Today I used a Zeiss Batis 85mm Lens and as a result I have decided to bring it with me when I visit Belfast for a week at the end of March. I also took the opportunity to use some new software from DxO.
DxO is a French company dedicated to photography. Founded in 2006, it is located in Boulogne-Billancourt. They company markets DxO PhotoLab, ViewPoint, and FilmPack image processing software.
The software that I am testing is DxO PureRaw2 and it is best described as a simple to use fully automated version of DxO PhotoLab. The software converts raw files to 16-bit linear DNGs, using DxO’s industry-leading lens correction and noise reduction algorithms. These DNGs can then be processed using your preferred imaging software [I use Lightroom], just like normal camera raw files.
I currently have DxO PhotoLab. DxO PhotoLab 5 is software which corrects various optical aberrations, notably image distortion, with corrections tuned to particular lenses and cameras. It also adjusts lighting and colour rendering. The software reads the Exif file to gather information about the camera, the lens and the settings that were used.
Its automatic optical adjustment can fix:
Distortion of curved line (should be straight) Color fringes Light fall off of vignetting Make same sharpness from centre to corners
I also use Nik Collection. Nik Collection is a collection of 7 plugins for Adobe Photoshop and applications compatible with Photoshop plugins; Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop Elements are officially supported. DxO acquired Nik Collection from Google on October 25, 2017, and it was first released as a DxO product, Nik Collection 2018, on June 6, 2018.
Direct connection to iPhone or iPad via high-speed Lightning connector - large viewfinder, touch control and instant sharing. WiFi connectivity for remote camera controls
20.2MP 1" CMOS-BSI sensor and f/1.8 prime lens (32 mm equiv) - capture details even in extreme low light and take gorgeous portraits with soft bokeh
Fast shutter speed (to 1/20000 sec), Long Exposures to 30 seconds, high ISO (51200), full HD video (1080p/30, 720p/120)
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery and micro SD card slot (stores high-quality RAW format files; 8GB microSD card included)
Instantly share your DxO ONE images from your iPhone to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. Battery life - Up to 200 images
Last update on 2024-04-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
SCULPTURE AT ENTRANCE TO ST KILIAN’S GERMAN SCHOOL ON ROEBUCK ROAD
The photograph is a bit confusing because a row of black and orange bollards can be seen through part of the sculpture … I am assuming that the sculpture is a representation of the saint.
St Kilian’s German School (Deutsche Schule Dublin – DSD) is an independent German international school in Dublin, Ireland.
Kilian, also spelled Killian (or alternatively Irish: Cillian; Latin: Kilianus), was an Irish missionary bishop and the Apostle of Franconia (Franconia is nowadays the northern part of Bavaria), where he began his labours towards the end of the 7th century. His feast day is 8 July.
St Kilian’s is legally a single organisation, with a primary school, offering kindergarten (junior infants) and vorschule (senior infants) and main primary school (1st to 6th classes), and a secondary school. It is open to students from ages 4 to 18.
German is taught from the start, but is not required for entry. In primary school, where relevant, input from the school programme of the German state of Baden-Württemberg is used. Depending on development of German language skills, pupils may have the option to pursue a German curriculum stream from 4th class. The school provides German language education beyond the level required by the Irish German curriculum, enabling pupils to take the German Sprachdiplom exams and qualify with the linguistic level required to enter German universities.
Some classes in the Junior Cycle (1st to 3rd years) are shared with the Lycée Français d’Irlande.
St Kilian’s was founded in the early 1950s, developing from the work of a Dublin charity, the Save the German Children Society, founded in 1945.
Since 2002, St Kilian’s has shared sites with Lycée Française d’Irlande, the combined campus known as the “Eurocampus”.
The secondary school has a typical rate of progression to third-level of 90-100%. In 2020 this reduced to 63%, following significant reduction in teacher-assigned grades, with even native German language speakers being graded H3 instead of school-assessed H1. The school and 9 pupils pursued High Court actions over this.
OPERATION SHAMROCK
Operation Shamrock was a scheme bringing refugee children from mainland Europe to Ireland in the aftermath of the Second World War. It was organised by the Irish Red Cross, and involved about 500 children, mostly from Germany, who stayed for three years before returning home.
Irish assistance to Germany reinforced in Britain the perception, fostered by wartime neutrality, that Ireland was pro-Nazi. Conversely, West Germany in the 1950s had gratitude for Ireland’s postwar relief aid, and ties grew between the countries. In January 1956 a memorial fountain sculpted by Joseph Wackerle and commissioned by the German Gratitude Fund was unveiled in St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, by the West German ambassador.
In 1961, the German war cemetery was opened near St Kevin’s Hostel, Glencree, for graves of German aviators killed in Ireland during the war. In 1974, the hostel became the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, which played a role in the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s.
German-language courses provided for refugees in Dublin led to the foundation of St Kilian’s German School.
In March 1997, a reunion of over 300 foster-children and families was held at the German embassy in Dublin, attended by Presidents Mary Robinson of Ireland and Roman Herzog of Germany.
As part of The Gathering Ireland 2013, 21 refugee children from Germany, France and Austria returned to Glencree.
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