ZM2 Lens – Spring Walk

First visitor here tonight was from USA, seeking Plum Flower.   So, I’ll show you many Cherry flowers, Plum Flowers.

You may not believe though, all those photos here were taken by just one lens,  (homemade ZM2 lens, on Nikon Z7 camera — ISO 100, AV setting)  Slight difference of the focus, the lens can produce quite different kind of image !

This plant called Japonica Japan was originated from Japan as its name suggests, and a cousin of Quince, or relative of Pear.   Incidentally, a name Nipponia Nippon which meaning is the same (Nippon is the formal name — Japan is a nick name after Marco Paulo) was for national birds Toki who has been nearly extinct and revived to about 150 now.

Ever cute Snow drop, Japanese name is Yukiwari-so (雪割草) which mean the flower who sprout out the snow !

I found this variety of cherry first time in this country.  Still no idea of its name.

And this is somewhat close to the plum. (But not Japanese Ume 梅 —– I don’t know why Ume didn’t come here.)

And this is Daphne —– somewhat related to Cloves though, the story was very complicated = lots of misunderstanding.  (You might have seen a furniture made by a wood called Mahogany but never know what its tree looks like.) 

Same as that, the wood for burning incense Agarwood 沈香 was a mystery to the Japanese for many hundreds of years, and people mistook this plant was related to Cloves 丁字 (hence Japanese misnamed this Daphne as 沈丁花－－－on both case the letter 丁 represents the shape of nails which is a shape of the Cloves as well and the smell of this flower is the same to the Cloves though) those plants are in fact totally different plant. 

Since Agarwood can be sold for very high price, the tree has been pushed to near extinction = now they are protected and the genuine wood is hard to come by, so that, there said to be a lots of fake in the market. ( = a wood dripped into an artificial incense was sold to the tourists.)

Crocus is a relative of the Saffron.  (So, don’t eat them)

(In fact, Daffodil is also poisonous — if you eat = Who eat ?)

I guess this cherry seems to be originated from Yama-zakura.  — but not sure of its multi-petal flowers.

So, it was a nice walk and shootings.

Those three photos were somewhat an extra.  I met Ms.S and Mr.M as a next door of one of the cherry flower’s place.  They got very fancy bicycle with motor. (And those photos were for them to copy from here)

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Go out with ZM2 Lens (First field test)

It’s a rare bright day.   And the spring is coming.  (Olegon Maple started flowering)

I didn’t know there was a gallery here. (but not open today ?)

It’s hard to tell whether the aberration of this lens, ZM2 is coma or astigmatism ?  (The camera was Nikon Z7.)   Do you want to see this photo in normal sharp image ? I don’t think so.  This is what this photo should be.

Is it an image from a dream or nightmare ?   Or, premonition ?

The difference of those two was just a slight move of focus. (Since the DOF was so shallow, slight move suddenly makes the image collapse. )

You might be wondering, how such hopeless lens can still makes decent image in the same time.  (That’s why I said peculiar and I like it very much.)   😀

Peace to everybody.

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ZM-2 lens (Second version)

———————- (ZM2 sample photo —– fake  stage up)

There wasn’t so much complaint to ZM lens —– still, give a thought or two = even though I said most peculiar, the reality was not peculiar enough, just another mediocre lens. 

Before, while experimenting with the lens, I noticed that this lens can produce much more aberration when it was reverse mounted.  =  So, why not. = I further modified the lens optics made reversed.

The result was, some may say, a lens impossible to use.  (Somewhat comparable  to the Helicoid-B lens which got strong astigmat aberration ) Yet still, this might be what I needed.  (What’s wrong ? )   😀    (as you can see from the photos, DOF is extremely shallow, and showing very heavy coma aberration.   This lens was about 45mm F2 equivalent, fully open, still if well focused, image looks quite sharp.) —– now I need to find the suitable subject.  (I hope the subject wouldn’t be frightened and runaway )    😀

Is it peculiar enough ? (just a bit off focus)

And this is well focused (so far).   😀

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Karma – Fate – (3)

This is yet another 8150 story.   On my life, the sign 8150 is regularly appear here and there = nothing special or I would say, they are a kind of road sign, OK to go.  Yet still, it may seen quite odd or even a supernatural phenomenon to others eyes.

In the world, there is a kind of people who proclaims that they ARE the chosen people though, it seems if it was a case they seemed to have far more share of the bad fortune all through the history.  =  It doesn’t seem that the God is anywhere near to their side.   From the eastern view, the idea of a personified God speaks same language and negotiable, sounds too odd, in comparison to the absolute eastern Heaven.   They are more like a children’s bed time story.   Yet still, you are free to believe any story.

Lord Buddha, as the enlightened teacher, he didn’t believe a God kind or after life as they are too irrational, and banned the magic kind of deceptive practice to his followers.  (Its mean, Tantra’s “Magic words”= Dharani is not the Buddhism, neither all sorts of Mahayana fantasies are nothing to do with the original teachings.  (They are the stories borrowed from the Veda = Brahmanism / Hinduism.)

Yet still, the belief of the Dharma and the Karma is in the teachings.   So, where those two seemingly conflicting idea reconcile ? —– In fact, they are the real phenomena and its rules.  They themselves exists like a phenomenon of lightning or thunder, they exists without the imaginary god of lightning or thunder. = Such Gods are nothing more than a children’s story.

So, does it mean, the Dharma and Karma are just the visible phenomena ?  or actual occurrences ? —– the rules  rules behind = invisible.   Those ruler IS the western equivalent of the God, but the Rules or Heaven is almost the abstract, —– we only see its sign.   And in my case, the sign was the number 8150 (and its variation).   When I see it’s there, I feel a kind of approval of me doing it.   Still, to find the address of the seller in China was also 8150 (in fact 518000) frightened me.  (By the way, the mysterious lens I talked about also having that number —– its mean, I was right to speak out)  😀 —– So, what’s all those mean ?  Even though, the Karma is abstract, it IS watching us and ruling our life.  It is not an imaginary existence.  It’s real.   (at least on my life = I was born to have this life while possessing the palm line which is saying the same = So, its benefit is, I don’t get ill or get accident. Except getting old.   😀 — getting old is a nature of the Karma ) —– I wouldn’t boast such as that I was chosen but I’m actuary seeing the Karma / Dharma is with me. —– though, as an honest feeling, it is a bit bothersome = leave me alone.  I want to have a bit more naughty life away from their watchful eyes.     😀  ) 

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Most beautiful Face 2018

The magazine, TC Candler announced the 100 Most Beautiful Faces of 2018 which selected Thylane Blondeau as the top beauty.

And this is yet again Ai Shinozaki = she was listed in there 84th, the bottom of  4 other Japanese. 

(Something distinctive of the Japanese standard of “Beauty” or “Pretty” often reject the big-mouthed face like the western “Gorgeous” face. —– simply Japanese hate talkative = noisy person to be in their close proximity. = We wouldn’t deny their existence though, don’t come close to me = leave me alone, don’t disturb my peace.  In reality, there are lots of talkative active women presenter in the TV = no problem we can just switch off the TV) 

What peculiar the choice of Ai Shinozaki is —– she is not a typical Japanese beauty, far from it, she is rather indistinguishable = you may miss her in the cloud.   But that is the strongest point why she was chosen to be the top of most untold lover of Japanese men.   Thousands, millions of men are the Otaku, loving their 2D character (= the character in the printed comics) hate 3D real existence of women = hence stay alone, never get involved into the relation. 

For most of the western man’s concept, such mind-set couldn’t be understood = without the physical meanings, it would be no use to think about the relation.  But it seems, the love can be a purely an imaginal existence in some cases. 

Many years ago, when I went back Japan to see my mother, she told me that the mother of woman-A came to tell that A will going to get marry.     ? ? ? — A was one of my secondary school classmate.    Why her marriage was anything to do with me ?   To be other than a classmate, nothing else has been happened between us.   We’ve never been a close friend let alone any relationship.    Yet still, in her mind, one-day when I come back from England, then court her hand.  —– can anybody hold this belief for 25 years in a totally isolated mind = no attempt to make any communication, never came to see my mother asking my address and attempt to write a letter.  But just waited as an innocent maiden.  I’m not telling you a horror story, neither bragging or boast funny story.   It was just a simple fact happened many years ago.   So, I’m wondering that in her 70s, how woman-A is thinking her life?  And myself, if it was happened what kind of the life we could have together. But, the Karma kept me woman free and made me live as such.  This is what Karma mean, it is beyond of anybody’s choice.  We can not bend it. 

Like all other instinctive reactions, the love was created in the old cortex of the brain, Amygdala.   When certain visual signal (or other significant signal) hit the Amygdala   ! ! !   Oh, I love it (or him or her) = Love at the first sight.   And it was the instant seclusion of the Love hormone, serotonin, dopamine etc —– with those chemical effects filling all corner of the body = the body was immersed with love.  Finger was filled with tingling sensation, other parts was filled with hot blood etc etc.  Such reaction has the same pattern like when we saw a deadly snake, then our body would be filled with adrenaline and get hi-tension. —–

Funny things about the visual pattern which hit hard the Amygdala.  It seems that the pattern was pre-loaded, but it is hard to trace the origin.   (could be even DNA originated subconscious.) —–  Try to find such pattern,  I collected 50,000 photos of faces and sorting them —– I found the pattern which attract me though, I couldn’t find any relation among them, let alone its origin.   Even funnier was, such pattern creates the soft spot in the mind = it seems this soft spot is the all source of the trouble.   Such soft spot blinded our eyes and override the rational thinking.   (Simply, we often turn the blind eyes to the cause of trouble = then it will come back hard)   Life is hard = So, why not to have a dream on 2D beauty —– they wouldn’t betray you.   😀

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Been watched ? ? ?

(This is the back screen of my D850 camera)

When I lived in the north London, on one of the hilltop.  From its window, I could see the horizon (in fact it was the hills of North downs / Rochester and Dover direction) and a New Year’s sunrise.   But now, here from a corner of south London I could only see the sunrise over the roofs.   Warse still, this year, I could only see the sun behind the cloud.  —– So, the first picture of the year was the cloudy sky.  Then I noticed that its number of the photo in the camera was 777/777.  Other than that fatal number of 8150, I’m not fussy the number like 666 or lucky 7 still, to see so many sevens, its reminds me the zincs of the Gurdian God is watching.   It might be a message of an encouragement for the New Year / This Year = since I still need to push the  2 complaints against the Council.    This sign looks very good ! 

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Fortnum & Mason’s Window 2018 taken by 3 kind of Lens

Three kind of lenses were used for those photos.  Looks normal straight lens was Ultra Wide Angle Lens (Sony 12~24mm F4 Zoom).  And if the image has dark surroundings it was by the Pentax 110 auto 24 mm F2.8 Lens.   If the image got heavy anastigmat aberration, it was by a homemade So-called Helicoid-B lens.

Some of you may not like though, never mind it wouldn’t kill you.

And I wish you a Happy New Year. 

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Simple Fact = the Truth

It is a simple fact, in our daily life, unless we intentionally think “I am”, we are living without a conscious of self. —– Do you walk while thinking “I am walking” ? Or, are you reading this script here while aware of “My eyes are following this, letter by letter and my brain is taking and understanding its meanings in” —– I don’t think so. You are just walking without knowing who is walking or who makes you to walk. So does, you have been reading this without knowing who IS reading. In deed, You or Your-SELF haven’t been existing as a conscious. That’s because such as SELF is nothing other than a product of the thinking, in other words, it was an intentionally created imaginal figure which is to assert or to demonstrate the ownership of “this person”. In fact it IS a part of one’s desire, Ego and the Greed. So that, such as the SELF, let alone Perpetual self could not exists as a reality. It’s mean, such as a reincarnation could never possible to occur simply because the subject, the SELF, whom to be reincarnated is not existing. How could it be ?

It IS so simple as a straight fact yet still because of it, it is very difficult to explain why. Quite a lot of Buddhists tried to explain though all of them only made a simple truth more complicated. Because of the authoritative attitude of those monks, who want to make their word looks great, they made up unnecessarily heavy theory such as Void or so on. The truth to be with Dharma is not necessarily heavy matter such as even a seed of dandelion can fly away.

Lord Buddha’s teachings were not complicated or theoretical, in order to any followers can grasp the truth by themselves. (not by understanding the complicated words or teachings but through their own observation on the practice = not believe the words but get it by yourself) —– Such as the earliest teachings of 4 noble truth, they were not a kind of complicated deep theory but the clear fact or simple human reality. That’s reality IS the very truth. Like we are here IS the Dharma.

So, when Lord Buddha pointed out the Point, it went straight into the mind of the followers almost like a lightening, the followers could get the truth at once. ( it made a legend and the tradition of the instant enlightenment.)

So, even now those monks still keep talking complicated words and the fantasy of heavens. —– can’t those people open their eyes to see such simple reality and the truth ?

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It’s a season — isn’t it ? ~ ~ ~ Oh, really !

——————————————————————————————  orz (the Sun is coming back)   😀

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😀  😀  😀

Then, the night was happened to be a full moon. (or, full moon ± a night or so) = Full moon on the Winter Solstice wasn’t too bad.

Many years ago, there was a Winter Solstice night party on the hilltop of the Cristal Palace park where used to be an anti-development protesters camp.  And as I was a kind of ex-hippie / a kind of anarchist / anti establishment activist etc, I joined the protesters.  Then, I became a fire-chief / axe-man preparing fire log etc and specialized to make something, repair the tools, sharpening knife etc. 

The said party was held few years after the camp was evicted by the 200 riot police and quite few ex-members came together to celebrate the night with big camp fire. Many of them brought their own music instrument = play music, sing a song etc etc = it was a beautiful night. (Air was very cold, fire was very hot — so and so)  😀

So-called protest camp was organized and kept by the loose membership who was a local activist, fun-loving anarchist, many escapee from the family / school,  drop out jobless etc etc.  In reality, half of them were almost professional protesters. (well-known expert in the treetop house, underground banker, scaffolding structure, electric wind generator, pedal power, organic toilet builder etc etc )  —– As the camp was supported by the local group etc, there always the supply of food and drink = somebody cook the meal and there are many tent, underground banker, treetop house to sleep = its a nice camping experience for a person who got tired of busy life, and a nice freedom away from the family for young people.

(I wouldn’t branding those young people just as a bad boys, bad girls who is seeking easy excitement.  Since I met quite few who came from a disfunctioned family, desperately seeking a listening ear and an advise while facing their turning point in their life. —– I’m sure, for some people, live together with very unusual people under very unusual circumstance, it must be a unforgettable experience / event, which would shape their later life.)   I also met the same faces from the Newbry-Bypass camp who loves free life while moving camp to camp.  (Same as the house boat people, living free without paying the tax. = Refuse to be entwined into the “System”)

As an ex-alpinist, there was no problem for me to sleep in a tent or tree-top house, still, I kept commuting while walking an hour go and back everyday, because eating hot cooked meal was OK but other than that, everything was too filthy especially a kind of sexual orgies was utterly out-of-question, regardless some of those young girls were quite pretty and friendly. —– So that the members said to be still thinking that I was an undercover, as I never touch the drag or girls, neither being a gay, or drink even a beer.   (People doesn’t like a clean person.  It seems that the comradeship developes out of sharing the dirty gilt.    😀  )

—– so, looking back the days, it’s a strange feeling “Are those people now in their 40s 50s and having square life with own family and kids ?” I would say, Or, Really ?

Then the next (22nd) morning. = Multiple (x4) Pinhole saw the new sunrise.  orz   😀

Often, it is important to take a view outside of the main stream. —– You may say, main stream mean common sense though, quite often, so-called common sense has been manufactured by the media / the establishment / system.  And most of the case, the system operates by the criteria of efficiency / productivity, much more than a human needs .  But time to time, we can discover our real needs is not lay inside of the productive process by tinkering the broken “Product” = the life in the camp might have taught those young boys the way how to find the alternative which is much closer to our needs.  Then, to become parents, able to tell their kids, the way to live in their own way.

Really.  Is it better ? —– Why you chase “Better”? = It IS exactly the way to chase the efficiency / short cut.   Longer walk tells you more, and you see it on the day, you actually walked. (Like a details of the place to what you can see from the car.)

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Analog — Digital

Why such picture was heading the post “Analog — Digital”?    I guess most of the reader here has no idea what I meant, how this picture signify the Analog approach to stabilise the camera.  (To stop the vibration, instead to remove the cause, just forcibly gagging up, is quite an analog !)    The picture was a camera fitted with a modified chest-pod. (Because this mirrorless camera’s shutter shock was too much for their light-weight and small body, I needed to use such device to block the camera movement especially when I use almost weightless small Pentax 110 lens. —– that was the reason why Sony put the image stabilizer in the body for their new model.)

Till only a decade ago, there was many camera support / holder / bracket/ balancer to mount a cine camera which can eliminate / reduce the camera-shake.  All of them were using a clever design made with the counter balance / spring to stabilizing the camera when the cameraman was on the move.  So, when the camera was up and down, the counter balance or spring has to compensate the movement exactly the opposite direction = the camera’s weight / center of the gravity etc has to be carefully adjusted to the individual camera and its configuration. (when the lens was changed, the adjustment has to be done again from the start.)    But, when, the Gimbal came and took its position, it changed the whole story over night. 

The people are believing that the Gimbal was made with the Digital technology but they were not.  Gimbal was built while using the high-speed analog servo system.

Unlike popular misconception, digital system is slower than the analog system.  Any electronical system need to have the time to make it response.  Therefore, when the process has many stage, even the stage of just amplifying the signal, it takes certain time, which mean a delay.  And to drive high-power device, it need to drive them by higher current, and to do such drive, there needs to have several stage to increase the current though, with the development of high current semiconductor such as D-Mos, IGBT, etc, direct drive became possible without time delay.   Its mean, when the movement of the camera was detected downward, in the same moment, motor can move the camera upward.  Together with the development of such as a core less motor which can move instantly, the Gimbal was materialized.  And the same idea of  feedback control, the image stabilizer became very popular.

You might heard of the word “Digitizing depth of 12 bit or 16 bit” kind.  People might be thinking, 16 bit has 4 more bit data on top of 12 bit — was utterly wrong.  Say assuming the maximum output voltage from the image sensor was 1 volt. Then to measure 0.9999 Volt or 0.99991 volt in the detail of 1/16384 volt is by the 14 bit, 1/65535 volt is by the 16 bit depth. = The difference is how smaller its measurement would be divided. (imagine, the difference using inch or metric measure.)   In an A-D conversion, to measure in 16 bit, the reference voltage has to be increased 1/65535 volt each time and compared to the output voltage = count up to 65535 mean max 1 volt.  And to do this with its “Clock frequency” is all about digitizing process.  (Counting this to each three BGR (but actuary BGGR four) on 47 Mp is all about the imaging process.)   Yes in deed, it’s a lot of work !

So, in reality, Digital process is just a way to handle the electronic phenomena with counting measure — that’s all. (Save the additional implication / benefit etc)  Somewhat, the Stone-aged man handling the life, say I killed 200 kg deer with 2 kg axe, instead of saying I killed a big deer with my heavy axe.  —– how civilized our digitized mind is !  (The irony is, even if we could accurately measure, we still brandish an axe and kill = work is still the same. —– and even if the color was digitized into millions of individual color, our eyes can distinguish only 1000 colors = that was how jpg operates.)

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