This is another image that I've been sitting on for a few months. This was taken back during the winter months. The boys and I took a Sunday evening trip down to the EastBank Esplanade for some city lights photos over the Willamette.
Sony NEX 7
Swirly Backgrounds- Olympus 55mm, f/1.2
I let a friend borrow my Fuji X100s over the weekend for a concert he was shooting and in return, he lent me his Olympus Zuiko 55mm, f/1.2. I've never used a lens with such a large aperture and it really is just a completely different experience.
The backgrounds are incredibly textured and swirly which can give a nice emphasis to foreground elements. I think you'd need to be really careful that the background doesn't distract from the intended subject though.
As you can learn quite easily from a quick google search (and these photos), this lens is fairly soft at the maximum f/1.2 aperture, but there is a dream-like effect you receive in exchange. If you are looking for a sharper image it's just one click over to f/2.
The glass in this lens is enormous which you can see in my selfie here or John Carey's desktop featuring another copy of the same lens.
Overall, this is a really unique piece of gear. Like pretty much any lens with a big aperture, it does stuff that your standard lens can't pull off. I'm not sure I need one, but it sure is fun!
July Supermoon
I wasn't aware there was a Supermoon this evening until around 10...so I got out my long lens and headed out to the front yard. This particular lens is a very large and heavy Soligor OM mount Macro zoom lens. It's still not quite a long enough focal length for these types of moon photos, so I've cropped it a bit as well, but with the NEX 7's 24 megapixels, it still looks pretty good.
Down the Sidewalk
Elizabeth and Alex
I stopped and talked to Elizabeth for a few minutes today. She and her family bought neighboring houses just a block off of Hawthorne in SE Portland 25 years ago. She orginally caught my attention because of her duck Alex, who she has been mothering since he was 2 weeks old.
They have a small dog as well, who at one point popped up and touched his nose to Alex's beak. I tried to catch that too, but it was done by the time I got the camera up.
She mentioned that this used to be a more sketchy area, but then when the restaurants and stores started showing up it became safer and more vibrant.
I'm so glad I stopped and asked to take her picture with Alex.
Gear (aka- I Just Bought a New Camera)
Gear.
I'll start this with a preface- Gear doesn't make the good photos- your vision is responsible for that. By now, you have heard this plenty of times so there's your reminder and lets just leave it at that.
Another thing that I have found to be true - There is great enjoyment that comes from using great cameras, lenses, film and software.
I also believe in balance. I don't believe in hanging on to gear I don't use so any piece that I add better be efficient and hold its own.
There are so many different types of camera kits out there and I've come to a personal preference - at least for this time during my photographic journey. The way I see it, here are the types:
- Phone camera
- Compact Point and Shoot
- Enthusiast Compact
- Interchangeable Lens Mirrorless
- Full Frame Mirrorless
- DSLR with Pentaprism
- Leica Rangefinder
Medium Format
Film versions of all of these
Here's what I'm using: I shoot very casually with my iPhone. My dedicated cameras over the last few months have been a Interchangeable lens Mirrorless model and a vintage film SLR. They are roughly the same size, and size is a major factor in why I've chosen them.
As of today the Sony NEX 7 and the Sony Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 is my main kit. It’s a great 35mm equivalent set up. It allows me to know that there is literally no better lens I could put on my camera and very few Crop sensors that will give better performance. In fact, 1 year ago, the only way to get better technical images was to move to a Nikon D800- or perhaps a Sony RX-1. I also regularly use the Sony 50mm f/1.8 and the Sony kit zoom lens when my 24 just isn't wide enough.
I also use a 35mm film Olympus OM-1 that -as far as I can tell- was made when I was about 4 years old. My favorite lens is a wide angle 24mm, f/2.8. On this camera the 24 has a wider field of view as it is projecting the image onto a 135mm "full frame" of film. The Sony uses a sensor that is smaller, so the image from the same focal length is smaller.
Today I have two choices that I’ve been contemplating.
Smaller
First of all, I love this focal length. For that reason, I’ve been considering the Fujifilm X100S. It has the same 35mm equivalent focal length and the same size APS-C sensor as my NEX 7. There are so many people that are absolutely in love with the Fujifilm cameras for their handling, and the rendering of the X-Trans Sensor. The X100s' fixed lens design makes it significantly smaller than my Sony combo, which makes a compelling argument for getting one. It will fit right into my daily bag or jacket pocket without the need for a case.
There is the thought that the Fuji might make my current kit sort of redundant and that one of them would get far less use.
Full Frame
I really like the Sony camera line, the feel in hand and the photo making process with my NEX. I know that the Sony A7 full frame will be a natural and familiar upgrade path and will give even greater low-light, shallow depth of field and weather proof(ish) performance. The A7 body is about $400 more than the X100s, but that doesn't include lenses that will cover the full frame sensor.
The A7 would mean a move to a new lens or set of lenses that are large enough to cover the full frame sensor. I can use my current NEX lenses with it, but they would work in crop mode, giving significantly lower resolution than on my NEX 7 and negating some of the benefits of the larger sensor. That means that even after I save up the money to purchase this body, it will work best with my older manual OM lenses until I can afford to purchase an FE prime. I could sell some or all of my current E mount lenses ( 50mm f/1.8, kit 18-55, Zeiss 24, f/1.8) to buy one of the FE Zeiss lenses or a manual focus Voigtlander Prime.
Both
Both of these cameras serve different purposes. Because I feel so strongly about Sony as a company and an innovator, I think that I’ll likely move to the A7 (or more likely its successor) kit eventually. To me, the image quality and the raw malleability and information contained in the files is astounding. It is the way of the future. Although the pocketable Fuji kit is a little redundant paired with my NEX 7, it is a good compliment to the full-frame A7. So, it really comes down to strategy.
For now, I've decided to wait on the Sony Full frame upgrade and add the Fujifilm X100S. In fact I ordered it last Saturday and it arrived 2 days ago.
Artificial Pile
I posted this image as part of a set late last year, but came across it this morning and wanted to give it a little rework with some new post processing ideas.
This is located on the Alvord Desert salt flats in Southeastern Oregon in the rain shadow of the Steens mountains.
Behind Ponytail Falls
We're pretty lucky to live so close to stuff like this. This waterfall is a 25 minute drive and a 20 minute hike from my front door. Of course it takes a little bit longer than that with 3 kids, snacks, walking sticks and a stop for gas and more snacks.
This was also Roger's first hike since the last time we went out in November the day before he found out he had cancer. He is recovering well and has a new camera body to boot. We stopped quite a bit to make photos.