RSS

Tag Archives: photography

Prime or Zoom Lens

20 May

130517-171031_untitled-Edit

130517-193259_untitled-Edit-3

These might not be the best pictures to illustrate this point but they do.  I was on the way down to the central building the other evening to take some pictures of an event.  Due to the lighting, the distance between me and the actors, etc. I had to take pictures with fast prime lenses.  On the way down I had the 50mm f/1.8 lens mounted on my K-5 and used it to take the first picture above.

On the way back I happened to have the 21mm f/3.2 lens on the K-5 and used it to take the second picture.  The 21mm lens was probably the best choice for both pictures but I just used the 50mm for the first picture since that is what was quickly available.  It is the nature of those scenes to not last long and I didn’t wish to take the time to change lenses.  Would I have been better off to have had a zoom lens mounted and ready?  Probably, but since I wasn’t using a zoom for the event I didn’t have one with me.  I was traveling light with my camera in hand with the other lens plus extra battery and memory card in vest pockets.

I wasn’t using a zoom lens because my zoom lenses are all slower, bigger, and heavier and I couldn’t use them to get acceptable pictures for the conditions I expected.  By acceptable I mean as good as I could get with my 50mm f/1.8 prime lens.  I had tested them out and found that it was better for me to use the 50mm lens and crop-zoom to get pictures without digital noise in the poor lighting.  The zoom lenses all required a higher ISO which resulted in less detail in the pictures after I removed the noise.

There is another reason that I didn’t switch lenses for the first picture.  I try not to change lenses any more than necessary to lessen the chances of getting dirt in the camera.  I also find that it isn’t the easiest thing to do, change lenses, when I’m walking.  I prefer to do it while sitting next to a flat clean surface to set the lens on.

My world of photography seems to revolve around the issue of what lens should I use.  When going out to take particular pictures under a known environment, I usually can pick the right one.  If the circumstances are unknown I will usually use a general purpose zoom lens, either the 18 – 135mm or the 55 – 300mm depending upon the likelihood of particular subjects … but, not always.  I don’t like the combined weight of a zoom lens on the K-5, so I often just go for a walk with the 21 or 50mm lens on it, or with the NEX-6 with a 35mm lens, which is much lighter, and just photograph what is appropriate for the lens.  This means I will be photographing landscapes and if a fox runs across the field, or a colorful bird lands in a tree, it isn’t photographed.

I really prefer a prime lens due to better speed, higher image quality, quicker response time, and lighter weight.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on May 20, 2013 in Homewood at Plum Creek, Photography

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Depth of Field at f/1.8 and 35mm

16 May

On my walk the other day in the bright sun I was trying something different.  I wanted to see how my 35mm Sony lens did on the NEX-6 at an aperture of f/1.8 in bright sun.  I wanted to deliberately move as much of the image (other than what I focused on) out of focus.  The NEX-6 handled it very well since it had a 1/4000 max. shutter speed.  I only had exposure problems (without using a neutral density filter) in a couple of pictures but I was able to shift the exposure in LR4.  The above pictures aren’t especially notable but they represent examples of my focusing at different ranges so I could observe the degree of non-focus both in front and behind the focus point.  Some people like this effect, others don’t.  I only plan to use it under certain situations.

My only real problem was that I couldn’t see the LCD well enough in the bright sun to determine the effect while I was taking the pictures.  I now need to go back and try some more specific types of images.  It is all part of my desire to get better in selecting the appropriate aperture for different subjects in different lighting situations.  It is also part of my desire to use faster prime lenses more often since they give me more latitude along these lines.

For those of you who would like to calculate the depth of field (DoF) … the in-focus range … for your camera, lens, aperture, and subject distance, you can use this on-line calculator.  Click here.  You will learn that it is a very narrow range when the subject is close.  That is one reason that you really need to use a tripod if the subject is close and the aperture is large in order to get the focus correct.  Since I don’t use a tripod when out shooting, I have to be very careful to hold the camera still.  I really have a problem when I’m trying to use a narrow depth of field when taking pictures of flowers if they are blowing in the wind.  Since we have a lot of wind here, I often miss.

I have three events coming up starting tonight where I will be taking pictures and DoF is just one of my many problems that I will have since the subjects will be in motion and I will be using wide open apertures due to poor lighting.  Since I will be traveling and working with lots of pictures it is also why you might not see too many posts for a while.

 
2 Comments

Posted by on May 16, 2013 in Hanover PA, Photography

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Lenses all in a Row

30 Apr

130429-133855_untitled

A few posts back I mentioned that all pictures should mean something.  I’m sure that the above picture doesn’t mean much to you without an explanation … but it means something to me.  It rained all day yesterday off and on and is forecast to rain until Thursday, so I have been using my time to continue my thoughts about cameras and lenses.  Yesterday I probably took two dozen pictures of those and other rain drops and bubbles using many different lenses on my K-5.  The above was taken with the Pentax 18 – 55mm WR kit lens at the 18mm focal length.  I don’t use that lens much since I haven’t been pleased with it; but since it is my only weather resistant lens (WR), I thought I would check it out under different conditions.  What I figured out is that it is a fair lens at the 18mm focal length up close, is OK for intermediate distances at 35mm, and is worse at 55mm at all distances.  But that’s not what I was really thinking about.  I have been thinking about using my prime lenses a lot more and I was comparing them to each other as well as the kit lens.

I’m seriously thinking about just using Pentax DSLR cameras.  I started out thinking that I would replace my Sony NEX-6 with the Fuji X100s and that led me back to wondering why, since I have the K-5 and quite a few lenses for it.  The X100s is smaller, lighter, more discreet, and a lot more expensive … but maybe I don’t really need it as long as I use my prime lenses on the K-5.  In addition, since I like to leave the 55 – 300mm lens on the K-5 so that it is ready to go quickly, I’m also thinking about getting a Pentax K-30 primarily for use with primes and to back-up my K-5 rather than the Fuji X100s.  The K-30, even though it is less expensive, has a better live view function and better video capability than my K-5 and I’m thinking I might need those capabilities more in the future.

If you have read my blog for a long time you will remember that I have had problems with the weight of the K-5.  At this time I’m not having as much of a problem with the weight especially when I use prime lenses.  I contribute this situation to the excellent ergonomics of the grip.  The X100s doesn’t have a grip, weighs less, is a lot smaller, and has a fixed equivalent 35mm lens.  With a Pentax DSLR I have different focal length options with different prime lenses but a much larger system.  I have decided to try using the prime lenses for a while, especially around people and inside buildings, and then come back and revisit my situation.  In the past I had used an X100 or various micro 4/3 cameras when photographing inside buildings around people and haven’t really used the K-5 that much inside other that at home.  The few times I have used it up close to people they have reacted badly … but maybe they will get accustomed to it.

I have serious doubts as to whether I will make this work unless I give up always having a camera with me (other than the LX7).  I don’t mind using a DSLR camera when I’m deliberately out to take pictures but I haven’t wanted to carry it just in case I see something.  A while back when I had the X100 I would carry it under my jacket.  Will I carry a DSLR instead?  Just to frame the image for you as to how unusual it is to see a DSLR around here … I have never seen anyone else using a DSLR to photograph anything, at any time or place since I moved to Hanover a year and a half ago.  Hmmm, maybe I should just buy an iPhone or iPad mini if I want to blend in.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on April 30, 2013 in Hanover PA, Homewood at Plum Creek, Photography

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning with a 35mm Lens

11 Apr

I have left a prime lens on my K-5 and lately I have been doing most of my photography with them.  A day or two ago I switched from the 50mm to the 35mm lens.  I have photographed common scenes around the neighborhood to better train my eye to see with the different focal lengths.  I had found the 50mm to be a very good lens and have been anxious to see how the 35mm does.  It’s not as good.  I had to crop the following image but the focal length was OK for these wider scenes.

130411-053424_untitled

But it wasn’t as good for other scenes.  A lot (most) of my photography around here has been of mini-landscapes or smaller details.  This means that I have to crop quite a bit sometimes.  For example, note the picture of the ducks below.

130411-053524_untitled

I had walked across the street to take the picture of the pond in the morning light.  When I turned around to go back to the house I saw these two ducks sitting on the roof.  I know that it is unusual to see Mallards sitting on roofs but we have a lot of them this time of year.  They leave the ponds and make their nests in the foundation plantings around the Villas and then sit on the roofs while observing for predators.  As I walked across the street I took several pictures in case they decided to fly before I got close enough.

I had two problems with the 35mm lens.  First, I had to crop quite a bit to get this picture, and it was the closest one I got.  Even the 50mm wouldn’t have been tight enough but it would have been better.  But it was the second problem that bothered me as much.  I don’t think the lens is as sharp as the 50mm lens.  I haven’t done a side-by-side shot with both lenses to test this, so this is just an impression of mine.  If this is true, it means that for the cases where I might need to crop more with the 35mm lens I wouldn’t be able to do as much.  In the past when I cropped images taken with the 50mm lens, even to 100%, I did not notice this degree of lack of sharpness.  To be sure of this I would have to test both lenses at the same time with the camera on a tripod.  But, for now, I think I will go back to primarily using the 50mm lens.

I really would like to get the Pentax 70mm lens and try it, but that isn’t going to happen … at least for a while.  It is too expensive.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on April 11, 2013 in Homewood at Plum Creek, Photography

 

Tags: , , , ,

Shift in my Photography

28 Feb

130228-070647_untitled-Edit-3

The above image of a morning sunrise is a little different from most of my previous styles for displaying my pictures … especially pictures of the sky.  I have decided to experiment with developing a different style for many of my pictures.  Some of you might not like them since you will note that “it didn’t look like that to me,” since it didn’t, or wouldn’t if you had been standing next to me when I took it.  To you it would have looked more like the following:

130228-070647_untitled

I have been spending a lot of time developing a different style by going back to older pictures and redeveloping them.  I haven’t reached the point where all of my pictures will be different or all have a similar look but you can expect to see a lot more of them presented in a different style and also expect to see “the-look” changing as I fine tune it over time and adjust it to fit different scenes.

In conjunction with the above style change I also hope to show more B&W images.  They will also exhibit a more contrasty look.  Where they might have looked like the following previously in color:

120928-123219_Hanover

Many of them will now look more like the following:

120928-123219_Hanover-Edit-4

Another goal change that I hope to make is to shift more towards mini-landscapes or portions or details of buildings, etc.  I would like to produce images that could have been made in various locations and that aren’t recognizable as easily of being from a particular location.

In addition to the above, I hope to write less about cameras and gear.  I don’t think that it is important as to which camera or lens or aperture or ISO or bag or strap was used.  I haven’t decided yet but I might even eventually stop tagging my pictures with the camera and lens used, but I will probably continue for a while since many of my viewers find my blog through searches related to particular equipment.  I would like to devote more energy towards being more creative.

Some may ask, “Why?”  My answer is a little complex but basically it’s because I really like to make pictures that aren’t just snap-shots and I’m always seeking changes.  In my mind, there are basically two different types of pictures … those that record events (snap-shots) and those that are closer to works of art.  Often it is just to boost one more boring sunrise picture to make it a little more pleasing to my eyes and often it is to enhance the mood or emotion of the picture … or a little of both.  Another reason is that I get bored photographing the same things and this is a way that I can alter the images in my blog.

My first thought was to just slowly start to shift my images, etc. along the above lines of change without making a statement of intent, but I finally decided to put my ideas out there as goals.  By publishing them I hope it will help keep me oriented towards achieving them and at the same time help my viewers to understand what is happening.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on February 28, 2013 in Homewood at Plum Creek, Photography

 

Tags: ,

More Changes Coming

22 Feb

130221-080200_untitled-Edit

There are few constants about my photography other than change itself.  I have managed to go through many cameras and different systems and I have tried to photograph many different things in many styles.  All of these changes have been driven by my quickness to get bored, but mostly by my desire to find new things to try and new subjects to photograph.  I get tired of photographing the same scenes over and over … even from different perspectives; but if I don’t travel as much, I’m forced to photograph what is near at hand and find new ways of doing it.

The above picture was taken by shifting the WB and focus and then moving the camera while taking the picture with a one second exposure.  I was experimenting since I have something in mind for later outdoors after it warms up.  I’m looking for another style to supplement my more normal pictures; but that isn’t the only change.

If you haven’t noticed, there is a whole other genre of pictures that have been showing up that have been taken with iPhones.  The objective seems to be to always have your iPhone out and taking pictures of everything and anything.  I have no desire to do that; but it has caused me to think about some additions to my styles and cameras.  I’m considering adding a smaller camera to my set … one small enough to always have with me in a jacket pocket.  The lenses on the Sony NEX system of cameras are a little too large for most pockets so I’m thinking of getting a Panasonic LX7 which has a much smaller sensor and thus smaller lens.  I have it on order and will try it to see if I like it.  My objective is to expand the quantity and types of pictures I make.  At the minimum it might give you a little more variety to look at as I experiment.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 22, 2013 in Photography

 

Tags: , , ,

Different, not Better

02 Feb
Click on a picture to see more.

We just had a light dusting of snow yesterday.  I took the above pictures early in the morning just because I could, and because I didn’t have anything else to photograph.

It has been cold, dark, and dreary, and windy too, so I haven’t been going far in search of pictures.  I took these pictures just a few steps from my front door … as far as I went.

One of my approaches to find what I prefer to photograph is to take different pictures and not to try to take better pictures.  Not being a creative person it is hard for me to see that which is different and I find that I need to get away from my training as an engineer to make them better.  Better is the enemy of different.

 
3 Comments

Posted by on February 2, 2013 in Homewood at Plum Creek, Photography

 

Tags: ,

Source of Ideas

09 Jan

130108-105456_681

The above picture is a picture of my bed.  I took it with natural light using my new 21mm lens (effective 31.5mm) at an ISO of 6400, f/4.5, 1/50 sec and hand-held.  The only extraordinary thing that I did was to use the camera level to make sure that I was holding the camera level in two planes so that I didn’t get any distortion.  Why am I showing this picture?

In earlier articles I have discussed my intention to take pictures for various projects and that I think we should always have a purpose for taking our pictures.  I have also mentioned that many of my projects do not provide me with pictures that I wish to display individually in my blog.  Much of my photography is a long-term effort to collect a series of pictures in support of a particular story.  The above picture is one for a project about the place where I live; but I’m showing it here to demonstrate something else … one of the ways that I get ideas for projects.

130108-112836_681

I subscribe to a magazine called LensWork.  I am just mentioning it here to make the point that I have used many of their “project portfolios” to trigger ideas of my own.  They aren’t identical but in many cases they have been adapted along similar lines.  I quickly get tired of most web articles about camera gear and strive to find articles either in hard print or on the web that give me ideas about what to photograph.  You might want to try the same approach.

 
2 Comments

Posted by on January 9, 2013 in Photography

 

Tags: , , , ,

Photographers Have Options for Reducing Weight

06 Jan

In this past year I have read many blog articles about how some photographers no longer like to carry big heavy DSLRs when they are out walking and/or just shooting for their personal pleasure.  They are suffering from having carried heavy camera bags their whole life.  Their backs are giving out.  All of them are getting older, just like all the rest of us, and it seems that many are making a change in their cameras as they age.  Some replace their big heavy DSLRs with smaller, lighter, mirror-less compact system cameras such as the Sony NEX or Olympus or Panasonic micro 4/3 system cameras while others keep their big DSLRs for their business use, but get lighter cameras for their personal use.  In all the cases that I have read about, they put the emphasis on downsizing the camera; but, I would like to make an observation that there are other variables in the equation for reducing the amount of weight carried.

I speak from experience.  As I started having problems carrying my Pentax K-5 and lenses, and eventually had back surgery, I made the decision to sell my DSLR system and replace it with something lighter.  I tried many micro 4/3 cameras and lenses.  I found they reduced the amount of weight that I was carrying around but they also decreased the quality of my pictures in low light situations and created adverse problems for me with camera ergonomics … a case of arthritic fingers vs. small buttons too close together.  Since I did not like the negative aspects of the downsizing route that I had taken, I went back to a K-5 DSLR camera as well as lenses for it, and sold all of my other cameras.  I decided to make other changes to reduce the weight and increase the quality at the same time.

I agree with many older photographers that it is necessary to reduce the total weight of the gear that we carry with us … it is just a fact of getting older, especially for those of us with back problems.  But I decided to keep the advantages of my DSLR and to reduce the weight in other ways.  I’m in the process of using my heavier, longer zoom lens less and less and using prime lenses more and more.  As I mentioned in my last article, I added a Pentax 21mm prime lens to my set of options.  If I find that I can’t carry my 55 – 300mm zoom lens as much as I did (was on my camera the majority of the time), I will also change what I photograph as well.  It might mean fewer pictures of wildlife.  I hope to primarily use my 21mm, 35mm, and 50mm prime lenses and change the type and style of my photography to fit that choice of lenses.

I haven’t had an opportunity to really try my new 21 mm lens, but I did take one picture with it yesterday when I made a quick trip to a market.

Hanover Market

Hanover Market

The lighting in the market wasn’t the best so the above picture was taken at an ISO of 400, f/4.5, and 1/50 sec with the 21mm lens.  I’m thinking that this lens will make a nice travel lens since it is light-weight, very small (only 1 inch long), and makes for a more discreet camera-lens combination for carrying while touring.  One advantage of the lens is that it also gives me nice depth of field coverage and it crop-zooms fairly well as noted in the following crop from the center of the above picture.

130105-090515_untitled-2

In addition to having smaller, lighter gear to carry, it also allows me to carry it in a smaller, lighter bag as I make another change.  I have found that having a strap on my camera creates problems.  In the first case I decided that carrying a camera on a strap around my neck or over one shoulder was one of the problems relative to my back pain.  In the second case, I found that the strap attached to the camera lugs also occasionally got in the way of my hands … even when using a wrist strap.  The solution that I’m now trying is neither a neck, or shoulder, or wrist strap.  I have gone back to a system that I tried two years ago in which the camera is attached to my camera bag by a tether.  It is the system as shown in an earlier blog article (click here).  The picture in the article shows my older K-7 camera but the size is the same as my current K-5.  I’m also using the same bag as shown, but I might try some other bags before I deem the one shown as my preference.  It will depend on how many lenses I take with me.

At the beginning of this article I mentioned that all the photographers complaining of the weight of their system only talked about changing cameras … not lenses; but I don’t think that means that they haven’t also changed lenses.  Several photographers have switched from their heavy DSLR cameras to cameras like the Fujifilm X system.  Since these cameras currently don’t have long zoom lenses available yet, it either means that the photographers didn’t use long zoom lenses before or else they have also made a change in focal range as I am trying.

In reality, photography isn’t any different than other aspects of life.  As we get older we have options relative to reducing the burdens on our life.  Photographers can change cameras or they can change lenses, or/and they can change what they photograph.  All of us, photographers or not, will have to make similar changes in our lifestyle to reduce the impacts of our non-sustainable lifestyles.  We will all end up making changes and downsizing.  We will have to cut back and do less with less.  It’s time to make changes while we are able to adapt.

 
3 Comments

Posted by on January 6, 2013 in Hanover PA, Looking Back to the Future, Photography, Simplicity

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

And then there was One

25 Dec

121224-081956_sun rise

Start of another day

When I wrote my last article I had four different cameras in the house, and they all worked.  I had gotten them for use in different situations and I started thinking about how I would choose which camera to take and use depending on where I went or what I was photographing.  It was then that I seriously realized that I had a lot of duplicative capability and that I was going a lot less.

After sweating through some buyer’s remorse about my last acquisition, the Olympus E-PL5 and its’ kit lens along with the Panasonic 20 mm f/1.7 lens, I decided to return them.  The quality of the K-5 images was better than that of the E-PL5, while the E-PL5 was smaller with only slightly poorer ergonomics; but, do I really need both?  I finally decided that they were too similar and that I don’t need both.  Having a smaller camera was not going to increase my productivity.

Thinking some more about the future, I decided to reduce down to one camera and then see if I need another.  I have said for a long time that I thought that I would prefer to have one camera that I knew well, and I decided now is the time.  I sold my Canon S95 pocket camera along with my Fuji X100 (gulp).  I now only have one camera in the house, my oldest, the most versatile, now discontinued, Pentax K-5.  Since it was my best general purpose camera in terms of ergonomics, usability, and image quality, I decided to use it for everything … whatever that is.  And that is the root of my problem.  What am I going to be taking pictures of?  I have no single preferred style or type of photography so I will just use the K-5 and direct my energies towards developing my vision, rather than researching and getting different cameras in hopes that another camera will open up opportunities.

All of this just goes to show that I seem to have lost my way when it comes to photography.  Those who have followed my blog will recognize that I have wondered around a circle and arrived back to almost where I was years ago … at least camera wise.  I hope that this turning away from camera worship will help me to find my way in photography.  I hope to learn, and find, what it is I prefer to photograph.  I hope to simplify my photography and concentrate on deciding what I wish to achieve, and then build from there.    Maybe if I eliminate all the chaff and dust I will find the kernel and then I can plant it and let it grow.   I would like to find my muse and then feed it and nurture it before I decide what my next camera will be.

 
3 Comments

Posted by on December 25, 2012 in Homewood at Plum Creek, Photography

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

← Older posts
 
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 149 other followers

%d bloggers like this: