Scenic Core

2016 in Books

2017-01-15T03:19:00.002+11:00

Leica Lens Saga: Evolution - Optical Design - Evaluation - Future
The third book in a series from Erwin Puts. I have been diligently monitoring for new releases from this author for the past five years. His work contains a good amount of information about Leica cameras and lenses.

The Mind's Eye (Henri-Cartier Bresson)
A compilation of Henri-Cartier Bresson's writing on photography.

Trent Parke: Minutes to Midnight
A collection of photos from a road trip in Australia in the early 2000's by a famous Australian photographer.

Henri-Cartier Bresson: The Decisive Moment
An excellent book, for years it was unavailable and used copies are insanely expensive. This is an excellent reprint from Steidl and yes, the book is large. It doesn't actually fit in my current bookshelf.

Custom Hood for Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F/1.4

2013-07-03T17:44:00.000+10:00

Here is a prototype 3D-printed square lens hood that I got for my Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F/1.4. It is made by AnalogueRobot and available from ShapeWays. This is a good option for those who are looking for square alternative for the LH-6. It also fits a 40mm F/1.4 Nokton lens.

The hood is more compact than the original one. It has a rough finish which I think is actually nice since it will prevent light reflecting into the lens. Since the hood is made of plastic, its a tad lighter.

I got the version with the VF cutout since I know that it will block a little bit of the view in the lower right corner.

It is surprising that this hood has bayonet mounts which provides a very tight fit.

Here is a comparison of the size between the LH-6 and the custom one.

This is the lower right corner view from my Leica M6 with an 0.85 finder. The hood blocks a little bit of the view but it doesn't. bother me.

The hood doesn't interfere with attaching and removing the lens cap. But it is better to put in the cap with the pinch tab sideways way to make it easier to attach/remove the lens cap.

Lens cap is quite dusty since this is my go-to fast 35mm lens.

Lens hood is available at: http://www.shapeways.com/shops/AnalogueRobot

Contax T3 "Double-Teeth" Version

2013-04-14T14:37:00.002+10:00

I bought my Contax T3 without ever knowing that there is such a thing as double-teeth version. Luckily for me, my camera has it. You can see the teeth by inspecting the film spool. This is a good indicator that your camera is a late model, but then again, it is also possible for an early production to have it if it has been upgraded.

Here is how the teeth looks like when loading a film. It is different from other cameras I have which has slots to put the film leader in. For me, this makes it quite tricky to load because there are times the teeth doesn't catch the sprocket. Compared to my other cameras, I am definitely sure that I have loaded it correctly even after I close the back/bottom plate.

Unlucky Day

2012-12-10T18:43:00.001+11:00

This is my first roll using a Contax T3 camera. The motor managed to tear the film off the canister (Kodak Tri-X 400). Ended up with an empty can in the compartment, and all the film rolled up nice and tight in the take-up spool.

Serves as a good reminder to attach the film properly on the spool when bulk loading, specially when using an automatic camera.

October 2011 - Steve Jobs Tribute Photos

2012-10-05T00:07:00.000+10:00

These photos were taken October last year. I think it is befitting to post them today, as it is the death anniversary of one of the greatest innovators in our time.

Elliott Erwitt Snaps

2012-06-26T22:11:00.000+10:00

Elliott Erwitt Snaps is an unexpected purchase due to the recent 50% off sale by Phaidon.

This is the first time I've purchased a book which contains his work. Although I've been thinking of getting the other one, "Personal Best", this, I think will still be a good addition to my small library since it contains photos from his entire career.

I haven't checked out the entire book yet, but as I was going through the first few pages, I found the text hard to read due to the white font on green background and the almost nonexistent margins. If I could only lay the book flat on the table without damaging the bindings. Ouch.

Finding Parts for a Leica Camera

2012-04-11T12:26:00.001+10:00

I was looking for a black screw mount Leica last year, most of the common black screw mount body are Leica II's so inadvertently I ended up getting two with nickel plated fittings.

The first camera body I got was from Youxin Ye, which was originally manufactured in 1935. It was missing the screw-on shutter release collar. The collar or shutter ring is commonly missing on pre-war Leica's since the ring needs to be removed in order to fit in a cable release.

The shutter ring is really tiny so it is really likely to be misplaced once unscrewed. The missing piece is not really a major issue but the shutter button sticking out like the head of a nail is somewhat unsightly, so I'm off to find the part. I thought looking for a replacement would be difficult, due to the nickel plating which will make it uncommon.

Luckily, an eBay seller from Japan offers an ideal brand new replacement. He sells both the chrome version for later screw mounts and nickel plated ring for early Leicas. This is obviously not an original piece but still a decent looking nickel plated copy which fits the camera well.

The other black Leica II body was won on eBay. Manufactured in 1932. It was missing the black trim ring for the rangefinder window. Since this exposes the rangefinder adjustment notch, I really need to cover it up to prevent gunk from building up on that area, to protect the rangefinder glass, and to make sure the infinity focus is where it should be. I fear that the rangefinder alignment may get skewed since this area is exposed.

Finding a replacement part for this is tricky. It needs to be in a specific color and I don't think there will be anyone selling this part alone. Usually there are eBay sellers which sell parts set which may include this piece but I don't want to buy an entire lot just for this.

Off to DAG Camera Parts I go, website of the famous "Don Goldberg", an expert in Leica repair. Too bad he does not have the part listed on the Leica parts screw mount section, but after inquiring I was informed that he has the exact item in stock. Yay! After receiving the item via post, I was surprised at how pretty the little thing is. Looks like a brand new, old stock of the item or maybe newly fabricated, since there are no signs of use.

Now, all the camera body needs are two nickel plated lenses, which I managed to find soon enough. I'll leave the details about that in my future post.

Hyde Park, Sydney

2011-12-26T17:34:00.001+11:00

Fig trees in the park, looking towards Archibald Fountain.

Leica Repair: Sending a Lens for Cleaning (CLA)

2011-05-10T21:49:00.001+10:00

Recently, to my dismay, I found out that my hazy Leica 50mm Summicron Dual-Range F/2.0 has already started to spread oil in the inner elements and the aperture blades while temporarily stored. Since I don't have any expertise in taking apart lenses, and putting it back together in good working condition, I decided on sending it to someone instead of making it worse by a DIY repair. After thinking on who to send it to, I tried to contact Sherry Krauter (Golden Touch), a well known Leica repair specialist, to handle the lens cleaning.

Inner element contamination.

She was very quick to respond to my email and after finding that the rates and turn-around time for a clean, lube, and adjust (CLA) is very reasonable, I immediately packed the lens to be sent out for cleaning.

After a couple of days, Sherry sent an email to inform me that she has already completed the job. Surprisingly, it was way ahead of her three week estimate, and the lens was back in my hands before a month's time was over. After inspecting the lens, the glasses were crystal clear, no traces of oil in the elements and the diaphragm, and turning the focusing ring is smoother than before. And the missing red dot was also replaced!

Cleaned aperture blades.

To sum it up, I was very satisfied with the quality of the work and communication. Now off to test the newly serviced lens out at the next possible opportunity and see how a lens serviced to factory specification performs.

Leica 50mm Summicron Dual-Range F/2.0

Any experiences with your repair person?

Under the Sydney Tower

2011-03-27T23:04:00.001+11:00

Sydney Tower, also known as Centrepoint Tower, is Sydney's tallest structure.

1.25x Viewfinder Magnifier for Leica M Review

2011-03-13T18:15:00.004+11:00

I recently obtained a 90mm and a 135mm lens for my Leica M6 body (0.85 magnification). I have no trouble focusing using my 50mm lenses, but I want to have more accurate focusing using the telephoto lenses that I have.

A viewfinder magnifier will help me deal with this issue since it magnifies the rangefinder image to help in focusing. After deciding that an original Leica 1.25x viewfinder magnifier is too expensive, and getting a cheap used one from eBay is difficult, I had to made do with an aftermarket 1.25x viewfinder magnifier which retails for around US$65.00 from HKSupplies with free shipping. It is a cheap alternative and after receiving the item, I am not dissapointed.

The package consists of a small leather case, and the viewfinder magnifier. The aftermarket 1.25x viewfinder magnifier feels solid and well made. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the leather case which we will deal with later. There are no rough areas in the metal, the glass is clean and clear. The lettering is just painted and not engraved. Another plus is that it has threads on the viewing end which accepts a Leica diopter correction lens.

Unlike the original Leica version, this magnifier does not come with a cord which can be a positive or negative thing depending on how you see it. For me, the cord may be a liability since it could catch into things, though it helps prevent losing the magnifier in case it unscrews from the viewfinder. I don't forsee the magnifier dislodging itself from the body during use. But then again, I am just using the product occasionally since I do not shoot that much with a 90mm or 135mm lens.

There is also no rubber cap on the back of the magnifier which would be a problem for eyeglass wearers since their glasses may be scratched. This can easily be resolved by gluing a piece of rubber or felt cloth.

The leather pouch is good enough to fit the magnifier inside. It comes with a strip of leather which goes in so you will not have any difficulty popping out the magnifier for use (and risk dropping it). It has a snap around attachment to put it to a neck strap. The snap around attachment just consists of two flimsy pieces of leather which I think can easily tear if the pouch snags on to something.

The magnifier should fit all Leica M bodies, but I have only managed to test it on my Leica M6 and Leica M2. On attaching the lens to my Leica M6 0.85x body, the 35mm framelines is no longer usable but the framelines can still be seen if you move your eyes around the edges of the finder.

Using a 50mm lens, the sample image above shows how the rangefinder patch appears without, and with the 1.25x viewfinder magnifier attached. The framelines disappear when the magnifier is attached since I cannot poke further using the camera I used when taking the picture. But when you use your eyes, you will see that the 50mm framelines are visible.

Here is the corresponding magnification equivalent for various bodies when using the 1.25x viewfinder magnifier:

0.58 = 0.72
0.72 = 0.85
0.85 = 1.06

Since the magnifier costs way lot less than an original Leica 1.25x viewfinder magnifier and it does the job despite its shortcomings, I would definitely recommend having one specially if you often use telephoto lenses.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Keyboard Shortcuts

2011-03-06T14:01:00.003+11:00

If you want to increase efficiency and productivity in using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 for your workflow, learning the keyboard shortcuts really helps.

Here is a printable PDF in a cheat sheet format and an HTML version for quick reference.

It is also good to have a book handy for reference and I recommend Lightroom 3: Streamlining Your Digital Photography Process by Nathaniel Coalson's. I have the Lightroom 2 version of this book and it is a good resource for beginners.

An Afternoon at Observatory Hill

2011-03-04T14:25:00.003+11:00

Another study on light and shadows on Sydney Observatory.
A scenic spot which is a favorite location of local photographers.
There are lots of big old trees, and has a nice view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

A Seagull in Light and Shadows

2011-03-02T22:24:00.001+11:00

Studying with light and shadows on this shot of a lone seagull at Darling Harbour.

Yep, lots of seagulls there so be careful if you are eating around them. Nasty opportunistic snatchers they are, likes to sneak around and take a bite on any food you have on your hands.

Update (2012.04): Removed embedded video, no longer exists.

Balusters and Girl

2011-03-01T13:57:00.007+11:00

Managed to take this gritty looking shot while relaxing after a long walk.

I don't really recall if its really a girl or a skinny guy with long hair on the other stairs.

Abandoned Cart

2011-02-23T06:10:00.003+11:00

Sails

2011-02-22T04:46:00.001+11:00

Under the Bridge

2011-02-21T12:54:00.001+11:00

An afternoon under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Printing Puzzle: Nikon EL 50mm F2.8 Enlarger Lens

2010-03-21T17:21:00.000+11:00

Having plans of actually having a home darkroom made me acquire several pieces of the printing puzzle. I've already gotten hold of a Meopta Axomat 4a enlarger for quite sometime now. I found out that the Meopta Anaret 50mm F4 lens that came with the enlarger seems to be quite hazy so I opted to get a new one which should be decent enough.

There aren't much details on both of the lenses available so I hope this post will be useful to some of the readers.
The Nikon EL 50mm F2.8 lens thead size is 39mm while Meopta Anaret 50mm F4.5 lens is smaller at 23.5mm. This means that you will need a proper lens board to be able to fit the Nikon lens to the enlarger.

The lens comes in a small bubble jar and the lens is held in place by foam and a packet of silica gel. Shown below is how the Meopta Anaret 50/4.5 compares to the Nikon.

Next is the enlarger lens compared to its big brother, Nikon 50mm F1.8 Series E. The main difference that I can see between these two lenses apart from the size and the mount is that the enlarger lens lacks a focus ring.

I have heard that some people are using the enlarger lens for taking pictures. Since it is using a 39mm mount, it should fit in some cameras or an adaptor will be necessary. Focusing will be a challenge then since the lens does not come with any focus ring.

Specifications:

Mount Size: 39mm.
Aperture Range: f/2.8-16
Click-Stops: Yes
Illuminated f/Stops: Yes
Magnification Range: 2x-20x
Elements/Groups: 6/4
Filter Size: 40.5mm
Dimensions (HxW): 2 x 1.5" (51x39mm)
Weight: 3.7oz. (105g)

If you are interested in building your own darkroom, here is an excellent checklist.