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Sunrise at Oxtongue Lake, Part III of VII.

Inspiration, Print, Teaching point, Zeiss ZM 21mm f/2.8 T* Biogon

Parts I and II of this series are here and here.

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↑Leica M9 and Zeiss ZM 21mm @ f/2.8.

The focus was on the boat, of course, and you can see the out-of-focus treeline and fog in the background.  Just how sharp is the Zeiss ZM 21/2.8?

Here is the 100% centre crop @ f/2.8 – this is the original file with no sharpening:

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↑ Zeiss ZM 21mm @ f/2.8 (100% crop, no sharpening)

Clearly the Zeiss, beyond being sharp and possessing incredible resolving power – beginning at f/2.8 – renders in a contrasty and substantial way (for lack of a better term)… elements seem to jump out of the image (the so-called 3D effect) despite the large depth of field a wide angle lens normally affords.

A truly remarkable lens.

It’s raining again | The Nikkor-NOCT 58/1.2.

Inspiration, Nikon 58mm f/1.2 NOCT, Print, Teaching point

The rain has returned after a long absence, so I thought I’d post a second image today, more à propos of the mood.

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This shot was taken last year with the Nikkor-NOCT 58/1.2 (on a Nikon D40 body).

The Nikkor-NOCT 58/1.2 is a remarkable lens that, unfortunately, is no longer made.  I really should write a piece about it, but there is plenty of technical information available on the web about this lens.  Have a look here and here.

Over the next little while, I’ll be posting some of my favourite shots I’ve taken with this lens.  The images do a better job of telling the story of the NOCT anyway, as compared to technical discussions.

Boy and breakfast.

Inspiration, Leica 50mm Summicron f/2, LFI Master Shot, Photo Shoot, Portrait, Print

There was something about the way the natural light filtered through the window and shone upon the figure of this boy, who was quietly busy buttering his toast.  The crispness of the white table cloths juxtaposed with the dark and textured bricks also caught my eye.  And the orange juice looks as vitally orange as it did the morning this photo was taken.  Normally, the mixture of natural and incandescent light sources creates a white balance nightmare, but thankfully not this time.

This image was chosen as a Leica Fotografie International (LFI) Master Shot.

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Leica M9 and Leica 50mm Summicron @ f/2.