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.