A very interesting question popped up on Flickr: Is there any technical advantage of specifying AdobeRGB or sRGB in a Camera RAW file?

Almost all digital cameras obtains color by placing a color filter in front of identically constructed photodiodes. The RAW file just stores digitization of those monochromatic values. Color profile information on a RAW file is stored in the metadata, not applied to the file itself. So there is no technical difference between the two profiles besides hinting to your image processing applications your preferred color space.

There is a slight theoretical exception here: the RAW format isn’t a standard so there is no reason why a camera manufacturer couldn’t record different raw data based on the intended color space. This might be advantageous in a camera like the Nikon D200, which does color processing in analog space before digitization. The intended color space could theoretically provide hints to the camera so as to minimize interpolation to the resulting color space.

Of course, this doesn’t happen. If Nikon did such a thing, Adobe would probably have a conniption and call it “encryption.” Sometimes I wonder if Nikon’s White Balance code page in the D200 was intended to give Nikon engineers the flexibility to take advantage of this camera trait—I know of no other camera that uses white balance information to modify digitization—in a future firmware release…and corresponding Capture NX update.

Now we’ll never know.

[Adobe Camera RAW and color profiling after the jump]Continue reading →

I received this e-mail today, from a Canon Digital Rebel XT owner:

I shoot pictures mainly for my kids marching band. Which means I’m usually shooting at dusk or night. It also means I’m either in the stands on on the sidelines but still want good close-ups. What is a good (read affordable) lens for shooing long distance in low light?

What he wants is a lens that has the reach, is wide (for night shooting) and is cheap. Image Stabilization isn’t an issue because I’ll assume he’ll be buying a monopod or owns a tripod. He’ll have to push the ISO to get the shutter speed up to 1/60 or better which is what he’ll need to prevent bluring of a moving marching band.

Unfortunately there is no such lens that is both long, fast, and cheap.

[Recommendations after the jump]Continue reading →

Another thing I missed from the photography world is the release of the Canon G7.

The spec sheet is very impressive for a compact camera:

• 10 megapixel 1/2″ sensor
• 6x zoom (though a slow f/4.8 at max zoom)
• Image stabilization
• ISO 1600 with a super-high ISO 3200 scene mode
• hot shoe for external flash
• $550 retail

Not on the spec-sheet, but appreciated nonetheless are a nice control layout and an optical viewfinder.

From the its non-budget-but-very-reasonable price, its complex control layout, it’s overpowering spec sheet, and it’s not-exactly-svelte-like size, you’d think this camera would be ideal as a second camera for enthusiasts. But no, because the dang major thing missing is RAW file support. Which many people speculated was to protect entry level dSLR sales.

Now I read today that this is because the high photosite density makes the superfine JPEG indistinguishable from the RAW shot:

Smaller pixels means it’s harder to distinguish the signal from the incoming light from the random electronic noise in the sensor, said Chuck Westfall, Canon’s director of media and customer relations.

“The net result is that even if the G7 offered raw image capture…there would be no discernible improvement in image quality compared to…superfine JPEG mode,” Westfall said.

What a load of bullshit.

[An explanation why, after the jump.]
Continue reading →

I’m a little out of touch with my photography recently o I missed that Nikon released the D200 Firmware version 2.0.0. It’s really nothing to write home about. All It does is add support for Image Authentication and the WT-3 Wireless transmitter.

But for other people with a D200, you can download the Mac version here.

Dave Pogue of the New York Times talks about some fun he had having people on the street compare a 5, 8, and 13 megapixel version of the same photograph.

As he predicted, this post gets a lot of people “riled up.”

[Some commentary after the jump]Continue reading →

When I get tired of taking the same photos over and over, I put a Lensbaby on the front of my camera. It’s the ultimate “fun” lens:

The Baby has arrived!
Mountain View, California

Nikon D70, Lensbaby 2.0, Tokina .45x macro
1/50 sec @ f/2.0, iso 800, 50mm (75mm)

A lot of people stop and ask me what that funky thing is on my camera. Now that I have a Nikon D200, I let them have a go at it. They “get it” pretty quickly on the D200, though I wouldn’t risk it with a Nikon D70.

I love my baby!

[Find out more (with photos) after the jump.]Continue reading →