Author: Kevin

Novoflex Super-Telephoto Lens

Kevin

Recently, my friend Tom loaned me a vintage Novoflex super-telephoto lens.  Since he already had adaptors for both Nikon and Canon EOS, we had no trouble fitting it to my full-frame Canon DSLR.

The Novoflexar pistol-grip lens, originally made in Germany, is a bit obscure here in the USA.  There were a few different models; one version has a single pistol grip, while this one here has two pistol grips. Focus control is built in to the rear pistol grip and a shutter release button on the front pistol grip (requires a cable that connects to the camera).  Theoretically, this allows an agile “run and gun” type of photography, but I used it on a tripod.

The main body of the lens is simply hollow with no glass. The glass is fully contained in a front tube that threads on to the main body.  Tom’s kit included a 400mm and a 600mm (some models have a 640mm instead of 600). Because there is not a lot of glass, the total package is relatively lightweight compared to some other super-telephoto lenses.

Squeezing the focus trigger moves the front tube forward and back.  (Novoflex called this “Rapid Focus” or “Super Rapid Focus”.) There is no focus ring (typical on most lenses); the focus mechanism does not involve any rotation of anything.  There is a focus lock, to lock the focus in one spot, which I used frequently because the distance to my subject often was very far away and unchanging.  Constantly squeezing the trigger with your fingers can be quite tiring.

The focus trigger only covers part of the focus range.  The trigger will not get you from minimum focusing distance to infinity. You first have to adjust one other thing, to get the focus “in the ballpark”.  In some situations, perhaps this would be problematic.  But on the positive side, the focus trigger is close to the camera, so you don’t have to extend your arm in order to reach a focus ring (as is true with some big super-telephoto lenses).

(click on any image for a larger view)

400mm
Crop from previous image

I used this lens wide-open.  That means f\5.6 for the 400mm and f\8 for the 600mm. The 600mm showed some color fringing at hightlight edges, particularly where highlight directly overlapped a dark area. This chromatic aberation gets worse with use of the Novoflex 2x multiplier.

The lens accepts a drop-in polarizing filter.  Although I tried to exchange this with a Nikon lens, the Novoflex filter and the Nikon filter were different thicknesses, so are not interchangable.

600mm
Crop from previous image.
Note the color fringe on the white shirt sleeve.

 The Novoflex aperature uses 24 blades, more than double most lenses. This is probably not significant to most people.  If you do get into a situation with flare, the flare will look more round, compared to the pentagram shape that occurs with a 5-blade aperature.

Conclusions

Pro

  • The pistol grip design may be well-suited for a mobile/agile type of photography
  • Price. Potentially, you might find one for less than $700 (US), but they are rare.
    (If you can borrow one, as I did, then free is great.)
  • Weight. Not very heavy because it does not use much glass and because you get two lenses in one
  • Sharpness of the 400mm is good (not great)

Con

  • This lens dates back to the 1970s, so it is manual focus and has no image stabilization. (That’s OK when using a tripod and photographing subjects that are far away.  In these situations, the pistol grip design is mostly unnecessary.)
  • The squeeze focus is a bit odd; I never quite warmed up to that feature.
  • The 600mm shows chromatic aberation (that is amplified by a 2x multiplier)
  • Sharpness: the 600mm seemed a bit soft to me
  • The pistol grip design makes this lens look like a bazooka.  Particularly with the 600mm front tube, it will turn heads … possibly security or law enforcement.

If you’re looking for a super-telephoto for less than $1000.  I suspect there are better options available.  Specifically, the Tamron 200-500 SP AF Di LD and the Sigma 150-500 APO DG OS HSM.  Both Photozone.com and BobAtkins.com have published detailed reviews of the Tamron zoom.  Both Kenrockwell.com and CameraLabs.com have published detailed reviews of the Sigma zoom.  (Note that the Sigma includes optical image stabilization and the Tamron does not.)

 

Ultimate Lens for Sports & Wildlife

Kevin

There are telephoto lenses and there are telephoto zoom lenses.
Then there are tele-extenders which increase the magification of a lens.
And … then there is this; three telephoto zooms in one lens.

However, it is still not available today, though originally planned for release in mid-2011.
Price tag (yet to be announced) may cause shock or heart arythmia.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-200-400mm-f-4-L-IS-USM-Extender-1.4x-Lens-Review.aspx

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/news/telephoto_zoom_lens.do

latest update:  http://www.canonrumors.com/tag/200-400/

 

(I would like to include the photo from Canon, but their website states: protected by copyright, kindly do not copy.)

Essential Photo Gear

Kevin

Among my photo equipment, perhaps the most critical accessory is also the simplest …  something to clean lenses and filters.  For this purpose, the microfiber cloth is the preferred tool. 

Microfiber cleaning cloth for optical usage (cameras, eyeglasses, electronic display screens, etc) have become ubiquitous. Lint-less, will not scratch, washable, and reusable. Technically, the term “microfiber” simply means the fabric is woven from thread having a diameter smaller than 1 denier, smaller than silk thread.  (Different brands may use different size threads.)
 

 

 

 

 

 

Microfiber cleaning cloths are availabe in patterns, colors, and even with detailed images on the cloth. You can get your own image custom printed onto the cloth.

Tip#1 – Use plain white.  It shows dirt and you will visibly see when it needs to be cleaned.  Anything other than white will obscure dirt.

Tip#2 – Select a cloth that has no hems or tags.  Potentially dirt can get trapped in the stitching.

Tip#3 – Hand wash.  You can try machine washing, just place the cloth in a lingerie bag so it does not get sucked down the drain.  However, my experience is that this does not do a very good job.  Hand wash with a light detergent such as Woolite.  Rinse multple times to ensure all detergent is removed.

Tip#4 – Have more than one available in your photo bag.  They are small and inexpensive.  If one cloth seems dirty, maybe not cleaning well, you will have another available as back-up.

 

Giving (maybe seems a little crazy?)

Kevin

This morning, I gave away ten copies of my book Wildflowers of RiverPark.  When I completed this book, a bit more than two months ago, I gave away a dozen copies.  All totaled, this is more than $300 out of my pocket.  But from the start of this project, I knew this cost would be on me and I chose to do it.

The first give-away was done by limited email invitation to a group of individuals, before leaving my employment at this business park.  The response was strong; I had far more requests for the book than actual copies available.  One friend refused a free copy and insisted on purchasing it!  

This morning’s give away was deposited on coffee tables in lobbies.  One of the companies in the park did not have a visitors’ entrance; the only way in was through a locked employees’ entrance.  That probably means that there is no lobby or waiting room.

I gave one copy to a dental office across the street from the park.  After explaining, to the receptionist, what the book was and that I was giving it for free, she was very appreciative.  “Just leave it here on the table?” I asked.  But a man sitting in the waiting room had overheard the conversation, stopped me, and reached out his hand.  He wanted to read it immediately.  (Perhaps he had already read all the magazines that were there.)

In small part, this is marketing.  Somebody will see the book, visit my website, and that will plant the seed of some business opportunity in the future.  In large part, this book was inside me and it had to come out.  Sometimes we do what we do, for reasons that are intangible and difficult to articulate.  And the smile on a person’s face when you give them a free book … is definitely rewarding.

Book: Wildflowers of RiverPark

Kevin

Although I have mentioned my book project regarding local wildflowers, apparently I neglected to annouce that it was done. 
It is available from Blurb, here: Wildflowers of RiverPark. 

For more information, go to the navigation panel for this blog and click on “Book”.  That will show you all my blog posts about books.

There are a couple of minor errors in the book.  Specifically, my notes regarding the Eastern Redbud tree state that this tree does not produce legume seed pods.  Actually, it does.

Interest in RiverPark is extremely local, people who work at this buisiness park.  However, during one of my evening photo sessions at the park, I did encounter a couple people who walk around the park, but do not work there.

For all the people who are employed at RiverPark
who get out and walk around the park.
(You know who you are.)

Flowers are listed first according to color. Each section of the book has the color marked at the top right corner. (White isn’t clearly marked because the page background is typically white.) If you want to look up a particular flower, you can quickly locate the appropriate color-coded section.

Within any section, pertaining to a color, plants are listed more or less alphabetically by the common name (rather than the scientific name). However, the alphabetic rule is not strictly applied. Two different species having a similar appearance may be shown on the same page.

Total disclosure:  If anybody buys a copy of this book, $20 goes to Blurb (the printer) and $5 goes to me.  The printing fee charged by Blurb is not negotiable (though they do sometimes offer discount coupons).  I tacked on just $5 for myself because I could not imagine anyone paying more than $25 for a small book that is just 7 inches square and 80 pages.   . . .  Checking Blurb just now, it seems their prices have increased by $3, meaning the book is now $27.95.  

Wildflowers in the White Mountains

Kevin

Purple Trillium, Painted Trillium, and Trout Lilly are just a few of the wildflowers in bloom in the White Mountains of NH this weekend. 

Purple Trillium is tricky to photograph because it has a nodding presentation (the flower faces downward).  In the first photo here, I propped up the one flower with a stick (just a couple inches) so that it was not nodding.   I love the soft background in this image; there is a strong sense of location yet without sharp details. (f\10 @ 1/50 sec)

In the second image (with the sun shining through it), the flower was on a slight rise and I shot up at it as I lay flat out on forest floor.  Sometimes you have to get dirty.
(f\7 @ 1/250 sec)

In both cases here I used a reflector to kick a bit of light up into the face of the flower.  This helps the first image simply because the flower is much darker than the background. In general, this is not true in the second image, but it does help specific areas that are dark (for example the center of the flower).

Click on either image to see a larger view.

 

 

Local Camera Store

Kevin

Having a local camera store is very nice; not everyone does.  North of Boston, there are a few.  My preferred store is Hunts Photo & Video, in Melrose.  Calumet has a store in Cambridge.  There are a few more stores directly within the city of Boston.  I have a friend who lives in Newton and he likes Newtonville Camera (but I have never been there).

More than a decade ago, Hunts would hold an annual camera show at the World Trade Center in Boston.  That was a terrific event!  But since they have ceased to do that show, they hold a small event twice per year in the Melrose store … and I believe once per year in their other locations.  This weekend is one of those events. There are several educational presentations throughout today and tomorrow, but only one that I thought might be interesting to me.  Honestly, the autumn event is better than the spring event.

I spoke with a Canon representative regarding the EOS 5D mk III.  Special pricing was a mere $50 rebate (or discount, I’m not sure).  That’s trivial.  If they have the camera in stock (I expect that they did have a few, but did not ask), that is more significant than a tiny discount, less than 3% the camera pricetag.  I did not bite.  While I may someday buy a 5D mk III, my current battery grip E-6 (which fits the 5D2) will not fit the 5D3; the cost of a new BG-E11 adds 10% to the cost of a 5D3 body.  (For me, the grip is a must-have accessory.)

I spoke with an Epson rep regarding special pricing on the 3880 printer. He said the price is $1230, but as an Epson rep, he would take off $80 because he can.  With a $250 rebate, the final price is $900.  A good price, but is no better than what anyone can order from B&H any day of the week.

In the end, I purchased nothing today. (But I might yet return and trade in an old Gitzo ball head for a new fluid head.)

New cameras for HD, 2K, and 4K video

Kevin

In 2008, Vince Laforet shocked the film-making world with a short film called “Reverie” (http://vimeo.com/7151244).  He shot this in just two days using a borrowed Canon EOS 5D mk II (borrowed from Canon) before the camera was released.

Since then, the 5D mk II has become a serious tool for film-makers, particularly because it is much smaller than existing cameras (those specifically designed for cinematography) … and also because the cost is a small fraction of those cinematography cameras.
Recently, Canon announced a successor for 2012, the EOS 5D mk III.

The overwhelming success of the 5D mk II for video purposes was somewhat surprising to everyone, including Canon and Nikon.  Just a couple months prior to introduction of the 5Dm2, Nikon had introduced the first DSLR that supported 720 HD (not 1080).   By most accounts, Nikon trailed behind the success of the 5D2, but successfully “caught up” with cameras such as the D7000,  D4, and D800, all of which offer excellent 1080 HD video capture.  By some measures, the D800 trumps the Canon 5D mk III.

All these cameras are built around CMOS image sensors that are far larger than what you find inside video camcorders.  When combined with a system of interchangable lenses, film-makers can create effects and quality not possible with consumer or prosumer video camcorders.

Since the success of the 5D mk II, Canon has been on a mission to create new cameras specifically for cinematography (movies & television).  Enter … the new EOS C300, EOS C500, and EOS 1D C  (“c” is for cinema).  Both the C500 and EOS 1D C can capture at digital resolutions higher than 1080 HD.  While the EOS 1D C is an SLR that can shoot still images and video, the C300 and C500 are pure video machines that will capture 12-bit 4:4:4 color, compared to 8-bit 4:2.2 color in any DSLR.

While the EOS 1D C is the same size as the EOS 1D and 1Dx, it can capture 4K video at 24 fps or 1080 video at 60 fps.  That’s a data output somewhere around 500 Megabytes/sec. 
Canon recruited film-maker Shane Hurlbut to test out the new camera.  He created a short film, entitled “The Ticket“.
http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2012/04/looking-inside-the-canon1dc-dslr-4k-capture-project-the-ticket/

Canon’s new cinematography play is priced well for serious indie film-makers, but not for consumers.  So, another interesting camera for 2012, is the new Blackmagic Cinema Camera, which shoots 2.5K video and costs less than $3K.

 

720 HD  = 1280 x 720  (16:9)
1080 HD = 1920 x 1080 (16:9)  Panavision Genesis, Sony CineAlta, Canon C300
           and DSLRs: Canon 5D mk II, Canon 5D mk III, Canon 1Dx, 
                               Nikon D7000, Nikon D800, Nikon D4

2K   = 2048 x 1080 (17:9)   Ari Alexa, Silicon Imaging SI-2K, Canon C500
2.5K = 2432 x 1366 (16:9)   Blackmagic Cinema camera
4K   = 4096 × 2160 (17:9)   RED One, Red Scarlet, Canon C500, Canon 1D C

 

Smoky Mountain Sunset

Kevin

In Tennesee, anybody can enjoy Great Smoky Mountain National Park at no cost.  There are no entrance fees and no parking fees.  Apparrently this was part of the deal when the land was acquired (from native American Indians).  And you can simply drive to the top of Clingman’s Dome.

Any evening on Clingman’s Dome, there can be a bevy of photographers lined up to photograph sunset. (Probably sunrise too, but I have not witnessed that.)
But as most photographers point their cameras toward the sun, they may miss out on some of the best scenes … which do not directly include the sun.

This image was shot with a micro-four-thirds camera (Panasonic Lumix G3) and captured as RAW.  While JPEG images have already been processed (by the camera), RAW images receive no processing.  In my experience, RAW images tend to look flat and require some post-processing (by me).  While this scene appeared well to my human eyes, the camera capture was very low contrast.  So the significant post-processing was to increase the contrast.

 

 

 

Great Smokey Mountains

Kevin

At a campground inside the Smokey Mountain National Park, there is no wi-fi or internet of any sort, no cell-phone service, and no 120v electric to plug-in anything.  So, at some point, I had to leave the park in order charge batteries, check email … and clean up with a warm shower.  (Actually, I did find one valid 120v electric socket hidden near the vending machines.)

A couple photos attached here from this morning.  As shown here, this is how the Smokies got the name.

Each morning, the weather is unpredictable.  Rain during the night usually means clouds in the morning, but these can clear out rapidly.  This morning, the clouds did not clear out; but where the light is not putting on a show, the clouds sometimes do put on a show of their own.

 

 

(Click on an image for a larger view.)