txcollector

How do you go from this to this? Step 1: Composition and Lighting The first thing you need to decide is your theme. As soon as I saw the Ploprof I thought a composition with my diving equipment would be a must. You want you composition to be dynamic so I position the regulator in one side of the shot with the hoses running across and the watch on the other side. Next I needed to decide what kind of background I'd like to use. Nowadays it's a lot easier to add the background in Photoshop than it is to shoot on location or to add some elaborated prop to the scene. For this shot I decided I wanted some nice beach sunset to complete the scene. To make this realistic I needed 2 light sources. 1) a high speed flash (Speedlite 430EX II) on the side to provide nice contrast and shadows 2) a warm continuous light at the back of the light tent to provide the warm tint on the watch and the rest of the equipment. Step 2: The Shot To get the maximum detail in the foreground you want to use a high F stop (22 for this one). I also decided to use average metering and use brackets to make sure I get the right exposure across the whole shot. Because I had many reflective areas to worry about I decided to use my 300mm zoom lens and of course a sturdy tripod for the 7D. That allows me to shoot from a distance minimizing any camera reflection on the regulator. This is how the raw shot looks like. Step 3: Post Processing One of the advantages of shooting raw is the flexibility to change white balance, contrast, exposure, black levels, etc.. Since I was looking for a warm end of day kind of light I tweaked the picture a little to add a yellowish hue. Step 4: Adding the New Background Before I can add a new background I need to remove the existing one (kept neutral for the shot to make it easier to remove). You will notice a little halo around some parts of the picture that I'll cover later. Also in Photoshop this layer had the removed background as transparent but jpegs will add a background color (in the case white) to the picture. The easiest part was so use Google to search and find a good image that would have all the elements I was looking for: sunset, beach, waves breaking, clear sky, etc.. Here's what I found. The original picture was a lot sharper and the Sun was on the right side of the pic. To mach my light direction I flip the picture and I added lens blur to the picture since in a real shot the background would be a little out of focus. Step 5: Making it Look Natural At this point I had to 1) find a position for the Sun that would match my background lighting 2) make sure I blend the foreground and background pictures. One the bigger issues with removing areas from the foreground to show the background is the number of sharp, uneven edges that we end up with. The solution for that is to use a blurring tool and use both layers to create a alias effect across the 2 pictures. That's the effect you see here Showing both layers you get this Nice but not great. So we go to our last step. Enhancements. Step 6: Enhancing You Image I like to play with effects and my favorite package is the OnOne Software PhotoTools 2.5. For this shot I used the "Color Treatment" "Cool & Warm" to make the scene more interesting. Adding warm colors to the middle to coincide with where the sunlight should hit and the cool areas around to compensate and balance the scene. I could have added a lens flare to make it more realistic but I just don't like those. I'd rather the shot was cleaner. Here's the final result Thanks for reading. I hope this can be of use for other shutterbugs around here.

More than 1 year and it has the great PVD and some other work from The Zigmeister.

big brick today

The El is nice Here's the lugs on mine compare with the gen

flagged.

I've seen many 203/A that have the pin polished. In fact I believe I saw a LNIB at Risti (selling for a huge sum) that had never been recoated that had a polished pin. I believe many owners had theirs recoated and that's how you see blackened pins around. It will be interesting to see if you can push it without removing the PVD. Keep us updated if you decide to do it. Beautiful piece.

I don't have AR on mine. The flat crystal doesn't provide that much reflection and I don't see the point in making the watch less gen like. The thickness of the watch is a great tell already, why bring more attention to it?

great build!!! Congrats. The Zigmeister is really a meister. Quick suggestion: shave a little bit from the CG pin. It should be an innie not an outie. Question: Does the DSN case have the lugs drilled for the pre-v bars or have you asked The Zigmeister to do it? I can't see by the pics.

thanks. For a living I have a boring job, IT consulting so I have to use photography as my creative outlet

005 today

it really depends on who you are talking to. People that buy expensive watches just to show they are successful and have no real appreciation for watches would probably frown on reps. People that really enjoy watches have a tendency to appreciate all kinds. I too find it laughable that people that own expensive watches most time know very little about them (other than it needs a battery or not). It's like buying an expensive car without knowing what it can do. It would seem the hotel/bar owner really appreciate good timepieces and would benefit from the introduction. I too don't care about where I'm wearing my watches (reps or gens). I normally pick them based on occasion, attire, etc.. This is such an specialized hobby that most people can't go past the "nice watch" comments.

I have 111j, OEM dial, used to have a LH dial, and I have (or have seen) the other parts. The 111j case set is miles away from most rep parts. The dial with LH is kind of a wash and both different from the OEM. The top plate on the OEM is thicker than both reps and that gives a nice shadow effect that wasn't replicated. The 111j CG and spring loaded crown give you the right gen action. The T48 is nice cosmetically but the lack of a spring compromises the action. The issue you see on the CG is the rubber used for the lever pin. You need to replace it with something sturdier. The pin needs to be shaved a little too. In my franken I have OEM dial/hands/movement. Even the movement on the 111j is better than others I've seen. The engraving is way better than most reps. The AR on the 111j is too blue. In all the $200 rep is probably better than the sum of the parts you have listed.

That's the OEM JV (Jules Verne). Very nice and quite popular with PAM owners. You can get from an AD or from someone selling one (either new or second hand) at paneristi.com.

thx, if only it was a gen

the new Pams are getting better. Maybe they will get this one right

Ploprof today.

thanks folks. The Ploprof is kind of interesting. When I first tried it at the AD I wasn't too impressed. But after the right strap sizing it feel/looks great on the wrist. Really a killer rep/watch.

I sold the old rep but this is a franken

Just a quick shoot

See what you write when you don't have a clue about facts? W-C was created by a number of members (including me) that were not happy with how the infractions by the owner were being handled (FACTS that led to Sylar being ousted, interesting enough some of which had to do with selling rep parts as gens) and the overall lack of accountability (problems that fortunately have now been addressed by folks like Sfa). It had absolutely nothing to do with vintage drama. You certainly has unresolved issues with Joe and others for things that happened on another forum and I'm really not interested in debating this with you, specially in a place that has little to do with the background drama. Over and out.

and I'm sure you have facts (you know who sold what to whom in what condition, sales details, what the seller knew at the time of the sale, what was disclosed, what was not disclosed, etc.) to back up everything you are insinuating here and it's not just some inflammatory remark based on what you think/hope has happened because you have some unresolved issues with someone. The RG thing was before my time however reading from the outside a lot of the accusations being thrown around appear to be more related to bruised egos than hard facts. I find it amusing that we have a scammer (VDB) that sold rep parts as gen and a lot of people blame the buyers just because they don't like them. Yes, I'd say it's childish.

Definitely a rep but it will be very hard to convince ebay to take this one down. 1) The seller has 100% positive feedback 2) Box and fake papers included 3) The seller accepts returns The listing is not available in the US. Not sure if I can report in the French ebay.

I agree. The whole VDB shady practices issue was raised by former customers. Instead of keeping the discussion around the questionable practices of a modder that produces and misrepresents overpriced low quality watches some folks decided to bring personal views on a number of upstanding folks to light. It's sad that we can't have a mature discussion around serious matters without people trying to stir the pot with personal vendettas. Forget about the A1 sauce, the rusty builds, etc. There are some serious accusations of VDB selling low quality rep parts as genuine vintage parts. That's the same kind of stealing that tarnished the reputation of Sylar/Julio at RG and thankfully and rightfully the RG staff removed him for such transgressions. This discussion should be around what to do with a modder that engages in this kind of behavior and not baseless accusations and insinuations that serve no real purpose.

thanks. I went to the AD (now the OEM strap) and I can't see the difference. I'm happy now.