Sunday, 10 November 2013

Fighting the flow

Some days I can find myself at the most beautiful of places yet find little inspiration. Yesterday was one of those days. I was in Ritsurin Garden which is supposedly amongst the three prettiest parks of its type in Japan. It was a sunny day with high contrast.
I have a few potentially "ok" photos on my dSLR but nothing too memorable.
The other realisation I made (or perhaps remembered) is that the D700 (with 24-70) is simply too big, heavy and inflexible to be much fun to use. Shots where I'd either have to get down low (where I could really do with a flip screen), take a long time to get right (if at all), result in more time setting up photos than enjoying the moment...which is why I'm here in the first place!

This one might have been more interesting but was a bit rushed:


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5 comments:

  1. Unknown10 November 2013 at 17:22

    Hi Kesh
    Sometimes simple is best. Here there's nothing else to distract the viewer from the interaction between the flow of the water and the leaves receding into the distance. The shot works very well.
    As to your camera "situation," if you need a tilting screen and have the time to get it right, then an A7/R will be just the thing for you since they don't focus that quickly :-)

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  2. Unknown10 November 2013 at 23:56

    Thanks Bjorn.
    As I watch the dust settle on the initial commotion surrounding the A7/A7R I'm still left a little wanting.
    Sure I love the idea of a small, interchangeable lens, FF camera but something else I really want is a wide lens. A fast-ish 24mm would be great but a (say) not-so-fast 14mm would be highly appreciated too.
    From what I have read so far, non-Sony lenses seem to work with mixed results and I'm not sure if some people are saying that the A7 may be better for wider lenses?
    As I can't buy one here (now) anyway it's a moot point but I'm still not 100% convinced.
    If I didn't mind other sensors, the Olympus EM-1 sounds fantastic but I'm spoiled by my FF experiences and don't think I would be satisfied by anything else now.

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  3. Unknown12 November 2013 at 06:59

    Hi Kesh
    I think every camera will leave you wanting. I settle on something that comes closest to what I need and then make it work as best as possible. I'm also after a wide angle lens, although in my case I'd like it to be 18mm. In terms of 24mm, you have a couple of choices:

    1) buy the Zeiss FE 24-70 F4 zoom. It'll give you 24mm in a not too heavy 426g package. F4 would be equivalent to shooting F2.8 on APS-C or even F2.0 on MFT.
    2) wait to see which 24 or 25mm M-mount lens performs best on either A7 body. Accept some magenta colour cast and remove that in post processing or use B&W.
    3) wait until Sony introduces the ultra wide Zeiss zoom on its roadmap for the first half of 2014. That should include both focal lengths you need.
    4) Use a Sony A-mount lens via the LA-EA3 or LA-EA4 adapter.
    5) Use a Zeiss Distagon ZF.2 25mm F2 via an adapter. As it's made for a DSLR with a greater flange-back distance, it should give great results at the expense of being a little heavier (460g + adapter).

    My plan is to start off with the A7R and the FE 55/1.8 and then bide my time until it becomes clear what the best options at the other focal lengths are - and until my finances recover from the first shock :-)

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    Replies
    1. Unknown12 November 2013 at 08:49

      Hi Bjorn.
      That was very informative. Thanks! I just have my phone and only sporadic access to WiFi so I wasn't aware of the Zeiss roadmap.
      I don't need (or maybe can't afford) everything from day1 anyway so I'll do more research when I get home.

      How long were you in Japan for? I guess you must be excited? I'm looking forward to your blog posts :-)

      Delete
    2. Unknown12 November 2013 at 13:24

      "are" came out as "were"..,

      Delete

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