Cosina Voigtlander Factory Video

Video Source: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Voo3pCvYODI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DVoo3pCvYODI

by Terry Sham Studio

 
Before I became interested in working in biomedical research, I was a manufacturing geek. I also lived and worked in a factory in Japan for a year, as part of a US Department of Commerce fellowship. So, naturally, I was interested in seeing a video about the factory that makes Cosina Voigtlander lenses.
 
This video on YouTube, by Terry Sham Studio, shows much of the lens manufacturing process, as well as some assembly of camera lenses. The audio is in Japanese. My Japanese is rusty (and was not that strong to begin with), but I can get a few of the points. They talk about how actual manufacturing of lenses in Japan (as opposed to China or Malaysia) is pretty rare at this point. They also talk about making OEM lenses for other companies. You can see from this video that Cosina's expertise is in mechanical and optical manufacturing, as opposed to electronics, which helps one to understand why they offer manual focus lenses. You can also see that they produce pretty large numbers of lenses in this factory, with batch processing of components. As always in modern Japanese factories, inspection and testing are an important part of the process.
 
I found this to be an interesting video. I hope you enjoy it as well.
 
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A Few Tips on Shooting Ruins on ePhotoZine

 
ePhotoZine has posted a brief piece on how to shoot ruins - abandoned buildings and obsolete facilities. Clearly, the author lives in the U.K. - speaking of shooting abbeys and the like.
 
(Click Here) to read the entry on ePhotoZine
 
In terms of equipment, the suggestion is to bring a wide angle lens, a longer zoom, a tripod (either full-size or tabletop), and a polarizer.
 
For technique, the author suggests walking the site carefully before jumping in to take pictures. Give context to the rubble piles that you find interesting, rather than just shooting closeups of them. Try shooting out through window openings, and down long corridors. Also, consider including signs as part of detail compositions.
 
If you're able, get a high perspective for overall shots of buildings, in order to reduce distortion caused by having to point the camera upward. Another way to achieve this is to shoot the building from further away, using a telephoto lens.
 
Finally, consider shooting a panorama, if the site warrants it.
 
Here are a couple of recent shots by my friend Rob Svirskas (flickr id: robsv), taken at an abandoned Bethlehem Steel factory.
 
 

On Deck, by Rob Svirskas (flickr id: robsv)

Nikon D300, 18-200mm Nikkor f3.5-5.6 at 70mm

iso 400, f6.3, 1/160 sec

 

Bus Stop, by Rob Svirskas (flickr id: robsv)

Nikon D300, 300mm Nikkor f4

iso 200, f6.3, 1/160 sec

 

 

These dilapidated facilities hold real opportunities for great photography. Typically, especially in industrial ruins, there are lots of details that make for interesting compositions. Many times, the function of the apparatus is not clear, adding a little question to each image. Usually, there are also echoes of a busy past, left bouncing around in now-empty buildings and parking lots.

 

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