Natural skeptics like myself generally hold that something is real only if you can touch it. This holds for most things - you can confirm stuff for yourself with a few sensible exceptions; nuclear warhead cores, rabid dogs, and the Canadian prime minister. We don't want to carry skepticism too far...
Well it was a good time, had by me. I can readily recommend the Fremantle Maritime Museum to anyone with a camera and happy hours to spend. I can also recommend the two lenses that were tested out as very good ideas for this sort of shooting. Nearly all indoor events - and certainly most urban indoor museums - are close-coupled things, and you'll rarely find yourself reaching for the telephoto lens. The ability to get it all in without stepping backwards into the open drainage pit is invaluable. Particularly if you are driving home in your own car and have velour seats...
The delight I took in the first part of the day with the prime lens - the Laowa 9mm f:2.8 - was matched in the latter half of the morning when I switched to the Fujinon XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS lens. The turnover point was when the container ship slid by and I wanted to get a closer shot. Admittedly, close with 24mm on APS-C is a relative term. The colour through the blue glass needed Lightroom correction, but this was a one-click affair. With the lens changed over, I had more freedom to pick and choose framing inside. There was still a need for leveling, but not with some exhibits...
When you were a kid, did you look forward to school outings? Or family holidays when you could go see things you'd never seen before? Did those outings include the occasional museum? Well if they did, and if you loved them as much as I did, you'll know why I take such pleasure in the ones I see now. Whether it is here or in the eastern states - or in Singapore, Great Britain, or the continent - whenever there is a " Museum " sign out on the footpath, I'm in the door. And I'm in there with a camera. I am always saddened when a gallery or museum will not permit photos. Some do it for preservation reasons...
Yesterday's column introduced a lens for the Fujifilm X mount that was positively tiny. Today brings one that is positively not. They illustrate two different mindsets when it comes to wide-angle photography - you must see with which you find yourself in agreement. The Fujinon XF 10-24mmF4 R OIS lens has been the widest of their offerings for some time, but is going to joined by an even wider 8-16mm lens shortly. It'll be an f;2.8 job and you can expect it to be physically bigger and heavier than this one - but we'll be playing with this one for the time being. The packaging is straightforward Fujifilm - internal egg carton and separate lens and lens hood. The build quality is exactly like every other Fujifilm XF lens and the design style is identical to their other zooms. The lens features standard auto and manual aperture control and an optical image stabiliser system. This is somewhat of a surprise in a lens of such short focal length, but no-one who uses it will be disappointed with the steadiness. Thankfully, the lens does...
I do not normally succumb to poesy when it comes to advertisements for photographic gear - I'm too old and cynical for that. I still respond to bright colours and burlesque kick lines, however, so there is still some culture in me. The reason I mention this is the " Compact Dreamer " label applied to the Loawa 9mm f:2.8 lens...
An extra Saturday column to herald a special weekday Nikon event...
Lume-Cubic, that is - the metal-cased powerhouse of an LED light for the still or video person. We've had them for sale before and we've got them now and they are a remarkably good thing. Four sides of this sealed cube are doing something - a 1/4" tripod mount, a recharge socket cover, two buttons for on/off, intensity, or flash effect, and one big old LED on the front - this is one of the larger panels that is a single chip inside a lens. The intensity button has 10 steps and off. It is just that simple. As with all the other tests, except where noted, this was run at full power. This light has no temperature control. But it is infinitely tougher that the other panels - it can go underwater and take quite a tumble. And what of the results? Colder - decidedly colder. LR says it is pushing out light at 5050ºK. I think you might consider either filtering it or setting a permanent bias in LR to about 6700ºK to get a good human shot. You can get filtering...
If you are going to investigate LED lighting for your photography, consider where it might be used...
Stepping up in size, weight, and sophistication, we come to the Phottix Nuada S LED panel. Here we gain more lights, a removable battery and separate charger, a tiltable hot-shoe connector, and the ability to change both light output and colour temperature. The light output and CT change are controlled by one back knob that has a press-in function as well. Note the battery charge indicator - all good things to know. BTW, the metal stand under this panel is not part of the kit - it's a Gitzo quick release plate that acts as a studio prop. The first two shots in this sequence were the 5600º K and AWB tests, and the last one is the 3300º K test with the camera set to do that colour temperature. I call the first two near as dammit and the 3300º ˚ just slightly yellower...