Decopix Blog

Happy Holidays and here's to a better 2012

2012-01-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

I can't say I'll remember 2011 with much fondness and I'll bet I'm not alone. All things considered, it could have been worse and for some people, it was. To Gavin and Vivyen in Christchurch, who continue to endure aftershocks long after they seem newsworthy (over 9000 so far) my best wishes for a more tranquil 2012. To Hideomi and family who thankfully, were too high up and far away from the Fukushima plant to be directly affected, my best wishes for a new year that will see things put right by that amazingly efficient machine called Japan. As for me, well, I still have long lists of things I want to photograph....

24 vs. 24. Canon's 24mm TS-E II vs. Nikon's 24mm PC-E

2012-01-02T14:56:00.000-08:00

I was a latecomer to digital photography. I owned lots of digital point and shoot cameras but having finally found a decent PC lens for use with film cameras (the Olympus 24 Shift) I figured I would wait until Canon or Nikon introduced a PC lens for digital SLRs.

To my surprise, Nikon got there first, introducing their 24mm PC-E several months before Canon's lens. The reviews of the Nikon 24 PC-E were raves but this being a $2000 lens, most were anecdotal; people said "I don't have anything to compare it to, but it's great" or "Considering it's size and cost I'm sure it's great". A few examples were posted but as with most things on the web there was really no way to evaluate the weakest part of a lens of this type, sharpness in the corners when fully shifted.

I had owned two Nikon 35mm PC lenses (one excellent, the other just ok) and two Nikon 28mm/3.5 PCs (not good, and I rented two more, just to be sure). Long story short, I bought a 24 PC-E and a D700 body. Used like a regular 24mm lens (unshifted) the 24 PC-E was excellent. Shifted, it was ok but in the "worst case", fully shifted and with significant detail needed in the corners, it wasn't great. I sold that lens, bought another and it was identical.

Then came Canon's 24mm TSE-II. This time, the anecdotal reviewers said "I'm sure the Canon lens is good but I don't see how it could be better than the Nikon". The last thing I needed was to buy not only another lens but another camera system. But since you can return things pretty easily these days, I gave it a shot.

Now, I have no axe to grind here. And I frankly prefer the Nikon body, with it's help menu, 9 stop bracketing and much lower noise, to the Canon 5D II. But Canon's 24 TSE-II is simply better. Not dramatically; both lenses are very good. And to be absolutely clear: both lenses give up considerable amounts of quality if they are fully shifted--no miracles here. If you dig deep enough into the various rave reviews, somewhere they will mention this, in passing.

I thought about posting test shots but since my Nikon is 12 megapixels and my Canon is 21mp, I'd rather not get into an argument with some engineer about pixel density. In any event, you probably own one camera system or the other so this may not matter much to you. But for what it's worth, I've compiled a comparison table and unlike some reviewers, I've owned both lenses.

24 vs. 24 Comparison

What is up with the barrel distortion?

2012-01-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, in this case you might get away with barrel distortion!

Warning: Barrel distortion is one of those things that, once you're aware of it, you see it everywhere. Movies are particularly bad because it seems it's impossible to make wide angle zoom lenses that make straight lines look straight. Now that you've read this passage, prepare yourself to notice that rooms in movies have ceilings that curve. Either that, or they are using fisheye lenses.

In the days of film, not so long ago, lens manufacturers were able to make fixed focal length (prime) lenses--even wide angles--with minimal barrel distortion. For some reason this ability seems to have been lost, perhaps because now, to some extent, barrel distortion can be corrected after the fact. I say to some extent because, with PC "shift" lenses that are essential to the architectural photographer, the degree of barrel/pincushion distortion varies with the amount of lens displacement. You could, of course, use Adobe's lens profile tool to create an assortment of different profiles, depending on the amount the lens is shifted but surely the manufacturers know what these expensive and specialized lenses are used for--and that they need a solution. Have a look at the liquor store, above. It was shot with a Leitz 21mm Super-Angulon-R and except for the "barrel" the lines are straight as an arrow. It can be done.

Follow the columns along the sides of the doors. Taken with the otherwise excellent Canon 24mm TS-E II lens.

Only in L.A.

2011-09-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

Even after decades of visiting L.A. I still find new things. Not all are Art Deco but

most date from the same era while others are too much fun to pass up.

Moderne or Modern? A little of both, perhaps.

Robert Stacy-Judd's Zuni House. In my opinion, the most attractive of his efforts.
Not Art Deco but a jewel, nonetheless.

The Islamic Apartments

Inside the Coca-Cola Ship

2011-09-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

Something that has always endeared Art Deco to me is just how literal things can get. What makes more sense that a Coca-Cola bottling plant shaped like a ship? You've probably seen the outside of the Los Angeles Coca-Cola Bottling Company building, but last month we got a rare look inside. And yes--it looks like a ship on the inside, too!

All aboard!

By the way, this is one ship that won't rust because
most of the details and all of the "rivets" are made of wood!

A modest but seaworthy office.

A few more from Japan

2011-05-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

A few more views, taken just over a year ago.

Extraordinary low-light performance from Nikon D700

The ubiquitous NTT DoCoMo building

Lovely rendition of subtle colors with Sigma DP1

Hanami - Cherry Blossom viewing season

Leica Story #2 - A Presidential Endorsement

2011-05-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

In addition to Leica cameras, E. Leitz, Inc. distributed various other photo products, including Minox cameras.

Spy cameras were always a niche product but Minox hit a sweet spot with its 35EL model, which combined a high quality lens, auto exposure and a full size 35mm frame in an incredibly small and light package. What the 35EL and its successors lacked was a rangefinder; you simply guessed the focus distance, which worked surprisingly well--until Olympus introduced its XA camera which did have a rangefinder and was a little cheaper than the Minox.

A press photographer happened to snap a picture of Jimmy Carter using a 35EL and he made a print, which he dropped off while visiting our office. The President’s face was partly obscured but you could still make out who it was. During a meeting, we passed the photo around but couldn’t really think of a use for it.

Finally, one of our resourceful salesmen grabbed the photo off the table. Later that week, I saw it framed, in his office. An inscription had been added, “Thanks for all your help with the election, Jimmy Carter.”

Some Non-Art Deco Houses

2011-05-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

Art Deco houses can be pretty hard to come by so here are a few not-Deco houses I came across while searching for the real thing. (Taken with my infrared camera.)

Leica Story #1 - The Pursuit of Perfection

2011-05-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

I’m sure there is a lesson in the following story but I’m not sure what it is.

When I worked for E. Leitz in Rockleigh, New Jersey we had a reception area where customers could drop off repairs or if they insisted, pick up new cameras for which they had pre-paid at a Leica dealer. There wasn’t much to see at Leitz Rockleigh and the two things that might have been of interest, the stock room and repair shop, were off-limits to the public.

Nonetheless, people made the pilgrimage. Staff members took turns manning the reception desk and on my first day’s front desk duty, a gentleman came to pick up his new R3 camera.

A very pleasant guy (a doctor, if I recall) showed me his paid-in-advance receipt and I went and got the camera. The customer carefully examined the camera with a loupe and said he thought something wasn’t quite right. A rough screw head, perhaps. Did I agree? My eyesight was a lot better then, but I didn’t see anything amiss.

I went and got a second camera. And then a third. Each time, the gentleman thought he spotted an imperfection.

Each rejected camera had to be returned to the repair shop for cleaning and examination before it could go back to stock. On my third trip in the repair room, Vince, the chief technician, gave me some advice. He said to take the first camera the customer had rejected and offer it to the customer again, this time saying it was a special camera that had been handpicked for the most discerning customers.

This seemed slightly disingenuous. Then again, there really wasn’t anything wrong with the camera. Sure enough, the customer loved the specially handpicked camera and even pointed out some of the subtleties that made it superior. And as everyone knows, the customer is always right!

Ring Of Fire

2011-03-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

On my first trip to Japan in 1985, I spent a night in Sendai and sure enough, my hotel room shook. The shaking was followed by an announcement in Japanese and for all I know it might have been “leave the building”. Probably not, because the rumble I went through didn’t even make the next day’s news.

Have you noticed that some of the most beautiful places on earth sit on the Ring of Fire? Here are some pictures from Japan almost exactly one year ago.

The Subsidized Recreation Principle

2011-03-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

I got an email asking why I didn’t have a button on my site for donations. In my view, asking for a gift is like asking for praise. I’m delighted to accept gifts (or praise) but I’m not going to ask for either.

This brings me to an observation I made when I worked for Leitz (Leica). The majority of our customers were doctors, dentists and attorneys. And having worked in camera stores I can tell you that many Canon and Nikon “pros” are in fact, doctors and lawyers as well. This seems to come as a surprise--yet nobody thinks that everyone who buys a Porsche is a race car driver!

Getting back to doctors, besides learning about medical specialties I didn't know existed, I discovered one reason these folks bought top-of-the-line products was to reward themselves for long days of root canal surgery, tedious litigation and so on. These individuals were quite well off, but if told "Your purchase supports my work exploring Yellowstone” they were likely to be nonplussed.

I don't want to make a big deal of this small observation. I'll just say my photographic "work” is also my recreation and I suspect the guys whose work is running photo workshops in Yosemite or testing every new lens aren't suffering too much either. So, if someone’s day job is impacted teeth or protracted lawsuits, or just sitting in a call center, I completely understand why people with those jobs might be reluctant to subsidize someone else's recreation.

A shot in the dark

2011-03-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't know, the photo that headlines this blog is the Cincinnati Union Terminal, unquestionably one of the world's top 10 streamlined Art Deco buildings. Back in the 1930s, the terminal was one of America's major transport hubs and in the 1940s many thousands of soldiers passed through the terminal on their way to or from World War II.

With the decline of passenger rail the station fell into disuse. The rear concourse was demolished and the enormous mosaic murals depicting Cincinnati industries were moved to the airport.

I first saw the terminal late at night. I got into Cincinnati in the evening and with an appointment to photograph Cincinnati Bell Telephone the next morning I was eager to get as much done as possible.

Ignoring warnings to stay out of the area at that time of night I got to the terminal around 11pm. It was so immense that even from far back in the parking lot I needed a 65mm Grandagon on my 4x5 camera (about equivalent to a 24mm lens on 35mm). The area was deserted but the station was lit inside and there were no cars, anywhere. Short of a glorious sunset, things were just about perfect.

What I didn't know was, the lights in the parking lot were on a timer and just as I got ready to shoot, I heard the click of a switch and...absolute blackness. It was so dark, I had to feel my way back to the car and switch on the headlights, just to see the camera, so I could disassemble everything.

The following night, I was back at sundown and made the photo. Having a 4x5 original proved useful as the photo was made into a big print for the American Art Deco show at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian.

American Art Deco exhibition, Washington D.C., 1988

Until recently, I didn't think there was a color photo of this installation and I thank my friend Bob Rose for providing the one you see here.

Best wishes to all in Christchurch

2011-02-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

Just a brief entry to wish everyone in Christchurch the best. Viven and Gavin, it's wonderful to know you are safe!

ASB Bank, Christchurch

Southpower Building, Christchurch

A tale of ingenuity and rum raisin ice cream

2011-01-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

I planned to title this entry “How I learned to love rum raisin ice cream”. But for my taste, rum is put to better use in Daiquiris and Mojitos. Nonetheless, the thought of rum ice cream brings back a fond memory.

On my first visit to the Chrysler Building’s Cloud Club, I stepped into the main dining room and started taking as many photos as my allotted 10 minutes would allow. Seeing I wasn’t going to break anything, the security guard wandered off. After a minute, he called from a distance, “Do you like rum raisin ice cream?”

Having ice cream wasn’t at the top of my to-do list at that moment but I said “sure”. The club had one of those waist-high freezers with the doors on top. To discourage ice cream theft, a lock had been fashioned using a pipe threaded through the handles on the freezer doors. This pipe was secured on each end and looked formidable. Not so. Someone had figured out that with a few turns, the pipe unscrewed and was easily removed.

I didn’t know it then but that was the only time I would see that kitchen. For a while, the club was used for special events like antique shows and during one of those I thought about rum raisin ice cream.

Antique Show in the Cloud Club - early 1980s

I wandered off to the kitchen but everything was gone. Except those amazing windows.

To see the club in better days, go to http://www.decopix.com/Cloud_Club/