Here’s a link to some puzzles made from my photos at Jigidi:
I am a big fan of the ExpoDisc, that comes in basically the same sizes as UV filters, albeit, it is thicker. I got mine over-sized for my Canon telephoto lenses – it”s easy just to hold it over the end of the lens, rather than screw it on. Turn off the auto-focus and shoot an image lit as the camera will see the subject i.e. fire the strobes if strobes are in use. The resulting image is a neutral gray (18% gray) that may then be used with any DSLR that allows setting custom white balance based on an in-camera image.
“The ExpoDisc Professional Digital White Balance Filter (patent pending) is a custom white balance filter that allows digital photographers to quickly and easily set an accurate custom white balance. Consistently producing excellent results in natural, artificial, and studio lighting, the versatile ExpoDisc even excels in difficult mixed lighting environments.”
Both the design and packaging are excellent!
One note: I found out that using an image to set a custom white balance doesn”t actually alter any particular settings in the camera, it is used as a reference as other images are shot. In other words, don”t delete the image used to set the custom white balance until after all images in that particular light are taken.
When digital camera pixel counts really started jumping up in 2001, I had an Olympus C920Z point and shoot with a 2.1 megapixel sensor.
In 2002 I bought a Sony DSC-F717, with a 5 megapixel sensor and an excellent 5x optical zoom lens for which I paid around $500.
In December of 2005 I looked at the newly released Canon EOS 5D that offered a full-frame (i.e. equivalent to taking a 35mm film image) body that had a 12.8 megapixel sensor. The asking price was around $5K.
I settled on a Canon EOS 20D that was just under $2K (buy it used today for around $700) which had an 8.2 megapixel sensor that was about 2/3 the size of the full-frame sensor.
But, besides the obvious advantage of being able to swap out lenses, I had a hard time wrapping my head around why a camera with just 3 megapixels more than my Sony should cost more than 3 times as much, 3 years later, when prices on point and shoots comparable to my Sony had dropped by 50%.
The knowledgeable clerk made it really simple for me to understand. In fact, it was the inspiration for my tag line “Apprehending Light!”
He explained that not all pixels are equal. Two cameras with the same number of megapixels that had lesser and greater sized sensors would perform differently.
“Why?” I asked.
“Bigger pixels, more light. More light better images.” came the simple reply.
Today I own an EOS 40D with a 10.1 megapixel sensor and save my 20D as a a back-up camera. The 40D is a great camera and a real workhorse. I love it!
Here”s the ESO 40 Sensor measuring 22.2 x14.8 mm.
Nevertheless, now I walk around with a furled brow wondering how to scrape together the $4K for the new EOS 5Ds Mark II with its full-frame sensor at a whopping 21 megapixels!
Here’s its huge 36 x 24 mm CMOS sensor!
Yeah! While the pixel size on the 5Ds Mark II is the same as on the 20D, the 5Ds sensor is more than twice the size of the original 40D. So I”d still have big pixels, but I”d have a whole lot more of them.
Catch more light!