Video on the Canon Powershot SD780 IS

I’ll level with you; I’m not a video person. It’s never held that much of an attraction for me. But even I have to admit that I’m fascinated by the fact that pretty much all still digital cameras come with some form of video. And the Canon SD780 is pretty amazing in this regard. In fact, it was a deciding factor in its purchase.

First Impressions: AF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8D

I finally received my Nikkor Ultrawide prime today. I’ve been debating this purchase for a while now, but if I’m going to have at least one AF-D lens in my collection, it might as well be the most compact of them all and be compatible with a wide variety of bodies and uses.

Review: Samyang 500mm f/8 Mirror Lens

Samyang/Phoenix 500mm f/8 Mirror (Catadioptric) Lens

Mirror telephoto lenses, often referred to as reflex lenses but more accurately called catadioptric lenses, are frequently misunderstood and mistaken for poor quality. In reality, the catadioptric system is an ingenious telephoto design which reduces size, weight and cost when compared to refractive designs of similar focal length. Optically, it virtually eliminates chromatic aberration. But, like all advantages, they come at a price.

Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-4.5G: Six Primes in One

The AF-S DX Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR has six ideal focal length designations on the barrel, which are my go-to numbers. Although DSLR zoom lenses are continuously variable, I find myself going straight to these numbers first, depending on the subject matter.

Canon Powershot SD780 IS: Seven Primes in One

The Canon has seven steps as opposed to the Nikon P5100’s nine, and they’re pretty similar. Starting from the short end:

Canon Powershot SD780 IS	35mm equivalent	f-stop
5.9mm	33mm	f/3.2
7.2mm	40mm	f/3.5
8.7mm	49mm	f/4.0
10.6mm	60mm	f/4.5
12.5mm	70mm	f/4.5
14.8mm	83mm	f/4.8
17.9mm	100mm	f/5.8

Just in Time for Christmas: My ELPH Story

My very first childhood camera was a Keystone 125X, a little plastic brick that took 126 film cartridges, and served me well on class trips to the Museum of Natural History. When it came time to upgrade, I saved up for a Kodak Pocket 110. Slim profile, sliding lens cap, thumb-operated  film advance lever; at about an inch thick, I could actually slip it into a pocket. This was the camera for me.

First Impressions: Canon Powershot SD780 IS

As I remove the tiny device from its ecologically friendly packaging, the first thing I notice is its heft; It’s solid and substantial. If feels like a real camera, and yet it seems too small to be a real camera.

New Arrivals: Canon Powershot SD780 IS

Canon Powershot SD780 IS, Rear

Received this just as I was on my way out, so I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to try it out…

At first glance, I really like the fit and finish and the clean layout of the controls. The case is made of metal with a slightly-textured, non-slip etched surface. The controls are flush-mounted so it’s easy to hold the camera without a size-increasing grip while not accidentally hitting any of the buttons.

The Next Digital Holga?

Pentax Optio H90; The Next Digital Holga?

OK, so although the Yashica EZ F521 was slated to be a “digital Holga”, its limited availability in the US may have generated a false start. After all, by definition a Lomographic camera must also be a camera for the masses; if the masses can’t purchase it readily, then what’s the point?

Nikon Coolpix P5100: Nine Primes in One

In a world where I’m pining after a rangefinder, my Nikon Coolpix P5100 gets better and better as I learn how to use it.

“Mirrorless” is the new “Rangefinder”

A New Breed of “Mirrorless” Digital Camera: The Fujifilm Finepix X100.

A new breed of camera has been slowly emerging from the ashes of the Rangefinder; The “Mirrorless” digital camera.

Just in Time

Canon PowerShot SD780 IS:
A Never-be-without-a-camera-again Camera

So here I am, looking in a shop window in Manhattan on the way to a gig as I come across the Powershot SD780. It was not far from an SD1200. And I notice both have optical viewfinders.

A curious thing about shop windows in Manhattan. They’re not changed that frequently, and you often find discontinued or new/old stock in them. But since I pass by this window every week, I know that it had recently been changed. Whatever is in this window could not be that old.

At my first opportunity, I research the SD780 IS and although it’s still on Canon’s website, it’s clearly standing near the exit. A newer model, almost identical but sans viewfinder, also comes up in a search. Same thing with the SD1200. I can order either one new from Amazon, so I put this in the back of my mind.

Then one day, my wife calls me from the road; “Get your camera ready, there’s a sunset you’ve got to see; be ready to jump in the car when I get there”. Needless to say it was a great photography-bonding moment for my wife and I, but when we got there, it was gone. “I’ve got to get a cheap camera and keep it in my glove compartment”, she says. Hmmm.

Then, a couple of days later on my way back from the city, I see something interesting and say to myself, “Gee, I wish I had a camera with me”. And in the back of my mind, the gears are turning.

So before it goes away forever, today I decided to order this miniature wonder. With a 33-100mm zoom range, f/3.2-5.8 aperture, 15 sec.-1/1500 sec. shutter speed and ISO range of 80-1600, I should be prepared for just about anything. It’s actually the width and height of a credit card, and just shy of 3/4" thick. And with its rounded corners and edges, it’s the perfect shirt pocket camera. I’ve been waiting for the right compact digital to come along, and this is it.

The sense of urgency came with the realization that last year, Canon was still making compact cameras with zoom viewfinders, and that none of the new models have them, a trend I find disturbing. Nikon, never made a camera this size with a viewfinder, so in considering the Coolpix, I wasn’t even aware that this was an option. I prefer to use an optical viewfinder whenever I can. Holding a camera at arm’s length to compose a picture that everyone else can see is simply not my idea of photography.

So, here I am, ever the Nikon loyalist, with a new Canon camera.

Get ’Em While You Can

So smitten am I with the Janco 3-Color Pop-Up Flash Diffuser that I decided to order a second one as a backup. At its low price, why not.

Scanning Holga Images with the Epson V500 Photo

This morning I’m scanning some 6x6 Holga images from my first test roll. I’m quite impressed with the results. Sharp in the center, nice vignetting, nice grain, nice softness and chromatic aberration around the borders. The film stock was expired Kodak VPS 160.

Small-Format Pinhole Revisited

This morning I finally ordered the drill bits I need to make some pinholes. Even though I’m very happy with my Lensbaby pinhole optic, I can get wider with a body-cap pinhole, which is also much more compact.

My original plan was to add a 46-52mm step-up ring to the cap so I can add a filter. I’ve read that dust can potentially enter the pinhole and find it’s way onto the sensor, something that can’t happen with the Lensbaby, as its pinhole is printed on clear film. However, I’ve decided against that for the time being, as the area of the pinhole will likely be several magnitudes smaller than any gaps in the average lens.

I also planned on mounting the pinhole plate directly to the underside of the body cap, which means that the pinhole will be 48.5mm from the film plane, requiring a .26mm pinhole. This would be a good focal length for a “normal” angle of view. However, without interfering with the mirror, I can easily recess the pinhole into the body so that the distance is 37.5mm, making for a wider angle of view. That would require a .22mm pinhole. On an APS-C sensor camera such as the Nikon D90 DX format, it would be an approximate focal length of 56.25mm, considerably wider than the Lensbaby at 75mm (50mm x 1.5).

Large Format
I also plan on building some new 4x5 pinhole cameras, one 75mm “wide” (24mm equivalent focal length in the 135 format) and one 150mm “normal” (45mm equivalent in 135 format). These will require .32mm and .45mm holes respectively.

Medium Format
As good as large format pinhole photography is, medium format using 120 film is much more convenient, and less expensive to process. For this, I plan on buying the Holga 120WPC:

Holga 120WPC 6x12cm Pinhole Camera

Its 6x9 and 6x12 formats should provide plenty of area to develop a nice, “sharp”, detailed pinhole image. I’ve seen some really nice examples from this camera, so I feel it’s worth a try.

To make the pinholes, I’ll sandwich several sheets of thin brass painted on one side with superflat black paint between some thin sheets of plastic, and drill them together to make some pinhole blanks. This will prevent the pressure of the drill from distorting the hole in the very thin brass, and prevent the paint from filling the hole. I could also try drilling them first and painting them afterwards, and using the drill to open the hole back up. Then I can trim the plates to suit, and mount them with gaffer’s tape as needed.

For the 4x5 cameras, I’m toying with the idea of making matching body cap pinholes of the same focal length using a tube as an extension. These will not be for picture taking, but for judging exposure. Film has a characteristic known as reciprocity failure, meaning that its sensitivity to light is not linear; the longer the exposure, the less light it absorbs. This means I can use my Nikon N80 to take test shots with the same film stock as 4x5. I can then document the results so that I can take a meter reading and know, with a fair amount of accuracy, what the proper exposure is including the reciprocity factor. At this point, film is too precious to waste, especially 4x5.

New Lens, New Moon

Taken with NIKKOR 70-300mm Zoom, enlarged and sharpened.

I was excited to see how a moon shot would turn out with the Samyang/Phoenix 500mm cat lens, and tonight was clear enough to give it a try.

Moon, courtesy Samyang/Phoenix 500mm f/8 Reflex Lens, native resolution.

Same as above, enlarged and sharpened.

The second photo is the original, un-enhanced version, shot handheld at 1/1000 sec. the third photo is the same image enlarged to the size of the last moon shot I took with the NIKKOR 70-300mm refractive zoom, and sharpened just a bit. The first image is the NIKKOR 70-300mm refractive image.

The experience of taking the photo was most enjoyable. The image appeared quite large in the viewfinder, and once it was focused, there was lots of detail. I took a few shots and chimped; this was the third. The fourth was no better. It was fairly easy to focus, but because we’re going for the absolute maximum resolution here, it had to be DEAD on.

So, I put the camera on a tripod (more to free my hands than anything else) and used Live View to zoom in tight for focusing. It helped a little, but not as much as you’d think. Then, I set the camera to self-timer mode, steadied it, and pressed the shutter release. I did this many times in an attempt to improve over the original (third) image. I never did. Then, clouds started drifting in front of the moon, and I called it a night.

So, this is what I have learned:

Live View has an automatic gain that sets the display brightness, and with such a bright object against a jet black background, all detail was lost. So not much help there.

The tripod does virtually nothing if it’s not both very rigid and placed on the ground, not a deck.

At this magnification, everything works against you, including mirror slap, which is unavoidable in a camera of this class in which you can’t lock the mirror up. So while the image might have been as sharp as the refractive lens’, the additional magnification cancels it out.

But, overall I’m not unhappy with the results, because I know that there are still some technical issues to work out. And, if you look at both images straight out of the camera at their native size, the catadioptric image looks better, because it’s larger and therefore displays more detail. It’s only Photoshop trickery that makes the refractive image look better.

Armed with this knowledge, I’m betting that the 800mm f/8 catadioptric will yield an even better image. From what I’ve read, the other two Samyang catadioptric lenses, the 500mm f/6.3 and the 800mm f/8, are optically superior to the 500mm f/8, though not nearly as compact and well built. I think the 800mm would be well-suited for astronomy, and the 500mm f/8 good for terrestrial work. So, the 800mm is tentatively on my wish list.

What Would I Have Done Differently?
I would have used some sort of optical magnifier to help me focus instead of Live View. Once again, digital is not always the solution.

• I would have added some mass to the camera/tripod assembly to dampen out vibrations.
• I would have used the infrared remote to trigger the camera instead of the self timer.
• I would have placed the tripod on the ground.

Shooting 35mm with the Holga 120

There’s a 35mm film adapter kit available for the Holga 120 which enables you to take standard 3:2 35mm frames. It includes a 36mm x 24mm mask, and a back with the frame counter window covered up. The mask has two plastic brackets on the left side to center the film cartridge, and guides to ensure that the film remains centered on the mask opening. You use the original 120 take-up spool with no additional modifications.


In theory, it should work quite well, although I’m sure the vignetting effect will be missing, and the images will be more tightly cropped as if using a 60mm lens on a standard 35mm camera (slightly longer than a “normal” lens.) Hopefully, I can use the Holga .5x wide angle converter to restore the wide angle effect.

Frame advance will be pretty straightforward; After each picture, I advance 22 clicks. If I wanted to maximize the amount of exposures, I’d reduce the number of clicks by one every other frame to compensate for the increasing diameter of the take-up spool. This of course requires tracking the number of frames taken.

However, in my opinion it’s not the best way to use 35mm film in the 120 Holga. The best way is to modify the standard 6cm x 6cm mask to create a 35mm panoramic adapter. This way, you can take advantage of the full width of the 6cm 120 frame size, plus the full width of the 35mm film, including the sprocket hole area. This is known as “Sprocket Hole” photography, and is quite popular amongst the Lomography community.

So, along with my 35mm adapter kit, I ordered an extra 6cm x 6cm mask. I plan to modify it by adding brackets to center the 35mm cartridge, and possibly add film guides that just barely catch the edge of the film to stop it from curling. But I’m still on the fence about that. Like the standard 36mm x24mm adapter, I would advance the film by clicks, but use 36 to cover the full 6cm width. Or, I could advance less clicks and superimpose the next image on top of the previous one. When processing the film, I’ll ask them not to cut it, so I can decide for myself what constitutes a frame. My Epson V500 scanner should have no problem scanning such a wide frame.

The Annual Autumn Tradition

Today my family and I will be embarking on our annual autumn tradition; a pumkin-picking pilgrimage to Alstedes in Dover. It seems the perfect opportunity load my Holga 120FN with 35mm film and test out the new .5x Wide Angle Adapter.


I’ve estimated that it takes 24 clicks to advance the film to the next frame with a comfortable space between frames. Of course, this space will widen as the diameter of the take-up spool increases, but I don’t feel like complicating things by tracking the number of exposures and compensating. I just want to shoot.

I plan to take this to a consumer lab for processing, so I want to make it as easy for them as possible. Still, I’ll specify no color correction and to leave the film uncut due to the uneven frame spacing. I’ll unload the film at home in a changing bag, the only real hitch in using 35mm film in the Holga 120, due to the lack of a film rewind knob. The changing bag will find a new home with my Holga kit.

Strobism

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been following strobist.blogspot.com and getting a feel for flash. I’m still working out my flash strategy, and it will likely be based on the Strobist concept. So far, I’m fully in sync with David Hobby’s preachings. Travel light, and work with what you’ve got. So I’m approaching flash cautiously, since again I need to purchase all new equipment. Well, almost

Eventually I’ll be needing two or three light stands, and I’m happy to find that in my original stash I have a nine-foot Smith-Victor stand, and two Manfrotto umbrella adapters with hot-shoe adapters. So, I’ve got a little bit of a head start.

With ten sheets of black coraplast in hand, I’ll be building a few grids, snoots and flags.

Then there’s the flash purchases themselves. I’m pretty much set on the Nikon SB900, since it will work not only as an excellent iTTL flash, but also as an off-camera flash. The very affordable SB600 would be my second flash, due to its compatibility with a wide range of Nikon cameras, including the N80. It has both i-TTL and D-TTL, plus TTL Auto and manual.) For a second backup/third flash I’m considering the Vivitar 285HV, and for Macro work the Sigma-EM 140 DG Macro Ring Flash.

For times when I absolutely, positively have to use flash on-camera, the Custom Brackets CB Junior rotating bracket wins hands down.

First Impressions: Samyang 500mm f/8 Mirror Lens

Samyang/Phoenix 500mm f/8 Reflex (Catadioptric “Mirror”) Telephoto Lens

Those who may think this is a poor quality product are sadly mistaken. The truth is, this lens is manufactured to high-quality standards with a fit and finish comparable to any high quality lens.

There are many misconceptions about mirror lenses that prevent people from buying them. If you understand what their purpose is, and how to get the most out of them, they can achieve things that no other lens can, at a ridiculously low cost.

Ignorance is Bliss

In 1976, when I purchased my first SLR, the Canon AE-1, I pined after the Canon Reflex 500mm f/8. I was intrigued by the donut-shaped bokeh that it produced, seeing it as a unique advantage that no other telephoto lens had. Since then, I’ve always had an affinity for the aesthetic of reflex lenses.

Ironically, while some complain about the quality of the reflex len’s bokeh, others seek to produce creatively shaped bokeh using custom aperture disks. Lensbaby even offers a creative aperture kit for their Optic Swap series of lenses.

I passed up several opportunities to purchase the reflex lens for my Canon AE-1, which of course would have been unusable with my present Nikon Bodies.

Newer, Cheaper, Better

Fast-forward to 2010. By comparison to the reflex lenses of old, the Samyang/Phoenix version is smaller, lighter, has a shorter minimum focus distance, and is quite inexpensive. Here are some specs for comparison:

Canon Reflex 500mm f/8

Lens construction: 3 groups, 6 elements (including mirrors)

Coating: Multicoated-S.S.C (super spectra coating)

Minimum Aperture: f/8

Angle of View: 5°

Minimum Focus Distance: 13.12 ft. (4M)

Filter Type: Rear section filter holder, drop-in type (with 34mm exclusive filter. Regular 1X)


Length: 5.84 in. (146mm)

Diameter: 3.54 in. (90mm)

Weight: 25.04 oz. (710g)

Reflex-NIKKOR C 500mm f/8

Lens construction: 6 groups, 6 elements (including mirrors)

Coating: Multicoated-Nikon Integrated Coating (NIC)

Minimum Aperture: f/8

Angle of View: 5°

Minimum Focus Distance: 5 ft. (1.5M)

Filter Type: Threaded, 39mm (rear), 82mm (front)

Length: 4.57 in. (116mm)

Diameter: 3.5 in. (89mm)

Weight: 29.6 oz. (840g)

Samyang/Phoenix 500mm f/8 MC Mirror

Lens construction: 6 groups, 7 elements (including mirrors)

Minimum Aperture: f/8

Angle of View: 5°

Minimum Focus Distance: 5.6 ft. (1.7M)

Filter Type: Threaded, 31.5mm (rear), 72mm (front)

Length: 3.4 in. (86.5mm)

Diameter: 3.0 in. (76mm)

Weight: 12.7 oz. (360g)

Samyang’s series of mirror lenses are inexpensive by design, not by manufacture. By folding the optical path three times, less material and less glass are employed, and the simplification produces far less chromatic aberration.

These lenses takes on a whole new life with digital photography. Their subdued contrast and saturation can easily be enhanced in post-processing, and if captured in Camera Raw, images that are underexposed to reduce motion blur can be opened up. On higher end cameras with higher ISO capability, they become even more usable. And, they’re so compact and light, you can walk around with them all day to explore far out-of-reach subjects.

Read the review »

New Arrivals: Holga .5x Wide Angle Adapter

Wow, a two-element plastic wide angle lens for my Holga 120FN. Now I can comfortably shoot 35mm film with the 35mm film adapter (mask and back), or as panoramic sprocket-hole with the modified 6x6cm mask.

It slides right over the existing lens covering the distance scale, which is OK, since it’s meant to focus at infinity anyway. It even comes with its own storage pouch, and front and rear caps.

New Arrivals: Samyang 8mm f/3.5 & 500mm f/8

I just unpacked my Samyang long and wide duo. The long is the Phoenix 500mm f/8 Catadioptric (“Mirror”) lens, and the wide is the ProOptic 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye lens. Both are manufactured in Korea by the Samyang company, and are marketed under many other brand names as well.

When it comes to equipment I’m very picky about quality, and the build on these lenses is outstanding. Both are manual focus, unchipped lenses, so they won’t even allow me to use any of the auto exposure modes on my Nikon D90. But this is just fine for the type of work I’ll be using them for. Besides, what’s better than a digital camera with a color histogram?

Full Moon Tonight

Handheld shot of the moon, AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED.

Taken just moments ago. It seems to be a good test of any telephoto lens to attempt this. This was taken with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED at 1/400s, f/8, ISO 200, handheld. At the long end, it’s 450mm on the D90. Thank goodness for VR, not that shooting at 1/400 sec. is that challenging. The moon is so bright that you can shoot this fast with a low ISO and relatively small aperture to capture all the detail.

Here’s a tight crop...

Full Moon taken with Nikon D90 with Nikon 70-300mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom
1/400s, f/8, ISO 200, 450mm

I didn’t think it fair to post this as the actual image. It’s been cropped, resampled to the original pixel dimensions, and sharpened. It doesn’t make a bad photo.

This is a true test of the sensor’s resolving capability. There would be more detail if this were captured on film, but the focal length would have been 300mm, instead of 450mm, so it might be a wash. If I captured this with an FX camera, say the D700, the reduced focal length might also have killed the sensor resolution, which is the same as the D90 in DX format.

Here’s a photo of an almost full moon taken back in December 2009 with My Nikon Coolpix P5100 and Opteka 3.3x teleconverter, and enlarged and sharpened by the same amount:

Almost Full Moon Taken with Nikon Coolpix P5100 with Opteka 3.3x Teleconverter
1/100s, f/5.3, ISO 64, 406mm

Obviously the D90 image is superior, but I’m pretty impressed by the P5100, especially considering its tiny sensor (by comparison to the D90) and reduced focal length.

Since both of these images were not taken under the same circumstances, if it’s clear tonight I think I’ll attempt to take another photo with the P5100 at ISO 200.

Macro on the Cheap, Part II

Reversing a wide-angle lens with a reverse mount adapter is a pretty neat and inexpensive way of creating a manual focus, manual exposure macro setup without buying more lenses. The flip side to that is creating an auto-focus, auto exposure macro setup which is more convenient, albeit at the expense of speed.

Typically this is done by reversing a 50mm lens and attaching it to an existing auto exposure and/or auto focus lens. As with mounting the lens directly to the camera body in reverse, the wider the angle, the greater the magnification. However, this technique is prone to vignetting which may increase as the angle gets wider.

What we need to do this is known as a reverse coupler, a simple device with two male filter threads which allows you to attach two lenses front to front. The reversed lens behaves just like a closeup lens that screws onto your filter threads. A multi-element, multi-coated, high-diopter, closeup lens.

It works like this; if you add a magnifying (convex) lens in front of your main lens, it shortens the minimum focusing distance so that in order to achieve focus, you need to move closer to the subject. When you do, the subject is magnified in the process. Since a normal lens gathers light from the scene and reduces it to fit onto the camera’s film frame (or sensor) flipping it around has the opposite effect…it becomes a magnifier!

To figure out the diopter value, divide 1000 by the lens’ focal length. So, a 50mm lens would have a diopter of 20. Compare that to a stack of three typical closeup lenses which would give you a total diopter of 8, and degrade image quality with significant chromatic and spherical aberration.

Since this technique often produces vignetting effects, you might want to test your intended “diopter” lens first by “freelensing”; hold the reversed lens up to your main lens with the aperture wide open to see if the image circle is reduced significantly. Setting the “diopter” lens to its shortest focus distance will enlarge the image circle, but reduce the working distance. Also, make sure all filters are removed from the facing filter threads to reduce the lens-to-lens distance as much as possible.

The Nikon BR-6 Auto Diaphragm Ring helps here as well. Even though you won’t be using the aperture of the “diopter” lens, you can use the BR-6 to set it to its widest position, and add a filter to protect the rear element.

Holga, The Lomography “System” Camera

Here’s my growing Holga outfit so far...

Clockwise from center: Holga 120FN, 6x4.5cm mask, 6x6cm mask, 35mm mask,
35mm back, filter adapter, cable release adapter, 46-52mm step-up ring

Being the camera geek that I am, I couldn’t resist putting together a system for the Holga, just as I did for the Nikon Coolpix P5100. With this setup, I can shoot two different formats of 120 film, and two different formats of 35mm film.

Not pictured here is the additional 6x6cm mask that I plan on modifying to create a 35mm panoramic sprocket hole adapter. I figure, if I’m going to load this thing with 35mm film, it should be to achieve a unique effect. Otherwise, I could just use my newly acquired Lavec LT-002.

The 46-52mm step-up ring is a handy way to add filters to the Holga. Although there are no filter threads per se on the Holga, the rim around the periphery of the lens is just the right size to allow a 46mm filter to be threaded on. You simply line up the filter as evenly as possible, apply a little pressure, and rotate about one-eighth of a turn. The filter will be firmly attached. Don’t try to thread it on all the way however, as this will likely break the rim off the lens. Over time, the rim will wear and you’ll be able to thread it on a little deeper, so the connection will just get better and better.

Taking this one step further, the 46-52mm step-up ring will allow me to use all my existing 52mm and 67mm filters, not to mention my Cokin filters.

One solid reason for the ability to use filters with the Holga is to employ neutral density filters. This way, you can load the camera with fast film for low-light situations, and use the neutral density filter to control exposure under brighter conditions.

The Holga filter adapter is a handy way to not only use the available Holga filters, but to make your own, which is one of the things that originally drew me to the Cokin filter system. Find some clear film from product packaging, trim it to a rectangle 1-15/16" x 2-1/4", and voilà! Instant filter base. Scratch it, sand it, mask out the center, color it with marker, anything you want.

I’m also considering the Holga .5x wide-angle converter lens. Although 60mm is nice and wide for 120 film, and should work well with the 35mm panoramic format, it’s a bit long for the straight 35mm adapter. I don’t know though; it’s going to set me back a whole $14.95.

---

You can learn more about modifying your Holga at Holgamods.

The Last Days of Summer

It’s been eight months since I started this blog, and I must say I’ve enjoyed sharing my experiences with the rest of the photographic world. Being a teacher as well as a photographer, I find it’s been a useful venue for helping those who want to become better photographers, which includes myself. One of my mantras has always been, “I teach in order to learn, and learn in order to teach; the two go hand in hand”.

So, I’ve decided to take the leap, and spruce up the design of “Against the Grain” with Blogger’s pretty cool design templates, and add content pages that are not timeline specific. As one who has spent a fair amount of time designing for web media, I find using Blogger quite liberating; I can concentrate on the content, without getting all caught up in the design. I just have to learn to work with Blogger’s rather primitive HTML editor.

Looking ahead, the fall colors should provide many photographic opportunities, especially for my new Didymium filter, which seems destined for such use by design. I’m looking forward to experimenting with it so I can give it the write-up it deserves.

Time is running out for Infrared work, which seems less spectacular once the foliage leaves us. It should be interesting to see if fall foliage, with all its reds, oranges and yellows, registers any differently. After all, it’s not about the color green, but how the leaves reflect infrared light, and perhaps autumn leaves do it a little differently.

I’ve come pretty far, and yet there’s so much further to go. When compact discs first came out, I was motivated to acquire all those albums I had held off buying until they were available in a more permanent format. So it is with photography. Each new purchase seems like it has more value, now that photography is in the digital domain. So, I’m working hard to catch up on all those accessories I’ve always wanted.

Photography is as alive as ever, even more so now that it’s digital. Working in the Times Square area of New York, you see a lot of people with all types of cameras, taking all types of pictures. Everyone has a different MO, and there’s a camera for just about every one. With so many people taking and sharing photos, and an infinite amount of subject matter, it seems I have my work cut out for me.

Move Over, Holga; a New Hobby is Born

Lavec LT-002 35mm Plastic “Toy” Camera

During Sunday’s outing in Cold Spring Harbor, I purchased this little gem for five dollars. There it was, sitting on a shelf with more sophisticated but forgotten cameras, digital and film alike. None of them appealed to me, not even the historically significant Kodak Disc camera, the “Edsel” of Instamatics. None of them except this one.

It features four aperture settings, a frame counter, a hot shoe and came in a zippered vinyl case. The back opens just like the typical 35mm camera, by pulling up on the rewind crank. Internally it sports a curved film plane and pressure plate. The construction is quite robust, and yet retains that wonderful, creaky plasticky feel of a holga.

What hooked me were the four color-coded aperture settings denoted by both icons and f designations, and the positive feel of the click stops of the rotating lens barrel used to set them.
The variable aperture is achieved using by “waterhouse stops”, in this case a tapered opening which slides from side to side when the lens barrel is rotated. This should make for a very interesting bokeh, which will be in the shape of a lopsided trapezoid.

So, with the acquisition of this camera, I realize that “camera collecting” is now an official hobby for me. It gives me something to look for when my wife and I go antiquing. Over the years, I’ve acquired some interesting cameras, mostly by accident. But for the first time, I actually see myself seeking out specific, collectible camera models, like this one:

The Timeless Rolleiflex 3.5 M-X Synch TLR

This is actually a camera that I sought out for many years, but not as a collectible camera, as a working camera. I was fortunate to find an example in very good, working condition. I have shot with this camera, and it takes wonderful pictures. But even if it didn’t, it would be valuable as a collectible.

Auto White Balance -NO! …well, Maybe

Having lunch today at Whistling Willy’s (formerly Henry’s on the Hudson) in Cold Spring Harbor, I have come to realize that auto white balance is not necessarily the scary monster I had previously thought.

As a rule, I advise against AWB, (no reference to the ’70s R&B group that originated from Scotland) but I have to admit there are certain unidentifiable lighting conditions under which it solves a multitude of problems. Like, in dark, strangely lit pub sitting near an open window.

Normally when I’m indoors, I automatically think “incandescent” (the little lightbulb looking icon on digital cameras). And then I think, “wait…grab your Vivicap, and do a custom white balance”. But sometimes that just takes too long and I miss the shot. So, my new approach is to not discount the use of auto white balance when shooting under circumstances where there are multiple light sources.

An added benefit of this technique is that, in the event that I move onto a new light source, the results may not be optimal, but at least they won’t be as horrendous as they are when I forget to switch from custom to daylight, as is often the case when moving from say, the interior of a museum to the courtyard outdoors.

This might also be the perfect opportunity to talk about the little gadget I mentioned above, the Seculine Vivicap. It’s a center-pinch lens cap that doubles as a light diffuser for use with the custom white balance function.

Seculine Vivicap

I can use it to take both reflected light readings (light entering the camera which is reflected by the subject) or incident light readings (light before it falls on the subject). So, if I’m using say, a wide angle prime lens indoors and find it difficult to take a reading off an 18% gray card, I just point the camera at the light source and take a reading through the cap.

Let’s face it; I don’t really need this. I could just as easily carry a piece of folded-up paper in my bag, or, in a pinch, grab a white napkin off the table. But honestly, how much more convenient could this be than by having it attached to my camera lens as I take it out of the bag? I could have spend half as much, or three to four times as much. But at five dollars more than the price of a Nikon replacement lens cap, the price was right. And, like the more expensive models, the Vivicap also uses tiny prisms to gather the light from different angles.

I also considered the ExpoImaging ExpoDisk. It’s manufactured to much higher tolerances, and has the advantage of having an 18% light transmission, so it can also be used to take exposure readings. However, I question whether 18% is enough to take an accurate white balance reading. And at four times the price, I’m not going to find the answer any time soon.

Perhaps the Vivicap is also 18%, because I’ve used it to take exposure readings, and it seems to do a pretty good job. Using the exposure lock, I can take an incident light reading by pointing the camera at the light source, or I can point the camera right at the subject to take a reflected reading. In a darkened room with bright light coming through the window, the Vivicap’s reading averaged the light so interior details were clearly vivisible, while retaining enough darkness to capture the mood. I see a 52mm Vivicap in my future, which would be a nice addition to my Coolpix P5100 outfit.

Another handy gadget is the Lastolite EZ Balance Collapsible Light Balancing Disk. This device, similar to an automobile sunshade, has a white side and an 18% gray side, and because it can also double as a bounce card to add fill light to a subject, it’s also on my wish list. But, if I happen to find a nice, neutral, cheapo auto sun shade in the meantime, it’s mine.

Canon FD-Nikon Extension Tube

It was easier than I thought it would be. With the help of some scrap metal, tin snips and a Radio Shack notching tool, I fashioned a tool to remove the corrective optic from the Fotodiox FD-Nikon Lens Mount Adapter, effectively creating a 13mm extension tube that will mount Canon lenses to Nikon bodies. The added benefit of which is that it also serves as a Canon Macro Hood/Diaphram adapter.

They Make Teleconverters, Don’t They?

What’s wrong with this picture?

Look closely. Isn’t that a Canon FD Lens on a Nikon body? Isn’t that impossible?

No, it’s not. It’s just not marketable.

Why Is a Fast Lens a High Resolution Lens?

Because high-ISO noise robs your images of resolution, that’s why. It’s also the reason that a high-resolution sensor does not necessarily yield a better image than one with less resolution but more sensitivity.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Cheapest of Them All?

Samyang 500mm f/8 Reflex “Mirror” Lens, marketed under the Phoenix brand name.

I just can’t seem to pass up a good bargain...

The End of an Era

This time last year, the final roll of 36-frame Kodachrome to be manufactured by Kodak was shot by photographer Steve McCurry.

It was tracked by National Geographic magazine, and processed in July 2009.

My New Olympus

Picked this up at a lawn sale today for $10.00...

Olympus OM-T 35mm SLR

At first I thought it might be broken, but it turns out it just needed a battery to cycle the shutter so the film advance would unlock.

My wife is an Olympus gal. She swears by them. She owns not only this camera, but the venerable OM-7t as well.

Like my original Canon AE-1, it’s a great camera to have in my collection. Unlike the Canon, it’s an aperture priority camera, and does not have a manual mode, hence the “manual adapter”. Just one of the little quirks of Olympus that makes them a unique camera brand. I definitely plan on shooting with this, but before I do, I may need to replace the seals and mirror damper. Then, I can determine whether or not it needs a full-blown CLA.

Not only did I get the body and the excellent 50mm f/1.8 F. Zuiko lens, but it also came with the manual adapter, and a Soligor 95-310mm f/5.6 zoom lens. Nothing to write home about, but fun to play with nonetheless. All in all, a nice find.

My Fourth Lens

For my fourth lens, I had given myself certain criteria; It had to complement my existing lenses; do something they didn’t do in terms of focal length or aperture. A fast prime lens perhaps, such as the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G, or the AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G. Maybe something really wide, like the AF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8D. Or a high power zoom, such as the AF-S VR NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED.

Holga? What’s a Holga?

OK, I’ll admit it; deep down, I’m a camera snob. So, when I overheard a conversation by a colleague who mentioned that they couldn’t wait to take some pictures with their new “Holga”, some enlightenment was in order. And now, I can’t wait to take some pictures with my new Holga, which arrived today.

Holga 120 FN Plastic “Toy” Camera

Regardless of one’s professional status as a photographer, I don’t think the relevance of this “camera” can easily be dismissed. It’s fun. It’s quirky. It brings you down off your pedestal and gets you thinking again. Or, maybe not thinking, but just shooting. And wondering. Anticipating how the image will look. Not unlike pinhole photography, but with much shorter exposure times.



There are actually many flavors of this camera from which to choose. Some with built-in flash, some with a hot shoe (either or, unfortunately). There’s even a pinhole model, and a 35mm model. I chose this model because of it’s seemingly robust flash. There’s another flash model with three built-in color filters that I came close to choosing, but I wasn’t sure how effective it would be. The built-in flash appealed to me over the hot shoe, as traveling light seemed to be what this camera is all about.



I’m not at all put off by the quality of construction, which actually seems pretty good for what it is. I only wish I had known about this camera before I bought my daughter’s first film camera, which was a not just a toy camera, but a “kiddy camera”.



So, with this inexpensive camera, I’ve officially entered the world of true Lomography. And while I understand the concept, I fear the only way I will truly “get it” is once I start shooting with it.

---

You can learn more about the Holga and its cult following by visiting the Holga Microsite.

Getting Serious with the P5100

A while back I mentioned that the polarizer is one of the essential filters for both digital and analog cameras. This comes from the fact that it makes a vast improvement in your images that’s not attainable in Photoshop. In studio photography, you can change the look of the photo by changing the position and intensity of the flash or hot lights. In nature, the polarizer allows you to change the “lighting setup” as well, by selecting which of the rays reflected by the subject enter the camera. You can change the contrast and saturation in Photoshop, but you can’t select which light rays you use to do it.

Quotable Quotes: Is It Just Me, or…

“If you use these stepping rings you probably won’t be able to use a standard hood. I never use hoods so I don’t worry. Lens coatings have made hoods obsolete for decades, except as prophylaxis (protection). Your hand provides much better shielding against the sun.”

—Ken Rockwell



Never use hoods?

If I’m not mistaken, isn’t that a hood on that ginormous telephoto lens on Ken’s home page?

The Histrionics of Ergonomics

I photographed an evening event this past weekend using a rather odd setup. Since the Janco flash diffuser has greatly improved the quality of the D90’s on-board flash, I wanted to experiment with a dual flash setup. The original plan was to use it in conjunction with an external Nikon Speedlight in “Commander Mode”, Nikon’s answer to wireless flash. So, I decided to use it as part of a temporary flash setup until I get my Nikon SB-900 Speedlight (or SB-600; I’m still on the fence)

With my ol’ Canon Speedlight 199A attached to my Strobframe, I used the D90’s on-board flash to trigger it through a Vivitar SL-2 slave, simulating the SB-900 used in Commander mode.

Marisa Clark’s Sweet 16 Party

It worked pretty well, except that I had to shoot everything manual, since that’s the only way everything would sync up. No big deal.

So where do the ergonomics come into play? Well, faced with the dilemma that the most ergonomic way to take a portrait would be to rotate the camera 90° counter-clockwise, but that my stroboframe doesn’t work that way, I reversed it and attached it to the camera with the handle on the right side. Bad move.

Nikon/Canon Dual Flash Setup:
Direct plus Bounce, Portrait/Landscape, Lumiquest Softbox

Yes, now when I swing the flash to the portrait position, it’s above the lens with the camera rotated 90° ccw, but the whole setup is awkward to hold, and access to all the important controls is blocked by the Stroboframe’s grip. Controls that are essential to shooting manually.

If I installed the bracket normally and didn’t use the portrait flip, would the flash to the left of the lens made that much of a difference? Was it worth the sacrifice in ergonomics? Perhaps not.

There are other flash brackets available that do work with a 90° ccw rotation. This Stroboframe is simply not one of them. And forcing it to do so was a poor compromise.

The thinking behind all this is that most battery grips provide a shutter release for use when shooting in portrait orientation when the camera is rotated counter-clockwise. The Nikon grip also provides Command and Sub-Command dials. So, I’d like to adopt the ccw twist as a standard for portrait composition, and enjoy all the ergonomic advantages it provides.

Even if I don’t use the grip, it’s far easier to shoot portrait with a counter-clockwise rotation than by bending my wrist in an awkward position at the bottom of the camera as I try to release the shutter. And forget about using any of the other controls.

A simple solution for the time being would be to add an extension to the top arm of my Stroboframe, and not flip it when rotating the camera. This puts the flash above and to the right for landscape, and above and to the left for portrait. Not the best scenario, but better than having the flash fire from below lens-level.

This issue has been addressed in many of the new flash frames available today, so it looks like an upgrade is in order.

Best Buy: The Essential SLR Flash Accessory

Janco Flash Diffuser for On-Board Flash

This might just be the best $12.00 I’ve ever spent.

While planning the purchase of an external flash for all of my Nikons, I came across this little gem on Amazon. It’s a knockoff of the Gary Fong “Puffer” flash diffuser, only this incarnation comes with two extra domes, one warming and one cooling.

Marketed under the Janco brand, at less than half the price of the Gary Fong version, it wasn’t even worth my while to borrow the idea and build my own. So, I ordered it; I had no expectations.

When it arrived, I was surprised to find that the manufacturing quality was much better than I had expected. Not at all “knock-off” quality. But the real joy came with the first image I captured with it.

Fleshtones gain soft shape and saturation. Gone Is the pasty, blown-out look. Colors are richer. Shadows are slightly softer. Alas, the built-in flash of my camera is now usable!

View from behind; the diffuser attaches to the hot shoe, and is adjustable for height.

Sliding into the hot shoe like an external flash, It fits on the camera as if it were made for it. I will never use my built-in flash without it!

I’m looking forward to experimenting with off-camera flash used in conjunction with this, in Nikon’s Commander mode.

The color domes will be most useful. I can white balance with them in place, and on slow sync the blue dome will warm the ambient light, and the yellow dome will cool it. Plus, the neutral dome makes a great attachment point for gel filters of other colors.
But wait, there’s more.

I plan to keep this with my camera at all times, for several reasons. The other day, while shooting my daughter’s violin concert at her school’s gym/auditorium, I discovered a quick and dirty way to tame the rather odd combination of fluorescent lighting and early evening sunlight. You guessed it! Placed over my lens, the diffuser makes an excellent incident-light white balance device. It’s dome shape allows it to fit over my 67mm filter and average the incoming light from all directions. It works perfectly, calibrating ever so slightly (less than 1%) on the warm side, which is exactly how I like it.

With all due respect, I’m sure Gary’s version is of the highest quality and yields better results. I just couldn’t pass up a bargain.

Filters, and the final Chapter of the UV Saga

My Hoya Pro1 Digital MC UV(0) filters arrived today. Thankfully, they passed the blacklight test, and their response is identical to the standard Hoya UV(0) filter formula, which is to say they actually work.

They’re very well made; nice and thin, have filter threads on the front (a requirement for me), a knurled edge, and a unique, teal-colored coating. This must be due to the “Digital” version of their multi-coating. The usual color for a multi-coated filter is green and for a single-coated filter, a pale blue-violet.

So, finally, I have lens protection for all my current lenses that will also enhance my photos.

I also now have a 67mm Hoya three-position lens hood, which I can use on smaller lenses that I’ve stepped up to 67mm (just in case the bayonet hood doesn’t fit), or for lenses like my Voigtländer Ultron 40mm that don’t accept bayonet hoods.

To be honest, I might find myself using this hood for more than just a solution to the step-up issue. It’s the first really practical, really well-made hood I’ve seen in years. It adjusts for several focal lengths by folding in three different positions, and it works really well. It’s made of heavy rubber, with plenty of glare-diffusing ribs on the inside, and a metal mounting ring. The only down side (and it’s a minor one at that) is that it doesn’t have front filter threads. This would be OK, as I would never mount a filter to the front of a hood, except that it also means I can’t put the lens cap back on. But then, that’s kind of what the UV/Protection filter is for.

So, my filter “system” to date is as follows:

• 67mm (for lenses with 67mm and smaller filter threads)


• Nikon Circular Polarizer II (multi-coated)


• Hoya Pro1 Digital UV(0) (multi-coated)


• Tiffen Haze 2A (uncoated)


• Hoya R72 Infrared (single-coated)


• Hoya Didymium Intensifier (single-coated)


• B+W Orange 041 (single-coated)


• Hoya Screw-In Rubber Zoom Lens Hood


• Fotodiox 52 to 67mm Step-up Ring


• Fotodiox 58 to 67mm Step-up Ring

(Each of these filters produces an optical effect that either cannot be achieved in post-processing, or cannot easily be achieved. The actual intention of the B+W Orange 041 is to simulate “redscale” film photography in the digital medium. For black and white photography, I’ll probably use the digital in-camera filters for monochrome capture, or post-processing for color capture.)

52mm (for lenses with 52mm or smaller filter threads):

• Hoya Pro1 Digital UV(0) (multi-coated)


• Hoya R72 Infrared (single-coated)


• Generic 46 to 52mm Step-up Ring (for P5100)


• Nikon UR-7 28 to 46mm Step-up Ring (for P5100)

(I also have several “legacy” filters which I’ll hang onto for now, but will most likely replace them with their 67mm equivalent in the near future if I need to. These include, in order of usefulness, a “Pro” 81A (uncoated), Tiffen Sky (1A) (uncoated), “Optical Filter” Skylight (1A) (uncoated), Hoya Skylight (1B) (single-coated), and ProMaster Circular Polarizer (uncoated). All of these filters are inferior to their 67mm counterparts.)

Cokin P Series (for lenses with 67mm and smaller filter threads):

• P152 ND2 Neutral Density


• P153 ND4 Neutral Density


• P003 Deep Red


• P Series Filter Holder


• A Series Filter Adapter


• 72mm Adapter Ring


• 67mm Adapter Ring


• 52mm Adapter Ring


• 2 Modular Hood Sections


• Lens Cap

Cokin A Series (for lenses with 58mm and smaller filter threads):

• A002 Orange


• B056 8-point Star


• A185 Radial Zoom


• A830 Diffuser 1


• A151 Graduated Fog


• A121 Graduated Neutral Density


• A216 Speed


• A Series Filter Holder


• A Series “Shoe” type Filter Holder (see below)


• 58mm Adapter Ring


• 52mm Adapter Ring


• 1 Standard Hood


• Lens Cap

I’m still a big fan of Cokin filters, but feel they’re best used only for certain effects. When I was a teenager and relatively new to filters, my plan was to go all Cokin, and buy only one filter for all my lenses. But I’ve since moved beyond the limited quality of resin filters. My current plan is to only buy P Series filters that make sense in the square format, which include:

• Graduated neutral density


• Varicolor polarizer series


• Diffusers and soft focus


• Prismatic and other special effects

The A Series filters will be largely dedicated to the Nikon P5100. Many of them were recently purchased to achieve effects similar to those of a DSLR.

Incidentally, I use the Cokin “Shoe” type filter holder along with the standard A-hood as an LCD shade for my P5100. (The standard, one-piece hood is no longer available from Cokin, but two of the newer “modular” hoods stacked together can be used in its place.) It also works great with the D90 if I’m shooting in Live View mode (such as when capturing video or doing studio or “Lensbaby” work.) I put it on the camera backwards, attach the hood, and I’m good to go. It fits each camera equally well, and cost me a whole five bucks.

Guinea Pigs Are My Friends

In my world, photography and the computer are inextricably linked. So, I don’t feel that it’s particularly off-topic to speak of my marathon upgrade weekend, and recovery from it.

I never upgrade to a new OS when it first comes out. I give it a while for the software Guinea pigs to test it first. This gives the developers a while to work out the bugs, and third party developers a chance to make their applications compatible with the new version.

My thanks go out to those Guinea Pigs for all their hard work with the latest version of the Mac OS.

I skipped the upgrade to Leopard, Mac OS 10.5x, having interpreted the disaster it must have been by its comparison with Windows Vista. I must say that I do like Snow Leopard, Mac OS 10.6x, having gotten over the anger of the disabling of many of the features that I had come to use and enjoy. Features like the “Install and Keep Package” option in Software Update, or the more powerful features of “Spotlight”, the Mac OS search engine. No longer can you drag an item onto the Favorites folder in your finder toolbar, and have an alias created for you automatically; you must hold down the Command and Option keys to force that option. Even little features like the ability to drag a file onto the column header in a Finder window to move it to the parent folder have been needlessly disabled.

I do like the way folders are displayed from the dock with the “Stacks” feature. “Spaces” I could take or leave, although I know the first time I have a need for them, they’ll be appreciated. “Cover Flow” view is just plain silly for viewing files that do not have a visual component, but I suppose to have made it context-relavent would have been too complicated for the OS. It’s great for photos and music though.

“Quick Look” and the ability to scale the preview in the finder window are features that I appreciate the most as a photographer. While there are many third-party apps that help you to view and sort your library, it’s nice to have these feature built directly into the OS user interface. Nice going, Apple!

Filters and “Straight” Photography

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m big on filters. In the world of digital photography, where anything can be changed on a whim, I like the option of making the best possible photograph with the camera, and not through post processing. In fact, having done retouching professionally, I like to think of it as a last resort, and not a means to an end.

At the turn of the last century, the big debate was whether or not photography could be considered an art form. Image manipulation is not new. No sooner had the first image been printed that someone found a way to manipulate it. In fact, the art of photography had become more about pictorialism than realism. “Group f/64” was founded in 1932 to move away from this mindset, to establish a discipline of “Straight Photography”.

I view the use of filters in digital photography as a means to accomplish straight digital photography. Certainly there are an enormous amount of features built in to each digital camera to control how the image is rendered. But these, like Photoshop, act on the image after it forms on the sensor. I like the notion that I can control the image before it forms on the sensor.

Does this mean I’ll stop tweaking my camera’s white balance, contrast and saturation, ISO, etc, etc? No. But I do like to continue to employ filters and explore the effects I can achieve with them.