Family, Photography and other misc news
New, gear new lens, there is always something we want. Most of us would do far better to just go out more and shoot what we enjoy and learn to use the equipment we have.
Just watched a great video called signal to noise on Zackarias.com, an enjoyable video on whats important.
Are you going out shooting this weekend or dreaming of that Nikon D5 that does not exist yet that will finally solve your perceived issues.
Whitby is one of our top three holiday destinations in England. When we visited a few months ago there had been a landslip, resulting in some houses having to be demolished.
Last week there has been another landslip, this time near the church. See the BBC news website for more details.
Lets hope it does not get any worse.
As expected Nikon announced more cameras in the Nikon 1 system and Fuji announced the replacement to the X100 and the X10 with the X100s and X20.
I was a little wrong with my Nikon predictions, I thought the new S model would sit between the J and V models but it seems the new S model is basically a dumbed down J1, so we now have the S1, the mid-range J3 and the V2. The V2 is a nice improvement to the V1, the controls are much better, but its not enough of an improvement to tempt me to upgrade from my V1.
All the exciting news so far has been from Fuji.
The key improvements needed for the X100 was in focus. With faster focus promised and focus peaking and a spilt field view for manual focus it will help those who need manual focus for critical detail.
Its hoped that the new features that depend on firmware will find themselves into cameras like the Fuji X-Pro1. This is a camera that needs features to improve manual focus. Photographers with classic old lens, especially people with Leica M glass are crying out for a cheaper option to use this glass on.
If your a fan of fast glass then you have heard of the sublime
Leica 50mm f0.95 Noctilux.
Well its price is as impressive as its aperture, so out of the question for most users.
There is a more affordable option from SLR Magic who have now released new versions of there more affordable options. The 35mm f/0.95 and the 35mm f/1.4.
These are designed for MicroFourThird Camera’s the Sony NEX and Fuji X range. While they have the Leica M mount they are not designed for the Leica but with that mount allow you to use an adapter to suite what every small mirror-less camera system you need.
They also produce a version for the Leica M series of cameras but being designed for full frame it is considerably more expensive.
If you interested in lens from SLR Magic check out Steve Huff’s website for more information.
Star Gazing Live starts tonight on the BBC, always worth a watch. If you have a telescope or even a pair of binoculars you will be amazed at what you can see on a clear night.
Even a modest camera when combined with a tripod can also produce some fine astronomical images.
Like most photographers me and Chris have a large selection of Camera Bags. Recently we got together and had a bit of a compare of our latest street gear. We both have added new bags to our kit recently. Chris went with the very well regarded Billingham Hadley Pro, which is a great camera bag. I went a slightly different path. A Leather Scaramanga Satchel. Not a dedicated camera bag, but quite capable of holding a iPad or 11″ MacBook Air and a Leica and spare lens, battery and X-Rite Colour Checker. If packing my Leica M4 instead of my M8 then I can also easily fit in a light meter and spare film.
With street shooting, fitting into the background is key. Small mirrorless cameras are ideal for this, especially ones such as the Fuji X100, Fuji X-Pro1 and the Leica M range. These cameras have optical viewfinders that show greater then 100% of the field of view. This enables you to see what is about to leave and enter the field of view, enabling you to pick the decisive moment.
Also as part of fitting in, not only the the small none threatening camera but also a camera bag that does not look like a camera bag. Our two bags in the top photograph are very good examples of this type.
The Fuji X series have received a mixed review. The image quality is certainly high but there is some controversy over the none standard Bayer filter. The biggest complaint I hear is the focusing, but with the model I tested with the V2 firmware, indoor under poor artificial light it did a great job.
If your interested in the Fuji, check out Chris Bennett’s Photo Blog.
Subject to the weather i’ll hitting the street tomorrow to shoot a roll of film with my trusty Leica M4 and leather satchel bag, hopefully that we get me my picture of the month for January.
So how did my 2012 goals go.
Well for portfolio images, 10 is a tough target.
But I think I got there, I certainly have lots of stunning shots to choose from, lots of Landscapes and this year I did a lot of street photography.
For 2, and 3, unfortunately I did not get round to getting the shots. I did manage to find the location and had short listed and tested a model but unfortunately our calendars never matched. I’ll be testing a few more models in the coming three months with the hope to getting the shots this spring.
The film side went well. I shot a lot film on my Large Format Ebony, and my Medium Format Hasselblad as well as on my Leica M4.
Tomorrow is the first day at work for us this year. As normal will be heading in on our trusty motorcycles.
As is traditional for us, we have noted the milage on both our bikes. Once again we had a light year again for us. The big holidays of the year were all in the car as they were photography focussed.
Our Honda Deauville finished the year on 60133, again only light commuting duty by Caroline. So she completed 672 miles last year. She is getting old now and we only use her occasionally.
Caroline mainly travels on the GS now. If your a lady and would like a big GS but are put off by the height then do what we did and order the low seats, we have both seats, the standard seat which when set on its highest position is perfect for some one like me over 6′ 2″, and the low seat option for Caroline who is 5′ 6″, who can then confidently put down both feet. The big GS is also actually lighter and easier to handle then the Deauville.
Our Lovely BMW R1200GS finished the year on 27158, no big trips for us last year but a weekend round North Yorkshire. She completed 5299, still quite low for us. This next year is also going to be a light year. We are visiting the Scottish Islands again with the Large Format Camera gear, so the car again will be the order of the day.
Leica M8
Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron
35mm, 1/60 Sec at f/3.4, ISO160
Post Processed in Adobe Lightroom V4.3
On a Mac MacBook Pro, OS-X 10.8.2
With our modern cameras and there multi pattern metering, we expect our photographs to be correctly exposed, even if there a little over exposed, the head room available in RAW files due to the nature of the Bayer filter means we can get a lot of information back. Underexposure then we just brighten the image.
The problem with under exposure is noise, as we brighten ie amplify the signal, we also amplify the noise, even at base iso’s this can be noticable.
Its always a good idea when shooting winter snow scenes with lots of white in them that can fool a meter into over exposure, to check the histogram and if necessary give an extra stop or two of exposure.