robgruen's WebLog : Digital Photography

Getting a System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException when trying to use BitmpaMetadata to extract EXIF/XMP data?

robgruen — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:02:00 GMT

Well if that's the case, it's probably cause you're attempting to use this class from a MTA thread. In order to fix this, just change the apartment of the thread where this code is running from MTA to STA (either using the [STAThread] Attribute or by setting the ApartmentState member of the thread that you're spinning off to run this code).

Here's the details of the exception:

System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException occurred
Message="A null reference pointer was passed to the stub. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800706F4)"
Source="PresentationCore"
ErrorCode=-2147023116
StackTrace:
at MS.Internal.HRESULT.Check(Int32 hr)
InnerException:

Enjoy!

1.6x + 2x = 320-1280mm

robgruen — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 07:51:00 GMT

To quote Mazda: "Zoom Zoom!"

I just ordered a 2x extender for my camera bag. My primary plans are for using this with my telephoto zoom lens. Given my camera's built in 1.6 focal length multiplier, the new 2x extender, and my 100-400mm lens; I now have a 320-1280mm zoom potential. Very nice indeed! My lens is pushed back two stops and I loose auto focus but I've had some good practice since I've had a broken lens for a few months (I've since sent it in and am awaiting it back from the factory repair facility). I'm looking forward to trying to foray into wildlife photograpy, especially for my upcoming trip to Asia. Hopefully I'll get some great shots of tigers, elephants, monkeys, etc. that are truly "wild."

Do you eat your digital pics RAW…

robgruen — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 23:40:00 GMT

…or do you cook them until they’re JPEG?

I had a great time talking to Matt and James at Interwoven today about RAW image formats. (Sorry if I went overboard guys!) You see, we all have digital SLRs and were pondering the usefulness of RAW images.

My jury is still out there debating. Do I keep them or do I trash them? I’ve been shooting JPEG+RAW which amounts to about ~14 MB per shot and as of right now I’m running low on hard drive space since I’ve been keeping the RAW files (actually .CR2 files since I’ve got a Canon 20D). What I’d like to find out is if the general majority of folks keep these files, don’t get them to begin with, or do their post processing and then get rid of them?

Part of my problem in wondering what to do with these files is that there’s a tremendous effort involved in looking at each one of these files and exporting them to JPEG/TIFF/PSD, etc. I really hope Adobe’s RAW format proposal gets accepted because then there might be a better software solution for dealing with all of these files (I could just keep the RAWs and only get JPEGs when I need to create a web gallery). You see, most of the photo album software I’ve seen doesn’t read RAW files so I’m definitely in a bind.

I found a good article that talks about the trade offs: http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/digital/jpeg_tiff_or_raw_4.html. Here's another article that refers back to a Microsoft site that talks about managing your RAW files....looks like I'll have to try this one: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/expert/rawfiles.mspx

I think for the interim my solution is going to buy a bigger hard drive so I can continue to store both. J

Speaking of digital photography

robgruen — Sat, 18 Dec 2004 03:01:00 GMT

Just seconds after making my last post I came across: Digital camera sales booming - http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/12/16/digital.cameras.reut/index.html.

Of course this article mentions "click-to-click speed" as the most prevelant compaint digital camera owners face.

The selling point of a digital camera is it's MP (megapixel) rating. Sound familiar? Until recently computers used processor speed as the biggest marketing feature. Companies such as AMD and Intel changing their marketing schemes to focus on other criteria since processor speed is becoming less relevant. I forsee digital camera companies doing the same thing when sensor technology gets resolution past the range of what film quality is. Instead of MP rating it might be things like frames/sec or additional features like whether or not your camera can play MP3s like the Oakley Thump glasses.

This is the camera I am looking for...Excuse me?

robgruen — Sat, 18 Dec 2004 02:52:00 GMT

After years of drooling over this or that digital camera (SLR) I FINALLY have one of my own. Better yet, it was a present!!!!

I now have a brand, spankin’ new Canon 20D complete with vertical batter grip, extra batteries, remote switch, and a 2GB Sandisk Ultra II CF card. This thing is absolutely fantastic!

I’ve had the camera for just shy of a month and have carried it with me (to the chagrin of some J) everywhere, every day with only a few exceptions. In that time I’ve shot over 1600 pictures for about 8GB of data. Phew, that’s insane! I’m going to have to score some more hard drive space.

I don’t know where to stop talking about this thing but it’s just been wonderful to have. I’ve already forgotten that I own a 35mm. But of course after years of faithful support I’m sure my antique deserves a quite retirement.

The only bad thing I’ve encountered during the past month is that my favorite image stabilizer lens is broken, auto focus has gone on vacation. L I have to send it back to Canon to get it fixed. Of course I had to pull out another lens from the bag. I’ve been using my 50mm f/1.4 fixed lens because it’s much less conspicuous than my 100-400mm lens. Let me tell you something….this was some expensive glass when I got it several years ago (well, it probably still is). The only problem with it was that it sat in my camera bag. I could probably count how many times I used it on my two hands.

Now that I’ve been using the lens heavily for the past thirty days I don’t know if I’m going to use the 28-135 as much any more. The pictures that this camera/lens combo have been taking make me almost look like I know what I’m doing. Portraits have been absolutely stunning. They’ve come out so nice that people who generally don’t like their picture taken are posing for the camera. Absolutely fantastic!