Month: July 2013

The Prosophos Film Contest.

Inspiration, Leica 24mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Q&A

Yes, that’s right, I’m running a contest.

(it’s summer and I’m happy)

The Prosophos Film Contest

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The purpose:

I’m giving away 50 rolls of 35mm Kodak Tri-X 400 B&W film (36 frames/roll) to the person who can show me – in a single image – why he/she loves film.

This of course is open to wide interpretation.  In essence, I’m looking for an image that emotionally moves me, because you were inspired by the medium (as well as the subject matter) when you created it.

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The rules:

  1. Submissions may be made only after you contact me first via the contact form below (Reason: I don’t want to get spammed by publishing my email address).
  2. Each submitted image must be web-sized – approx (800 – 1100) x (500 – 750) pixels.
  3. The image must have been created by you (it doesn’t matter when – no time restriction).
  4. The image should be shot using film (B&W or colour).

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That’s it!

Now, you may have noticed that in the contest image above (taken on my driveway this morning ;)) there are ten rolls to a pack, and there are ten packs, so that should equal 100 rolls of film.  However, 50 of them will automatically be given to my friend  Mark Ewanchuk — just for being a good guy :).

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The fine print.

  1. I will have permission to post the winning image on Prosophos.com, but you will get full credit and maintain 100% ownership of your image.
  2. The deadline for submissions is at midnight (Toronto time) on September 5, 2013.
  3. Only one submission per contestant.
  4. I will be the judge, and my decision is final.
  5. Offensive images will be disqualified.  What’s offensive?  I will decide.

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How to collect your prize.

I’ll send it to you via post mail, anywhere in the world.  Or, if you can make your way down to Toronto, I’ll hand-deliver it to you and buy you a cup of coffee 🙂

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Let me know if there are any questions, otherwise, let the games begin!

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Contact me for permission to send an image:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

 

The Sony RX1R… is gone.

Inspiration, Q&A, Sony RX1R, Teaching point

Prosophos Sony RX1R

In summary:

The Sony RX1R has great image quality, but is not so great at capturing the “decisive” moment.  Too slow.  Too many button presses in manual mode.  Too much of a clunky computer, not enough of a camera.

If you’re into static scenes, posed shots, or letting your camera do the work for you in auto mode however, it just might be your ticket.

Although I created many images with the RX1R, I’m only posting one or two more.

—Peter.

Compared to the Leica M9, the Sony RX1R…

Inspiration, Q&A, Sony RX1R, Teaching point

…feels like a toy.

…is not an extension of my hands and eyes.

…is slower.

…is equipped with a Zeiss lens-CMOS sensor combination that produces files that are not as sharp (or microcontrast-y) as the M9 with top Leica glass  (the dpreview tests I posted last week were correct).

…is equipped with a Zeiss lens that cannot handle back-lighting as well as modern Leica lenses.

On the positive side, the RX1R:

…is lighter and smaller.

…produces nicer B&W conversions.

…has more dynamic range.

…is equipped with a Zeiss lens that produces smoother bokeh vs. the Leica 35mm Summicron (or Summilux FLE).

…is equipped with a Zeiss lens that focuses closer than the Leica lens equivalents.

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These are my initial thoughts.

—Peter.

Leica M9 sharpness vs. Sony RX1R, Nikon D800E, Fuji X100s.

Inspiration, Q&A, Teaching point

The website Dpreview, the “original” internet hangout for camera geeks and enthusiasts, has a useful studio scene comparison tool that allows one to pit camera against camera.   I was using it today to compare Sony‘s new RX1R (the new AA filter-less version of the RX1) vs. the old trusty Leica M9.  For fun, I also included two current cameras that have generated much enthusiast interest: the Fuji X100s and the Nikon D800E (admittedly, the Fuji X100s is the only camera of the bunch that doesn’t use a full frame sensor, so it’s sort of the oddball in this sensor grouping but, to me, it’s relevant as a portable and formidable photographic tool).

Here is the overall studio scene, as seen on Dpreview:

Prosophos - dpreview overview

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And here are the (left) side 100% crops of the above scene, from each camera, focusing on the label of the Martini bottle (see the red arrow above):

(please click on this image to view at MAXIMUM size and sharpness)

Prosophos - dpreview M9 againts latest cameras

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(Note: the crops above vary in size, depending on the megapixel count of each sensor.)

See anything, possibly unexpected here, regarding sharpness?

Finally, here are the centre 100% crops , focusing on the Queen of Hearts card in the original scene:

(please click on this image to view at MAXIMUM size and sharpness)

Prosophos - dpreview central 100%

Using the Dpreview comparison tool, one can obviously pick and choose other portions of the scene to make comparisons about sharpness, texture rendering, etc.  I’ve chosen two areas that I believe are representative of lens sharpness performance (corner vs. central) with respect to these cameras (the feathers in the far right of the scene are also worth checking out).

—Peter.

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If you haven’t already done so, please consider signing my open letter to Leica.

Prosophos Open Letter to Leica

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