infrar3d

Google Reader Serendipity

2012-01-30T09:50:00.001-06:00

004_R1174718, originally uploaded by infrar3d. Unrelated to the post other than being 4:3.

Kirk Tuck's weekly article at The Online Photographer this week was about aspect ratios, and how his preference is for the square. I think Mr. Tuck's article may have been at least partially prompted by his recent purchase of a Panasonic GH2, which has an actual multi-format sensor, although 1:1 is still a crop. I hope we see more sensors made this way.

Mike Johnston later posted a small follow-up on his preference for rectangles. In between these two articles, I also saw this post about proportions as they relate to comic book frames by Frank Santoro, via Austin Kleon. Here's a quote.

Finding the squares on a given proportion is what one's mind does instinctively.

He goes on to compare the square to whole notes in music. It's interesting when the feed reader gets lucky that way.

Me? I'm still getting used to 4:3 with my GRD2. I shot with it in 3:2 mode when I first got it, but I'm warming back up to 4:3. It's essentially the same proportion as my old peel-apart Polaroids and quarter-plate Speed Graphic.

Digital Black & White Printing Services

2012-01-18T16:00:00.001-06:00

I've just found out today that Adoramapix stopped offering Ilford Multigrade Express RC as an option a few months ago. Guess I should print more often. I spent some time today looking around for another printer that uses this paper, so far I've come up with Mpix.com, Fromex.com, and digitalsilverimaging.com.

I ordered some prints from Mpix today, even though they only carry matte finish and I'd really prefer glossy. I talked to Mpix customer service and they just have one machine dedicated to black and white, so no prospect of getting glossy paper in the future. At least they're fast. I already got the confirmation email that my order has shipped.

I'll probably try Digital Silver Imaging next. They've got their own printing application you install, and that seems interesting.

ebay Find: Kodak 760M

2012-01-06T12:21:00.002-06:00

There's a Kodak 760M on ebay right now. These don't show up very often, and I'm betting it's going to get pretty high. Maybe over five grand? With over nine days left to go it's already jumped up over $1000 dollars.

That seems like a lot for a six megapixel camera that what? ten years old? But, this is one of the very few true monochrome digital cameras ever made. I'd love to have one to play with, but that's just out of my league for a toy.

Beach Walk

2011-12-23T13:44:00.005-06:00

004_R1174978, originally uploaded by infrar3d.

I took the dog for a walk yesterday, and decided to play with the GW-1 21mm lens a bit. I don't use it very often, because of the added bulk, but it's fine hanging around your neck in a half case. Nowhere near as bulky as the GT-1.

The light was really nice after the storm cleared. I had to fix a bit of distortion in this pic with Photoshop.

Amazon links:

Ricoh GW-1 21mm Wide Conversion Lens with Hood for the GR Digital & GR Digital II Cameras, Requires GH-1 Adapter for Mounting.

Ricoh GR Digital III at BBC

2011-12-19T11:04:00.000-06:00

Take a look at this interesting photo essay by Graham Holliday about Rwandan biogas-powered prisons at the BBC, shot entirely with a Ricoh grd3. There's also an interesting discussion about the series at DPReview.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16203507

Seen at seriouscompacts.com.

"There's a bunch of lazy-ass photographers out there"

2011-12-18T14:17:00.000-06:00

Facing Change: Documenting America - Debbie Fleming Caffery from Leica Camera on Vimeo.

A great little interview with Louisiana photographer Debbie Fleming Caffery.

Seen at The Leica Camera Blog.

P.S. The Leica Camera Blog is one of the most interesting corporate blogs I know of, and I don't own any Leica gear.

Russell Monk's Portraits of his Neighbors

2011-12-15T09:34:00.000-06:00

One of Russell Monk's neighbors, Izabelle.

I'm loving this series of portraits Russell Monk is doing of his neighbors in Mexico. He's posted them to his Facebook account. They make me want to shoot some film for a change.

Seen at Lens.

Deal: Transcend 16GB SD card for $15.99

2011-11-19T07:08:00.000-06:00

Amazon's Gold Box deal today is the Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 10 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC10E for only $15.99.

Class 10 cards can really make a difference in some cameras. Ricoh Forum helpfully has tables of RAW writing speeds with various SD cards. Here's the info for the GRD2.

Crazy Interception

2011-11-07T20:48:00.001-06:00

MGCCC'S Alonzo Lawrence (15) intercepts a pass intended for Hinds receiver Qauntavius Leslie in the Bulldogs' 35-26 win over Hinds Oct. 29.

I was on the sideline Saturday, shooting our semi-final game against Northeast, when the Dean of Athletics told me one of my shots from the previous week had run in the Clarion-Ledger. We ran it on our site as well.

It was just a crazy interception that happened right in front of me. I've been told it looks like everything from interpretive dance to a Power Ranger move. I actually shot several frames in this sequence, and none of the other ones looked weird like this. There were a couple where the guys had more air, but the Sports Information Director liked this one.

We won our semi-final game also, in overtime. So we'll be playing for the state championship in Scooba Saturday.

Ricoh GRD4 Review

2011-11-07T20:22:00.000-06:00

There's a nice little review of the Ricoh GR Digital IV over at jt . in . seoul. There aren't too many reviews out for this camera yet, and this one is a concise user overview, with plenty of pictures. There's also a brief comparison with the GRD3 and even the GR21!

Fuji Full Frame Mirrorless?

2011-11-07T20:16:00.000-06:00

I was reading Ryan Brenizer's review of the Sony NEX-5n today, and near the end of the review he wrote this;

Fuji is currently developing a professional mirrorless system that should have an even bigger sensor than the NEX cameras.

Bigger than APS-C? And maybe with a sweet hybrid OVF like the X100? Sounds like a digital Contax G to me. I think I'll put of any big purchases until I see what that's all about.

Amazon links

Sony NEX-5N 16.1 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera with Touchscreen - Body Only (Black)

Think Tank Retrospective Series

2011-11-02T09:12:00.000-05:00

Think Tank Retrospective 10.

Here's another good looking messenger style bag - the Think Tank Retrospecitve 10. Thinktank also make a Retrospective 5, 10, and 30 which are, as you might imagine, smaller or larger, corresponding with their model number designation. I still think the Lowepro Pro Messenger looks a little nicer, but I haven't seen either one in person.

Amazon links

Think Tank ~ Retrospective 10, Pinestone

Lowepro Pro Messenger AW Series

2011-10-28T10:01:00.001-05:00

Lowepro Pro Messenger AW Series.

I don't normally get excited about new camera bags, but these new Lowepro Pro Messenger AW Series bags look really nice. Understated, not too big but they still hold a lot of stuff, and a trolley sleeve. I want one of these, probably the big one - the 200. I think that's the 200 in the pic above.

I love my old Compudaypack, and it's been bulletproof, but it's not always the handiest bag to work out of. It's also International Distress Orange. Check out the video at the link below.

Via Lowepro blog.

Amazon links

Lowepro CompuDaypack Camera Bag (Slate)

Lowepro Pro Messenger 200 AW Shoulder Bag - Slate Grey

Roundflash

2011-10-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

The Roundflash.

A friend just sent me this link, it's a gadget called the Roundflash and it might be awesome.
I've got a ray flash, but this thing is still intriguing.

The Ray Flash is very efficient, doesn't lose much of the flash power. But i like the larger surface area of that Roundflash. Plus it's light and packs up small. The Ray Flash is about the same price, and they're molded to your particular model of flash, not universal fit.

There aren't a lot of sample shots around yet, and I'm curious to know how many stops of light it loses. It's like a mini AlienBees Moon Unit.

Via Gizmodo.

Amazon links

Ray Flash RAN-160 Ring Flash Adapter for Nikon SB800 Portable Flash Units with Nikon D5000/D700/D300/D200/D90/D80/D70/D60/D50/D40 Digital SLR Cameras

Nikon D7000 vs D700 for Football Photography

2011-10-27T10:26:00.000-05:00

7000_DSC_3353, originally uploaded by infrar3d.

I've been shooting football all season, mostly with a D700. But this weekend I really needed two bodies, so my backup was a D7000.

The game started at 5pm, so it went from daylight to dark over the course of 3 hours. I started with a 70-200mm on the D700 and an 80-400mm on the D7000. 400mm is a lot of reach on a cropped sensor camera. the D7000/80-400mm combo worked fine in good light, when things weren't moving too fast. It allowed me to get some shots I couldn't have gotten otherwise. I kept it on a monopod and switched to the D700 around my neck when the action got closer and/or faster.

After halftime the battery in my D700 died (and I didn't realize there was a hot spare in the truck), so I stuck the 70-200mm on the D7000 and kept going. It worked, and having the extra reach was actually great, but it was frustrating as well. The D7000 just isn't a fast action camera. The AF is slower, and less reliable. The buffer is slower, and smaller. It made me miss shots.

The D7000 has a lot going for it; it's small and light, and the high ISO shots look great, but despite the fact that it's smaller and lighter, the deep, yet narrow, grip isn't as comfortable as the larger cameras for all day use. At least not for me. This isn't just the D7000 either, the D80 was the same way. And it's too slow. It sucks when a play is right in front of you, and suddenly nothing happens when you press the shutter button.

Amazon links

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Autofocus VR Zoom Nikkor Lens

Nikon D700 12.1MP FX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

More Stuff I'm Reading.

2011-10-12T13:37:00.001-05:00

Just some interesting items from around the photo blogoshpere.

Timbuk2 Snoop Insert Transforms a Normal Messenger Bag Into A Camera Bag - at Popular Photography.
The Man Who Inspired Jobs - A nice piece at the New York Times about Edwin Land. I've posted about his connection to Steve Jobs before. Via The Online Photographer.
No new Pentax cameras in 2011 says Photo Rumors. But the more interesting part to me was this bit at the end of the post. "The Pentax camera division will not merge with the Ricoh camera division in the coming year."
Keep your Photoshop presets safe with Dropbox - A very handy Photoshop tip from fine folks at Drawn.
And finally, Thom Hogan says that Olympus is about to drop the price of the E-PL1 kit to $399 and throw in a $100 rebate.

More Football Photos

2011-10-12T12:06:00.001-05:00

East Central Community College freshman quarterback Jesse Blakemore (10)

This past weekend I went to Decatur, MS to shoot the East Central Community College homecoming game. Since it was homecoming the game was early, kickoff was 2pm. So, since there was plenty of light I decided to shoot the whole game with the Nikkor 80-400mm and left the 70-200mm in the bag.

I just wanted to try shooting the whole game with something that would give me the extra reach. Zooming all the way in to 400mm let's you get photos like the one above. I couldn't have done that with the 70-200.

But I don't know if it's worth it. The 80-400 is really slow compared to the 70-200, in more ways than one. First it's got a slower aperture, f/4.5-5.6 versus a constant f/2.8, but that would be OK for daytime games if it weren't for the other problems. See, it's also a lot slower to focus. I mean a lot. And it's slower to use, because the zoom ring is so stiff. So stiff that the rubber grip is coming loose. It's just got a cheap plastic-on-plastic feel. The zoom ring on the 70-200 is smooth.

And the last thing is the close focusing distance. Even zoomed all the way out to the short end at 80mm, it still feels like the closest focusing distance is about 6 feet. The 70-200 can get down to around 3 feet I think.

So, until we buy a 400mm f/2.8 (never), I'll still use the 80-400mm, but I don't think I'll shoot a whole game with it again. It's a pain to shoot football switching lenses on just one body, but that's the way it is.

Oh, and the final score: MGCCC 37, ECCC 21.

Amazon links

Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Autofocus VR Zoom Nikkor Lens

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens For Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Nikon 400mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S SWM Super Telephoto Lens for Nikon FX and DX Format Digital SLR

Popular Point and Shoots

2011-10-07T11:24:00.001-05:00

004_R1174136, originally uploaded by infrar3d.

I was surfing the Point-N-Shoot forum at rangefinderforum recently, and noticed that the entire first page of 25 posts was dominated by just a few models. And most of them weren't recent models either.

Ricoh GR-D (I,II,III)
Ricoh GR1/v/s
--
Hexar AF
--
Hexar AF
Konica Hexar AF
Ricoh GRD4
Lumix LX-5
Hexar AF
Klasse W
--
Ricoh GRD III
Klasse W
Fuji Klasse/Klasse S
Olympus Infinity Stylus/Infinity Stylus EPIC
Hexar AF
Hexar AF
--
--
Hexar AF
Hexar AF
Lumix LX5
Ricoh GR Digital
--

Here's the breakdown.

Konica (Hexar AF) - 8
Ricoh (GR series, both film and digital) - 5
Fuji (Klasse series) - 3
Panasonic (LX5) - 2
Olympus (Infinity Stylus series) - 1

The Konica Hexar is still pretty popular isn't it? Gotta get my hands on one of those eventually. Is the Fuji X100 the new Hexar? Or maybe the Sony Nex-7 with it's new Zeiss 24mm lens?

Amazon links

Fujifilm X100 12.3 MP APS-C CMOS EXR Digital Camera with 23mm Fujinon Lens and 2.8-Inch LCD

Sony NEX-7 24.3 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera - Body Only

Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* E 24mm F1.8 ZA Lens for Sony NEX Cameras

Steve Jobs: Visionary, Inventor, and Very Challenging Photo Subject | PDN Pulse

2011-10-07T07:45:00.001-05:00

PDN has an article up about Steve Jobs as a difficult portrait subject. It also has the behind the scenes story of the 2008 Albert Watson photo that was posted on the front page of Apple.com yesterday.

Steve Jobs: Visionary, Inventor, and Very Challenging Photo Subject | PDN Pulse

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

2011-10-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

The front page of apple.com today. Photo by Albert Watson.

Steve Jobs passed away yesterday evening.

Friends texted me, and it was all over the news. Celebrity deaths don't normally affect me, but this is different. This is someone that has had a very real impact on my life. I have a hard time imagining how different the world would have been without him. He will be missed.

Stuff I'm reading.

2011-10-05T08:53:00.003-05:00

004_R1173585, originally uploaded by infrar3d.

So here's a couple of fun links.

http://www.featureshoot.com/2011/10/portraits-from-world-beard-championships/
http://www.eatliver.com/i.php?n=7765

And a couple more that I just like.

http://lpvmagazine.com/2011/10/mikael-kennedy-passport-to-trespass-vol.-8-9-part-1/
http://thephotobook.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/john-ryan-brubaker-strange-cities/

Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company

2011-10-01T08:24:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official; my old favorite camera company, and current favorite camera company, are now one. They issued a press release today stating that the deal is done. I wonder if they'll continue with two distinct camera lines under the Pentax and Ricoh names? Or maybe they'll just go with Pentax Ricoh, like Konica Minolta did.

Via Ricoh-28mm.

Ricoh GR Digital IV released

2011-09-15T11:02:00.003-05:00

The Ricoh GR Digital IV, also available in white.

Looks like the rumors were right on, Ricoh announced the GRD4 today, September 15th. Much like the last even-numbered iteration, the GRD2, this seems to be an evolutionary step, rather than revolutionary. It already appears to be taking a bit of a beating on the forums.

So let's look back at my GRD4 wish list from March and see how I did. Not too well I'm afraid.

12 megapixels at 3:2

faster AF

usable ISO to 3200

two distinct models - 28mm f/1.7 and 40mm f/1.7

black and white sensor

ability to use the GXR EVF, or even better...

a hot shoe mounted hybrid OVF

Mostly wishful thinking, but I bet we'll get the EVF and maybe image stabilization.

Hmmm. 12 megapixels at 3:2? Looks like we're still stuck at 9 since it's the same sensor. Faster AF? Should be, with the added hybrid AF. That's one of the headline features. Usable ISO to 3200? We'll see. Two distinct models - 28mm f/1.7 and 40mm f/1.7, black and white sensor, a hot shoe mounted hybrid OVF? I was dreaming on these. Ability to use the GXR EVF? I really thought they'd add this. And maybe image stabilization? Well there you go, 2 out of 8. Maybe 3 depending on how the high ISO looks when it actually starts shipping. I'm a better dreamer than futurist.

Ricoh has all the specs on their site. They've also issued a press release.

As for me, if Ricoh had included at least one of my dream features, like the black and white sensor or 40mm lens, I would be very tempted. As it is, I'll probably keep shooting with my GRD2 until it quits and then upgrade to a used GRD3. Unless a really good deal falls in my lap.

How To Ruin A Monopod

2011-09-02T12:46:00.004-05:00

MGCCC QB Raymond Cotton (7) stiff arms an East Miss. defender Sept. 1.

I've done a lot of different photo work over the years, but this was my first time ever shooting football from the sidelines. I've gotta say, it was way more fun than I would have imagined, and I hope I get the opportunity to shoot more.

This was opening night of the 2011 MACJC season. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College vs East Mississippi Community College at Scooba, MS. It was also the first game played at EMCC's new Sullivan-Windham Field, and it's a great facility. There was also a documentary about juco football being filmed at the game.

In the second quarter, I got trampled by our new QB, Ray Cotton. I thought he was trying to cut up the field, but he got pushed out of bounds by a defender. I managed to stay on my feet, but I've got cleat marks going up my left leg. My borrowed monopod wasn't so lucky - it didn't survive. The D700 and 70-200mm lens were both fine. And one of the photos from this sequence ended up being used as the lead photo for the story on the front page of mgcccbulldogs.com.

It was great working with the D700 again. It's just a pleasure to shoot with. All these shots were at 1000 ISO.

Photography Book Now

2011-08-22T16:39:00.000-05:00

Screenshot of blurb.com

Voting is open now for the People's Choice award in Blurb's annual Photography Book Now competition. From their website.

PBN is an international juried competition celebrating the most creative, most innovative, and finest self-published photography books – and the people behind them.

Lots of good stuff to look at. Here are just a few that caught my eye.

In The Navel Of The Moon By Tom Feher
Mute By Martin Usborne
Victims and Avengers By Chris Anthhony
BALI By Peter Steinhauer
Likeness By Jody Ake

Martin Usborne's book has gotten some press recently. And that Jody Ake book is really something. Wet Collodion is a process I really want to try someday.