Salt Peanuts Posted April 7, 2012 Report Posted April 7, 2012 It's good once in awhile to do a reality check. Carrying heavy L glass sure makes you feel good and important, but dang in the center, there really isn't a heck of a lot to comment on difference-wise, even for the $350 35 f/2. This was done on full frame sensor even. I did like the bokeh of 35/1.4 a lot better than that of 35/2 and thinner DoF was a blast to play with, assuming I actually got it focusing on what I meant to focus.
guzziguy Posted April 7, 2012 Report Posted April 7, 2012 It looks like you are having a terrible time, Jeff. When does the torture end?
Knuckledragger Posted April 7, 2012 Author Report Posted April 7, 2012 You know what I haven't done in bloody ages? Post any pictures in this thread. I haven't been shooting as much as I'd like to be, but I have worked a few large gigs. Back in Feburary, I helped set up and run lights at the Palladium in Worcester. The headliner was the UK dubstep DJ Rusko. He's credited as being the inventor of the super-distorted "brostep" sound, and his DJ set, uh, lived up to his reputation. Even with 35dB earplugs, it was painful. On the other hand, the lights I got to work with were pretty insane. We rented eight Clay Paky "Sharpy" beam effect lights. Clay Paky is Italian, and the Lamborghini (and the Mercedes) of the lighting world. Founded in 1976, they have pioneered many new designs and make by far the most expensive (and arguably the best) products in the industry. The Sharpies cost $7500 each and run on 3-phase AC. Their effect was amazing. They also briefly set the stage on fire. I'm not joking. There's are warning signs all over the light stating that nothing can be within 12 meters of the front lens, and one of the idiot stage hands turn turned two on when they were maybe two feet off stage, and pointing straight down. Sadly(?) I did not get a picture of the stage boards smoking. It was a long and difficult gig, but it was fun to work with such amazing luminaries. That's what lights are called when they cost that much, sort of like the difference between an whatnot and an etagere. Besides the Sharpies, we had four 1200W strobes, two confetti launchers and a CO2 array that made big momentary clouds over the crowd. It looked a bit like a bomb went off. Six of the Sharpies as well as four "regular" moving head scanners. The moving heads we used cost 1/5 the price of the Sharpies, but they held their own pretty well. The promoter was insistent that we didn't turn on the Sharpies until Rusko's took the stage, so I took most of my pictures during his set. The Palladium is an old theatre, and its architecture does a beautiful job framing the lights. Using a few of the club's PAR64 cans as blinders moments after the CO2 launchers went off. Even with four 1200W strobes going off, the impact of the Sharpie's beams is hardly diminished. Just after we triggered the confetti launchers. All of these pictures except for the last one were taken with my humble PowerShot S95. I used my 30D and EF 50mm F/1.4 for the closeup of Rusko. I shot full manual throughout. Click through for EXIF info. A clip showing the four moving heads in action. You can see the 3-facet prism flipping in to make it look like we had more lights mounted than we actually did. Warning, the music is awful. It only got worse (and LOUDER) as the night wore on. I had to use YouTube because Flickr videos won't embed.
shellylh Posted April 8, 2012 Report Posted April 8, 2012 Went for a walk in the park today. I liked this little guy. 1
bhjazz Posted April 9, 2012 Report Posted April 9, 2012 (edited) Hey lens-casers. I've got a 'ca 1980 Tokina F4 28-70 zoom lens from my old Minolta X570 camera. Due to it's age, however, I can see some slight mildew inside the front element. Two questions: 1) Should I get it professionally cleaned, or is this something an able DIY monkey can handle? And if it gets cleaned, would it be worth it to get an adapter so I can use it with my soon-to-return NEX-5N? Thanks! BTW Knucks: Neat shots. As someone who did a small amount of theater lighting, the name Paky does sound familiar. Those are awesome lights! Edited April 9, 2012 by bhjazz
Iron_Dreamer Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 Here's one from a day on the California Coast this last weekend: 1
mikeymad Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 I like the flower in space... and Wow Peter, great image
Currawong Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 Cankin: That dog shot is rather cool. I'm always on the look out for opportunities to nail moments like that. I had the Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 AF D when I had the D700. It was a great combo, especially with FX. Here are some samples from a meet in SFO. Since I'm thinking about a 24mm, those shots are tempting me to get the 20 instead, as it's usually easier to get closer to objects outdoors than further away. I can't help wondering if I will end up compromising that much by getting a 16-35 though, other than burning a much bigger hole in my wallet. 5D III metering seems to work pretty well. Shot under 2 PM blazing sun. DZ3C1142 by drjlo1, on Flickr Very yes. DZ3C1178 by drjlo1, on Flickr Beautiful.
crappyjones123 Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 Lovely image Peter. Would you mind sharing how you did that? Just a slow shutter speed or was some filter magic involved? I am guessing maybe some processing too? Here's one from a day on the California Coast this last weekend:
shellylh Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 That picture is amazing Peter. Looks fake.
grawk Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 I'd guess neutral density filter, long shutter time, and a tripod. But most of the picture is in peter's picking the right spot, I think. That's true talent.
bhjazz Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 The color is intriguing as well. Almost polarized...
nikongod Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 Variable ND filter? Made by stacking 2 polarizers on top of each other and spinning one.
Iron_Dreamer Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 It's all of the above, to an extent. Hitting the beach before sunrise was key point #1, without doing that, the rest would have been futile. Finding the right spot, and the right wave, and capturing it at the right time, was also all crucial (I have plenty of other attempts from that morning). I did use both CPL and ND filters, to get the color and exposure time right (and obviously that required a tripod). Finally, the right processing was needed to bring out the contrast of the sand/water/bubbles in a way that really revealed the different textures.
n_maher Posted April 11, 2012 Report Posted April 11, 2012 Definitely not a trivial image to capture, that's for sure. Well done, Peter.
HeadphoneAddict Posted April 16, 2012 Report Posted April 16, 2012 Great photo Peter! I love all of your shots.
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