Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jan 4, 2013 16:36:14 GMT -5
Well, the Olympus PM-1, black metal body version, has arrived from Ebay, very impressive features, most of which I expect will never be used! No native standard lens as yet, and I am still awaiting the arrival from China, and Hong Kong, of a small selection of Micro 4/3 adaptors to add to the camera system. Saving for the 14mm Zoom standard lens as general purpose lens. I have ordered a remote release unit, vital for experiments with lenses. Also a set of extension tubes in Micro 4/3 fit.
I have ordered Micro 4/3 adaptors in M42, Leica and Exakta, and will be ordering Alpa fit as well.
The lens "oddities" will have a universal home made backing unit made with adjustable centre, for Robot, Argus, Univex, and Paxette, and the adaptor to fit the Exakta can be used with BPM bellows to handle test shots with plate camera lens and other long focal length lenses. It can also handle the standard lens from a Mamiya Press I have, which should make a useful fast telephoto lens, and has, of course, a built in shutter unit.
Not very interested in using C mount, as they vignette so much, although I may try a Kern Switar 25 mm I have on a 16mm camera, as it is so sharp.
I realised a very good item to use for the bayonet on the body is to buy cheap body caps, and machine them to take tubes or mounts for odd lens, the issue of wear and tear does not really apply for occasional shots. They only cost a couple of quid each. For metal mounts the cheapest extension tubes are available, and can be converted to mounts.
Not to sure about the flash to use, it says it can handle any modern flash unit, I have a Vivitar pro which dates from the late 1970's but is modern specification, and may get a ring flash unit to do close up work.
The existing Mecablitz ring flash is older, and may have too high a trigger voltage, but I suspect a remote trigger fired by the micro flash that comes with the camera would be the safest approach. None of this would be TTL, bar the micro flash with it, and that could be partially blocked to just trigger the other unit, taking no part in the actual exposure.
An area to experiment with is the bulb exposures, I have never had a Digital with proper bulb times, has anybody any experience with night shots etc., on these digital SLR's?
Stephen.
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lloydy
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Post by lloydy on Jan 4, 2013 19:55:52 GMT -5
I've done a few successful long time night shots with the Pentax K10 and the NEX5 with good results, probably better than my film attempts as there is the luxury of chimping as you take the the shots, and processing afterwards. I suppose its a different approach to getting the final image because I view the shot, then adjust and reshoot until I get what I want. But that's the luxury of digital. The high ISO's that modern digital cameras attain are astonishing, and that again opens up whole new aspects to the shot we desire, we can shoot from ISO 100 to ISOwhatever without changing film. Long exposure night photography becomes a pleasure.
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Jan 6, 2013 13:44:57 GMT -5
Stephen, "An area to experiment with is the bulb exposures, I have never had a Digital with proper bulb times, has anybody any experience with night shots etc., on these digital SLR's? Stephen." I never concern myself with bulb or time exposures with digital cameras. I brace the camera. If in a car I turn off the motor. I then let the camera decide the best exposure. Except for extremely bright light sources there is rarely any highlight washout. Photobucket brings out amazing detail in the dark areas. This is one aspect of photography where I don't object to the camera taking control. If the picture that I see on the LCD screen is not to my liking I can then make what I think are the necessary adjustments. It is hard to judge what is on that tiny screen so I rarely change anything. Mickey
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jan 6, 2013 16:54:44 GMT -5
I had plenty of experience with film and long exposures, mainly using a Mamiya Press and my OM1 camera, but most of the digital Compacts and Bridge style cameras barely acknowledged using longer times, only one of the Fuji's gave B settings or longer auto exposure control. I do use multiple flash exposure for large building interiors, and this require bulb during which the flash is moved around to exposure the scene bit by bit. Useful for Church interiors as people can be eliminated if they are not illuminated by the flash! I have ordered a remote cable release, at least this is built in, again, missing from most compact digital cameras.
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jan 6, 2013 17:12:26 GMT -5
One area I am a bit disappointed in is the standard of the converters to micro 4/3, they are very well made, all metal in most cases, but are not made to the correct film flange distances.
It seems that makers are deliberately making them to focus farther than infinity, to cover themselves against not reaching infinity focus. The first adapters I examined are all short, too thin, by about .25mm or more, a very considerable mistake in optical precision gear.
It is quite easy to cure, packing washers under the flange screws where used etc., but the Leica, a simple screw mount, is difficult to add the .25mm to to get the correct scale focus marks to work, and reach infinity.
Expensive ones are no better, I checked a friends and it was .09mm too thin.
Leica worked to near zero tolerances on the film to flange distance at 28.80 +/- zero, and even the Russians worked to this, so why do the Chinese work to such slack standards?.
It explains a lot of slightly soft shots I have seen from other Micro 4/3 cameras with third party adapters, using only the screen to set things is simply not good enough, at the very least a scale set to infinity should be accurate to rely on.
I deeply suspect the real issue is that the cameras themselves are not made to traditional precision engineering standards anyway, they may be allowing for slack assembly standards from the camera makers, as to the exact plane the Sensor is set to. Call me suspicious, but the makers are very coy about revealing the sensor to flange distance for the Micro 4/3 system, it has been published only by third parties measuring it, The makers will not reveal it, or the tolerances used......makes you think?
In the longer term I think I'll get one of the ELV units for the Olympus, it will help, but also re-machine the adapters to exact distances. It is no good putting a Leica lens on a camera body and finding the distance scale markings are next to useless.......
Stephen.
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Jan 7, 2013 10:20:30 GMT -5
I think, if the motion blur effect of a long time exposure is not wanted in particular, bulb exposures are more or less a relict from the past on digital cameras I bought a Casio Exilim ZR 200 ( not even the newest model ) recently. Night shots, handheld, no picture noise, no motion blur and even some absolutely natural looking HDR if wanted. The trick ... multiple exposures ... and the results are very impressive. But if I really need the quantum quality more, there is still film around. I have to live with the motion blur then, but well ...
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jan 7, 2013 14:23:50 GMT -5
Several previous digital cameras would take night scenes, at several seconds exposure, and correctly exposed, but I wanted "bulb" times above 10 secs, even several minutes for multiple flash exposure etc, and long time effect night scenes, including deliberate motion blur. The Pen PM-1 can do this easily, they do not quote a maximum time, I guess the limit is the noise from the sensor becoming too noticeable, or pixel hot spotting showing in the image.
Stephen.
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lloydy
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Post by lloydy on Jan 7, 2013 18:09:20 GMT -5
My NEX 5 and Pentax K10, which share the same basic sensor, only go to 30 sec', I think this is to prevent damage from pixel burnout, as you say.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jan 8, 2013 11:26:53 GMT -5
I got the Exakta to Micro 4/3 adapter through in the post, it is again a fraction over infinity, but it would only cause a problem fully open, DOF covers it, but it throws near focus scale markings by about 1/8 inch, and because it makes the 50mm equivalent to 100mm it makes close up focus critical and you have to magnifying the screen to be sure.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jan 8, 2013 14:14:39 GMT -5
Quick test before the sun went down, to check focus, with Meyer Trioplan F2.8 50mm lens at F5.6, set to just short of infinity, at marked infinity the details in the distance are softer. The lens has just been cleaned etc., and tests to infinity on ground glass. I will re-shim the adaptor flange, after cross checking with other Exakta lenses. The second shot is taken with the Univex Tricor 38mm F3.5 lens on a temporary mount, just to test the lens. Stephen
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jan 8, 2013 20:45:11 GMT -5
Both the lenses in the quick street test are pretty good contrast, they were lower contrast on film, and of course can be boosted in the Gimp etc.
I have set up the Ihagee Exakta bellows with a target for taking shots of older transparencies and negatives, using a Nikon enlarging lens as a macro lens, and the contrast is way too high, and will need a softer light source, and post processing.
The Univex lens, (1938 Vintage), is pretty good, it was near full open on the shot, and may well sharpen with a smaller aperture setting. It is about as small a lens as will fit the Pen, similar to fitting Pentax 110 lenses.
Now the expensive bit, buying a decent fixed wide angle for 4/3, Panasonic are nice but pricey, so left with Olympus or the Sigma lenses.......at least the kit Zoom reaches 14mm (28mm), but I am used to 17mm in 35, which would be about 8mm in 4/3 terms and very expensive!
I have a Tokina 17mm lens which would fit, but this becomes 35mm approx on 4/3, hardly worth the bother, as the 14mm zoom will beat it.
Telephotos are no problem as everything doubles, and 2x converters work well, as the viewfinder brightens to compensate, and the ISO automatically up rates. With the centre of the image only being used the edge softness is greatly reduced, so say, a 50mm F1.8 becomes a useful 200mm tele.
Stephen.
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Jan 9, 2013 2:07:42 GMT -5
I also used a lot of different lenses with M4/3 adapters ( on a GH1 ), Mainly Canon FL/FD, M42, Leica and C-mount lenses. A little bit problematic just the Canon FL/FD adapter. The first I bought ( Rayqual ), didn't work with the FL- and just with the FD mount ( for completely stupid reasons ). Then, I bough a Novoflex, which works with all lenses and is also very precisely manufactured. I can recommend this brand for adapters.
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Post by olroy2044 on Jan 9, 2013 8:35:44 GMT -5
I grew up in an auto shop run by my father, who was also a master machinist and all-position welder. He added a fully equipped machine shop, both automotive and general purpose, to his garage business. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your ability to turn a billet of metal into a useful implement. When my Dad retired, he sold the shop intact, and I lost access to all that equipment. My Dad made sure that I learned how to use it all while I was young, and I got accustomed to simply making a part when there was not one available.
HOW I MISS THAT!!
My complements, sir, and keep up the good work!
Roy
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jan 10, 2013 15:50:04 GMT -5
I reckon that the instructions supplied with the Olympus PM-1 must be about the most misleading and torturous they have issued recently, they go to lots of effort to hide the more comprehensive menus that can be used for tweaking the settings and making more advanced settings.
At every step they try to push forward the easy settings, which is very laudable, but it means they skip over the important extras, even asking you to have to engage the extra menus, without specifying what they can do.
Anyway I have figured out the access, and turned off the noise filters, and the stabilisation, and the quality of the Jpegs is much better, given higher shutter speeds and a tripod.
I wonder deeply if some users comments about the PM-I etc and the "softness" of the kit zoom lens are down to the settings being wrong for more advanced users, as Olympus set the defaults to very average and bland settings.
One thing I need a workaround for, is using the EV finder, and firing flash at the same time, which on the surface appears impossible. It looks like using a wireless remote, with wireless fired flash is the only way. Once the EV is in place, there is then no flash socket available.
Of course, the back screen can be used, leaving the miniature flash to fire other flash guns by remote sensors, etc. but no direct external firing except from the hot shoe.
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Jan 10, 2013 16:27:39 GMT -5
I also used a lot of different lenses with M4/3 adapters ( on a GH1 ), Mainly Canon FL/FD, M42, Leica and C-mount lenses. A little bit problematic just the Canon FL/FD adapter. The first I bought ( Rayqual ), didn't work with the FL- and just with the FD mount ( for completely stupid reasons ). Then, I bough a Novoflex, which works with all lenses and is also very precisely manufactured. I can recommend this brand for adapters. The Novoflex Adaptor make was one I examined, a friends, and that was accurate to infinity on the Leica version, but was quite expensive. The cheaper Chinese made ones are well machined, it is only the infinity problem that hits them a bit, but of course, curable. The Micro 4/3 extension tubes arrived and are excellent, they fit nicely, the bayonet on the outer end is very well made indeed. They can be used with the mount adaptor on the outer end for older lenses, and can then take further extension tubes or combinations like tubes and bellows. The next adaptor to make is for the bellows to take older folding cameras lens etc., a lens board with clips to take the lens unit, or a folder that will fit with the body in place, the view through the open back when collapsed. Should make some interesting shots via the older lenses. Stephen.
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