Exploding Cinema or Firework

Last night was a so called Bonfire night and may be to coincide with it, a cinema session “Exploding Cinema” was held in south London.

I popped out carring A7R camera with a homemade “Mag lens” attached on it.   But as I saw the fireworks over a park,  soon I realized that I put a wrong lens. 

Mag lens makes the largest halation among my homemade lens = bright spot like firework become just a big blob.  Still, that’s what I got then, — never mind, it won’t kill me in any way.

Exploding Cinema has been running by the volunteers, film enthusiasts for the past 25 years.  (And I know the current figurehead, Matt for 20 odd years.  When I met him, he was a visual media technician and I was an almost a dancer in residents of the Fridge Club in Brixton.)  Exploding Cinema is showing all the films submitted without selecting, and running totally independent. (so that, the waiting list said to be more than one year to be shown there)

So, the films shown there were from short comical Anime to professionally made quite serious one. (A film produced by Chris R’s “Drone Strike” was a heavy staff good enough for the big screen.)

And MMM    🙂

When I popped out, the fireworks exploded over my head, —– I found, the lens character of big blob is quite pretty in deed.  Ha ha ha,   😀

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Battery Charger

I’ve got numerous number of Battery Chargers and I made quite a few by myself, since I’m buying many Battery type tools etc. = its own charger comes with.  On top of it, I’m using many photo flashlight, LED ring light etc etc. so that, I’m a big user of the battery and its chargers.

But here I’ll talk only about the Chargers came from Lidl. — (As far as I know, Lidl sold 2 battery chargers (Ni-Cd, N-MH single type battery) in the past 10 years or so, and I’ve bought and used both of them. 

Lidl sells the things really cheap = it’s no doubt but the reputation is

“Half of the goods we bought, may not be used and the rest of the half would break down within 6 months”. —– Still we may not bother to claim a money back, because they are anyway so cheap and we may not bother to keep and find the receipt.

Their larger, universal type charger could show “Start fine” — but one of the charging post had stopped to function. (Photo right)

And the more compact type charger (only for AA and AAA) started to make a big noise from its cooling fan and one post stop to charge, then burning smell came out!  

(Incidentally, the photo right showed the plastic cover of the battery shrunk and exposed the metal can = because of the heat-up with a rapid charge = it could cause a short-circuit and a fire)

I check the inside circuit and found one transistor has been burnt out.  Its small SMD transistor  HJ31 was a common PNP transistor though, it’s not easy to replace it = we can not buy just one, but may be 100,  if not 1000 in one lot.  

Still, common PNP, SMD transistor could be replaced by an old common PNP transistor. (50V, 10~50Mhz type though, it was not in a critical Hi-frequency circuit but simple on-off) —– So, I replaced it with an old transistor. = It’s worked perfect.   😀

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PS :   When I talked about this repair work to the computer geeks at the WW meeting, they responded with rather typical view, saying that normally the people do not think to repair the equipment using such old style transistor. — Then, I realized that this repair work was the Zen response.  With normal thinking, people wouldn’t conceive such idea to repair without having an identical component.  Yet still, completely open Zen mind could say Why not ! = Why we needed to be confined to one idea.  As there may not to be any idea to restrict us.  All those idea, restrictions are our own making in the mind. — unless we try, we never see a possibility, even if it might be only one in million.   (If you think, the Zen is to twist the leg and the enlightenment is How to giveup.   YOU were wrong.   Zen and Buddhism IS the matter, How to OPEN the eyes)

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Coconuts

Everybody knows what the Coconuts are, still this Nuts (?) Fruits (?) has number of myth or misunderstanding.

Long time I was made to believe that the name Coco was a Hawaiian word of the Monkey as a Coconut got a face like pattern, since I’ve read it long time ago.

But now I know, it was simply a Spanish or Portuguese word means head or skull.

—– Another myth was that the Coconuts spread through the sea current = ride on the wave and reach to the another island.

So that one Japanese song 椰子の実 （Yashi-no-mi) was telling such fancy story of sea voyage though, the counter-proof of such story was well documented on the history.  = When Captain Cook reached to the eastern shore of the Australia, there was even a single tree of Coco palm there to alleviates their thirst. 

Neither Columbus found any Coconut when they reached to the Caribbean Island.  = Coconut was brought by the human hand.

—– There are many Coconuts products, from Coco-drink to Coco-cream, Coco-powder = they are all from the same tree = but a difference was whether it was young or matured. 

(After a while, green Coco’s juice become whitish meat inside)  🙂

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Sow Bread (Cyclamen) — (Secondly Photo)

(Top photo was in fact a screen shot of the second photo. — Second =

original photo was taken by a homemade Mag Lens and the

screen shot was done by even fuzzier  Gaudy Lens)   😀

Sow Bread (Cyclamen) was introduced to the Japan about 150

years ago.  Botanist then, Saburo Okubo named it as a direct

translation of the English name Saw Bread to  Buta-no-Manju !

(How beautiful ! ! !)

Most of us think, Cyclamen as a potted flower associated with

Christmas. — As a matter of fact, they are the best-selling plant 

in the winter.   So that, to find its flowers in a shady ground of a

public park was a rather surprise to me. (I have no knowledge or 

a proper reference book to distinguish whether this one was a

wild one or just humble but a tough type for an outside garden.)

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Biggest selling plant mean, it has a very competitive big market

= how to attract the customer, so to find a good sale’s point is a

serious business.  So that, adding a nice smell to the normally

smell-less Cyclamen having a fierce battle. —– On the end a

Japanese scientist has succeeded to develop a nice smelled

variety by manipulating / tampering its chromosome.  =

Made a cross bleed between C.persicum (2n=48) and the

C.pupurascens (2n=34) with scent, to (2n=41) then by the 

use of  Colchicine alkaloid from Saffron, made it to (2n=82). 

(And further process by exposing to Ion-beam to change its

DNA to create nice color with nice smell.)

The whole process sound very complicated and awful. 

Somebody, a kind of  “Activists” may start a fuss, still others may

say it was not actually tampered the Gene but only the change of its

container (Chromosome) which technique has been used to creates

many Seedless fruits such as  the seedless grape, water melon etc.

(When the number of chromosome set was changed to x2, x3 …

such irregularity obstructs the normal development of the seeds

= hence seedless fruits.) 

Although, the plant can produce the fruits, its plant was fertile =

even a cross-pollination couldn’t produce next generation = no

possibility of its spread of an abnormality = safe to the Nature.

—– ?  is it ?        

(As a matter of the fact, our Nature has been bombarded by the

cosmic ray, nuclear particles etc. which is causing the damage /

change of the Gene.

(Which may have contributed to the evolution of many species.)

—– Even on the worst analogy, an Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima,

must be caused millions of genetic mutations if not just burnt to

the death, didn’t create a single Super cockroach nor Giant man.

Genetic mutation might cause the abnormal development or

abnormal growth of the cell or organ (which was called Cancer)

if not die straight, but to have a chance to create any distinctive

new feature to the species is a rare rare occurrence.

To see what is natural and which is not, or how far we can go is a

very difficult question (unlike Activists are shouting) = may be

our useless ideological imagination (and a want of nice smell) is

creating more trouble.  😀

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Hop

A  plant Hop (Humulus lupuls) is a very peculiar plant, which

belong to a small family of Cannabaceae.  From its family name,

you might have guessed, yes, Hop is a cousin of Cannabis.  But

they two looks so different — How botanist found that they

were related ? ? ?    And you might have heard that a stronger

kind of Cannabis, Skunk was created by a crossbreed with Hop. 

(Though, it was unlikely the cross-pollination, nor grafting, so 

some said even a genetic engineering — how it was done

was still in a mystery.)

But, in generall, Hop was only

associated with a beer.

As a matter of fact, me to see

this plant, it was only the third 

time on my life.

First time was on a farm hedge

in the Hertford Shire.

Second time was in a fringe of

a park in the south London.

Then this time, it was a hedge of a

non assuming ordinary hose in south London. = It seems

she always appeared in the most unlikely place. (Of course,

as I didn’t go to see it “likely place” = Hop garden of Kent

or Hop yard of a west country.) — So, the question was,

how this plant or its seed came here ?      And my biggest

question IS how Hop was added to a beer in the first place.

— Has people got a habit to chew it to fleshen the mouth ? 

Then got an idea to put it into a drink ? 

Otherwise, it was the most inventive / creative idea the

mankind got.   (Though, I don’t drink beer.)   😀

(Those photos were taken by Tamron SP 90mm F2.5  on

Sony A7R)

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Pen-F Zuiko 38mm F1,8 Lens on Sony A7R

I don’t remember why this lens was still here.  This Olympus Lens

has been in the end of shelf many years.  It was a Olympus Pen-F’s

standard lens though, Pen-F was a half frame camera (24×16) and its

flange-back was 28.95mm, the lens couldn’t have a focus other than

a macro use, I might have had a test of close-up photo on Canon 5D.  

— The funny history of this lens was, on late 80s, one of my friend

photographer who wanted to experiment, “To get a rough-grain soft

image, using a Push development on a Cross-process” = In order to get

rough Grain, he wanted to use even smaller original = hence Half-size. 

—– So, he asked me to make an adapter to use Nikon Lens on a

Pen-F body.  =  I made it out of Nikon close-up ring and a Pen-F

mount from this 38mm lens = So that, this lens lost bottom mount.

= in normal sense, it is an utterly useless junk

—– though, while Googling the Net, I found the people using Pen-F

lens on the Full-frame Sony camera !    (Unlike the lenses for the

Cropped size senser DSLR camera, those Olympus Lenses has

been made to cover (well almost) the full-frame image circle !) 

To modify this lens for a Sony E-mount camera, I found a M-39

Leica lens to E-mount adapter has the almost a right size. 

So, I screwed  M-39 ring to the back of Pen-F lens (+ some

adjustment for infinity focus) = = = Voila, Pen-F lens on A7R.

The test shot on general

distance was usable but

not bliliant.

(The lens might have 

sold as a spre parts =

damaged goods)

Still, Close-up photo

was pretty good.

(Photo below, middle)

Though, there isn’t much soft texture (It may be because

the Sony A7R camera or its image process.) (Photo right)

Olympus Pen-F Lens is very small, (In comparison to such as

Nikon lens + adapter on Sony) pretty nice match to the A7R,

so that, I’m quite happy to have this  F1.8  wide-angle lens.

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What ? – 3/4 second on “B” setting ?

On the 100 years old lens,

an instruction was given,

“On a dull day, use a tripod

with the “B” setting and

give 3/4 second push.

—– What ? ? ?   In 100 years

ago, could a user of camera

give 3/4 second push to

camera’s shutter ? 

—–  Well, my guess was, that the camera user then must have

practiced a lot for the precise push of the shutter lever.  

The English tradition was, to count the second while saying

One Monkey, Two Monkey, Three Monkey ~ ~ ~ ~ !    Therefore,

only say “One Mo” would be half second and “One Monk” would

be 3/4 second !      (Really ?   You must be kidding )   😀

But I’m not sure whether a French photographer ever did

“Un Monkey, Due Monkey ~ ~ ?       equivalent Japanese practice

said to be, say “Obaaachan” (Granny) for one second and

“Obachan” (Aunty) for half second. (— Count many second by

repeating  “Obaaachan” while counting on fingers.)

— Try Count One Monkey ~ ~ ~ Ten Monkey while watching a

watch and get the rhythm.  (One day, you may need it.   😀  )

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Kodak Red Bellows Lens

(Photo left / Kodak folding No.1A — image from CameraWiki)

Well, even if you were a keen photographer and have an interest to the old cameras, you may not know the Cameras with red bellows. — They were 100 (110) years old Kodak Pocket Folding Cameras. (I got two of them though they are in a box, bottom of the pile of 50 boxes = I’ll show you a photo one day.)

— I bought just a lens in a junk box of George’s Camerafare shop in the Portobello Market.

When the camera mean big wooden camera, Kodak started to sell “Pocketable” folding cameras for the consumers.    (Be prepared, the size of a pocket then could take even today’s laptop.   😀  )

We may guess, it was a situation like teaching the people to have a selfy and send it through Net phone.   

The Kodak preloaded the teaching App on the camera body = all the instruction were written there. =Such as : Use 1/100 for Moving Objects or Gray day, Use Tripod and with B setting for 1/2 second !  ETC. ETC.  (Shutter was triggered either by pressing a lever  or using an Air pump ! )  In fact I was rather impressed to see the quality of the manufacturing standard = after 100 years, they are still working ! )

The camera was made by Eastman Kodak Rochester USA though, the Lens was made by Bausch & Romb Optical Co. Rochester, USA (once before, Sunglass, Ray-Ban was a part of this company) of which they call, Rapid Rectilinear lens. ( though, it only meant, no distortion)

The second photo above center shows the lenses = front and rear element seems to be identical (both showed the same focusing length = symmetrical design)     And each lens seems to be a single lens.  

Mounting the lens on a bellows to have a test shot = the image seems not bad ! 

Thanks to the bellows extension — have look a close-up.

Then to see the So-called Softness on the same test bench.   It seems this lens showed no Zeiss kind of softness.  (The photo left was taken by Sony A7R —– to be fair, I did the same shot on the Canon 5D Mk3 as before (right) —– in comparison, Sony showed much higher crispness and Canon seems softer) —– Still, this matter needs more critical test to find the reason.

Much more serious question over this old Lens IS, = No focal length was found still, the extension of the bellows showed it is 175mm.   Even though the front plate was saying F4, the diameter of the lens IS 24mm = F-aperture should be F7.3 but from a measuring of the exposure indicates that this lens got a brightness of only F10. —– It is quite puzzling.

= To see the old lens is fun in deed, still it is not necessary a gold mine to find any nostalgic image !  (Unless, use a homemade emulsion on a glass plate together)  😀

Such as a photo of dried Rose by A7R above — this sharpness might be created by the digital process in the camera, not an original optical image.)

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Portbello Market / George’s Camerafare

Situated in a bit west of London, Portobello is a peculiar place. 

Because of their fundamental poorman’s mentality, (in comparison to

the French, Spanish, Austria-Hungarian Empire, untill a victory

over the battle of Trafalgar, (and took over the dominance on the sea)

the England was a poor country)  the English tend to keep junk

= try avoiding to buy new one and spend the money for drink. 

Then, when they die, house cleaner emptied the hose and sold off all

those junks.  Junks came to a sunday market kind, such as Brick Lane,

Bermondsey market etc and bought by an antic dealer and the object  

end up Portobello market.   ( = A rubbish sold at Brick Lane  £5 goes to  

a dealer for £10, then bought by an antic dealer of Portobello for £20 

and sold to a tourist for £50 as a collectables  = everybody made a profit,

and happy = life goes on !)

Though, thanks to a TV program such as  the “Antic Road Show” and

people can find the information in the Net then selling it in eBay.   

So that, good salable item has disappeared from the market. And

these days, what was sold in the market were fakes, copied items,

just fancy, strange designed goods (from China, India, Africa etc).

So, the shops were filled with fancy room decorations.

And I found a shop selling the hand painted = customized shoes.

Strangely, Portobello has only two camera dealers. (as far as I know

since 70s = one in Admiral Vernon Arcade and the other open stall.) 

The dealer used to be in the arcade was my friend Brian. 

And after he retired about 10 years ago, George took over the position.

On the 80s, when Japanese got a boom collecting antic cameras, in fact

it was staged by an antic shop “Soul Trip” who started to sell thousand

of old cameras along side the many magazine articles campaign.  

And the supplier of those cameras from England was, the man in

Portobello, Brian.   Old camera boom in Japan made both

Soul Trip (Mr Segawa) and Brian rich.

The man running the antic camera shop now, George is dealing with

much humble items / junk — still unmistakably it is an Aladdin’s cave.

(simply because, the good collectables has been already sold and not

much left circulating on the market.)

In old days, I bought many old cameras from Brian (include modified

Robot camera using Leiz 50mm F1.5) and I translated the Japanese

article about the first SLR with penta prism = Duflex for him.

(I’m going to write about a 100 years old lens I found in this shop.)

When you see the open stalls selling food, vegetable started to appear,

it is the end of So-called Portobello market.  (further down the street,

you may find the open stalls selling the junk from the daily life. 

Cups and pan sort, even a lady’s underwear.

Is it anything to do with IS terrorists, the polis is taking rather hi-profile.

And this must be The John-Bull.  How shiny !   😀

(Except only one Canon Fisheye, lest of all other photos were taken by

a homemade Mag Lens on Sony A7R.)

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Yet more Homemade Lens — KodaFun Lens

 

As you can see from the following photo, this lens came from a Kodak

fun camera.  Originally, the lens was mounted on the F8(?) sized hole

on the camera body though I used this plastic lens with fully opened

condition. (Hence more halation and the aberrations which I want !)

Even Fun lens needs to be mounted in the precise position.   😀

Basically as a omunifocus lens, it’s creates a kind of certain image

in any distance = in other words, no fun on the Bokhe !

Still the matter is, where to use it.

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