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Forgive me, for I have Been Foolish

Let's not turn this into a thread to bash camera's without evf and grip, but celebrate Alan's nice new camera. Buyers know what they are getting and are fine with it.

Congratulations @AlanC , It is a beautiful camera, innovative and you shared lovely pictures ! Any more experiences you want to share?
 
RuleOfThirds said:
Let's not turn this into a thread to bash camera's without evf and grip, but celebrate Alan's nice new camera. Buyers know what they are getting and are fine with it.

Congratulations @AlanC , It is a beautiful camera, innovative and you shared lovely pictures ! Any more experiences you want to share?
Click to expand...
Yes, I agree it's a beautiful camera.
 
pdk42 said:
I still don’t get why anyone would build a photography-oriented camera and not put an EVF on it. Both the S9 and the BF would have really tempted me if they’d been equipped with one (and the fp for that matter). Maybe next time (if there is a next time for a rangefinder-style L Mount camera).
Click to expand...

A compact camera with an EVF would, undeniably, be nice. But I owned the first version of the Sony RX1 which had no viewfinder and discovered that I can manage perfectly well without. And without a tilt screen, too. The flip side, of course, is that I have no desire to carry something the size and weight (and conspicuous appearance) of the original S1R. Might as well use my Nikon D800E... ;)

RuleOfThirds said:
Let's not turn this into a thread to bash camera's without evf and grip, but celebrate Alan's nice new camera.
Click to expand...

And also for any other owners of the BF.

I took the camera to Thorp Perrow Arboretum today since it was nice and sunny and the bluebells and cherry blossom were in full flower. The battery lasted the whole time I was there, but after 2.5 hours and 177 photos I had just 9% charge remaining. So I've now got plenty of photos to experiment with. :) Unfortunately I didn't notice I'd managed to set the White Balance to "Auto (Lighting Source Priority)" which is intended to keep the lighting character, but in practice has made everything look a bit unnatural. Easily solved while editing the DNGs, but a bit of a nuisance.

I'm still experimenting to find the best way to get JPGs as close to the type of look I like to achieve as possible. The camera allows the "Look Effect" to be varied for each colour mode: this can emphasise or suppress the characteristics of the look, but the results are rather odd. Setting a negative value for the Standard look on the photo of the tulips brings back the strong reds and yellows to a degree, but makes the rest of the image dull. The effect is also inconsistent between the camera and the Sigma Photo Pro software, with the camera sometimes producing some very odd results at the limits.

I'm getting closer to the sort of colour and look I want to achieve, maybe not quite there yet since the DNG camera profile is perhaps a bit too contrasty and the camera has a tendency to under expose.

BF_00271.jpg
  • Sigma - Sigma BF
  • 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary 021
  • 24.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/500 sec
  • Pattern
  • Auto exposure
  • ISO 100
 
AlanC said:
A compact camera with an EVF would, undeniably, be nice. But I owned the first version of the Sony RX1 which had no viewfinder and discovered that I can manage perfectly well without. And without a tilt screen, too. The flip side, of course, is that I have no desire to carry something the size and weight (and conspicuous appearance) of the original S1R. Might as well use my Nikon D800E... ;)



And also for any other owners of the BF.

I took the camera to Thorp Perrow Arboretum today since it was nice and sunny and the bluebells and cherry blossom were in full flower. The battery lasted the whole time I was there, but after 2.5 hours and 177 photos I had just 9% charge remaining. So I've now got plenty of photos to experiment with. :) Unfortunately I didn't notice I'd managed to set the White Balance to "Auto (Lighting Source Priority)" which is intended to keep the lighting character, but in practice has made everything look a bit unnatural. Easily solved while editing the DNGs, but a bit of a nuisance.

I'm still experimenting to find the best way to get JPGs as close to the type of look I like to achieve as possible. The camera allows the "Look Effect" to be varied for each colour mode: this can emphasise or suppress the characteristics of the look, but the results are rather odd. Setting a negative value for the Standard look on the photo of the tulips brings back the strong reds and yellows to a degree, but makes the rest of the image dull. The effect is also inconsistent between the camera and the Sigma Photo Pro software, with the camera sometimes producing some very odd results at the limits.

I'm getting closer to the sort of colour and look I want to achieve, maybe not quite there yet since the DNG camera profile is perhaps a bit too contrasty and the camera has a tendency to under expose.

View attachment 11335
Click to expand...
Lovely shots!

But I’m curious as to why JPEGs are so important to you. Surely the DNGs will better provide the quality and flexibility such a lovely camera can provide?
 
For me, Jpegs are important too. Especially with cameras like the Sigma BF, which I would use for casual photography of life and friends.

You do not want to post process this. You want to share it fast and easy, like with a smartphone.

Shoot, share and forget.
 
pdk42 said:
Lovely shots!

But I’m curious as to why JPEGs are so important to you. Surely the DNGs will better provide the quality and flexibility such a lovely camera can provide?
Click to expand...

Thanks Paul. :)

I like to get the JPGs as close as I reasonably can to the sort of final result I like to produce because I'd always understood the camera's exposure indicators - false colour or zebras - work off the processed image. So my reasoning was that if the JPG processing is close to what I'm trying to achieve I'll get a more accurate idea of any over or under exposure.

I've certainly seen another aspect of how JPG processing can affect the camera operation with the S5: choosing a log profile that gives a flat image makes it harder for the contrast detect autofocus to acquire focus on a low contrast subject.
 
Some more from Thorp Perrow Arboretum.

Bluebells.
BF_00209.jpg
  • Sigma - Sigma BF
  • 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary 021
  • 24.0 mm
  • ƒ/16
  • 1/30 sec
  • Pattern
  • Auto exposure
  • ISO 100


Some rather unusually coloured cherry blossom.
BF_00185.jpg
  • Sigma - Sigma BF
  • 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary 021
  • 24.0 mm
  • ƒ/8
  • 1/30 sec
  • Pattern
  • Auto exposure
  • ISO 100


When I first started visiting Thorp Perrow there was a long avenue of old cherry trees, some of which were in quite a bad state. A couple of years ago they replanted the whole lot, so it's going to be some considerable time before it's back to how it used to look.
BF_00174.jpg
  • Sigma - Sigma BF
  • 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary 021
  • 24.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/80 sec
  • Pattern
  • Auto exposure
  • ISO 100
 
Congrats on getting a truly unique camera. After you have more experience with it, I'd love to hear how you feel about the shooting experience vs. a "normal" camera. Not necessarily about the lack of a viewfinder (although that will obviously play into an assessment of daily use), but rather what it's like to use on a daily basis, the menus, etc. Does it become frustrating to use after a while? Or perhaps the opposite - do you become frustrated with your traditional camera? Do you prefer one to the other? Etc.
 
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