playing with the new tilt-shift December 18, 2007
Posted by tcbp in : Photography , add a commentMy new lens arrived today, just as I was leaving my apartment to go back to campus for a meeting. It’s a new Canon 24mm 3.5L TS-E. That TS-E being the significant bit. This lens has movements akin to what I used to use on 4×5 cameras (only not as much range). With the tilts I can adjust the angle of the plane of focus, and either extend focus along something while using a small aperture or reduce my DOF in a larger scene which winds up with results similar to the “fake model photography” image manipulation technique people are overusing these days. I’d rather have the real thing, but there are other reasons to use a lens like this.
The shift allows you to adjust the view of the lens without screwing up perspective. An example would be taking a photograph of a building head on, then tilting back to see the whole building from bottom to top. The sides of the building converge towards the top. If instead you shift the lens upward you get the view of the whole building with the perspective of a camera that isn’t tilted. In other words, your parallel lines in real life are parallel in the picture. An added bonus is that as long as you don’t bump the camera any, a stitch of the shifted images is easy to perform flawlessly.
I’d say most of what I shot today was getting a hang of the lens, although its ability to manipulate perspective/view and focus are the main reasons I purchased it. I hope to add at least the 90mm TS-E, if not the 45mm some day.
The image below is from the top of the Hyatt parking garage in downtown Rochester. The shift was used to extend the vertical FOV of the final image with a resulting 2336×6176 pixel image. The camera was also mounted vertically. I also used the tilt to throw the building on the right out of focus and because I’m still having some fun with the novelty of the lens.
The next two images are merges of three separate images taken with the camera mounted on the tripod horizontally. The shift was still up and down, making for a more square final image (each image in full size is 3504 x over 4900 pixels). Again I used the tilt to throw the focus on to the center of the bridge in each case. I’m still working on getting used to how the tilt affects the DOF, however as it is a major “feature” of this lens I am sure I will continue to play with that capability for pretty much forever… hopefully I don’t overdo it!
I’m looking forward to doing more with this lens, particularly as I reacquaint myself with the capabilities of tilting & shifting.
Pow Photog: the snazzy new gloves that apparently explode awesome all over the place December 14, 2007
Posted by tcbp in : General , add a commentAs I mentioned in this post, I was ordering some new gloves. They just arrived today because DHL decided the snow yesterday was too scary and didn’t bother to ever actually try to deliver them.
Here’s how they look when the fingertips aren’t folded back:
First impressions are positive. They fit well, are tight but not too tight and they do a pretty good job of insulating my hand and blocking the wind. The folding fingertip design seems to work well too. Although the website said they used velcro, they are instead using a magnetic clasp type thing. I think velcro would be nicer in terms of not having to worry about clinking things with little bits of metal; but they secure with a satisfying clink and won’t get gunked up with fuzz like velcro. Below are some pictures with the tips folded away:
Hopefully I’ll get to put them to the test soon, but I think they’re going to work quite well. Anything is better than freezing hands on a cold windy day. Only time will tell if they were worth their price.
Photo slump December 10, 2007
Posted by tcbp in : Photography , add a commentSorry for no new content. I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately. Having trouble figuring out what to shoot and not to pleased with the results at times. Has happened before, hopefully it will pass soon. I’ve got some things I’d like to try to shoot this weekend if not sooner should I feel energized enough to do it. The results make it worthwhile, sometimes it’s just slow getting going.
Gloves for a photographer December 5, 2007
Posted by tcbp in : General , 2 commentsOn newschoolofphotography.com’s forum someone stumbled across these gloves and nobody could find them on sale anywhere. I finally ran in to a site that carried them and ordered a pair (hopefully they fit, otherwise I’ll have to exchange them). They’re made by Pow, and the fingertips on the thumb, pointer and middle fingers fold back. Essentially they’re aimed at photographers, they call them the “Pho-tog” after all. Aside from looking silly, the website evogear.com where I bought them has one of the most absurd descriptions I’ve ever read:
“With a graphic-pushing palm that explodes awesome all over the place”
I’ll update with a picture and my impression of them when they arrive in hopefully a week or so (free shipping! yay).
check them out here: http://www.evogear.com/gloves/pow-pho-tog-filmer-specific.aspx