Nikon D3x, 4x5 Aspect Ratio?, Anyone used this feature? Options

[gwhitf]

Am curious if anyone has used the 4x5 Aspect Ratio of the D3x.

With the 1ds3, you can insert the special 4x5 focusing screen, but if you see the Custom Function to 4x5, it doesn't really crop the image on the LCD; all it does is insert a small red keyline around the image, to show you 4x5.

Does the D3x actually black out the extra cropped area? Does it show you only 4x5 shape in the viewfinder? When the images come up in the software, are they 4x5 shaped and pre-cropped or does it show you the whole 24x36 frame?

Thank you.

[adammork]

Am curious if anyone has used the 4x5 Aspect Ratio of the D3x.

With the 1ds3, you can insert the special 4x5 focusing screen, but if you see the Custom Function to 4x5, it doesn't really crop the image on the LCD; all it does is insert a small red keyline around the image, to show you 4x5.

Does the D3x actually black out the extra cropped area? Does it show you only 4x5 shape in the viewfinder? When the images come up in the software, are they 4x5 shaped and pre-cropped or does it show you the whole 24x36 frame?

Thank you.

I use it sometimes.

It's grayed out with a dark gray transparent color - gives a clear crop, but still just possible to to see whats outside the cropped frame.

It's shown in clean 4x5 on the lcd

They are 4x5 in Lightroom - have not tried it in other software.

I would love to have a 4x3 option as well - or custom format even better....

/adam

This post has been edited by adammork: Nov 5 2009, 12:11 PM

[JeffKohn]

I use this feature fairly often, and find it quite useful. I compose some images with 4:5 ratio in mind, and without this feature it can sometimes be difficult to judge just how much will be cropped away. Using the 4:5 mode I can see exactly what the composition will be and make sure I'm not going to be cropping off something I don't want to.

The 5:4 mode is not just a visual indicator when shooting, or a metadata tag in the NEF. The image file itself will contain only the 5:4 crop. So it will show up as a 4:5 image in all raw-processing software, and you cannot change your mind after the fact and go back to the full-frame image.

[gwhitf]

Thank you both.

Yes, with the 1ds3, it seems to be a Tag, and you can back out afterwards, if you need bleed. But I still think I'd prefer the Nikon version.

Do you see 4x5 crop thru the viewfinder, or do you have to install a special focusing screen? The upside of the Canon approach, to me, is that with the blackout screen, you ONLY see 4x5 in the viewfinder. You're composing 4x5...

This post has been edited by gwhitf: Nov 5 2009, 01:15 PM

[adammork]

Thank you both.

Yes, with the 1ds3, it seems to be a Tag, and you can back out afterwards, if you need bleed. But I still think I'd prefer the Nikon version.

Do you see 4x5 crop thru the viewfinder, or do you have to install a special focusing screen? The upside of the Canon approach, to me, is that with the blackout screen, you ONLY see 4x5 in the viewfinder. You're composing 4x5...

thru the viewfinder - no special focusing screen

it's similar to what you see, when you use the crop tool in photoshop

/A

[MarkL]

I can't see the use in anything that actually gives you less than the full compliment of pixels from the sensor.

[adammork]

I can't see the use in anything that actually gives you less than the full compliment of pixels from the sensor.

- it's not the number of pixels that creates the best framing of the image , personally I dislike the 2x3 ratio, if I could get 3x4 on my Nikon, it would be on all the time.

/A

[gwhitf]

- it's not the number of pixels that creates the best framing of the image , personally I dislike the 2x3 ratio, if I could get 3x4 on my Nikon, it would be on all the time.

/A

Agreed. I'd love 6x7, similar to the old Pentax. But I want it blacked out totally in the viewfinder, not something like 50% opacity or something.

[JeffKohn]

I can't see the use in anything that actually gives you less than the full compliment of pixels from the sensor.

If you know you're shooting for 5:4, being able to see 5:4 while shooting can be useful. Otherwise you run the risk of misjudging where the image will be cropped.

I'm all for maximizing resolution in my shots. But I'm not going to be a slave to 3:2 format just because it has more pixels than a 5:4 crop. I choose the format that best fits my composition. Usually that means 3:2 for horizontals, but 3:2 often appears too narrow for verticals and I tend to favor 5:4 for them. Sometimes I can get 5:4 by stitching, but sometimes that's not practical and cropping a single shot is necessary.

[gwhitf]

If you know you're shooting for 5:4, being able to see 5:4 while shooting can be useful. Otherwise you run the risk of misjudging where the image will be cropped.

If the ad that you're shooting for is 8.5x11, wouldn't it be useful to know exactly what's in the crop, both on the LCD for the photographer, and on the Mac, for the client? I say yes. I'd love a whole range of preset crops available, via a Custom Function.

8.5x11 is 4x5.1. But that's America. Europe would need their own set of presets as well.

[BrianSmith]

Leicasonic has the right idea with the Leica D-LUX-4 and Panasonic LX3.

A slightly over-sized sensor so that 4x3, 2x3 and 16x9 all result in roughly the same megapixel counts.

WYSIWYG on the LCD.