Konstantinos Besios Blog

Cityscape with 8×10 large format pinhole

kbesios — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:10:46 +0000

I was at the beautiful village of Galaxidi (Greece) and it was a good chance to take a picture with my 8×10 pinhole camera. At first, I thought of shooting a 8×10 Provia transparency, but it was mid day and the light was too harsh (you don’t waste a 8×10 slide, unless you have great light !!). So, I used a FP4 sheet.

Exposure was 20 seconds (my Sekonic meter showed 7″ and I corrected for reciprocity failure). For one more time, the Pinhole Assist app (for my iPhone) did a great job calculating the corrected exposure).

I have to admit that I would prefer a color image at this specific location, but I also find the pinhole rendering of the scene great, even at b&w.

Development was done with R09 developer (1:40 dilution, 12 minutes at 20C). I scanned the sheet both on my Epson V700 using both Vuescan and Silverfast software. The Silverfast scan using the HDR mode have a much better digital file. It did a great job at correcting vignetting and produced a very good final image.

You can see below a 100% crop of the photo.

As it is expected, you don’t get a sharp photo from a pinhole camera. Still, keep in mind that this is a 8×10 sheet film scan, so in order see this magnification you would look at a huge print. At A4 size the image looks very good. Especially at the centre it looks actually very sharp, while the edges have the classic dreamy pinhole look. And it sure can hold the same look at even larger sizes. I can only imagine how a 8×10 sheet shot with a normal view camera and a good lens looks like !

This week I am shooting my second 8×10 Provia with this camera and will send it to the lab for development. This should really be something worth looking at !

Spiders

kbesios — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:36:11 +0000

A few images of spiders taken with the Nikon D800E and Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6. I usually use a macro lens for these shots, but the 28-300 was more useful due to my distance from the insects.

Street images with Olympus XA

kbesios — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:31:54 +0000

A few more street images taken with the Olympus XA camera, the smallest rangefinder camera ever made. A true pocket camera by all means. Although I have talked about this camera lots of times, I will shortly present some of its technical specifications.

- Rangefinder camera with a wonderful Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 lens.
- Aperture priority mode (only).
- lever for +1.5 stop exposure compensation.
- Touch shutter button which makes it easy to shoot at low speeds.
- incredibly small body.

I use the Olympus XA almost exclusively for street photography these days. A small unobtrusive camera which I can always carry with me. Kodak TRI-X 400 has been my main choice of film for the XA, it has the speed needed for street shots and the classic look of b&w film.

You can set it at f/5.6 or f/8 and the distance at 3 meters and you have pretty much everything at focus. So, all it takes is to push the shutter button which gives you the speed to catch a good moment.

The XA has replaced the Ricoh GX200 as my street camera, I don’t do a lot of street photography, so a roll of film is all I need and it usually takes me over a month to shoot it. Its a camera that can be found at a very cheap price today (I got mine for 49 euros) and you will not be disappointed form the results.

Enjoy the rest of the images.

(film developed with Ilford Ilfotec DD-X developer 1:4 solution, 6 minutes at 23C).

Removing dirt from my digital sensor

kbesios — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:32:28 +0000

After postponing it for a long time, I had to clean the sensor of my Nikon D800E. It had come to a point where my digital images looked like a bad developed film with tenths of dirt spots.

I used the Sensor Swabs from Photographic Solutions. They juts happened the ones I found in my local photo store and I have read good review about them.

I had others cleaning my sensor until now, but I wanted to do it myself this time and keep doing it at the future since its process that is going to be repeated frequently (sensor gather dust, you can’t avoid that !!)

I followed careful the instructions (and also watched a couple of video tutorials). It was a painstaking process since it was my first time. At the end, I used 11 (!!) swabs to perform a perfect cleaning. So we as talking about a full box of swabs which means I spent more money than I would have spend sending it to service. But I did it myself and at the end I pretty much knew how to make it correctly. Next time I will sure use no more than 2-3 swabs.

At first, I only dropped a couple of drops of solution to one side of the swab, I think that’s what I’ve saw on the tutorials. Not much of a success,since every time I managed to clean a part of the sensor, the other part was “contaminated” with dirt. I decided to wet both sides of the swab and then I got much better results.

Following the success of cleaning the D800E, I went on with the Leica M8. It proved to be much easier. The sensor of the M8 is very close to the mount and that helped me be more accurate. With just one swab the sensor was clear. Maybe it was a matter of aura since I much prefer Leica over Nikon (just joking !!)

Anyway, I am happy that everything went as planned, and now I don’t have to mess with healing brushes (especially at long exposures with small apertures where it was a nightmare cleaning those spots).

A few more details, I used a blower first before I went on with wet cleaning, and the whole procedure was done in my bathroom, which is naturally the room with the less dust.

I know many people hesitate cleaning their own sensor (I know I did), but its an easy procedure as long as you carefully follow the instructions.

Nikon D800E with Nikon 28-300 lens, a good travel companion

kbesios — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:54:56 +0000

As much as I enjoy shooting with good lenses which will provide me the quality needed for large prints (which I print very often), at the same time I really appreciate a lens that will reduce the size and weight of my bag when traveling.

Most times the Leica M or the Sony NEX will be my travel gear. They are small and light and even with three or four lenses , they compose a very practical travel system. On the other hand, the D800E is a fantastic camera and although not too practical for me, when I take with me only the 28-300 and 50mm f/1.4 lenses, I can use a medium size photo bag.

(Not snow or noise, just a few thousand gnats, or whatever they are called)

The 28-300 lens so far has proved to be a very worthy addition to my Nikon system. Its not up to the quality or speed of the so called Wholly Trinity (14-24, 24-70, 70-200) but a 10x zoom lens was built for users who want to travel with just one lens that covers a vast zoom range. And for this use, its a great lens.

I love primes and I could easily travel with just a 24-50-135 set of three lenses, but then my choice would be the Leica M system. The 28-300 gives you the ability to shoot almost anything instantly. And given the 36mp sensor of the D800E, you can reach up to 450mm and still have a 15mp file.

At its short and long edge the quality falls, and a large prints I have noticed soft corners, but I already expected that. Sometimes its more important to be able to capture your subject and you don’t always have the time to change lenses. A second body of course is out of the question for me, since that transforms my trips to a photojournalist experience !!

Of course the f/3.5-5.6 means that you will have to raise ISO and that the focus isn’t snapping. That is ask a compromise I am willing to take for having the 28-300 range. Every lens construction is a compromise and when you decide what are your needs for a specific photo trip or traveling then its really easy to pick the appropriate gear without carrying all your photo equipment with you.

I really had some seconds thoughts when I purchased this lens, but now I am really glad I did. I have made some very good photos with it and I am sure going to use it more at the future.

Travelling with Fuji Superia X-TRA 400 film

kbesios — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:35:37 +0000

I recently got a few rolls of Fuji Superia X-TRA 400 film. I haven’t used this film for years, since I opted for more “pro” emulsions. But this film has a very vivid color and it tends to render scenes with an oversaturated look which I wanted to try again.

So, I loaded on roll in my Leica M7 and just took one lens with me, the Voigtlander super wide Heliar 15mm f4.5.

From my experience, with this film you can get photos with magenta or green tones and vivid color, and that really alters the way a scene is rendered in comparison to a more neutral film. There I also evident grain, but its a cheap 400 ISO film, so that is expected.

I was not disappointed from the results. They came out exactly as I expected !!

I have quite of few rolls of this film and my next camera to try it with will be the Olympus XA, I think they will make an excellent pair.

Enjoy the rest of the images.

(This film is also great for b&w conversions)

Plaubel Makina 67 with Kodak Portra 160VC

kbesios — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:23:10 +0000

One more roll film for today’s post, a Kodak Portra 160VC shot with the Plaubel Makina 67. I still have a few of these (now discontinued) films which are expired.

Every time I scan a Portra film (and that of course goes for other color negatives) I am impressed by the dynamic range. A great range of tonality and the distinct subtle transition from shadows to highlights. Cameras like the D800E have come very close to film but still its the tones transitions which really impress me.

When scanning film, I try to get a neutral look in order to keep as much tones as possible. And many times I will add contrast since I have many times got images that almost resemble a HDR look (due to many stops of information). I really believe that dynamic range is the last advantage of film over digital (and not for long, I suppose). But of course its not all about resolution, ranges and technical details. Its about the different look you get and the different way film renders a scenery.

This is one of the rare times I use my Makina 67 on a tripod. A 20 seconds exposure with the aid of a B+W 110ND (10 stops) and a polarizer filter stacked together. I didn’t compensate for reciprocity and the exposure came out fine. The 10 stops filter is really invaluable for shooting long exposures during daylight. Its one of the reasons I almost regretted choosing the Nikon 14-24 over the 16-35.

Two more images with this filter.

As you can see, the Makina 67 is really a very versatile camera. Its 40mm equivalent focal length makes it a fantastic travel camera capable of landscapes, street photography, portraits. Pretty much for anything you will ever need from a travel camera. And its foldable construction make it very portable. A favorite camera by all means.

Some times you just have to digitally alter an image

kbesios — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:50:53 +0000

This is one of the rare times I digitally intervene like this in a photo.

(Original image)

(Final image)

The image was taken with the Plaubel Makina 67 using Kodak Portra 160VC film. Both a polarizer and B+W 110ND filters were used to produce a seconds exposure under a bright sun.

Although the shot is during noon and the light is harsh I like the look of the photo. What I didn’t like was the presence of buildings. I normally don’t erase anything in my photos (with the exception of some cables which is I consider it to be a very minor intervention). I prefer to document a scenery without creating a virtual image. But in this case, I opted for some serious post processing because I wanted a pure landscape look. The huge size of the scanned frame allowed me to easily erase buildings without leaning any signs and this is a seascape I would like to see printed.

As the tile states, some times you just have to use the tools that digital post processing offers you !!

Nikon D800E back in action

kbesios — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:07:59 +0000

After a few weeks of shooting almost exclusively film, it was time for a “digital break”. Although I took with me my 4×5 camera, the Plaubel Makina 67 and the Leica M7 (with the almost permanently mounted Voigtlander 15mm), I was not in a mood to spend lots of time operating my view camera, and I only found a few subjects worth of shooting with film.

The D800E came in handy as I had with me the 28-300 and 135 f/2 lenses. With the 28-300 I could easily reach distant subjects and the f/2 aperture of the 135mm provided me with the razor thing depth of field to experiment.

(Nikon D800E, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens)

Even a “slow” f/5.6 aperture at 300mm can create a limited depth of field at far distances as you can see from the picture above. I also love the color in this photo (I used a polarizer).

(Nikon D800E, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens)

Shot at 170mm, the telephoto lens gave me the opportunity to capture this scenery. I wanted to use my view camera for this shot, the Velvia slide would have rendered beautifully this landscape, but my longest lens for 4×5 is a 60mm equivalent, so I opted for the Nikon.

(Nikon D800E, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens)

A faster lens here (like the 70-200 f/2.8 for example) would be the best, but I don’t own it, still the 28-300 did a good job (image shot at 300mm). Of course the f/5.6 aperture raised ISO to 1000, not a problem for the D800E, but for a large print I try to keep between 100 and 400 ISO. A complaint here, I really don’t like the one button implementation for switching between SINGLE and CONTINUOUS focus. The D700 has a dedicated switch for each option, and its much faster to select it. I tried to switch to CONTINUOUS in order to shoot the whole flight, but I wasn’t quick enough. With the D700 I would have made it.

Now, images with my all time favorite Nikon lens, the Nikkor 135mm DC f/2.

I could easily go for trip with just three primes, the 24mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4 and the 135mm. A relatively small and light combo (for a DSLR). I am sure that most of the time I would have used the 135mm (which is really strange since I rarely shoot above 90mm on my other cameras). It’s a legendary lens for many purposes. I have shot wonderful portraits (although I rarely publish them on this blog), close ups at f/2 and great landscapes. It has also become my favorite lens for creating multi megapixel images (by stitching a sequence of photos). The 135mm is a true gem.

(Nikon D800E, Nikon 135mm DC f/2 lens shot at f/3.2)

You can see the effect of the very narrow doF of this lens. I almost always shoot the 135mm between f/2 and f/4, although at the image above, I should have opted for a smaller aperture to really show this lonely poppy on the rocky terrain. A serious mistake which ruined the composition. Well, nobody’s perfect !!

(Nikon D800E, Nikon 135mm DC f/2 lens)

On this image of course the f/2 aperture gave me exactly the look I wanted. This lens is at its best on a foliage background, it really melts the out of focus areas while rendering the focused area razor sharp.

(Nikon D800E, Nikon 135mm DC f/2 lens, shot wide open at f/2)

The 135mm can also be a good street lens. When shot wide open, it can isolate your subject even at a distance. I didn’t try to hide my intentions when making these images or pretend I am shooting the monastery behind. When I am making street images I will either place myself behind my subject or at 45 degrees angle. I really like these kind of images and it has nothing to do with staying undetected. Simply, I like the images of people on streets with their face partially revealed. But when I shoot from a position they can clearly see me, I am very present at the scene, so they know they are being photographed. The further distance (due to the telephoto 135mm) helps me not intruding too much in the scene, so there is still a sense of spontaneity. And of course, the moment i realize that people are not feeling comfortable I will stop taking images. This is my style, a kind of discreet (but not stealthy) approach, sure not the aggressive type of street photography.

And one more observation (which I make almost every time I make a b&w conversion with the Nikon). I still haven’t been able to produce a good looking b&w conversion with either the D700 or D800E. I am sure it is my fault but that’s the way it is. I cannot replicate the classic b&w look I get from the CCD sensor of the Leica M8 and sure I cannot replicate the look of a true b&w film. Especially on prints, the look of the M8 or a true b&w film remains unsurpassed (at least for my personal taste).

(Nikon D800E, Nikon 135mm DC f/2 lens)

I like photos like the one above that almost tell a story. I only wished I could have shot this photo half a second earlier, but still I am happy I managed to capture this scene. I was shooting at Shutter priority at 1/1000 (a setting I had just used to capture a bird taking off) so I was lucky to freeze the action.

(Nikon D800E, Nikon 135mm DC f/2 lens)

The last image of this post, a chimney as a main subject, but the thing that improves the whole image is the out of focus bird flying. A lucky shot of course !!

So, these are my first D800E images after some time. Although I remain a “film photographer” I really appreciate this camera. On many occasions it has provided me with images I could not have shot with my film cameras. Its fast, easy to shoot, has a stunning image quality and I consider it the best digital choice for my style of photography, when I don’t mind the bulk and weight.

Vintage

kbesios — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:34:08 +0000

A portrait I took a few years ago with the Leica M8 and Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 lens. Post processed to emulate a wet plate.