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Cehrabehra

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We set up the tree yesterday and of course it is THE most amazing thing *ever* for diamonds - at least that I''ve seen! I''ve tried to take pictures and it is just woefully inadequate. The same thing happened when I took pictures at the grocery store (YES I know I''m obsessed lol) And to a lesser degree under trees in bright/filtered light. The colors I see with my eyes are very jewel toned - magentas and teals and lime greens and just wonderful non-primary colors.... but when I snap the photo I''m lucky to get a primary and the variety of color is cut by at *least 75%. I never bothered to question you guys before, but the shots from the tree lights are soooooo bad compared to what I see. And my question is this:

Are there colors that *no* camera can get or is this a really good excuse for me to beg off a new camera for christmas? :D
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

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Date: 11/25/2006 11:47:38 PM
Author:Cehrabehra
We set up the tree yesterday and of course it is THE most amazing thing *ever* for diamonds - at least that I''ve seen! I''ve tried to take pictures and it is just woefully inadequate. The same thing happened when I took pictures at the grocery store (YES I know I''m obsessed lol) And to a lesser degree under trees in bright/filtered light. The colors I see with my eyes are very jewel toned - magentas and teals and lime greens and just wonderful non-primary colors.... but when I snap the photo I''m lucky to get a primary and the variety of color is cut by at *least 75%. I never bothered to question you guys before, but the shots from the tree lights are soooooo bad compared to what I see. And my question is this:

Are there colors that *no* camera can get or is this a really good excuse for me to beg off a new camera for christmas? :D
1. you have 2 eyes - you will usually see 1.5 to 2 times more fire and sparkels with both eyes open compared to with only one - so close one eye and compare that view to what the camera takes.

2. try different shades of background. Black will make the diamond very very bright, and white will make it very dark. A neutral grey can work best because the camera will be doing its auto exposure across the entire field of view (if only GIA knew that they would not have wasted their efforts on a +70,000 observer survey).

3. if all else fails find the exposure adjust ment menu in camera and try different settings.

4. Remeber the camera blcoks a lot of light - the further away it is the better usually.
 

Ellen

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cehra, LOL, I tried to take pics in a store with lighting that makes my ring look like it''s plugged in. The same thing happened, pics were awful. So it''s not your camera. And I too was SO dissapointed.

But I think it''s hilarious we both did that.
9.gif
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 11/26/2006 5:15:21 AM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)

Date: 11/25/2006 11:47:38 PM
Author:Cehrabehra
We set up the tree yesterday and of course it is THE most amazing thing *ever* for diamonds - at least that I''ve seen! I''ve tried to take pictures and it is just woefully inadequate. The same thing happened when I took pictures at the grocery store (YES I know I''m obsessed lol) And to a lesser degree under trees in bright/filtered light. The colors I see with my eyes are very jewel toned - magentas and teals and lime greens and just wonderful non-primary colors.... but when I snap the photo I''m lucky to get a primary and the variety of color is cut by at *least 75%. I never bothered to question you guys before, but the shots from the tree lights are soooooo bad compared to what I see. And my question is this:

Are there colors that *no* camera can get or is this a really good excuse for me to beg off a new camera for christmas? :D
1. you have 2 eyes - you will usually see 1.5 to 2 times more fire and sparkels with both eyes open compared to with only one - so close one eye and compare that view to what the camera takes.

2. try different shades of background. Black will make the diamond very very bright, and white will make it very dark. A neutral grey can work best because the camera will be doing its auto exposure across the entire field of view (if only GIA knew that they would not have wasted their efforts on a +70,000 observer survey).

3. if all else fails find the exposure adjust ment menu in camera and try different settings.

4. Remeber the camera blcoks a lot of light - the further away it is the better usually.
1. I only have one really working eye - my left eye is VERY farsighted and for things like driving etc it can be helpful but when I read or look at anything up close I almost always close my left eye without thinking about it because what it sends to my brain is non-useful and actually gets in the way. I would *love* to see my diamond in 3D but I''d have to put a contact in for that. Wow, I wonder how much more impressed I''d be with it hahaha!! So the close one eye and compare thing - yeah that''s a given!

2. I''m not trying to determine brightness. I do know what you''re saying here and I agree it can have an impact on the overall look of the ring etc. but my question is about the actual refractions IN the diamond - with my eyes I see these wonderful thistle colors and lime greens and lavendars and shades of hot pink and violet and shades of green and purple and orange... truely specacular non-primary colors that I just can NOT capture on film. The camera like resorts to 256 color or something and finds the closest color and snaps that. ugh!!

3. Thank you Garry :) I think I need a new camera!!! :D

4. Yes - I''ve been having fun with some of your ideas... maybe later I''ll post some pics I took in your honor :)
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 11/26/2006 7:47:36 AM
Author: Ellen
cehra, LOL, I tried to take pics in a store with lighting that makes my ring look like it''s plugged in. The same thing happened, pics were awful. So it''s not your camera. And I too was SO dissapointed.

But I think it''s hilarious we both did that.
9.gif
maybe it''s both of our cameras?? because lynn''s photos show some of those lime and magenta hues!! My eyes see salmon and my camera catches orange if not red or yellow :/
 

Ellen

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Date: 11/26/2006 4:25:32 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

maybe it''s both of our cameras?? because lynn''s photos show some of those lime and magenta hues!! My eyes see salmon and my camera catches orange if not red or yellow :/
I got NO color whatsoever. None.
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 11/26/2006 4:32:16 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 11/26/2006 4:25:32 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

maybe it''s both of our cameras?? because lynn''s photos show some of those lime and magenta hues!! My eyes see salmon and my camera catches orange if not red or yellow :/
I got NO color whatsoever. None.
that''s what I got from the pics I took at the grocery that really does nice things on my ring with really really high ceilings and flourescents and maybe others.... but at the other grocery, in the veg section, there are lower pendant lighting or whatever they''re called and I got *okay* shots but not what my eyes sees.... I''ll post some in a sec, they''re on the other computer.
 

Cehrabehra

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this is the pic from the first grocery store with the high fluors and this should have been really really gorgous - tons of beautiful colors and look! Nothing but drab grey. It''s almost like the camera took a pic of everything the stone reflected and NONE of what it refracted!!!

cbOMC143.jpg
 

Cehrabehra

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this one is from grocery #2 and the camera caught WAY more, obviously... but still only about half of what was going on... now granted these don''t capture scint, but even the short videos I took don''t catch what the eye sees. At least in this pic you can see some of the alternative colors like limes and thistle, but not very many, and the camera still wants to get more of the typical "rainbow" colors like purple and yellow and blue.

I noticed a couple months ago shooting under a tree on a sunny day that I could see wonderful colors with my camera view window *until* I focused on it... and then all of the real jewel colors went whoosh gone. I was still able to capture what I thought were awesome pics so I didn''t think TOO much of it, but I''d really like to nail down what the problem is, because if I do get another camera, I would like it to not "correct" for color or whatever this is doing.
 

Cehrabehra

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oops

cbOMC144.jpg
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

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Date: 11/26/2006 4:24:19 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
Often thought you had one eyed views C (rofl) (you know I dont think that - but could not resist the joke - my Mum had only 1 eye and she had loads of those type.)


2. I''m not trying to determine brightness. I do know what you''re saying here and I agree it can have an impact on the overall look of the ring etc. but my question is about the actual refractions IN the diamond - with my eyes I see these wonderful thistle colors and lime greens and lavendars and shades of hot pink and violet and shades of green and purple and orange... truely specacular non-primary colors that I just can NOT capture on film. The camera like resorts to 256 color or something and finds the closest color and snaps that. ugh!!

It is not just about the brightness C - it is also about the right exposure to get the camera to see what you see. the skin should be pretty good - but if there is too much light the lens aperature will close up very small and not let enough spectral flashes into the CCD - and if there is too wide open an aperature you will not be able to keep the camera still and the exposure might be for 2 seconds - and the spectral colors will get merged. So please play with a few different greya black and white card backgrounds.
 
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