The anxious anticipation of having to change ISPs. The universe likes to create busy work for us sometimes.

 Michelle.

The universe likes to wait until my life is motoring along on an even keel before shaking things up again. 

I've used the same internet service provider to host my website and handle my email since the mid-1990s. It was one thing I never had to dwell on. I'd send along a check once a year, in January, and then spend the rest of the year happily sending stuff out and peeking from time to time at my website (always thinking that I should re-design it again...). Occasionally something would go wrong with my e-mail but it usually turned out to be something I had done to muddle up the settings. One or two calls to the ISP's service people (yes! real people on the phone, located here in Austin!) and everything would roll right back to normal. 

But at the start of June I got an email from the business owner telling me that they were exiting the business; shutting down at the end of the month. And that left me terrified. I haven't had to learn anything about the back end of email or hosting for.....decades. 

As with most uncomfortable things I have been procrastinating about the change for the better part of two weeks. Today I decided to confront my fears and transition my website and mail to a new provider. 

I assembled my password notebooks, backed all kinds of crap up, read everything I could about IMAP mail and POP3 mail and making transitions. The whole process took about.... one hour. Everything checks in well. The site is live. The transition is in a state of orderly transition and I'm on to the next project. 

Worry is a price you pay for something you may never get. 

Topics coming up: 

An argument against the idea that all smaller than full frame formats are destined to die soon. 

A long form review of the Panasonic GH6 as an all around hybrid camera. 

Thoughts about Leica's retreat from the CL and TL APS-C systems. 

And, if I make it through the week, a few observations from three different photo shoots. Two with people and one with seafood. 

And, an admission that my optimistic estimate of the Fed's interest rate was wrong. They sprang for the whole enchilada. Why not just make it a full point and be done for the year....?

I know the Olympus 75mm lens has been around for a long time but no one has written about it in conjunction with the new GH6 yet. So here goes.

 

Here's the spec-y scoop on this ancient but current lens: Its optical design incorporates three extra-low dispersion elements and two high refractive index elements to reduce a variety of aberrations and color fringing for sharp, clear, and color accurate imagery. A ZERO coating has also been applied to individual elements to suppress surface reflections and flare for greater contrast and color fidelity in a variety of lighting conditions. Additionally, a Movie & Still Compatible (MSC) autofocus system is employed to deliver quick, quiet, and precise focusing performance to suit both video and photo applications.

(from B&H website...) 

I've always been curious about the 75mm f1.8 lens from Olympus. It hit the market back around 2009 which makes it absolutely ancient by digital standards and yet reputable lens testing sites continually say that it's one of the highest performing m4:3rd lenses ever tested. Even wide open it hits the top of the resolution charts and by f2.5 to 2.8 the optical quality is something to write home about.

As curious as I've been I always thought the 75mm might be too long a focal length and have too few applications for my style of photography. But when a close friend decided to move on from the Panasonic/Leica 42.5 f1.2 and also his Oly 75mm f1.8 I was thrilled to acquire them. I wrote about the Panasonic/Leica lens on Sunday and I will reiterate that I loved the look, the sharpness, and the colors from that lens. 

I took a break from being a serious blogging photographer yesterday because I was busy being a regular, commercial photographer instead (I did 15 really nice headshots for an advertising agency yesterday ---  they called minutes ago to book me on another shoot this Friday!!!) and by the time I got home, got the images processed and a gallery made it was too hot outside and I was too wiped out to audition the second new lens. The 75mm had to wait until today...

We had a hell of a great swim practice this morning and I also had to sit down and finish a John Sanford  novel (Heat Lightning) I'd started the day before but in the early afternoon I was ready to brave the heat and go out for a brisk stroll with one of the longest (angle of view) prime lenses I would every willingly take for a casual walk. And guess what?

It's a wonderful lens. It's not quite as contrasty as the Panasonic/Leica but it's not flat either. It wanted a little boost to the contrast in Lightroom. Somewhere along the lines of "plus 10" and once applied the images present as crisp and satisfying. It actually renders exceptionally well, with the background areas smoothly and calmly out of focus when used at, or near, wide open. In fact, all of the images below were shot at f1.8 to f2.5. I think it's remarkably good performance and the GH6 camera takes full advantage of the on tap sharpness. But you can see this for yourself in the images below. 

I braved the 103° heat just so I could show these test photographs to you. You might as well click on them and see the gallery writ large. Ah, test images. Don't you wish all reviews came with proof of concept? 

Amazingly the lens still retails for $899 at most major retailers. Seems to hold its value well. Every once in a while a camera company makes a real effort to create a lens masterpiece. This is one of them. 

The Frost Tower is a perennial test subject. It's always there. It stays still.

And when the sky is blue everything looks better. 

I've been paying attention to reds lately. I find that the new crop of Panasonic 

cameras handles reds very well. 

When this building was first completed there was an exhaust vent from the kitchen of the restaurant in this corner of the building that flush to the wall. In a couple of months there were black smoke stains all around the vent. This, I think, is their new solution to the original poor engineering. 

there is now one of these cranes on every block of downtown. I'm not sure they've 

heard about the impending recession or maybe they think Austin will be immune.

It's never been immune before....And now we have the mercurial Elon Musk building new plants, getting tax abatements and then chopping jobs. Ah.. the new economy.

Loving the 4:3 aspect ratio for street photos. So nice not to have to pay too much attention to the far sides of a "too wide" frame. 

They advertised "Swim!" but there was no pool, no water, no coach. 

Only a store full of women's clothes and shoes. And the shopkeepers looked at me strangely when I asked to purchase some "Swim!"

They added lamps to the tables since I was here on Sunday. 

Not sure how I feel about that...

I had lunch at the Cookbook Cafe at the main library today. This is the view from the dining room. 

I had a slice of ham, cheese and spinach quiche and an indulgent oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Washed down with black coffee. Tossed down some water for the rest of the walk. 

I read a great book about cheese over lunch. Fascinating. Who knew?

(Besides the French???). 

By the way. I'll be keeping that 75mm lens too...

added later: P.S. I think the Fed will only raise rates by 50 basis points tomorrow. Not 75. Kirk's prediction. 

Fun Sunday Morning. Great Swim and a cool walk (relatively speaking...) with a new (to me) lens. I posted some photos....

 

I usually go to our coached, masters swim practice at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays and then head out for a walk in the mid-afternoon but since we're currently experiencing a roaster of a heat wave I made a few good modifications to my leisurely schedule. I got up earlier and made it to the 8:00 a.m. workout. I figured I'd soak up a few less UV rays and also get ahead of the heat for the day. 

Practice was good and I swam with my friends Ed and Rich in my lane. We kept up a good pace and got through nearly 3,000 yards but we took it a bit easier today. It is Sunday after all. 

As soon as we finished I hit the showers, slathered myself with sunscreen, and I headed downtown to venture out on my usual route for camera and lens testing fun. I wore a wide brim hat and lightweight clothing and, amazingly, for most of my time out in the downtown area this morning there was a nice breeze and it actually felt pleasant. No sweat. Literally. 

On Friday I took possession of two really interesting fun lenses. I was disappointed not to have gotten out yesterday in the afternoon to play with one or the other of them so I was happy that today's schedule worked. 

The lens I took with me today on my bold but routine adventure was the Panasonic/Leica Nocticron 42.5mm f1.2 lens which is made for the micro-four-thirds systems. The lens is equivalent to an 85mm on a full frame camera.  It's heavy, wonderfully constructed, and now I can say that it's also a great performer. I used it in conjunction with the GH6 camera and I have to say that all the people who blather on about the GH6 being made just for video production are wrong. It's a very, very good still photography camera. And it works flawlessly with the Nocticron. 

I used the lens mostly around f2.0 but shot a good representative sample of images at f1.2 to judge that the lens is more than sharp enough even wide open. I think the sweet spot overall is f2.2 or around there but wide open is near perfect. I love having a portrait lens for the m4:3 systems that can easily throw backgrounds out of focus while maintaining high sharpness in the depth of field zones where things were  intended to be sharp. 

I've put captions to some of the photos but remember to click on the photos and make them bigger if you really want to see what the sharpness and colors look like. Thanks!

And to answer yesterday's post: I AM keeping both lenses. The 42.5 Nocticron and the Olympus 75mm f1.8. I'll find something fabulous to point the 75mm at. I'm sure of it.

Post swim selfie in the mirrored wall at Pulvo's Mexican food on 3rd St. 

This is the exterior of a new "healthy" restaurant on Second St.

It looks like its opening is imminent. People were inside today training. 

I like the blue trim. I like the rusted steel planters and the fresh plants.

I hope they keep up with their gardening. 

The restaurant is called, "Local." 

Loving the yellow booths offset by the blue trim. 

this is the little, independent Italian restaurant next door to "Local."

I wonder how they feel about the new competition. 

Today they had more hanging baskets filled with flowers than 

last week. Either a sign that things are going well or an 

answering salvo to their new neighbor's planter boxes.

The lens and camera handle reds well. 

Jo's Coffee on 2nd St.

Sunday morning rush hour traffic....?

the Sixth Street version of "Golden Arches". 

Along the side of "Wild Greg's Saloon."

Classy. 

Trash can art. Looking at the edges for myself. 

interested to see sharp and soft in one image. 

Full Frame image of pocket trash on the railroad tracks.

An enlarged portion from the image just above.

More pocket trash.

An enlarged portion from the image just above.

A series of Father's Day window display details. 

(I have already sent Ben a wish list of things he can get

his father from the Leica Store in Miami. Let's see if he gets the hint...).

the usual photo at the W Hotel and a heartfelt "thank you" for their ongoing 

and gracious hospitality. Someone even apologized to me for not getting

the front door quickly enough. Wow! 

Casio Eco-Drive Dive watch. Solar powered. Water Resistant to 300 meters.

A near daily swim watch. So far so great. 

A quiet detail from my usual bridge shots.

Outfitting the Sigma fp for a zany film project. 

The studio is now "All Fun All the Time." 

Stay tuned for the "notes from the field" concerning my appreciation or criticism of the 

Olympus 75mm lens. 

Chilling out on a Sunday. It's 74° in my 650 square foot office. I think I'll stay here for a while.