• Members 880 posts
    April 20, 2024, 9 a.m.

    Good morning to everyone wherever you are in the world...

    • This long-running thread originated on DPReview has grown into an all-inclusive community in which all brands of camera are welcome.
    • Leave your guns and knives at the door. Keep it polite.
    • A new week kicks off Saturday morning (UK time).
    • It can get a bit tangled in here, please edit your post to make it clear to whom you are replying.
    • Don’t just post and run, try to comment on other peoples’ work. We all like feedback.

  • Members 880 posts
    April 20, 2024, 9:01 a.m.

    Disapproving Frog.jpg

    A frog pic, as promised to Nigel. Found this dude in YSL's garden in Marrakesh.

    Disapproving Frog.jpg

    JPG, 2.8 MB, uploaded by Wormsmeat on April 20, 2024.

  • Members 1622 posts
    April 20, 2024, 9:19 a.m.

    Gombola

    I went into the mid Apennines above Modena, to visit a lovely little hamlet perched on a rocky outcrop. It is called Gombola, and is built on the site of a castle. The bell tower is a repurposed part of the castle.

    A few years ago this little hamlet was in ruins, but has been restored and a hostel run by a theatre group keeps it alive. Usually it is deserted and the restored church is closed, but the theatre group seemed to be preparing for a small festival. They let me do some some indoor shots of the church as well, which was an unexpected bonus.

    I tried out my Manfrotto camera bag on wheels. It is like one of those hand baggage suitcases as for medical reasons I want to avoid carrying heavy stuff around. I can carry more gear than usual, plus a tripod strapped on the side now.

    Here are some shots taken with my 24mm PC 35mm PC 45mmPC on my D850 and the Z7 with 24-200.

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    JPG, 1.1 MB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 1.5 MB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 1.2 MB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

    DSC_2581_HDR 1.jpg

    JPG, 1.3 MB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 990.4 KB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

    DSC_2524_HDR 2.jpg

    JPG, 999.0 KB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

    DSC_1612_HDR 1.jpg

    JPG, 1009.1 KB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

    DSC_2549_HDR 1.jpg

    JPG, 905.7 KB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

    DSC_2564 1.jpg

    JPG, 1021.7 KB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

    DSC_2555 1.jpg

    JPG, 810.1 KB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

    DSC_1653 1.jpg

    JPG, 1.9 MB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

    DSC_1650 1.jpg

    JPG, 1.6 MB, uploaded by NCV on April 20, 2024.

  • Members 1622 posts
    April 20, 2024, 9:21 a.m.

    Obviously, much more stylish than my frog.

  • Members 880 posts
    April 20, 2024, 9:36 a.m.

    The first is bitingly sharp, has realistic colour rendition and is a good comp to boot.
    The second has some nice little details to pore over.

  • Members 1622 posts
    April 20, 2024, 10:16 a.m.

    Interesting, that you and I find this image nice and sharp. It was taken with a 24-200 "Superzoom", that on some forum, sombody recently told me that is not good enough for anything more than travel snapshots. I really like this lens, I tempted to get the 28-400, which looks like being equally good.

  • Members 1260 posts
  • Members 1260 posts
    April 20, 2024, 10:52 a.m.

    He is just showing off...

  • Members 1260 posts
    April 20, 2024, 10:56 a.m.

    Some spectacular shots you have here!!!
    Thanks for the tour

    My fave.

  • Members 628 posts
    April 20, 2024, 11 a.m.

    Beware the Blackthorn Winter

    Freezing cold earlier this week, so winter hasn't quite finished with us yet.

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    "Beware the Blackthorn Winter" is an old saying referring to a spell of cold weather when the blackthorn (sloe) is in bloom in March/April.

    I'm heading off to somewhere warmer (I hope!) next week for a few weeks, so may not be around as much as usual.

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    JPG, 2.6 MB, uploaded by Woodsider79 on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 3.9 MB, uploaded by Woodsider79 on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 2.6 MB, uploaded by Woodsider79 on April 20, 2024.

    P4171600.jpg

    JPG, 5.6 MB, uploaded by Woodsider79 on April 20, 2024.

  • Members 628 posts
    April 20, 2024, 11:03 a.m.

    Handsome fellow! It's the terrapins that I remember from the YSL garden.

  • Members 628 posts
    April 20, 2024, 11:07 a.m.

    Hard to imagine this place with all the walls painted like this.

    Looks a lovely place to wander around.

  • Members 361 posts
    April 20, 2024, 1:43 p.m.

    Tales from The Krypt, pt. 1
    This week new spooky bar and stage is opened, festivities last 4 days. I visited it second day, with my camera and kind permission from organizers to take pictures.
    Dress code for such place was to wear any colour as long as it's black :P
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    JPG, 302.1 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 249.4 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 206.7 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 230.3 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 244.7 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 239.1 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 313.7 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 222.3 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 184.1 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 228.1 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 876.0 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 144.9 KB, uploaded by Vahur on April 20, 2024.

  • Members 880 posts
    April 20, 2024, 4:01 p.m.

    If I'm honest, I was looking at it without enlarging it. It seemed sharp then, I wasn't pixel-peeping.
    I find the 24 end so important to have on a zoom as that's where I tend to be most of the time. But then the subjects you shoot certainly aren't going anywhere most of the time and you can change lenses easily.

  • Members 880 posts
    April 20, 2024, 4:02 p.m.

    Odd! Looks like someone has just placed a dummy there.

  • Members 880 posts
    April 20, 2024, 4:05 p.m.

    I like that saying. Sounds Shakesperian.
    Yes, it's much colder down here too. I just had a three day overnight fishing session and kept having to get out of my bivvy when my bite alarms went off. Brrr!

  • Members 880 posts
    April 20, 2024, 4:09 p.m.

    OMG, there is no way I could spend an evening there. Not my thang. But you've done really well with these. Some great poses captured. And I suspect that they're only too happy to pose for a camera.

  • Members 306 posts
    April 20, 2024, 6:09 p.m.

    Standing Stones Hill

    The weather seems to have picked up a bit over the last week up here in Lancashire, so I've been making more of an effort to get out on the moors in the evenings. Just recently I've been exploring Anglezarke moor from the opposite side to where I would usually approach. This has been interesting as I've never really visited this part of the moor beyond Lead Mines Clough to any great extent, so there are plenty of paths and plantations to explore and it's always good to get a different perspective on a familiar area, I find it helps to cement my understanding of how all these locations fit together.

    On Wednesday night I decided to visit Standing Stones Hill, a gently sloping mass to the South East of Round Loaf. I approached from Lead Mines Clough, following a path I'd partially explored earlier in the week, but this time I was determined to follow it to the end and that turned out to be on the summit of the hill.

    The name "Standing Stones Hill" is a curious one as there is no evidence that any standing stones were ever up there, but it's worth a visit for the view as it stands a few hundred feet higher than Round Loaf, giving great visibility in all directions.

    My lower back is playing up at the moment, so these were all taken hand held with my lightweight kit, i.e. the Nikon Z8 + 24-70 f/2.8S or 100-400 f/4.5-5.6S. Yeah, I probably need to reconsider my weight classifications. All images were processed from single raw files in Capture One Pro 23.

    Leaving Lead Mines Clough

    This is the view looking back from the top of the path that leads onto the open moor from the lower stretch of Lead Mines Clough. There's a storm brewing in the sky that thankfully missed me completely.

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    Winter Hill From The Moors

    Looking towards Winter Hill from the moors. That winding river in the foreground eventually join forces with The River Yarrow, before finally being gobbled up by the Yarrow Reservoir, the highest member of the Anglezarke reservoir chain.

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    You Can See Blackpool Tower From Here

    This was taken as I made my way up the side of Standing Stones Hill. The recognisable form of Round Loaf can be see in the foreground.

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    Big Rig

    This massive oil rig turned up off the coast of Southport a few months ago. It's a huge thing and easily visible with the naked eye, although a 400mm lens definitely helps. I'll have to take a trip over to Southport for a closer look, it must look huge from there.

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    Sunset Approaches Round Loaf

    Taken a little later in the evening from slightly higher up the hill. The sun is just emerging from the cloud bank.

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    Darwen Tower and Pendle Hill

    Having finally made it to the top of the hill, this is the view that awaited me. Curiously, having never been up Standing Stones Hill before, this view looked strangely familiar. Checking my records, it turns out I have been up there once before, but on the other side of that broken dry stone wall when I walked a 12 mile loop which included the stretch from Great Hill to Winter Hill, which crosses this summit.

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    Rivington Terraced Gardens

    Rivington getting a splash of colour from the impending sunset.

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    Harrock Hill

    Looking towards Wigan we see Harrock Hill, rendered in what's perhaps a not entirely accurate colour scheme.

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    The Sun Sets

    A rare sight. Actually seeing the sun dip below the horizon from Lancashire, rather than the usual thing that happens, where it disappears about 20 minutes earlier in the evening behind an almost perpetual Irish Sea fog, but not this night! There's even a hint of Isle of Man on the horizon behind Blackpool Tower.

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    The Moors After Dark

    Lovely though it is to climb a remote moorland hill and watch the sun go down, it does leave one with the task of walking back across the moors in the dark. In this case, it was nearly three miles back to the car and I'd let the sun dip fully below the horizon before I started to head back. On this particular evening the air was cool, with the slightest breeze and there was a partial moon shining a hint of light on the scene, so it was actually quite pleasant walking back across the moors alone. The final 1/2 mile of Lead Mines Clough was another matter though. That tree lined river was pitch black, requiring the head torch and compared to the serenity of the moors was downright creepy, with every tree emanating menace from its gnarled branches. I could not wait to get out of there.

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    JPG, 665.8 KB, uploaded by SteveMonks on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 467.4 KB, uploaded by SteveMonks on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 181.4 KB, uploaded by SteveMonks on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 658.4 KB, uploaded by SteveMonks on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 301.3 KB, uploaded by SteveMonks on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 331.3 KB, uploaded by SteveMonks on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 1.0 MB, uploaded by SteveMonks on April 20, 2024.

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    JPG, 282.2 KB, uploaded by SteveMonks on April 20, 2024.