Photoclubalpha

I am using a Sony A700 with a Zeiss 16-80 and lately it seems to be chopping the top of my pictures.
I am not sure if its just a setting I have changed but if it is I cant seem to work out what one it is.
I would love some help if anyone else has this camera and can point me in the right direction.
I am still learning my way around my camera and dslr photography.
This is a couple of photos to show what I mean

Hi Michelle and welcome to the forum from down under. You'll be quite comfortable here. We are a very friendly community here.
I think you have set your camera by mistake to panoramic shot: push the "Menu" button and from the first panel (second line from the top) change the setting from 16:9 to 3:2 aspect and everything will be fine.

Dr. Harout wrote:Hi Michelle and welcome to the forum from down under. You'll be quite comfortable here. We are a very friendly community here.
I think you have set your camera by mistake to panoramic shot: push the "Menu" button and from the first panel (second line from the top) change the setting from 16:9 to 3:2 aspect and everything will be fine.

Wow just like that you have fixed a problem I have been struggling to work out how to fix.

From way down here thank you, thank you

I look forward to learning lots more through this great web sight.

I see, the problem was that you were shooting the VW Microbus, a car that clearly is in 16:9 format. Try shooting a Beetle or Fiat 500 and you should get your 3:2 ratio again.

Kevin, those VWs are really something, they are the same VW beetle enlarged and "microbus-ed". I like them very much.

mish1313 wrote:Wow just like that you have fixed a problem I have been struggling to work out how to fix.

From way down here thank you, thank you

I look forward to learning lots more through this great web sight.

Anytime Michelle. We'll be glad to see you a lot here.

Are these photo salvageable if shot using RAW? Something I have never thought of...

Lonnie Utah wrote:Are these photo salvageable if shot using RAW? Something I have never thought of...

On my a350, you can't shoot 16:9 if you're shooting RAW.

Dusty

Lonnie Utah wrote:Are these photo salvageable if shot using RAW? Something I have never thought of...

Unfortunately not.

With the A700, you can shoot 16:9 and RAW. The JPEG preview embedded in the raw file is 16:9. If you view the images on camera, they will appear to be only the 16:9 area. If you view them using Image Data Lightbox or Image Data Converter (and probably using Motion Picture Browser on PC too) you only see the 16:9 area.

However, if the same raw files are opened in ARW or Lightroom, you see the 16:9 preview first, and if you have set the system to build high quality thumbs and previews, you then see this replaced with the full image. When you open an image to develop the raw, you also see the full area, not just 16:9.

David

David Kilpatrick wrote:With the A700, you can shoot 16:9 and RAW. The JPEG preview embedded in the raw file is 16:9. If you view the images on camera, they will appear to be only the 16:9 area. If you view them using Image Data Lightbox or Image Data Converter (and probably using Motion Picture Browser on PC too) you only see the 16:9 area.

However, if the same raw files are opened in ARW or Lightroom, you see the 16:9 preview first, and if you have set the system to build high quality thumbs and previews, you then see this replaced with the full image. When you open an image to develop the raw, you also see the full area, not just 16:9.

David

Hi David
Thanks for taking the time to explain all that but I am relatively new to photography and a lot of that goes way over my head.
At the moment I shoot mostly in jpeg, I know I should be shooting in raw but I am worried about how much space that will take up on my computer.
I also put my photos into Aperture on my computer and don't do any post editing. ( not sure how)
I need to do another course just on editing.
Thanks Michelle

Raw files are your negatives. Buy a 250 or 500GB portable drive, and treat it as your negative file. Save all your raw files on it, and delete any which are not worth keeping.

Use Aperture to catalogue the drive. Process the files with Aperture, and save whatever size and quality of JPEG you actually need on your main computer. They won't take much space.

Aperture will remember everything you have done with the raw files, adjusting colour or exposure. If you want a larger JPEG, you can just go straight back and export it.

David

David Kilpatrick wrote:However, if the same raw files are opened in ARW or Lightroom, you see the 16:9 preview first, and if you have set the system to build high quality thumbs and previews, you then see this replaced with the full image. When you open an image to develop the raw, you also see the full area, not just 16:9.

David

How do I set the system to build HQ thumbs?

Well, I can't find it now, but there definitely has been a way of letting the program either use the JPEG preview only (not reflect any changes from processing) or build new previews. I've done it (tested both situations). Maybe I'm going right back to CS3.

David

Thank you David that sounds like a plan.