Logic be damned I bought an ND

[lotusflower]

DJ. my display shows a real improvement in the sharpness of your latest photos, more natural. Most esp. the first photo. I'm wondering what ISO did you use for both and was there any compensation?

 

[djg]

They're the same photo, the second being a full-size crop of a small area of the first

. Look mid-height and 2/3 left in the first image and you should be able to make out the second image in an area roughly 15%. It's funny how the JPEG compression and our psychovisual analysis play around.

The image was shot at ISO 100, under-exposed 1 stop in the camera, and in CS 0 for exposure, i.e. no change.

 

[lotusflower]

I see what you what u mean DJ. I presumed you used a zoom to capture a close up of the area. I would not have automatically looked for cropping in your photo : )

When you mentioned cropping of the scene I revisited your photos and found it very interesting that the second photo appears different in terms of lighting even though its the same photo. Oh, I really hate taking the time to edit, I usually trash photos I find lacking but if I can benefit creatively then cropping may be worth exploring.

I am learning so much. Thanks

 

[kdemas]

OK...

I took Marcs advise and bought a 70-300. Very nice lens.

Last week I popped down to Long Beach for the Grand Prix and I just couldn't resist blowing off a bunch of shots with the ND.

Now realistically the camera is not perfectly suited for this usage but I was certainly able to get some nice shots. We also shot with a 70-200mm VR Nikon, which is a fantastic lens which is perfect for catching fast action. The thing that still made me smile was that although the Nikon was razor sharp I still enjoyed my Zeiss "look", the saturation, the tonal gradations, wonderful.

I had to chuckle when, on the photo stand, a pro next to me who was shooting a 600mm Canon IS monster went crazy when he saw the ND and Zeiss glass. He was a Zeiss and Leica fan and spent more than a few minuted playing with the camera.

Anyway, below is a quickly processed ex&le from my days of fun at the track. I'll pop a few others up when I find something interesting.

Take care,

Kent

 

[fotografz]

; -)

 

[nickser]

More Please Kent. What was the success ratio for the focusing with the ND on these cars?
Paul

 

[albert4321]

Nice shot kent, I have the 70-300 since my N1 era, but found it difficult to use with the ND. Since it is slow and ND cannot shoot in very high ISO. So a lot of images come out blur unless I use a tripod.

BTW, I ordered a N 50mm f/1.4 couple weeks ago when B&H and Adoroma dropped their price from $599 to $299. But it is out of stock everywhere now. No words when I will get the shipment. To me it would be a better option than getting the Zeiss C/Y 50mm + adopter + Canon Mk2. Slow AF is better than no AF. For wide angle, it would be a different. Still looking for the C/Y 21mm

 

[kdemas]

Albert- Congratulations on the 50/1.4 for $299, that's a terrific deal!

Paul- The autofocus success ratio wasn't too high, particularly when there was action coming at you or moving away. Side to side it was pretty much able to hold a focus lock. To be honest I have shot racing for quite some time so I switched to manual focus a fair amount, pre-focused on a part of the track where I wanted to capture an image, and timed it with the car passing that spot. It actually is a good method using any AF camera with racing as many systems can have trouble keeping up with cars going up to 200MPH.

I'll pop a few more up when I have a chance. I must say it was quite fun doing some funky shots at ISO 25 as cars were blowing through the frame!

Kent

 

[djg]

G. - we're all learning here

.

Kent, I watched the race on TV - the LBGP is a great race.

I wish I could glue my 70-300 to my 1DsII, but as Marc pointed out to me, I wouldn't be able to stop it down since there's no electronic linkage. Thank the Photo Gods the MMs are mechanical in that respect.

Which brings me to my new-demo 85/1.4 that just came in. It looks excellent, and I couldn't find smudges or spots indoors. I'll need to check in the bright sunshine tomorrow again. Unfortunately it didn't have the Contax (or any) lens cap, which was weird, nor warranty papers, even though it said never owned, only demo. I guess at this point the warranty may be moot

. It does look new and the focusing feels nice and tight. And an excellent price. I no longer have Marc-envy

.

 

[lotusflower]

Kent, that's a nice shot. The ND in skilled hands never ceases to amaze me.

G.