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.
Read moreArrived, the SL has
Friday Fook: On Turning Pro - Defining the photographer
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.
Read moreDifferences between Leica's e39 Tele-Elmarit 90mm lenses
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.
Read moreSinaron Digital Macro 120mm F/5,6 and extreme movements
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.
Read moreHasselblad CFV-50c at ISO 6400
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.
Read moreDouglas Herr: wildlife shooting with the Leica SL
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.
Read moreSharpness epiphany: 50mm 3rd-gen Summicron-M & Summilux-M ASPH
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:
Read moreStill life tip: flags
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.
Read moreThe Hasselblad CFV-50c's good looks
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.
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