POW 21 June 2009

More flower shots from my front yard, 200d with 35 LTD macro.

A rose from the City of Roses...

Our oldest girl, outside of Creve Coeur Camera in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Taken last Sunday...

Had an LBA attack last week and got myself a Pentax FA-135mm F2.8 for a price but the results I got so far are very promising. This will be a lens I take to the mountains often and use for panoramic views as well, 3 photos a infinity, 1.5 meter and closest here :-)

Wet - Pentax K10D & Pentax-FA 135mm F2.8

at minimum distance - Pentax K10D & Pentax-FA 135mm F2.8

This is a little play with macro and manual lenses. Left one with Chinon 50mm lens and right one with reversed Helios 58mm.

K100D, Chinon 50mm - left, Helios 58mm reversed - right

US Steel

K10D, DA 35mm Limited, ISO 100
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Similar shot was posted a few weeks ago (I think) but that was digital from the K10D, this is it's sister shot from the 645N. Personally, I preferred the film shot although I was in love with neither.

645N, 55mm (35 @ 35mm equiv), Fuji Provia 100F, warming polarizer and 2 stop GND.

K10D, SMC PENTAX DA 50-200MM F4-5.6 ED, ISO 100 , f10 @ 1/250s, Converted to B/W with ACDSee Pro 2.5.

In the backyard

Sorry, Photo too large, forgot to resize...

K10D, SMC PENTAX DA 50-200MM F4-5.6 ED, ISO 100 , f10 @ 1/250s, Converted to B/W with ACDSee Pro 2.5.

Out and about and found this fox den with cubs

Aww, so cute! I have baby pictures too.

Nothing good from me this week photographically, I have instead a novel, interesting use of the DSLR to show.

This is a snail embryo, taken with a K20D + MDSLR adapter, BX51 light microscope, 10x phase contrast objective. Enhanced for contrast in PS. A green interference filter was also used, hence the conversion to B&W.

To take the picture, I transferred an egg in a drop of water from the bottom of a dish of pond water onto a slide. In order not to crush the egg with the cover slip, I used a pin to draw a well of Vaseline around the drop of water. I don’t know the snail’s species. I know it’s a “pond snail” [*] and have observed it develops from egg to adult form, skipping the free-swimming larval stage that is characteristic of snails with gills. Therefore it’s probably a pulmonate that lives in water but needs to surface for oxygen. Or not. I don’t know. You can see in the picture the embryo’s undergone torsion, to emerge with the snail’s anus-over-mouth adult body plan. If you look closely you can see the embryo’s heart beat in this little video I made by flipping the camera into live view while it was connected to a Dazzle. That was a milestone for me and the K20, in that it was the first time ever that I opened the left terminal cover on the camera :-) BTW, live view “video” is terrible, reason #3 why I covet a K7. Sorry about the frame lines, I didn’t realize the K20 would include them.

I have access to some pretty high rent equipment, the BX51 can be configured to cost as much as house, but if you’re interested in taking pictures through the microscope, it doesn’t have to be an expensive undertaking. Bausch and Lomb Stereozooms were (are still?) used widely in the semiconductor industry and as a result are ubiquitous on eBay. It is possible to acquire, either separately or together, a Stereozoom body, a simple focusing stand and stage, a fiber optic light source and a ring or gooseneck light guide, all for around $600. This is an excellent value for tried and true equipment (Leica bought B&L and rebranded many of its products). To put the value in perspective, just a single eyepiece for the BX51 costs north of $300 (there are compelling reasons other than cost for why not to get a compound microscope as a first microscope.) I do not recommend buying cheap Chinese zooms available widely on the Internet. They are as toys. Do not even buy one for a child; it will turn the child off from looking through the microscope. The B&L Stereozooms have a continuous zoom range of 0.7-3x, which is adequate for looking at plants and insects as well as less familiar subjects that don’t also require specimen preparation in order to see. 3x is sufficient to make out some protists, single-celled animalcules, albeit as morphologically indistinct specks. You can increase magnification with screw-on auxiliary lenses. A 2x auxiliary lens will clearly resolve things like rotifers, Hydra, nematode worms; zooplankton will appear as monsters. There are adapters you can buy fairly cheaply that will allow you to take pictures with a P&S camera through an eyepiece.

Here is one such picture taken with a 3MP Coolpix 990. The egg is less than 1mm across along its short axis.

By way of comparison, this last photograph was taken through a much (much!) more expensive Olympus SZX9 stereo microscope. Both pictures can be better but the message is you pay a lot to improve only a little.

[*] There’s two species of “pond snails” in my jar of pond water. The other one lays eggs in sheets.

Both made on Pentax K10D with DA 50-200mm.

'Two birds, Makara Beach',

and

'Boat heading to sea, Whanganui River'

Another upload attempt...

And second one...

Here is my lone photo of the week. It is a picture of model Tatum Miranda taken on Saturday at the "Lean like a cholo" movie's video shoot. I used the K10D in raw with the 40mm limited. I haven't been using the Pentax that much and had moved away from the 40mm when I just happened to find it in my car's arm rest. This thing is like butter. My retouching was mostly trying to crop out the ugly house behind the car, and bumping the saturation a tad. I used levels and curves, but just tapped auto.

A Single photo from me I picked up the EOS 50D this week and have been familiarizing myself with it.
This photo was taken with the SMC Pentax-M 1:2 50mm on a Takumar-A 2x TC attached to a 30mm Extension tube modifed to take a pentax mount while fitting to the 50D Body.
I used a tripod with ISO 400 1/100 sec @ F16 with Flash

Pentax istD + Tamaron 500/8. Shot from my balcony.

Quite an eclectic group of pics this week so far. I really like Camus's Two Birds. I hope to get back to some shooting this week but I have spent the past week working on the pp part of the process. I would like to post three shots. The first two were taken early last spring along the Brandywine River in Delaware. I can't find the data for the first shot but all three were taken with a K10D and processed in CS3.

number two

number three

The POW is certainly getting more interesting every week! Some really great photos, and technical details..
Camus, how did you manage to get such a blue color from the Wanganui river? It's always brown when I am around! lol
I went wandering in Old Scottsdale one late afternoon..
#1

#1

#2

#3

Happy Father's Day to all...Really nice shots as always...Michael, did you send all your rain out east...No hiking this weekend...One more shot form last weeks hike looking in the opposite direction...View from Noonmark...K10D,16-45mm lens,A 21mm @ f/8, 1/7502,ISO 100 And a RAIN DRENCHED WILDFLOWER along the trail...K10D,16-45mm,A 45mm @ f/6.7,1/180s,ISO 100

K10D + FA 50mm f/1.4

I'm really starting to bore myself, posting nothing but flowers and birds (I've just got to get out more!) But, at the end of the week, they turn out to be my best shots.
This is a Magnolia blossom (of the traditional evergreen "Southern" variety) Taken with the DA*300mm & Tamron 1.4 TC on a tripod: I've been kind of "road testing" that combo. I did a B&W version too but like the color better.

Is this a lotus or water lily or something else entirely? Anyway, I took this last Sunday with the K20D & SMC F2.5 200mm & a CP filter. The sun was particularly brilliant (a one-day reprieve from clouds and rain), creating interesting opportunities in dappled shade.

Very nice, all! I especially like Camus' boat heading to sea, and Bob's #1 and #3 - those are marvelously done! There are some fun dog shots here, so I'll keep with the trend.

Oh the above was with a K100Ds, and a Vivitar 55mm macro lens (Komine made, native 1:1, highly recommended). Here's the shot I was trying to get when the dog ran by the first time - with the same gear:

Another outstanding POW. I'll wait to comment on individual shots until more are posted. Here are a couple of quick snaps from the past week. They were taken at the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association (NOIA) annual conference. I was shooting with both the K20D and K100DS.

Here is the first image. This was the opening of the convention with a tribute by local musician Ron Hynes for the souls lost aboard Cougar Flight 491 on March 12, 2009. This tragedy touched the entire province and reopened old wounds from the Ocean Ranger disaster in 1982. Ron's heartfelt performance didn't leave many dry eyes in the house...

Here's the second shot. Premier Danny Williams announcing a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to develop the Hibernia South Extension. Total revenue from project is estimated to at 10 Billlion dollars.

Finally, here's the last capture. Canadian politician, broadcaster and diplomat Stephen Lewis with Jerry Byrne (one of Atlantic Canada's Top 50 CEO's). Lewis recently completed his term as United Nations special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. He is also the founder of the "Stephen Lewis Foundation" which provides care, assistance and support for women, orphans and associations of people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Well, allow me to add to this melting pot of shots with some odd ball shots. Again, this is my homemade macro set up adapted to the K20D now. All shot at 3cm working distance, an old flash in manual, K20D in manual, 160/s, f32. The scope of the shot is 12mm across the long side, so 2x macro.

Secondly:

And thirdly (pushing my luck here):

WOW Garry, those are incredible! A whole new world.

HRC Universal Studios - K10D, DA*16-50mmF2.8ED AL[IF] SDM @ 19mm, 1/50s, f/8.0, ISO 100, Spot Meter, Manual Exposure, SR Off, B+W CP.

These are among the last photos taken with my late, great K10D. I really messed up, dropping my camera on the bottom right corner, leaving a 1/2" by 1 1/2" piece of plastic body part on the floor. Incredibly it still worked after I put the focus screen back in and re-installed the battery, but the base is very weak. I HAD to send in an order for a K7, so now I wait.
Anyway, these are taken with the K10D, with a Tamron SP 70-210 f1:3.5, CF in Amargosa Valley, Nevada.
Hollyhock

Silver Nightshade

Universal Studios City Walk - K10D, DA*16-50mmF2.8ED AL[IF] SDM @ 34mm, 1/800s, f/8.0, ISO 100, Spot Meter, Manual Exposure, SR Off, B+W CP.

First POW post - Got some great shooting in and budgetary constraints made me wait to get it developed. Minor PP in GIMP (color balance, sharpen mask, no NR).

Same Day #2

A couple from my new Hexar, 35mm f2, I think this'll be the last 35mm film camera I buy, the focal length might take some getting used to but It seems to be more useful for inside shots than my 50, that and it's quieter than my MX!

2

Aw come on guys! How am I supposed to pick only three out of this batch? O.K. First the ones that really caught my attention.
My three absolute favorites are:
1) Ian, I love your fox. The composition, lighting and focus on your shot is as if the Fox were a cooperative model posing for the portrait.
2)Camus, the composition in your 'Two Birds, Makara Beach' photograph blows me away. It's like a ying/yang symbol done with gulls. Very well done.
3) Markus, one of my favorite photographers is Bill Brandt and your photograph of the man with the horse was reminiscent of a lot of his work to me. Great framing and capture of expression.
A few other comments:
Jeremiah: INTERESTING lighting on 'Same Day #2'. Whatever you did, I would play with that more. I keep looking back at this photograph and you are on to something here.
Garry, I like the setup you are playing with. My only wish is that the slug's eye stalks were also in focus. I think it would make a photograph like that phenomenal. I like your cooling element too.
Nick, 'Go Bear Go!' is a great shot. I would personally crop out the boats on the left which seem to make it a little busy and detract from the dog leaping into the big blue.
Bueh B., I go to MegaCon in Orlando every year so I dig the creativity of the kids with the bright weird-colored hair. The expression on the model's face is great and the quality of your portrait illustrates why the 50mm 1.4 is a caliber even Leica does not exceed.
Haig, #3 is a GREAT action shot. #2 is fun to look at but the background seemed too busy to me to appreciate the subject.
Robert, Fun PP treatments on your trees. I especially liked #3
Ian, beautiful capture of the moth. I like the text book symmetry of it.
Thank you for your explanation of equipment and micro photography series, Leo. I'm a hard-core tree hugger anyway and your great shots of snail embryos insure that I will never put a coffee can full of beer by my rose bushes. I liked your expression, "you pay a lot to improve only a little." I think that's a great statement about photography gear in general.
Justin, though nature and landscape photography are your specialties, you also turn out stunning architecture and industrial photographs. Your photograph 'US Steel' is no exception and really caught my eye.
Matthew, though your night shot is nicely lit with a balance between the subject and the background well achieved with a competent use of flash, I would have loved to see this shot on film. The McManamey's photographs on film through Pentax Primes were a big selling point for me going 'retro' with my photography and I would not complain to see more of that from the both of you if you find the time.
John, I like the way the big slab of rectangular stone resting at a 45 degree angle creates a visual flow towards the base of the falls. Still, with your photograph, I wanted to get closer and it bugs me to wonder what you would have gotten if you scaled that rugged rock face to get to the base of the falls. Don't worry. If you slip and plummet to your death, your 645 will likely survive the fall and continue to take amazing pictures. Thanks again for sharing your darkroom techniques.
Scot, your photograph 'A Short Walk to Trails End...' should have been in my top three because it is on par with the rest of my favorites and is not there only because I ran out of room in the top three slots. I love the isolation of the dog on the beach. Lighting, exposure, composition, and everything else is great. It also illustrates once again that the Pentax DA 50-200MM F4-5.6 ED is the most under-rated lens Pentax has ever produced.
With that in mind, there's nothing new from me this week as I pack up the latest exposed film and send it off to Dwayne's to see how they do (and, more so, how I did). So here's digging in the archives. I briefly reviewed all my posts and (hopefully) have never put these up on Photo.Net before. They're of the Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire from a couple of years ago and are all taken with the DA 50-200MM on a K10D:

P.S. George, Nobody knows how to laugh like kids and your first shot captures it beautifully. Your second shot is a really nice use of side light and black space.

I'm all about babies this week (and I already posted this one for Robert C.). You can see more from this shoot here and here .

Following the Serpico School of Postprocessing, I shot them in April but didn't PP them until a this week.

What'ya looking at, Buster?

Thanks, Morgan, for those constructive and exhaustive reviews.. it gets to be a daunting task as the thread gets longer :-) Your three shots are interesting as well.. #1 I think might have looked better with a bit more horse in the shot. #2 is my favorite of the three, mainly because it is totally unposed, but 2 of the girls were obviously aware.. it's just a lovely shot. #3 Nice action shot.. very well captured.

I've been consumed with post-processing work-related soccer shots and cruising end-of-elementary school parties with my kids this week. I'm also trying to get down basic procedures for loading film and executing shots on an old 4x5 press camera that a friend lent me. Quite the change, and a needed one.

Two worthy shots this week.

This is my daughter reacting to her first iPod arriving. I have a feeling that this is one of those rituals of modern life that they'll be shaking their heads over in the not-so-distant future. But she did pay for it with her own money. 'Scuse the seeming advertisement for Apple, the T-shirt refers to a dance production of Snow White that she was in.

K20D, Tamron 17-50 @ 43mm, f 5.6@ 1/60, ISO 400, Metz AF 58 diffused flash

This was from our yard, taken this evening just before a downpour, though the skies were light enough. Kinda sorta 3D-ish.

K20D, Voigtlander 125mm, f 5.6 @ 1/10, ISO 400

I'll post comments later.

ME

So many great photo's makes it hard to choose a few favourites but here goes.
Bueh's Portrait shot, Markus's Wet and robert's Early spring.
I would comment more but my Kmount to Eos adaptor has just arrived and have some lens's I want to try out. I will comment so more later on.

ok here is mine. I posted earlier on post I did and thought it would go great here. The only thing I have done to it is border it the pic itself is untouched. Enjoy. Shot with K20D 18-250 Lens.

My favs this week are Justin’s US steel, Camus’seagulls, and (ofcourse) Robert’s early spring (you know a have a taste for image-manipulation). Oh, and Gary, can I borrow your thrilling needle-on-skin idea ?

This is a major tele-tower I finally managed to get close
Lens Focal Length: 21,00 mm ()
Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec
F-Number: F11,0
ISO: 100
And ofcourse some pseudo-hdr work…..

And a view of contemporary dutch windmills
Lens Focal Length: 21,00 mm ()
Shutter Speed: 100/5999 sec
F-Number: F16,0
ISO: 100
Bracketing of 3 and hdr

Morgan, your critics are a great service, thanks for the work. I feel a little bit ashamed by only posting photos and lurking otherwise on the POW now :-) Thanks Ben as well.

with K20D and Tamron 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD

Hiking in Point Lobos State Reserve in California

I will second the appreciation for Morgan's great critiques. I not only looked at my shot anew, but also a few of the others to see things I had missed. Thanks! And btw I love the third Ren Fair shot - punch to the groin!

PS Hin - GREAT squirrel photo!

Taken with the K2000 DA 50 - 200 @ 115mm 1/90 f6.7. No post process

Daaaang! The pictures are almost all great this week!

Well, here is my first POW. There was a Citroën 2CV meeting in a hotel in front of my house, quite interesting that all of them were yellow!
Pentax k20d - DA18-55. Just modified curves

(link)

This is my first attempt at the POW.

Used the DA 50-200mm lens, @ 115mm and F8.0