Normally I avoid tilting the frame as I’ve done here.
Of course, I didn’t have the instant feedback of digital to guide me (besides, this was the shot anyway — there was never going to be a do-over).
I only became aware of the problem after developing and scanning the film. Correcting it would’ve resulted in cropped edges and an altered composition.
So, it remains as it was photographed, with the lean.
—Peter.
↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.
↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.
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The Nikon 28mm f/1.4E is one of my favourite lenses (of any focal length, from any manufacturer).
It renders in both a sharp and smooth way and achieves the perfect balance between the two for environmental portraits (and this is my main use for it).
↑ Nikon 28mm f/1.4E @ f/1.4 | 1/320 | ISO 1100.
Contrast and micro-contrast are excellent.
Colours are saturated and rendered with great clarity, for lack of a better word.
Distortion is limited.
The lens vignettes at f/1.4 in a very pleasing way; I will sometimes correct for it during post-processing but more often will not.
My particular copy required 0 (zero) focus adjustment with my Nikon D850; it worked perfectly right out of the box.
This is one of those lenses that imparts a je ne sais quoi quality to its images. Most technically proficient lenses tend to render in a very sterile fashion (perfect for photographing brick walls, not so good for photographing people) but the Nikon 28mm f/1.4E is one of the few lenses I’ve encountered that gets both the technicals and intangibles right.
I’ve included a few sample images below.
—Peter.
Leica M3 fitted with metal flash socket plugs.
Camera jewelry, yes.
But…
The metal plugs are inexpensive, smaller, and nicer than the standard plastic white ones that tend to catch on clothing/bags and turn yellow over time.
—Peter.
↑ Nikon D850 + Nikon 28mm f/1.4 E.
↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.
↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.
↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.
1/15 sec in the faintest of light.
—Peter.
↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.
The last image from the roll of film I photographed The Glasses Portrait series.
—Peter.
↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.
↑ Nikon D850 + Nikon 28mm f/1.4 E.
More snow today.
Canada.
—Peter.
↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.
What do you do on a cold winter’s day when the light is bad and you have nothing to photograph? Well, if you’re a geek like me you take photographs of your cameras of course!
In the image below, you will notice that all Nikon logos (and identifying gold rings on the lenses) have been taped over. That’s because I don’t want to be a walking billboard for Nikon. The gear is still recognizable to most enthusiasts but not necessarily at first glance (LOL, with the possible exception of the cartoonishly large 200/2).
They say DSLRs are a dying breed but the inevitability of their demise has increased their appeal to me after all of these years of shunning them in favour of rangefinders. It also helps that Nikon produced something special in the form of the D850 and D500.
I’ve often photographed my Leica gear as it came and went, but never cared enough about my Nikons to do the same… until now.
—Peter.
As with yesterday’s post, this was photographed in live view to take advantage of the silent mode. It really is silent (not just quiet). I really like it but still prefer looking through an optical viewfinder.
—Peter.
↑ Nikon D850 + Nikon 28mm f/1.4 E.
This was photographed with the D850 resting on the floor and in live view, with the back LCD angled up for easy viewing. In this mode, touching the screen will initiate autofocus and then the shutter will automatically release… silently.
It’s a well-known feature in the D850 but this is the first time I’ve tried it.
Many find Nikon‘s implementation of all this to be slow (relative to mirrorless cameras), but it’s quite usable for this sort of image. It’s certainly useful in quiet venues where silent operation is desired.
However, I wouldn’t think of using it to photograph sports, flying monkeys, or the aerosolized droplets of a sneeze.
—Peter.
↑ Nikon D850 + Nikon 28mm f/1.4 E.
↑ Nikon D500 + Nikon 200mm f/2 G ED VR II.
↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.
Prosophos 