Friday, 2023-06-30

June

Hamnplan

Jun 2022 | Jun 2021 | Jun 2020 | Jun 2019 | Jun 2018 | Jun 2017 | Jun 2016 | Jun 2015 | Jun 2014 | Jun 2013 | Jun 2012 | Jun 2011 | Jun 2010 | Jun 2009

Sunday, 2023-04-30

Tuesday, 2022-05-31

Saturday, 2022-04-30

Thursday, 2022-03-31

March

Helgeandsholmen

Mar 2021 | Mar 2020 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2015 | Mar 2014 | Mar 2013 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2009

Monday, 2022-02-28

February

St Eriksplan

Feb 2021 | Feb 2020 | Feb 2019 | Feb 2018 | Feb 2017 | Feb 2016 | Feb 2015 | Feb 2014 | Feb 2013 | Feb 2012 | Feb 2011

Monday, 2022-01-31

January

Jan & Karin

I’m pissed I missed focus on this. This is the day after my dad’s 80th.

Jan 2021 | Jan 2020 | Jan 2018 | Jan 2017 | Jan 2016 | Jan 2015 | Jan 2014 | Jan 2013 | Jan 2012 | Jan 2011 | Jan 2010 | Jan 2009

Friday, 2021-12-31

December

Årets gran

Dec 2020 | Dec 2019 | Dec 2018 | Dec 2017 | Dec 2016 | Dec 2015 | Dec 2014 | Dec 2013 | Dec 2012 | Dec 2011 | Dec 2010

Tuesday, 2021-11-30

November

S:a Clara Mr. Walker

Nov 2020 | [Nov 2019] | Nov 2018 | Nov 2017 | Nov 2016 | Nov 2015 | Nov 2014 | Nov 2013 | Nov 2012 | Nov 2011

Sunday, 2021-10-31

Tuesday, 2021-08-31

Saturday, 2021-07-31

July

Sunset

Jul 2020 | Jul 2019 | Jul 2018 | Jul 2017 | Jul 2016 | Jul 2015 | Jul 2014 | Jul 2013 | Jul 2012 | Jul 2011 | Jul 2010 | Jul 2009

Wednesday, 2021-06-30

June

Sergels torg

Continuing with the Sergels Torg theme…

Jun 2020 | Jun 2019 | Jun 2018 | Jun 2017 | Jun 2016 | Jun 2015 | Jun 2014 | Jun 2013 | Jun 2012 | Jun 2011 | Jun 2010 | Jun 2009

Monday, 2021-05-31

Friday, 2021-04-30

Wednesday, 2021-03-31

March

Vasagatan

Mar 2020 | Mar 2019 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2015 | Mar 2014 | Mar 2013 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2009

Sunday, 2021-02-28

February

Strandvägen

Last image(?) from this area of Stockholm from me, as we’ve moved our office.

Feb 2020 | Feb 2019 | Feb 2018 | Feb 2017 | Feb 2016 | Feb 2015 | Feb 2014 | Feb 2013 | Feb 2012 | Feb 2011

Sunday, 2021-01-31

January

January

Jan 2020 | Jan 2018 | Jan 2017 | Jan 2016 | Jan 2015 | Jan 2014 | Jan 2013 | Jan 2012 | Jan 2011 | Jan 2010 | Jan 2009

Monday, 2020-11-30

November

Årsta i November II

[Nov 2019] | Nov 2018 | Nov 2017 | Nov 2016 | Nov 2015 | Nov 2014 | Nov 2013 | Nov 2012 | Nov 2011

Saturday, 2020-10-31

Wednesday, 2020-09-30

Monday, 2020-08-31

Friday, 2020-07-31

July

Hammarby Sjöstad

Sjöstaden

Jul 2019 | Jul 2018 | Jul 2017 | Jul 2016 | Jul 2015 | Jul 2014 | Jul 2013 | Jul 2012 | Jul 2011 | Jul 2010 | Jul 2009

Tuesday, 2020-06-30

June

Telemedecine is the only light in the darkness of COVID

This pic was supposed to be part of a pictorial depicting one day in my life during Corona, but I got bored of the concept. I just added it here so I don’t have an embarrasing gap for June 2020.

Jun 2019 | Jun 2018 | Jun 2017 | Jun 2016 | Jun 2015 | Jun 2014 | Jun 2013 | Jun 2012 | Jun 2011 | Jun 2010 | Jun 2009

Sunday, 2020-05-31

Thursday, 2020-04-30

Tuesday, 2020-03-31

March

⬅️ 🚧 ➡️

Mar 2019 | Mar 2018 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2015 | Mar 2014 | Mar 2013 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2009

Tuesday, 2019-12-31

December

decoration wide open

Dec 2018 | Dec 2017 | Dec 2016 | Dec 2015 | Dec 2014 | Dec 2013 | Dec 2012 | Dec 2011 | Dec 2010

Thursday, 2019-10-31

Monday, 2019-09-30

Saturday, 2019-08-31

Wednesday, 2019-07-31

July

Vid Hede kyrka

Gamla stan

Jul 2018 | Jul 2017 | Jul 2016 | Jul 2015 | Jul 2014 | Jul 2013 | Jul 2012 | Jul 2011 | Jul 2010 | Jul 2009

Sunday, 2019-06-30

June

Kungsträdgården

Stensund

Jun 2018 | Jun 2017 | Jun 2016 | Jun 2015 | Jun 2014 | Jun 2013 | Jun 2012 | Jun 2011 | Jun 2010 | Jun 2009

Friday, 2019-05-31

Tuesday, 2019-04-30

Sunday, 2019-03-31

March

Skisser för sommaren - Bosön mars 2019

Kristallvertikalaccent i grönt - Stockholm mars 2019

Mar 2018 | Mar 2017 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2015 | Mar 2014 | Mar 2013 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2009

Thursday, 2019-02-28

February

30

Hammarby sjö

Stairway to heaven

Feb 2018 | Feb 2017 | Feb 2016 | Feb 2015 | Feb 2014 | Feb 2013 | Feb 2012 | Feb 2011

Thursday, 2019-01-31

January

The only image worth posting this month is in this post.

Jan 2018 | Jan 2017 | Jan 2016 | Jan 2015 | Jan 2014 | Jan 2013 | Jan 2012 | Jan 2011 | Jan 2010 | Jan 2009

Monday, 2018-12-31

December

NYE 2018 / Sjöstan

Dec 2017 | Dec 2016 | Dec 2015 | Dec 2014 | Dec 2013 | Dec 2012 | Dec 2011 | Dec 2010

Friday, 2018-11-30

November

The Rocks (Argyle St.)

Blue Liks Mars (Garnisonen)

Nov 2017 | Nov 2016 | Nov 2015 | Nov 2014 | Nov 2013 | Nov 2012 | Nov 2011

Wednesday, 2018-10-31

Sunday, 2018-09-30

September

September is contre-jour month!

It's been a good year for tomatoes

En morgondröm

Stensund

Sep 2017 | Sep 2016 | Sep 2015 | Sep 2014 | Sep 2013 | Sep 2012 | Sep 2011 | Sep 2010 | Sep 2009 | Sep 2008 |

Friday, 2018-08-31

August

Land yacht, sea yacht…

Continental III

End of the summer

Aug 2017 | Aug 2016 | Aug 2015 | Aug 2014 | Aug 2013 | Aug 2012 | Aug 2011 | Aug 2010 | Aug 2009

Tuesday, 2018-07-31

July

8:40PM local

Jul 2017 | Jul 2016 | Jul 2015 | Jul 2014 | Jul 2013 | Jul 2012 | Jul 2011 | Jul 2010 | Jul 2009

Saturday, 2018-06-30

June

Rosebud bokeh wash

Meet the parents - Jan & Karin, Stensun Jun 2018

Jun 2017 | Jun 2016 | Jun 2015 | Jun 2014 | Jun 2013 | Jun 2012 | Jun 2011 | Jun 2010 | Jun 2009

Thursday, 2018-05-31

May

Hottest May in… centuries?

Fin de saison

Hammarby sjöstad

La Méditerranée en Suède II

May 2017 | May 2016 | May 2015 | May 2014 | May 2013 | May 2012 | May 2011 | May 2010 | May 2009 | May 2008

Monday, 2018-04-30

Saturday, 2018-03-31

March

Stensund III

March reflection II

Mar 2017 | Mar 2016 | Mar 2015 | Mar 2014 | Mar 2013 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2009

Wednesday, 2018-02-28

February

Against and with the sun.

Nobelparken

Kungl. Djurgården

Feb 2017 | Feb 2016 | Feb 2015 | Feb 2014 | Feb 2013 | Feb 2012 | Feb 2011

Wednesday, 2018-01-31

January

Nobelparken

Jan 2017 | Jan 2016 | Jan 2015 | Jan 2014 | Jan 2013 | Jan 2012 | Jan 2011 | Jan 2010 | Jan 2009

Sunday, 2017-12-31

December

I send you a New Year's Kiss

Dec 2016 | Dec 2015 | Dec 2014 | Dec 2013 | Dec 2012 | Dec 2011 | Dec 2010

Thursday, 2017-11-30

November

Gamla stan

Nov 2016 | Nov 2015 | Nov 2014 | Nov 2013 | Nov 2012 | Nov 2011

Tuesday, 2017-10-31

Saturday, 2017-09-30

Thursday, 2017-08-31

August

Hammarby kaj

Aug 2016 | Aug 2015 | Aug 2014 | Aug 2013 | Aug 2012 | Aug 2011 | Aug 2010 | Aug 2009

Monday, 2017-07-31

July

Dollargrin / Chevrolet

Soft peony

Rose planet in bokeh space

Lowrider

Jul 2016 | Jul 2015 | Jul 2014 | Jul 2013 | Jul 2012 | Jul 2011 | Jul 2010 | Jul 2009

Friday, 2017-06-30

June

A tale of two cities.

Strandvägen

Trosa hamnplan

Jun 2016 | Jun 2015 | Jun 2014 | Jun 2013 | Jun 2012 | Jun 2011 | Jun 2010 | Jun 2009

Wednesday, 2017-05-31

May

Luma torg

Petanque

May 2016 | May 2015 | May 2014 | May 2013 | May 2012 | May 2011 | May 2010 | May 2009 | May 2008

Sunday, 2017-04-30

April

Djurgårdsbrunnsviken

Good Friday sky

Soft cherry blossoms / Soft sakura 1

Commute / Lumabryggan

Apr 2016 | Apr 2015 | Apr 2014 | Apr 2013 | Apr 2012 | Apr 2011 | Apr 2010 | Apr 2009

Friday, 2017-03-31

March

Karlaplan

Liljevalchs

Mar 2016 | Mar 2015 | Mar 2014 | Mar 2013 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2009

Tuesday, 2017-02-28

February

100mm test - skyline

Hammarby sjö

Feb 2016 | Feb 2015 | Feb 2014 | Feb 2013 | Feb 2012 | Feb 2011

Friday, 2017-02-24

The Camera by Ansel Adams

(Page numbers are from the 12th paperback printing in 2005, but according the foreword the text is unchanged since 1980.)

I recently revisited this book after some years. I remember it to be the most interesting part of the series (Camera, Negative, and Print), and the part that probably has the most relevance to modern day digital photographers.

As a side note, if you’re starting out shooting large format film, I doubt you can find a better treatment of the subject. Chapter 10, “View-Camera Adjustments”, contains an extensive discussion on stuff like tilts, swings, and rises.

The most intriguing chapter is Chapter 7, “Basic Image Management”, about visualization. Chapter 1, confusingly called “Visualization”, is actually about different sorts of cameras.

Some interesting nuggets follow.

On different lens viewing angles

In general, I do not find the normal lens especially desirable, functionally or aesthetically. The angle of view and depth of field characteristics do not seem favorable to me in interpreting space and scale. (p. 57)

Long lenses have the effect of significantly reducing the depth of field of a subject. This makes them the obvious choice when selective focus is desired, but more often the lack of depth of field is a problem and requires the use of small apertures. (p. 59, my emphasis)

“Sharp pictures of fuzzy concepts”

This oft-quoted sentence is worth quoting in context:

[…] in discussing mechanical or optical issues we must not lose sight of the much greater importance of image content — emotional, aesthetic, or literal. I believe there is nothing more disturbing than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept! (p. 73, emphasis in original)

Camera bags

People who just toss their stuff in bags willy-nilly grind Adam’s gears:

Although many small-camera photographers use lightweight, soft-sided camera bags, these provide little protection against bumping and jarring the delicate equipment. I am always surprised when I see several cameras, a gaggle of lenses, filters, meters, et cetera, rattling around in a soft bag with a complement of refuse and dust. (p. 172)

Instead he recommends a hard case with dividers or foam inserts, particularly one that can be used as a standing platform.

Illustrations

Most of the images in the book are black and white (d’uh) images in full sunlight. Part of this is probably because these images would be clearest using the printing techniques of the time.

Tuesday, 2017-01-31

January

January, dark outside, time for portraits!

Jan & Hedda

Karin

Hanny & Niloofar

Jan 2016 | Jan 2015 | Jan 2014 | Jan 2013 | Jan 2012 | Jan 2011 | Jan 2010 | Jan 2009

Saturday, 2016-12-31

December

Djurgårdsbrunnsviken

NYE

Another year ends. Although it has been above average for us personally, general happenings in the world have left me pessimistic about the future. Here’s hoping the fever breaks this year and we can look forward to working in the early days of a better world.

Dec 2015 | Dec 2014 | Dec 2013 | Dec 2012 | Dec 2011 | Dec 2010

Wednesday, 2016-11-30

November

Early November snow

In November, Summer seems the furthest away

God, I hate this month so much…

Nov 2015 | Nov 2014 | Nov 2013 | Nov 2012 | Nov 2011

Monday, 2016-10-31

Friday, 2016-09-30

September

Rose hip bokeh wash

Gröna Lund

"Här rivs för att få luft och ljus"

Nordiska museet

Sep 2015 | Sep 2014 | Sep 2013 | Sep 2012 | Sep 2011 | Sep 2010 | Sep 2009 | Sep 2008 |

Monday, 2016-09-05

Sufficient low-light performance

A Reddit user asked whether s/he should purchase a Nikon D800, a camera that was released in 2012.

A commenter mentioned that the D800 had good low-light performance up to ISO 12,800, where it “fell apart”.

This got me thinking. Just what does ISO 12,800 mean?

For example, take this night shot from last year.

small version of NI35_5.6
35mm ƒ/1.4 @ ƒ/5.6

This was shot according to EV 7, which was 1/60 @ ƒ/1.4 at ISO 400. As this was shot at ƒ/5.6, I had to use a shutter speed of 1/8. I was obviously using a tripod.

An ISO increase of 3 stops to ISO 3,200 would have meant a shutterspeed of 1/60, which is handholdable at 35mm with good technique.

However, increasing sensitivity 2 more stops to ISO 12,800 would mean I could shoot at 1/200, enough to stop most action!

Let’s say I’d have used a modern 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 wide open at 24mm. I’d risk 1/30 to get the shot, which means I could keep the ISO at 400, or bumped it up one stop to 800 and get a more steady 1/60. In no way would I have stressed a modern sensor.

Hedda & Anna
1/15 @ ƒ/2 at ISO 1,600 - could definitely have used a stop more here!

Of course, there are situations where ISO 12,800 is very useful. In video, for example, one is often constrained to a narrow band of exposure times. And in astrophotography, the recent popularity of wide-angle astro shots can be attributed to the combination of affordable, highly corrected fast wide angle lenses and cameras with excellent low light capabilities.

However for “normal” use, especially with modern fast primes, ISO 6,400 should be more than enough for handheld, non-stabilized shots!

Wednesday, 2016-08-31

August

Stensund

Last days of summer - rosé Russchian

Amusements

Hammarby sjö

Aug 2015 | Aug 2014 | Aug 2013 | Aug 2012 | Aug 2011 | Aug 2010 | Aug 2009

Monday, 2016-08-22

28mm blues

I’ve managed to bang up my 1 Nikkor 10mm ƒ/2.8 lens[1], so now it’s severely decentered. I’m going to get a quote for a repair as soon as possible.

Considering I purchased this lens used for €110, and it’s available new for around twice that, the repair has to be quite cheap to justify.

Of course this leads to me planning on alternatives in case I have to ditch this lens. I really want to have a compact 28mm on hand.

The options are, in roughly order of expense:

  1. get the lens repaired - update the repair quote came to more than twice what I paid for this, so I’ve decided to let the repair shop ‘recycle’ this lens…
  2. get a Voigtländer Color-Skopar 28mm ƒ/2.8 in F mount, for my D700 - this combo, while compact for a FX camera, is still really bulky and heavy! And it would be my 3rd 28mm lens for Nikon F.
  3. get a used Ricoh GR or Nikon A - but then I’ll have to give up the EVF, or get an expensive, bulky accessory viewfinder
  4. get a Panasonic 14mm ƒ/2.5 Micro-4/3 lens, and a camera to mount it on - pro: new system to play with! Cons: new system to learn.

The wildcard option is to get a new iPhone. Even if it’s the most expensive option the phone has utility beyond photography, and maybe I need to get over the need of a dedicated camera for this.

[1] This lens has a field of view equivalent of 27mm on the Nikon V1’s 2.7x crop sensor.

Tuesday, 2016-08-02

Age of Ultron, or, One Year, One Lens, One Camera

Radiohuset

Since August 2015, I’ve been shooting almost exclusively with one lens, the Cosina Voigtländer 40mm ƒ/2 Ultron.

The idea of “one camera, one lens, one year” has been kicking around the photography memesphere since Mike Johnson of “The Online Photographer” fame posted an article about it a few years back. Of course at the time it was also one film but that part has now been silently dropped because be serious.

(It’s also an idea that’s popular in Leica circles because most Leica shooters can only afford one lens anyway.)

Ester

Another key part of the post is daily regular printing of your work, but I skipped that as to be honest I only relied on my memory of the post rather than actually reading it before starting this project.

All the images are in this Flickr set. There are 57 images which means I managed to average about one keeper a week. I’m frankly positively surprised at this.

Here are some lessons I’ve drawn from this exercise.

Choose the right lens

Hedda & Anna

Well duh. Johnston recommends a 50mm fov-e. Whatever works for you, although realistically anything outside the 28-55 range is a bit too specialized. I chose the 40mm for its field-of-view but mostly for its compactness. I’d probably have been able to get away with a ƒ/2.8 lens but that extra stop felt like a good thing to have.

Give yourself an out

Plaza de España

What if that trip of a lifetime comes up? What if you have to cover a family or work event? What if you finally inherit a 500mm ƒ/4 and have to use it exclusively or the rest of the millions of $$$ are forfeit?

Relax, this isn’t a test. No-one’s going to fail you for using another lens. The idea is to use the lens most of the time, but don’t let it hinder your life in general.

Start off slow

Karlavägen

No need to shout from the rooftops you’re going to run a marathon, then limp home after 2K with a bad blister. Instead quietly shoot for a couple of weeks or a month. If the project feels doable, then you can start dropping coy hints of your ascetic awesomeness.

I’d also recommend not starting on New Year’s Day. Better to hit the ground running when there’s good light and you can really get going taking pictures. This goes for other projects such as “365 day” or “a picture a week” too!

A cure for GAS

Ågatan

Having only one camera and lens to shoot for a year sure makes it easier to avoid looking at other cameras and lenses. It might help you find what you really need, gear-wise, and avoid running yourself ragged trying to satisfy some imaginary itch.

Lessons learned

Ester

It’s a fun project. I recommend it.

I’ll probably keep using the 40mm (or its Nikon analog, the 45mm ƒ/2.8 P) as my main full-frame lens, if nothing else because it makes a compact package. But I’m also excited to finally try some other focal lengths!

Sunday, 2016-07-31

July

Evening and day, and two different parts of Sweden. Same Sun, though.

Stensund

Hemmestorps mölla

Jul 2015 | Jul 2014 | Jul 2013 | Jul 2012 | Jul 2011 | Jul 2010 | Jul 2009

Thursday, 2016-06-30

June

Galärparken / XII:XXXII

The turning point of the year. Not many keepers shot this month for some reason.

Jun 2015 | Jun 2014 | Jun 2013 | Jun 2012 | Jun 2011 | Jun 2010 | Jun 2009

Tuesday, 2016-05-31

May

Hammarbybacken

Stensund

Test - Nikon Soft Filter 2

Skeppskajen / Cruises

May 2015 | May 2014 | May 2013 | May 2012 | May 2011 | May 2010 | May 2009 | May 2008

Saturday, 2016-04-30

April

Djurgården

Stensund / mossy Velvia (emulation)

Johan

Kungsträdgården

Strandvägen

Tidig Valborg

Apr 2015 | Apr 2014 | Apr 2013 | Apr 2012 | Apr 2011 | Apr 2010 | Apr 2009

Thursday, 2016-03-31

March

Nobelparken

Chris & Hanny

Hedda & Anna

Mar 2015 | Mar 2014 | Mar 2013 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2009

Thursday, 2016-03-24

Thoughts on film

Posts extolling the joys and benefits of photography using film (or “analog” as it’s now inevitably known) have always been present since the digital photography revolution, but I’m noting an upswing now in the nooks and crannies of the internets that I frequent.

Sjöstaden

Now, it’s easy to see why. Film aficionados are dependent on a relatively large industrial base — manufacturing and distributing film stock, a perishable medium, is non-trivial — so growing the user base (or at least slowing its decline) is paramount for the survival of the craft.

I have shot film. I learned photography using film. And I’ll say that for nearly every conceivable use case digital is objectively better.

Now, this doesn’t invalidate people who love film, who use it regularly, or who really enjoy the paraphernalia of shooting film. These are valid choices — if we remove the requirements of timely delivery of high-quality, high-resolution digital assets to clients, whether these clients are entities paying for the asset or more nebulous things like “social networks”.

Let’s tackle the talking points, shall we?

Shooting film teaches you about photography

Now I can actually see the point of this. Instead of dealing with auto-ISO, exposure modes, and scene buttons, you’re faced with a shutter dial, an aperture dial and a match needle. Shoot enough and you’ll get an instinctive feel for how the two hang together.

Angelica

That is, if you’re using a classic manual focus camera, like the Pentax K1000, the Nikon FM, or Olympus OM-1. If you’re using a newer film camera you’ll notice that they can be just as complicated as digital cameras, because it turned out all that automation actually helped people make pictures they wanted to keep.

Instead of getting a film camera, you can invest maybe 15 minutes watching a Youtube video and then half a day using your digital camera in manual mode, and learn the basics of exposure that way. It’s not that hard.

A bonus is you can directly check the effects on the back of the screen, instead of waiting for the film to be developed and correlating the shots with handheld notes about exposure.

Shooting film makes you slow down and appreciate every shot

Well obviously. But do you think the masters of photography scrimped and hoarded film? No they didn’t, they had the same hit rate the rest of us have but they had the dedication to keep shooting no matter what the cost. Independent wealth (Cartier-Bresson), grants (Frank) or plain scrimping and saving (Maier) enabled them to keep shooting and getting wheat from the chaff.

Giulio and Michael

As a digital shooter, every shot is basically free at the margin. But instead of using this opportunity to shoot more and getting better, people are complaining about full hard drives and slow editing.

The answer is not to shoot less, it’s to shoot more but better. This is true with film or digital.

Shooting film is a more tactile experience

I can’t really argue with this — at least not with the classic manual cameras noted above! Try shooting a plastic wundermachine from the 90s and you’ll be disabused of the notion, unless the buzz of an autowinder and the whine of screw-driven autofocus is part of your preferred tactile experience.

29740061

I can also understand that if you’re in front of a computer all day you might want to relax with making images “the old fashioned way”. But at least then you’re aware of the tradeoffs.

Pictures taken with film have a unique look

I’ll grant this for images taken with medium format or large format. The interplay between field of view and focal length give these formats a unique look that’s hard to replicate in software.

Sindy

For small-format images though? I bet there’s a filter or preset for every film worth shooting. Even if there isn’t, you carefully crafted, exquisitely presented “lo-fi” film images will be met with “Cool! what filter did you use?”. That is if you’re lucky.

So, you really hate film, don’t you?

Actually I don’t. It’s a free world (at least where I am, thanks for that) and you are welcome to shoot film and tell me it’s the best thing since sliced bread. But you’re not going to convince me, because I’ve heard it all before. And I’ll definitely not grade your work on a curve because you shoot film.

Hanna

Monday, 2016-02-29

February

Garnisonen

Djurgården

Madrid

Feb 2015 | Feb 2014 | Feb 2013 | Feb 2012 | Feb 2011

Sunday, 2016-01-31

January

Ester

Djurgårdsbrunnsviken

Stockholm / Östermalm

Jan 2015 | Jan 2014 | Jan 2013 | Jan 2012 | Jan 2011 | Jan 2010 | Jan 2009

Thursday, 2015-12-31

December

Evguenia & Nathalie

Juldagen

Dec 2014 | Dec 2013 | Dec 2012 | Dec 2011 | Dec 2010

Monday, 2015-11-30

November

Gärdet

Karlavägen

Nov 2014 | Nov 2013 | Nov 2012 | Nov 2011

Monday, 2015-11-09

A small lens test

I was bored one night so I’d thought I’d check just how flare-y my 70s era 35mm ƒ/1.4 Nikkor is for point light sources.

So it’s off to Slussen where I captured the rain-soaked ambiance of the Big City.

(All images below link to full-size JPGs.)

As expected, the 35 wide open has coma galore:

small version of NI35_1.4
35mm ƒ/1.4 N @ ƒ/1.4

But stop it down to ƒ/2, and it cleans up nicely.

small version of NI35_2.0
35mm ƒ/1.4 N @ ƒ/2.0

Compare with a much more modern lens, the Cosina-Voigtländer Ultron 40mm ƒ/2. This is a lens with at least one aspheric element, modern coatings, but also built with constraints in mind (compactness):

small version of CV40_F2.0
CV40 @ ƒ/2.0

Here are both lenses at ƒ/5.6:

small version of NI35_5.6
35mm ƒ/1.4 @ ƒ/5.6

small version of CV40_F5.6
CV40 @ ƒ/5.6

Some observations….

It’s clear Nikon designed the 35 as a general-purpose PJ lens, where you used it wide open at night when you really had to. It’s remarkably compact with a 52mm filter size and doesn’t really give anything up stopped down.

The images are basically straight out of camera. The warm cast in the 35mm images are from the yellowing of its radioactive thorium lens element.

Focus was on the construction sign by the stop sign in the middle of the image.

Exposure was 1/60 @ ƒ/1.4 and ISO 400 (EV 7).

Saturday, 2015-10-31

October

Gamla stan

Radiohuset

Ryssgården / Leve Slussen!

Djurgårdsbrunnsviken

Nobelparken

Oct 2014 | Oct 2013 | Oct 2012 | Oct 2011 | Oct 2010 | Oct 2009 | Oct 2008

Wednesday, 2015-09-30

September

This month we have coworkers and iconic Stockholm views.

Shuaib

Smoke on the water

Gröna Lund

Johan & Shyam

Sep 2014 | Sep 2013 | Sep 2012 | Sep 2011 | Sep 2010 | Sep 2009 | Sep 2008 |

Monday, 2015-08-31

August

This month’s theme is “water”.

Färja / Hammarby sjö

Hammary sjö

Östra Ågatan

Sjöstadsparterren

Aug 2014 | Aug 2013 | Aug 2012 | Aug 2011 | Aug 2010 | Aug 2009

Friday, 2015-08-07

A dive into my EXIF data

For a long time I’ve been content having a bunch of “0.0mm ƒ/0.0” lenses in my Lightroom library, as I’ve been quite conscientious of tagging them with the correct lens info. This, in combination with the manual lens settings in my camera gave me focal lenght and actual aperture used and I felt that was enough.

However when playing around with Lightroom Dashboard I grew nerdily annoyed with the huge chunk of unknown lenses, so I grabbed the LensTagger plugin and started the ardous process of identifying my lenses and updating the EXIF.

It turns out I’ve not been as conscientious as I’ve thought. But by a bit of detective work I’ve now got some meaningless stats to show[1].

Here are each year’s most popular lenses, in descending order. I’ve also included all the images uploaded to Flickr (since I got LR in 2011) as a sampling of the stuff I’m prepared to show people.

Flickr 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011
45mm ƒ/2.8 P Ai‑s 28‑105mm ƒ/3.5‑4.5 D 28mm ƒ/2 Ai‑S 28‑70mm ƒ/3.5‑4.5D Sigma 18‑50mm ƒ/3.5‑5.6 (27‑75mm‑e) 35mm ƒ/1.8 DX (52.5mm‑e)
1 Nikkor VR 30‑110mm ƒ/3.8‑5.6 (81‑297mm‑e) 1 Nikkor VR 30‑110mm ƒ/3.8‑5.6 (81‑297mm‑e) 1 Nikkor VR 30‑110mm ƒ/3.8‑5.6 (81‑297mm‑e) 28mm ƒ/3.5 Ai 35mm ƒ/1.8 DX (52.5mm‑e) 18mm ƒ/3.5 AI‑s (27mm‑e)
35mm ƒ/1.8 DX (52.5mm‑e) 1 Nikkor 10mm ƒ/2.8 (27mm‑e) 28‑105mm ƒ/3.5‑4.5 D 45mm ƒ/2.8 P Ai‑s 105mm ƒ/2.5 Nikkor‑P (157.5mm‑e) 55mm ƒ/3.5 Auto Micro (82.5mm‑e)
28‑70mm ƒ/3.5‑4.5D 35mm ƒ/1.4 N Cosina‑Voigtländer Ultron 40mm ƒ/2 55mm ƒ/3.5 Auto Micro (82.5mm‑e) 24mm ƒ/2.8 AF‑D (36mm‑e) 35‑70mm ƒ/2.8 AF‑D (52.5‑105mm‑e)

[1] I’ve restricted my selection to RAW images only.

Friday, 2015-07-31

July

Hook! (or slice, what is difference)

Hammary kaj

Fireworks in the distance

Vilshärad

Bounce

Jul 2014 | Jul 2013 | Jul 2012 | Jul 2011 | Jul 2010 | Jul 2009

Tuesday, 2015-06-30

June

Hammarby sjöstad

Alicia

Lumabryggan

Hammary kaj

Jun 2014 | Jun 2013 | Jun 2012 | Jun 2011 | Jun 2010 | Jun 2009

Sunday, 2015-05-31

May

This month’s theme is “concrete”.

Luma

Riddarholmen / Merciless Smash

Potsdamer Platz / Period piece

Berlin

May 2014 | May 2013 | May 2012 | May 2011 | May 2010 | May 2009 | May 2008

Thursday, 2015-05-14

State of the gear collection, May 2015

So quite a lot has happened in 2 years when it comes to the stuff I use, and as I was bored I thought I shoot the collection as a series of thematic “kits”.

As before, click through the pics to see them on Flickr[1].

The “pre-AI” kit.

The pre-AI kit

A classic 70s era focal length collection: 35, 55, 105.

I finally got the 35mm ƒ/1.4 I was lusting after, and it happened to be an AI-converted Nikkor-N with radioactive thorium glass. It’s been through a CLA as its aperture was sticky and is now nice and smooth.

The pancake kit

The pancake kit

Another new lens: the Cosina-Voigtländer 40mm ƒ/2 Ultron.

The “assignment” kit

The "assignment" kit

(Scare-quotes as the only “assignments” I get involve being the resident photographer at company trips and family gatherings.)

I actually only use the 28-105 in anger. The 70-210 is usurped by the 30-110 below.

The travel kit

The travel kit

This has actually worked out well for me. A fast wide for environments and indoors, and a very compact telezoom for reach.

Future plans

I need something wider than 28mm equivalent, and I’m planning on getting a 18-35mm zoom for either the D700 or (more likely) the V1.

I’m growing more and more disaffected with the size and weight of the Nikon D700, compared to the enjoyment of actually bringing it with me and taking pictures.

Right now I’m teetering between streamlining my lenses towards using them with a Sony A7 and adapter, or simply getting the Df as a new FX camera. In any case I’ll probably get rid of stuff that I see as dead weight, such as the 70-210/4 and a couple of redundant primes.

[1] Flickr doesn’t use notes anymore, but all the images are tagged with the lenses in them.

Thursday, 2015-04-30

April

Hedda

Viking

Kungsträdgården

Yeah, I like shooting cherry blossoms, what of it?

Illetes

Apr 2014 | Apr 2013 | Apr 2012 | Apr 2011 | Apr 2010 | Apr 2009

Tuesday, 2015-03-31

March

Spring is in the air!

Henriksdalshamnen

Karlavägen / Tender Loving Care

Norrbro

Sicklasjön / Spring postponed

Mar 2014 | Mar 2013 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2009

Saturday, 2015-02-28

February

Kungsträdgården

Indalsälvsdalen mot Åreskutan

Duved kyrka

Feb 2014 | Feb 2013 | Feb 2012 | Feb 2011

Saturday, 2015-01-31

January

Kungsträdgården

Spires

Jan 2014 | Jan 2013 | Jan 2012 | Jan 2011 | Jan 2010 | Jan 2009

Wednesday, 2014-12-31

December

Stortorget

Sjöstaden / Christmas day

DSC_6219.jpg

Dec 2013 | Dec 2012 | Dec 2011 | Dec 2010

Sunday, 2014-11-30

November

Valhallavägen

Fotomässan / Panoptikon

Nybroplan

Nov 2013 | Nov 2012 | Nov 2011

Friday, 2014-10-31

October

Nobelparken

CV40 flare resistance

Gustav Adolfsparken

Gamla stan

Oct 2013 | Oct 2012 | Oct 2011 | Oct 2010 | Oct 2009 | Oct 2008

Tuesday, 2014-09-30

September

Solbryggan

Skogskyrkogården

Hammarby sjö

Viking & Jan

Skeppsbrokajen

Sep 2013 | Sep 2012 | Sep 2011 | Sep 2010 | Sep 2009 | Sep 2008 |

Sunday, 2014-08-31

August

Viking

Four years ago:

Viking

Luma

Sickla udde

GE7_4847.jpg

Olof

Viking

Kungsträdgården

Aug 2013 | Aug 2012 | Aug 2011 | Aug 2010 | Aug 2009

Thursday, 2014-08-14

Four States of Mind

(All pics from our trip are in this Flickr set.)

5th Avenue

New York is a woman — she’ll make you cry
But to her you’re just another guy

Suzanne Vega

Lake Meade

Well it used to be everything was fine
Everything, this all was mine
But one fine day, you might say
That I, I threw it all away
‘Cause I made up my mind
I traded holy water for cheap wine
I ran out of time
Or something that I can’t define
I traded my whiskey for your wine
Leaving my river running dry
And a waterline

Lloyd Cole

South Rim

We went to Grand Canyon
And we stood at the expanse
And we watched the rocks change color
And we watched the shadows dance

Drive-By Truckers

Venice

And if California slides into the ocean
As the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this hotel will be standing
Until I pay my bill

Warren Zevon

Thursday, 2014-07-31

July

Sjöstaden

Hanny & Toke

Henriksdalshamnen

Hammarby Allé

Jul 2013 | Jul 2012 | Jul 2011 | Jul 2010 | Jul 2009

Monday, 2014-06-30

June

Michel

Tour Eiffel

Sjöstaden

Valhallavägen

Djurgården

Hanny & Patrik

Solbryggan

Jun 2013 | Jun 2012 | Jun 2011 | Jun 2010 | Jun 2009

Saturday, 2014-05-31

May

A certain theme this month…

Kungsgatan

Djurgårdskanalen

Sicklasjön

Hammarby kaj

Hammarby kaj

Île Saint-Louis

May 2013 | May 2012 | May 2011 | May 2010 | May 2009 | May 2008

Wednesday, 2014-04-30

April

Garnisonen

Hasse

Kungsträdgården

Hammarby sjöstad

Apr 2013 | Apr 2012 | Apr 2011 | Apr 2010 | Apr 2009

Friday, 2014-04-04

Adventures in tiny Nikonland - a review of sorts of the Nikon V1

Hammarby sjö

So… in 2011 Nikon mystified everyone with the introduction of their mirrorless system, called “Nikon 1”, featuring a relatively tiny 1” (2.7x crop) sensor. Nikon was very proud of this sensor, because it had fast AF and a bunch of other things no-one really cares about; everyone wanted a 1.5x crop sensor or bigger that they could mount their big lenses on. Oh, and Nikon decided that this little sensor was worth a lot of money so their pricing was insanely high. The Nikon V1 cost ~$900 at introduction, with the kit 10-30mm lens.

Well, you don’t mess with Mother Market, and a few years later I could score a nice used V1 kit for 170 EUR. So, how does this little runt compare with my other used old camera, the Nikon D700 DSLR?

Nackanäs

This is only my superficial notes. If you want a rant-y real review of the Nikon V1, check out Thom Hogan’s one here. Thom also publishes an ebook that covers the first generation Nikon 1 cameras - Complete Guide to the Nikon 1. I’ve purchased it and can recommend it. That work also tells some of the history of the Nikon 1’s design. Basically, Nikon skated in the opposite direction of the camera market puck…

Garnisonen

What I like

  • It’s small and light. It fits (with some effort) into my coat pocket, and doesn’t weigh down my bag. This is good because the D700 is way too big for everyday carry, at least where I am right now in life.
  • The image quality seems ok to me. The short focal length of the kit lens doesn’t really bother me, as much of my so-called “work” is “urban landscape” and I’m not that interested in thin depth-of-field. If this is important to you, go ahead and get a Sony A7.
  • It’s an all-dancing, all-singing techno-wunder camera. It has stuff like VR in the lens that helps with slow shutter speeds, Lightroom does auto-correct of distortion, there’s a fancy EVF in it, it takes movies… considering my D700 is treated as a digital FE2, this is a big deal for this cheap-ass Luddite.
  • It doesn’t break the bank. I paid as much for this camera as for a crappy little P&S my kid got for Christmas. The lenses available for it aren’t that expensive either (I’m looking at getting the 30-110mm tele-slowzoom, and maybe the 18.5mm normal)
  • Image quality is “good enough”. If I ever feel the need to create a masterpiece fit for a giant printout with oodles of dynamic range, I’ll bust out the D700 and tripod. But for cat pics on the internet the V1 suffices.
  • It has an EVF - this was a dealbreaker for me when it comes to compact/mirrorless cameras. While I appreciate the rear LCD in some situations, I really prefer holding a camera up to my eyes and squinting at the scene through a tiny hole.

Sickla udde

What I don’t like

  • the controls are bad. See Thom’s review for more details. The “mode” dial in particular is a pain, as it often slips from the only good position into stupid stuff like “Motion Snapshot”.
  • There’s no built-in flash, something that can be forgiven due to the size of the body. But the accessory slot is not compatible with any SLR flash, and there’s no adapter available.
  • Battery life could be better, but that may be due to the battery I have being used.

Addendum 2015-05-05: another thing I don’t like about the battery. It (the Nikon EN-EL15) has a chip in it to more accurately calculate remaining charge, age etc. The battery I have has a faulty chip that decided to inform me, on the first day on vacation, that the battery was too old and could no longer be used.

Conclusion

The digital compact camera is an endangered species - cellphones are eating their lunch, and the traditional camera manufacturers don’t have a good answer to them right now. The Nikon 1 series was designed for a world where there would be a niche between compact cameras at the low end and DSLRs at the high end. It tries to combine the portability of a compact with the fast AF of a DSLR, adding exchangeable lenses and balancing the act with a small but not tiny sensor.

Now that niche is no more, and the Nikon 1 is floundering in a sea of mirrorless cameras, many more capable and cheaper than it is. But if you can find one for a decent price, I can recommend it. The pros outweighs the cons.

Monday, 2014-03-31

March

L'Heure Bleue

Glashus Ett

March snow

Kyrkviken

Mar 2013 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2009

Friday, 2014-02-28

February

Kulturhuset

Sergels Torg

Galärvarvskyrkogården

Feb 2013 | Feb 2012 | Feb 2011

Friday, 2014-01-31

January

Östermalm

Gärdet

Jan 2013 | Jan 2012 | Jan 2011 | Jan 2010 | Jan 2009

Tuesday, 2013-12-31

December

Engelska kyrkan

Not that many pics this month, unfortunately.

Saturday, 2013-11-30

November

Playa de las Canteras

Technically this is October but I didn’t have anything else from GC…

GameX

Bubbly bokeh

Fotomässan

Nov 2012 | Nov 2011

Thursday, 2013-10-31

October

View from Port108

Gustav Adolfsparken

Holkar i sjöstan

This tree has since been cut down and the trunk left on the ground as a home for beetles and fungi.

Monday, 2013-09-30

September

Hammarby kaj

Gamla stan

Office

Diplomatstaden

Saturday, 2013-08-31

August

Gentlemen, start your engines

Vilshärad

L'Heure bleue

Friday, 2013-08-16

Summer’s almost gone

A week apart

Wednesday, 2013-07-31

July

GE7_2053.jpg

Luma

Hanna

Monday, 2013-07-08

June

Kungsträdgården

Sicklasjön

Solbryggan

Luma

Vilshärad

Friday, 2013-05-31

May

We went to Rome.

Sjöstaden

Kungsträdgården

Kungsträdgården

Eugene

Mallorca

Nille

E18

Tuesday, 2013-04-30

April

Sickla Allé

Sjöstadsparterren

Bowlin'

Pics from Istanbul.

Valborg

Friday, 2013-04-26

Istanbul, April 2013

I’m back from a 3-day company trip to Istanbul. It was great fun but didn’t leave too much time for photography. In addition, I’ve been tapped as the “official company photographer” (unpaid of course) so I was under some obligation to take “official shots”.

Mervin takes a shot

With this in mind, I packed the following gear:

  • Nikon D700
  • 24mm ƒ/2.8 AF-D, 28-80mm ƒ/3.3-5.6G, 50mm ƒ/1.8 AF, and 105mm ƒ/2.5 Nikkor-P
  • SB-24 flash

plus all the assorted crap you need to keep a digital camera going nowadays, chargers etc.

Hagia Sophia

The 24mm was packed for those all-important interior shots of churches etc., but it turns out that a wide-angle basically only gives you a great view of all the people sharing the space with you. In addition, in the Hagia Sophia itself there was an exhibition of huge prints by a pro photographer who had had the advantage of no people, great light, and no scaffolding. After seeing that, my desire to capture something unique from one of the most famous buildings in the world faded.

Taksim Square

The zoom is a loaner from my stepdaughter. It turns out I used it the most, as we spent a lot of time in buses, and really didn’t have much time to search out the ideal location. It’s also a very handy lens for social photography with flash, of which I did quite a lot.

I had some irritating issues with the 50mm and the 105mm. The former has some wonky contacts which means mounting it sometimes gives you “fEE” errors or an aperture setting of ƒ/96. I’ll try to get to the bottom of the issue going forward.

Rumelihisarı

The 105mm wouldn’t give me focus confirmation when focused to infinity. I haven’t seen this before and it could be something wonky with the confirmation dot / AF subsystem in my body. I just might have to turn it in for a checkup.

Mannequin shop decoration

I’m heading to Rome soon on a pure vacation trip, and I won’t have access to the zoom. I’ll try to make do with a prime set: 28mm, 50mm for low light, and the 105mm for tele.

Bosphorus, looking South

Thursday, 2013-04-11

In my bag, April 2013

Now I have a Nikon D700 my lenses are “correct” again. I never really had anything wider than a 28mm equivalent on crop, and considering I prefer primes to zooms there wasn’t much I could use on my D200.

I sold a bunch of gear to finance the D700 and I basically arrived at three sets of gear more or less by accident. In the interests of self-promotion I will present them here.

The bag is a Domke F-3. I’ve had it since before Christmas and it got its baptism of fire in Malaysia. I like it for its no-nonsense construction without a lot of useless padding. All pics are taken with my D200 and the Shitma 18-50mm. Strobist: radio-triggered SB-24 pointed at the ceiling, camera right.

(The images are clickable and will lead to the Flickr photo where notes are attached.)

The manual focus prime set

In my bag #1: manual focus prime kit

This is the basic walkaround kit. The reason it’s manual focus is basically cost. The most expensive lens it the 45mm.

So far I’ve found it easier to focus MF lenses with the D700, as it has a 3-part focus confirmation display (arrows + dot), while the D200 only has the dot.

The SB-24 is a pretty capable flash. There’s no TTL metering using it, but the A-mode it has does a decent job. I wouldn’t trust it for fill though, or rather, it takes a bit more fiddling with it to get good fill flash. Luckily the D700 has a popup flash for that.

The Moleskine notebook is for planning future gear purchases, of which more below.

When using the 45mm the whole package is compact enough (“slim” is too strong a word, it’s still a chunky package) to fit into the side compartment of the computer bag I use for work. So I can do Always Bring Camera even when I don’t want to carry both my laptop and a camera bag.

The AF / zoom set

In my bag #2: AF zoom kit

This covers 24mm, 35-70mm, and 70-210mm. It’s basically a coincidence that I have these three AF lenses. I got the 24mm as a 35mm equivalent on crop, and two others after reading way too much about Nikkors on the internet. I haven’t really used them seriously on FX yet.

As an aside, I need more experience with using the 24mm effectively.

The speciality set

In my bag #3: the specialized set

I got the 18mm ƒ/3.5 as a 28mm equivalent prime on crop and it has worked great there. I’m not used to ultrawides on FX though, and I don’t know if it will be useful for the stuff I shoot now. Time will tell. I got it for a good price and will make sure I test it thoroughly before selling it.

The 55mm micro is the only lens that’s made me money, as I’ve used it to take product pictures to post on the internet.

What’s missing?

I’d like some faster glass, even though the D700 has better high-ISO capabilities than the D200. The dream lens at the moment is a 35mm ƒ/1.4 AIs.

Another stray thought it getting a faster long zoom (like the ubiquitous 70-200/2.8) for portraits, but I’m not sure it would even fit in the bag!

Future stuff

I don’t know if I’m going to do a follow-up to this post after a while. The canonical list of my gear is here. Each lens there is linked to pics taken with it on Flickr.

Sunday, 2013-03-31

March

Wille

Henriksdalskajen

Sjöstadskajen

I got a D700 here.

Viking

March equinox 2013

Sickla udde

Risarp

Monday, 2013-02-25

February

Växt

Hammarby fabriksväg

Sunset

Tuesday, 2013-01-22

January

Hammarby kanal, 1 Jan 2013

Sicklasjön

Danderyds kyrka

Monday, 2012-12-31

December

Esarp

Burau bay

Monkey business

View from the cable car

Friday, 2012-11-23

Does sensor size affect depth of field?

[Excerpted from the FAQ, that’s rapidly becoming obsolete, but I’m saving this info here.]

Theoretically, no, but practically yes.

First, “depth of field” is an approximation. It’s simply the volume adjacent to the plane of focus where the circle of confusion is small enough to appear sharp at some combination of print size and viewing distance. The circle of confusion is in its turn dependent on the imaging area’s makeup and size.

The equations for calculating depth of field use focal length, aperture, and circle of confusion. Imaging surface size has no impact (except on CoC, as mentioned above). Its apparent affect on the DoF is simply due to the fact that different focal lengths are needed for each imaging surface size to maintain the same field of view.

Here’s a practical example. Say you want to shoot a subject from 3 metres away. You have 3 bodies, a crop DSLR (APS-C sensor), a film body (or “full-frame” DSLR), and a 6x6 MF body. The normal lenses for these bodies are 28mm, 45mm, and 80mm respectively.

This table shows the depth of field for two apertures, ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/8:

Depth of field (in metres) at 3m focusing distance
Lens Circle of confusion (mm) ƒ/2.8 ƒ/8
28mm 0.02 (digital sensor)1.34 5.75
45mm 0.033 (135 film) 0.83 2.75
80mm 0.053 (120 film) 0.41 1.21

More information about depth of field can be found in this tutorial at Cambridge in Colour.

Wednesday, 2012-10-31

October

Sicklasjön

Sickla

Ester

Sunday, 2012-09-30

September

Sicklasjön

Sjöstaden

Friday, 2012-08-31

August

Draga - Stockholm

Ulriksdal

Wednesday, 2012-08-08

Panoramas

Click through to embiggenate!

Hammarby sjö, 12 Feb 2012

Downtown Dubai

Vilshärad

Langkawi

Tuesday, 2012-07-31

July

Piren

Reservatet

Vilshärad

Saturday, 2012-06-30

June

Sicklasjön

Vitabergsparken

Ester

Thursday, 2012-05-31

May

Luma torg

Sickla kanal

Monday, 2012-04-30

April

Sjöstaden

Kungsträdgården

Kungsträdgården

Hammarbybacken

Saturday, 2011-12-31

The year that was: 2011

I was going to write some sort of retrospective for the year but didn’t really have the energy. This sort of thing should be prepared throughout the year, otherwise the memory is influenced by the happenings in the near past.

Anyway, I found that looking at the images I have posted to Flickr brought back some memories, here is a view.

This year’s blog posts are here. And if you can stomach it, here are my tweets for the year

Happy new year, everyone!

Wednesday, 2011-11-16

Pillars of Autumn

Pillars of Autumn

Nov 2011

Monday, 2011-10-31

October

Hasseludden

Viking

Sickla

Saturday, 2011-09-17

September 17, 2011

m/s Emelie

GER_4270.jpg

Beckholmen

Wednesday, 2011-08-31

August

Sickla

Basse

Thursday, 2011-07-28

Sonnar, contre-jour

Sonnar contre-jour I

Sonnar contre-jour II

Sonnar contre-jour III

Evening light in Hammarby Sjöstad, shot with a lens from 1971. Sometimes you just want to shoot something pretty.

Thursday, 2011-06-30

June

Hammarby Sjö

Vegueta

Playa de las Canteras

Saturday, 2011-04-30

April

Sibirien

Risarp

Luma torg

Tuesday, 2011-03-22

March

Hot dog

Sunday, 2011-02-20

Sports shooting!

Many people enjoy shooting sports. I am not one of them.

Every year the company I work for has a bandy[1] match during lunch. I can avoid actually exerting myself on the ice by being the designated photographer.

Last year my only long lens was the Nikkor-Q 200mm ƒ/4, a manual focus lens from the late ’70s. I’ve since acquired a Nikkor 70-200mm ƒ/4 AF lens, and thought that now having zoom and autofocus would make my pictures even more awesome[2]

However, it was not to be. Perhaps counterintuitively, I got more shots I liked with the tele prime. This was due to three factors. First, I had a better vantage point (halfway up a set of bleachers). This year, the match was played on the side of the pitch without bleachers. Second, it was colder this year which made concentrating on the game harder. And third, the fact that last year I only had one focal length and manual focus meant I concentrating on the goal areas as they gave a better framing and I could pre-focus.

Goal

This year I was trying to capture both play at the endzones and in the middle distances. Whether it was the cold, or the vantage point, or the fickle light, I felt I got less keepers this year despite “better gear”.

Bandy


[1] it’s never called “Russian hockey” in Sweden

[2] for “even more awesome”, read “slightly less pathetic”

Tuesday, 2011-02-15

Winter light

Saltsjön

Monday, 2011-01-10

Memento mori

Luma Torg

Sunday, 2010-10-31

October

Bolidenvägen

m/s Emelie, Lumabryggan

Thursday, 2010-09-30

September

Towards the glorious future

Tower

Wednesday, 2010-08-25

Nikon lens stats

The Nikon lens information page is a great resource for Nikon nerds. With its help and a serial number you can check to see if the 28mm ƒ/2.8 Ai-S on offer on Ebay really has a 0.2m close focus or if it’s an inferior version, just to offer one example. Another cool feature is the number of lenses made.

A few days ago I was motivated1 to have a look at how many lenses of different types have been made through the ages. I was specifically interested in primes vs. zooms. To this end, I munged the data from the site and scrunched together some data. The entire result it up on Google docs.

Some cool facts:

  • Nikon has made 56 millions F-mount lenses. Of these, 22 million (or 40%) are primes. The rest (34 million) are zooms.
  • The top 3 lenses made are all DX consumer zooms: the 18-55mm II (3.3 million), 18-55mm VR (2.9 million) and 18-70mm (2.3 million). The most prevalent prime is the 50mm ƒ/1.8 Series E (1.7 milion), #4 on the list.
  • Among all lenses made, 35.6 million are AF, the rest are manual focus.
  • In the top 20 list of lenses made, 15 are zooms, 5 are primes (all 50mm).
  • The most prevalent AF “pro” lenses are the 50/1.4D (#27), 35-70/2.8 (#34) and 70-200/2.8 VR (#42)
  • Nikon makes a lot of 35/1.8 DX lenses, 180K so far!

Feel free to have a look at the stats yourself! I’ve put the text source here.


1 read: someone posted something on a forum that made me mad.

Thursday, 2010-08-19

Summer’s over

Risarp

Thursday, 2010-05-27

Grip and glass

I’ve recently acquired two new pieces of kit for my Nikon D200, the MB-D200 battery grip and the Nikkor 35mm ƒ/1.8 AF-S DX lens.

I like the grip, even if it adds significantly to the weight and bulk of the D200. But it lets me shoot verticals easier, and it significantly extends the battery life of the D200 (one of the camera’s weak points!). It also enables the camera to hang flatter against my hip when hanging by its strap.

Drawbacks include the strap getting in the way of the viewfinder, and that it’s hard to hit the exposure lock button from the vertical position.

Shoe

I’ve only had the 35mm for a few days but so far I like it a lot. 35mm on crop is equivalent to a 52mm field-of-view on a film/FX body, and as most of Nikon’s 50mm lenses are really 52mm this gives you the classic slightly-longer-than-normal “50mm” look. The fast max aperture gives you nice thin depth-of-field if that’s your thing — the closer you get to your subject, the better in this case — and it’s pretty small and light, good things in my book.

ParkInn

Niggles include no aperture ring (not gonna see those on new Nikkors in the future, though) and lack of focus scale. On the plus side it’s “real” AF-S (with instant manual override) and it’s damn cheap - barely more expensive than a kit zoom. Nikon should really make kits with this for new cameras, if only to shut the prime purists up.

Pics made with the lens will be showing up under my 35mm ƒ/1.8 AF-S DX tag on Flickr!

Tuesday, 2010-05-04

2 May 2010

Sickla

P <<

Friday, 2010-04-30

April

Ekbacken

H ELLY

Sickla

Monday, 2010-01-11

Don’t worry about bokeh

A fundamental[1] tenet of agile programming is DRY, “don’t repeat yourself”. In online photo punditry, of which this is a lame example, no such maxim exists; in the interests of increased page rank and -views, people all over the place repeat the same tired platitudes that have been common wisdom since at least, oh, 2003.

DSC_7278

I too dreamed of making my infinitesimal mark upon the face of the online world, earning applause from that tight-knit circle of mutual admiration that shall remain nameless (remember, there is no conspiracy). But the days flew by and I did not plonk my ass down to decry the current cult of wide-open, wide-to-normal angle portraiture, which implies a fast lens and also pleasant “bokeh”[2].

The demand arises, if an online whining can be dignified by the term, when you use such a lens to take a portrait, instead of a medium-to-long tele as God intended you to do.

As you’re a lazy kind of guy, you invariably get a ton of background in your shot, which can be distracting. And instead of drawing the obvious conclusion and either changing your lens or Heavens forbid changing your composition, you want — nay demand — your expensive superfast lens to have good bokeh.

Note that good bokeh and a well-corrected lens wide-open seldom mix. This is a fact of optics, of which I know very little, but in my role as pundit this does not matter.

But I don’t have to develop this theme, complete with veiled barbs against the current status quo and implied superiority of my own position, because the estimable Dante Stella already did this long ago. So read what he has written, and repent. You may then send your Nikkor 35mm ƒ/1.4 to me for safe recycling.


[1] or is it? D-mned if I know, I just read blogs.

[2] this is where I should insert a paragraph explaining the origins of the term “bokeh”, its different pronunciations, and offer some pictorial evidence. That is, if I was a pundit as described in the first paragraph. But I won’t, because I assume you, dear reader, know how to use Google.

Wednesday, 2009-12-09

December

Ösby

The good light has been sparse this winter.

Wednesday, 2009-11-25

Dad in November

Jan

Wednesday, 2009-11-18

Fotomässan 2009

This year’s Fotomässan (Photo Fair) was this weekend, and I popped over there, beneath a sky the colour of a gray card, to see the sights.

I went alone, my companion from last year having renounced photography entirely, so I didn’t have anyone to chat with regarding the prints that were exhibited.

Of the exhibits, some stood out. I enjoyed the way-out-there watch photography of Thomas Monka, and a reportage about four women with cancer. There was also some humorous and unusual wedding photography by Mark & Marianne. The portraits by Thron Ullberg were also very good technically, but they drew most of their attraction from their subjects, well-known Swedish artists and filmmakers.

Marcus Bleasdale had a large number of prints from the depths of war-torn Congo. Unfortunately, like so much else warporn photography the people in the pictures were just presented as savages with AK-47s, or as silently suffering objects. I do know that the Congo is in a very bad shape, but these people have names, and histories, and simply presenting these images without them removes some humanity from the subjects.

Fotomässan 2009

There was a lot of gear, of course. I fondled the Leica M9 — too large and smooth to be easily hand-holdable in my hands. The m4/3 brigade was out in force, with Panasonic and Olympus showing their new models. Of the existing cameras, I think I was most intrigued by the Ricoh GR-D III with the external viewfinder, a very well-built and compact package.

All in all, it was fun, but not as compelling as last year when I had more gearlust than money. Now I have some money for gear buying, but I know it won’t make my photos any better.

Monday, 2009-10-05

October

Sjöstadskapellet

Hammarbyhamnen

Wednesday, 2009-09-09

Platform

Sjöstaden

Thursday, 2009-08-20

Fountain

Sjöstadsparterren

Shoot what you know!

Monday, 2009-06-29

Summer night

Sjöstaden

Sunday, 2009-06-14

Ha-Booo

Gullmarsplan

Tuesday, 2009-06-02

Gear list

Luma torg

Currently I own the following glass (Nikon mount unless noted):

  • 1 Nikkor 6.7-13mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 (pics)
  • 1 Nikkor VR 10-30mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 (pics). Second copy, first sold Oct 2014
  • 1 Nikkor VR 30-110mm ƒ/3.8-5.6 (pics). Third copy, first broken Sep 2016, second failed Mar 2017
  • Nikkor 28mm ƒ/2 Ai-S (pics)
  • Nikon 28mm ƒ/2.8 Series E (pics). Second copy, first sold Mar 2013.
  • Nikkor 28mm ƒ/3.5 Ai (pics)
  • Nikkor 28-105mm ƒ/3.5-4.5 AF-D (pics)
  • Nikkor-N 35mm ƒ/1.4 (Ai’d, early 70s) (pics)
  • Nikon 35mm ƒ/2.5 Series E (pics)
  • Cosina-Voigtländer SLIIn Ultron 40mm ƒ/2 (pics)
  • Micro-Nikkor 55mm ƒ/3.5 Auto (ca. 1969, Ai’d) (pics)
  • Nikkor 70-210mm ƒ/4 AF (pics)
  • Nikon 100mm ƒ/2.8 Series E (pics)
  • Nikkor-P 105mm ƒ/2.5 Auto (Ai’d, single-coated “Sonnar” design, from before 1971) (pics)

Bodies: Nikon D700 (2nd copy, replacement for a stolen body), Nikon D200, 2 × Nikon V1, Nikon FG-20, Fujifilm XT-100S.

Speedlights: SB-400, 3 × SB-24.

Stuff I’m looking to offload

Get in contact if you’re interested.

  • Sigma 18-50mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 DC AF (pics)
  • Nikkor 70-210mm ƒ/4-5.6 AF
  • Nikon 75-150mm ƒ/3.5 Series E (pics)

Stuff I’d like to own

  • Cosina-Voigtländer SLⅡn Color-Skopar 28mm ƒ/2.8
  • Nikkor 28mm ƒ/1.8G AF-S
  • Nikkor 28mm ƒ/2.8 Ai-S (with CRC)
  • Micro-Nikkor 55mm ƒ/2.8 AF
  • Nikkor 85/1.4 AF-D
  • Micro-Nikkor 105mm ƒ/2.8 Ai-S
  • Nikkor 135mm ƒ/2 Ai, alt. Samyang/Rokinon/Bowens 135mm ƒ/2
  • Nikon Df
  • Ricoh GR

Grail items

  • Nikkor 28mm ƒ/1.4 AF
  • Angenieux 28-70mm ƒ/2.6
  • 1 Nikkor 70-300mm ƒ/4.5-5.6
  • Nikkor 200mm ƒ/2 Ai-S
  • Nikkor 500mm ƒ/4 Ai-P

Stuff that I’ve owned

Gamla stan

  • 1 Nikkor 10mm ƒ/2.8 (pics). Too costly to repair, recycled Aug 2016
  • Nikkor 18mm ƒ/3.5 Ai-S (pics). Sold Sep 2014
  • Nikkor 24mm ƒ/2.8 AF-D (pics). Sold Jul 2014
  • Nikkor-H 28mm ƒ/3.5 Auto (Ai’d) (pics). Sold Apr 2013
  • Nikkor 28-70mm ƒ/3.5-4.5 (pics). Sold Apr 2014
  • Nikkor 35mm ƒ/1.8 AF-S DX (pics). Sold Jan 2013
  • Nikkor 45mm ƒ/2.8P Ai-S (pics). Stolen Jan 2020
  • Nikkor 50mm ƒ/1.4G AF-S (pics). Sold Sep 2014
  • Nikkor 50mm ƒ/1.8 AF (pics). Sold Sep 2014
  • Nikkor 35-70mm ƒ/2.8 AF-D (pics). Sold Feb 2014
  • Nikon 135mm ƒ/2.8 Series E (pics). Sold Jan 2013
  • Nikkor-Q 200mm ƒ/4 (uncoated version, Ai’d) (pics). Sold Mar 2013
  • Nikon FM2n, black. Sold Mar 2013
  • Nikon F90. Sold Apr 2013

Tuesday, 2009-05-26

Photogeeks FAQ

I’ve started a FAQ for the #photogeeks channel on Freenode. You’re welcome to use the comments to this post to offer suggestions or flame!

Update

Freenode is no more, but #photogeeks lives on on Libera.chat!

Monday, 2009-05-25

Sicklasjön

Sicklasjön

Friday, 2009-05-22

Sigma 18-50mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 DC

Sigma 18-50mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 DC

I recently picked this lens up for about $20 with shipping from the local auction site. I’ve been looking for a replacement for my Nikkor 18-55 kit lens which bit the dust (literally) about 2 years ago and which has been hors-de-combat since then, at least where AF is concerned.

So, I’ve been keeping my eye out for a cheap replacement. This Sigma has a screw-drive lens, not HSM, which probably drove down the price.

Compared to the Nikkor, this one has a lot of advantages, build-wise. Sure, it’s plastic, but it has a metal mount and a focusing scale. The manual focusing ring is also less awful than on the Nikkor.

I haven’t compared them side by side, but I get the feeling that the Sigma is more compact.

Image quality wise I think they’re on par. I notice more CA from the Sigma, but I might be more critical now than when I had the Nikkor.

However much (or little) I paid for the Sigma, it still feels just adequate in handling (just like the Nikkor). Even if I know intellectually that the images from the lens will be indistinguishable from more expensive lenses, the plastic feel and lack of aperture ring put me off. I bought it as a party and travel lens, and though I’ll try to get it out and about and take great images with it, it will never be my primary lens.

Tuesday, 2009-05-05

“I need fast wide primes” - a rant

Part of the fun and frustration of participating in the photographic community online is dealing with gear nerds. Of course, you don’t have to deal with them at all. Most photographers don’t care less about equipment beyond what’s needed to get the image they want. Arguably, this should be the goal of all photographers.

However, gear is fun, and so is discussing it. That’s why I hang out in the gear sections of the forums I frequent, because let’s face it, looking at random pics by strangers is about as fun as getting stabbed in the face with a rusty knife.

Gear unites, however. You don’t have to be a good photographer to discuss gear — on the contrary! To discuss photo gear, you only need an internet connection and copious free time, two things that in combination guarantees your photos will stink. You are in no way obliged to own or even to have handled the gear under discussion. Appeals to authority (dpreview.com, Bjørn Rørslett, K*n R*ckw*ll) are not only common, they’re the basis for all discourse.

A surprising amount of people switch systems (between Nikon and Canon, the other marques are only worthy of scorn in this exalted company) and only then realise that the lens they ABSOLUTELY must have doesn’t exist in their new system, something a quick Google could have told them For switchers from Canon to Nikon, the refrain often goes

I need fast, wide primes

Granted, as a Nikon shooter I’m kinda envious of Canon’s fast 35mm and 24mm lenses. But you know what? I don’t need them, and I can’t afford them. They are throwbacks to an earlier era. If you’re a working Nikon pro, you’re using the “trifecta” (another combo prevalent among people who hang out in forums instead of actually taking pics), the 14-24/2.8, the 24-70/2.8, and the 70-200/2.8.* Primes? Not flexible enough these days.

So, ƒ/2.8 is the new ƒ/1.4, thanks to improved light sensitivity in recent films and digital sensors. That extra speed isn’t really needed. **

OK, so these zooms are big and heavy, but Nikon makes a series of ƒ/2.8 primes (14, 20, 24, 28) and one 35/2. But these are slammed because they lack AF-S focusing, aspherical elements, or other “must haves” that only matter to forum wankers. The fact is, these lenses are perfectly fine stopped down to ƒ/8 when shooting landscapes and the aforementioned extra sensor speed obviates the need for faster apertures in low light.

So, armed with these facts, one can stop the endless cycle of gear wanking, right? Wrong! Arguing about expensive gear online a social experience. If photo gear didn’t exist, these people would be arguing about cars, or fly fishing rods, or operating systems. The best thing is to ignore the wankers and shoot some pictures instead. You’ll find your gear is more than adequate for your photos.


Here’s a recent shot I made using a Nikon D200 and used 24/2.8. Is it any good? Maybe not. Would it be better if I had better gear? Definitely not.

Midskeppsgatan


* all of these lenses are big, heavy and expensive. A surprisingly common theme on forums is that people who own these lenses don’t use them as they’re too bulky. And yes, I know that the 70-200 vignettes on FX cameras and will lead to Nikon’s downfall unless it’s replaced yesterday, godammnit!

** And before someone says “smaller depth-of-field” let me counter with, a) wide lenses have large DoF anyway, and b) using DoF is a crutch used by those who cannot compose.

Wednesday, 2009-04-29

Cherry blossoms 2009

Luma

cherry blossoms

Back shooting digital after a spell with film. I love the instant feedback and the clean colours.

Monday, 2009-03-30

Last days of winter

Sjöstaden

Thursday, 2008-11-13

Photography on the Spain trip

dolphin in Barcelona Zoo

Due to the draconian luggage restrictions of Ryanair, space was at a premium when we flew to Spain for a 10-day holiday. I decided to just take the following photo gear:

  • Nikon D200
  • 24mm ƒ/2.8 AF-D, 45mm ƒ/2.8P pancake
  • charger and cards

This combo worked great. I almost never used the pancake, mostly because it’s angle of view is too restrictive for general photography. The 24 has an angle of view similar to a 35mm on a “full frame” SLR, and I found it worked admirably as a wide normal.

The only issue with the 24 is the barrel distorsion. This can of course be fixed in post with the right software (software I don’t have btw) and is only really noticeable in architectural shots.

I didn’t miss an external flash. The built-in was good enough for when I needed fill.

The kit fit in well in my backback with the ghetto camera insert.

If I’d had more space (and spare cash) I’d probably have bought a D700 with my 35-70/2.8 and the pancake, but just using a prime was rather liberating.

Monday, 2008-10-13

Fall colours

fall colours

I always thought fall was an Americanism, but it turns out it’s older and more “original” than autumn, which is from the French.

Great tag for remembering daylight savings changes: spring forward, fall back.

Friday, 2008-09-26

Notes on the Nikon D200

This camera is old and reviewed to death, so I’ll just limit myself to the observations I’ve made during the last 2 weeks, compared to my previous DSLR, the D40.

The camera is bigger and heavier than the D40, but not horribly so. It’s a bit harder to carry one-handed with curled fingers, and it feels fatter to hold. But this is outweighed (literally) by the feeling of quality and heft from the metal body. Very nice.

(Not so nice: the front rubber grip is starting to come loose, a very common problem on nearly all higher-end Nikons).

The shutter release and sound is much more distinct, and the added weight seems to help in keeping the camera steady.

Controls — oh my! It’s a joy to be able to change ISO, filesize, metering pattern, whitebalance etc with just a button press and some command dial fiddling. Actually, the only things really lacking in the D40 are

  • AF (pretty big)
  • bracketing (nothing I use)
  • depth-of-field preview and mirror lockup
  • two command dials

Otherwise the cameras have much the same feature set. But the D200 is much more convenient to use once to move out of the “auto-everything” comfort zone, just because everything is accessible.

★ Stopp

Autofocus — yum. I’ve discovered that going manual focus for its own sake is just a waste of time. If your lens can AF, use it. I’ve been using the AF-ON button to AF and decoupling AF from the shutter release, it’s working fine so far.

Exposure — in today’s tech-heavy photo world, you tend to miss the really important things, such as the fact that the Matrix exposure in Nikon’s DSLRs is really really good. This said, the D200 is better than the D40. There’s none of the weird overexposure that the D40 used to expose for the shadows. The D200 usually nails the shot.

Flash — the built-in one on the D200 is pretty anemic. Of course this shows mostly in indoor shots when the built-in looks like crap anyway, I haven’t had the opportunity to try fill-flash. But the D40’s flash was better.

Lens compatibility — no contest. The D200 wins hands down. Not only does it autofocus with all AF lenses (not just the latest ones with internal motors), you also get metering with manual focus lenses (AI spec or later). While the D40’s simplified mount means it has an amazing mount compatibility, it won’t meter with any lens that doesn’t have a CPU. Going meterless is fun, sure, but it’s not fun for action shots where the light changes fast.

go

After two weeks with the D200 I’m very happy with it. It’s certainly not as easy to use as the D40, but if you have a modicum of knowledge and patience it’s a fine photographic tool.

Tuesday, 2008-09-16

New D200!

I sold my shares in the mothership, along with the D40, and now I’m the proud owner of a new used Nikon D200!

Obligatory cat test shot:

ester

I’ll have a review of sorts up in a while.

Friday, 2008-05-16

Goin’ pro

conference call

I’ve finally got a pro account on Flickr thanks to the incessant nattering of the #photogeeks crowd. Thanks Rasmus and Jedrek for pushing me over the edge.

Of course, now I have nothing worthwhile to post…

Tuesday, 2008-03-04

New lens: Nikon E-series 135mm ƒ/2.8

I just got hold of my latest Tradera purchase, a Nikon E-series 135mm ƒ/2.8. This lens is in much better condition than the 24mm Nikkor I recently bought, thankfully.

It’s a nice compact lens with a neat little integrated hood. The E-series have been critisised for not being up to the Nikkor standard of build, but compared to today’s plastic fantastics it feels wonderful. The focusing is pretty stiff ompared to the 24, but it’s more like my old Zuiko so I can’t say I’m unused to the feel.

Some test shots are up on Flickr. Pay no attention to the exposure errors, I’m learning. I think this lens has some definite potential for indoor available light shooting if I rack up the ISO, and I’ll be happy to investigate the different perspectives available with this little telephoto.

Oh, in other news, I’ve sold my Sigma 30mm ƒ/1.4 to someone more likely to appreciate it.

DSC_5769

Tuesday, 2008-02-19

D40 metering rumours

Update 2008-02-27: The rumours are true! Here’s the site for the modification. Sounds doable if you are handy with a soldering iron and don’t care squat about your camera’s warranty.

Basically you hardwire a lens chip to you camera and turn it on to fool the camera into thinking you have a chipped lens. Before exposure the chip is activated, and the camera meters.

Original post follows:

There are rumours that someone has found a way to get the Nikon D40 to meter with manual lenses. Here’s the dpreview.com post.

If this turns out to be true, and not too expensive, it will definitely be something for me. I’ve recently purchased a Nikkor 24/2.8 Ai-S to try out on the D40. I don’t know if metering is such a big deal in the long run, but it’s the one thing that’s keeping me eyeing the D200.

Here’s hoping!

Update 2008-02-25: apparently the hack is both hardware and electronic (source, the daily updates on Ken Rockwell’s site, no permalink). I guess that makes it slightly more complicated than just a firmware hack, that I had naively hoped for.

Thursday, 2007-09-20

Photography shopping list

Update Saturday, 2016-08-06: this is now covered in my main gear page.

Update Thursday, 2013-04-25: I stumbled upon this reading old entries…. thought I’d follow up on the list.

  • Nikkor 20/3.5 Ai(-S) - got a 18mm ƒ/3.5 instead. Still interested in this for its more compact size.
  • Nikkor 28/3.5 Ai(-S) - purchased early 2013.
  • Micro-Nikkor 55/3.5 Ai(-S) - got an Ai’d copy, would like a nice Ai-spec lens for the build quality.

Wishlist

  • Nikon D700 - finally, only took me 4.5 years to get it.
  • Nikkor 180/2.8 AF - not sure if this lens is a good fit for my shooting style.
  • Nikkor 135/2 Ai-S - this sounds like an interesting lens but hard to find and expensive.
  • Nikkor 18-70/3.5-4.5 DX AF-S - not gonna buy any DX lenses now.
  • Nikkor 28-80/3.3-5.6 G AF - using the 28-105mm ƒ/3.5-4.5 AF-D for this.

Candidates for selling

  • Nikon 28mm ƒ/2.8 Series E
  • Nikon 135mm ƒ/2.8 Series E
  • Nikkor-Q 200mm ƒ/4

Tuesday, 2007-09-11

Prime time

On Friday I purchased my new used lens, a Sigma 30mm ƒ/1.4 prime.

It’s fun using a lens with such a large maximum aperture: natural light photography is possible without bumping up the ISO.

The Sigma is pretty big and heavy, a change from the featherweight 18-55 kit lens. The petal lens shade nearly doubles the length of the lens when mounted on the camera.

The angle of view for this lens is equivalent to that of a 45mm lens on a 135-format camera. This is a little wider than the “normal” 50mm and I’m not really used to it yet.

This Sigma is the fastest prime that’ll autofocus on the D40. If I’d had a Nikon with a screw-type AF I’d perhaps gone with a 35mm ƒ/2 instead. That’s a smaller lens, but the smallest camera which has that AF is the D80 which is chunkier than my camera. Life is full of trade-offs.

Ken Rockwell has a damning-with-faint-praise review here. Some other reviewers have gotten lenses with misaligned focus. I did some improvised testing and it seems to be OK.

Here’s a pic of Viking with this lens. He looks sad, but he’s actually just thoughtful.

Viking

Tuesday, 2007-06-12

DSLR-less

I turned in the Nikon for repairs today. It could take more than a month before I get it back. I’m seriously considering shelling out for a compact to tide me over.

I could also get the OM-1 out of the locked closet and shoot some film.

Saturday, 2007-06-09

Flash broken

I don’t know how it happened, but sometime during last night’s office party the built-in flash on the D40 stopped working. Right after that, darkness descended, and I couldn’t get evidence of the shocking things happening around me. Better luck next year, when I hope I’ll get the SB400 Nikon promised me when I bought the camera.

Tuesday, 2007-06-05

Nikon D40 lens incompatibilities

The Nikon D40 and D40X will mount a lot of Nikon lenses.

Autofocus is only available with AF-S and AF-I lenses (the ones with internal motors).

Metering is available with AF and Ai-P lenses (“CPU lenses”).

Ai-S and Ai lenses will mount, but won’t meter.

See this page for a good overview of the alphabet soup that is Nikon lenses.

The following lenses will bust your camera and/or lens, according to my D40 manual:

  • TC-16A AF teleconverter
  • non-AI lenses
  • lenses that need the AU-1 focusing unit (400mm ƒ/4.5, 600mm ƒ/5.6, 800mm ƒ/8, 1200mm ƒ/11)
  • fisheye lenses (6mm ƒ/5.6, 7.5mm ƒ/5.6, 8mm ƒ/8, OP 10mm ƒ/5.6)
  • Old-model 21mm ƒ/4
  • K2 rings
  • ED 180-600mm ƒ/8 (serial numbers 174041-174180)
  • ED 360-1200mm ƒ/11 (serial numbers 174031-174127)
  • 200-600mm ƒ/9.5 (serial numbers 120001-300490)
  • lenses for F3AF (80mm ƒ/2.8, 200mm ƒ/3.5, TC-16 teleconverter)
  • PC 28mm ƒ/4 (serial numbers 180900 or lower)
  • PC 35mm ƒ/2.8 (serial numbers 851001-906200)
  • Old-model PC 35mm ƒ/3.5
  • Old-model 1000mm ƒ/6.3 Reflex
  • 1000mm ƒ/11 Reflex (serial numbers 142361-143000)
  • 2000mm ƒ/11 Reflex (serial numbers 200111-200310)

If you want more autofocus functionality, get the Nikon D80. If you want more metering, get the D200.

Sunday, 2007-05-27

A week with the D40

So it’s been a week since I bought my D40 and so far I’m satisfied. I’ve tried photographing as much as possible, taking the camera with me whenever possible. Having a big SLR is pretty unusual, and seems to lable you as a “photographer”. I try to keep it discreet, but I’d like a smaller, faster lens. The light weight of the camera is really appreciated.

(As an aside, people who borrow the camera invariably try to use the rear LCD as a viewer when taking pics. How quickly things change.)

I love the ease of use, the previews on the rear LCD rock, and the auto-ISO feature is really helpful. It’s still a miracle to me to just twiddle a wheel and see the shutter speed and aperture change magically.

The built in flash is great for fill-in lighting, less so for lighting up people in dark rooms.

Unfortunately, the D40 is not compatible with many older Nikkor lenses. I knew this when I bought it, and I still can’t decide whether this is an issue for me. A lot of Nikkor lenses are only available in manual focus, and the focusing screen is optimised for autofocus (i.e., no split level rangefinder or microprisms).

I need another battery pack. I was excited about trying it out in a “real world” situation, a show the kids at Viking’s daycare were putting on, but I just got a few photos in before the camera dies on me. Apparently the power indicator showing a third of a battery left means “change batteries now!”, and not that you have a third of a battery to shoot with.

Of course, a new battery costs about 10% of the camera’s original price. Welcome to the SLR money pit.

I’m considering getting a Sigma 30mm ƒ/1.4 lens, for available light shooting. It’s pretty large, and is reporting to have focus issues (really important with the shallow depth of field) but I still think it’s the next lens for me.

I also need a better strap, and a bag… looking forward to a trip to a camera store, credit card in hand.

I’m researching online photo galleries, and will look into using the Gimp for photo editing.

Sunday, 2007-05-20

My new camera: Nikon D40

(Ironically, there are no pics, because I don’t have anything to photograph it with.)

When we were planning on selling the house, I promised myself that I would get a digital SLR. So I’ve spent happy weeks researching stuff on the web, spending money I didn’t have. When it looked like we weren’t going to get as good as price as we’d hoped, I was doubly depressed, because I had been looking forward to it so much. There’s a lesson there, I think.

Anyway, it turned out as good as we’d hoped, so I felt I could spend up to 10,000 SEK on new stuff. Mmmm, stuff…

In the end, however, I decided on one of the cheapest cameras, the Nikon D40 kit. I paid 5,500 SEK for mine retail, it’s about 500 SEK cheaper online. If I register with Nikon I get a flash for free.

I chose Nikon because even though I have a thing for Olympus, I’m not really sure they’ll survive the brutal competition in the digital camera marketplace. I realise I’m doing my bit in undermining them by not buying their product, but so it goes.

I also don’t have a significant investment in optics, so I might was well start from scratch. Canon and Nikon are more or less equivalent, I chose Nikon because I perceive them as the underdog in the DSLR wars.

The reasons for the D40 were:

  • price. It’s hard to find a cheaper DSLR. If I found out I didn’t enjoy taking photos as much as I’d hoped, I wouldn’t be out of a lot of dough.
  • small size and weight. The Nikon D80 would have been within my budget, but it’s a lot larger and heavier.
  • personal recommendation. My coworker Christopher has a D40 and was very happy with it. I got to try it out before buying.
  • online evangelism. Ken Rockwell is a slightly controversial web presence with a thing for the D40. His user’s guide is a welcome alternative to the manual.

I chose the D40 over the newer 10 mpx D40X because 6 mpx is plenty enough for me.

Pros so far:

  • low weight. This camera is really easy to carry.
  • easy operation. The controls are well laid out and with the help of the guide mentioned above I’ve been able to find and play with different settings.
  • Auto-ISO. This allows the camera to set the ISO automatically, which gives you another axis to play with when the light levels are low.

Cons:

  • lack of autofocus with older Nikon lenses. This means that I cannot use older prime lenses like a 50mm or 35mm with autofocus.
  • even if the camera is small and lightweight it’s still pretty bulky! The included zoom is partly to blame. This said, I wouldn’t miss a battery back or similar to extend my gripping options.

I’m using a 1GB SD card which was only about 150 SEK. The store didn’t have any clear UV filters, so I had to drive around town looking for one yesterday.

The included strap could be better. I’m looking for an alternative, perhaps something I can wrap around my wrist so the camera can be held in my right hand.

I’d also like a good bag, but preferably one whose styling didn’t scream “camera bag”.

I need to research alternatives when it comes to manipulating and storing pics online. I have a Flickr account but I also have my own box. I’d like simple software that will allow me to upload the pics and produce smaller versions and thumbnails automatically.

Test pics (reduced size) are up on Flickr now.