The Phobbyist: Melbourne Street Photography: June 2013

Sunday, 30 June 2013

Voigtlander 50mm f1.1 Nokton Test Shots

I have finally entered the world of super fast 50s with The Poor Man's Noctilux: Voigtlander 50mm f1.1 Nokton. First impression: HUGE, its bigger than any 50mm lens I have ever used, include Canon and Nikon's 50mm f1.4. That said, I was pleasantly surprised when I lift the camera to my eye and found it did NOT block a quarter of my M9 viewfinder. It is a heavy lens, it may not feel as dens as a Leica 50mm f1.4 Summilux, but it is non the less hefty. Which is only natural when you take the lens cap off and discover the huge chunk of glass that makes up the front element.

I put on a 58mm ND8 filter immediately and shot some photos in the afternoon sun and later at a near pitch black resturant, the dinner plan somehow worked out to be perfect for testing this lens. All shots were taken wide open at f1.1 (thats what I bought it for right?). The first thing I noticed when I saw the photos on my computer was how sharp it was wide open, I was expecting Nikon and Canon 50mm f1.4 kind of performance wide open, but the Nokton is head and shoulders above these two, actually more like full body length above them. Then I noticed the purple neon light, oh wait that is the chromatic aberration. This lens does not hold back when it comes to giving you purple fringe, however that was expected with lens of this "speed", even Leica's f0.95 monster can not avoid it, the chromatic aberrations can be fixed in Adobe lightroom with a few clicks, and is not something to be overly concerned, its just a price you have to pay.

I was amazed at how much light this lens can take in, mind you that 2 shots in the resturant (#4 and 6) were only lit with candle light, and were shot at ISO1600 at f1.1 on the M9. I will follow this up with a review after in a few month.

Monday, 24 June 2013

2013 European Trip - Part 1: Rome

I have just finished my 2013 European trip, visiting 5 cities, with 1 camera (and 1 fixed lens). First stop was Rome, first word came to my mind when I stepped off the airport bus was "history", this place is steeped in history, for every corner I turned, there was a historical building or monument in the horizon.

I lived in Hotel Grand Olympic, which was 5 minutes walk from Vatican city. Vatican city itself is actually smaller than I had imagined, but more than make up for it for the amount of detail and attention in the architecture and decoration gone into its buildings and interiors. The place is also great for photography, no matter if you are an architecture shooter, or a documentary/street shooter, there is loads of photo opportunities, there is just so much going on in the square it self (excuse me for coming from a quiet city like Melbourne where there is not so many people). The interior inside the St Peter's Basilica is worth every single pixel/film you spend shooting it, from the ceiling art, statues on the wall, light coming from color windows, etc. The cupola on top of the basilica is definitely worth going up to, where you get a panoramic view of the Vatican and surroundings, although it is a little bit of a climb.

Other touristy attractions worth going is the Colosseum, the Roman forum (next to the Colosseum), they are one of the oldest structures remaining standing in Rome, and are true showcases of what ancient civilizations were already capable of building when technology was rudimentary.

One place worth special mention is palace of Barberini, aside from all the famous paintings exhibited in the gallery, the ceiling painted by Pietro da Cortona is worth the admission alone. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed, and for a good reason too, most of the art work are better seen with your own eyes.

Taking street photos in Rome is fairly relaxed, people generally do not care, I was never told off once. The ever present historical buildings and monuments provide great back drop to your subject, and the subjects tend to be well dressed. It was a fun experience, a lot of walking, but one will never feel tired, as there are literally pleasant surprise on every street corner.