tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post761575075667169616..comments2024-03-26T13:00:25.188-07:00Comments on The Friedman Archives Blog: Are Classic Metering Modes Obsolete?Gary L. Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-81974826240305996222014-07-26T15:43:58.032-07:002014-07-26T15:43:58.032-07:00Looks like a nice program, but I don't see any...Looks like a nice program, but I don't see anything about formatting (especially for epubs) in its list of attributes. GFGary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-40429320130941693432013-01-24T13:16:49.966-08:002013-01-24T13:16:49.966-08:00No, it won't. See my reply to the first comme...No, it won't. See my reply to the first comment.Gary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-49039332901575484142013-01-24T11:20:06.996-08:002013-01-24T11:20:06.996-08:00Gary,
I'm guessing you looked at Apple's f...Gary,<br />I'm guessing you looked at Apple's free iBookAuthor software (free from Mac App Store). Of course, this is for the Apple universe only but it will hand the rich layout/content issue you face with the epug/mobi crowd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-63624277284637404912013-01-22T20:20:11.140-08:002013-01-22T20:20:11.140-08:00Gary, I bought your A77 book and I don't even ...Gary, I bought your A77 book and I don't even own the camera. I was thinking of getting it and never did. May still happen, or more probably the A99.<br /><br />Your book was excellent and I can see where current ebook formats don't meet your needs, and publishing models to some extent. I think you deserve more then 7 bucks a book!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-26531080783951649942013-01-22T15:10:47.952-08:002013-01-22T15:10:47.952-08:00Gary,
Bravo re metering. And I think that camera...Gary,<br /><br />Bravo re metering. And I think that camera mfgs. should have two histogram modes; one for jpeg settings currently selected, and one for RAW capture. Those of us who shoot RAW have to try to compensate for jpeg-based preview and histogram. It would be nice to have both.<br /><br />Rand<br />SoCalAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-27664564711397606222013-01-22T14:09:06.262-08:002013-01-22T14:09:06.262-08:00Hi Gary, I like the old idea of just printing your...Hi Gary, I like the old idea of just printing your book from PDF. I have your A100, A700 and now I'm waiting for A99 book and I don't see a better way than having it all on paper! :) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-76855885606582574252013-01-22T10:49:51.228-08:002013-01-22T10:49:51.228-08:00Gary, thanks for explaining .epub and .mobi and y...Gary, thanks for explaining .epub and .mobi and your efforts to publish. But for me, your a77/a65 .pdf that I purchased from you at a very reasonable price works just fine! And, it's an excellent book that has obviously taken you many hours to produce.<br /><br />Thanks for your contributions!Dirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08369480664783594676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-12803732259111238082013-01-22T10:14:40.249-08:002013-01-22T10:14:40.249-08:00I'd actually buy more of your body-specific eb...I'd actually buy more of your body-specific ebooks if they were broken in two: the camera-specific guides vs. the photography guides. Your ebooks are great values re: number of pages and camera-specific information, but it seems there's a lot of photographic info that gets repeated in one way or another. So I'd vote for separate body and photography ebooks, maybe with an update subscription on the latter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-88824595036041756532013-01-22T09:40:33.639-08:002013-01-22T09:40:33.639-08:00re: Amazon/iTunes business models... Have you made...re: Amazon/iTunes business models... Have you made contact with either to discuss the pricing models they use? I'm not familiar with their administrative structure, but a credible author of tech-books such as yourself should be able to get to the right exec in order to negotiate a separate pricing agreement.<br /><br />In that context, perhaps you and they might consider a sliding scale for > $9.95 eBooks that allows you to use your current pricing and get an acceptable return till the total volume increases to the point where (here's where you have to estimate your re-cap) you start sliding toward their preferred split. Their current pricing models don't consider the intense formatting issues surrounding text + image + table + link + limited market (owner-only) eBooks. If you can get to the right person, they may consider a unique pricing model for authors of your sort of tech-book.Bruce and Celiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15260445199944898299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-55670965927306153572013-01-21T21:47:00.056-08:002013-01-21T21:47:00.056-08:00Hi, RGL! I apologize if I let a conversation laps...Hi, RGL! I apologize if I let a conversation lapse in the past... and I'm glad to hear that you found a way to re-format the .pdf file! I'm sure both HP Touchpad owners will be happy to hear this. (:-) Just kidding. But absolutely nobody else complained about this issue, and since I wasn't sure what the problem could be I couldn't fathom a solution. Glad you found one!)Gary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-41581737437365070742013-01-21T21:37:00.845-08:002013-01-21T21:37:00.845-08:00That's why you have a camera with autofocus an...That's why you have a camera with autofocus and autoexposure! :-) Just make sure your light is good and your scene is of average illumination, otherwise Auto mode might disappoint you. Gary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-19297029143891787012013-01-21T21:35:32.663-08:002013-01-21T21:35:32.663-08:00Hi, Steve. I didn't say the older methods wer...Hi, Steve. I didn't say the older methods weren't useful; my point was they're hard for beginners to learn, and what I proposed above could be a useful substitute. I still use the old methods a lot of the time because like you I've internalized them, and therefore they're faster for me to use. Gary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-5582535739839284542013-01-21T21:35:11.737-08:002013-01-21T21:35:11.737-08:00Hi Gary... since we are talking about ebooks, I wa...Hi Gary... since we are talking about ebooks, I was discussing with you last year via email regarding your A33/A55 book did not appear properly on my HP Touchpad (fonts in particular). We discussed briefly the possible remedies that might fix the issue; however, I have heard back from you - I can understand that you have been busy with various things.<br /><br />Since then I took your A33/A55 v1.2 PDF file , and load it into Nitro PDF, and use Nitro PDF to generate a PDF/A version of the file (no other changes were made to the file). <br /><br />I loaded the PDF/A version of the file to my HP Touchpad and found the issues no longer exist - all text now appeared properly.<br />rglhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18151299417274741482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-29892211409145523372013-01-21T21:33:16.507-08:002013-01-21T21:33:16.507-08:00troff and xroff? Those bring back memories. I...troff and xroff? Those bring back memories. I'm waiting for someone to come on here and start extolling the virtues of TeX. :-)Gary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-43184907191770121242013-01-21T21:30:00.203-08:002013-01-21T21:30:00.203-08:00That's an interesting and out-of-the-box thoug...That's an interesting and out-of-the-box thought, Tony, but from a user's perspective it's a nightmare. Consider that in the Amazon marketplace, a user is most likely to find me by a random keyword search, not by reference or by reputation. Couple that with the sticker shock that most Kindle readers are faced with, and follow it up with the frustration of having to jump from one volume to another when trying to follow a hyperlink (or just "go to page 137".) It's not a formula for making extremely satisfied customers, which is the only kind of customer a business like mine should have. Gary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-56888031755266519212013-01-21T19:42:13.807-08:002013-01-21T19:42:13.807-08:00I bought Gary's A77 ebook, and I'm glad I ...I bought Gary's A77 ebook, and I'm glad I did, but I wouldn't buy it or any future ebook on a camera if it was broken up into parts. I do not want to be jumping around between books when reading one thing makes me want to read something else!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-26357616790860243552013-01-21T19:28:10.884-08:002013-01-21T19:28:10.884-08:00Regarding metering modes, I have an A77 (and your ...Regarding metering modes, I have an A77 (and your A77 book) and often meter just as you say. However, I shoot BIF's and wildlife and there's no time to tinker with EV compensation when you barely have time for one burst.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-5128121959565323092013-01-21T19:15:40.156-08:002013-01-21T19:15:40.156-08:00I sure cant wait until March for the a99 book. It...I sure cant wait until March for the a99 book. It seems that the video is a bit of hot potato but now Kirk Tuck lauds it on the dpreview forum. <br /><br />When one looks at all that pro Sony video gear you have to wonder about cross pollination. I hear that's a huge division. <br /><br />I hear your publishing pain. I learned troff and xroffAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-64215380824026705482013-01-21T19:00:08.393-08:002013-01-21T19:00:08.393-08:00haaa that might explain why it is all wrong on the...haaa that might explain why it is all wrong on the cheap e-reader I bought at Wallmart ..... fine on laptop but mix of text fonts and can't scroll down. I blamed it on the reader (A77 ebook)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-3897640593527513622013-01-21T17:35:48.348-08:002013-01-21T17:35:48.348-08:00What about reconfigering each of your ebooks into ...What about reconfigering each of your ebooks into three or more volumes, and sell each at $9.95 or less? Using the A77 ebook as an example, Volume 1 and 2 will each sell for $9.95 and the third volume will sell for $6.55. If Amazon allows you to do this, then wouldn't you still get to keep 70% or $18.51? The trick would be to reconfigure the ebook into compelling volumes so the reader will want all three volumes. Food for thought. Maybe some to try out in a future ebook?<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15082489359438243053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-17187487869292951152013-01-21T17:22:25.426-08:002013-01-21T17:22:25.426-08:00Gary- As a long time film shooter (starting with m...Gary- As a long time film shooter (starting with my Minolta SR-1) I actually find the different meeting modes very useful on my a700s. Now, I readily admit these do not have Live View so I really can't see what you are talking about but just this weekend I used the matrix and spot meeting to shoot in a woods with ice on tree limbs and partially frozen water. I switched between the modes and used AEL as you describe and got some really good shots.<br /><br />So, short of going out and buying new cameras, which I am not going to do as the a700s work just fine, I will still use the different metering modes and get the shots I want.<br /><br /><br />Just my 2 cents.<br />steve<br />MarylandSteve Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17114773166386588831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-55994542871505734872013-01-21T15:36:55.214-08:002013-01-21T15:36:55.214-08:00Actually, the business opportunity I was referring...Actually, the business opportunity I was referring to was the creation of e-pub authoring tool. You can't easily create your own e-bookstore if the companies behind Kindle and iPad don't want to connect to it.Gary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-69117676427548887482013-01-21T15:35:25.502-08:002013-01-21T15:35:25.502-08:00Actually that's a great idea, except if you...Actually that's a great idea, except if you're reading it on an old Kindle (where you can't always click on hyperlinks) or arrange windows. And I'd still have to do a proper book layout for the 10% of my customers who pay for the printed version. But you're right, none of us should have to waste precious consciousness on this stuff. :-)Gary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-19196247043730282422013-01-21T15:32:57.722-08:002013-01-21T15:32:57.722-08:00Good to know! For everyone else, going forward al...Good to know! For everyone else, going forward all my ebooks will have one font and one color. (Printed books will look more boring, books on B&W e-readers will be easier to read.)Gary L. Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816533617814819591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913915168052873347.post-32801045764351340262013-01-21T15:26:33.838-08:002013-01-21T15:26:33.838-08:00Firstly, re exposure modes, it's funny how one...Firstly, re exposure modes, it's funny how one internalises things. I have been shooting without ever bothering with the traditional modes much since I got my first digital camera (a Sony F505V, way back in 2000) and, out of sheer curiosity, I only recently (last year or so)learnt how to use the traditional methods. It's only now, reading your blog post on the subject that I have been able to break down what it is I am doing and the technical reasons for why it is I am not using the older methods. I do however, find spot metering useful. Interesting indeed.<br /><br />As for your ebook authorship, wow!!! Shocking!! I had no idea it was such a chore to publish your work on the various ebook platforms. And the business model of the selling platforms you mention, well what can I say!!!! It's obviously great for their shareholders but with those kinda percentages I am simply amazed that anyone even bothers to publish there. But like you said, one smells a business opportunity; any half decent platform that offers authors a fair cut should, if there is any justice in this world, make a killing.<br /><br />Warmest regards,<br /><br />plevyaophy<br />London, UKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com