Your Canon Photos No. 42: 18th to 24th February 2024

Dunlin,

That's neat you have found some daffodils. It's so nice to see this. We have some also in Oregon. Late winter and early spring is such a good time of year to search for flowers.

Dunlin,

Thanks. It was fun looking for these robots on both days. The first day was a little disappointing, but on that day I found what I think was the source of these robots (at least one source). So in that respect, it was successful. It was interesting to me how the rain blurred or softened some of the images in the background. With just light sprinkles it's not too bad, but when the rain increases it does give us that affect.

A fascinating series, Digi! Thanks.

So, these robots deliver in the town? They seem more polite than the young men that race through the cycle lanes here on e-bikes! The robot that I have seen works actually in a Chinese restaturant. Last time I went past, it was closed; but I will try again.

David

David,

Thanks. Yes, the robots deliver around the University. I don't know the range, but I did see some venture off towards some residences outside the University. Last year, I took a photo of a young lady opening the lid of the food cart robot. I think they unlock it, probably with something on their phone. They probably pay with a credit or debit card (via the phone or internet) and get some code to do that. There's might be information on google to what they have to do exactly. That robot does not take chances with what you see in the last photo. It will stay there as long as it takes on the sidewalk until there's no cars, before crossing the street. I like watching how smart they are, with how they are programmed.

Uh oh.

Rain's coming.

The workman assured me that before he put his ladder away, he would check for cats.
Not the normal question roofers get asked every day.

I get a kick out of these black and whites and the bare branches.

Steve Thomas

Steve,

I like seeing the cloud pattern with the blue sky. That's a nice candid photo of the workman. The composition is good with how we see the entire truck. The ladder leads our eye towards the top of the roof where the workman is standing. Everything looks sharp and straight. The branches remind me of winter. Even though there are signs of early spring, a lot of us are still having cold winter days.

Dig,

I once read that black and white is good of you want to tell a story. It removes distracting colors and reduces the scene to its basic elements.

I think I was using a 55-250mm lens. For a long time, it was the only lens I had, and I haven't used it in a while. I was surprised that it took such a good picture.

Steve Thomas

Steve,

The one time I converted a color photograph to a B&W picture, was to reduce some bright glare that I had. It was years ago, but I found it necessary to make the photo look acceptable. Other than that, I prefer to take photos in color. Some people do take lots of B&W pictures. I just like colors that I find with flowers, blue sky, green grass, sunsets, colorful clothing and costumes etc. The Canon 55-250mm lens is really good for the cost. I still use mine. Last weekend I took photos with it from the car (as a passenger).

OK  Here's my question:

I set my AEB and take 3 RAW photos.

I go into DPP4 , load up the photos and in the Tools menu, start the HDR composting.

I merge the files and wind up with an HDR image. 

I go to save it. Is it saved as a RAW file, or as a jpg?

I looked at the manual, and all the manual says is, 'Save as" and then it stops.

I have  T8i, and I can do an HDR composition of RAW files, but the resulting image is saved as a jpg.

Steve Thomas

Steve,

Where you saved the files, go search for .cr3 (for RAW) or .jpg (for JPEG). That should be your answer.

Steve,

You cannot look at a raw file. It is the data straight from the sensor -- simply a series of numbers. DPP combines this data into a picture, after which it is no more "raw".

It is a long time since I used DPP4, but if you hit the Save button at the top, you get a choice of jpeg or tiff (either 8 or 16 bit, with or without EXIF data) 16-bit TIFF is preferable if you are going to work further on the file, but it will be large. JPEG is smaller, because it is compressed and has already thrown away detail.

Ask if you want further help!

Best,

David

Thank you all for your help.

Steve Thomas

Steve,

David is correct that you can not see the image, but you can see the file extension .cr3. I only took a few RAW images and all I had to do was search for .cr3 and there they were.... There were the image numbers with "blank" pictures. I haven't worked enough with DDP4 to know what it does, without checking myself. But I know I can find the RAW images fast.

Dig,

I think David is right. From what I read here and elsewhere, you can do a RAW HDR composite, but if you want to save it, DPP4 can save it as either a jpg or as a TIFF file. Which kind of makes sense. The combined file isn't "raw" anymore.

You can do the same thing, to a more limited degree in-camera. It's in the Playback Menus, Sub-menu# 2. The camera only allows for saving an HDR RAW composite as a JPEG. Saving as a TIFF is not an option.

I got started on this because I was interested in "local" or "specific" adjustments (I wanted to learn how to darken just the clouds in a picture without darkening the whole picture). I think I've learned how to that. Now, it's just a matter of practice.

Steve Thomas

Another vote for David's advice.
It's been a long time since I've touched DPP4, and I'm now on Linux so I can't, but another format some programs export HDR to is DNG.

Raw and jpeg files are described very well on this page.

TIFF files can be 16 bit, which means that, although large, they contain a lot more details than JPEGs.

As you know, I use PhotLab to process my raw files (it can work noise reducing miracles on these, which are impossible once the raw data has been combined to make the image). I usually save the result as a TIFF, and then import it into Photoshop for final adjustments (simply because I know PS better for doing these) and then save as the jpegs that I upload here.

Meanwhile, here is an impressive cloud for Steve, taken on my walk this week -- just before it rained!

David

Steve and Dunlin,

Of course I believe that David is right, as he takes RAW photos all of the time. I'm just saying you can find the files with the extension .cr3. On my computer the "blank" picture is a square box for my RAW photos. Can you see that on your computer? I'll take a picture of it, if what I'm saying does not make sense. I had taken two RAW photos when I was experimenting with ISO102400 images. I took those two pictures on January 26, 2024. I could find them right away with a search.

David,

You do a good job with PhotoLab. Just to let you know.... I was refunded for my older version of PhotoLab software that did not work properly. I may start with a trial version later. The trial version is good for 30 days. I'm not in a hurry to do it, although. I've been so busy with so many things, including taking pictures.

Dig,

The initial question revolved around composite photos done in DPP4.

If you take 2 or more RAW photos and combine them using DPP4's composting tool, when you go to save that new photo, what file extension does DPP4 use?

I'm pretty sure that, in DPP4, you can only save that new photo as either a jpg or a tiff file.

Steve Thomas

True. What other format do you want to save in?

By the way, I believe that there is a jpg version embedded in raw files, so that you can in fact see what the picture is about. This is the same that the camera makes for you to review what you have shot, when it is only set to save raw files. However, what you then see in DPP or PL is the actual raw file, saved by the camera and converted by the program, and which you can adjust.

For instance, if I compare the jpeg and raw files from my Leica in PL and turn the exposure down, I can recover two stops (2 EV) of over exposure with the raw file, and can see that the equivalent highlights on the out of camera jpeg have been completely truncated and cannot be recovered. This is due to the larger dynamic range of the raw file and is an extremely valuable property.

David

And my masterpiece of the week:

The text reads: We kindly ask you to keep the gate closed at all times.

David

Winter in 2024:

The new weekly thread is open here.

Please start using it now.

David

Zeiss 140mm?