Leica Digital Journey

Diminishing returns

2012-02-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

You would like to believe that new, improved gear will get you better photos faster. At least that is the marketing fluff coming from camera vendors. And in most cases they are correct - improved equipment will make a better picture. But by how much? This is my beef with manufacturers milking the consumer with minute, incremental upgrades.

Every minute improvement is hailed by the manufacturer as a major achievement, "worlds fastest", "best", "revolutionary", etc. As a photographer, I adapt to my equipment, just like photography pioneers had to (sometimes by carrying the whole darkroom with them). But do I really care about face tracking 3D panorama modes? Not really. Real improvements are so little, that it barely makes any difference to the finished result.

Let's take a look at favorite trick pony of marketing today, resolution.

To double the resolution, you need to quadruple the amount of pixels - inverse square law in play here. So how much of improvement do you get when you go from 12 megapixels to 16? 4 million pixels you would think would make a huge difference. Well, sorry to blow your bubble, but it doesn't. To double the resolution of 12 megapixel sensor you would need a 48 megapixel sensor. Even 36 megapixel sensor doesn't come close to give you at least a 2 fold improvement in resolution. Sometimes physics byte shiny marketing ass!

What does matter is expansion of sensitivity and dynamic range. That is because those numbers are on logarithmic scale, so each number increases abilities of the sensor exponentially. That makes a huge difference in ability to hold detail in the highlights and shadows which translates in less blown out skies and less blocked up shadows. The improved sensitivity of the sensor usually decreases noise at high ISOs, and that helps a lot when shooting in light challenged environments like dusk or dawn. By being able to push ISO higher without noise penalty I can handhold my camera at high shutter speeds and reduce motion blur, hence getting more useable "keepers".

Exercising on "frooty-loops"

Oh, one more thing. By increasing resolution, manufacturer decreases the size of the individual sensors (they get closer together) and thus increasing camera noise. Fortunately, engineers have been coming up with clever ways to decrease the size of the photo sensors while maintaining noise characteristics (and sometimes even improving them). So as long as noise is going down and resolution is going up, I am content. But I don't want to see a camera that raises resolution to such extend that any amplification of the signal produces excessive noise - that has been a problem with small point & shoot camera sensors. Manufacturers actually had to reduce the resolution in the next generation of cameras to get the noise under control (Canon G10 (14.7MP), then G11 with 10MP). Two steps forward, one step back.

Saying "Goodbye" surfer style

2012-02-11T22:46:00.000-08:00

Watching the ceremony

Final service

Flowers to wish happy journey

Seagulls above

I am no expert of burials at sea, but as I was at the beach, I got a chance to observe it. Ceremony was simple and emotional, everyone were welcomed to pay respects. Rest in peace, oh unknown surfer!

Party Shots with GXR-M and 25mm Zeiss

2012-02-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

Kicking back with beers

Today I was attending birthday party and I brought my Ricoh GXR with A12-M module and Zeiss 25mm lens.

By the jacuzzi

I manually focused most of the shots, checking depth of field using focus magnification. I feel with enough light I should have used DOF scales on camera, and just pulled in for closer shots, focusing using magnification on action shots is not the fastest thing.

Force feeding cake

Overall I got quite a few nice shots, and enjoyed the party very much. As long as there is enough light, Ricoh with 25mm lens makes a pretty good snapshot machine.

By fire with the boys

Most shots were shot @f5.6. Shots post-processed in Aperture from raw.

Don't think to hard

2012-02-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

Morning Nap

Lately there has been an avalanche of new cameras. Pentax K-01, Olympus OM-D, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-Pro1. Then there are cameras slated for Photokina 2012 - Leica has a new M in their wings, Canon is working on a EVIL solution.

So basically, everybody is fighting hard for your dollars (or euros, etc.). What to do? Should I pre-order?

Marketing machine is trying very hard to convince you that what you got is garbage. That you will not be happy till you have given you cash in exchange of what will become e-waste with the next round of cameras.

Unfortunately for them, my old camera still takes pretty good picture. The limiting factor is usually me. So unless there is something significantly better with a new crop of cameras, I am staying with what I've got.

My Ricoh GXR "pocket camera" armed with A12 M mount module and its array of fine lenses from Leitz and Zeiss is more than up to the tasks of daily shooting. "Would Leica M be more up to the task?" I keep asking myself. Well, I don't know but I intend to find out one of these days. I am waiting for M10 to see what it brings to the table, and if not, I will keep happily shooting with whatever enables me to be creative with minimal bulk and weight.

Rainy Morning

2012-02-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

Purple ice plant

Ice plant and clover medley

Good luck clovers

Took a walk outside and took some pictures in the light rain. Flowers looked nice and fresh. That's it, no deep thoughts, no hidden messages.

Camera used was Ricoh GXR, A12-M, VF-2 viewfinder (so useful for low angle shots) with Leica 90mm Macro and Zeiss 25mm ZM.

All postprocessing was done in Apples Aperture 3, with watermark created in Photoshop CS5.

Day at Alhambra Lunar New Year Street Fair

2012-02-04T23:12:00.000-08:00

Today I was in Alhambra where there was a Lunar New Year street fair. Chinese population was out in force, enjoying street games and different restaurants.

I was there with my Ricoh GXR, A12 M module and Zeiss 25mm Biogon ZM. Everything was shot at f5.6, mostly zone focused.

As I reviewed my shots, I think I should have used more of focus assist features, but in the bright middle day light I had tough time seeing the back screen. Once I switched to VF-2 viewfinder, accurate focusing became much easier. I am using Mode 1 focus assist assigned to Function 1, works reasonably well.

This is was the first "workout" for 25mm Biogon, and what a spectacular lens it is! It is quite sharp wide open, but the focus shifts when stopping down, so on EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) cameras I would advice to focus with the lens already stopped down. Once the technique is worked out, the lens is quite a treat - there is no purple fringing, it is nice and crisp. I have an old Contarex 21mm lens that I was able to adapt to M mount, and 25mm seems to have all the quality of 21mm plus extra 1 and 1/3 stops of speed when needed. I think 25mm will be spending lots of time on my camera!

Marketing Circus

2012-02-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

After realizing that there is not that much money left in selling compact cameras to the masses (especially when everybody is using their smartphones for snapshots) Fuji is trying to play a high end game.

What magic will appear next?

Last time Fuji was using Nikon bodies with their own sensor, but their lineup slowly died not being able to compete with ever renewed Nikon models.

Fuji has learned from the experience and this time they are back with a new interchangeable lens product - X-Pro1.

Camera reminds of last years unobtainable X100 but this time it features interchangeable lenses. Also, they promise M mount adapter, so I could use my Leica M (and R) glass with it.

When X100 was announced, everybody thought it was a second coming. Everybody loved classical rangefinder design, and expected the performance along the same lines. Well, AF did not work as well as expected - it was slow and sometimes did not focus at all. This was not a digital Hexar, but a alpha prototype with bugs not worked out yet. So much for the second coming, people eventually figure a hoax.

The tricks did the job - everybody is happy

I have used ground glass, rangefinder, infra-red, phase and contrast focusing cameras.

Ground glass has been a staple on View Cameras since the invention of photography in 1839. You need to be in the dark to see what's on it, and it is a process that takes time. Once you got your focus, you need to load the film holders (or the digital back) and only then you can take a picture. So forget about moving subjects - it is best suited for still life and landscapes.

Rangefinder are better but need illuminated, clearly defined shapes to focus onto. Works pretty good in day time, and at night all depends on being able to see. But with practice you learn to prefocus, look for focusable shapes and make it work. Not to bad for a system that's been around since 1916!

When autofocus came along, I used Canon's EOS system. They used Phase focus sensor and it worked pretty well in the daytime. At night lack of light made the camera hunt a lot and you might as well were shooting with a rangefinder. Contrast focusing was a scheme using a single sensor for both imaging and focusing, and it quite slow. Those sensors have readout of ~30fps, and that's just not enough to get to focus quickly.

Infra-red system used a beam of light that bounced back to the sensor on the camera and that way calculated the distance. On Konica Hexar AF it worked like a charm. Why wouldn't they use it with current crop of digital cameras? I think it is not precise enough. With film you had more leeway, with digital focus needs to be more precise. But the speed it snapped lens into focus was very assuring. It worked in very dark circumstances as well. I still wish for digital Hexar AF.

So what do manufacturers are using today?

Most innovative system comes from Nikon with their 1 series. Their imaging sensor has phase sensors built in as well, so they can achieve fast focusing speed. The sad part is that 1 series sensor is miniscule. If Nikon decided to upscale 1 series to a full frame sensor size and build an EVIL camera that would take Screw (and M) lenses, that would be fantastic. Focus confirmation, there we come!

By speeding up the readout on the imaging sensor, it is possible to speed up AF. That is what Olympus has done with their latest m4/2 camera, E-PL3. Not bad, but still not as good as Phase.

Future?

I would like to see Nikon's hybrid sensor in a M compatible body. Focus confirmation would be great!

Adding LiveView capabilities to classical rangefinder (Leica M9) would address some of the shortcomings of the rangefinder. I think M10 should have it.

Next Hot Thing

2012-01-31T17:13:00.000-08:00

Yoga girls in Santa Monica, Voigtlander 15mm cropped

Today Fujifilm X-Pro 1 has gone on pre-order. Yeah, both Amazon, B&H and Adorama have them listed.

I added the full set (body with 3 lenses) to my check out basket and saw subtotal (4 items): $3,549.80. Wow, that is like buying a used Leica! And I am sure new M10 will have even more astronomical number.

Dollar is so weak. Although I am still working, I feel money that I make buys so much less these days. The only way I can feel "rich" is by buying cheap goods. But I am just fooling myself - I am not rich, this stuff is just cheap.

So I did not place a pre-order for the "next hot camera", and good riddance!

Logically, my advice is to wait for the reviews - read them, then wait for the competition, and then read reviews of those camera systems too. Only then you can make an intelligent decision not clouded by lust and desire. And believe me, there is a lot of competition on its way - Pentax, Ricoh, Leica, Olympus...

Or if you feel this is the best thing since sliced bread and you got four grand burning a hole in your pocket, then just go for it. Later you can always return the camera if you are not satisfied.

I am waiting for either M10 (with LiveView and 35MP I hope) or let's see what Nikon and Canon bring to the table. I like the small size of Fuji, but don't care for a small sensor - I have Ricoh GXR-M for that already. 35mm size sensor is already miniature enough, why settle for sub-miniature?

Fuji is on the right track with live view/optical viewfinder though, I like the idea of being able to see outside my frame (I used to keep my left eye open while looking through the viewfinder on my SLRs for that effect), and do a similar thing with a GXR and its electronic viewfinder. It is exciting times, new cameras are popping up like mushrooms after a rain!

Can't wait till the NEXT BEST THING!

Out of the Closet

2012-01-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

"Out of the Closet" on Fairfax and Oakwood

I admit it. I am tired in pretending that I am willing to overlook where my "stuff" comes from, as long as it is cheap.

I am coming to realize that the big attraction to Leica gear has not only has been quality and consistency, but also knowing that it was made by well paid happy workers who were proud of what they achieved and were able to afford products they made.

Most of workers in China who work on products like iPhone have never even seen one, not even thinking about being able to afford it.

I wonder if folks who have assembled my Ricoh GXR with A12 module can afford one and/or have time to use one?

I would like to see companies stepping up to the plate and make sure their workers are treated right, not squeezed out like sponges and fired once their joints wear out.

My ancestors had to fight for those rights, now it is time to help our working brothers by supporting them through applying pressure to mother companies. We have voting rights through our cash. And I am willing to give my cash to companies like Leica if they are the only ones who take care of their workforce. I am sure that Japanese factories are not sweatshops either, but their Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai operations leave a lot to be desired.

Photographer is the weakest link in the chain

2012-01-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

Street power wash - 15mm Voigtlander, cropped

On Tuesday I received 15mm Voigtlander lens.

On Wednesday I was walking around and taking pictures with it.

On Thursday I was bitching about the lens - I felt it was too wide and it had blue bias.

On Friday I got a deal on 25mm Zeiss.

On Saturday, as I am writing this, I realize that although the equipment is easiest to blame, in reality it is the photographer who can make it work (or not).

Obviously, with 15mm lens I need to get closer to the subjects. Or crop. Check!

Bluish tinge in white balance? I did custom white balance in Aperture and everything started looking much better.

But in reality, 15mm is a specialty lens. It will be great for those "tight spots". Or "in your face" lens. I am sure I will warm up to it, especially in crowded places like India and China. Meanwhile, for a walkabout lens in U.S. I find 21 just a tad too wide, and 28 just a tad to tight. So I will try 25mm. Let's see how that works out. Oh, and that's on APS-C sized sensor, so multiply by 1.5 to get 35mm equivalent.

Walkabout

2012-01-19T10:12:00.000-08:00

Santa Monica Pier - deck above aquarium

My favorite photo activity is a walkabout.

I can go on a walkabout in a pretty much any area - old or new - and find interesting things to photograph.

Sometimes I try to make a little series of pictures about the subject.

Street artist at work - 1/2

Street artist at work - 2/2

It could be people, it could be inanimate objects, it could be landscape or wildlife. There is always something that I can find interesting subject.

Cirque du Soleil tents near Santa Monica Pier

Cirque du Soleil tent closeup

Most important is practice. That's how you get to Carnegie Hall.

Incognito group portraits with GXR-M & 180mm

2012-01-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

Men relaxing at Crescent Bay park in Santa Monica

There was a group of men on the lawn enjoying the sunset.

I was pretty far away from them, and the sun was strait into their faces.

I did not feel threatened or within uncomfortable distance. I felt safe to work the camera and get the shot.

I doubt they even noticed me as sun was in their faces and I was at least 30 meters away from them.

Focusing becomes more difficult with longer lenses - when you magnify 12X, the image is jumping around a lot. With a 180mm lens I am getting a viewing angle of a 270mm lens equivalent on the full frame camera. That's a lot of lens to hand hold, I used 1/500s shutter speed to freeze most of the jitter.

For focusing I was working both with magnification (which works well if you can handle the hand movement) and with peaking in mode 1 which works pretty well with shallow depth of field lenses.

I still trust magnification more, as with peaking I get some out of focus shots.

My technique is using electronic view finder tilted up and looking down. I use combination of peaking (mode 1) and magnification for critical focus. I adjust exposure according to the shot - backlighting requires additional exposure.

New Camera - when why and what for?

2012-01-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

Best Taco stand in La Paz, Mexico

January 2012 CES rolls into Vegas, and camera makers start singing sirens song - Fuji with their X-Pro1 system.

Fortunately, I have been around a block couple times and take their promises with a grain of salt.

Remember when everybody thought Fuji X100 was cat's mew last year?

Later all sorts of problems crept up - AF not working too well, and camera was not available for purchase anywhere. Off it went.

Sony NEX-7 again looked perfect on paper. But then production got hampered by floods in Thailand, and then it turned out that new 24mp sensor did not play well with older symmetrical lenses. Oh well, better luck next time, Sony.

Then I look at my current gear and big smile lands on my face. Yeah, I am doing really well, and it will take quite a bit of doing to convince me otherwise.

Right now my Ricoh GXR with A12-M module and arsenal of Zeiss and Leica lenses work really really well for type of photography I am engaged in. I could even put on a 280mm or 350mm lens on it and work the birds and surfers. It is manual focus of course, but with focus peaking modes it is quite enjoyable.

So I am holding on to see what Ricoh brings out next - maybe A16-M module, or something more exotic.

What could use improvement is off camera lighting - I have couple umbrellas with Canon EX speedlites, and they would not work with my Ricoh GXR too well. It is time to try GF-1 with my umbrella.

Monkeying around at the beach

2012-01-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

I decided to head out for a walk and grabbed my Ricoh GXR with A12-M module and Zeiss 21mm f4.5 lens.

Lot's of people were having lots of fun down there.

Human pyramid was especially exciting.

And then this incredible sunset came.

I could not resist to make flash illuminated portrait. Flash on manual, full power at f5.6.

Another perfect day!

Pictures don't lie? Oh yeah?

2012-01-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

There are couple of pictures I have worked on - this is only 15 minute Photoshop CS5 "quickie". I have seen much more being done to the model way beyond recognition.

If you are looking at magazines - ALL pictures have gone through the "treatment". That's why they look "perfect". Even imperfections are planned. Be under no illusion - everything you see is pretty much fake.

Who cares about "reality". Reality is quite boring and mundane. I want drama, tension, dynamism. I want to create better world, it is my turn to play god.

Once you can accept that, you realize that there is no limits to your creativity. You can achieve pretty much anything. And the kicker is that more unreal it looks, the more everybody loves it!

Less is more

2012-01-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

Snorkeling at Cabo Pulmo, Baja Mexico Sur

After years of watching my camera bag(s) swell bigger and heavier, I am proud to announce the great relief of 2011 - Ricoh GXR A12-M system.

"So what?" "Didn't we tell you to get on Leica M bandwagon years ago?"

Well, I was hesitant. After renting M6 with 35mm summilux in the 90s, I was not impressed. I wanted a camera for night photography, and M6 was not it - to difficult to focus precisely in low light with moving subjects. Konica Hexar AF was the juice then. In my opinion, it was perfect film camera for low light photography. I was student then, so multi-thousand price tag didn't help either.

After digital started taking off I got Canon digital Rebel, and never looked back at film again. Couple more L lenses, 1Dsm3 body, some Leica R glass - my bag was starting to break my back on longer trips. I needed to cut the fat without sacrificing quality!

When Leica released M8 I was not ready to spend 6K on a body that was going to be replaced withing couple years (and it was). Optical rangefinder is cool and retro, but digital viewfinder is much more accurate. Live View on Canon 1Dsm3 has saved my behind many times.

If upcoming M10 incorporates digital viewfinder in conjunction to optical system, I might be sold. Or if upcoming Fuji camera can take Leica M lenses. Or if long promised R lens solution... Meanwhile I have taken Ricoh GXR on a serious adventure of Baja Mexico and the camera worked like a champ.

I have shot in variety of conditions - urban landscape and portraiture in towns, beach and on the water (with plenty of sand blowing). So far all is good. I took precautions of dry bags on boats, and not changing lenses while wind was howling.

I also used Ricoh VF-2 electronic viewfinder a lot. I wear glasses and I could see everything. No need to move the eyeball around to see into the corners. During daytime I was able to frame and level my shots which were not visible on washed out screen. BTW, electronic level is one of my favorite features, it is so useful!

I also got Wasabi Power batteries from Amazon to supplement Ricoh battery. They worked just as well as OEM Ricoh. I charged them either mains outlet or using PowerFilm 20W solar panel (takes couple hours to charge to full either way) using Smart Universal Charger. I think I could have gotten away with a smaller solar panel, but that's what I had and in full sun it worked great.

So now I have a system that could work anywhere where there is sunlight, and all I would need are more SD cards. 32GB Sandisk SD card held about 1500 photos from GXR-m.

Was it perfect? No. I wish the remote control did not need a battery which discharges nicely if you forget to slide the switch to "OFF" position. Why can't I turn off JPEG recording - I only want RAW. But those are only minor quibles. By golly, this camera definitely earns "Good Enough™" award.

New Year resolutions 2012

2012-01-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

Street market in La Paz, Mexico

Every year I try to improve my life.

I try to improve my conditions by trying to make everything smoother and easier.

So I purchased faster computer, improved camera, a kitchen appliances. All those things should make my life easier, right?

Well, some of them did and some of them broke and left me stranded. Not too much of improvement, isn't it?

So what to do? Seems like trying to solve problems by blindly throwing money at it is not working too well.

There is my new mantra for the new year.

Think before you buy. So much money is wasted on things and trinkets I could have done without.
Buy the best quality you can afford. Initial cheap price will cost you double in the long run.
Less is more. You might be able to do what you want with tools you already have, and save the money for more important things like travel.
Sell items you don't use. That is hard, as I am quite attached to my trinkets.
More travel. The more I travel the more I get to photograph and to know myself.
Stay healthy. Daily exercise works magic on those persistent pains.

I am sure I can add more, but that's what I should do.

How many megapixels is enough?

2011-12-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

We all want more. Does that mean we are greedy? Perhaps.

Leica 50mm Summarit M using Ricoh GXR-M 12
Swinging in Santa Monica

I remember reading an article on Luminous Landscape about sensors outresolving lenses. The conclusion was simple - using 35mm size sensor (24x36mm) lens diffraction becomes a limiting factor.

At f11 maximum resolution possible is 16 megapixels. At f8 maximum jumps to 29 megapixels. f5.6 maximum becomes 60 megapixels. And that is with perfect, diffraction limited lens.

Using APS-C size sensor drops down maximum possible resolution to f11 at 7 MP, f8 at 13 MP and f5.6 at 27 MP.

And those numbers are with diffraction limited lenses. How many of those do you own?

Full body makeup - touching up spots before the shot

My conclusion is the same as Leica. If you want more resolution, go up in size of the sensor. Medium format size sensor (36x48mm) can resolve 31MP at f11, 59MP at f8 and 120MP at f5.6. As long as lens is good, it is possible to have more quality.

So what's the final final conclusion?

There is no free lunch. With APC-C cameras already at 24MP level (Sony sensor, NEX-7 and A-77 using it) past f5.6 resolution is limited by the diffraction. So you better have a kick ass lens by f5.6 to justify extra pixels.

This is for the back shot - fixing running makeup

Using full frame sensor at 36MP again requires extraordinary lens at f5.6 or more. Do we have such glass? Perhaps. But the end is nearing the Megapixel race as we are approaching the limitations of sensor sizes with diffraction limited lenses.

Now I want to see real world images with new sensors. And if you still want more, move up the size. Format size that is.

Pushing Gear

2011-12-10T10:02:00.001-08:00

Photography is spelled with $$$, a lot of them. 26 billion to be exact in 2010.

All that money drives innovation. New cameras, new sensors, new lenses. Every company is fighting for your dollar.

If it wasn't for us, there would be no industry.

So when I browse blogs, forums and review sites I see quite a bit of "gear pushing". Somebody will sweet sing about that "must have" lens or camera and I see droves of photographers get in line and generate sales of a pushed product.

Sounds simple, but it is not. Many so called reviewers get free cameras to review, and I feel they are almost expected to say something nice. Yes, reviewers also point out what they don't like, but if they don't play ball, they will not be reviewing products for long. So I in general take "sponsored" reviewers with a grain of salt.

Lately there have been exposures of major photo company sponsored trolls that would post favorable comments about pushed product. So much for citizen reporting! Deep pockets of corporation are "taking care of business" in most unethical way. Shame on them!

So what to do? I do my research by reading blogs and reviews, then test out the product. If the product doesn't live up to the hype, it is returned. If it does what it claims, then I gladly support it with additional positive comments.

That's life in our "guided" democracy.

Life's a beach

2011-12-08T10:17:00.001-08:00

Life begins with a full bottle. Slowly the bottle gets used and eventually ends up being an empty vessel.

The bottle is a excellent example for life of things.

Ricoh GXR-M with Leica Summarit 50mm

Everything has a stage of being new and shiny, revered and prized.

If the object is good, then the user stage comes. It is useful for the sake of usefulness.

As object gets old, newer and shinier objects come into play. We want them, not the old one, even while the old one is still perfectly functional.

Santa Monica beach cleaning machine should pick up this bottle

Eventually the old object is forgotten, eclipsed by newer and more useful things.

The cycle continues...

Meeting of Dragons

2011-11-30T11:55:00.001-08:00

Canon vs. Nikon? How about Leica vs. Zeiss? Or Sony vs. Pentax?

In reality are they are that much different? The technology behind all the magic is pretty much the same, and what separates the vendors are their user experience (interface). Marketing would like you to think otherwise (mine is bigger than theirs, silly features, "new", "improved", "amazing").

We know better. Most of it is pure bunk.

Find what makes you happy and master the tools. Work with subjects. The rest will follow.

Macro with GXR-M? Sure, Leica Elmar 90mm!

2011-11-25T11:29:00.001-08:00

Lilie bloom in November

Leica Elmar f4 90mm macro does work as a closeup lens without any extension rings on my Ricoh GXR-M setup.

I find it very sharp, color gamut is nice, and the lens is small and compact. I use Apple Aperture 3 to develop DNG files from GXR camera. Hint: Aperture currently is only $79.99 through Apple App Store directly!

The biggest limitation on shooting macro is your ability to handhold steadily - if you getting way too much shake, start using a tripod.

I purchased Tamrac Zipshot travel tripod - it is very small and light. I'll report more once I use it more. So far it has been useful for nightscape photography.

Servicing Mushroom Cloud

2011-11-16T22:32:00.000-08:00

I was also near the courthouse and took some shots. They were repairing our mushroom cloud today. I didn't know there was a trap door inside.

50mm Summarit-m @ f5.6. Ricoh GXR-M A12.

There is trap door there

28mm Elmarit @f5.6. Ricoh GXR-M A12

Shooting Fashion

2011-11-16T22:12:00.001-08:00

I was taking my morning walk by the beach and that's when I saw a crew setting up a shoot. On the way back I approached them about what the shoot was for (British fashion catalogue they said) and I took some shots of the process.

Today I had Leica 50mm f2.5 Summarit-M. Shot mostly at f5.6 or f8.

Instructing the model

Action!

After hanging around for about 10 minutes I was approached by one of the "crew". In his opinion I have taken "enough" photos. What nerve! They were on public property and trying to tell me what I could and could not photograph! But I figured that the laws in GB and different so I let it go. They are not used to the land of the free!

The main photog was a good sport about it though - as I offered him to get some picts of them working he said he shoots himself and played around with his cam. International incident avoided!

Finding the right focal length

2011-11-15T20:54:00.001-08:00

Sunset at the rings - Santa Monica Beach

Some people look for the best "angle" for every shot. For me, I have a range that I am comfortable with, and my best shots come easy that way.

The more I shoot 28mm, the less I feel it is my "natural" angle. 21mm had much more natural feel, and I wished for even wider lens. 90mm was good for far away shots, I enjoyed it. And the only lens left that I haven't tried is 50mm.