Rich pickings on Madison Avenue - literally and figuratively.
$700 for a pair of shoes ...... Now what?!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
More Heat
Still too hot to be out and about shooting.
I'm going to a camera expo tomorrow where I'm hoping to get a good price for a trade in on several of my older Nikon prime lenses. Fuji has put out a teaser that there will be a major lens announcement on June 27th. Probably to unveil one or two new X-mount lenses for the X Pro-1 - a 14mm f2.8 and an 18mm-70mm f4 zoom. I've had to give a lot of thought to what direction I want to go with lenses for my XP1. My original motivation for getting the camera was because I had heard Fuji would be producing an M mount adapter for Leica lenses. That adapter was announced about a month ago and is expected in retail stores at the end of this month.
I really like using my 18mm f2.8 lens. I'm looking forward to getting the 14mm lens when it comes out - the effective focal length would be 21mm, which was my favorite Leica lens to shoot with. I feel iffy about the zoom lens, firstly because I don't want to lose two stops in the aperture (even though the new zoom is touted as having image stabilization), and secondly because being a zoom would mean having to use the electronic viewfinder. I have nothing against the EVF on the XP1, but since I've been shooting with the camera's optical viewfinder I've gotten back that old Leica technique of seeing what's outside the frame lines and predicting when to push the shutter.
But there is a problem with the M mount adapter that Fuji has produced. Some Leica lenses extend a bit too far back to function properly, as the sensor is very close to the rear of the lens. My Leica 35mm lens won't work with the adapter. From all that I've read and heard, the Fuji 35mm lens is a killer. So my plan for now is to trade in my Nikon prime glass, use that money to get the Fuji 35mm and the M mount adapter, and get the 14mm lens when it is released, probably early this autumn. I can use my Leica 50mm and 90mm lenses with the M mount adapter. I don't shoot much in the effective focal range of 75-135mm anyway.
The photo below was shot on Madison Avenue last week. Guess who the boss is?
I'm going to a camera expo tomorrow where I'm hoping to get a good price for a trade in on several of my older Nikon prime lenses. Fuji has put out a teaser that there will be a major lens announcement on June 27th. Probably to unveil one or two new X-mount lenses for the X Pro-1 - a 14mm f2.8 and an 18mm-70mm f4 zoom. I've had to give a lot of thought to what direction I want to go with lenses for my XP1. My original motivation for getting the camera was because I had heard Fuji would be producing an M mount adapter for Leica lenses. That adapter was announced about a month ago and is expected in retail stores at the end of this month.
I really like using my 18mm f2.8 lens. I'm looking forward to getting the 14mm lens when it comes out - the effective focal length would be 21mm, which was my favorite Leica lens to shoot with. I feel iffy about the zoom lens, firstly because I don't want to lose two stops in the aperture (even though the new zoom is touted as having image stabilization), and secondly because being a zoom would mean having to use the electronic viewfinder. I have nothing against the EVF on the XP1, but since I've been shooting with the camera's optical viewfinder I've gotten back that old Leica technique of seeing what's outside the frame lines and predicting when to push the shutter.
But there is a problem with the M mount adapter that Fuji has produced. Some Leica lenses extend a bit too far back to function properly, as the sensor is very close to the rear of the lens. My Leica 35mm lens won't work with the adapter. From all that I've read and heard, the Fuji 35mm lens is a killer. So my plan for now is to trade in my Nikon prime glass, use that money to get the Fuji 35mm and the M mount adapter, and get the 14mm lens when it is released, probably early this autumn. I can use my Leica 50mm and 90mm lenses with the M mount adapter. I don't shoot much in the effective focal range of 75-135mm anyway.
The photo below was shot on Madison Avenue last week. Guess who the boss is?
Heat
I haven't posted for the past couple of days because the weather has been so awful I haven't been able to get out and shoot. Several days of 98ºF temperatures along with 100% humidity, with more on the way tomorrow. I'm hoping to get out over the weekend to visit the Photoville Festival in Brooklyn, NY. I've really wanted to try some new techniques, but even if I had braved the heat and humidity, there would have been few people about.
A few months ago my work was highlighted in Camerapixo which is an online magazine that spotlights the work of dedicated photographers from many disciplines. It's part of an exciting new presence on the internet of magazines that feature the works of photographers who have come of age during the digital era. Although I trace my roots back to the stone ages of film and rangefinder cameras, it wasn't until I began posting my images on the internet that I found my voice. Magazines such as Social Documentary, which has been publishing for some time now, and the new Auto de Fe magazine, which will be available later this month, pay homage to the long tradition of photography as a visual tool for social action by using the internet as a platform to give voice to those of us who seek to document our society through photographs. I'm hoping to submit work to Auto de Fe in the near future.
Here's my image for today which was shot on Third Avenue before the heat wave hit us. I call him Mr. Smoke.
A few months ago my work was highlighted in Camerapixo which is an online magazine that spotlights the work of dedicated photographers from many disciplines. It's part of an exciting new presence on the internet of magazines that feature the works of photographers who have come of age during the digital era. Although I trace my roots back to the stone ages of film and rangefinder cameras, it wasn't until I began posting my images on the internet that I found my voice. Magazines such as Social Documentary, which has been publishing for some time now, and the new Auto de Fe magazine, which will be available later this month, pay homage to the long tradition of photography as a visual tool for social action by using the internet as a platform to give voice to those of us who seek to document our society through photographs. I'm hoping to submit work to Auto de Fe in the near future.
Here's my image for today which was shot on Third Avenue before the heat wave hit us. I call him Mr. Smoke.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Two Bits of News
I've been following a website called ScoopIt for a few months, ever since I started shooting with my Fuji X Pro-1. Today I started my own page for the site to collect posts of street photography. You can view the page here. And, if you find something that may be germane to the subject, please suggest it to me as a post by clicking on the suggest tab.
I've been experimenting with my settings for the XP1. There is an option to set the camera to auto ISO, Fuji needs to update the camera so that it's possible to establish a minimum shutter speed. Without that, the shutter speed of 1/50th of a second (the default) is too slow and makes the auto feature practically useless. BUT I discovered today that if I set the auto ISO to 3200 (the option can only be set to 6400 for jpegs) and then manually adjust the the aperture and shutter speed, the problem is solved. I'll be out testing this setting over the next week, so hopeful I'll get some high ISO shots to post.
For now, here's a shot in front of a window of Bergdorf Goodman's store on Fifth Avenue. I'd bet this guy is hoping his wife doesn't want to go in and try on this gown.
I've been experimenting with my settings for the XP1. There is an option to set the camera to auto ISO, Fuji needs to update the camera so that it's possible to establish a minimum shutter speed. Without that, the shutter speed of 1/50th of a second (the default) is too slow and makes the auto feature practically useless. BUT I discovered today that if I set the auto ISO to 3200 (the option can only be set to 6400 for jpegs) and then manually adjust the the aperture and shutter speed, the problem is solved. I'll be out testing this setting over the next week, so hopeful I'll get some high ISO shots to post.
For now, here's a shot in front of a window of Bergdorf Goodman's store on Fifth Avenue. I'd bet this guy is hoping his wife doesn't want to go in and try on this gown.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Saturday in Central Park with the Fuji X Pro-1
Saturday was a spectacular day in New York...... mid 70's, a few wispy clouds, no humidity. Central Park was humming with buskers and strollers and there was an impromptu OWS event at the Bethesda Fountain, so lots of interesting folks were about.
The last time I was in Central Park with the express purpose of shooting was two years ago with my D700. At that time I was playing around with HDR software (Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro) so the focus of my attention was totally different. After my flirtation with HDR I settled back to my roots from when I was first learning my craft from my photo mentor. I wish were still in touch with him.
Where is Charles Atlas when you need him!!!
The last time I was in Central Park with the express purpose of shooting was two years ago with my D700. At that time I was playing around with HDR software (Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro) so the focus of my attention was totally different. After my flirtation with HDR I settled back to my roots from when I was first learning my craft from my photo mentor. I wish were still in touch with him.
Where is Charles Atlas when you need him!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)