Print

Nikon 58mm f/1.4G Test Shot.

2018, Favourite, Inspiration, Nikon, Nikon 58mm f/1.4G, Nikon D850, Print, Q&A, Teaching point, Within 200 feet of My House™

The light hasn’t yet returned to Toronto so there won’t be anything worthwhile to post with my “new-old” Nikon 58mm f/1.4G lens for a while.  Therefore, as always, I’ve resorted to employing what little window light remains when I return from work to conduct a test shot or two.

The silky smooth output of the 58/1.4G is just as I remember it.  What’s different this time, however, is how much easier it is to achieve precise focus @ f/1.4 with the D850 vs. the D810 I previously owned.  In fact, it was this issue (unreliable focus) that made me sell this lens in the first place.

—Peter.

↑ Nikon D850 + Nikon 58mm f/1.4 G.

The Pianist, closer.

2018, Favourite, Film, Inspiration, Kodak Tri-X 400, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range f/2, Leica M3, Portrait, Print, Q&A, Scanner - Plustek 8200i, Teaching point, Within 200 feet of My House™

I made use of the close-focus attachment of the 50mm Dual Range (DR) for this image.

I have always admired the build quality of Leica M3 cameras but like many photographers often found the 1 m close-focus distance too limiting.  The DR solves this problem and gets me even closer than I’m used to when photographing with an M-series camera.

At first I thought that attaching/removing the extra hardware would prove impractical/cumbersome but in practice it hasn’t held me back.  In fact, the engineering and design behind the Dual Range is quite well thought out and the system is simply a delight to use.

—Peter.

 

f/2 @ 1/30 sec

↑ Leica M3, Leica 50mm Summicron Dual Range, Kodak Tri-X 400, and Plustek 8200i.