Random Photos

[pinball1970]

Hyde, Cheshire.

 

[DennisN]

Some shots taken yesterday down by the waterfront...

Sunset over Öresund.

A ferry in Öresund, and an airplane. Copenhagen can be seen in the background.

A small lighthouse, and Copenhagen in the background.

A Finnlines ferry after sunset.


Lenses used:
Photo 1: Canon nFD 28mm f/2.8.
Photo 2 - 4: Sigma APO 50-200mm f/4.5.

 

[Point Conception]

Something for Everyone and Getting out of Dodge

 

[Andy Resnick]

Something for Everyone and Getting out of DodgeView attachment 372767

This one's great! Did you have the person hold that pose in front of the 'A', or was it a 'happy accident?

 

[Point Conception]

Random timing taken while passing by on bus.

 

[collinsmark]

"A diptych pairs two images to create a single visual idea. The photographs can be connected by subject, color, mood, motion, or contrast. They might show similarity or difference, before and after, near and far, quiet and loud. The power of a diptych comes from the relationship between the two images, and the conversation they create when viewed together." -- From a photo club assignment/friendly competition.

Traditionally (historically), diptych photos were framed from side to side (i.e., left and right), but they can also be displayed vertically (top and bottom) as I have done here. It's fine.

All photos shown below were taken by myself within the last 3 months.

Figure 1. Blue jay and Santa Fe Depot platform diptych.

Figure 2. Trolley platform and grackle diptych.

Figure 3. Cardinal and Santa Fe Depot platform diptych.

Figure 4. Nebraska; footwear and tractor diptych.

 

[pinball1970]

Random timing taken while passing by on bus.

Perfect timing!

 

[BillTre]

 

[jrmichler]

Monarch butterfly caterpillar munching on a milkweed next to my driveway. Taken this morning with an Olympus TG-5 camera.

 

[pinball1970]

Summer Solstice, Tameside Greater Manchester

 

[pinball1970]

It is strange to us Brits too!

 

[pinball1970]

Hartshead pike, leading up to solstice sunset.

 

[pinball1970]

Mossley

 

[jtbell]

To mark a certain 250th anniversary which is taking place today , here's a visit to Kings Mountain National Military Park, about 1.5 hours drive from here, a couple of years ago. This was the site of a key victory against British loyalists in the Revolutionary War.

The setting is a heavily forested ridge, up which the Patriot militias charged.

The first monument here (at left) was erected in 1815 by a guy who had organized a cleanup and interment of bones that had been left scattered on the hillside for 35 years.

Along the top of the ridge are two monuments erected in 1880 (the centenary of the battle) and 1909.

Col. Patrick Ferguson led the Loyalist forces, and was killed in the battle. He was the only regular Army officer on either side.

By long-standing tradition, visitors add stones to the pile atop his reputed gravesite, to ensure that he stays there.

 

[Point Conception]

Seafood at low tide

 

[Andy Resnick]

Since my professional career has generally centered on optics and imaging, I've taken (professional) pride that my 35mm-format sensor+lens combinations have always been sensor-limited. Now that I've had a chance to get familiar with the Z7 (42 MP sensor!), I wanted to see if I am still sensor-limited (or if I need to consider upgrading lenses, something I *really* don't want to do).

I'm happy to report that my lenses still outperform the sensor array- here are full-frame images (with an white rectangle) paired with the 400% crop (no interpolation upon scaling). First, my 50 year-old 400/2.8 + 2X tele:

The 105/1.4 also beats the sensor resolution- these images are astrophotography single-exposures (30s), the star FWHM was calculated to be just over 2 pixels:

Using my 60-year old 55 Micro Nikkor, the system may or may not be sensor-limited:

 

[jrmichler]

The view from down by the lake yesterday while sitting in the shade of the tree on the left. Temperature 80 deg F (27 C). I saw 14 power boats at one time, with a family of loons (two adults, one young one) swimming in the middle. An otter swam by, dove under water, and came up chewing on something. A woodpecker spent some time looking for bugs in a tree. And best of all, enough dragonflies that I was not bugged by mosquitos or deer flies. This retirement life definitely has its good days.

 

[Point Conception]

Dragonflies ! These mosquitoes and no see-ems around here about carry you away.

 

[Point Conception]

Beach sand replacement ship off Jomtien. With too much sand starboard side.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Even though I just got one of these adapters and I'm still learning how to use it, it's too cool not to share. Someone(s) figured out that since all you need is a spacer when using an SLR lens on a mirrorless camera, that tube can accomodate a compact tilt-shift mechanism. Even though I longingly covet the Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, all of my lenses are now tilt-shift lenses :)

Tilt-shift, for those who are unfamiliar, is the principal difference between a view camera and your camera. Being able to move the lens does two things: removing perspective distortion (architectural photography) and rotating the plane of best focus (Scheimpflug condition).

To be sure, my lil' thing has limitations not found either on a true tilt-shift SLR lens or a view camera, but 1) tilt-shift lenses are obscenely expensive, 2) view cameras require^* film and 3) I have tilt-shift capability at focal lengths that simply don't exist, for example, my 400/2.8 lens- all images shot at f/2.8, the "depth of focus" is calculated to be about 0.4 m

"normal" (0 degree tilt): plane of focus is parallel to the sensor plane, not the roof

"Scheimpflug condition": tilting the lens about 5 degrees tilts the plane of best focus to be tangential to the line created by the intersection of the two roof panels: at best focus, that line lies within the plane:

Flipping everything upside-down rotates the plane of focus 90 degrees and gives the "anti-Scheimpflug condition"- this is a commonly used effect:

Here's another interesting tilt effect- see if you notice anything odd (before reading the explanation):

"Somehow", the foreground tree and background chimney are both in focus but everything midground is out of focus. The 'trick' is tilting the lens so that the focal plane contains the line running from the top of the foreground tree to the chimney- the midground (like the tree and window) are well away from that plane and so they are blurred.

^*In a controlled (i.e. clean indoor) environment, one can use the camera without an attached lens, permitting view camera-type movements with a digital sensor.

[Edit]- Just wanted to add that using tilt-shift is about the exact opposite of "point and shoot". It's extremely slow and methodical work, not suitable for handheld photography at all.

 

[DennisN]

Someone(s) figured out that since all you need is a spacer when using an SLR lens on a mirrorless camera, that tube can accomodate a compact tilt-shift mechanism

I have never tried tilt-shift myself, but hopefully I will one day.