Olympus Body Cap Fisheye Lens for Micro 4/3

Image Source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I19TVU2?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00I19TVU2&linkCode=xm2&tag=dm36thyeofthl-20

 

I recently purchased a fisheye lens for my Micro 4/3 kit, a Bower 7.5mm model.

 

(Click Here) to see a post of images I shot with the Bower fisheye lens.

 

I haven't used the fisheye too much yet, but plan to.

 

Now it seems that Olympus has made a "body cap" lens with fisheye optics. These near-flat lenses that are so thin they double as body caps are really pretty cool. I have the older version Olympus 15mm body cap lens (not fisheye), which again, I have yet to use very much. You know the story, too many cameras, not enough days off.

 

The body cap fisheye is an ideal combination if you ask me. Since most of us will rarely use a fisheye lens, one of the challenges is that you don't tend to carry it along with you. Even the Bower lens, which is quite light and compact, takes up precious camera bag space. I think the body cap fisheye would solve that issue. And, it's pretty cheap at ~$100.

 

With a fixed aperture of f8, it's not real flexible, but again, this will be rarely-used equipment for most people. But, when you need it, you need it.

 

(Click Here) to see an example image posted by matt-pro on mu43.com

 

If I hadn't already purchased the Bower, I would certainly go for the Olympus body cap option.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

O'er the Beautiful Snow

It's another snowy, stormy day here in Northern Virginia as I write this. Rather than let it keep me inside, I decided to take a walk in the woods and try to capture the mood. Choosing a simple and durable setup, I grabbed my Lumix DMC-TS5 (waterproof, everything-proof compact camera) and figured out how to set long shutter speeds manually. I wanted the longest exposures I could get, so that I could get some nice motion blur as I walked.

 

In order to use 1 second (or 1/2 second in some cases), I had to hold up a 3X neutral density filter over the lens on the TS5. No problem.

 

I've set a short selection of the images (unedited jpegs from the TS5) to one of my favorite songs, "O'er the Beautiful Snow," by Melissa Wright and the Acoustic Burgoo. The mood of the song is perfect for what I wanted to portray.

 

O'er the Beautiful Snow, by Melissa Wright and Acoustic Burgoo

Images by Reed A. George

 

(Click Here) to see the slideshow set to the music (~4 minutes playing time). Be sure to have your volume up to hear the music!

 

Melissa was nice enough to give me permission to use the song for this purpose. I hope you enjoy.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

I Would Do This! Amtrak Writer's Residency

Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amtrak_-_GE_P42DC_-_Heritage_Phase_III_Livery.JPG

 

Author Alexander Chee had a great idea, and something really came of it. Apparently, he mentioned in an interview with PEN magazine that he wished Amtrak had a writer-in-residency program, since riding a train seems an ideal way to get creative.

 

(Click Here) to read a little more about the program.

 

I would definitely do this. I think I could be Amtrak's first photographer in residence, and would be happy to write up a trip across the country, or even up or down one of our coasts.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

About to Try Ilford Delta 3200 For My Concert Photography

As you may know, I've been shooting some concerts with black and white film in my Leica M4-2 film camera, as part of a series I'm calling "Dreaming in Monochrom(e)." The idea is that I'm exploring using one of my Leicas in monochrome only, exploring how I'd really work with a digital Leica Monochrom if I had one.

 

Anyway, I've been shooting concerts with Kodak TMax 400 black and white film, pushed two stops to iso 1600.

River Whyless, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, 50mm Zeiss C-Sonnar f1.5 Lens

Kodak TMax 400 Film Pushed to iso 1600

 

While I'm really liking this new look to my concert photography, I'm finding the extreme contrast that I get by pushing 400 speed film two stops a little bit limiting. So, I've decided to try some Ilford Delta 3200 black and white film. My experience with Delta 3200 in the past was that the negatives can be a little thin; I've had better luck shooting it at iso 1600 than the labeled 3200. Apparently, the native iso is more like 1000, but it's got extremely wide exposure tolerance.

 

So, I think I'll shoot it at 1600 this time.

 

Here's an example concert shot on Delta 3200by Kontantinos Bezios:

 

Image Source: http://kbesios.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/20120904-105104.jpg

 

Konstantinos shot this on a medium format Plaubel 67 camera. I think the gray tones are very nice, and I hope to get a similar effect in my Leica.

 

(Click Here) to visit Konstantino's blog and see more of his work.

 

My only question now is whether or not I need to inform The Darkroom (my favorite mail-in film developer) that I shot Delta 3200 at 1600 or not. I tend to think not, as I read a lot of posts about shooting it at 1600 and developing normally.

 

By the way, if you want truly excellent film developing, (Click Here) to visit thedarkroom.com.

 

With any luck, I'll have some interesting new concert photos to share in a week or so!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

4X5 Photographer Visits Abandoned Kodak Building in Toronto

Mike B. of the blog "A Year On Film" has posted a nice shot of the entryway and stairs at an abandoned Kodak building in Toronto, Canada.

 

 

Image Source: http://blia-yof.blogspot.com/2014/02/returning-to-kodak.html

 

He shot this image through a classic Kodak Ektar 127mm f4.7 lens ("normal" focal length for 4x5), mounted on a Calumet camera. Ironically, he used Ilford FP4+ film instead of Kodak!

 

I love reading about other people like me who enjoy the process as much as the pictures. While I'm sure this image would look great a 4' X 5' on a wall, it's tough to see the advantage of large format film for blog posting. That said, I do see the fun associated with this slow type of photography. I bet it took ten minutes to set up this shot. I think it's very nicely done. Inspires me to get the 4x5 out again soon!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Most Beautiful SLR Ever? Nikon F, Plain Prism

Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nikon_F_SLR_camera_with_NIKKOR-S_Auto_1,4_f%3D5,8cm.JPG

Author: Dnalor 01

I started getting serious about photography in sixth grade, back in about 1977. My camera at that time was a Pentax K1000. I still have that camera, and it's close to my heart.

Lately, I've continued to explore Nikon SLRs, which were simply outside my financial reach back in the day. I've had several Nikon film SLRs, including an N2000, which is a manual focus SLR with built-in motor drive, an FM2N, and a few others. My most recent additions have been a pair of F2s, which a just plain lovely cameras. Both of mine have the DP-1 Photomic finder.

I've always wanted to try a regular Nikon F with plain prism. I recently bought one, an early example, from KEH. The price of the BGN condition F with prism was about $15 more than a BGN prism ONLY! Well, that $15 bought me a lot. The camera body is in excellent condition. The only thing that makes the overall condition BGN (by KEH's rating) is a dent at the apex of the prism, which has absolutely no effect on the function. I fell in love immediately with this beast from 1962. I've read it being described as the SLR equivalent of a Leica M3. I think that's appropriate. The layout of the original F was borrowed from the Nikon S series rangefinders. No electronics whatsoever. 100% viewfinder coverage. It's really very nice to carry and use.

My first roll of film from the new F is on its way to The Darkroom as I write. Hopefully I'll have some results to share with you in a few days.

 

Is the F "better" than the F2? Almost certainly not. But, it sure is a beauty, and quite fun to use. At $144 from KEH, I decided I couldn't really go wrong. This is one of those cameras I always told myself I'd own someday.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Bert Stephani Shares Snowy Tokyo / Yokohama

Bert Stephani, blogger and photographer, has posted some great pictures from a recent trip to Yokohama, Japan, at the invitation of Fujifilm.

 

Image Source: http://bertstephani.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/20140214_cp+_024.jpg

 

It is pretty rare for the Tokyo/Yokohama area to get snow, especially enough to really stick and be around for a while.

 

(Click Here) to read Bert's story about visiting Japan for the CP+ show at Fujifilm's invitation, and equally important, the several images he shares.

 

Seems that Bert got some experience with Fujifilm's new X-T1, which is getting a lot of press at the moment.

 

I have to admit, I'm so far left on the equipment/time balance, I haven't kept up with this new camera (or several others). I think this is okay, as I want my focus to shift toward creative use of my cameras more and more anyway. Of course, that doesn't stop me from looking...

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com