Thursday Scheimpflug - summer flowers

September 1, 2016 ohm

No tilt, camera positioned 30cm higher than subject. Subject: closest flower. f/2,8

All hail Scheimpflug, this time outside the studio. I love gently viney bokeh, which is exactly the sort of out-of-focus rendering the Schneider 105/2,8 Xenotar produces. While it was designed for the Technika 2x3 camera, it works perfectly in a #1 shutter on an M679cs or any camera really.

Arrived, the SL has

August 30, 2016 ohm

My 24-90 zoom kit arrived, via Hong Kong (thanks, Fotopia), three days ago. With the exception a laggy auto-gained EVF, it is brilliant. As it will replace my Leica M240 set for events, I will be writing a lot more about it in the coming weeks.

Friday Fook: On Turning Pro - Defining the photographer

August 26, 2016 Fook

Fook's weapon of choice is a Sony A7 II. This is as close to one as I've a picture of.

So in the past year, people have been asking me: “Fook, you’ve been putting quite a bit of money into photography, are you going to turn pro?” Honestly, I have thought about it for a while now, and here are some of the reasons why I believe I am not ready to turn pro.

Differences between Leica's e39 Tele-Elmarit 90mm lenses

August 18, 2016 ohm

The Leica Tele-Elmarit-M 90mm f/2,8 (Thin)

It’s about time I wrote about the two 90mm lenses I use for work (embassy and award shoots) and for fun (hiking, portraits, etc.). Because I own two 90mm lenses sharing the same f stop, nomenclature, country of manufacture, and price bracket, this essay deserves a sheepish start. There isn’t a good reason to own two Tele-Elmarit lenses. But then there’s seldom good reason to the acquisition of whose primary use is hobby and craft. Yes, both lenses have paid their stable fees. But only one is truly unique.

Sinaron Digital Macro 120mm F/5,6 and extreme movements

August 4, 2016 ohm

This image taken with a Leica M240 and a 1983 Tele-Elmarit (thin) 90/2,8.

Nailing focus and lighting for every page of a hundred-image magazine. Doing it all in a day or two is sweaty work. Precision medium format technical cameras such as the Rollei X-ACT 2, Novoflex BALPRO T/S, and Linhof M679cs, speed up the process by eliminating converging lines, allowing for incredible levels of enlargement, and independently adjusting focal and image planes.

Hasselblad CFV-50c at ISO 6400

June 24, 2016 ohm

Part of the Pro-Ject Pre Box RS Digital's rear panel, originally taken for this review

Pro-Ject Pre Box RS Digital
Hasselblad CFV-50c

The above is an image that didn’t make it to draft. Typically, I rush review imagery, and rarely bother matching an object to the right sort of light. Bad images are par for the review. This time, I failed to return Hasselblad Phocus to ISO 100, resulting in my CFV-50c shooting at its live view setting, ISO 6400.

Douglas Herr: wildlife shooting with the Leica SL

May 26, 2016 ohm

Douglas Herr really enjoyed the Leica. His review is a good read with great photos. And it's one that makes it much harder for me to wait for mine to arrive.

Sharpness epiphany: 50mm 3rd-gen Summicron-M & Summilux-M ASPH

May 26, 2016 ohm

I’m a 50mm guy. The two in this article, the 3rd gen Summicron-M, and a Summilux-M ASPH, are favourites of mine for for vastly different reasons:

Still life tip: flags

May 18, 2016 ohm

The above image was taken for yesterday's article: Campfire Audio Andromeda - excitement engine. Andromeda is an earphone, meaning that the above image is an example of macro photography.

The Hasselblad CFV-50c's good looks

May 17, 2016 ohm

Subject: Hasselblad CFV-50c

I’ll admit it: the biggest impetus behind the purchase of a 13.000$ USD Hasselblad 500cx/CFV-50c bundle was looks. Gosh they really look good together. The previous CCD-based CFV-50, which I also own, does not. Neither its curves nor its ports fit the 500-series aesthetic. Its compact flash door was transplanted from the H-series.