Sunday, November 27, 2011

Comparing JPEG Compression Quality - Nikon vs PhotoShop

The Gory Details

Was curious as to how Nikon's D50 in-camera JPEG compression compared to that of PhotoShop Elements 6 (PSE6). According to the D50 manual, Nikon's "Fine" jpeg compression is 1:4 and their "Basic" compression (i.e. smaller file size) is 1:16. I was thinking of using Nikon's "Basic" compression quality to save a few steps in PSE6 when making images for auctions or quick forum posts. So, I took two identical shots of the trusty Citizen Wingman, with the only difference being the selected image size: everything else set manually, and no change in lighting. Here they are both, "Fine" image on top, click either one to see it's full-size image.

The above are the images as delivered by the camera without any editing other than cropping and re-sizing to act as clickable thumbnails. As you can see, they look much of a muchness. However, at the pixel level, a different story unfolds . .

Above is the logo from the Fine image, blown up 16X time fullsize in PSE6 (but not resized, I used Windows screen capture to get the image). Not bad, really. The Basic image detail below, however, came as a bit of a shock! (scroll up and down to compare the two).

The color rendition of the logo is pretty poor and there may even be an artifact or two to be seen. Gone is any notion of cutting out jpeg compression from my auction image workflow in PhotoShop!

Next, out of interest, I used PSE6 jpeg compression (level 7, whatever that means) on the Fine image and, for a somewhat smaller resultant file size than that given by Nikon's "Basic", got this:

Pretty good, I thought. So, at least in the compression department, PhotoShop beats Nikon handsomely, IMHO.

Best regards, xpatUSA

Friday, November 4, 2011

Nice Lady's Antique Wristwatch

1900's Stadler Mabel Enameled Solid Silver Lady's Watch
Front View
White porcelain dial with no hairline cracks. Breguet-style numerals with red 12. Classic poire shaped hands. Sunken seconds sub-dial. Purple enameled bezel. Clear mineral glass crystal with no dings or major scratches.
Inside View
Fine Swiss hallmarked 0.935 silver case by the Stadler Watch Co. in Solothurn, Switzerland sometime between 1916 and 1930. The silver used is a little finer than Sterling which is itself only 0.925.
Back View
Solid silver snap-on back with purple basse-taille enamel. Basse taille is the rarer technique of first engraving the metal and then firing a smooth coat of glass enamel on top. This makes the engraving stand out with much nicer reflections and eliminates cleaning wear on the engravure.
Movement
Typical Swiss hand-decorated 7-jewel movement, also by Stadler. Sets correctly, runs and keeps good time for an antique watch. The silver wire lugs were straightened after this picture was taken.
Side View
Enameled silver back and bezel snap firmly on to the case. Comes with a 10mm lightly-used Swiss oiled leather band with matching silver-tone buckle. Onion-style crown makes the watch easy to wind and set. Watch is 27½mm diameter, excluding the crown. 9mm thick, from front to back, and weighs 22½ grams (¾ oz),including the band.
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Best regards, xpatUSA