Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily -- NEX-5 & Rollei QBM Mount Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.4 @ f2.

Some lenses, although I don't use often, but always seem to be at the back of my head.  I am reminded of them once in a while to take them out and make some pictures with them.  This Rollei Mount Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.4 Planar is one of those lenses.  It's supremely sharp and renders pictures beautifully with nice details.  The problem is of course, that I have too many lenses in this focal length.  But, every time I use it, it never disappoints me.

Red Door #2

Red Door -- NEX-5 & Minolta MC Rokkor 58mm f1.2.

There is something about larger aperture lenses that make people want to have it.  Let's face it, for the f1.2 lens, the 1/3 of a stop brighter than the f1.4 lens is not a huge deal to be practically different, but the price is usually two to three times more than the f1.4 lens.  I guess there is a certain pride in owning a fast lens that most people would not consider, due to much higher price, so they are less common.  And, to some degree, that 1/3 of a stop of light may actually help nail that picture in low light.

Whatever the reason, fast lenses fascinate people.  But, for pictures like the above, any 50mm f2.8 or even 50mm f4 lens will do just fine.  This kind of picture does not show off the capabilities of fast lenses.  They do best in low light and very shallow depth of field type of photography.

So Far, So Good

Flower Pot -- 1D III & EF 85mm f1.2L @ f2. 

I have't really tested all focus modes of the Mark III, but for the little tests that I have done, so far it seems at least on par with my 1D IIn, in terms of focusing accuracy.  The Mark III has a slightly larger buffer and everything seem a bit more responsive.  Just love the files from this camera.  Very clean.  In truth, there isn't much difference in image quality between the 1D IIn and the 1D III up to ISO 400, but at higher ISO, the Mark III is at least a stop better.

Gear Shifted

Green -- NEX-5 & Takumar SMC 28mm f3.5. Click for larger.

I have done it.  Today I picked up a used, but mint condition 1D Mark III that's out of the sub mirror repair range.  One thing I noticed immediately, is how bad the 3" LCD screen compared to the NEX-5.  When I first got in 2009, it wasn't so bad because I didn't have any camera that had a better screen, but it definitely looks terrible next to the NEX-5.  Everything else though, I like it.  Very clean and nice files; good size RAW files, and everything is so responsive.  One of the things I could not get used to on the NEX-5, is how slow it is to turn out from sleep mode, and how slow it is respond to the enlarge button on review.

This minor upgrade to replace my 1D IIn, which I am already putting up for sale on Craigslist, hopefully will last at least three to five years.  I simply run out of money to upgrade to anything else for the next while :)

My finger is crossed that this camera will not give me any problems, or I will be banging my head, over and over.

Seeing Blue

Blue -- NEX-5 & Schneider-Kreuznach 75mm f4 Enlarging Lens. Click for larger.

Removed this enlarging lens from its Yashica 50mm f1.9 lens barrel, and made it part of the focus helicoid system I made.  Schneider enlarging lenses are some of the sharpest lenses I have used.  They are still very cheap right now and they do work perfectly with the NEX system,  even with 50mm focal length, they can focus to infinity with a thin focusing helicoid.

The 49mm, 52mm and 55mm reversing ring for NEX have arrived.  These are made of aluminum but fit the NEX E-mount perfectly with no play at all.  I am planing to replace the c-mount adapter I used for my helicoid with one of these reversing rings.  The reason is that the opening of the c-mount adapter is very small and thus for some long lenses, you can actually see vignetting.  Of cause, you can  use these rings to mount lenses in reverse to give you macro capabilities with very high magnifications.

The Start of a New Hobby?

Last week I decided that my oldest son Dillon should have something to do this summer and we decided that we should put together our own bike.  Just for the experience and see how hard it would be.  So I picked up an ugly burgundy colored frame with the Orions brand, which i heard was a cheap brand, and a bunch of other bike parts so that we could get started.  The picture below shows the original frame:

Bike frame with yellow rear wheel -- NEX-5 & Olympus OM 24mm f2.8.

Orions is the brand -- NEX-5 & OM 24mm f2.8.

Dillon and I took out the rusted chain, and I removed the paint on the frame.  The frame is made of steel by the way.  The paint removal took almost two days, since I didn't use any tools or chemicals other than a blade.
Once the paint was removed and the frame polished, I sprayed a coat of primer on, and then glossy black paint, follow by a clear coat which makes the paint shiny.

The rear wheel came with a flip-flop hub with both a fixie cog and a single speed freewheel installed.  Unfortunately, I could not get the front wheel in the same yellow color as the rear. Instead, the front wheel is red. But, they don't look too bad together with a black frame.  This is one of the problems buying parts used. Parts don't always come in matching sets.  The crankset, which was originally used on a 10 speed, is used only with the inner chainring.  It would have been nice to get a single speed crankset, but one costs about $60 new, which does not even include the bottom bracket.

Chain, brakes and some misc. stuff came from Mountain Equipment Co-Op.  Today, we finished up the handlebar tapes, and the bike looks pretty good.  I have been riding it to work for the last few days and really enjoy it.  It took far less time than we anticipated.  We are planning to do another for Dillon, as I am keeping this one :)

Finished. Note the ugly crankset -- NEX-5 & OM 35mm f2.  

Why I Want to Try the 1D Mark III Again?

Going to school -- 1D Mark III & EF 135mm f2 @ f2.2, ISO 400. Click for larger.

My original plan, back in 2009, was to buy a 1D III, which was to be my only Canon body for any serious shooting, and a smaller carry everywhere camera (Panasonic G1), plus an IR camera, and I would be set for the next few years.  The 1.3X crop view of the 1D III is close enough to full frame that I was willing to compromise.  Alas, the AF fiasco of the 1D III threw everything off-course, and consequently I went through so many camera bodies in such a short time.

Looking back at the images taken with the 1D III ignites the love side of it in me.  The clarity and noise free (<= ISO 400) images that the T2i, T3i, 7D, 60D, G1, NEX-5 etc, can not match, and it's lighter than the 1D IIn.  So, I am trying this again: 1D III, NEX-5 (and G1), IR 20D and I think I should be good for a couple of years, barring any really good EVIL camera that comes out with compelling features that I must have.  I hope that the 1D III that I am going to get will not give me any problems.  As for full frame, perhaps a used 5D II or a 1Ds II in a couple of years.

Change of Plan

Making phone calls -- NEX-5 & OM 35mm f2. Click for larger.

I have decided not to do any more lens comparisons for the next little while.  I find it extremely boring and tedious. My apologies. If I do decide to do it again, it would be once in a while.

Another change of plan, is the camera upgrades.  I have wanted a 5D II for over a year now, and it looks like the price is not coming down.  I have decided to upgrade my 1D IIn to a 1D III instead.  Looking back at the files I have with the original 1D III I had, I am very happy with the image quality, especially high ISO images.  ISO 3200 looks fantastic and that's probably the highest I would need for most shootings.  I would have kept the 1D III if it were not for the auto focus issues.  I am now looking for one that has a sub-mirror fixed in the factory, or Blue-Dot version of the camera.  Hopefully by the end of the week, I will have a 1D III again.  

Self Portrait

Self Portrait - NEX-5 & Olympus OM 24mm f2.8. Click for larger.

Despite the fact that there is fungus growing in the rear elements, this OM 24mm f2.8 is great. Small in size but not in performance.  Very happy with it, although I would still like to have the fungus cleaned if I could get it done cheaply.

The Fabulous OM 35mm f2

Seeds -- NEX-5 & Olympus OM 35mm f2 @ f2. Click to enlarge.

Adam and I swap our 35mm f2 lenses this week.  My Pentax SMC 35mm f2 for his OM 35mm f2.  Both lenses are in great shape with original articles.  I didn't use the SMC 35mm f2 much, other than at the time when I got it.  It a pretty good lens, even on full frame (used it on my 1Ds), but I always seemed to be using the Leica-R35mm f2.  I also bought a fungus-growing OM 24mm f2.8 from him at the same time, which I briefly used in Niagara Falls yesterday and today, and it sure looked impressive, even with some fungus on the rear elements.  But, that's for later.

When I saw that Adam was looking for swapping his OM 35mm f2 for an Takumar 35mm f2, I wanted to try the OM.  Olympus, like Pentax, made nice, beautifully small and optically excellent lenses.  I had a 100mm f2.8 before, it was sharp as heck.  I wanted to try their wide angle lens.  I am not disappointed with both the 35mm f2 and 24mm f2.8.  Both lenses work fabulously.  I especially like the 35mm.  It's very sharp at f2.  Will update this lens when I use it more.

Falls View Casino - NEX-5 & OM 35mm f2 @ f8.