Great Egret - Super Telephoto on Micro 4/3

Yesterday, I posted an image of a green heron, shot with my GX7 and modern Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6 OIS lens.

 

Just for fun, I decided to try shooting at the same place with my very old (Nikon Pre-AI mount) Sigma 400mm f5.6 lens, adapted to fit the GX7. Here's a great egret shot with that combination.

 

 

Great Egret, Ardea alba, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Sigma 400mm f5.6 Manual Focus Lens (Pre-AI Nikon mount)

iso 1600, f11, 1/1000 sec.

 

Not bad for an old lens, huh? By the way, this is the lens that I won at the Film Photography Project's Walking Workshop in May. (Click Here) to read more about that.

 

I know that most of you can't click and zoom on this image, due to the way I post from flickr. Here's a ~100% crop from the image above:

 

You can see that he's just caught a minnow. While the results from this 30-40 year old lens don't match the modern Lumix 100-300mm zoom, they're pretty good, in my opinion. This is an extremely low-cost 800mm equivalent field of view combination for someone who has the patience to shoot nature with a manual focus lens. The GX7's manual focus magnifier really helps out, but is obviously only useful for static subjects. The Nikon-to-Micro 4/3 adapter is also very inexpensive, and available on Amazon (please buy yours from the link below and support my blog!).

 

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Whole Lotta Leica - October Results - That Summicron Bokeh

Not All That Matters Is Sharp, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 50mm f2 v.3 Lens

iso 400, f2.8, 1/3000 sec.

 

Lens geeks, especially Leica lens geeks, frequently discuss "bokeh." Apparently, bokeh is a Japanese word for "out of focus" areas in an image. The lens design, including the number and shape of the aperture blades, has a lot to do with how "pleasing" a given lens' bokeh will be. In general, more aperture blades, and rounded edges, yield smoother bokeh.

 

The Summicron is known for beautiful bokeh. In fact, I believe it was Mike Johnston who decided that the 35mm Summicron version 4 lens is the "king of bokeh." At any rate, you should expect a lot from any Summicron in this area.

 

In the shot above, I exposed the tree at f2.8, making for very shallow depth of field, on purpose. The combination of a wide aperture and close focus makes for lots of bokeh. To me, the structure in the back is as important as the tree leaves. It gives a strong sense of the context of the image. The red maple leaves go along with the Asian style structure. Neither element would be as strong without the other.

 

People argue about bokeh - what is pleasing, which lenses have the best. I've noticed that the bokeh from some of my cheaper lenses is as nice as higher end lenses. In fact, I've seen quite nice bokeh from very cheap lenses, with few (four) aperture blades. So, I'm not saying you need a Summicron to get beautiful bokeh. I am saying that bokeh can be important to conveying what you want with an image.

 

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When the Inner and Outer Worlds Converge

 

Image Source: http://munchow.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/when-inner-and-outer-world-become-one/

 

I read a thoughtful post, about the simultaneous exploration of the outer world and the inner world of the photographer himself (or herself) in the making of photographs, on Otto Von Munchow's blog.

 

(Click Here) to read the entire post on munchow.wordpress.com, including some thoughts from Henri Cartier-Bresson, a master of sharing the inner and outer worlds and where they converge.

 

One of the concepts that Munchow brings up is "tunnel vision," the exclusive focus that one gets when fully absorbed in photography. He mentions that when he achieves this state, he can be sure that there will be some good images in whatever he's taken. But, he cannot usually say which ones, until he reviews them.

 

I am very different in that way. I certainly experience this focus on the subject, process, and myself - "tunnel vision." However, I usually know which images are going to be the best from the set, even when I'm shooting film and cannot review them on the spot. Of course, there are sometimes surprises, both positive and negative. Those "missed the focus by that much" to use Maxwell Smart's expression (sorry, it's an old TV show, called "Get Smart"), and those rare images that didn't make an impression while shooting but just jump out at you when you see them developed. However, I can usually pinpoint the three or four best shots before seeing them.

 

Below is a case in point. I was initially attracted to the water droplets on this lotus leaf. As I was working on different angles and approaches, the shadows and textures became much more apparent. In fact, the line of the shadow taking on approximately the shape of a yin-yang symbol finally popped into my head, and I captured it. To me, this embodies how I felt about this place, this moment, and myself, photographing lotuses on the grounds of a Buddhist temple. I knew I liked this one before reviewing it.

Lotus Leaf and Water, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, 24-85mm f2.8-4 Lens

iso 100, f16, High Dynamic Range (HDR) composite of three exposures

 

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Foreground Items Out of Focus - Is It Acceptable?

One of the the oft-repeated recommendations for newcomers to photography is "learn all of the rules, and then forget them." I don't know who said this first, but it gets repeated in just about every photography workshop; it has become a cliche' statement. That said, I think it's true, especially as it relates to composition.

In the image below, which I took at Great Falls, Virginia on an extremely cold day (I think it was about 12 degrees F), the rocks at the very bottom, in the foreground, are a little out of focus. When I posted this shot, which I personally love, that came back as a criticism. It got me thinking.

Great Falls, Virginia, by Reed A. George

Rolleiflex Twin Lens Reflex Camera

We all take pictures where the background is out of focus, which helps to emphasize our subject, typically a person, as in a portrait. So why do some people think it's not okay to have a blurred foreground? I haven't found an answer. Personally, I think it helps to focus attention elsewhere in the image, just as a blurred background does.

Image Source: http://mute.rigent.com/index.php?ladat=2012-12-14

 

The image above uses the same effect. I find it very attractive.

 

(Click Here) to read the original post on MUTE, and the comments. Most people seem to agree that it's a great shot.

 

Anyone out there have an opinion to share about this?

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

I haven't read this book, but maybe I should...

 

 

 

And Now From The Darkside - Autumn Is For Death

On the same walk that I posted all the warmth and beauty of autumn from yesterday, I also found this:
 

Death in the Forest, by Reed A. George
Leica M9, Leica Summarit 50mm f1.5 Lens (ca. 1953)
iso 200, f2.8, 1/250 sec
 
Autumn is the time for dying. Many animals and plants end their life cycle as the leaves turn color and fall to the ground.
 
I have no idea what this young buck died from. But, looking up, I see what may well have been his last sight of life...
 
 

Final Vision, by Reed A. George
Leica M9, Leica Summarit 50mm f1.5 Lens (ca. 1953)
iso 200, f2.6, 1/200 sec
 
See what I mean about that old Summarit drawing some interesting forms in black and white? You can see the sharpness of the skull in the first image, and how quickly that sharpness transitions into whorly out of focus regions. What a cool old lens.
 
Tomorrow I promise to get off the death theme, really.
 
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A Little Identity Crisis Going On Here At DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Image Source: http://www.47project.com/2009/08/10/facebook-excavating-our-identity-crisis/

 
More on the identity crisis that DMC-365 is currently going through.
 
First off - thanks to the respondents on the poll I posted yesterday about shifting the blog focus to Panasonic and film. The results were even between "stick to Panasonic" and "make it Panasonic and film photography." In the end, I need to decide what I want this blog to be and go for it.
 
For me, the experience of the Film Challenge really was transformational, and gave me the feeling that focusing on Panasonic Lumix equipment, which has been challenging yet fun for the first six months of 2012, may be too limiting for me. As you've seen, I have not been strict in that focus. However, if other types of equipment and photography are going to be regularly included, perhaps I didn't state my focus correctly in the beginning. So, I'm working through how to restate it now.
 
I thoroughly enjoy all types of photography, but everyone knows that a general photography site quickly becomes just one in a million. So, I want to retain some focus.
 
The film challenge reminded me how much I love shooting film and Leicas, in addition to my mainstay Panasonic equipment. Well, Leica and Panasonic have a partnership at some level, so why not focus in that way? Perhaps I will. But then I think of my Nikon kit, which still gets fairly regular use. And how about that new Fujifilm XPro that I'm interested in trying out? I think you can see where the identity crisis is coming in. It's nothing new; I've been a multi-kit user for a very long time.
 
I also enjoy many styles of photography - music, history, nature, street...
 
So, please bear with me while I sort this out. One thing I can assure you - DMC-365 will not lose its focus on Panasonic equipment and how I and others use it. It's just a question of how far to stray in my musings.
 
And then there's always the obvious. Chill out. Stop worrying about it. Just keep the Panasonic focus and add in anything that I find interesting and useful. Sort of like it has been so far, but with potential for some further exploration of non-Panasonic subjects.
 
As I said at the beginning, this blog has been challenging and fun for the first half of the year. I'm just working to keep it that way. I appreciate the fact that I have a strong readership, as evidenced by the page views. In other words, I appreciate YOU!
 
Comments and suggestions always welcome!
 
 
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Quick Notes to Add to my eBook on the DMC-G3 - Manual Focus Tip, and Still Capture During Video

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Image Source: http://shop.panasonic.com/dotAsset/1b37230b-19c7-46ef-8f25-c26c03bdf59d.jpg

Two features of the DMC-G3 have recently come to my attention, and need to be added to my eBook.

The first is related to focusing with manual lenses. In my eBook, I indicate that you have to press the left cursor button followed by the menu button to bring up the magnified focus aid. In fact, a much better alternative is to just push in the rear dial in toward the body of the camera. This really is a better way to do it. Thanks to reader martyvis for reminding me that it was not included in the eBook.

Second, someone asked me if the G3 is capable of capturing full resolution still images while capturing video. As I am only a casual user of the video functions, I did not know the answer. After looking into it, I see that it does have that function. Simply press the shutter release during video capture, and you have yourself a full resolution still!

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Landscape Photographer Hans Strand Shares His Story On Zeiss Lens Blog

 

Hans Strand - Master Landscape Photographer and Zeiss Enthusiast

Image Source: http://blogs.zeiss.com/photo/en/?p=1785

Hans Strand, Swedish landscape photographer, and I have at least a couple of things in common. First off, Hans is a trained Mechanical Engineer with a passion for photography. Second, he appreciates fine photographic equipment, from the point of view of an engineer.

(Click Here) to read Hans' complete story on the Zeiss lens blog, outlining how he transitioned from Engineering to Photography as his vocation, how he composes his images, and why he enjoys Carl Zeiss lenses.

We also have some differences. Hans is a master of the wide angle, which is somewhat elusive to me (I'm working on it). He maximizes depth of field and ultra-sharp focus in his landscape work. Another difference - he loves cold places. If I were to pick an ideal location to photograph, it would likely be a tropical island (Kauai comes to mind), or the Sierra Nevada Mountains, at the cold end. Hans prefers Iceland. To each his own.

Finally, one more point we share - even though he does a completely different style of photography, Hans appreciates the precision and timing of Henri Cartier Bresson's (HCB's) compositions. In my opinion, no other famous photographer has gotten it as right as HCB. Every time I pick up a rangefinder and head out to shoot a street scene, I wish for some insight from that guy.

I also enjoy Zeiss lenses - especially old ones, like the old Zeiss Tessar f2.8 on my 521/16 medium format folding camera that I used for these two shots:

Snow Dance, by Reed A. George

Zeiss 521/16 Medium Format Folding Camera, Zeiss Tessar f2.8

Waterford News, by Reed A. George

Zeiss 521/16 Medium Format Folding Camera, Zeiss Tessar f2.8

To tie it in a little, of course I enjoy my modern Zeiss Biogon 25mm f2.8, which makes a wonderful normal lens on the Lumix G3, great for street photography.

(Click Here) to see my recent post of a triptych shot with that combination.

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Kirk Tuck (of Visual Science Lab) Talks Up The Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

Image Source:

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/05/kirks-take-electronic-viewfinders.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2FZSjz+%28The+Online+Photographer%29

Kirk Tuck has written a piece on The Online Photographer, with some witty-but-practical thoughts about how electronic viewfinders (EVFs) compare and contrast to optical viewfinders (OVFs).

(Click Here) to read Kirk's post on The Online Photographer.

Kirk talks up the following features of EVFs:

1. "Pre-chimping" (this term belongs to Kirk :) ). This means being able to see how the camera's settings and electronics will treat an image BEFORE you shoot it. Not possible with an OVF, it can be achieved with live view on an SLR, but not with the camera to your eye.
2. Focus Peaking - I am not familiar with what Kirk describes, about the camera highlighting items that are in focus in your image. I'm thinking Lumix cameras don't do this? Please comment if you can shed any light on this subject.
3. The ability to quickly check an exposure in the EVF after it's taken, without having to take the camera away from your eye.

I certainly appreciate number 3, even though it makes people think I'm crazy when I've got the camera to my eye reviewing an image, not necessarily pointing it at my subject any more. My wife has said - "Why are you taking pictures of the sidewalk?"

On the downside, Kirk talks about the delay of the EVF making it more difficult to "lead" a moving subject (or at least different from the OVF), having to turn "Gain Up" (something I think is the default setting in Panasonic cameras) to see your subject in a dark setting, such as when you're planning to use studio flash, and the fact that EVFs typically represent an image in higher contrast than the true image, making the quick-check less effective.

On that final point, Kirk suggests that raw shooters can set their jpeg settings to low contrast, so that the image in the EVF more closely approximates what will be in the raw file. Nice tip.

I agree with Kirk on many points here. I love the "gain up" behavior of the Lumix EVF, which allows me to see what's going on in a dark scene by increasing the gain in the EVF (bringing up the light levels). I would add that this also allows visualization of the depth of field, if you're using a lens that closes the aperture down before the shutter is released. This is the case with legacy lenses on adapters. This is a feature that makes EVFs a major advantage. Basically, even though the aperture is closed way down (reducing the light getting to the sensor), the EVF adjusts the gain to brighten the image going to your eye. So, you get enough light to see what's going on, and the lens is closed down, so you can see the true depth of field.

Contrast this to the old depth of field preview in an SLR (which makes the image in the OVF so dark you can't see anything), or the conventional rangefinder camera (which has no provision for depth of field preview).

That said, I still really love to look through an OVF. It just looks more "real." It makes me feel like I'm still there, present in the scene. The EVF doesn't do that.

I know that even though this is a Lumix blog, I've been referring to Fujifilm quite a lot. I bring it up here because I wonder just how well their hybrid viewfinder (which allows you to switch between EVF and OVF) gives the benefits and minimizes the disadvantages of both finders. I imagine the hybrid design is pretty well-covered by Fujifuilm with patent protection, but I'd sure like to see it appear on other cameras (especially Panasonic).

Thanks again, Kirk, for a thought-provoking piece!

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 
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The PhoBlographer Tests the Zeiss Planar 50mm f2 M Lens on Micro Four Thirds

 

Image Source: http://www.thephoblographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P5112317_lr-1000.jpg

I read an interesting post about using the Zeiss Planar 50mm f2 (Leica M mount) lens on Micro Four-Thirds cameras.

(Click Here) to see the original post at www.thephoblographer.com

The author (Felix Esser) makes several important points. First, he says that while he's satisfied with the Zeiss lens performance on both the Olympus E-P1 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, neither delivers a certain image quality that he sees using the same lens on the Leica M8. This is difficult to evaluate. Each M4/3 camera has so many settings, I find it a little hard to believe that one couldn't fiddle long enough and pretty much replicated the Leica's color, tone, and sharpness. The Micro 4/3 cameras have more recent sensor technology than the M8. The only differentiating thing I can think of is the lack of an IR filter on the M8 sensor, which is supposed to increase sharpness, but at the cost of color accuracy. I find with my M8 that the add-on UV/IR filters are absolutely necessary to achieve good color rendition, so I any benefit from not having the filter there must be lost.

I also found Felix's comments comparing the Olympus E-P1 and Lumix DMC-G1 of interest. It seems that he prefers the native jpeg output of the Olympus, but finds the Panasonic much easier to use with legacy manual focus lenses. This is mainly because of the increased resolution of the G1's electronic viewfinder (EVF). I bet he'd really like it if he tried the DMC-G3 or DMC-GH2.

Felix also provides a little information on the history of the Planar, which has always rivaled the Leica Summicron, both considered benchmarks for image quality in the normal lens range.

I don't have a 50mm Planar. I do have a Zeiss 25mm Biogon T f2.8, which should make a very nice 50mm equivalent on Micro 4/3. The 25mm Biogon is as well-recognized for image quality as the Planar. On my Leica M8, the Biogon makes a wonderful 35mm replacement (at ~33mm equivalent field of view).

However, I must admit, I rarely use the Biogon on M4/3. Why? A few reasons: 1) manual focus, 2) f2.8 (I prefer faster), 3) the existence of the Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4. The Summilux offers autofocus, 2 stops of increased speed, and excellent image quality. So, it's just a little hard to grab the Biogon and leave the Summilux behind.

I would be interested in hearing others' opinions about this. For a normal lens, I don't see much reason to use anything other than the Pana-Leica 25mm Summilux on my M4/3 cameras.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 
 
 
 
 

On Critical Focus, by Tesselator of GetDPI

 

Image Source: http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/4-3rds-cameras/35591-achieving-critical-focus.html
Tesselator's DMC-GH1 and Worn Manual Focus Assist Button
Forum member Tesselator on GetDPI posted a recent entry about achieving critical focus. Interestingly, while he uses legacy manual focus lenses almost exclusively, and does not own a single native Micro 4/3 lens, he is a dedicated Lumix DMC-GH1 user. Apparently, he's on his fourth unit.
(Click Here) to see Tesselator's post on Get DPI.
It turns out that Tesselator achieves astonishingly sharp focus not through any tricks or technologies; it seems he's just plain obsessive about careful focus and camera stabilization. The only kind of new tip he shares is using the automatic magnification for assisting manual focus that is available on the Lumix 4/3 cameras. In fact, you can see how he has worn the label on the button away through constant use, in the image above (small button to the left of "Menu/Set").
In this post, Tesselator also describes his extensive use of tripods. This is something we all need to hear again, once in a while. Of course, we all know that tripods are required for ultimate sharpness. But, it sure is easy to leave it at home.
I found it useful to read his experiences, including those with vintage Linhof tripods. I hope you find something useful in his post, as well.
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Kirk Tuck (Visual Science Lab) Returns, Renewed!

 

 

Actor Martin Burke, by Kirk Tuck

Image Source: http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/2012/04/were-back-both-of-us-now-howdy.html#comment-form

Kirk Tuck, blogmaster at the Visual Science Lab (visualsciencelab.blogspot.com) recently took a break from writing. I must admit I was a little worried about what that meant. I've come to enjoy his blog regularly, and didn't want to see it go away.

Well, not to worry. Kirk is back, and with renewed creative drive. In this first entry since returning, Kirk discusses how he's working to add his own creative edge back to his professional photography work.

(Click Here) to read Kirk's story.

In addition to his current professional digital equipment, Kirk is now carrying a Hasselblad and single roll of black and white film. When he's met the needs of the job, he then plans to grab the 'blad and do a little more with his subjects - for his own development.

While I am not a professional by any means, I can understand Kirk's point. Focus is important, but I am feeling some loss by focusing so narrowly on Panasonic products. As you may know, I did sprinkle in a little film work recently, on an outing with fellow blogger Aboud Dweck. I need to do more of that.

I just returned from a trip to Japan, which was exclusively shot with Panasonic equipment. It served me very well. But, as I will write in the near future, I had the experience of going to a flea market in Tokyo, where I found a piece of gear from the past that really got the gears turning for me. It reminded me of a part of photography that I have not been focused on. So, you may see more from some of my other gear in the coming weeks and months.

I will not lose my focus on Panasonic equipment; it really is a great set of tools. However, if focus is important, variety is the spice of life. And I like things a little spicy.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

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