Digital medium format in Kyoto
Click here for todays photos
Having lived in Japan for about 10 years now, I’ve been to Kyoto quite a few times, each time with a camera and set of lenses at hand.
My most recent trip starts this coming Sunday. I’ll be taking a night bus from Shinagawa, departing at around 11 pm, and arriving in Kyoto just before 7 am. I could take a Shinkansen there, but I will be running a half marathon in Yokosuka earlier on Sunday, and taking the bus that night gets me into Kyoto earlier than if i were to catch the shinkansen the next morning. I’m betting that I will be tired enough so that I sleep like a baby during the night bus ride. Just to be sure I will pop a couple of sleeping pills as I board the bus, that way I can hope to get a good nights sleep and arrive feeling relatively refreshed.
On the way back home the following Saturday I will be taking the shinkansen as that is the absolute fastest way to travel, and I will be able to leave Kyoto after sunset and still make it home in time for a late dinner in Yokosuka.
This will be the first time that I will be shooting (digital) medium format in Kyoto. Usually I shoot DSLR or Rangefinder, but this time I decided to trade off my more light weight kit and go for maximum image quality.
Here’s what I plan to bring:
Mamiya AFDII
Mamiya ZD back
Mamiya 35mm f3.5
Mamiya 55mm f2.8
Mamiya 80mm f1.9
Mamiya 150mm f3.5
Set of 3 extension tubes for macro work
A sack full of CF cards
While I am there I will also be checking out the used camera shops in Kyoto and Osaka to see if I can find a good deal on a Mamiya 200mm f2.8.
All of this fits nicely into a Lowepro Micro Trekker 200, which is my favorite backpack to use. I may change bags and instead use a Domke wax-wear F2, it depends if it looks like there will be a high likelihood of rain as the Domke is very water resistant.
Since I have not really had time to put the ZD back through its paces yet this should be a good opportunity to really see what it can do.
To date I’ve only used this medium format setup for single day type shooting (6-8 hours at a stretch) so I think I have a pretty good idea about what to expect as far as weight goes. I am still a bit concerned, but I do also know that the results will quickly make me forget about the increase in weight compared to a DSLR kit.
But I do also have a backup plan/sanity check: I will also take along an Olympus E-P1 with a 20mm f1.7 and 14-42 kit zoom. This will serve as my backup in case I don’t feel like carrying so much gear on any particular day. The PEN will also serve as my nighttime low light camera.
Since this is a solo trip, and the only point is to take photos, explore more of Kyoto, and relax, I don’t think I’m going too nuts here with the gear I am bringing.
I just wanted some other people’s perspectives about this plan. Given the same choice of gear, would you do the same thing?
My alternative DSLR setup would be a Nikon D700 with some fast primes: 14/2.8, 35/2, 50/1.4, 85/1.4, and 180/2.8
Seeing with more than just my eyes
CLick the image for todays photos
This past Wednesday, being Veterans day, was a day off for me.
I had planned to go out taking photos. But when I woke up to torrential rains, I checked the weather to see what the rest of the would hold: 100% chance of rain.
Damn.
But, not to be deterred I decided to make the best of it and head up to Nakano to check out a favorite used cameras shop and take some photos.
Since photos taking was secondary on the agenda to camera shopping, I only packed the Olympus E-P1 with 20/1.7, 25/1.4 (C mount), and Zuiko 50/1.2.
I caught the train first from Yokosuka Chuo station to catch the Yamanote line in Shinagawa. From there I would make the necessary transfer in Shinjuku to get to my destination in Nakano.
It’s about 80 minutes in total on the train, so I sank into my seat and settled in for the ride. The swaying and creaking of the train as is slid up the tracks started to lull me into a short nap. I was listening to the sounds around me; The rustle of someone turning a newspaper page, a muted cough from someone further back in the train car, the hum of the trains electric motors, and the periodic announcement from the train driver about what stations were coming up next.
It was during this time that I heard a little kid pointing out to his father all of the things he saw as the train made its way along the tracks. That reminded me that there is always something to see. You just need to open your eyes and mind to it.
In this case I had been “looking” with just my ears, and after hearing that small kid I was reminded that there is never any dead time. Something interesting is always presenting itself.
I think that most people around me are probably wondering what I am taking so many pictures of all the time, and I am happy to let them assume that I am a tourist. In all truth, after living here for nearly ten years now, I still do feel like a tourist. I mean this in the sense that it still feels like a vacation to me. There is still wonder in what lies around the next corner, or what there is to see at the next train station.
The wonder of this place has yet to wear off for me. This is a testament to how fascinating I find Japan. There is always something new for me to see. Some times it is a an altogether new place that I exploring, other times it may be something I have seen many times before but I happen to find a new way to look at it.
There is something “subarashii” (wonderful) locked up in most everything we see. The key is being able to to find it. But it is there. Trust me. All you have to do is change your point of view, or frame of mind, and open yourself to what surrounds you.
Let it all in. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings.
Don’t have too many expectations about a place before you see it. While it is good to listen to those that may have been there before you, don’t take their views as gospel. Let your own personal experience shape your view and you will be surprised by what you see once you stop looking with just your eyes…
Metropolis Halloween Glitterball 2009
After nearly ten years in Japan, I finally made it to my first Metropolis Halloween Party. I wish I had started attending them sooner, because it was a BLAST! Although, I’m not completely stupid though, because I had enough foresight to book a hotel room for the night of the party and take the next day off from work.
A Playboy Bunny, Peter Pan, A guy who is trying to be WAY to sexy for this photo, and the most shocked person with pink hair I have ever seen.
I had with me the old Fuji F30. It served the purpose well and from the photo gallery you can see I just dumped the memory card straight from the camera. It’s further proof positive that no matter what camera I use I am more than capable of producing bland, out of focus, poorly framed shots with bad composition and timing.
I was dressed up as Peter Pan, and Saori was Tinker Bell. She had scored a great deal on the costumes earlier that week via the internet.
I was not planning to stay out all night (Thats what the hotel room was for) but I was aware that the party was a “Nomihodai” meaning it was sure to be fun, if not a little bit of a challenge for the old liver. And true to form I lost count after the 9th or 10th gin-tonic, but seeing as the party started at 7pm, there was plenty of time not only to drink, but to burn those drinks off.
Granted I was not feeling as chipper as I usually do as I rolled out of bed at the crack of afternoon the next day, but I’ll blame that on the cheap gin.
Will I go again next year? Most definitely, I just need to think of another costume that will be popular as Peter Pan. With Japan having such an obsession for all things Disney I was constantly getting dragged into pictures with people which is a great conversation starter to say the least.
Soooo. Anyone have any ideas about what I should be next year?
A day in the park
Last Sunday I met up with about 30 of my closest friends. On the third Sunday of every month the Tokyo Cameras club gets together to shoot pictures, and last Sundays location was Rikugien Park in Tokyo. It’s near Komagome Station on the Yamanote line.
Club votes on the location for each months get-together, and the last two finalists were Rikugien park, and Yokohama Chinatown. I was pulling for Chinatown as it is a whole lot closer to where I live. And to tell the truth i was a bit bummed when Rikugien ended up winning the vote. But, not to be deterred by a 90 minute train ride (That’s what iPods were invented for) I happily hopped on the train.
After getting to Komagome station, Saori and I stopped in at Matsuya for a quick meal of beef with rice and a bowl of miso soup. Speaking of Matsuya, I am completely impressed with traditional fast-food in Japan. Be it Udon, Ramen, or Gyudon, it’s always completely and satisfyingly delicious, not to mention worlds healthier than western style fast food. Think of Puppies frolicking through a field of MORE puppies and you will get an idea of how satisfying a good bowl of gyudon and miso soup can be.
Thinking that I may find it hard to find interesting things to shoot in a park, I stopped in at a combini for a couple of cans of liquid inspiration (aka: BEER) ans set off down the street towards the park. Polishing off the second can just as I was passing a recycling bin near the park entrance, I dropped the can into the bin, and pulled my camera of the day out of my backpack. (Olympus E-P1) I pulled off the lens cap, checked to make sure the battery was charged, the memory card was empty, and the lens was clean. Check, check, check. ”OK, time to go see if I can scrape together some images from this park” I thought to myself.
Boy, were my feelings wrong. The park ended up being spectacular. Not at all crowded, and beautiful. It also helped that the weather was absolutely perfect, the ideal autumn day: clear skies, dry, and moderate temperatures. It turned out that I didn’t need the beer after all. (Although even knowing that ahead of time would probably not have stopped me)
The lenses that say the most use while using the E-P1 was the standards kit zoom (14-42mm f3.5-5.6), and a manual Olympus Zuiko 55mm f1.2 . The kit zoom is spectacularly sharp, and built in such a manner that it can collapse down into a quite compact form when not in use. The 55mm f1.2 equates to a rather ridiculous 110mm f1.2 on the E-P1s cropped sensor, so the shots and perspectives you can get are pretty fun. It’s soft as hell wide open, but the bokeh is to die for. Stopped down it gets satisfactorily sharp.
To make a long story short, the three hours of shooting went by all too fast. but now that I have gotten a taste of the place, I will be sure to return when the maple leaves are in all their full autumnal splendor.
So I guess the moral of the story is, ” Don’t be too quick to judge something before you get a chance to experience it” and also “Beer never hurts”.
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In case anyone is interested, I took part in another episode of “Cool Japan”.
It will air at the following times:
Nov. 17 (Tue) 22:00〜22:44 (NHK BS Hi-vision)
Re-run – Nov. 22 (Sun) 0:10〜 0:54（NHK:BS-1)
Cold days and hot corn soup
See todays pictures HERE.
I grew up in Northern Michigan, so needless to say, I am accustomed to dealing with cold weather. The average year in Upper Michigan can be characterized as 9 months of winter, and 3 months of bad skiing.
Well, maybe it’s not quite that bad, but the winter snows can start snowing as early as late October and the snow is not usually all melted until well into April.
I even remember one time when I was a kid, it actually SNOWED on the 4th of July. True Story! That was before the record snowfall winter of 1978-1979 when 390.4 inches of snow fell in one winter season. That’s 32 and a half feet of snow!!! Pretty crazy.
But seeing that I have not spent a winter there since 1994, I have started to get a little soft when it comes to cold weather. I recently spent a day in Kamakura, via Yokohama. The day was really clear, but there was still the definite chill of approaching autumn in the air.
I spent most of the day walking around Kamakura taking photos, climbing a lot of temple stairs and bobbing and weaving my way through the crowds. I kept moving enough so I was able to stay warm.
After taking a couple hundred photos I then swung through Yokohama on my way home. I stopped at Yokohama station so I could do some “guy shopping” as I like to call it. Guy shopping is just like girl shopping, the only difference is the type of products that are being looked at. I checked out all the major camera and electronics stores around the station. I always like to poke around and check out the latest gadgets to hit the shelves, just in case I happen to find something that I just can’t live without.
I found a couple of neat things, but not anything I had not seen before. I expect that with the holiday season coming there should be some new gadgets entering the stores in time for the holiday buying rush. I’ll check again in a couple of weeks to see if there is anything new.
After the sun had gone down it really started to get cold. Since I was no longer hiking around and generating enough of my own internal body heat to keep me warm I stopped by one of the ever-present vending machines to get myself something hot to drink.
The great thing about vending machines in Japan is that they vary the selection depending on the season. While there is always a wide range of flavors to choose from, in the winter the increase the number of hot items for sale and also add a couple of interesting choices.
One of the most odd, at least before you get the chance to try it, is hot Corn Soup in a can.
I know it sounds a little weird, but believe me. Nothing hits the spot when your cold like a can of hot corn soup. The only gripe I have is that the can is really small. The word “dinky” comes to mind when I start to describe it. I am able to suck the entire thing down in one gulp. I guess I could buy a few more, but at 120 Yen a mouthful, it could get pretty expensive to fill yourself up on the stuff.
In addition to warming you on the inside, the hot cans also serve to warm your hands up. Many times I have seen people buy a can of hot corn soup or hot coffee and use it primarily as a hand warmer. Only drinking it after they have transferred most of the cans heat to their hands.
Could the megapixel race finally be over?
Click HERE for today’s photos.
Could the megapixel race finally be over?
Let’s hope so.
Here’s the headline: “Canon releases a new camera with lower resolution and better image quality.”
While this seems a bit counterintuitive, it does make sense. You see, cramming ever more and more pixels onto the same sized image sensor is NOT the way to improve image quality.
In my view Canon did a VERY smart thing in reducing the pixel count with the G11. And to make the news even better, they upped the sensor size, so you get a double whammy effect that results in larger photo sites, meaning a higher signal to noise ratio and lower overall noise.
I don’t want a super high resolution 100 megapixel image that is so noisy it looks like it was taken during a snowstorm. I’d much rather have a sub-10 megapixel image from the same sized or larger sensor as that will dramatically improve final image quality. Sigma, with their 4.7 megapixel Foveon sensors in their DP1 and DP2 cameras have proved this. Granted Foveon sensor technology is something entirely different from CMOC and CCD, but the fact remains that the 4.7 megapixel resolution images have the sharpness, clarity, and detail of 10-12 megapixel images shot using CCD or CMOS technology.
The only thing that really puzzles me is why Canon decided to grace the new S90 with an f2.0 lens, whilst only giving the G11 a widest aperture of f2.8? I am sure anyone who knows anything about taking pictures would have easily traded the 140mm zoom on the long end of the G11 for the 105mm on the long end of the S90 if it meant they could get an f2.0 aperture on the wide end.
S90: f/2.0-4.9 28-105mm (35mm equiv)
G11: f/2.8-4.5 28-140mm (35mm equiv)
In its defense, the G11 does have a very useful articulated LCD screen, although it is (marginally) smaller than that on the S90, AND on the long end of things, the G11 has the S90 beaten both on aperture, as well as reach.
It seems funny, but I think the biggest threat to Canons new G11 is their very own S90. The again, maybe not, since they seem to be marketed towards slightly different groups. The S90, being very pocketable is a “take it with you everywhere” camera that is sure to be popular with everyone. But the G11, while still compact, is certainly not something that you will want to stuff in your front pants pocket, not unless you want to make people think you are happy to see then anyways… The G11 seems geared toward the same crowd as the G10, those serious about their pictures, and after an all-around best-fit camera to fit as many photographic situations as possible.
I also see that they left HD video out of both of them, further ensuring a solid upgrade path for those that buy into the current lineup. So neither the S90 not the G11 are perfect cameras.
Smart. Very smart.
And in truth, I don’t think it is in any manufacturers best interest to produce the ‘perfect” camera. After all, their goal as a manufacturer is to make money. If they made a perfect camera then why would people fork over more of their hard earned (or inherited, or ill-gotten, or whatever type) money for a new model?
Businesses are IN business to DO business. Period.
That’s why we see such incremental product updates most of the time. It cuts down on R&D and manufacturing costs while maximizing the mount of units being sold, and this translates directly into profit.
It is a fine line though, and I am sure Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, and everyone else I watching each other like hawks to make sure than no one manufacturer gets too far ahead of the curve and upsets the balance. I can just see the CEOs of all the big camera companies getting together once every year to decide what features to release on the public, how much to charge, and what features should be reserved for future product updates.
Following is a brief summary of my thoughts on some digital camera manufacturers. Basically, I attempted to describe each companies philosophy when it comes to making cameras:
Canon: Full frame is where it’s at, ergonomics are for pansies.
Nikon: Full frame is overrated (oops, that was last years line…) “Full frame is where it’s at, and oh by the way, our ergonomics wipe the floor with Canon.
Olympus: Damnit, 4/3rds IS full frame! (if you can accept the logic that the original Pen was a full frame camera this may make sense, otherwise, it’s a bunch of rubbish…), and lets make some really good glass, but lets also make the mistake to price it outside of most peoples ability to afford.
Panasonic: Yes, we really do make cameras, not just electric shavers and flat panel TVs.
Leica: Screw sustainable business models! We’re making rangefinders and medium format digital cameras that nobody can afford. But just to hedge out bets we’ll partner with Panasonic and place one of our fabled red dots on a few of their models which will allow us to instantly charge $400-$600 more for the exact same camera.
Pentax: It’s all about the glass. (And they are absolutely right)
Sigma: No, really, it really IS a 14.7 megapixel sensor! (all the other makers roll their eyes)
Kodak: Someone has to sell cameras to the people who bought Yugos
Mamiya: Isn’t that Italian?
Casio: Someone has to sell cameras to people who are ready to step up from Kodak.
Ricoh: Yes, yes, I know this shot looks like it was taken during a snowstorm, but look at just how sharp that palm tree is! Ricoh should sell their cameras with a disclaimer: “Use Only In Direct Sunlight”
Hasselblad: Let’s make our equipment even more expensive than Leica. That way we can feel exclusive and justify our high prices. Never mind that our digital backs cost more than a mid-sized SUV.
Fujifilm: We’ll take a Nikon mount and put one of our bodies and sensors on it and instantly charge $400-$600 LESS than the comparable Nikon.
Epson: Epson? I thought they only made printers?
Contax: R.I.P.
Sony: A little late to the DSLR game, but since buying up Konica/Minolta they have really come into their own. Now if only they could increase their focus speed, and decrease their high ISO image noise. They have been making solid point and shoot cameras for years.
HP: I thought they just made printers and computers?
No camera is perfect. I know because I seem to have tried darn near all of them. But it certainly is an interesting time to be alive with the steady progression of technological advances creeping ever closer to the end-goal of what had been developed in the film world years ago, but with the added bonuses of better high ISO image quality, huge storage capacity for pictures (can you even imagine changing your memory card after just 24 shots?), and immediate image/histogram review.
Click HERE for today’s photos.
Religion and the Olympus E-P1 Digital Pen
Click HERE for todays photos.
The recent solar eclipse was quite the sight to see here in Japan. It was cloudy near Tokyo during the event, but thank to the power of the internet I was able to view it live via streaming video. It did get spooky-dark during the eclipse, and it made me wonder about what people used to think way back in history when things like that would happen.
Were they scared? Excited? Did they care?
I have no idea, but what I do know for sure is that many thousands of years ago people were really about the same as people today. They just lacked the scientific level of knowledge to help explain all of those inexplicable things that they experienced in their daily lives. The rise and fall of the tides, solar (and lunar) eclipses, the changing of the seasons, and why Wayne Newton was such a popular entertainer. Yes, the list of things not explainable was long, and varied.
And as people generally like to understand their world (or at least feel like they understand it) a group of enterprising individuals came up with a solution.
Religion.
All of a sudden there was a cause and a reason for everything. Nothing was random, and everything happened according t some grand plan. But these people who created the gods and such had ulterior motives. Yes, they did hand the general public an explination for all of the worlds unknowns, but they also used it as a manner to control those same people.
And they did it in a very interesting manner…
By making people feel important.
We were no longer insiginificant. By George, we had an all knowing , all seeing individual (or group, depending on the local gospel) that took a vested interest in every little thing we do.
We mattered. We were important.
The only catch was you had to be careful no to stray from the “rules”, otherwise instead of things being wonderful, you were slated to endure an eternal procession of misery and pain (like attending a Wayne Newton concert) .
Pretty clever actually. Tell somebody that the reason behind everything is “X”. With “X” being whatever religion developed in each region of the world. People feel satisfied that they now “understand” things, and life can continue on, just so long as you continue to “believe” in something that nobody can prove. (And they call those that believe in extra terrestrial life/intelligence nuts…)
I do have to give the Pope credit though. He did state his believe that intelligent life on other panets is a possibility, even if he did add a disclaimer to the statement by saying that it will all have been part of Gods plan.
Personally I would like to think that there is intelligent life in the Universe, but before I have proof cannot believe it as fact. But I do sincerely hope that there is something else out there, becasue if that were true then there would be at least one intelligent planet in this vast cosmos.
But here we are in the 21’st(!) century, all smug in the satisfaction that we “understand”, that we somehow know better than those ignorant boobs from the past. But I would argue that we are, in general, are even more naive than our ancestors. In our predecessors defense, they did not have the scientific method to help explain things to them, so they had no choice but to accept the only explination being offerd.
But we have started (and just barely started, there is so much more to learn) down the path of science, and have been able to explain so many of those past mysteries, using the scientific method, that we now know that many (if not all) of our prior “beliefs” were flat out wrong.
For example: Without a shadow of a doubt, we all now understand why solar eclipses happen. We also understand why the seasons change, and why Wayne Newton is so painful to listen to (he is the Anti-Christ).
But so many of us still choose to be blinded by religion, and fail to accept the fact that we don’t matter. The only rules are those that we and the society we live in place on us. This is why things that seem so abhorent to some (like killing a girl that was raped in order to save the “honor” of the family) are accepted as normal in other cultures. But even then, many of these cultural differences are the result of divergent religous paths conflicting on basic ideological levels.
I can understand the siren song of religion, I just don’t buy it. It would be nice to be able to accept a simplified explination for things, to feel important, and to be given some level of comfort that when my time on this earth is done it will not really be the end for me.
I hope you are not thinking that I am diametrically opposed to religion, as this is not the case. Most religions have a very positive message, and if parts of this message are followed, the result can be a more harmonious existance. It’s just that I for one have not yet bought the explinations for things that religion provides.
There are a few things that, if religion were able to explain them, I may become a believer. Here is my top-ten list:
1. why are the wicked not punished in the here and now instead of some afterlife where nobody really knows if it happens or not?
2. Why do bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people? Isn’t there supposed to be some kind of justice if there is an all powerful being orchestrating this silly show?
3. Why do so many people chose Adjustable Rate Mortgages?
4. Why is it that is you don’t believe in the same invisible person as me, you are “wrong”? Isn’t religion supposed to be all about tolerance?
5. Where does that other sock go when you put it in the dryer?
6.Why doesn’t The Vattican publicly release ALL of the gospels?
7. Why is Wayne Newton so popular? (See question 1: Maybe we are ALL already in hell)
8. How do Jehovahs Whitnesses ALWAYS know when I am at home? (Even here in Japan!)
9. Why do whales and snakes have vestigial leg bones?
10. Why are top-ten lists so polular?
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In other, less contoversial, news: I recently bought an Olumpus E-P1. It’s a micro 4/3rds mount camera, and as far as I can tell so far, goin got be a HUGE hit for olympus.
Click HERE for todays photos, all of them were taken with the E-P1 in 6×6 mode with the “pin hole” art filter. Other than converting from Raw to jpeg, no post-processing work was done on my part, these are straight out of the camera.
The kit lenses (14-42mm, and 35mm f2.8 pancake) are great, but what makes this camera really exciting is the fact that it accepts darn near any other type of lens. This is possible because the register distance, from the lens mount to the sensor plane is very short, thus you can use an adapter ring of the appropriate thickness to make up the difference for other makers lenses.
I’ve been shooting with it for about two weeks now, and while it is not perfect, it is one solid piece of equipment. The only real gripe I have is the fact that there is a 2x crop factor on all lenses used, so finding a nice fgast normal or wide anle lens is a challenge. My wonder normal zuiko 50mm f1.2 ends up “looking” like a 100mm f1.2.
It’s also got the best high-iso image quality I have seen from a 4/3rds camera. Its good enough in fact that this has become my default street shoting camera, and my beloved Leica M8 will soon be hitting the auction block. I like the M8, but I can’t justify keeping such an expensive camera if I won’t be using it.
Here is a quick list of the Pro’s and Con’s of the E-P1 after my brief experience with it:
Pro’s:
- Very compact build, yet still very solid
- Great high ISO image quality
- Very compact 17mm f2.8 pancake lens (35mm equivelant) , but I am really waiting for the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 pancake
- Kit zoom lens is tack sharp, and has a cool collapsing design to make it much smaller when closed
- Built-in art filters and aspect ratios are fun
- Nice array of external controls, easy to adjust exposure on the fly
- I can use many different makes/types of lenses on it
Con’s
- 2X crop factor (ouch!)
- no built-in flash or viewfinder
- low frame rate when using some of the art filters (especially my favorite, the pin hole)
- auto-focus could be faster
So while it’s not perfect, it’s certainly close enough to make me a very happy shooter. All cameras are a compromise between cost, size, weight, speed, etc…
With the E-P1, Olympus seems to have boiled that conflicting equation down to a very pallatable mix.
The G.A.S. attack continues
Click HERE for today’s photos.
The GAS attack strikes again.
What do I mean by gas attack? The G.A.S. stands for Gear Acquisition Syndrome.
It all started back in 1999 before I came to Japan when I bought my first digital camera, the Olympus D340r. A fantastic little piece of kit, 1.3 megapixel, no zoom, AA batteries, and SmartMedia cards. And at that time I was spending about $100 for a 64 MB memory card. Hard to believe that I recently picked up some 16 GB memory cards for about $38 each.
Unbelievable!
From the D340R I progress through quite a few different cameras sticking with Olympus for a while: C3000, then an E-10. But then I believe in 2004 I got my first digital SLR, a Canon 10 D.
And Man that I love that camera!
But it was was then that the gear acquisition syndrome or really started to affect me. Because the beauty and at the same time curse of digital SLRs is all the fantastic lenses that go along with them.
As the years rolled by I traded my 10D for a 1D Mark II, a great camera with loads of functionality, but also unfortunately loads of mass as well. So after getting tired of lugging that brick around, I “downgraded” to the Rebel XT. (Which I ended up just loving due to its diminutive size)
Then Canon released the 5D which I immediately bought, selling the XT to help fund the purchase. IN the meantime I continued to acquire new gear, an Epson R-D1, then a Leica M8, and more film cameras, mostly medium format, than I care to admit.
A
bout a month ago I was trolling around on eBay. Not really looking for anything in particular, just window shopping. But what did I come upon, but a Mamiya AFD with a Kodak DCS Pro back!
The Kodak DCS Pro back was one of the original medium format digital backs that did not need to be tethered to a computer for shooting. And since I do absolutely no studio shooting, this was the optimum shooting solution for me.
I did not plan on buying anything, but the “buy it now” price was less than 200,000 yen for teh camera boody and back, along with a box full of batteries, memory cards and the like.
An added bonus was that the seller was from Japan so the camera was delivered to me very quickly. The camera did not come with a lens, so I went to my favorite camera store, Map Camera in Shinjuku, and picked up a couple of Mamiya AFD lenses: a 45 mm f2.8, and 55mm F2 .8. They’re both pretty close in focal length, but the price was right so i got both of them.
So far I am enjoying the 55mm more, but I’ll do some more shooting before I decide if I want to get rid of the 45mm.
I had heard how great medium format digital was, but to be honest I wasn’t expecting entirely too much from a digital back built in 2001, which is literally eons ago in the digital camera world. And the rather crappy LCD screen on the back of the pro back did not serve to further increase my confidence about the output quality of the camera.
But once I dumped the file onto my computer and viewed them on my 24 inch monitor I was absolutely blown away by the image quality. It absolutely blew the doors off of any digital camera I had shot with so far; The 5D, the 700, the Leica M8, all of them. The dynamic range was incredible, and the sharpness was truly breathtaking. Straight out of the camera the files look great, and in many cases no post processing is needed.
Just this past weekend I was up in Shinjuku shootings pictures with the Tokyo Cameras photo club. And I brought my brand-new used camera long to put it through its paces. We started shooting in the late afternoon. So by the time we’re finished the light was gett9ing pretty feable so I pushed the ISO up to 200, and shot the 55mm wide open at f2.8. But even still, the picture quality was amazing, due inpart no doubt to that fantastic mamiya glass.
It does focus really slow, but with such a big bright and beautiful viewfinder is relatively easy to do manual focus with the camera as well. I am also pleasantly surprised at how well I am able to handhold this camera at slow shutter speeds. It’s a relatively big and heavy camera and has a big beefy handgrip. Very comfortable ergonomics, but I do wish it was a little bit smaller.
I could go on and on about picture quality, but I think the pictures from today are the best explanation of what this camera is capable of producing.
Omens?
Click HERE for today’s photos. Its a small set of images that I took during my most reent trip to Kyoto (November 2008).
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I REALLY didn’t need to read this news story today.
I’ll be flying to Chicago for a business meeting next week, and could very likely be flying on that same plane. In all likelihood that Air Force Sgt saved the lives of everyone on board. The flight crew might have diverted based on the fact that they did recognize that they seemed to be loosing fuel, but then again they might have chalked it up to a gauge malfunction and pressed on. We might have all ended up watching this on an episode of “Air Crash Investigation”.
I shudder to think how it could have worked out differently had it been a plane full of Japanese people, with no gaijins around. I’m not bashing Japanese people, and it is a very gross generalization, but I am also thinking that it just might have turned out very differently.
After more than nine years in Japan I can’t remember how many times I have seen Japanese people do their best to ignore a situation that they either did not want to get involved with, or thought that someone else would or should handle. Granted, any person does who is riding an airplane has a vested interest to make sure that plane continues to fly, and not drop out of the sky like a stone. But Japanese people, more than any other culture I have seen, are extremely good at ignoring things.
Those of you who have experienced the culture know exactly what I am talking about. Especially when it comes to people in positions of power or prestige. Doctors for example are treated as all-knowing gods. A second opinion is basically unheard of in Japan, with patients taking their doctors word as gospel. I don’t know about you, but it does not instill a great amount of confidence in me when, no matter how long a doctor has been working, you still refer to it as “Practicing” medicine. The same thing holds true for lawyers.
Again, I know I am making some gross generalizations. I guess that’s just the kind of mood I am in today.
Castaway
Click HERE for today’s photos
Since I have been so busy lately, I have not been able to make it to the past two meetups of the Tokyo Cameras Photo Club. That’s why I decided to organize a small get together in Kamakura last weekend for some of the members.
Weather-wise, we could not have had a better day, and we capped the afternoon off with a stop-off at n Izakaya near Kamakura station. It was exactly what I needed, and even though Kamakura is a very well beaten path for me, I still enjoyed myself. Same place, but different light. That’s what makes photography such a continued passion for me.
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Currently I am in Diego Garcia. If you don’t know where that is, then draw a line between Madagascar and Sri Lanka, and at the point directly South of the Seychelles you will find Diego Garcia. I arrived here last Tuesday and will be staying through next Thursday before flying back to Japan.
And while the work is keeping me very busy, I do have this weekend to relax and explore. Today I took a long bike ride down one arm of the atoll and spent the better part of the day on a deserted beach, all by myself. It has been a long time since I last experienced solitude like that, and it was an entirely cleansing experience.
I found a great spot, just up from the high tide mark that is shaded by palm trees leaning out over the beach. Looking out over the lagoon I could neither see nor hear any indication of human presence. No power lines, no roads, nothing. Not one single thing to make the place appear to be inhabited. The only indication of human activity was my own footprints on the beach.
It was there that I smoothed out the seashells and sand to form a bed where I could take a nap, for how long, I have no idea. You see, I did not take a watch, as that would have been totally counter productive to the reason I was there. I drifted off to sleep with the waves softly lapping at the shore, and the rustle of the palm fronds in the sea breeze as my only company.
Upon waking I noticed that the water had ridden the incoming tide and had crept up a bit closer to my own private paradise. I then proceeded to have a light snack and packed up my impromptu camp so I could wander my way down the coastline, taking in the sea birds, crabs, sea turtles, and the occasional black tipped reef shark or stingray as they cruised the shoreline in pursuit of schools of fish who were in turn looking for their own next meal.
It is a complete privilege to experience a place like this. There are not too many truly unspoiled places remaining on this earth, I feel very lucky o be able to experience one of them.
I love my job.
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