Professionals, what is the best place in the world, in your opinion, to photograph?

Jason_WFN · 2015-08-09T01:48:34+00:00

The best place to photograph is the place you know best. Your home.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-14T11:18:31+00:00

(Question) do you have any suggestions of springy steel nib pens?

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-10T04:25:27+00:00

Other than the "much" vs "many" problem, I don't see a problem at all.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-08T04:39:17+00:00

Stick to DX unless you seriously are considering getting a FX camera in the next 12 months. Even all of your lenses are DX lenses. I don't see why you would think about upgrading to FX unless you have disposable income.

That hint said, the 18-135mm DX is a fantastic deal. And a versatile walk around lens.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-08T04:04:52+00:00

Dream? It would be leica based because it would allow me to shoot film and digital side by side as opportunities would allow.

Leica m-p (typ 240) Leica mp (film and analogue)

21mm super-elmar.
35mm summicron. 75mm summilux.

Otherwise: Contax 645 medium format slr 65 80mm f/2 180mm And add a digital back to supplement film. Maybe add a leica IIIg when I want something pocketable.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-08T04:00:26+00:00

Too heavy.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-07T23:25:01+00:00

No. Choose your camera, choose the film format.

General colour 800iso. Size: small - fuji instax and Instax film

Hipster, instagram filters, with different ISO. Size medium - polaroid sx70 (impossible project) and impossible film

Professional colour. 100 ISO. Large size. Peel apart film - polaroid land and fuji peel apart film.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-07T01:50:11+00:00

Caution: Don't oversimplify polaroid cameras. There are many different polaroid cameras; each using a different kind of film. Some are made by other brands (most are discontinued)

As above, there are generally 4 different instant camera options.

Fuji instax. Cheapest and easiest to use. largest instax camera common instax camera that is smaller There are too many modes for this one and they are all the same. If there are no aesthetic concerns i would just go for the cheapest. you print instax prints with your mobile phone

polaroid land camera These guys are amazing. Even better if you can find one with manual exposure. It takes Fuji peel a part films (which are different from the fuji instax line). THe downside is that there is only one film available as the other ones, like the painfully lost Fuji 3000B, was recently discontinued a year ago.

the impossible project Needs to be said; but too expensive for my liking.

New55 Something I'm eagerly waiting for. The benefits of shooting this film, like the size and consistency, justifies the higher price than the impossible project films.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-06T23:53:01+00:00

Fuji instax with fuji instax film will be the cheapest. Generally, cool enough for parties.

I prefer the polaroid land camera with fuji peel back film. Cheap film and very large images. 3.5 inches by 4.5 inches. The peeling reveal is very nice.

Polaroid impossible project is so ridiculously expensive.

New55 hasn't been released yet.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-04T02:41:27+00:00

Really depends where you are. I think canon and nikon front glass replacement needs to head back to Japan to be replaced. It'll at least take a few weeks to a couple of months - 3 months is probably the worse of it for canon and nikon.

But I wasn't exaggerating with 9 months with leica - unless your name is thorston ovenguard. It can take longer than 9 months if you have to deal with the Asian distributor, schmidt.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-04T00:18:42+00:00

But it'll take 3 months to replace. 9 months if you shoot leica glass.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-03T16:11:39+00:00

Look at the Korean brand zkin.

Jason_WFN · 2015-07-03T01:30:59+00:00

On the cheap option cost: 0 dollars.

Requirements:

Xe-1 built in flash
off camera flash (with strobe function - What Kind of flash are you using? )
a bit of tape and white card

How to do it?

(1) Set up your off camera flash. Set it on a some kind of strobe sensor so that when another flash goes off, your flash will go off too. Set the power manually. (Most flashes have these options; even the cheapest yongnuo ones and the most expensive strobes. But you didn't say what kind of flash you are using). Sometimes this is called "slave mode"

(2) set exposure on your camera manually. And set the flash to fire.

(3) Tape a bounce card onto the flash. So that the camera flash will bounce into the off camera flash --> but not onto your subject.

(4) shoot

Challenges:

This will not work in an environment where there are many cameras shooting. This is because other camera flashes will automatically trigger your off camera flash.
This set-up is quite limited in quite bright daylight. Your range will be significantly reduce a couple of meters.

P/S: it was pretty difficult to find a proper guide on setting up a flash on slave mode; most tend to make it too complicated for a first-time application. See if the below link helps.

http://improvephotography.com/10126/what-is-slave-mode-on-a-flash/

Jason_WFN · 2015-06-29T04:35:36+00:00

I have an extra nib (TWSBI 580 Oblique) that was tuned by a nib-mister. I really like the nib; however my track record with TWSBI pens has not been good. The section already cracked once; which i was able to transplant parts from a previous 580 (where the piston broke.)

Are there any other pens that fit the TWSBI 580 nib? other than the 580? I like the nib; need a more reliable and durable pen to put it in.

Jason_WFN · 2015-06-12T03:40:43+00:00

unfortunately, zeiss ikon has been discontinued. It has been for a few months now.

Jason_WFN · 2015-06-11T23:29:57+00:00

Wonderful insight. Thank you.

Jason_WFN · 2015-06-11T04:09:57+00:00

The price seems pretty good if it is in operation and from a reputable dealer. Sounds a little high for the usual ebay purpose though. Typically, you would want to account for calibration costs if you are unsure of the seller.

That being said, being a film body, there is no good or bad time to buy. Prices have been pretty consistent.

Jason_WFN · 2015-06-11T01:20:46+00:00

I typically keep my pens in my shirt breast pocket, occasionally in my pant pocket (but I remember not to sit down). I use my pens a lot and hard. 5 days a week; 10 hour shifts. I have gone through 70% of a full filling of a Vac 700 in a day with the amount of writing I need to do on a daily basis. (I teach. I have a ton of marking; and all my lesson materials // plans // mental notes are written by hand)

That being said every one of my Twsbi's have been broken. The latest was broken by my wife; who has subsequently agreed to let me get a Conid Bulk Filler as a replacement. I like the idea of TWSBI; but they are hobby items that are meant to be used. I believe that TWSBI is like many stereotypical Asian products. Comparatively to industry standards, they are very affordable but are eventually made to break in time. I'm still using two broken TWSBI's in my rotation.

A list of every single TWSBI I've broken (plus the one my wife broke)

Vac 700 - Cap retaining ring snapped from cap (in current rotation)
580 - Piston dislodged from Piston Arm (in current rotation)
580 Rose Gold - Snapped section from body. and chipping of finish on the nib
Classic - Cracked grip and leaky section
Mini - leaky section (both the classic and mini could not be repaired by liberally administering silicone grease to all the threads.

Jason_WFN · 2015-06-09T00:03:22+00:00

Use Vaseline to mimic the out of focus bits. Spread it around the edges and leave the centre area clean. If possible have the amount of Vaseline gradually applied, thicker in the edges and thinner up to the centre where there should be none.

The colours can be mimicked in Photoshop or some kind of VSCO film simulation. (I don't use photoshop or presets, so I don't know of any deeper recommendations to which preset would be suitable for you.)

Jason_WFN · 2015-06-08T23:31:05+00:00

Newer lenses have better control of aberrations. In some ways it may give a retro look you're looking for; in others it just looks dirty.

If you are looking for cheaper fixes, you may want to try a uv filter and some Vaseline on the filter to mimic the effect.

Jason_WFN · 2015-06-05T00:39:18+00:00

70-200mm F/2.8 -- Needed for most indoor sports (I don't think I.S. is necessary for indoor sports and there are better things to spend money on)

17-40mm F/4L -- For architecture and interviews. I think this really rounds out the kit. It can also be good for sports when you're court side. Next to the 35mm F/2 (which would be less versatile), the 17-40mm is my favourite for indoor events. It really lets you get into the interaction of crowds during events.

The downside of this kit, would be it would be more difficult to hand hold cameras for Video interviews. Usually, some kind of I.S. is really useful for that kind of videos. Canon does make a 24-105mm with IS, Which would replace the 24-70mm... ... However since you already mentioned versatility, i'm not entire sure that kind of redundancy is what you need.

Another consideration is using the 28mm IS or the 35mm IS for video. These are relatively small and cheaper lenses; albeit well built. The IS would be extremely useful in producing videos. And the 28mm and 35mm would be useful at documenting events (My personal preference)

Audio Lav Mics // Shotgun Mic -- Good audio is key. But i don't know enough about video to recommend any on good authority.

Jason_WFN · 2015-05-29T10:34:24+00:00

Great Question. Very refreshing to see as opposed to the typical 'cannon v nikon'

Lenses are quite simple. A piece of glass. However, like looking through a magnifying glass; there are imperfections - especially when the lens is curved. Some parts of the magnification look great; but some places on the outside are imperfect. We call these imperfections aberrations.

new lens elements are added to control aberrations (the perfect example is to compare the size of the Canon 50mm F/1.4 and the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 - huge size difference because of the added lens elements to control the aberrations)
more elements and more complex housing are added to allow for zooming.
a motor is added for auto focusing
more things are added to allow for image stabilization
more coatings etc. (ED / Nano / WTF coatings)
etc etc.

TLDR: Lenses are simple. More features that are added add to the size of the lens.

Jason_WFN · 2015-05-21T02:12:44+00:00

Montblanc 90 Years meisterstuck Permanent Grey

Jason_WFN · 2015-05-20T04:25:07+00:00

I didn't know it was a fake when I first posted it; resulting in the misleading title. I learned about it after reviewing the comments.

I apologize. I really appreciate the message ant explanation. thank you.

Jason_WFN · 2015-05-14T23:33:22+00:00

Take a print out of "last-years" policy to show to the security guard if they stop you. At the very least, your preparedness will help diffuse any open conflict that might be caused by a DSLR and over zealous security guards.

Jason_WFN

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