Half way through the year…
Read More50mm
Blogging
in Blog
Let me know if you read this blog!
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Zeiss 50mm F1.8 Ultron Review
in Review
Today we’re going to take a look at another lens—the Carl Ziess 50mm F1.8 Ultron.
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Struggling into Spring
in Blog
It's been 4 years since the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, and though we were relatively unaffected by the ordeal, it's something we will never forget.
Read MoreHints of Spring
in Blog, photo-journal
The sun was out, so it was time to revisit the Cambridge Botanical Gardens again, and see how things have changed.
Read MoreBlue Skies
in photo-journal, Blog
I am just about "done" with winter. Luckily, blue skies are on the horizon.
Read MoreAnother 50mm...
in Blog
Another 50mm lens joins the stable, but I am thinking wide-angle zoom for the long-term...
Read MoreWith A Whisky #4
in Blog, with a whisky
Written whilst enjoying a single malt, "With a Whisky" brings you the latest ramblings from my side of the world. I can't promise prominent prose, or impressive imagery, but I'll do my best to keep you entertained.
Read MoreGoing Native
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I decided to take my A7R out with its native 55mm lens; SEL55F18Z.
Read MoreFocussed on Fifty
in Blog
The majority of shots were taken at a focal length of ~50mm, which is actually rather new for me. Composition is a challenge, but this is exactly what I want from my photography; inspirational subjects, and challenges.
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NEX-7 & SEL55F18Z | 1/100s f/1.8 ISO250 55mm
Blend is Beautiful
in Blog
I agree with the above coffee advert - blend is beautiful. This sentiment is valid for certain aspects of photography, too. Often, it is desirable to have a very smooth blend of background blur, or bokeh (the Japanese word for blur).
Making sure that the building site isn't too loud
In the pursuit of the perfect blend, I've acquired Sony's latest FE-mount lens, the SEL55F18Z. As pointed out by friend and fellow photoblographer Björn Utpott (his blog is a source of daily inspiration), I have a lens with a similar focal length and aperture already - the Canon nFD 50mm F1.4.
Even though the weather today was completely overcast, I took both lenses with me on the way to the shops and performed something of a comparison.
This isn't a scientific test by any interpretation, but one thing is clear - the new FE 55/1,8 is very sharp wide open, and does not have any purple fringing, or suffer from chromatic aberration (CA). When the nFD lens is stopped down to f/4, the image is very sharp. The new Sony FE lens is sharper, but this may not matter to some. I would still recommend the nFD lens to those on a budget, or wanting to use manual focus glass... but I would recommend the new Sony FE 55/1,8 Zeiss lens over it... every time.
Incidentally, you may (or more likely, may not) have noticed a change to the homepage of this site. I hope you like it! I've also changed the "reviews and gear" section, listing my ramblings in reverse chronological order.
I hope that you enjoyed the photos, and found the (non-scientific) comparison interesting.
The Pilot
in Blog
I absolutely adore the bullet train - they're like aeroplanes on rails. The above photo is of the E2 series Asama shinkansen, which took us from Tokyo to Nagano in under 2 hours, at a top speed of 160 mph.