Greeting the day with a serene sunrise and the Fuji X-E2

Before I even poured a morning cup of coffee, I was treated to this serene sunrise. What better way to greet it than with a new Fuji X-E2 that arrived just yesterday. I will be testing the camera over the next few days and posting a full hands-on review of it shortly.

One thing I have already noticed from photographing with it last night is that the color rendition of the X-E2 appears to be something very special. More on that later.

Grab shots

It always pays to have a camera with me to pick up opportunistic stock shots. Here are a few I happened upon recently.

An empty movie theater taken with the Sony RX100 II, which I always have with me.  ISO was set for 1250.

Someone left their laptop for a  minute while running an errand.  I like the way the glasses were hung over the screen side and matched the color palette of the scene. Take with a Nikon D600 and Sigma 50mm macro lens. 

There is always something to shoot at the farmers market. Taken with a Nikon D600 and Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Lens - a Hands on review

I already posted a comparative hands on review of the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens versus the similar Nikon model. Since then I found myself in need of a lens of this type for some specific photography I am doing, and the lens I settled upon was the Sigma version. This has given my more hands on time with this lens so I decided to do a review of it in its own right.

The Sigma 35mm Art series lens has a stylish, minimal look reminiscent of the new Zeiss Touit lenses, and with the a similar type of flat rubberized look to the finish. 

The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM lens is full frame lens that is the first addition to its Art series of lenses as part of Sigma's Global Vision, which also includes a Contemporary and Sports series. As stated by Sigma, the "Art" line is "Engineered for those who see photography as a critical expression of self, our ... . offers sophisticated optical performance and abundant expressive power to deliver faithfully on your artistic vision." I'm not sure any of this nomenclature of this categorization system is of value to anyone, but there you have it.

The 35mm lens with and without its lens shade. 

Suffice it to say the "Art" line contains lenses of high pro quality optical design and construction, and features, such as very fast apertures, low distortion, and excellent auto focus abilities. In the end the proof is in the pudding, and this lens does live up to its hype. In fact, it is continually rated as the best in its class despite the fact that it cost substantially less than its Nikon and Canon competitors.

At its sweet spot of f/5.6 this lens is sharp everywhere and second to none.

This is no light weight lens. It comes in at 23.5oz (665g), with length and diameter at 3.7 x 3" (94 x 77mm). It takes 67mm filters, and focuses down to 11.8" (30cm). Most of these features are typical for this type of lens. What isn't typical is the price. At $899 it costs considerably less than its branded competitors ( $1619 for Nikon, and $1479 for Canon). When you consider that the Sigma optics are equal, if not better, than the other two, it quickly rises in the list of choices. The only main difference is that it is not weather sealed, whereas the others are. This may be a deal breaker for some, but it really depends upon how you intend to use it. I can say that the lens is very solidly constructed, and I can see it serving for many trouble-free years of professional use.

My main reason for acquiring this lens was to enable me to move in close for a candid look when  photographing situations with models like the one above done in a gym with available light.  I keep the lens at f/1.4 for the shallowest depth of field.  This sort of wide open use requires a lens with top notch resolution at its maximum aperture.

The lens has Sigma's HSM, Hypersonic Motor, which provides speedy, smooth, accurate, and quite auto focus movement.

The  9 blade aperture provides a circular diaphragm providing pleasing bokeh when used wide open.

In terms of optical performance it holds its own against any competitor, showing center sharpness with only slight corner falloff even used wide open at f/1.4. By f/2 it is sharp overall, and at f/2.8 and beyond it becomes superb. Vignetting is slight, and rectilinear barrel distortion is barely noticeable. Lateral chromatic distortion is apparent to a slight degree where it would typically appear in high contrast corner areas, but it much better than other, similar lenses, and easily controlled in post processing.

Shot in close and wide open there is a pleasing contrast between the detailed focused area and the softness of the out of focus areas. 

The lens is very flare resistant. Even with the bright sunlight reflection placed on the corner of the frame there is not extension of flare spots crossing to the other side of the image.

This lens has the advantage of working with the Sigma USB lens dock for updating firmware and tweaking focus issues.

The USB dock attaches to the back of the lens like a rear lens cap, and then connects to a computer for software control over the lens firmware.

Conclusion:

Off-brand lenses no longer carry the stigma they once had when compared to main line Nikon, and Canon optics. In fact, technology in optics has risen to a level where some of the off-brands now surpass their branded rivals. Sigma is one of the companies making inroads in this area, and lenses in their new Art lineup deserve serious consideration. On their own website, Sigma calls the 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM a "true flagship" model.  From what I have seen in my hands-on usage tests of this lens, it definitely gives them the bragging rights they now claim.

Photographing New York at 54 megapixels

I took advantage of the daylight saving time change to do an early photograph of lower Manhattan with the sunset reflecting on it. The first image is straight from a D600, but the second image is a composite of five photos into a large panorama of Manhattan stretching from the Empire State Building in mid-town to the tip of the island with the new World Trade Center. The full composite is 13,730 wide and equivalent to shooting at 54MP. I included a link to the high res file for anyone who wants to see what 54MP looks like, although there may be some artifacting because I had to use a moderate jpg quality to reduce the file size for my ftp site. I also did a black and white infrared conversion of the same file.

Click here to see a high res version of this file.

This composite panorama of five images from the D600 was taken a little after sunset. The resulting composite is 13,730 wide and equivalent to shooting at 54MP.  Click here to download a high res version of this file.

This is the same file as the one above it, but converted to black and white infrared. Click here to download a high res version of this file.

Nikon Df - first look at the new retro camera

Let's get this out of the way first: It looks great, especially when surrounded by its ancestors. Like almost everyone, I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Nikon's entry into the retro camera phase that is sweeping the industry.

A new retro Nikon Df surrounded by its ancestors: a Nikon Ftn (the grandaddy "F" that started it all), a 200mm Nikkor telephoto, 80-200mm zoom Nikkor, and a traditional cable release -- all of which still fit and can be used on the new Df camera. Mounted on the Df is an original Noct-Nikkor 58mm f/1.2 lens.

There are two parts of "retro" that need to be considered: First is looks, and it wins hands down there.  Second is functionality. It's one thing to introduce a retro design, but it's quite another for the design to actually add something to the digital mix other that a feeling of "coolness" carrying it around. It has to work, especially when it's priced up with proven professional models such as the D800, and D610. So all of this begs the questions: Is it worth it, and where will it fit in a professional camera bag already overloaded with quality digital camera choices?

The Df camera body alone is priced at $2746.95, and with a redesigned 50mm f/1.8 kit lens is $2996.95. This is the same price as a Nikon D800, and $750 more than a D610, both of which have more advanced features.

The Df comes in two colors, all black, or traditional silver and black.

The Df uses the same 16mp sensor and processing as the Nikon D4 camera. This is a great sensor, but one of its chief advantages is that its low megapixels allows the D4 to operate at a very fast frame rate of 10fps. The Df, however, only operates at 5.5fps, a little faster than a D800, and a tad slower than a D610.

I use the D4, D800, and D600 cameras professionally. They are all exceptional for different reasons. One thing I have noticed is that the low noise abilities of both the D800 and D600 are very close to that of the D4.  The low noise of the Df should be the same as the D4, but given my findings that will not be enough of a reason to warrant buying it instead of something like a D610, for instance. Although the Df is rated one stop higher to 12800 ISO, this is not a very practical speed limit. I usually cap out the D4 around 3200 ISO, finding that anything higher produces excessive noise for professional use in a large file.

As the chart below illustrates, dimensions of the Df camera are similar to what you will find in a D610.

The retro feel of manual controls is what this camera is all about. You either like it or you don't. I happen to prefer manual controls, but then I was weaned on early manual Nikons like the Ftn, F2, and F3, which were manual everything.

This camera is all about manual control with a complete layout of dials on top for changing most common functions.  More modern command dials are not forgotten. There is one on the back and front of the body.

From the rear the Df controls look more familiar to typical Nikon digital cameras.

You are either going to like the Df or not, but the real question is whether people will be willing to pay for it. This is an expensive camera for what it is. Typically, I would use a camera like this as a backup to the D4, or as a travel camera when I want to have a smaller kit with me. I would have preferred to have the 24mp sensor, and price range of the D610 for both of these purposes. Nikon is charging a lot for cosmetics delivering nothing but a retro feel. The camera does not do anything new, other than deliver more manual controls and access to really old Nikon lenses. The test question I ask myself is whether I would buy this camera based solely on its features and not on its looks. The answer to that question, at least for me, is "no".  From a practical point of view, a D610 costing $750 less is a much better option...but then there is that really cool retro Df look. Sigh. What's a photographer to do?

2014 Calendar of legendary film cameras

Every year I make a wall calendar for myself, usually featuring something to do with photography. Last year I did one featuring early Leica screw mount cameras, and many of my Leica enthusiast friends asked where they could also pick one up. I do the calendars on Lulu.com so it was easy to make the project public and just provide everyone with a link.

Click here to see the full calendar on Lulu.com

This year I created another set of images of legendary small and medium format film cameras of the early 20th century. I also redid the Leica calendar from the prior year so it is now available for 2014. If you are interested in picking up one of these calendars you can do so at this direct link to Lulu.com.  There are two versions of each wall calendar, one large and one medium format.

Below are the images feature in the Classic Cameras calendar for 2014:

Contax Model I - 1935

Tessina 35 (1957-96)

Exakta Varex and Weston Master III meter - circa 1950's

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye - circa 1950's

Leica III - circa 1937

Alpa 9d reflex camera (circa 1964) with Angenieux 24mm f/3.5 lens

Kodak Bantam Special (1936-48) - Art Deco design by Walter Teague

Minox Riga, Latvia - 1937-43

Kodak Petite camera - 1929-33

Rollieflex f/2.8F Planar TLR (1960-81) and original Rolleiflex (1930's)

Nikon FTn (1968-72) with 58mm f/1.2 Noct-Nikkor lens

Nikon SP rangefinder (1957-62)

Autumn in New York

It rained in the morning.  The fallen leaves sponged up the moisture and were trampled into flat patterns by busy pedestrian traffic. The leaves were reaching the end of their lives, their natural structure meshing with the city sidewalks forming ephemeral compositions with the contrasts of wet and dry. I ran home and picked up a Nikon D800 with 90mm Tamron macro lens to photograph the leaves in high resolution before the pavement dried and the whole experience disappeared.