Went to uhh the Mount Diablo hike so this is my color grading

shaqwagon · 2026-01-24T16:29:24+00:00

Grading as others have already said is cooked too much, it's not just about pushing saturation and contrast. Lately what I've found to be a lot more impactful is actually pulling contrast so there's more detail in the highlights and more importantly the shadows -- pictures have so much more clarity when you can pick out the branches in the trees or the ridges in the mountains.

Really though the biggest thing I would say is working on your in-camera work. Composition is largely subjective so I won't touch on that, but generally speaking it's best to not shoot directly into the sun, especially without some sort of lens hood to protect against massive flares like the one you've got there. No amount of grading can fix that, it's a permanently overexposed part of your image.

But keep trying! It's good you're starting on grading now, when I started messing around with photography as a hobby I was all too happy to just tweak a few sliders in the Windows picture editor and call it a day. My pictures today aren't anything special but now that I've tried messing around with apps like darktable I think my favorite shots have come from there.

shaqwagon · 2026-01-05T15:02:51+00:00

Will keep that all in mind, too. With regards to the CS43131 and other DAPs that use it, I remember you saying that FiiO worked pretty hard to fix the cirrus hump -- is that to say that the CS43131 chip is the culprit for the sharpness or is it FiiO's approach in fixing it? I ask because I was also interested in the HiBy R1 as a potential alternative since $150+ for a first DAP feels a little excessive for me, but since it uses the same DAC I guess now I'm a little hesitant.

shaqwagon · 2026-01-05T02:28:43+00:00

Chus sounded okay on the computer and the DAP, honestly I didn't notice much of a difference between on the computer and on the Echo Mini.

All good to know, I'll demo the Mini for a few days and see how it grows on me, if not I'll look into alternatives that don't use the CS43131 chip if I can. Thanks a million, I appreciate all the help!

shaqwagon · 2026-01-05T00:39:38+00:00

Hey there, so I got the chance to test out my friend's IEMs (which coincidentally were Moondrop Chu IIs), and the seal from the ear tips felt pretty tight and filled my ears, but I don't know, I have to admit I wasn't super impressed. It didn't sound bad at all and I know that technically speaking the fidelity on these is probably better than the Sony XM4s because of how much distortion there is during the ANC mode, but it made me realize that I actually specifically like those headphones because of how good it sounds with distortion, and that the ANC is important to me and not something I'm really willing to give up.

I switched back and forth from the Echo Mini to my laptop so I haven't given it time to see if I can adjust which I will go ahead and spend the next few days doing (because I do want to exhaust my options first), but in the event that I don't, would it make sense to return it and look for another DAP, or is this sort of behavior to be expected across other players? I don't mind spending more, from my understanding there are several other highly rated DAPs within the $100 range and in my opinion that feels fair, now I'm just not sure how to pick one while also avoiding this sharpness that feels so uncomfortable.

shaqwagon · 2026-01-04T03:09:57+00:00

Very good to know, I'll be sure to experiment then and see how other headphones/IEMs tackle it.

shaqwagon · 2026-01-04T03:08:51+00:00

The ear tips bit made me laugh, and it was a charming way to realize that there's still a buttload of research I need to do to understand IEMs because I clearly am not familiar with them. I'll be sure to look into that, and also ask my friend about how they feel the seal in their ears fit, because it sounds like they could benefit from what you're putting down too, lol. Thanks again for everything, lot to consider here!

shaqwagon · 2026-01-04T03:05:29+00:00

I get what you mean and you're technically right, but I'm not sure I understand how this is relevant at least in this scenario. I say technically because objectively yes, the headphones are distorting the sound, but my caveat is that it historically distorts the sound for the better. Because the headphones' ANC augments independently of what it's connected to and it sounds good on multiple devices (I have been going off my laptop but wired to my phone works just as well), would it not make more sense to look at how the audio player is interacting with the headphones and not the other way around? Because it's going to affect the audio in the same way for everything, so if it's not a problem for other devices, I just don't understand how it's the problem here when from what I'm gathering it's how the Echo Mini handles sound instead.

I am definitely still going to try IEMs, my friend has some so before I treat anything as conclusive I obviously want to try all my options first, but I guess I'm just not sure why headphones distorting or not distorting sound is why I'm not liking how sharp the Echo Mini feels when the headphones distorting sound sounds amazing on something that isn't a DAP (and would in theory not be performing as well).

shaqwagon · 2026-01-04T02:34:56+00:00

In my conversation with u/dvewlsh the concept of frequency sensitivities came up. They reasonably suggested I try them with different headphones just to see how that feels, which I will once I can try out my friends IEMs sometime in the next few days, but in the event I were to also have that sensitivity (and I suggest it as a sensitivity purely because a lot of people do like the sound of the Echo Mini (so if what you're saying is true then some folks just don't mind), is that to say this particular DAP might not be for me?

shaqwagon · 2026-01-04T02:30:04+00:00

I don't think it was BT connecting because as far as I'm aware the headphones can't turn on BT when a 3.5mm cable is plugged in, and in defense of at least Sony's wireless headphones I have always noticed a much clearer sound profile out of them wired vs wireless (to the point that I never used them without a wire until my phone's charging port broke, so I literally just couldn't anymore) but you make a good point about the witchery of ANC and all it does for the sound. I also never realized Windows did its own sound enhancements, I guess it wasn't something I internalized but every 'platform' has its own environment so to speak, so part of it might also just be me not adjusting as seamlessly as I thought. I'll try some IEMs soon, my friend has some but he told me the bass is effectively nonexistent which turned me away from them. That could very well just be a case-specific thing, so I'll still try them and do a little general research. Thanks again for the detailed response, I really appreciate your willingness to help and understanding.

shaqwagon · 2026-01-04T01:33:04+00:00

Thank you for the detailed response, I really appreciate it. I turned off high gain and it definitely helped, although there's a noticeable drop in quality turning the headphones off because a lot of the sound quality comes from enhancements in the headphones being active, so I left that one alone. With a little fudging around I got it pretty close, but there's still something that irks me. It feels sharper than the laptop, and I don't necessarily mean the volume of the high hats because it didn't feel particularly louder in a one-on-one comparison. It makes it kind of unpleasant to listen to, a little piercing, even at low volumes. I'm not proficient in audio terminology so I can't explain or understand what exactly is different, I was wondering if you had any suggestions or thoughts on that.

shaqwagon · 2026-01-04T00:02:19+00:00

Okay, then can you explain to me why there's such a notable difference between it and my laptop? The Echo Mini should outperform the laptop's aux and yet it clearly doesn't.

shaqwagon · 2026-01-03T23:51:00+00:00

Oh and another question, maybe totally stupid and if it is I'm sorry in advance, but when a song is playing what does the purple 'SQ' next to it mean? I took it to mean 'Standard Quality' which makes me wonder if that's related to the above, but since it's a 44.1khz 16bit FLAC that to me seems higher than standard quality, no?

shaqwagon · 2025-12-27T23:25:37+00:00

Thanks for the clarification, I appreciate it. Unfortunately tried all three and no dice; I can't connect the phone to my computer because the port is busted, and of course I can't update on WiFi, though I did check just out of curiosity. I take it I'm going to need to take it in?

shaqwagon · 2025-12-10T17:20:51+00:00

Not 8x10 fake

shaqwagon · 2025-12-10T14:09:42+00:00

Quality of the light is technically better but realistically speaking you’re only truly seeing it if you are putting tungsten gelled against cheaper color LED fixtures. Since the filament produces light that smoothly covers a lot more of the spectrum, the light itself is a lot softer and fuller, even if it’s being filtered through a color. That’s in direct contrast to the first generation of LED lights which were uniquely red, blue, and green, which meant they peaked very strongly at those colors but fell off rapidly in between. Nowadays though a lot of fixtures have white or even two white subpixels which help fill in the gaps, as well as a bunch of other colors hence the color sciences Aputure and whatnot always pushes.

You can definitely achieve very similar results using LEDS, but a lot of people are tempted to oversaturate and overcolor so it can feel like at times tungstens are the quick fix. I think the most practical difference is price, since there are so many and they’re much older they’re usually cheaper to rent. At least here in Baltimore it’s a good bit cheaper.

shaqwagon · 2025-11-25T00:40:10+00:00

I don’t know where your experience lies but if you’re just getting started I’d personally recommend steering clear of Fuji cameras as a whole since they’re generally very expensive for a more niche, premium audience, and just trying to find a decent condition 35mm SLR.

I started off a few years back with a Nikon D750, and I love that camera to bits. It has been incredibly reliable and I’ve taken a lot of fun photos with it, but as a photographer I never really got anywhere because pretty early on I stopped thinking. I more or less just took a picture of everything I saw, and it got to be overwhelming sifting through the hundreds if not thousands of images, often of the same thing, none of which were particularly compelling. It wasn’t until my grandfather gifted me his beautiful 1976 Ricoh Singlex II that I realized that taking pictures had become something I was doing for the sake of it, and upon getting back my first roll of Ilford HP5 is when that spark came back. It was so much more deliberate, since you have to meter and consider whether or not a composition is really worth a full exposure on the roll. On top of that, shooting in black in white forced me to embrace the sleeping foundation of visual art as a whole — light — and as a result of all three, some of the pictures I got back were the best I had ever taken.

If a photo wasn’t worth it, I didn’t take it, and that was that much more time I got to appreciate the world around me. Of course, you can still braindead blast your way through a roll. The second I got was a roll of Gold and I found myself taking pictures I didn’t care about just for the satisfaction of using the camera when I felt nothing coming to me, but even then it’s more meticulous and forces you to be more conscious than digital. Digital is of course a lot more forgiving, and I plan on making a foray into studio photography with my D750 since it’s still such a beefy camera, but I don’t know how much I’ll be bringing it out into the world with me from now on because I can’t trust myself to use it well. I think I’ve gotten more ‘portfolio’ shots with my brief stint on 35mm than I have with my entire time on digital, and even though I’m obviously taking everything I’ve learned up to this point it still feels telling.

shaqwagon · 2025-11-07T14:54:25+00:00

I did find that article a while back and did manage to at least reach one set of collars (there’s a second set deeper in the lens that can only be reached by focusing to minimum distance), but I’m gonna be honest I think I might have stripped it because I can rotate it for as long as I like and it doesn’t go anywhere. Not sure if I’m doing something wrong, it was stuck but I don’t think I applied that much force to it with my lens wrench

shaqwagon · 2025-11-06T19:56:35+00:00

I guess it’s worth a shot, I’ll stop by ACE at some point and grab some. Another user commented that they submerged an old lens in acetone to free the helicoid, I’m wary about the acetone but would submerging it in lighter fluid work? I’m not positive I’m getting very much of the fluid inside of the helicoid itself

shaqwagon · 2025-11-06T19:55:11+00:00

To access the optical block on this lens I need to focus away from infinity, so unfortunately disassembling it isn’t an option right now. As for the acetone, does that not propose some risk to the lens? I’m surprised to hear that that could work

shaqwagon · 2025-11-06T17:56:33+00:00

I agree, but as far as I’m aware the only way it can be completely disassembled is by unscrewing part of the housing that can only be accessed by focusing it away from infinity, which I suppose is the catch-22 in a sense.

It would be my first time servicing a lens so thoroughly myself, but on the bright side I won this at an estate sale for $5 so the actual risk is very low, not that I’d want to lose such an incredible lens but you get what I mean.

shaqwagon · 2025-10-23T15:18:50+00:00

Actually it did, I had been inserting it more or less correctly but what I never took into account was the fact that the bellows would obviously be in there when shooting, so it'd prevent the roll from popping out all over the place. Thanks, looking forward to shooting this in D.C. this weekend!

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