hold. 😀

@Digirame, It's not a standard home printer😁 It's a small photo printer (max 10x15cm/4" x 6")
We do use a Epson Ecotank printer for the other things.

Digi, Mocha:

Before committing to Pure Raw, have a look at Photolab, which is what I use. It is also by DXO and does so much more. This review may help.

David

Hi David,

I use Lightroom and Photoshop and have done since LR ver. 5 which is roughly 10 years, I got it in those days on a perpetual license as was Photoshop then and only went over to the darkside last year, I buy a Yearly subscription around Black Friday that keeps the price down.

I have toyed at times with other image editing software, my issue is that Lightroom Also act as a DAM and many of the better image editors don't. With over 100,000+ photos to organise I need the DAM. 😀

Lightroom has now got a good noise reduction tool but for me it's not as good as PureRaw.

Hi Digirame,

Just be aware, DxO PureRaw only works on RAW files not on JPGs.

The whole reason why DXO Pure Raw and Photolab are able to do miracles in removing noise is because they work on raw files. Once raw files have had their component parts (RGB) combined this ability is no longer available. Working on raw files allows a major step forward in optimising the quality of photos. In addition to noise reduction, these two DXO programs apply their detailed knowlege of each individual lens and camera you used in order to optimise other parameters like optical distortions and vignetting, also giving the user the option to adjust these settings. For the price of less than a half the cost of a budget lens, the PhotoLab/Viewpoint combination is well worth it in my opinion. (I have no commercial connection with DXO.)

David

Mocha,

OK...thanks. I wasn't sure last evening when I was reviewing DxO PureRaw. But that makes sense, since "raw" is in the name of their product.

Also by the way, after chatting with someone on the Dpreview M series forum, it looks like the M series has been discontinued. But for me, using the Canon M50 Mark II was not a waste (and I'll still use them for a while). The reason I was able to learn how to use the Canon RP so quickly, is that it was very similar to the Canon M50 Mark II. I struggled with that mirrorless camera for about 3 months, making changes in the menu until it was good. The Canon RP is much better. For one, that video on/off button is better positioned and raised slightly so it can easily be used. Also I didn't see that manual focus control on the Canon RP (on the ring or whatever they call it). On the Canon M50 Mark II a person could be using the controls and then suddenly find it was changed to MF (manual focus) when accidentally activated. It was so annoying when it happened right in the middle of your photo session, because you would think the camera suddenly was broken and you could not use the AF (auto focus). I found I could disable that MF in the menu (thank goodness). I was so glad that was not there on the Canon RP in the same spot. So far I still find the Canon RP to be amazing.

David,

Thanks for letting us know about the editing software too. I don't know when I'll get around to doing that, but it's something to consider.

Hi Digirame,

I had my eye on the R7 then found out that my Tamron 150-600mm would not work with it, other issues that some had put up on YouTube kind of put me off the camera as well, I need something solid a workhorse. For now my 7D mkII carries on filling that slot.

You'll have to show us what the RP can do with the HDR it creates, it'll be interesting to see the normal shot then the HDR.

I noticed you were talking about printers with Photbygms, I got a Canon G650 Megatank, it's only A4 but does Landscapes up to 1.2 mtrs. If I want larger for big frames It's cheap enough to get the odd one online. It's a six ink printer and has hard as I try the Inks never seem to go down. My house is now full of pictures on every wall. 😀 😂

Mocha,

Yes, it's the same with me, the reason I didn't jump to a Canon R7 yet. I still like using my Tamron 150-600mm lens. I suppose I could get a Canon 90D as an upgrade for that lens. In the future maybe the price of that Canon RF 200-800mm lens would drop enough to justify changing. I think if a person upgrades slowly, that's the way to go (for us that have tight budgets). In place of the Canon 70D, you could use the Canon R7, R, R8 or RP etc. with inexpensive Canon RF lenses or Canon EF lenses with an adaptor (and remain using that Tamron lens with the Canon 7D Mark II). The technology changes all the time, so we just have to be aware of that and wait for reasonable prices. Again, I agree with you...to wait patiently, upgrade gradually and enjoy what we have. That's why I was showing you all the smiley faces with my comments concerning acquiring more stuff. 😀

I did test the HDR mode indoors...wow...it was crazy good. 😀 The dark shadows brightened up and the bright areas darkened etc. Yes, today I hope I get to test that in-camera HDR mode outdoors and show you all comparisons.

Thanks for letting me know about the printer. Does the ink dry up, if you forgot to use it? That's been my biggest issue with the wet ink printers. Then my idea to use a dry ink laser printer was a failure when it chewed up the paper into tiny pieces and I found it could not be easily dismantled to remove the paper fragments. If I had a warranty (which I did not) I was told I could exchange it for another printer. I don't know why they don't make home printers that have covers to remove paper jams. On commercial printers, there were covers so that we could remove crumbled up papers from the rollers. I haven't given up yet. I just put that printer project on hold until I find out better information.

Hi Digirame,

I bought the printer in January 23 and have had no problems with the inks, they're a different type of ink from the inkjets and they come in seperate bottles which you fill each individual tank up with. Mine isn't constantly in use especially when I was away for a couple of months in summer but it's always worked when needed.

Hey Mocha.😀 Thanks. That sounds great. I forgot to ask...how is it when removing paper jams like when they chew them up into tiny pieces? The dry ink laser printer I bought that chewed and swallowed the paper was a big box, with no directions on how to disassemble it anywhere, even on the web. It was basically a nightmare project to do anything like that. I was hoping the printer you like using, was designed to easily remove paper jams, even with some difficulty...as long as it was possible.

Oh, I just got back from testing the Canon RP. I'll show you all the results, when I upload the images to the computer etc. We had a cloudy day, so it was difficult to find places that would be good for creating HDR images. But I finally found a covered structure for picnic tables in a park and it worked pretty well, at least from what I could see in the LCD screen. Hopefully, when I view it on the computer it will still look good. They have different options for the in-camera HDR pictures and I only did one of them. So considered this preliminary. The silent shutter was excellent. I was able to do it with the workaround that I mentioned. You can stand anywhere with the camera at your side, tilt the LCD screen so you can see the subject matter and push the shutter button all you want without any noise...nothing..it's absolutely silent like a cell phone. I then took a few ISO40000 photos for fun. But the amount of noise we see also depends on the lighting. I did not test it extensively as I also had other work to do today too. 😀

Subject: In-Camera HDR Image

Here's the hand-held in-camera HDR image I took today with the Canon RP. It's a SOOC JPEG, resized with IrfanView with no straightening or lighting adjustments. It's just what was produced from the camera.

The settings were:
1) Adjust dynamic range - Auto
2) Effect - Art standard
3) Continuous HDR - 1-shot only
4) Auto Image Align - Enable (useful for hand-held pictures)

What is interesting is that the EXIF data was not corrupted when the camera merged all three exposures together. It took about 5 seconds to process in the camera (but I didn't time it...that's just my guess). A "BUSY" message is displayed in the LCD screen while waiting for the HDR image.

Photo No. 1 - This is the HDR image as you can see.

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/250 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 5000
ExposureBiasValue - -0.33
FocalLength - 35 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

Photo No. 2 - Now we see the non-HDR image.

Model - Canon EOS RP
ExposureTime - 1/250 seconds
FNumber - 9
ISOSpeedRatings - 5000
ExposureBiasValue - -0.33
FocalLength - 35 mm
Lens Model - RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

So, what do you think about this, for a first time effort? 😀

Dig,

I have a T8i and there are two ways of taking an in-camera HDR photo.

One way is through the Special Scene Mode setting (SCN) on your main mode dial. It's called HDR Backlight Control Mode. It takes 3 photos at different exposures and merges them.

The second method is to use the Creative Filters on your main Mode dial ( it looks like two overlapping circles). There are 4 levels of HDR ( Standard, Vivid, Bold and Embossed).
Using this method, the camera also takes 3 photos and merges them.

I learned that these methods are Basic Zone, which means that the camera has total control of the settings (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO).
I also learned that I can't take monochrome - only color.

I have only experimented briefly comparing the two methods to see which produces better quality, but I think the the first method produces more realistic photos.

I do not know how your RP will compare.

Steve Thomas