Konica 50mm f1.7 Hexanon as a Portrait Lens

My uncle Bob gave me a very nice gift recently, his Konica TC-1 camera, Tokina zoom, and 50mm Hexanon AR 50mm f1.7 lens. I have not cleaned the camera up yet, but did immediately pick up a "Fotasy" adapter for Konica Hexanon lenses on Micro 4/3 cameras. This morning, I mounted up the 50 Hexanon on my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Micro 4/3 body. Here's how it looks:

Konica 50mm Hexanon f1.7 on GX7

 

The Fotasy adapter made movement of the aperture ring on the Hexanon a little tight, but it's loosening up with exercise. I bought mine on Amazon, and the price is quite reasonable (see link to purchase yours on Amazon below).

 

With the Micro 4/3 sensor, the Hexanon provides an equivalent field of view to a 100mm lens on full frame 35mm format. A nice, fast portrait lens. Here's a shot of my daughter by window light, at f2.8.

 

My Favorite Model, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.7 Lens

iso 400, f2.8, 1/50 sec.

 

I have always loved Konica lenses. This one is no exception. I'm quite pleased with the color and sharpness of this image.

 

Thanks, Uncle Bob!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

"Engineer" (Low-Fi Large Format) Prints from Photojojo

I have a couple of images that I want to print very large. I posted one of them yesterday, which I shot at Audubon Park in New Orleans. I have a very large square frame that I rescued from the trash can, waiting for that shot. Another is a pinhole image that I recently made, which I have not yet shared. It's a much less sharp (obviously, having come from a pinhole camera), more interpretive image that I want to print as large as possible to see if the effect scales.

 

Large prints are very expensive to make. At least photographic quality prints. This morning, I found a post about "Engineer" prints from Photojojo.

 

Image Source: http://photojojo.com/engineerprints/img/tutorial_photos/Engineer-Prints-457_Full1600new.jpg

 

These are apparently made on printers designed for architectural drawings, and on rather lightweight paper. They are 3' x 4' in size, and only in black and white. The description includes this statement about what to expect:

 

"Streaked, striated and wacky black and gray tones combine to create a super unique look that’s no ordinary photo print."

 

So, don't expect a perfect print. However, at $25, and with free shipping, it may just be worth a try with my pinhole image. That shot is made on 4x5 film, so I can make a very large scan of it to send for printing. Yes, I think I'll give it a go. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

(Click Here) to read more about Engineer Prints from Photojojo.

 

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Visual Poetry - Audubon Park, New Orleans

Visual Poetry, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 v.3 lens

iso 200, f3.4, 1/1000 sec.

 

Knowing that it was important to get out of the French Quarter, at least for a little while on my recent trip to New Orleans, I hopped a streetcar to Audubon Park one morning. After my own SNAFU, whereby I rode past the station where I needed to change lines, walked several blocks to recover, then discovered that the streetcar line was under construction and being supported by bus, I was quite a bit later arriving than I had planned. The bright Louisiana sun was well up in the sky when I got to the park. That did not stop me.

 

This is one of my favorite couple of images from that morning. I saw this composition as soon as I walked into the park; an hour later and the lighting would have been all wrong. There are several things I love about this shot. The light is at nearly exactly the right position to put the statue's face in a nice combination of light and shadow, and light the body of the statue perfectly to stand out against the dark backround of the live oak branches behind it. I love how the statues interact, including the third and fourth, slightly out of focus in the background above the child statue at bottom right. They're barely even elements in the composition, which is how I wanted it. The palm tree in silhouette way back there is another important element to me. The similarity of the main statue's pose and arm position to that of the lovely live oak tree behind is probably what attracted me to this composition in the first place.

 

Of course, the next time I go to New Orleans, I will be at the park at sunrise; that would just be spectacular. Not having made it at the perfect time on this morning, I'm quite pleased with this result.

 

The Leica M9 and 35mm Summicron pulled it off nicely for me. I think this one warrants a print.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

French Quarter Reflection

French Quarter Reflection, by Reed A. George

Leica M6 Titanium, 50mm f1.4 Summilux Lens

 

I shot this image early one morning in New Orleans. It's a little cliche' to shoot reflections all the time, so I don't. In this case, I like the difference in emotion that it gives, as opposed to shooting the balcony itself directly in the early morning warmth. I like how it has an almost night time feel to it. Don't be afraid of black shadows in your pictures, if that's the emotion you want to communicate.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Steamboat House, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans

My friend Ben took me on a walk along the levee near his home in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. I shared a shot of him taken on the levee in an earlier post. (Click Here) to see that shot.

 

Here's a map of the area:

 

Image Source: wikitravel.org

(I added the location of the Steamboat House)

 

One of the landmarks in the area is the Steamboat House. Here's how it looked on the day we visited:

Steamboat House, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 80, f2.8, 1/1600 sec.

 

Apparently, there are two Steamboat Houses; I only saw this one. Here's what wikipedia has to say about them:

 

"The Doullut steamboat houses are located on either side of Egania Street at numbers 400 and 503. The first house, closer to the river, was built in 1905 by Captain Milton P. Doullut, a riverboat pilot, as his home. The second was built in 1913 for his son Paul Doullut. In 1977 both houses were designated historic landmarks. The houses have two notable design influences, the first being the steamboats of the period, the second being the Japanese exhibit at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis (Louisiana Purchase Exposition). Notably, Mary Doullut (wife of Milton) was also a river boat captain, who worked on the river for over 30 years; she is believed to be the first woman to have held a Mississippi riverboat pilot's license."

 

(Click Here) to read about the houses and the Lower Ninth Ward on wikipedia.

 

Ben actually knows some of the people who live here. I'd love to go inside. We speculated that maybe the building actually had something to do with the steamboat trade, but that seems to not be the case.

 

The Steamboat House is a quirky little highlight of this historic area of the city.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

10 X 10 = 100 Years of Leica

This is an important time for Leica. Celebrating their 100th anniversary and moving into a new headquarters in their original home of Wetzlar, Leica is having fun on several fronts.

 

In addition to introducing highly exclusive camera editions that most of us will never see, they've commissioned an exciting series of photographs from contemporary photographers, pairing each of them in style and spirit with an important photographer from the past.

 

Image Source: http://blog.leica-camera.com/leica-news/leica-gallery-wetzlar-inaugural-10-x-10-exhibition/

 

The ten photographers, and their conceptual partners from the past are listed below:

 

Jing Huang and Henri Cartier-Bresson

Craig Semetko and Elliott Erwitt

Julia Baier and René Burri

Dominic Nahr and Robert Capa

Evgenia Arbugaeva and André Kertész

Kirill Golovchenko and Lee Friedlander

Alec Soth and William Eggleston

Amedeo Turello and William Klein

Thomas Ruff and Alexander Rodchenko

Saga Sig and Jeanloup Sieff

 

Each of the ten chosen photographers created ten images, which are now on exhibition in the Leica Gallery.

 

(Click Here) to read more about the show on the Leica Camera Blog.

 

The blog shows one representative image from each of the featured photographers. I'd like to see the rest, as what they show is intriguing. Reading this also reminds me of how many great photographers have come before us, and how I should become familiar with their work. While many of the names of the greats listed above are familiar to me (some are not), I would have trouble pointing out the style of any of them with the exception of Bresson and Capa. There is a lot for me to learn from them.

 

I appreciate the Leica is celebrating the past and looking to the future with this event.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Hmm. Time for a new Panasonic LX Series Camera?

 

Japanese Sakura, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 200, f4, 1/320 sec..

 

I'm still quite pleased with my Lumix DMC-LX7 camera. So small, so capable. Nearly perfect as a compact travel camera, the LX7, like it's earlier LX-series brethren, offers the combination of a fast Pana-Leica lens, tiny form factor, manual everything, and auto everything (you select). The LX7 allows the use of the accessory electronic viewfinder as well. I'm always amazed at what this little camera can do.

 

That said, it seems about time for the next in the LX series to be announced. Here's the past announcement record:

 

LX3: July 21, 2008

LX5: July 21, 2010

LX7: July 18, 2012

 

So, it seems logical that we'll see an announcement soon. Since there's sensitivity about certain numbers in Asian culture, and based on the current pattern, I'd think it may end up being a DMC-LX9.

 

That said, I can't find anything on the web that indicates an impending announcement. In fact, I've read some speculation that the LX7 may be the last in the LX series. I sure hope not. To me, the LX cameras represent so much of what digital technology can achieve.

 

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