GB111

Andrew - it's pretty hard to get a ticket for. So freakin' crowded too. I think WonderCon in Orange County (and sometimes LA) in the spring time might actually be a better time.

Armando, I guess the Convention Center platform is a little higher than the street. I never realized how that can give a commanding view of things.

Oh, the crowds!

Merlin - the bottom one reminds me of something, not sure what. The shape of something. A lot of grain/noise there - intentional?

Merlin, OK, but they're mostly snap shots here. I'd like to see something more creative. Can you see a face in the rocks? Can you use the texture in on a picture of a side of a building? Something like that would make use of these. Publishing 7-8 at a time may be too much btw for critique. G

Definitely nice cloud formations here. I think they'd make good source material for composites, but think you need to lighten up the top one. Try an HDR to balance out the sky and foreground lighting. The bottom shot is interesting to me because of the foreground adobe homes; I guess this is the Santa Fe area? But I would like to see a foreground house w/ a better angle and less clutter. That is always the challenge when shooting a nice background, what to put in the foreground. G

Keith, it is at Ocotillo CA, which I think is technically SD county. Shot about 3pm in summer, a lot of contrast. You have a chance if you do an HDR, but otherwise the images are gar-bage! Not really much color out there anyway, but the sky definitely looks a bit different w/ HDR ... better for sure. I would encourage you to give HDR a try. Use Photomatix vs PS btw.

Alan, why does your use of Fuji and Sigma cameras mean that you can't use Adobe software? Something about the color space?

Ha! Ann, you are actually the first person I've ever heard who didn't rave about LR. I actually stayed away from it because of all the hype, if that makes any sense. I was also confused by its Catalog.. it seems unnecessary. Yeah, it all depends on the objective of the PP. If it's a creative endeavor, I have no problems with it. Perceptions change for sure. Gb

Ann - Thanks, I did see that leaning, but am still torn on whether to fix it. It does look wrong as is, but ... I only have limited appetite for 'cheating' (and post processing is all that). I am just learning Lightroom BTW. I've avoided it for years because I already use multiple programs, like PS, PhotoMatix, Portrait Professional, Corel PhotoPaint, Nik, etc. Adding another seemed like overload, but I think I will give this specific task a try. Good way to get my feet a little wetter G

Very sharp. The contrast may be a little too extreme, IMHO, but they look more retro like that. Nice work. GB

rbsinto - I also see a nice scene here. The 'texture' adds to the shot. I wish I could get textures like this in post processing (I'm sure I can, just havent' figured out the best process yet, nor do I have an image library for textures. One day!) I would suggest cropping some off the top, just above the buildings. Everything above them seems unnecessary. G

Nice capture indeed. Very unusual scene from a geometric perspective, it looks like strawberry pedals. My only complaint is that it seems close to being burned out in the bright areas. I am not sure it crosses that line.

Thank you for the additional answers. Dallas, I read somewhere that rather than remove the AA Nikon actually added a second filter on top of the standard AA to cancel it out. There was speculation that it was cheaper for them like this. Anyway, removing the AA or removing the anti-shake cover still requires technical expertise, as the system must be re-calibrated for the new distance from lens to sensor. Thanks fredazinger, but since I already own the 800, buying another body -- the 800e in this case -- would be a more expensive option than fixing the 800. It would be at least double the cost, as they go for $1000 and up. Then there's always the chance that it has some damage too (as I've found out). Ann, the tech attached a lighted magnifier - they call it a Loupe - to the camera for me to see, it they're most certainly scratches. They are shinny and thin. But I am considering cleaning it myself either way, just for the experience (it's going to need replacement anyway). And who knows, maybe it'll make it acceptable? Armando, thanks, I will shoot and compare a few more shots with different apertures this weekend. I don't often shoot f22, except for macros shots. Greg

Thanks folks. A couple months ago this camera was selling on eBay for between say $900 and $1700. I bought mine from a friend who wasn't aware of the damage, which I discovered 2-3 weeks later when I took it in for sensor cleaning. We have an agreement on the repair costs. From what info I've found on the internet, the cost of a Nikon repair is prohibitive. They only replace the entire sensor. Another angle is that given the D800's 36MP sensor it should hold its tech edge for awhile, so I will probably hold onto this body for a long long time. That's one reason to get the LPF replaced. On the other hand, by the time I might sell it (say in 5 years), it might be obsolete since the manufacturers keep improving both dynamic range and sensor pixel size w/ every iteration. Anyway, check out the pic of the scratches (circled).. I shot the sky at f22 and processed the image to see them. I don't shoot at that aperture very often, but scary.