This week, Ken Lee kicked things off by telling us why DSLRs are still relevant in 2020, while Michele Grenier showed us the power of the SpyderCUBE.
Kevin Ames walked us through lux, footcandles and exposure when it comes to lighting, Ken Lee made star trails come alive with Plotagraph Pro and Jeremy Gray showed us how to bring out hidden details in RAW files.
Can your gray card do THIS? - The SpyderCUBE — a smart alternative to the gray card — measures white balance, exposure, black level and brightness ... Can YOUR gray card do this? Let's compare from a little closer!
How bright is that light? Your guide to lux, footcandles and exposure - The output of LED lights is rated in lux, lumens or footcandles. What the heck do all of these terms mean when all we want to know is how bright the light is in f/stop, shutter speed and ISO? Here are the simple answers … Footcandles are for movies, video and television I remember working in a TV news studio earlier in my career, we had to get at least 300 fc — the abbreviation for footcandles — on the set for it to register on the cameras. I walked around the set with an incident light meter looking for hot spots and dark ones. Hot spots were reduced by changing to a lower wattage bulb or adding some fireproof diffusion to the light. Higher watt bulbs boosted the dark spots to proper levels. Footcandles are being replaced by lux Lux is the European equivalent of footcandle and is slowly replacing footcandles. Unfortunately, they aren’t equal. There are 10.74 lux to one footcandle. Roughly, people convert lux to footcandles by dividing by 10. Converting footcandles to lux is done by multiplying by 10 for a ballpark answer. This is close enough for quick exposure calculations. Lux, footcandles and the exposure triangle Lux and footcandles are so not useful to photographers. What photographers want to know is the aperture and shutter speed to use at a given ISO for a light. The key to this is simple: 1000 lux or 100 fc give an exposure of f/2.8 at 1/50 for ISO 100. That info is all that you need to figure out any exposure for any amount of lux or fc. Exposure is doubling or cutting light in half Here are some basics in case you don’t have a total handle on how exposure works. First, remember that an f/stop — whether referring to an aperture value, shutter speed or an ISO — is always double the amount of light or half the amount depending on whether you open up or stop down. Open up one f/stop doubles the amount of light Move from f/2.8 to f/2.0 doubles the amount of light Move from 1/50s to 1/25s doubles the amount of light Move from ISO 100 to ISO 200 doubles the amount of light Close down one f/stop cuts the amount of light in half Move from f/2.8 to f/4.0 halves the amount of light Move from 1/50s to 1/100s halves the amount of light Move from ISO 100 to ISO 5o halves the amount of light Let’s use the 1000 lux/100 fc exposure of f/2.8 at 1/50 at ISO 100 to see how this works. When one control (aperture, shutter speed or ISO) is opened up one f/stop, one of the other controls must be closed down one f/stop. Open the aperture one f/stop: f/2.8 moves more open to f/2.o (doubles the amount of light) at ISO 100 Close the shutter speed one f/stop: 1/50s moves faster to 1/100s (halves the amount of light) at ISO 100 f/2.0 at 1/100s and ISO 100 is the same exposure as f/2.8 at 1/50s and ISO 100 Exposure according to lux or fc The example above is for 1000 lux (100 fc). Increase the amount of light to 4000 lux (400 fc) and the difference is 2 f/stops (or simply stops) more light. It works this way: 1000 lux (100fc) doubles to 2000 lux (200fc). That is one stop brighter. Double 2000 lux (200fc) to 4000 lux (400fc) and the brightness increases by another stop for a total of 2 stops more light. So … At 4000 lux (400fc) the exposure is two stops more light and is controlled by stopping down by 2 f/stops. The original exposure for 1000 lux (100 fc) is still f/2.8 at 1/50 ISO 100 At 2000 lux (200 fc) there is twice as much light. The exposure is now f/4.o at 1/50s and ISO 100 or f/2.8 at 1/100s and ISO 100 or f/2.8 at 1/50s and ISO 5o Each of the above is the correct exposure for 2000 lux (200 fc). At 4000 lux (400 fc) there is double the amount of light from 2000 lux (200 fc) f/5.6 at 1/50s and ISO 100 or f/2.8 at 1/200s and ISO 100 or f/2.8 at 1/50s and ISO 25 or f/4.0 at 1/100s and ISO 100 (both the aperture and shutter have closed down one stop). Reading a light’s output I recently reviewed a new spot/flood bicolor LED light from Genaray. The BLT-60B‘s specs list the following super hard to read chart but now you have the secret decoder ring! 15° spot: 9050 lux/840.7 fc at 2.99′ / 0.91 m 75° flood: 3270 lux/303.8 fc at 2.99′ / 0.91 m Light is measured in lux and fc at a distance In the specs above the lux and fc are measured at a super close to three feet. Let’s go over the first line to see how this conversion works. I want to know how many stops brighter 9050 lux is than 1000 lux. (To keep it simple, I am dropping the footcandles for now. If you want to use them, the question is how many stops brighter are 840 fc than 100 fc?) 9050 lux (840 fc) divided by 2 (half the light or one stop) = 4525 lux 4525 lux divided by 2 (half the light again is one more stop) = 2250 lux and yes I am rounding for simplicity’s sake. 2250 lux divided by 2 (half once more is yet another stop) = 1125 lux so The exposure for 9050 lux at 3 feet is f/2.8 at 1/400 ISO 100. You can work out the 75º flood line because now you know how. All you have to remember is 1000 lux (100 fc) equals an exposure of f/2.8 at 1/50 at ISO 100. And that lux or footcandles are always measured at a stated distance from the light.
Quickly bring out hidden details in your RAW image files - Aurora HDR has long been a popular photo editing application for combining bracketed images into beautiful high-dynamic range (HDR) images. However, you don’t need to bracket images to make use of Aurora HDR. In fact, in short order, you can add a lot of life to your RAW images using the software. First steps The first thing you need to do is open the desired image in Aurora HDR. You can do this through Luminar, as well as Photoshop or Lightroom Classic as a plugin. You can also do this with the standalone Aurora HDR application. Once you have selected an image for processing in Aurora HDR, the software will identify the overall exposure level of the image. Once you begin processing your photo, Aurora HDR identifies the type of image and then applies automatic adjustments. Additional adjustments While you may enjoy the automatic adjustments Aurora HDR applies, the real strength of the software comes when you manually control different image editing parameters. There are a variety of built-in Looks you can use as a basis. Further, you can adjust basic things such as white balance, exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, white levels and black levels. However, there is much more you can do via additional filters. You can adjust individual colors in an HSL filter, adjust HDR Enhance properties, perform noise reduction, use LUT mapping, increase radiance, adjust a polarizing filter, add glow to your image, utilize top and bottom gradients and much more. Aurora HDR includes a controllable tone curve as well, with RGB channels. Plus, you can even dodge and burn via in-app painting. If you find yourself gravitating toward similar settings for multiple images, you can save your edits as an Aurora HDR Look, which can then be accessed with a single click. Aurora HDR in action It is amazing how much detail Aurora HDR can draw from a single RAW image file. You can recover considerable detail from highlight areas. Of course, you can also bring a lot of detail back from shadows as well. One of the more exciting aspects of working with Aurora HDR on a single RAW image is experimenting with different options. I don’t often opt for a traditional ‘HDR’ look, but I really like how Aurora HDR allows me to quickly introduce detail to my images and give them a nice ‘pop.’ If you desire, you can even utilize a layer-based workflow within Aurora HDR. Importantly, you can access various history states and save your edits as a dedicated AUH file format. The software allows you to easily preserve the integrity of your original raw file. Aurora HDR includes a variety of export options as well. Skylum’s Aurora HDR is an incredibly powerful application for creating and editing HDR images. However, it is a lot more than that. You can use the application as a quick raw image editor, even when working with a single RAW image file. With the increasing fidelity of image sensors in modern cameras, there is a large amount of detail captured in a single file. Aurora HDR is an easy way to bring that hidden detail to the surface. Want to get started with Aurora HDR? Save $10 when you use the code PHOTOFOCUS!
Why should you use a DSLR in 2022? - Mirrorless cameras are the future. Many are filled with amazing tech. So what reasons would there be to still use a DSLR? Turns out there’s a few. And not to worry, this is not an anti-mirrorless camera rant. These are simply a few reasons why someone might reach for a DSLR in 2022. Longer battery life It’s rather easy to find DSLRs that are rated for 800-1500 shots and beyond. If you want a camera to last all night to let you take very long exposure photos or 4-hour long star trails, DSLRs have an advantage. Mirrorless bodies are often rated lower than that, although it’s gaining fast. You can also get additional life out of them if you make a concerted effort to conserve power. Feels better in hand Comfort is subjective. Nonetheless, DSLRs are larger and typically have deeper grips. The same can’t be said for many of their mirrorless counterparts, often having flat or shallower grips. People with large hands are especially left out in the cold. This issue is arguably not as important if one is primarily doing night photography, since the camera is typically perched on a tripod. Regardless, if you are photographing all day, it’s much better to have a camera that is comfortable to hold. Try picking up cameras and seeing how they feel. Does this seem like something you would want to hold for hours on end? Looks better in low light The optical viewfinders on DSLRs look better in low light. When photographing in low light situations, optical viewfinders approximate the feel of looking with your own eye. Electronic viewfinders can look like a grainy, poor-quality display. There’s often tons of noise, making it more challenging to determine whether you’ve nailed focus and exposure. And, well, most photographers think those are important aspects. Less expensive This requires little explanation. You can get jaw-dropping DSLRs such as the Pentax K-1 for $1700 new. The Nikon D750 camera sells for under $800 new. Greater selection of lenses The sheer amount of lenses available for DSLRs, lenses that have been made for decades, is overwhelming. And they are often less expensive. For most photographers, mirrorless cameras have a fine lens selection, having all the typical lenses that one would ordinarily use. However, for specialty photographers, having access to extremely long lenses, LensBaby, various oddball lenses of yesteryear on eBay and some Kickstarter lenses might be all the reason they need to use a DSLR. That said, there are many adapters that one can use with mirrorless cameras. Better durability DSLRs still generally get the nod when it comes to durability. Why? The larger body, that’s why. It’s thicker and has more room for shock absorption, a larger grip and really good weather sealing. Additionally, the sensor on a mirrorless camera is more exposed and may require a little more maintenance. Some mirrorless cameras do offer rugged performance, but generally speaking, if photographers know they are going to put their camera through abuse — think war journalism, coastal photography, backcountry landscape, windy desert areas — they are more likely to reach for a DSLR. What’s best for you? There’s no such thing as “the best camera.” You choose the camera that’s best for you (and your budget). That camera may be mirrorless. But that camera just may be a DSLR.
Star trails come alive with Plotagraph Pro - I just had an opportunity to experiment with Plotagraph Pro, which adds motion to a single image. I used the desktop app of Plotagraph Pro to animate parts of my night photos. Here’s how the process went. Masking I began masking the parts that I wished to remain still. I quickly found that many of the key prompts, or shortcuts, that are used in Photoshop are the same in Plotograph Pro. I could zoom in easily, although because there’s a lot more going on under the hood than a static photo, the zoom feature took longer. For the first photo, I chose a long exposure night sky photo of star trails from Trona Pinnacles in California. I brushed the unusual tufa rock formations red, so that they would not be affected by the animation. Then I used the feather feature to soften the edges and foreground. I experimented with this and selected the one that looked the best. Animating What is going to move? You get to choose! You also choose the speed and direction by placing red animation points around the image and dragging the blue arrow to indicate speed and direction. Fun! This can require a lot of detail work, so relax and have fun! I like to press the “play” icon every once in a while to see what the animation is doing. When I pressed “play” and then stopped it, I would have to initiate the animation tool again. Placing lots of animation points seems to give you more precise control, especially if doing something that is circular in motion. There are several animation modes. My guess is that for most people, they will want to stick with “Infinity,” which is the default. I created many animation points to create a circular sort of motion of the star trails. My preference is precise control, so I added quite a few. Animation points could even be added beyond the image, although with this image, this had little discernible difference. I found I could not stop some of the animations from “bunching up” around the edges, likely due to a “lack of information” when getting to the sides or the areas that were masked. Further edits If you wish, tools on the right side offer options for altering the final animated image further, including adding layers, adding text, color and brightness adjustments, as well as crop adjustments. The crop adjustments allow you to choose from a variety of presets as well as freely cropping. Uploading When my star trails were swirling and I was satisfied with the result, I began to look at the upload functions. You can choose the frame rate, which will affect the perceived smoothness of the motion. The higher the frame rate, the smoother the function. Then you can upload this as prompted. You may also download the file onto your hard drive, which downloads as a short MP4 file. Plotagraph Pro is fun! I had a lot of fun, especially when I figured out how to do this. It’s certainly a lot of fun to share with people and is rather engaging. I look forward to more experiments with different kinds of photos. Want to learn more about Plotagraph and try it for yourself? Click here to get started!
