Photo by Bo Bozeman
Here are a couple of photos from last Sunday. This family is awesome, from the grandparents to the kids. Thankfully they helped hold my softbox and reflector to keep them from flying down the windy beach. Taken with the Canon 60D and the Canon 50mm 1.4.
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Some photos I took at work today with the Canon 60D and the Canon 28mm 1.8.
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The Lensbaby Composer Pro is a welcomed upgrade from the Lensbaby Muse. Not that there is anything wrong with the Muse but you get much more control with the Composer Pro. The build quality of the metal design feels solid. It moves smoothly and is easy to lock in place.
The Sweet 35 has 12 aperture blades and an aperture ring on the optic so it’s just a few clicks from f2.5 to f22. This works much better than the manual drop in aperture rings on other Lensbaby optics. I would love to see more optics in their line that used this design. I also purcahsed their new Macro Converter set that comes with one 8mm converter and one 16mm converter that can be stacked to 24mm’s.
I haven’t had this lens long but the short amount of time that I have used it has been a blast. I am looking forward to getting familiar with this lens. I know it's easy to get tilt shift or selective focus effects in Photoshop but isn’t it more fun to be shooting rather than editing.
See more of their interchangeable optics and sample galleries at lensbaby.com.
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I was going through an old camera bag tonight when I came across seven rolls of Kodak 400 and Max 400 film. I could not help to think about Kodak’s troubles. I have not used 35 mm film in years but there is a resurgence of film shooters happening now. Kodak also supplies the full frame sensor that powers the Leica M9 which is one of the most coveted cameras on the planet. I wonder who will make the sensor for next upgrade in Leica's line up.
You can read more about Kodak’s troubles at dpreview.com.
Steve Huff has the press release on his site stevehuffphoto.com.
Scott Bourne's thoughts on photofocus.com.
A friend asked me why do you take so many photos of dogs. I thought well they are always around, everywhere I go I am a few feet away from a dog. They are easy targets that may not do exactly what you want but they never complain. So I decided to embrace it, plus how else am I going to land a lucrative photography gig with Dog Fancy. There is no denying the special relationship between dogs and humans that makes them more than dogs.
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Billingham has been hand making canvas fishing bags in England since 1973. In 1978 they transitioned to making camera bags after Mr. Billingham, a photographer himself, learned that photographers were using his fishing bags in New York.
I have been using the Billingham Hadley Pro for a little while now as my day bag and I am really pleased with it. I was looking for a bag that could carry a small camera setup along with an iPad. I wanted something slim and without noisy velcro. There are plenty of bags out there with velcro silencers but I prefer the adjustable leather quick release straps on the Hadley Pro. Like most bags it has dividers that can be adjusted to suit your gear. The insert can be removed and now you have a messenger bag.
The Hadley Pro is a premium bag that is not cheap and no it will not improve your photography but there’s no doubt that it is a quality camera bag that will last for years. Billingham
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In 1998 I purchased a Fuji MX 700 camera that was 1.5 MP with a max resolution of 1280 by 1024. It was a strangely shaped little camera that I adored. It was so small compared to my film camera and I carried it every where. Here we are thirteen years later and I recently acquired a Fuji X100.
There was a lot of hype about the X100 and some mixed reviews. This camera is beautifully designed with it's retro rangefinder look which is very Leica like. However the X100 is not a rangefinder and as far as how Leica like it performs I unfortunately can not say having never used a Leica.
I was hesitant about purchasing this camera after reading about sluggish AF (in low light), short battery life, long write times and general performance problems. I also saw many positive reviews and kept seeing stunning images that the X100 could produce. Plus the hybrid view finder really seemed intriguing and I liked the idea of an APS-C size CMOS Sensor in such a small package. After watching firmware updates being released I decided to give it a try. When I purchased it I made sure to get a fast sd card and an extra battery.
So far I am loving this little camera. I have not experienced many of the problems mentioned in early reviews but some do remain. The AF can be sluggish in low light and manual focusing is really slow but it's not a deal breaker. I like the fixed focal length of the 23mm (35mm equivalent) f2 lens and for me this a great compact camera to carry when you don't want to carry a complete kit.
Would I recommend the X100? Yes I would as long as you are ok with a fix focal length and are not looking for the quickest AF on the market. The hybrid view finder is truly innovative and the image quality is fantastic. It has it's issues but I have yet to use the perfect camera. I can't deny the fact that I am having a lot of fun with the X100.
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Here is a photo of my Olympus Pen EPL2 sporting an new camera strap I recently purchased from Gordy’s Camera Straps. I like to have a longer strap and luckily Gordy’s will make them to custom lengths. They have a variety of well made leather wrist and neck straps that are reasonably priced. I love this camera strap and now I have to order a couple more.
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I failed to pre order the Olympus 45mm 1.8 prime and at the time of writing this it is still back ordered at most outlets. Reading photographer Steve Huff’s site I saw a post that he had an extra one for sale. Talk about luck. I am really enjoying this great prime lens, thanks Steve. Check out his review of this lens and much more at stevehuffphoto.com.
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