7.24.2022
When I wrote about mirrorless cameras with EVFs back in 2010......
The Ebb and Flow of Work. Now preparing for a minor uptick.
7.23.2022
Big, fat lens goes away. Replaced by a newer, smaller lens that's just as good. Or better. The tale of two thirty-five millimeter primes.
This is the new lens. It replaced an older lens. The older lens was traded in. It was a good idea...
When I first starting playing around with the L mount system I bought a bunch of big-ass primes. There were few lens at the beginning for the Panasonic S1(x) cameras and at the time Sigma was making big headlines with the image quality of their Art series lenses. One of the Art series lenses I bought was the first generation 35mm f1.4 in the L mount. It was enormous. It was incredibly sharp; even wide open. But it was incredibly heavy. But it was nicely contrasty and had great nano acuity(tm). But it was long and ponderous.... etc. etc. At the time the only choice for a nice 35mm was either the Art lens or some sort of adapted lens from another system. Either that or the $5K Leica 35mm Summicron. But I wasn't ready to go there yet. (or...still).
I quickly decided that the Art lens was fine for all the corporate work I was doing and it seemed to find a place in the case on every paid assignment. But just as quickly I decided that it just wasn't a great choice for walking around on my own dime and shooting "found" art in the streets. While the image quality was unimpeachable it just stuck out like a hippopotamus in a Miata. So, lately, after all the permutations my L system as gone through the lens mostly has been languishing in a drawer. Neglected and ignored.
Especially so after buying the Leica 24-90mm zoom lens. At the 35mm setting the lens handily outperforms a who bunch of prime lenses at the focal length --- but it should considering the marketing hype and the asking price.
In the same time frame I started discovering the i-Series Contemporary lenses from Sigma. These were quirky and interesting lenses that have wonderful industrial design, great performance for imaging and feature less than half the weight and half the volume of their "Art" siblings, in the same focal length range. The trade offs? Slower apertures and ...... not much else.
I have two L mount systems running side by side here. One is the full frame (35mm frame size) cameras from Leica and Panasonic and the second is the APS-C sized Leica CL and TL2 cameras. Both have their place and in both systems I've been more and more attracted to 35mm lenses for different reasons.
For the full frame stuff the 35mm represents what most people consider the universal option for most quick, on the street and in the moment styles of photography. I'm just getting comfortable (after 45 some years of trying) with the focal length and find myself using it more and more. When I go out with one camera and a lens I find myself wishing I had just the right 35mm lens for the format. I wanted smaller, fast, sharp and stylistically comfortable design in one reliable package. And I wanted it at an "efficient" price point.
I've also be hankering after a "normal" "standard" 50mm equivalent for the APS-C system which would be a 35mm focal length. In the best of all possible worlds I would be able to buy a lens that fit both of the L mount cameras and provided me the two different use case I was looking for in one product. But I do live in the best of all possible worlds (or blissfully unaware of my actual circumstances?) so the smaller Sigma 35mm presented itself.
I saw a review on YouTube by a fellow named, Hugh Brownstone. His channel is "Three Blind Men and an Elephant." He shoots with a lot of Leica stuff and gets invited to Leica in Germany for the big product reveals. He is prejudiced toward the Leica universe of cameras and lenses and owns quick a bit of their product. But he did a review of sorts comparing the Sigma 35mm i-Series lens with the more expensive Sigma 35mm (newest version) Art lens. It was pretty much of a draw across the board, at equivalent apertures. He also mentioned that he compared the inexpensive i-Series 35mm f2.0 to the $5K Leica Summicron 35mm and basically said that if you aren't pixel peeping files from both at more than 200% magnification one would never be able to see a difference.
Yes. I would like to save 9 times as much cash on a lens.
I took the big Art lens up to my (now second) favorite camera store and traded it in on the i-Series lens, which was also on sale. Might still be. I got home from the store late in the afternoon yesterday and had domestic chores to complete so no test of the new optic was possible then. But after a routine Saturday morning and the ritual family lunch I headed out with the new lens on the front of a Leica SL and went to look for a new mural, a series of commissioned art, that was over in the Govalle Neighborhood of east Austin. And that's where I did my preliminary tests of the system and the new arrival.
It's a single subject test done on a 103° afternoon and mostly at a single aperture but it is a start. And I do have about 24 sample images for you to look at.
My initial impression is that it's a very good lens and will work well for my mixed uses. Before I left the house I took one photograph of a blue-ish pillow sitting on a leather chair. The rest of the images are from the Govalle Neighborhood Mural on Bolm Rd. If you live in Austin it's pretty easy to find and will reward you with a half hour of fun looking. Click through my images below. Let me know what you think!
7.21.2022
Three more samples from this morning's photographic adventure in heat management. G9+25mm Summilux.
Revisiting a very powerful pair. The Panasonic G9 and the Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4 type 2. Wow! Sharp and color rich.
7.20.2022
Weird camera and lens combinations involving weird cameras and weird lenses.... Or what we do when it's too hot to play outdoors.
I love being out taking photographs far more than I like talking about cameras but the weather is actively campaigning against me spending much time tromping around in the nasty heat jungle that seems to have settled over Texas. Perhaps it's a karmic punishment for our political transgressions. Maybe it's just a rogue weather pattern that won't let go. But right now we've got an actual temperature of 105° and when you combine that with 30% humidity you wind up with a lusty 112° of heat index; or what it feels like to your body. We're exceeding our "Wet Bulb" threshold by a good margin.
As of July 19th Summer we have had 78 days over 90° (actual temps) and now 41 days in a row over 100°. We're all getting just a little tired of the relentlessness of it all. Can't wait to see the electric bills....sigh.
I've been getting up earlier in order to water the plants and trees that I consider "mission critical" to my long term lifestyle/mental health. The Japanese maples are getting special treatment these days. I've even rigged up a few scrims to block the direct sun on a few branches that were showing signs of heat stress. It's hard work but it would be harder on me to lose the trees. They are quite beautiful.
After I take care of my horticultural chores I make myself a cup of (these days....) decaffeinated coffee, eat a piece of toast and head over to the pool for our coached workout. The water temperature is as cold as we can make it with evaporative coolers but with our daytime highs and nighttime non-lows we're struggling to keep the water temperature under 84°. That's a hot swim and it sucks the moisture right out of your body when you are swimming hard. We each keep a cold, re-usable bottle of water at the end of our lanes and in between sets our coaches encourage ample re-hydration. I didn't used to take it very seriously but this year I'm zealous. Sixteen ounces an hour.
Sadly, or happily, I took a break on Monday from swimming with the team and went to the Deep Eddy Pool which is Spring fed and just freaking marvelous. The spring water is refilled every couple of days and it comes out of the wells at something like 68°. Plunging in on Monday morning was a little bit of heaven. The laps were better than free money. But now I feel that the memory of the perfect water colors my appreciation of our team workouts in the warmer pool. Deep Eddy is a public pool and I'm pretty sure the City of Austin isn't going to invite our whole team over to monopolize all the lap lanes any time soon.
Since the "mercury" has been hitting 100° or higher by noon each day I try to get errand running done as quickly as possible. Our house uses a septic system for wastewater and our septic guy, Bob, recommends we drop a gallon of a special live, beneficial bacteria solution ($48 per gallon !!!) into the main tank at least twice a year. The stuff in the gallon bottle smells really bad but I can tell you that the grass is much greener over the septic field --- and we haven't had any major problems with the system in years. Occasionally a pump fails. It gets replaced. And yes, I do have a septic guy. I hope he never retires...
Except for a few assignments inside chilly high rise office buildings we're dead in the water here, business-wise. And that's okay. Nearly everyone in Austin who can swing it is working from home, nestled in their air conditioned refuges. Few are venturing out in the heat of the day. I'm no different.
If you've read the blog for a while you know I'm usually a big adherent of getting out in the afternoons and walking no matter what the weather. But not in this. If people won't come to work and there's little traffic on the roads it's probably a message from the hive that we should all just slow down and be more careful than usual. So, since I got home with the septic stuff I've been chilling in the house, just reading a novel on the couch. But I got bored so I ventured out the twelve feet from the front door of the house and into the studio. I've been keeping the A/C in there at 85° when I'm not present --- that's what our power company recommends --- so I turned the thermostat down to 78° and got comfortable.
On the floor by my desk I found a camera and lens that I'd put together for some project that never happened but I'm more and more attracted to the potential of the actual "system". The lens is an ancient Carl Zeiss zoom lens made originally for the Contax Y/C system but rejuvenated by the mirrorless revolution and the availability of a huge range of cheap lens mount adapters. Yes. Even for the L mount cameras.
I've shot with it before and posted about it here. The lens is big and bumbly. It's a 35-135mm and I have to say that this must be the absolutely perfect focal range for me. I don't miss the wider angles at all and I love being able to zoom out to 135mm. It's slow by today's standards in several ways. First the variable aperture is from f3.3 to f4.5. Certainly not a problem on a camera like the Panasonic S5 or the Sigma fp. Those two cameras can pretty much see in the dark. The lens is also "slow" because it's a manual focusing lens with a long throw focusing ring and that makes for sloooow focusing. Finally, it's a one touch zoom in that the zoom ring and the focusing ring are one and the same. The whole front of the lens trombones out as you zoom to 135mm. It takes practice to make this combination of focusing and zooming efficient.
When I use the lens on a non- image stabilized body focusing gets progressively harder as the focal length gets longer. Why? because the finder image shakes. We're spoiled by new tech.
I mounted this slow, plodding lens on the front of the weirdest camera I have in the studio. That's the Sigma fp. It's an eccentric little genius of a camera and when you get everything just right the files are wonderful. They just exude "art." But it's a demonic looking system when put all together, as above.
I'm only comfortable using it on a tripod and for this particular lens I really have to have the big Sigma loupe attached to shade and magnify the rear LCD. I'm pretty sure I'll never run into anyone out in the field who has exactly the same set up. The odds are long.
But when it's hot outside and you're playing with your toys in the miracle that is air conditioning it's all good. Can't wait till we get some cooler days so I can get out and shoot with this beast of a system. Stay cool.
https://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/2022/06/testing-old-lens-thats-new-to-me-and.html
7.19.2022
Camera guys love to "modify" their cameras. I am no exception. Just added....
7.18.2022
Photographing in very hot weather.
My first suggestion for working in extreme heat is to weigh carefully the necessity of doing so. Can the project wait? Are you acclimated to working in the heat or will you be putting yourself at risk by doing so? Remember that taking a chance and getting injured means you'll be taking up emergency resources and potentially even putting the first responders at risk as well. If you are not used to the heat and haven't built up a resistance over time my best advice is to find somewhere chilly and settle in until the heat wave passes. But, if you don't like that advice let's get into what you can do to stay reasonably safe.
1. You've got to stay hydrated. I usually don't carry a camera bag or backpack with me when I go out shooting during most days. The exception is when I'm working in the heat. Anything over 95° makes me more cautious. If I'm being cautious I bring a small shoulder bag or backpack and I bring along two 16 ounce bottles of water. If I'm being indulgent I fill one of the bottles with ice from the freezer and top it off with water. It'll stay cool for a while. I start drinking before I start feeling thirsty and you should too.
Figure on downing at least eight ounces per hour. Minimum. If the heat and humidity combined yields a heat "index" (or "feels like") of 105 or higher then double that. If you are bigger than I am add more to the total. Your goal should be draining your last supplies just about the time you make it back to your car or your air conditioned destination.
I also keep a 32 ounce bottle of water in my car, right next to my swim gear. If I'm feeling a bit overheated when I make it back I will soak my shirt and hat (but not my straw hat!) with some of the water and couple that cooling power and the evaporative cooling with that of my car's air conditioning. Even standing in the shade, soaking wet, with a slight breeze will go a long way toward lowering my skin temperature and helping to lower my core temperature. When we worked in the vineyards last August for the Texas Wine project I tried to keep my shirt and hat damp and cooler as I worked. It sure helps.
2. When walking through city streets you'll usually find one side of the street is in shade and the other in direct sun. Obviously you want to walk on the shaded side which generally means avoiding being at a location during a time when the sun is directly overhead because.....no shade. For downtown Austin this means the best shooting times are from sun up till about 11:00 a.m. and then again from 2:30 p.m. till sunset.
3. Think about devising ongoing shade for your black bodied cameras and their black bodied lenses. I love shooting photographs with a Leica SL but there's a design flaw that comes to the fore when you get out in super hot, direct sun. The body is made of black metal and it acts as a heat magnet. If you leave it out in the sun it can get hot enough to burn your hands and, even worse, the heat affects the electronic noise of the system which makes your images noisier and peppered with various visual artifacts. There are a couple solutions. I have actually thought of painting one of the two SL cameras white. I'd do this to reflect the sunlight and reduce the heat absorption. It's a radical idea. But a more practical idea would be to bring along a small shoulder bag that's made in a very light color and keeping the camera and lens in the bag until such a time as you need it. Sure, it's not a quick approach to street photography but the upside is no burned hands and no images ruined by noise caused by excessive heat.
With a camera that's well sealed against moisture and dust intrusion you might even consider wetting down the camera bag to take advantage once again of evaporative cooling. Works best on canvas bags. The same bag that carries your water supply.
4. Hopefully you will sweat as you walk out on the streets in the heat and humidity. That consistent sweat goes a long way towards keeping you alive. But it's a bit problematic when it comes to camera handling since sweaty hands are slippery hands. I carry a small, white terry cloth rag with me, stuffed into the side of the camera bag or in a back pocket. I use it to wipe the sweat off my hands before handing the camera. In a pinch I can wet the rag and use it around my neck to cool off. Sweating though is good but it's also a sign that you need to keep drinking water. If you stop sweating on a hot day you are already in trouble and need to seek shelter and help as quickly as possible.
5. It's hard to find sunglasses that are not polarized but it may be well worth the effort for two reasons. First of all I'm sure you've noticed that everything, every sky, every lake or pond looks better and more exciting through polarized sunglasses so if that's your point of visual reference you'll be disappointed when the images you photograph don't match the enhanced sizzle that you see through your polarized sunglasses. A pair of sunglasses without the polarization will still do a good job blocking UV and IR energy from hitting your eyes and bringing along the prospect of long term, progressive damage, and you'll be able to see your intended photo subject in a realistic way. And deal with it accordingly.
But the second reason is that with some EVF viewfinders and LCD rear screens you might lose the view altogether. I noticed recently that when used the Leica CL in the landscape mode I was able to see the rear screen with no issues; even with my polarized, prescription sunglasses on but when I turned the camera to portrait mode the viewfinder blacked out. The polarizing screen and the grid screen on the camera cancelled each other out. In that case I pulled off my sunglasses and composed the now revealed image again but it delayed the shot and also gave me something else to keep my hands overly filled.
I fished around in the center console of the car later that afternoon and unearthed a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses that were not polarized and found that, while the sky didn't look nearly as exciting, the screens of my camera didn't black out when I turned them by 90 degrees. If you are into pre-visualization the polarizing nature of some sunglasses isn't doing you any artistic favors. Yes for driving and boating but, sadly, no for working with cameras of various vintages. ( I first saw this effect, the blacking out of a screen, with the optical finder of the Mamiya 6. I think owning several of those cameras is what drove me to buy the Ray-Bans in the first place.
6. Dress for it. Going out in a "Summer" wool suit with a Nicole Miller necktie is very much contraindicated. You'll roast and probably spend a fortune getting the suit cleaned back up. The reaction from people unaccustomed to severe heat is usually to wear a pair of shorts and a tank top or t-shirt. Maybe a pair of sandals. A baseball hat (uniquely American?). And that's okay when you are dealing with lower temperatures and lower UV energy ranges (thinking 70-95°) but it's the super strong rays of the sun that drive up the heat so you need two things: clothes that breathe and wick away sweat for better cooling, but also clothes that cover as much skin as possible. You really don't want to sport a bad sunburn in conjunction with uncomfortably high ambient temperatures. It's discomfort squared.
I want a long-sleeved shirt made from a very thin fabric that invites breezes and does a good job wicking away sweat --- again, thinking about the evaporative cooling effect. But I also want a shirt that is rated at 30 or 40 or more SPF or UPF to keep my skin from burning. A shirt with vents is also great. And do yourself a favor --- we know artists are supposed to go around dressed in black --- but just for this special situation consider light colors. White, near white, almost white, sorta white and, in a pinch a very light beige. You want the most reflection of heat and radiation you can get commensurate with providing enough protection. Sure, you won't look as cool without the black turtleneck but you'll actually be cool(er).
Same with pants. Unless you want to play "Where's Waldo?" down the road with various skin cancer tumors you'll want to cover those "I mostly work indoors on a computer" legs. There's a clothing maker called Kuhl that makes great long pants with vents hither and yon and they are cool to wear. My favorites are the REI Sahara pants which feature thin fabric, stated protection and the ability to zip off the legs of the trousers, below the knees. Which in most situations (other than extreme heat) is tres nerdy. I wear them long when in the sun for all the reasons we've already covered but I sometime zip off the lower legs when I'm somewhere with cool air so they can help me lower my core temperature. I hide behind my sunglasses while doing so.
That covers the middle but don't forget the top and the bottom of the package. You know you need a hat. But it's not the time for a beaver pelt, Stetson, Open Road hat. They don't breathe at all and they insulate your head like crazy. You'll fry your brains! You need a good bucket hat or, God forfend, something like a wide brim Tilley-esque hat. Something that casts shade on your face and especially the tops of your ears. But also something with some flow through ventilation near the top.
I have more hats than I have cameras and that's saying something. But a good hat can help keep you cool, will protect your skin and has the added benefit of acting as a lens hood for your own optical system; your eyes. If I'm planning be outside for a long period of time I grab for the hat with the biggest brim in the stack. The bigger the brim the more available shade for your neck and shoulders, and it's just basic science that the less radiant heat you soak up the better you'll feel and the longer you can go. This Summer's favorite is a bucket hat I bought from REI. It's their store brand. I like it because it's very light weight, has a wide enough brim, and the brim is flexible enough to give when I press a camera up to my eye. And about a third the price of a Tilley chapeau. The Billingham bag of hats....
At the other end it seems to make sense to wear sandals but you would be wrong. On a nasty hot day you have too much danger of getting parts of those naked feet burnt to blisters by the sun. But another consideration is the surfaces you'll be walking across. If you are spending a lot of time on pavement or, even worse, asphalt, you'll find that the ground beneath your feet has done an exemplary job of soaking up heat. Especially black top. A sturdy pair of hiking shoes or mid-weight hiking boots is actually the optimum tool for the job. The thicker soles do a better job of insulating you from the pavement. The thicker soles slow the heat transfer way down. Long term your feet will get less hot even though that seems counter-intuitive. Plus good, enclosed shoes are better for stomping on scorpions or accidentally stepping on broken glass or nails.
7. With extreme heat comes extreme UV radiation so it almost goes without saying that you should cover any exposed skin with a good sunscreen. Even the parts of your face that exist under your bucket hat. Remember, there is such a thing as reflection. You might even consider using a reflective umbrella. Create our own, wider shade...
8. Plan your activities with an eye to accessing cooling interior spaces. If you start to get too hot take refuge in a hotel lobby, a library, a museum or a coffee shop. On the days where my planning is off and my immediate feeling is that I've bitten off more than I can chew (heat-wise) I make a straight line to the W Hotel. They have a cool lobby and it's rare anyone is there. I mean, in the lobby. In the winter I sometimes go in for a ridiculously expensive coffee but I don't mind the price since I consider that I'm offsetting my taking advantage of their largess in the Summer months. Twenty or thirty minutes of cooling, along with a good act of re-hydration, can literally be a lifesaver. And if you feel as though you can't go on you've got a nice place to wait for a car share ride back to your vehicle.
I've got downtown planned out so I'm rarely more than 800 yards from some refuge from the heat. You should plan for that too.
9. Park your car in the shade. Put up the windshield sunscreen. If you can't find a shady spot or there are no shady spots then go ahead, piss away the money, and park in a garage. You'll be much happier if you come back to a warm car rather than a raging inferno of a car interior. And your car will thank you for at least temporarily reducing the heat stress. If it's hot for more than a week be sure to monitor your car's battery. Heat is one of the biggest causes of premature battery death. And being stuck somewhere when the temperatures are hitting the danger zone is absolutely no fun.
10. This is my final number and a catchall for everything else.
Don't bring along a lot of black metal. Like that enormous, black metal Benro tripod I own. The metal soaks up heat like a sponge and transfers it efficiently back to your waiting hands. Ditto black light stands, etc. Leave all that stuff at home. You'll quickly get too tired to carry it as you spend more time in the inclement heat. It has a way of draining energy from even the most disciplined workers. Same with black hats, black backpacks and the like.
Walk slower. You don't have to walk in slow motion but if you usually walk at a brisk pace tone it down about bit because every added bit of speed takes its toll on the body. Find a pace that's comfortable instead of competitive. It might take a bit longer to get anywhere but with street photography and what not isn't the journey the important thing? I walk a about sixteen minutes per mile in comfortable weather. I measured last Sunday when it was near 110° and my pace was about 25 minutes per mile. For about a mile. Before I realized that walking in that dangerous stew of heat and humidity might kill me.
Always tempting somewhere along the route to stop in some where for a cold, frosty beer. Normally I'd be right there with you but in extreme heat that brewski will dehydrate you at the speed of light. And the affects of the alcohol will be enhanced. But if we're talking extreme conditions it's the exact time that you need all your wits about you because the heat saps your attention and your reasoning skills.
Finally, if you start to feel bad get into someplace out of the heat and get help right away. Heat kills far, far more people every year than even the worst cold. Quick action saves lives. And, if you want to be a good guy, be sure to keep an eye on all those people around you, watching for signs of heat exhaustion and other distress. Your quick action might save, or at least improve, some stranger's life.
Also.....finally, finally, don't take your dogs out in this. The pavement will torture their paws and they don't shed heat nearly as efficiently as humans. Taking Rover out in an urban heat jungle is just cruel.
Bring an extra battery for the camera. The heat affects them too. Keep your cameras cool enough so the lubricants in the lenses don't vaporize and coat the internal elements. That'll save you money.
Be careful out there. And, if this is a wildly unusual circumstance for you then you have my empathy and my sympathy. Go slow and stay in the shade. And have that water bottle handy.
all done for now.