New Project Folders

I still have the collection of Minolta manual focus lenses I started back in 2023. One lens, the most recent acquisition, is a 200mm f/4 MD lens from 1978. This is newer than the other MC lenses which date back to the late 1960s or 1970. The only other MD lens from this newer type is a 50mm f/1.7.

The last couple of times I've tested out the 200mm lens I was disappointed and put it back in the storage bag. I decided to give it another try today and walked around with it on the R6 Mark II and I liked the results more than I expected. 

I'm going to try to use both the 200mm and 50mm lenses when I get the chance and will gather worthy images in a folder with a gallery for each lens.

Here are some from today. The camera's stabilization system is not as effective with longer lenses so shutter speeds need to be faster than with my Canon RF lenses.

Minolta 200mm f/4, f/4, 1/3000 sec., ISO 100

Minolta 200mm f/4, f/4, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

Minolta 200mm f/4, f/4, 1/125 sec., ISO 200

Minolta 200mm f/4, f/4, 1/500 sec., ISO 200

Minolta 200mm f/4, f/5.6, 1/1500 sec., ISO 200

Minolta 200mm f/4, f/4, 1/1500 sec., ISO 200

A Poor Lens Decision

For a trip to Oswego Harbor and its West Pierhead Lighthouse on Lake Ontario, I only brought the 50mm lens. It turned out there was much greater distance between the lighthouse and anything I could put in the foreground than I was anticipating. And for opportunities at the lighthouse itself, which can only be reached by boat, the 50mm lens was not wide enough. 

Here are some images from Oswego Harbor and the Central New York Regional Market in Syracuse.

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/2.8, 1/6000 sec., ISO 200, CPL

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/8, 1/500 sec., ISO 200, CPL

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/11, 1/500 sec., ISO 400, CPL

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/8, 1/500 sec., ISO 200, CPL

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/2, 1/750 sec., ISO 200

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/2.8, 1/250 sec., ISO 200

Fast Aperture, Good Light

I mentioned yesterday that I used a three stop neutral density filter in order to be able to use my 50mm f/1.4L VCM lens at f/1.4. The photo below is my favorite from that shooting.

A neutral density filter is tinted glass that reduces the light reaching the camera. This is needed in good light to shoot at the widest apertures because of limits on a camera's shutter speed. My camera has a 1/8000th of a second fastest shutter speed. Many excellent cameras only have shutters half as fast.

Fast is a confusing word when it comes to exposure. With shutter speeds it means shorter exposures and less light. With apertures it means wider openings and more light.

An f-stop of 1, or f/1, means the diameter opening of the aperture equals the focal length of the lens. A 50mm lens at f/1 would have an aperture opening of 50mm. The f-stop progression in full stops is 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4 , 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, etc. Each stop lets in half as much light as the one before.

Back to the need for the ND filter, without the filter the exposure for the photo below would have been 1/12000th of a second, which is beyond the capabilities of my camera's mechanical shutter, so it would be over exposed. [Electronic shutter mode is another matter but my camera only offers faster shutter speeds in manual or shutter priority modes, not aperture priority which is how I shoot.]

Why the fast aperture of f/1.4? The aperture determines the depth of the area in focus, the degree of "blurriness" in the out of focus areas, and the quality of "blur" in the out of focus areas. A wide open aperture is completely round with no aperture blades narrowing the opening so the "blur" or "bokeh" is at it's best. 

The quality of bokeh in each lens will be different but the quality of bokeh in each lens will generally be best at its widest aperture. If I had the RF 50mm f/1.2 lens I would want to use f/1.2 for these purposes. 

If you click on the photo, then click on it again, blogger will, for some reason, blow it up beyond 100%. 

RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM, f/1.4, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100
3 stop ND filter

Battles of Saratoga Events II

Here are some shots from today at Saratoga National Historical Park. I've put a link to the gallery of photos from this year's events in the list of ongoing projects in the sidebar.

I wanted to be able to shoot at f/1.4 today in the bright sun so I used a three stop neutral density filter.

RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM, f/1.4, 1/1000 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM, f/1.4, 1/1000 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM, f/1.4, 1/2000 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM, f/1.4, 1/4000 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM, f/1.4, 1/3000 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM, f/1.4, 1/2000 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L VCM, f/1.4, 1/3000 sec., ISO 100

Battles of Saratoga Events

It's that time of year and both this weekend and the weekend of October 10-11, are filled with activities at Saratoga National Historical Park. You can view a gallery of this year's events here.

Here are some images from some of today's activities. 

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 77mm, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 50mm, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 85mm, f/5.6, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 58mm, f/5.6, 1/1500 sec., ISO 200

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 29mm, f/5.6, 1/750 sec., ISO 100

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 50mm, f/5.6, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

Robinson State Park in Massachusetts

I walked around Robinson State Park in Agawam, Massachusetts this morning. There are parts of the park I have yet to hike but I stuck with around a four mile round trip I'm familiar with.

This region, down almost to the Connecticut border is not in a drought area and I could see from some of the stream beds entering the Westfield River that there had been some heavy rains in the not too distant past.

I don't have a Robinson State Park or Massachusetts gallery on the website so any shots from here have to fit into a project or be interesting enough to be put into one of the miscellaneous galleries. The only shot from today that fit anywhere is some Poison Ivy in the Details project gallery.

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 65mm, f/8, 1/90 sec., ISO 1600

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/8, 1/180 sec., ISO 200

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 24mm, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 800

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 30mm, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 200

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 33mm, f/8, 1/125 sec., ISO 200

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 79mm, f/4, 1/45 sec., ISO 200

Great Day for Color

It's all in how long you wait, I suppose. Yesterday and the day before, which was the subject of Great Morning for Black and White were actually very similar days. Both started out with fog then were filled with sun, with very sparse clouds. 

Yesterday, I stayed mostly above the fog, driving to Saratoga National Historical Park right from the sunrise at lock E5. Although the immediate Hudson River area was fogged in, that wasn't where I was shooting. The ribbon of fog in the distance in the scene from the visitor center is over the river.

Here are some scenes from those two locations.

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 105mm, f/4, 1/45 sec., ISO 1600

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 50mm, f/4, 1/15 sec., ISO 800

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 40mm, f/22, 1/90 sec., ISO 200

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 58mm, f/8, 1/250 sec., ISO 200

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 70mm, f/11, 1/180 sec., ISO 200

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 80mm, f/8, 1/15 sec., ISO 800

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 42mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec., ISO 100

RF 24-105mm f/4L at 105mm, f/5.6, 1/90 sec., ISO 400

Great Morning for Black and White

A little bit of morning fog usually constitutes great conditions for black and white images. This morning was no exception. I wasn't planning to head out that early but when I saw the fog I reconsidered and walked over to Waterford.

Images were added to both the Touch of Human and B&W Peebles Island galleries.

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/5.6, 1/125 sec., ISO 200

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/5.6, 1/125 sec., ISO 200

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/5.6, 1/60 sec., ISO 200

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/5.6, 1/90 sec., ISO 200

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/8, 1/350 sec., ISO 200

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/8, 1/750 sec., ISO 200

Back to the Park

I got in a nice long hike at Saratoga National Historical Park this morning with yet another dry and sunny day. The park is located right on the border between "abnormally dry" and "moderate drought" designations.

This means the trails, which can be annoyingly muddy, are nice and firm. It also means that the streams which run through the battlefield area are dry. There also is no rain in the forecast for the next week.

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/11, 1/125 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/11, 1/250 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/2.8, 1/2000 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/2.8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 100

RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/2.8, 1/3000 sec., ISO 100

Mill Creek, Middle Branch
RF 50mm f/1.4L, f/11, 1/90 sec., ISO 800