Cloud Age Photo

Almost 1 Month Later...

2011-01-30T01:41:00.003-05:00

Well its almost been one month since I started my 365 challenge and everything seems to have been going alright. Though there have been a lot of last minute photos a lot of the times. I do end up shooting everyday but I always want to make sure I post something... Well good I guess, even though I wouldn't say a lot of these photos as really that good, they were the best shots of the day or most creative. I guess one issue I've had is trying to get some creative ideas. Trying to come up with something different and new everyday is a little tricky which is why I'm not to happy with my last shot this week as it too was pretty uninspired. Well here's hoping all goes well for the next 11 months.

23/365 Cherry Bomb

Another late upload, though again I did take this photo before the clock hit 12. I was having issues with this photo, for one the damn stem wouldn't actually go up in flames or hold a orange glow long enough nor was it bright enough. I tried using 2 different exposures and merging them, one with a flame overlayed ontop of the stem to make it look like its or fire, but that didn't work. So in the end I ended up photoshopping the orange tip to look like it was lit up. Oh and the smoke was put in during post, from one of my unused smoke shots.

24/365 Elegant Elyse

Did a small little photo shoot with Elyse tonight (well technically yesterday) so again I'm a little late uploading my 365 photo. What can I say post takes awhile... Retouching portriats shots and what not take a lot longer then anything else.

Stobist Info
2 Nikon SB-28 (Background light) wtih a purple gel at 1/4 power
1 Minolta 5600HS(D) (Suppose to be a rim light) snooted at 1/4 behind the subject camera right, aimed on the right side of the chair (You can see it lit her left leg since it was originally positioned with her head on the right side of the chair and I forgot to reposition it when she switched sides).
1 HVL-58am (Key Light) at 1/1 shooting at a large sliver reflector positioned camera left just above the subject.
1 very large softbox (Fill Light) around 1x2m tall with the white diffusion cloth over it positioned camera right to act as a large reflector.

25/365 P♥M

Finally went out today and bought 3 small led flashlights, even though they are small and cheap they are pretty powerful. In order to do this shot without seriously blowing everything I had to stop down to F22 and ISO 100. Well now that I have my lights I can play around wit some more light painting. Also I wanted to light the front up a little but when I got up to go in front of it to light it up I hit the table and the bottle moved so I just lived with this shot cause it was pretty good.

26/365 Shallow Show

Favourite shot I took during the concert that wasn't actually part of the concert it self. The shallow depth of field that the 85mm F1.4 surpises me sometimes, like in this shot. People often go why spend so much money on a fast lens when ISO performace is so good now a days and you know what? Its not just so we can shoot in low light we get these lenses for its ablitiy to isolate any subject, that razor thin depth of field.

So of course its another late upload since the concert didn't end until midnight, and I still have to edit the volleyball shots I took today as well so I'm still busy hahaha.

27/365 Happy Meal

Nothing like eating your own kind huh? This is the kind of stuff that goes on when no one is looking, bread is a lot more evil then you might think no matter what they're made of. Whether they are whole grain or not you never know what they might be up too.

28/365 Flash Power

The power of a flash... Isnt that stong hahaha. Bored and best idea I could come up with tonight. Light painting is pretty fun and all but I need to come up with some better ideas hahaha.

29/365 Raining Down

Best idea I had all day... Seriously was pretty busy "trying" to do homework but that didn't go well so I ended up pushing it back even more... Uhhh but hopefully I'll get back on the ball tomorrow.

Oh yea I shot this with my 100mm f2.8 macro with an 40mm extension tube that I made from a cheap 2x teleconverter I got. Basically got rid of the glass and electronics in there during the process which kinda screwed things up a little, though it still works.

Just a Little Late

2011-01-23T00:25:00.001-05:00

Hahaha almost forgot to post this today, well I'm only 25min late for when I said I would update it. Not that its a big issue since I'm just reposted what I posted on my Flickr account here on my blog. Though I was just a little busy doing a few side projects, and I also got myself another part time job doing some selling/editing for a small time sports photo business. The pay is still minimum but I get more hours in then I do with my other jobs, so all the better, plus its not to bad I just need to get faster at editing, the time it takes me to do one photo the senior that has been then for a few years can do 3, so he's quick. Well its time for me to call it a night since I have to work there tomorrow, hopefully all goes well and I can juggle school and 3 part time jobs (the army, school newspaper photographer, and now photo editor) hahaha.

16/365 Fruits of Labour

Now that my DIY beauty dish is finally done I needed to do some testing with it, and here we are... A photo of me since I don't exactly have anyone else to shoot right now. Not the most flattering shot but it shows the quality of light my DIY beauty dish gievs. It gives a nice ring light highlight in the eyes too which is nice. Overall I'm pretty happy with it, hope it gets a decent amount of use in its life time, as long as I dont drop and break it anytime soon.

17/365 Tall Order of Mango

That... Took a little longer then I thought, but just in time hahaha. 11:57 by my watch but then again I took the photo around an hour ago, just took a while to edit it to look the way I wanted. To bad this was the best side of the mango, so I had to live with that black patch on the centre right, that would have been a lot of editing to hide that so I didn't want to.

18/365 Light in White

Meh just wanted to try out some light painting seeing how I just broke 2 of my coloured LED lights I had the fun of only being able to use my white one. A simple idea that took a few tries to just get the light streaks to curve nicely and this was my best attempt. Must say light painting is pretty fun so I'll hopefully be doing it a little more.

19/365 A Work of Art

Hmmm... Well that was quick, this was actually a photo I took for work, though its processed a little more then the one I'll be giving to my boss. I actually have no idea what she was making, all I knew was that it was a wax sculpture of some sort.

20/365 Waiting for Time

Not a great shot but then again not a lot of shooting was done today, time was spent else where. Just uploaded a little later then normal. We waited around for the bus in order to start our night. The wait always seems long when there are things to be done. Though just looking back I know I'll remember today because I spent it with the person I care the most about.

21/365 Colourful Acupuncture

Nothing like getting stabbed 100 times over to make you feel better huh? Well to bad I'd never want to try acupuncture cause that doesnt exactly look like it helps. I seriously wonder how they came up with the idea that sticking needles into people will help cure them. Simply put... Them crazy chinese folk...

22/365 The Miracle of Life

And thats how cameras are born into this world.

This is actually a photo I did for a school assignment, a photo of still life using window light. Though this is a different version then the one I'm handing in since the school asks for an 8x10, and this one is the wrong ratio, its 3:2. I hate the 4:3 ratio, makes the photo look to square, I like my photos more panoramic...

Week 3 Out of 52

2011-01-15T23:20:00.001-05:00

So I spent most of my time on my DIY projects I had running during the christmas break, and they are pretty much done now. Well as long it doesnt break like my last attempts hahaha.

Well its been an alright week though the last day was... Well like the title says was uninspired hahaha. Also I decided to stop myself from putting up any photos for my 365 day challenge that is used for work or school since I just want it to be photos I take during my own time, not something I'm told to do. Though... If the photo is really good enough and I like it then I might... Though we'll see.

9/365 The War Photographer [V3]

The FINAL version of "The War Photographer" Took quite a while to finally get to this point, now I can finally say I'm very happy with this shot and how it turned out, as apposed to V1 and V2 which had some issues with them that I wanted to correct. Its now darker but in my opinion more nicely lit then my past 2 attempts.

Spent over 2 hours setting this shot up to get it just the way I wanted it. I think a lot of it had to do with me jury rigging my speedlites onto things, since I didnt have proper ways to mount them, just my DIY ball bungees. Oh though I did have my one lightstand and umbrella.

Strobist Info
1 Sony HVL-58am (Background Light) set up underneath the tabletop pointing at the backdrop, with a snoot at 1/8.
1 Minolta 5600HS(D) (Rim Light) camera right behind the subject and a little higher up with a snoot at 1/8.
1 Nikon SB-28 (Fill Light) camera right with a shoot through umbrella, with the bottom half flagged so the black table top wouldn't be to lit up at 1/4.
1 Nikon SB-28 (Key Light) pointed at 2 large peices of white foamcore placed camera left, with a black flag placed behind it to prevent spill from hitting the background at 1/2.

10/365 Monday Mornings

Sunrise... Now that second semester started I get to wake up early enough every Monday to see the sunrise from my bedroom window. I'm not sure whether or not I should call this a good thing or a bad thing... Well on the plus side watching the sunrise is pretty nice, but I'm not very inclined to wake up even earlier to go outside to go to a better location to get a better sunrise shot. You know instead of shooting through my bedroom window.

11/365 Can of Glass

This is now going into the to do pile I have. A lot of times after I take a photo of something I'm pretty happy with it then tear down or leave. Once I'm sitting down and editing the photo I realize things I could have done to improve it... Like in this case, so odds are I'll revisit this idea later and do it better. It was more or less a rush job on my end.

On a side note, I wish I still had my Minolta 70-210 F4 "Beercan" since as the name implies it is shaped exactly like a tall beercan. So I would have been perfect for this idea.

12/365 Little Big Softbox

Really couldn't think of anything to really shoot today nor do I feel like using my basketball photos for this challenge. The photos I use for this 365 day challenge will be photos I do on my own time, not for work or school. Ok maybe for school if I like it enough hahaha.

Well since there is no detail in the blacks and what not you might not be able to tell but the light source I was using was my iPhone, it makes a pretty good softbox when your shooting small things like necklaces like I have here. Works well its always with me. I'll think of something more elaborate next time hahaha.

13/365 αlpha

Been awhile since I last used my a700, feels so small compared to my a850 hahaha.

Figured since I was updating my gear photos I might as well try to do a simple product shot of my a850. This shot was a lot more trouble then I figured mainly due to the lack of space I currently have in my room. Where normally putting a flag would stop any light from spilling into the background that was not the case when I got my first few shots in. Normally if thats an issue I would just move my subject further from the background so the light spilling from the flashes wont effect the background as much but I didn'thave the room for that. So the small little flags I had were replaced with these large peices of black foamcore I have. I'm pretty happy with this shot except the fact that it wasn't completely centre bugs me a little.

Strobist Info
1 SB-28 bare camera left at a 45 degree angle, slightly above the a850, pointing directly at it.
1 SB-28 bare camera right at a 45 degree angle, slightly above the a850, pointing directly at it.
1 HVL-58am with a Honl Traveller8 softbox directly above the a850

14/365 Towering

Decided to go home for the weekend since I needed to pick up a few things. While heading home I decided to spend some more time in downtown Toronto since the weather wasn't to bad.

Well I liked the... Almost symmetry here, its just very simple and clean. Also been messing around in photoshop to try and give this image a polaroid look to it.

15/365 Uninspired

Well since I'm back home I feel awfully uninspired so I didn't even really go out and shoot today. So simply put... This was a last minute picture, with some blue added to the photo to try a give it a different feel.

First Week of the 365 Challenge!

2011-01-08T14:02:00.002-05:00

If you want to keep up to date with my 365 day challenge your best bet would be to keep checking out my Flickr Photostream seeing how it looks like I'm just going to post a shot for each day now as apposed to what I said earlier hahaha. Well I'll post what I got next week, every Saturday another batch of 7 shots!

2/365 The War Photographer (V2)

Alright... This shot took a while to edit to get the way I wanted it to look (which is why it is getting posted now). Still didn't turn out the way I wanted after a decent amount of editing, but this was the best I was going to get. So there will be a V3 of this shot hahaha.

3/365 Strawberry Kiss

Hmmm nothing much to say about this shot except I could have used a little more fill on the right side but a little late now hahaha. Edited took a little while too, just wanted to smooth out the skin a little and there was a blemish that needed to go as well.

4/365 Strawberry Float

Bored and couldn't go to sleep during my 2 hour break inbetween class today so I decided to take a photo for my 365 day challenge. I've seen this idea done with all sorts of furits and what not before so I figured why not try it myself. Shame though I sprayed the strawberry with some water before I took the shot but it seemed like it dryed up way to quickly! Well there is always next time.

5/365 Dead Roll

Just a cheap roll of film that didn't turn out well, and by that I mean my brother forgot he had it in his camera and took it out of the camera and pretty much ruined it by exposing it. So I took it and chopped it and beat it up. Im sure if you looked at some of my older work (as in day 2/365) I used this beat up roll as a prop to add to the background. Figured since I can't think of anything else why not shoot the film itself.

6/365 Revitalize

Came up with this idea at a bad time! 40 min left till I have to go to work! I think its a little tricky to see but the strawberry at the centre isn't a dried one its a regular freash strawberry. Only had one flash set up camera right pointing down on the cereal bowl with a small Honl Traveller8 softbox on it.

7/365 Seasonal Lights

Spent the night outside in the cold, and I actually brought out my tripod for once! Something I rarely do, then again I also rarely do any long exposures.

Looking down on the streets, the exposure was around 10 seconds long and it took a few tries to get this shot because I didn't want any light streets from the cars to show up in this shot. So I had to wait for the right moment when a car wouldn't pass by. Then again I could have just bumped up the ISO but I didn't feel like it hahaha.

8/365 Strawberry Storm

Made quite the mess... Only had one box of strawberries to play with and I told myself I would only use each strawberry once so I only had 35 chances to get this right, cause right after I dropped them... I ate them to make sure I don't go back on my word hahaha. This was attempt number 6 too!

Alright I KNOW I took this shot "Yesterday" so it shouldn't count for my 365 challenge BUT I took it at 11:45 which is close enough to the next day for me... Plus the droplets of water stuff was taken after 12 so it was the next day technically but I rather have this shot get the title for being on my 365 challenge! If there is an issue with it just pretend one of the shots I have of the water droplets is actually my day 8 shot hahaha.

Stobist Info

2 SB-28's stacked camera left, bare at 1/64

1 HVL-58am with a red gel pointed at the backgound at 1/16

Triggered by RadioPopper JrX

New Year, New Start

2011-01-01T22:23:00.002-05:00

Merry belated Christmas to all and happy New Years to everyone.

Hope everyone enjoyed their long vacations cause I sure did, it was fun having nothing to do for 2 weeks and not dealing with school... Even though I quite enjoyed school. Didn't get as much shooting in as I wanted but it was still fun.

Now by new start I mean I'll be starting the good old challenge of taking a photo everyday for a year, so the 365 day challenge. That's my new years resolution hahaha. Now I decided that I'll be posting the photos ~~I like the most on Flickr and the rest will be posted up~~ on my blog here. So instead of making a post everyday I'll be posting on every Saturday containing the 7 shots I took that week. So hopefully I don't veer off course and give up on this but it might be a little tricky when summer comes around. What with the whole job with the army odds are I'll be heading off somewhere desolate and far from society to do some good old training so posts might come in very slowly... Though I'll do what I can to keep up with the challenge, even if it means I'll be shooting with my iPhone a lot hahaha. Well as long as I keep shooting I'll be happy, so here is my first entry.

1/365 An Eye to Start

Shooting Smoke

2010-12-22T23:21:00.001-05:00

So I finally got around to doing some smoke photography yesterday. Wasn't exactly hard to shoot its pretty simple, you just need some incense and and a flash you can trigger off camera. My set up was pretty simple, all I had was the a850 on a tripod the incense stuck through a small tangerine since I couldn't find it a proper holder hahaha and a single flash directly underneath and behind it at 1/4th power. Most of the shots were taken at 1/250sec (max sync speed for my camera) F8 ISO 200. I placed a black gobo behind the flash so it wouldn't light up the background as well. Oh yea and I had a flashlight that was also below and behind the incense to help me focus since I was mainly focusing manually thought the shoot.

After taking around 100 shots I called it a day and went back to edit them, it was a simple as just inverting the photos and changing the hue and saturation to get the different colours. Since I don't think there is any coloured smoke out there...? Maybe I don't know. Though I made a little theme with them and the colours I picked. The first set is RGB (Red Green Blue), then CMY (Cyan Magenta Yellow), and the last one K (Key Black) which gets its own frame since black... And white are 2 very important pieces in the world of colour.

The Silver Star

2010-12-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

Sony Alpha 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM

Yes... I bought a new toy... I'll have the review up for it on my lens review section shortly, in a nutshell I think its an amazing lens with a poor choice in colour hahaha. Actually I already got over the fact that the lens is silver, its starting to grow on me, I think its pretty cool now. I managed to buy it at a pretty good price too, its in good shape though the hood has been dinged a few times resulting in some paint chips but thats just purely cosmetics. This was actually the first time I've ever seen this lens on sale locally since it first came out as well so I was pretty happy and surprised that someone was selling it.

The man who sold it to me was pretty cool, though he was dumping off all his Sony/Minolta gear cause he was jumping ship to Canon. He also was selling a Minolta 300mm F2.8 APO lens which I was REALLY eyeing too, since I could use it for indoor sports and other things, but the price was to high and I didn't have the money for it. Plus I much rather try and find the HS APO G version of that hahaha. He also had a few other lenses I wanted to buy but again money was the issue. So I settled with the 70-400 after much debate, and I don't regret it at all, totally worth it hahaha.

So make sure to check out the lens review page to see my thoughts on this lens.

Winning Shot

2010-12-12T14:37:00.003-05:00

Beer Pong

To me college life means drinking, at my school A LOT of people play beer pong so to me this is what it means to a lot people to be a college student, you know until to drink so much and miss your exams and what not and end up failing and dropping out hahaha. Which seems to happen a lot too.

This shot is made up of 9 images put together, one of each versions of me (7) and one for the ping pong ball, and another for the splash.

I kind of want to redo this because one thing I didn't realize at first when I did this was the fact that you can see the beer in the cup. I wasn't paying attention and realized that during post so all the other cups are empty except for the centre one. I was hoping it would look empty too since you never put to much beer in the cup in beer pong anyway. I also wanted more versions of me in the shot and a keg in the background, which would have been tricky since Res wont let you bring one in. Though aside from those issues I like how it turned out.

As a side note I actually don't drink, I don't have a virgin liver though, I just dont like drinking.

Though the main reason why I did this shot is because the school paper I work for do a photo contest every year and the theme is always the same. Its student life, and the winner of the contest gets their shot on the cover of the paper, even though I already have a few cover shots already, the main prize is $250. That's what I'm aiming for hahaha I need whatever money I can get these days. So heres hoping I win!

Some Time in the Studio

2010-12-07T23:56:00.000-05:00

Well its been awhile but I've been keeping myself busy with school and what not. I figured since London as been pretty much shut down for the past 2 days why not update my blog. London has been hit by the first big snowstorm of the year, over 30cm in the past 2 days, buses aren't running (well they stopped at 3pm today) and Fanshawe as been shut down for the past 2 days and will be closed tomorrow as well. So thats 3 days in a row that I've been out of school hahaha, both good and bad since it is pretty much exam time now.

Well before... actually is was Sunday when the storm first actually hit a good friend of mine came down to London to visit. He is a very good portrait photographer (Jonathan Sippel) in my opinion and even owns his own studio where he lives. He graduated from Fanshawe in of course photography last year and he enjoys shooting portrait/fashion/glamour shots, pretty much what I don't really do. Though I have gotten around to do some portraits but this was actually awhile back.

I took these shots as my birthday present to my friend Emily (on the left) and while I was at it took pictures of all her friends as well, along with the misses (Elyse [on the right]).

Back to what I was talking about earlier, since my friend Jon came down, a fellow photographer (Natalie) who is a second year in the program tagged along as well. She ended up being our model for most of the time, since I really didn't feel like posing for the camera, Jon did though (when Natalie was shooting). It was interesting watching how Jon worked and got Natalie to pose for him, something I should learn to do. Though even though I don't really know how to pose people I just got her sit in front of the camera and do her own thing as I snapped away, so nothing was really posed. Though most of the time she was sending texts back and forth with her mom and friends (which is why her cellphone is in the shot)

Simply put I think I still have a lot to learn when it comes to taking photos of people. Well that was one of the reasons why I decided to go to school for photography, here's hoping it actually goes well hahaha.

Time on the Street

2010-11-19T16:45:00.002-05:00

Lately I've been loaning out a Canon 5D mk I and the Canon TS-E 24mm f3.5 L and doing a lot of tilt and shift work. Since Sony/Minolta never made a tilt and shift lens loaning out a Canon or Nikon is the only way to play with one. Well there is another way but I would need to buy a Mirex tilt shift adapter which costs $300 on its own and a wide angle medium format lens which would cost anywhere over $800 and the widest I would only be able to get a 28mm F4 Hasselblad (Which costs $4000).

You can read a review of the adapter here on Dyxum
http://www.dyxum.com/columns/articles/lenses/Mirex/Mirex_M645-M42_TS_Adaper_review.asp

Using the tilt and shift is fun, I really enjoy using it and I thought it was pretty fun to play with as a street photography lens. Though I was shooting at street level for the most part because I couldn't get very high up, until I just decided to go up some of the cat walks around downtown and get on the roof of a few buildings.

Parking Aint Free

Enjoying the Show

A Small Midnight Stroll

Home Away From Home

It's Just Cousin Vinny

Quick Lens Reviews [Part II]

2010-11-03T02:36:00.001-04:00

Part II of my written lens reviews this time its the prime (fixed focal length) lenses. And again I hope this helps you in your next purchase.

Minolta 28mm F2.8

+Very inexpensive
+Small and light
+Relatively sharp even wide open
+Bokeh is neutral at best, smoother at F4 in my opinion

-For the price it sells at used none

A very nice entry level wide angle lens that can be bought for next to nothing (around $100) compared to many other lenses. This lens preforms quite well, and is very small and light. The corners on a FF body is quite soft until you stop down to F8, and the light fall off isn't to noticeable in real world shots, neither is the distortion.

The only problem some people might have with this lens is that 28mm on a APS-C body is 42mm which might be to wide for some people, as it doesn't actually enter the wide angle lens category.

Unless you really need that extra stop of light you would be better off getting this lens instead of the Minolta 28mm F2 which is around 4-5x more expensive then this lens used ($400-$500) as F2.8 is generally fast enough for most people. So either way I would highly recommend this lens to anyone that wants a good cheap, and somewhat wide lens.

Minolta 50mm F1.4

+Inexpensive
+Fast lens (large aperture)
+Fast AF
+Lightweight
+Good sharpness across the frame
+No distortion
+Bokeh is smooth

-Heavy amount of veiling haze wide open in very well lit scenes
-CA is pretty bad wide open as well but goes away when stopped down to F2
-Coma is pretty bad wide open

This is a very good lens for the price as it is the cheapest and fastest lens you can buy for your camera. Coming in at only around $300 CAD used you really can't go wrong. Though using it wide open during the day maybe a little to much for the lens to handle as it suffers from pretty bad veiling haze and CA (like most wide aperture lenses) though it mostly goes away when stopped down to F2-2.8, though even in low lit scenes it has another issue. Which is the coma, though its not the worse I've ever seen its not that well controlled either, you'll have to stop down to around F4 for it to completely go away.

If you really enjoy taking shots in low light this is the lens to get. It's relatively inexpensive and allows you to shoot in very low light conditions without the need of a tripod. Though if money is an issue and you do not plan on going full frame you can also invest in the Sony 50mm F1.8 DT lens, or the Minolta 50mm F1.7 (this can be used on full frame) as that preforms just as well but for 1/3 of the price used.

Minolta 50mm F2.8 Macro

+Cheap for a 1:1 macro
+Very sharp
+Smooth bokeh
+Small+Lightweight
+No distortion
+Very little CA
+Almost zero light falloff on APS-C
+Good dual purpose lens if you don't need anything faster the F2.8

-No focus limiter on this model
-AF a little slow (As with all macros)

This is a very good multi purpose lens assuming you do not need anything faster then F2.8. There are very little issues with this lens as it has proven to be a very sharp lens with smooth bokeh even when used wide open. Even wide open this lens does not have a lot of issues, it does have a little CA wide open but not a lot, and doesn't suffer from any light falloff either on an APS-C sensor.

Overall this is a great lens for the money and if you don't like to carry around 2 50mm lenses (such as the macro and the F1.7/F1.4) and do not need anything faster then F2.8 you might be better off with this as it can serve 2 purposes.

Minolta 85mm F1.4

+Very fast lens (Wide aperture)
+Great for low light
+Very sharp
+Very smooth bokeh
+Very thin DoF at F1.4
+AF is quite fast
+Very useful focal length for portraits
+No distortion

-CA can be pretty bad
-Circular highlights around bokeh
-Veiling haze wide open
-Poor minimum focusing distance

By far one of my favourite lenses, the differences between this and the CZ 85mm F1.4 are pretty minimal. The lens provides a very shallow depth of field at F1.4 which can give a unique look to portraits as just the subjects eyes can be in focus and thats it. The bokeh for this lens is very smooth though it does suffer from circular highlights at times. The lens is very sharp even wide open though in well lit conditions you'll notice a high amount of CA and some veiling haze. Both which can almost be completely removed when stopped down to F2-2.8. Though my one real issue with this lens is the poor minimum focusing distance (850mm same as CZ 85mm F1.4) which gives you only 0.13x magnification.

In the end this is one of the best Minolta lenses you can buy for portraits and low light, though you'll have to dig deep into your wallet to afford one, even used, and not to mention they are a little hard to find.

Minolta 100mm F2.8 Macro

+Very sharp
+Has a focus limiter
+Bokeh is very smooth
+Very little distortion
+Longer working distance compared to 50mm macro

-CA wide open
-AF is slow (to be expected for macros though focus limiter helps)

I much prefer this lens to the 50mm F2.8 macro mainly for the longer working distance. This is an issue people might have with their 50mm macro lenses, that is the main plus side of having the 100mm F2.8 macro lens. You do not need to be as as close to the subject to get it in focus at 1:1. There is a little distortion (pincushion) though it most likely will not be noticeable unless you shoot along straight lines. And again like the 50mm F2.8 macro this can work as a dual purpose lens, for both macro and portrait, and it works better as a portrait lens due to the longer focal length and the help of the focus limiter. That way the lens will not have to cycle through the whole focal plane and only half.

This is a very good lens for anyone that would like to pursue marco photography as it provides the much needed longer working distance as apposed to the 50mm F2.8 marco as small insects are often skittish when you get to close to them.

Minolta 400mm F4.5 HS APO G

+Lightweight (For the focal length and F Stop)
+Relatively easy to handhold
+Sharp wide open
+Focus Limiter

-Focusing speed (Extremely fast on my Minolta 7, slow [bearable] on my a700 and KM 7D)

This is one of the few affordable lightweight super telephoto lens on the market. Most other companies opt to build a fast 400mm F2.8 or F4 which end up being quite heavy or expensive, or a slow 400mm F5.6 that is quite lighter.

The Minolta 400mm F4.5 is the perfect compromise, being the same weight but 1/3 of the cost of Canon's 400mm F4 DO IS lens, and 1/2 the weight of the 400mm F2.8 L lens. Minolta decided to make the 400mm F4.5 1/3 of a stop slower then Canon's lightweight 400mm F4 DO IS lens in order to lower the cost to make it more assessable to the public.

The lens is very sharp wide open, the build quality is very high on this lens like every other G lens. The optics here are top notch, having great control over flare and distortion, while providing a sharp contrasty photo.

My main issue with the lens mainly has to do with the AF motors on the Sony Alpha line (And KM 7D). On my old Minolta 7 the AF speed is phenomenal, while when its mounted on and DSLR I own (and tried in stores) the AF speed is NOTICEABLY slower, taking twice as long to travel through the focus range. Though its not really a negative on the lens but a negative on the body its an issue that bothers me. Though it is bearable and still plenty fast when the focus limiter is used.

Minolta 500mm F8 Reflex

+Relatively sharp across the frame
+Very small and lightweight
+Zero CA
+AF (Unique for a reflex lens)
+Very little distortion

-Slow (F8 but its a trade off for the price and long focal length)
-Images lack contrast
-Hood is pretty useless
-Doughnut shaped bokeh (to be expected for reflex lenses)
-Can ONLY be used at F8

This is a very unique lens in the Minolta/Sony line up due to the fact that it is the only reflex/mirror lens that is capable of auto focus. This lens is surprisingly sharp though lacks contrast. Due to the design of the lens the bokeh can be very distracting as they are shaped like doughnuts, but again because of the design it has zero CA. Though the trade off here for the small package and long focal length is the speed, it's widest and ONLY aperture is F8, due to the design it has no actual aperture blades in it so it cannot be closed down.

Overall this lens is very good for anyone that wants to enter the realm of super telephotos, though do not be deceived by its small package it is still a 500mm lens. That is the one thing people forget when using this lens, resulting in blurry unsharp images, it is still a difficult lens to handhold unless you shoot in broad daylight.

Quick Lens Reviews [Part I]

2010-11-03T02:04:00.002-04:00

Alright so I finally got around to doing some quick written (Sorry no pictures) lens reviews for all the lenses I've owned over the past few years. First up we have the zooms lenses! I hope this written review helps in your future purchases.

Konica Minolta 17-35mm F2.8-4 (D)
+Cheap super wide angle lens
+Fast on the wide end
+Very lightweight
+Somewhat sharp
+Bokeh isn't bad
+Very little CA

-Noticeable distortion
-Poor flare control
-Coma is pretty bad wide open
-Light falloff is noticeably hard on the wide end and doesn't go away stopped down (Full Frame)
-Due to light falloff use of a thick UV filter of circular polarizer becomes more noticeable (Full Frame)

This lens is a very inexpensive super wide angle that is most likely a rebadged Tamron lens. The lens is pretty sharp in the centre of the frame on the wide end though gets pretty bad near the corners (on a full frame) stopping down to F11 will really help if you want the whole frame sharp. There is actually very little CA wide open when using this lens in well lit or high contrast areas, and the bokeh is pretty decent for a super wide angle lens. Due to the cheap plastic build this lens is very lightweight as well. As with a lot of super wide angles there is a noticeable amount of distortion, and this lens handles flare very poorly as well, the hood doesn't do much. Though my biggest issue with this lens is the amount of light falloff it has on the wide end on a full frame, it's bad because it comes on heavy and falls off hard, even stopped down you'll see just a little bit of the very corners are dark (no gradual transition just a hard dark corner). And this issue gets a lot worse when using a circular polarizer.

Besides the mentioned issues this lens preforms pretty well for its price and should be considered for anyone who wants to try going wide but doesn't wan't to drop a lot of money on a CZ 16-35mm F2.8 or Minolta 17-35mm F3.5 as both those lenses cost over 3x-4x as much as this used.

Minolta 28-135mm F4-4.5 (The Secret Handshake)
+Very sharp at the centre
+Covers a good range (Very good walk around lens)
+Useful macro mode to counter act the long MFD
+F4-4.5 (Other brand 28-135mm lenses are F3.5-5.6)

-Corners are quite soft even stopped down on the wide end
-Noticeable distortion on FF
-Macro mode only works on the wide end (Not really a negative as all minolta lens with a macro mode is like this and better to have it then not)
-Bokeh quite harsh in my opinion
-No dedicated lens hood

This is a very solid lens that was first introduced back when Minolta introduced the A mount. Even by today's standards this lens preforms quite well. This pretty much a one of a kind lens as even today no other company makes a 28-135mm lens at F4-4.5 as all other companies use F3.5-5.6... For the price this lens normally sells at and how it performs this is one of the must have lenses for people looking to just carry around one lens. On a APS-C body the lens is a great all around performer even on full frame bodies. It even has a fun to play with and useful macro mode with turn the MFD from 1500mm to 246mm.

Though the corners on this lens is quite soft even stopped down to F11 on the wide end when using a FF body camera. Also barrel distortion is quite noticeable when using it on a FF body. And one thing this lens has been known for is its poor flare control and even so it has such problems it does not come with its own dedicated lens hood. And in my opinion the bokeh is a little to harsh for my tastes. Also people complain about the lens suffering from zoom creep though it does come with it own "zoom lock" just switch the lens over to macro mode and it will not creep.

A very good performer that is well worth the money if you do not need the extra stop of light. that the CZ 24-70mm F2.8 or Minolta 28-70mm F2.8 provides. As this lens preforms just as well.

Minolta 70-210mm F4 (The Beercan)
+Quite sharp
+Build quality is very solid
+Internal zoom
+Bokeh is smooth
+Constant F4
+Good minimum focusing distance
+Very cheap

-CA wont completely go away even after F11
-Flare control is very great
-AF is not very fast (Though not slow)
-Front element rotates when focusing

For the price that this lens go for I don't see to much wrong with it. I would highly suggest anyone who is just starting out to keep an eye out for this lens as it a very good for the money. The sharpness of this lens is quite good though a little soft wide open, then there is the issue of CA which is pretty much always there no matter what under well lit/high contrast areas. The bokeh for this lens is relatively pleasing along with the fact that it has a very good minimum focusing distance, with a maximum magnification of 0.25x. And even though the lens may have internal zoom it does extend when focusing and to make matters worse the front element rotates when focusing, though its is only an issue if you use circular polarizers.

For the price that this lens can be bought at I feel this is a buy very few would be disappointed in.

Sony α CZ 24-70mm F2.8 SSM
+Very smooth bokeh
+Very sharp all around on APS
+Light fall off is almost non existent on APS
+Much better MFD compared to Minolta 28-70 F2.8 and 28-135 F4-4.5 (not in macro mode)

-Corner are soft on FF
-Noticeable distortion on APS (Not to bad) and FF
-Hood is very short and offers little protection against flare
-No internal focus (Not really a negative but I was disappointed that it doesn't had IF)

A very expensive lens designed for people who shoot in low light. It is extremely sharp in the centre even at F2.8 and only gets better when stopped down. With SSM focusing is accurate, fast, and silent. With a focal length of 24-70 it offers great versatility and a minimum focus distance that allows users to create very powerful images. All this explains why it is one of the most used lenses by photo journalists.

Though even this Carl Zeiss branded lens does come with a few problems. When using this lens on a FF body the corners tend to be quite soft, and barrel distortion is quite noticeable on FF but not to bad on APS-C bodies. The hood the lens comes with is not of great use as your hand would provide a better shade to protect against lens flare. And one small gripe I have with this lens is the fact that it doesn't have internal focusing, not a big deal just something I would have expected from a lens at this price.

If you really do not need the extra stop of light you maybe better served getting the Minolta 28-135 F4-4.5 as it covers a larger range at one stop slower, and provides excellent sharpness all around. And even has a very good MFD when in macro mode... All this for a fraction of the price of the CZ 24-70 F2.8

Sony α 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM
+Very little distortion on APS
+Smooth bokeh
+Sharp wide open
+Impressive corner sharpness at 200mm
+It's compatible with the Sony teleconverters.

-Heavy (Not really a negative as its to be expected)
-Noticeable distortion on FF
-Tripod collar gets in the way if using a vertical grip

A lens thats only really needed if you shoot indoors or in low light. The lens is extremely sharp when stopped down. I would say at F2.8 its good, at F4 its great, and at F5.6 its excellent and there would not be much need to stop down further then F5.6 if you want the best sharpness at the fastest shutter speeds.

I one real problem with this lens is the position of the tripod collar, it makes it very difficult to mount a DSLR with the VG attached on a tripod using the tripod collar because of the way Sony designed their VG it sticks out and can't be mounted in landscape orientation when using the tripod collar. So your only way to get around this is to either mount it by the DSLR and not the lens, or to have it mounted in portrait orientation.

Besides this, the lens is very much worth the money IF you shoot in low light, if you don't then you would be better served using the Minolta 70-210 F4 as it will save you a lot of money and offers, though it's not AS sharp and suffers from a lot more colour fringing, it maybe a better buy if you don't need the extra stop of light.

Paid Job

2010-10-27T12:05:00.001-04:00

So this past weekend (Monday really) I had the wonderful opportunity to take some engagement style shots. I got this job from a friend who recommended me to her roommate (Reghan) because the person who was originally going to do this shoot for them kept bailing out on them. Funny enough I was later told that the other photographer who was suppose to do this shoot is a second year in the photography program I'm in (I'm a first year and I don't know who it is). So hopefully I was able to meet their expectations even though this kind of photography was outside my realm of expertise. And by that I mean I've never done it before and wasn't sure how to approach this, I even told Reghan that this was something I've never done before but still he hired me. So I am very thankful that she choose to hire me to do this shoot for them.

Though I did not have a lot of time to plan this out as it was on short notice, and Monday was one of the earliest days Reghan, Rob and I were all free. She wanted the shoot to be as early as possible before the leaves all withered away.

During the day of the shoot was also the day I first meet both Reghan and Rob in person, both of them seemed like a fun loving couple, as they often joked and played around together which was evident in the photos as well. We did not have a set location for where we wanted the shoot to take place but we had an idea. Reghan wanted a nice forested area and came across a park which we stopped by and decided to hold to shoot there. Though the day was extremely overcast even raining a little during the shoot. Though as the shoot dragged on the sun started to make its way out.

Love Lights

This was by far my favourite shot of the day, the sun was not out in full bore but it was still lighting through the clouds enough to give a bright yellow sunset.

And here are a few more shots, I'm sure if you noticed in the pictures I figured that Reghan really likes the colours and vibrancy of autumn so I ended up increasing both vibrance and saturation during post production along with a few other things. I hope they are happy with these shots.

The Different a850... UPDATE

2010-10-12T22:14:00.000-04:00

Now with video proof! Hope that clears up the fact that I wasn't making anything up for you guys...

Enjoy.

Sony a850 doing 5fps from Anthony Chang on Vimeo.

The Different a850...

2010-10-11T00:53:00.000-04:00

So as you know the story I just recently bought a Sony 850. I bought it for a good price used, though at first I was weighing my options on whether or not I should buy it cause having 5fps like on the a900 was pretty important for what I shoot. I eventually caved in and said I'll just live with the 3fps cause I'll keep my a700. When I first got a hold of it the original owner never bothered using the continuous drive mode and stuck with single. So I just played with it a little and made sure everything worked then bought it. When I got home and started playing with the continuous drive mode to get a feel for the difference between 3 and 5fps. At first I was wowed thinking 3fps was't that slow, so I was happy with it.

I must not have noticed in all that excitement of finally having a full frame camera but after taking it out alongside my a700 for a sports game I realized my a850 does 5fps... And oddly enough the exif data says I'm using an a900 which I found off but not a big deal. I have no idea how or why my a850 is like this but hell no complaints from me. I basically got me an a900 now minus the 98% viewfinder coverage. To reassure the fact that my a850 was doing 5fps I compared it side by side with my a700 and even borrowed my brothers Canon 1D mkIII and set it to fire at 5fps. Turns out they are the same, it really is firing at 5fps. And on top of that I'm not sure if the a850 should have this option or not but I can change the continuous drive mode speed from high or low, so 5 or 3fps. I'm not sure if the a850 should even have that option to begin with. And when I check the firmware on the a850 it says its an a900 Ver 1.00 oddly enough.

I also just recently did a test to find out if this was really an a900 in a a850 body by testing the viewfinder. The a900 has a viewfinder prism that allows you to see 100% of the scene, while the a850 only allows you to see 98%. So there is 2% of the scene you can't see though the viewfinder. My brother and I took a picture of, well pretty much a grid with a black border. We both lined up the very edges of the frame with the viewfinder with the edge of the grid. Took the shot and reviewed it, turns out the black border showed up in the image preview on the rear lcd. I did this several times on a tripod but the results were the same. I also let my brother try his hand at it, we both got the same result. The viewfinder prism on my a850 is indeed 98% not 100% like the a900.

So this either means my a850 has a shutter mechanism and mirror box assembly of an a900 or my a850 just has the firmware of the a900 somehow allowing me to shoot a 5fps. Though I'm no technical genius so I won't be able to really find out whats up with this camera.

Though simply put I'm very happy about this anomaly of an a850.

New Toys

2010-10-05T02:29:00.002-04:00

Sony Alpha NEX-5 + Lenses

So its taken me awhile to blog about this but I bought myself a Sony Alpha NEX-5 about 1 1/2 to 2 months ago. Its actually a very small camera... A lot smaller then I thought, I mean I've used both the Olympus E-PL1 and the Panosonic GF1. I'm sure anyone that has heard of the NEX-5 knows of the minimalist design that gives it a nice look and style but causes great grievance when it comes to user interface. I'm not going to bother with a review since that there are many good reviews out there, all I can say is that is a great travel camera that I now bring with me everywhere, whenever I know I won't need a larger body. And because of the small build and everything it is not an intimidating camera to take out and use in public places, so its great for street photography, the tilt-able screen really helps too.

Along with the NEX-5 I bought a Sony E to A mount adaptor, that way I can use all my lenses with it, though they are all MF not that I mind. Though Sony announced that they will release a new firmware update that will allow the NEX-5 to autofocus with all SSM and SAM lenses. Which isn't to big of a deal for me because my 2 lenses that SSM are a little big and negate the diminutive size of the NEX-5. And the firmware update will allow you to customize the functions on two of the buttons found on the back of the NEX-5 which should really help improve the user interface.

But my biggest buy from this weekend was my new Sony Alpha 850! Bearing almost the exact same specs at the Sony Alpha 900 it was quite the steal for the price I got it for (Which I wont mention). The only difference between the 2 are the fact that the A850 can only shoot up to 3 FPS as opposed to 5 FPS and the viewfinder which is now only a 98% instead of a 100% viewfinder. Besides those 2 difference the A850 is the exact same, using it is like talking to an old friend, since it is pretty much is like the A700 in terms handling a build. Simply put it is amazing... Just love the large bright viewfinder on it... Totally worth it...

Sony Alpha 900 + Vertical Grip

Sports + Concerts = Work

2010-09-27T00:23:00.000-04:00

The Kickoff

So ever since I came back to school and started working for the paper again my main tasking's have been shooting any of the home games or the concerts held on campus. Not that its a bad thing, I quite like shooting sports, concerts are cool to I just really need to find my earplugs... As good as the music is when I have to get down low and close to the stage, that normally puts me right next to the speakers which really causes my ears to ring once the night is done. And I feel that I've gotten my best sports shot so far now all thanks to the soccer game I shot yesterday. It just captures the moment so well, I'm quite proud of this shot.

The Big Swing

Though I also shoot my first golf game (it was a tournament) and you know what... I find golf terribly boring, though I did have fun driving around in that caddy. And because it was the first time I ever shot golf I didn't really know the proper etiquette when it comes to shooting golf, so during the first hour or two when I was on the course (I showed up 30 min late [Because the info I had on where the game was being held was old and the course was changed without me knowing so I showed up at the wrong course and got a free ride to where the tournament was being held]) I was looking for the Fanshawe athletics co-ordinator (Guy I go to when I'm unsure of what the ground rules are when shooting) to well learnt the ground rules, but I couldn't find him. So I went about shooting it like how I shoot most sports (Basketball/Volleyball) I got close... Which was a bad idea. I ended up getting in some trouble for disturbing the golfers and ruining their concentration. And I realize I screwed up so my bad, after that shooting golf got REALLY boring since now I just had to sit and wait at one spot instead of going around looking for the shot, I had to wait for the shot to come to me.

Mother Mother (Just Wait)

Aside from all that I got to have some fun shooting some more concerts, the biggest one since my last update during orientation week had a band called Mother Mother play. I much prefer these larger shows because they take place in a larger venue compared to a majority of the shows we get that just take place in our on campus bar and grill. And with a larger venue comes more people and better lighting... For the most part that is. Oh and the fact that its a different setting so it allows me to find some different angles, kind of allows me to be a little more creative. And we can't forget the fans, the only time the school holds a show outside of The Outback Shack (The bar and grill) is we they expect high numbers, and they are normally right about that. Even though I've never heard of these bands (Not my kind of music [but still generally good]) they music be pretty good up and coming stars cause a good amount of people know of them. During the concert when Mother Mother finished their last song, the fans all screamed "One more song!" Until Mother Mother came back, they couldn't disappoint their fans now could they.

The Fans

All in all, some great times shooting (minus the golf incident) and some great shots. And as usual if you want to see more or keep up with me and my latest shots just check out my Flickr Photostream as I frequently update that, and feel free to add me as a contact. And thats all I got for today.

Back on the Ball

2010-09-17T22:00:00.002-04:00

So again now that I'm back at school means I'll be back to doing some sports photography. These past few days I've done a few soccer games. Though I showed up late or was only able to stay for half the game due to class. So I couldn't stay for the whole game cause my classes just happened to run during the game times. Though I did manage to get a few decent shots in to the paper. And I'll tell you it was fun finally being able to really play around with my fancy Minolta 400mm F4.5 HS APO G.

And tomorrow I got a golf tournament to shoot which should be interesting since it will be my first time shooting a golf game.

And later tonight, actually in an hour or so I'll be off shooting another concert for the paper, so its been a somewhat busy school, what with juggling both school and work.

Not the Face!

Moving Along

First Work Day of the New School Year

2010-09-09T09:57:00.000-04:00

So its the start of my first year in the Photography program here so far its alright, just a few gripes I wont talk about but hey whatcha gonna do? I already tried fighting it but no luck, guess I'll just have to go the school's way.

Arkells (Rocking a Storm)

So now that I'm back at school it means I'm back to working with the school's paper, the Interrobang. Just last night I was shooting the first big concert of the school year. And to top it off it was the first outdoor concert I got to shoot. The 3 bands that played were San Sebastian, Flash Lightnin', and the Arkells. The concert was pretty damn good, the Arkells (the headliners) were a pretty high energy band that really got the crowd going... In other words hard to shot but still fun none the less. San Sebastian was quite the crowd pleaser too, not as energetic as the Arkells but still moved around quite a bit. Since they were the openers the sky wasn't completely black outside just yet so I had a little more help with the ambient light. And then Flash Lightnin' they were quite good but they did not jump around as much as the other 2, which is fine as that was their style. Near the end of the concert it also started to rain which kind of sucked but helped in adding to the mood and high energy show the Arkells preformed.

San Sebastian (Talk it Out)

Now the only issues I had on my end was the fact that I forgot to bring earplugs... Not something a lot of people bring to a concert but when your right in front of the speakers for 4 hours it really doesn't help your hearing. And the other issue was with other photographers and videographers. I know they were just doing their job as well but with the photographers it seemed like I was the only one moving around trying to find better angles. It just bothered me that aspiring photographers were being a little lazy and just staying in one spot the whole time. And as a gear whore it was kind of sad seeing them use their pop up flash or kit lenses, the whole show I used my 50mm F1.4 and 85mm F1.4 and for a few shots my 24-70mm F2.8, now I realize not everyone can afford gear like I can but a 50mm F1.8 costs only $100 used and is perfect for concerts. And lastly the videographers, now I understand that they use quite a lot of mounting equipment in order to get the most steady shot but having a whole railing system to pan from one end of the stage to the other is a little annoying. Mainly because they had it set up right in front of the stage so my only times to get real close was when the videographer was on right, and I ran over to the left to get a few quick shots before he decided to pan back to the left. And because he was focused on his job (had his face glued to the viewfinder) he wasn't paying attention to where I was so I had to keep an eye out for him and run around when ever he and his rig came my way. Just small gripes I have nothing terrible as thats part of their job so I understand they to are trying to get the best shot. I just was expecting more from the photographers that got to come up to the front.

Well all that aside it was a very good show, and here are the pictures!

Arkells (Cover Up)

Flash Lightnin' (The Hero)

San Sebastian (Rockin' It)

And if you want to see more just check out my Flickr photostream.

In London Town

2010-09-04T22:55:00.000-04:00

Ughhhh finally back at school, after doing some good old fashioned work for the Canadian Forces for 4 months it really makes me realize I never want to go Reg Force. I wouldn't be able to stand the job if I were to do it as a full time.

Just last week I bought myself a new Sony NEX-5 with a 16mm F2.8 and the Sony E to Alpha mount adapter. Along with that I just ordered an E to M mount adapter cause one day... I'll own a Leica lens or two, well actually cause I want to buy one of the old Minolta M Rokkor 40mm F2 lens. Which is actually the exact same as the Leitz Summicron 40mm f2. Oh and cause my brother plans on investing in some more Leica. He owns a Epson RD1s with a Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35mm F2.5 and a Leitz Summitar 50mm F2.

So basically... NEX-5 is nice and small, easy to use, user interface could be better but I'll live, and its great for street photography and stuff like that cause its not large and intimidating. I would recommend getting one if your looking for something in between a compact point and shoot and a DSLR.

The Original...

2010-08-06T23:16:00.002-04:00

The Original Alpha

A simple picture I took while I was up on base, I pretty sure I just used one light for this. I most likely just used my Maglite for lighting, though I probably unscrewed the top off it and just had it lying behind the Minolta cap as a bare bulb while the cap was propped against it. I simply just placed the light and cap in the middle of a small shelf we have and shot it with my 85mm F1.4 at the MFD at F1.4 to give it an extremely shallow depth of field.

History lesson time!

When Minolta first introduced the first mass market in body AF motor SLR's, the Minolta Maxxum 7000, which you can find at any used camera store because there was a ton of them. They had several names for each region, the Maxxum name was used in North America, Dynax was used in Europe, while in Asia they were marketed under the name Alpha. And thus started the alpha mount and legacy that Minolta left behind with Sony. Hence the title The Original Alpha.

Only from the mind of Minolta...

Sun and Moon

2010-08-04T14:47:00.001-04:00

So with the new Minolta 400mm F4.5 HS APO G lens that I got I figured I might as well shoot something that is far away. A what better subject then our own sun and moon? The shot with the sun was easy enough, wait until sunset and shoot while its almost down so the picture wouldn't been so burnt out and cause a red sun looks better then a giant white spot.

Distant Flame

While in the moon shot I took out my cheap Magnicon 2x teleconverter and attached to the 400mm. Along with the crop factor of on my a700 that gave me a 1200mm lens. Though with the teleconverter attached I was only able to get F9. Though because the moon is actually quite bright it was still able to use AF with the teleconverter on. Still pretty impressive as it retains more detail then my 500mm F8 reflex did when I used it with that 2x teleconverter, which gave me an effective focal length of 1500mm, at F16 though.

1200mm Moon

Money Made, Money Spent

2010-08-01T01:24:00.000-04:00

So I am now on paid vacation and am currently back at home for the next week. I originally planned to save up all the money I would be making this summer which I have done pretty well up until now. I say that because something unexpected showed up on Craigslist awhile back... That was a Minolta 400mm F4.5 HS APO G lens...

I knew this would be one of the few times (Actually this was first time I ever saw any Minolta prime lens longer then 200mm on sale locally) I would ever see one for sale so I did what I could to stall the seller and have him wait until I had time off work to come back to Toronto and buy it off him. So in the end I spent over half the money I just made this month for a new lens... All I can say is that it was totally worth it...

And so this is what my collection looks like, sadly though I must make back some money after this incident so I'll be purging part of my collection. As sad as that is it would be better for me anyways since the 3 lenses I plan on selling are no longer really used as they have been replaced by higher quality and faster glass... So I'm sure you can guess which 3 I'm trying to get rid of are.

But like I said... Totally worth it... I mean LOOK AT IT!

Happy Belated Patriotism Day

2010-07-03T02:21:00.004-04:00

Ahem happy birthday Canada that is...

Concrete Maple

Well aside from that I have some news! Nothing great though... I shall be going on hiatus again for 2 months due to work. It's a shame, it was such a short lived vacation but better then nothing I suppose. Sadly duty calls and I'll be off in Petawawa for the next 2 months, this time though I have some entertainment so I won't be terribly bored during my downtime. Then once thats all over school is back in session... Hurray...

So till then, see you next time!

G20 Toronto Summit [Day 02]

2010-06-28T01:35:00.002-04:00

So I decided to head back down to Toronto to see if I can catch more of the chaos that enveloped the city during yesterday's G20 protests. Well turns out I couldn't, there was no sense of chaos or tension in the air while I was down there. So I only ended up staying downtown for several hours, but nothing really seemed to happen so I called it a day and went home after a few shots.

And of course it was all a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, because after I got home I learned about some of the stuff that actually went on while I was down there. Though you know what I'm just happy I got out of there before it started to rain... Yea because it rained a lot and my gear is not really weather sealed so I rather not risk it, I mean I'll use it in light rain but this was some pretty heavy rain. Kind of felt bad for the police and protestors that stayed there, well the protestors had a choice so... Well whatever, here are today's captures.

Peaceful Protest

Stand Tall (And see the World for What it's for)

Preaching to the Choir

Dont't Worry... I'm Safe

Welcome T.O.

And since the last shot is my favourite of them all it got a boost in size... Well if you want to see them a little larger just click on the photo or better yet check out my Flickr Photostream for more photos.

Now that the most eventful thing I got to shoot for this little vacation I have is over, I'm not sure what else to do for my last week home before I go back to work and back on hiatus for 2 months...

Ahhh what to do now...