Technotes for Sankar & Kanmani
• • • • •

Robust File and Folder Copy.
By default Robocopy will only copy a file if the source and destination have different time stamps or different file sizes.

Syntax
      ROBOCOPY source_folder destination_folder [file(s)_to_copy] [options]

Key
   file(s)_to_copy : A list of files or a wildcard.
                          (defaults to copying *.*)

  Source options
                /S : Copy Subfolders
                /E : Copy Subfolders, including Empty Subfolders.
 /COPY:copyflag[s] : What to COPY (default is /COPY:DAT).
                      (copyflags : D=Data, A=Attributes, T=Timestamps).
                      (S=Security=NTFS ACLs, O=Owner info, U=aUditing info).
          /COPYALL : Copy ALL file info (equivalent to /COPY:DATSOU).
           /NOCOPY : Copy NO file info (useful with /PURGE).

                /A : Copy only files with the Archive attribute set.
                /M : like /A, but remove Archive attribute from source files.
            /LEV:n : only copy the top n LEVels of the source tree.

         /MAXAGE:n : MAXimum file AGE - exclude files older than n days/date.
         /MINAGE:n : MINimum file AGE - exclude files newer than n days/date.
                     (If n < 1900 then n = no of days, else n = YYYYMMDD date).

              /FFT : assume FAT File Times (2-second granularity).
              /256 : turn off very long path (> 256 characters) support.

   Copy options
                /L : List only - don’t copy, timestamp or delete any files.
              /MOV : MOVe files (delete from source after copying).
             /MOVE : Move files and dirs (delete from source after copying).

                /Z : copy files in restartable mode (survive network glitch).
                /B : copy files in Backup mode.
               /ZB : use restartable mode; if access denied use Backup mode.
            /IPG:n : Inter-Packet Gap (ms), to free bandwidth on slow lines.

              /R:n : number of Retries on failed copies - default is 1 million.
              /W:n : Wait time between retries - default is 30 seconds.
              /REG : Save /R:n and /W:n in the Registry as default settings.

              /TBD : wait for sharenames To Be Defined (retry error 67).

   Destination options

  /A+:[R][A][S][H] : set file Attributes on destination files - add.
  /A-:[R][A][S][H] : set file Attributes on destination files - remove.
              /FAT : create destination files using 8.3 FAT file names only.

           /CREATE : CREATE directory tree structure + zero-length files only.
            /PURGE : delete dest files/folders that no longer exist in source.
              /MIR : MIRror a directory tree - equivalent to /PURGE plus all subfolders (/E)

   Logging options
                /L : List only - don’t copy, timestamp or delete any files.
               /NP : No Progress - don’t display % copied.
         /LOG:file : output status to LOG file (overwrite existing log).
        /LOG+:file : output status to LOG file (append to existing log).

               /TS : include source file Time Stamps in the output.
               /FP : include Full Pathname of files in the output.
               /NS : No Size - don’t log file sizes.
               /NC : No Class - don’t log file classes.
              /NFL : No File List - don’t log file names.
              /NDL : No Directory List - don’t log directory names.
              /TEE : output to console window, as well as the log file.
              /NJH : No Job Header.
              /NJS : No Job Summary.

 Repeated Copy Options
            /MON:n : MONitor source; run again when more than n changes seen.
            /MOT:m : MOnitor source; run again in m minutes Time, if changed.

     /RH:hhmm-hhmm : Run Hours - times when new copies may be started.
               /PF : check run hours on a Per File (not per pass) basis.

 Job Options
      /JOB:jobname : take parameters from the named JOB file.
     /SAVE:jobname : SAVE parameters to the named job file
             /QUIT : QUIT after processing command line (to view parameters).
             /NOSD : NO Source Directory is specified.
             /NODD : NO Destination Directory is specified.
               /IF : Include the following Files.

Advanced options you’ll probably never use
               /XO : eXclude Older - if destination file exists and is the same date
                     or newer than the source - don’t bother to overwrite it.
         /XC | /XN : eXclude Changed | Newer files
         /XX | /XL : eXclude eXtra | Lonely files and dirs.
                     An “extra” file is present in destination but not source,
                     excluding extras will delete from destination.
                     A “lonely” file is present in source but not destination
                     excluding lonely will prevent any new files being added to the destination.
               /IS : Overwrite files even if they are already the same.

/XF file [file]… : eXclude Files matching given names/paths/wildcards.
/XD dirs [dirs]… : eXclude Directories matching given names/paths.
                     XF and XD can be used in combination  e.g.
                     ROBOCOPY c:\source d:\dest /XF *.doc *.xls /XD c:\unwanted /S

            /MAX:n : MAXimum file size - exclude files bigger than n bytes.
            /MIN:n : MINimum file size - exclude files smaller than n bytes.

               /IT : Include Tweaked files.
               /XJ : eXclude Junction points. (normally included by default).
         /MAXLAD:n : MAXimum Last Access Date - exclude files unused since n.
         /MINLAD:n : MINimum Last Access Date - exclude files used since n.
                     (If n < 1900 then n = n days, else n = YYYYMMDD date).
  /XA:[R][A][S][H] : eXclude files with any of the given Attributes
  /IA:[R][A][S][H] : Include files with any of the given Attributes

                /X : report all eXtra files, not just those selected & copied.
                /V : produce Verbose output log, showing skipped files.
              /ETA : show Estimated Time of Arrival of copied files.
Syntax on this page is for the XP and .Net Version of Robocopy (XP010)
The NT 4 and Windows 2000 resource kits include Robocopy 1.95 but I recommend you download the XP version which fixes a number of bugs - it runs fine on NT/2K.

Robocopy does not run on Windows 95, or NT 3.5. (RoboCopy is a Unicode application).

ROBOCOPY will accept UNC pathnames.

To run ROBOCOPY under a non-administrator account will require backup files privilege, to copy security information auditing privilege is also required, plus of course you need at least read access to the files and folders.

Examples:

:: Copy files from one server to another
ROBOCOPY \\Server1\reports \\Server2\backup *.doc /S /NP

:: List all files over 32 MBytes in size
ROBOCOPY C:\work /MAX:33554432 /L

:: Move files over 14 days old
ROBOCOPY C:\work C:\destination /move /minage:14
:: Note the MOVE option will fail if any files are open and locked.

:: The script below copies data from FileServ1 to FileServ2, the destination holds a full mirror (all files), when run regularly to synchronize the source and destination, robocopy will only copy those files that have changed (changed meaning different time stamp or different size.)

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL

SET _source=\\FileServ1\e$\users

SET _dest=\\FileServ2\e$\BackupUsers

SET _what=/COPYALL /B /SEC /MIR
:: /COPYALL :: COPY ALL file info
:: /B :: copy files in Backup mode.
:: /SEC :: copy files with SECurity
:: /MIR :: MIRror a directory tree

SET _options=/R:0 /W:0 /LOG:MyLogfile.txt /NFL /NDL
:: /R:n :: number of Retries
:: /W:n :: Wait time between retries
:: /LOG :: Output log file
:: /NFL :: No file logging
:: /NDL :: No dir logging

ROBOCOPY %_source% %_dest% %_what% %_options%

If either the source or desination are a “quoted long foldername” do not include a trailing backslash.

In Windows Vista Robocopy is set to become a standard built-in command.

By copying only the files that have changed, robocopy can be used to backup very large volumes.
To limit the network bandwidth used by robocopy, specify the Inter-Packet Gap parameter /IPG:n
This will send packets of 64 KB each followed by a delay of n Milliseconds.

 

Try using these settings as a starting point,

ISO 200 - set
Manual
1/500 - 1/1250
F8 or higher and adjust shutter speed.

When there is open sunlight without clouds the lighting situation pretty much stays the same. Very consistant. Find a setting you are happy with and shoot at that out in the open like the top shot.

Staying at f5.6 - F8 near trees or in shade you could go to 1/125.

Over the years I have become familiar with the camera and the first thing I do is put a little piece of heavy card stock in my camera vest and mark down the best settings for each outdoor condition, such as sunny, shady, overcast, etc… Once you find te settings that give you the results you like after a while you memorize them. Of course this is just one way to to it.

Another way is to invest in a used light meter and think about getting yourself a grey card. Pre-set your WB with the grey card and you will see a big difference, especially with greens and blues and work well on the colors when using a flash.

Exposure is the big thing. Your first shoot is slightly overexposed. It may look good to the average viewer, but the Nikon is capable of producing deeper colors by under exposing the shot by one or two stops. This reduces the amount of light coming in and reduses some of the haze from the image.

Change your metering in camera to spot when out doors and spot meter parts of the scene you are shooting and do some averaging. If you are still getting a hazy look with bleached out colors bump your shutter speed or your aperature up one or two.

Once you get it the way you want write your settings down on the card and use it for reference. After a while, you will memorize the settings and will find yourself reaching for the card less often.

I shoot in manual 90% of the time. I havent had my D50 long and it is the first DSLR since converting from film. I have pretty much got my card finished with the exception of one or two minor tweeks.

As far a flash goes I leave my camera set to ISO 200 1/250 - 1/500 outside and 1/60-1/125 inside and pretty much always stay at f5.6 with onboard flash set to auto TTL. This may seem like a hunt and set method, but it’s not when your camera is set to meter spot. Spot meter a bulb in a building and set your shutter speed one to two stops faster. I do the same thing when using a flash outside. Spot meter the high lit areas and set the shutter one or two stops faster.

These are some of the methods I have used to keep things going the way I want them to. Maybe they will help you. One thing is for sure! I am spending a lot less time processing my raw images!

Good luck!

–
John

http://www.eyeunit.com/

D50
18-55 AF-S ED 1:3.5-5.6
50mm f1.8D AF Prime
60mm f2.8D AF Micro
85mm f1.8D AF Prime
70-300mm 1:4-5.6D AF ED

http://www.ronbigelow.com/index.html

Landscape Tips

Mike Stensvold, June, 2004

Photographs of beautiful landscapes made in the right conditions can be absolutely stunning. The keys are to be there in those conditions, and to be ready to record them when you find them.

You can greatly enhance your chances of being there at the right time by doing your research. It’s frustrating to travel to a stunning scenic site, only to be socked in by a blizzard—or to find that the magnificent waterfall you traveled 400 miles to photograph has dried up for the summer. Ask folks who have been there, check out books and magazine articles on the area, call the rangers or town officials, do an online search. Check the weather forecast before heading out—if it’s going to be bad for photos, choose another destination for that trip. There are lots of great landscapes to be enjoyed and photographed; you can catch the originally intended one another time if conditions aren’t good at the moment.

Most landscape pros use large-format cameras that produce 4×5-inch or larger transparencies. But you can make terrific landscapes with 35mm cameras, as the late Galen Rowell and others have proved. The key is to use fine-grained film (Fujichrome Velvia is very popular with landscape shooters, but your favorite fine-grain film will do nicely). As far as lenses go, a 28–105mm or 28–200mm zoom should provide all the focal lengths you’ll need, although a wider lens can come in handy for grand vistas and exaggerated-foreground-object shots. A graduated neutral-density filter will reduce the brightness between sky and ground so you can record detail in both (a two-stop filter is a good starter; the pros generally have sets containing a range of different strengths).

It can be a pain to cart a tripod into the boonies, but consider the advantages: The tripod will hold your camera steady, allowing you to stop down for great depth of field and use fine-grained slow film (or the slowest ISO setting on a digital camera, for best image quality), regardless of light level; and it will lock-in your composition so your can study it carefully, and won’t accidentally change it as you take the shot. Ansel Adams carted a heavy tripod along with his large-format cameras all over the American wilderness; we modern photographers can carry a modern lightweight tripod.

If you’re shooting film (and doing so will give better landscape results than will shooting with consumer digicams if you want to make big prints; however, some of the images illustrating this article are digital images), bracket exposures whenever you have doubts as to the correct one. Keep notes as you do, and you’ll soon learn how to expose a wide variety of situations with your camera.

Landscape Tips:

1 Use fine-grain film
2 Shoot near sunrise or sunset
3 Do your research
4 Use a tripod
5 Bracket exposures in tricky lighting