#40mm f/2

[robmoses1]

35mm Waterfront Park

I took at little walk around Waterfront Park here in Kelowna one day to shoot some film photos. I was using my Leica M3 & 40mm f/2. I was shooting Fujifilm Superia X-Tra 400 35mm film. Sometimes this film seems so great and other times it’s just ok. I think on this day the film performed a little underwhelming for what I was hoping for. With that said I still enjoy these photos just because of…

[yoheiandoxxx]

大御神社

[amselchen2]

summer evening 6:43 pm by Marco Murata

[gryphon1911]

Camera-A-Week Challenge Wk 2 (20-JAN-2025)

Welcome to the second official week of Camera-A-Week challenge for 2025! Gear (a.k.a. Loadout) Nikon Z f (FX sensor camera)Nikon Z 28mm f/2.8 SE primeNikon Z 40mm f/2 SE primeMeike 85mm f/1.8 Z mount prime Slung over the shoulder with the trusty Black Rapid Designs single camera sling strap. Why This Combination? Usually, the Z f is paired either with the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4, or partnered…

[nikonstudio]

FF Galore - NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.4

In a new strategic move to reposition the S-line glasses onto the F/1.2 aperture in 2024, we have the very approachable, optically inferior USD599 Nikon Z 35mm F/1.4 introduced last week.

In having shot at 35mm all week long with the Nikon Z 24mm F/1.7, I must say it's perhaps the most versatile focal length one would need to cover any travel editorial assignment.

But if a compatible hack is what you need, may I recommend the USD229 Nikon Z 40mm F/2?

[ultralowoxygen]

Roman cakes by Michael Khan Via Flickr: Seen in Rome, Italy Camera: Nikon FM2n Lens: Cosina Voigtländer Ultron 40 f/2 SL II ASPH Film: Kodak Portra 400 professional grade colour negative film Developed and scanned by www.meinfilmlab.de

[captain-price-unofficially]

Soviet Matilda II they have attempted to up-gun with a 76mm F-34. The Russians were impressed with the Matilda's 4-in of armor, but less enthused with the 2-pdr (40mm) gun.

[freetheshit-outofyou]

Last night in a reenactors blog a guy posted that he's finally got a 1963 dated canteen and canteen cup but needed a 1963 cover. So I checked my Bag-O-Canteens for him. The centerpiece of my canteens is my 1979 Jim Beam WWII canteen decanter. It sits on my desk and looks cool.

I had one 2 older canteens. The GP & F Co (1943) one was in the Callaway Mills (1945) canteen cover. The Vollrath (1944) canteen has no cover.

All the others are just current standard issue 1- and 2-quart canteens.

The last item(s) is my trusty old LVB (Load Bearing Vest) This was an experimental issue when I was in Panama. Our unit was selected as the tropical test bed unit. We all go tissued these vests and wore them for a few months. The DoD team came back down and we did about 10 questioners on the vest. We all got to keep them when the test bed was done. If I remember right the inside tag reflects it's experimental status. The Vests did replace the LBE (Load Bearing Equipment) for a little while but when MOLLE came out in conjunction with the Riflemen's issue gear the LBV's fell to the wayside. Now with everything attaching to your body armor there is almost no need for the LBV. The exception to that is the 40mm grenade vest. I have one of those someplace as well.

The two canteens on my LBV are the ones I was issued at my first duty station (Fort Bragg). Because they had us put tape on the Pro-mask drinking port CIF would not take the caps back so I just bought new canteens and turned those in. I started running two canteen cups in the Gulf War so I could cook in one drink in the other. I added the canteen cup stove then also. Although the one in the photos is a replacement, my first one got to hot and warped.

[thelearningcurvephotography]

Army and Navy Store No 2.

Constructed in 1842 and altered and added to in 1887 and 1888 , The Army and Navy Store at Nos 133-135 King St E in Toronto Canada most prominent features are the two floor arched windows. The building was designated a Heritage Property by The City of Toronto in 1978.

Original photography using a Canon EOS RP body with a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens and Silver EFEX Pro as a Lightroom plugin for the Black and White conversion.

Brian Carson The Learning Curve Photography linktr.ee/thelearningcurvephotography

[cctrain0722]

いざ！相棒CB223Sで行く東北1周の旅ッ！～後編～

宮城県にてテント泊したのち、次なる目的は良さげな田んぼを巡りながら岩手県の岩手山、八幡平の山々を眺め、鳥海山を見に行く！

…振り返るとなんとも盛りだくさんだったなと思います。 初めての地であんなに魅力的な道と山、そして里山を目にしてしまったら、写真撮ったりまったりしてしまってなかなか進めないのは明白でした。

天気にも恵まれ、快晴のなか北海道にはない植生と地形、街の作りをバイクで走りながら「どうしてこんな形になったのだろうか、人々はどう暮らしたのだろうか」と思いにふけるも旅の面白さだと感じました。

行きと帰りのフェリーや道内を走る日を除いて実質4日間の東北ツーリングでしたが、圧倒的日にちが足りないッ！(泣) こんなにも東北は見どころが多く、植生・地形が面白く、バイクで走っていて楽しくて、なによりご飯とお酒がおいしかったとは…

初めての東北バイク旅は、私の視野とバイク旅の選択肢を大きく広げる非常に充実した【たまらん!!】ものとなりました。

一枚目【焦点距離】40mm【ISO】64【SS】1/640【F値】/5.6 二段目左【焦点距離】40mm【ISO】64【SS】1/125【F値】/2 二段目右【焦点距離】40mm【ISO】64【SS】1/1600【F値】/2.8 四枚目【焦点距離】20mm【ISO】64【SS】1/1250【F値】/4 四段目左【焦点距離】40mm【ISO】800【SS】1/40【F値】/5 四段目右【焦点距離】40mm【ISO】64【SS】1/80【F値】/2 七枚目【焦点距離】40mm【ISO】64【SS】1/125【F値】/2 六段目左【焦点距離】135mm【ISO】64【SS】1/640【F値】/2.5 六段目右【焦点距離】40mm【ISO】64【SS】1/250【F値】/7.1 十枚目【焦点距離】40mm【ISO】64【SS】1/1000【F値】/5.6

（…今回行きそびれてしまった場所等。気になって仕方がありません！また旅に出るのは時間の問題でした。）

[papashittycams]

Nikon FM2T, Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2, Fujifilm Acros II, Rodinal 1+100

[sohushygrayness]

Upgrading My Camera Gear

A few days before the end of the year, I used AI for perhaps the final time to suggest me some equipment to purchase along with what I already have for my camera set up. To recap:

I have a Canon EOS 2000D body and I have 3 lenses to go with it:

Canon 18-55mm

Canon 40mm

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Black Lens

Now, I'd asked ChatGPT to generate me a list of things that I could get to go with it and here's where I got confused. 

It's all about lighting

One of the suggestions was to buy an external flash. However, one look at Amazon these days is enough to stress you out with information overload. Amazon once upon a time had a great App design, but now I see so many sponsored products that it's a struggle to know what's genuine. Almost immediately I stumble upon the brand Godox which (Seems to be) is considered the industry best in this respect. 

Then I go browsing for reflectors. Again, the suggestion from a few threads I've read seem to suggest the Neewer 5 in 1 which works well for my needs and Amazon sell a stand that would hold the reflectors which I think is a great idea. 

Further Confusion

A friend of mine then suggests to me about soft boxes. They weren’t on my list (which is another reason why speaking to a person is better than speaking to an AI). If I’ve understood it, then he’s explained it well.

A soft box helps to project the line, e.g, if you use an external flash, then the soft box projects the light in the shape of the box. A reflector then reflects the light based on the colour of the reflector and plus the angle. 

Obvious Conclusion

What I take from all of this is that there will never be a single correct answer here. Instead, it’s about what I want to shoot and what I want to achieve.

Outside Sources

I look to YouTube to try and get the concepts explained to me. The first one I watch highlights how working with a softbox helps to create different light environments.

However, this soft box has the lights built into the device which makes me wonder: why am I buying an external flash?

Then, YouTube recommends this video which is helpful for a myriad of reasons. The main one being that both use refractors, but both handle soft-box lighting in 2 separate ways.

Late night shopping

I have a general rule of thumb. If I don’t understand why I don’t need something, I don’t buy it and that’s the case today. I understand why you would need reflectors but the situation with flash/soft boxes still eludes me. So, with that in mind, I spend a bit of time looking at lenses.

Here is where I think I understand. They have 2 lenses which I like:

Canon EF 50mm

Canon EF-S 10-18mm

One is better for portrait photography, whereas the other is a wide angle lens. 

Am I wasting time and effort here?

It occurs to me that whilst I’m spending a lot of time thinking about the means of getting better quality photos into the camera, I should also give some consideration to the editing process of photos.

I go back to a process map that I created a while ago to review my editing stages during my process.

Signs from the universe

On Thursday morning, I load up YouTube and get 3 videos recommended to me which seem to be what I’m looking for:

Immediately after watching this, I realise I’ve been focusing too much on what I don’t have, rather than what I do have. I then move onto the next video

Almost immediately, the creator talks about using a wide shot. This aligns nicely with my intuition. My gut feeling was telling me that I needed to get a wide lens, but I was umming and arring. I also like this second creator, mind you, I like them both. So, I subscribe. Lastly, I get so inspired watching this 3rd video that I pause half way through as my mind is made up.

While I’m walking, I have a ponder about cinematic story telling. You often hear about the 3 acts and this seems to be a general rule of thumb for these videos structures. When I have an idea for a cinematic video, I'll need to practice on writing and building a 3 act structure to tell the story.

While I’m out shopping, the 2nd hand store near me sells the 50mm but not a wide angle lens. Onwards to another shop.

Plot twist

Eventually, I reach the shop I need, but plot twist, they don’t have any lenses whatsoever in stock. Disappointing but it forces me to recalculate. I could use the 18-55 for establishing shots, the 40 for medium shots and then use the 50mm for a close up. So, I head back to the 2nd hand store to buy the 50mm lens.

A Pleasant Surprise

While I’m in the store, I see the 50mm but then I also see a Canon EF-S 10-22mm! Okay now we’re cooking with gas. I’m able to pick up the 50mm and the 10-22mm. 

But Wait, there’s more

I notice on the shelf that there is an external flash! Is it compatible with my camera? It is! So, after heading to the supermarket and buying food for the family, I head back to pick it up. I have never used an external flash before so this is a first for me. All that remains now is to test the quality and see what I think.

[yoheiandoxxx]

浜中町八本木宿

[amselchen2]

winter day 2022 @ walking path by Marco Murata

[gryphon1911]

Nikon Z 40mm f/2 Review

©Nikon USA Background When I swapped out the Nikon Z f/1.8 primes (35/50/85) for the Z f/2.8 zoom (28-75), I did find myself looking for something small and light for the Z fc. Still having the Z 28/2.8, I was thinking of perhaps a less expensive option for the 40-60mm focal length, possibly third party. Instead, I decided to give the Z 40mm f/2 a shot. At the time, I found a good price on a…

[livefromphilly]

Sony A7CII Thoughts After Two Months

PROS:

The A7C was already one of my favorite cameras of all time and this improves on it a lot more than I thought when just seeing the specs. The added front dial alone makes it many times easier to control than the older model, and lets me use my typical Sony setup that I’ve grown accustomed to (aperture on front dial, shutter speed on rear dial, and ISO on the scroll wheel). 

This is the quickest operating Sony camera I’ve owned. I think they kind of lulled me into forgetting how fast cameras can be going from off to on and taking photos. The A7RII was slow as heck with each subsequent model I’ve owned getting faster and faster (A7III to A7C to A7RIV). This new Sony is at a level of speed that makes it hard to go back to using the A7RIV which I still own (for now). 

The autofocus is superb. I still haven’t really put it through its paces since I got the camera in the winter and the lack of light plus uncooperative weather has made it tricky to go out and shoot, but from what I have shot it’s nearly flawless. It’s way better than any camera I’ve owned before. It also has some really neat autofocusing modes, like the ability to focus on the eyes of birds. I’m not really around birds close up all that often but it worked really well at an exotic bird place in Jersey I went to recently. 

The camera is 33 megapixels, which is a nice compromise between feeling like it’s sometimes too much (61) or too little (24). 

The in-body image stabilization is really good. It’s certainly the best I’ve used in any camera so far…although to be fair I’ve never used a Nikon/Canon/Fuji/Olympus body with IBIS, only Ricoh (GRIII), Panasonic (GX7 and GX85), and Sony. 

It can lower the shutter when switching lenses so dust doesn’t get in there. Not gonna lie it seems kind of dangerous and something that could potentially damage the shutter, but so far it’s kept the dust out. 

CONS:

The viewfinder isn’t great. I’ve never really been an EVF snob since I’ve been shooting on mirrorless EVFs for over a decade now (I had a V1 back in 2013), but going from the A7RIV to this makes it kind of stick out. I also recently handled an A7RV, which really blows it out the water. With autofocus lenses it’s no problem, but using manual focus lenses is more difficult. On the plus side, it automatically goes into peaking mode when you manually focus, even when using adapted lenses or lenses without electrical contacts. 

The camera only has one card slot. Not a huge dealbreaker considering every other camera I own aside from my A7RIV is the same in that regard. A second slot even if it was a micro would have been great though. A nice thing about the A7RIV is that I’ve never left home without a memory card because even if I forget one there’s always another in there. 

No joystick. Again, not completely necessary but it’s nice to have. Most of my subjects aren’t humans (or animals, or other things that the camera can instinctively detect) so there are plenty of times I want to position the focus point myself. 

Slow flash sync and shutter speed. This camera is like the A7C before it in that it only flash syncs up to 1/160. It also only shoots up to 1/4000.

Still don't love the flip screen because it makes quick waist-level shooting a pain in the ass. I wish they went with the A7RV style screen.

Speaking of, all the new perks on this camera make me want to use it a ton more than my A7RIV, but it also makes me want to get an A7RV. Maybe I'll sell my X100V since the prices are nuts right now...

SAMPLE PHOTOS:

Sony 85mm f/1.8 | ISO: 250, f/2.8, 1/125 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/160 sec

Sony 85mm f/1.8 | ISO 5000, f/1.8, 1/50 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 20mm | ISO 3200, f/2.8, 1/125 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/2, 1/160 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 12800, f/2, 1/50 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/2.2, 1/640 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 32mm | ISO 320, f/2.8, 1/20 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/500 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 37mm | ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/40 sec

Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM w/ K&F Concept Black Diffusion 1/4 Filter | ISO 8000, f/1.4, 1/50 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 250, f/1.8, 1/125 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 250, f/2, 1/125 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8  @ 20mm | ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/40 sec

Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM | ISO 8000, f/1.6, 1/50 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 20mm | ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/320 sec