Soft Option (2)

I found quite few very sharp macro lens (or the lens unit which can function as a macro lens) among the junk optics, still there wasn’t many soft macro lens so far.   So, this lens seems to be an exception.  The lens itself was yet another omunifocus toy lens though, when the lens was pushed forward and went into the close-up region, the spherical aberration seemed to be increased, hence the image become very soft.   Otheres may say it is a useless lens, still, for the sake of the soft image, I very much like this character. = So, this was yet another soft option = the special goodness this lens can offer.

And how unusual this lens IS too apparent on this photo above.   It’s fuzzy, still, we can see certain information = its mean, this is a usefull picture in the certain situation. (like for the evidence)

With the extension, close-up photo is fuzzy, still showing certain detail.

Same can be said in a distant subject = fuzzy, still, amazingly, having the details.  (did you noticed ?  The center of the enlarged photo, back-slash straight line is that crain ! )

With a normal lens, it should looks like this. (This one was by the Zeiss Distagon 18 mm lens) — that crain seems busy working !  🙂  

  Forget the theory or blurh blurh, see how “Fuzzy lens” works in practice ?

Unfortunately, situation was not ideal at all.  Under rather wet and windy days, I couldn’t find good flower.  Worse still, they were on the higher branch. —– So, this was what I managed to do with “Fun camera lens + close-up extension” and its “Fuzzy image” !

When the subject was not rich, it is the time to go to humble Zen Photography.

I’m serious.  Believe me.  😀

But these last photos here were by the other lens from Panorama toy camera, with close-up extension.  Despite the cost nothing plastic lens, the photo looks quite normal isn’t it ?    Almost religious belief that the photo has to be pin sharp, the lens got to be expensive hi-quality —– Who invented this idea ? = Only untill few dicade ago, most of the people was quite happy with a photo of the Instamatic Camera, printed on 3″ x 5″ chemist print.   Once you get rid off the idiosyncratic idea, you may find how you can be free to create “photographic image” = you don’t need to be just passive to encounter the subject neither just passive to receive (and buy) manufacture’s supply. 

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Soft option in close-up photo

The lenses of which I dubbed “Omunifocus Lens” produces quite usable images from infinity to 0.5m without having any focus control.  Yet, it has a limitation — closer than 0.5m, the image became too blurred.   Still, if the position of the lens was adjusted it can produce pretty sharp image.   So, I ordered the close-up ring for Sony E-mount and while waiting its delivery, I took a soft option of close-up technique.  = The lens was stack on the camera mount with 10 mm high soft plastic putty. (Bluetack) = As the lens was positioned further away from the image sensor it’s enables the close-up shot. 

Those homemade lenses were mounted on the OM body cap (which can be used as a Sony E-mount body cap), so that I can change each of the lens quite easily = take one out and just stick the other.   Since its humble origin from a toy camera or disposable camera, every lens are all one or two plastic, still each of them showed the different character.  Such as the one from panorama camera got quite deep depth of field = keeping omunifocus character even under the close-up shot. (Photo above left and middle)   Still the other lens showed very nice soft image. (Photo above right) — Can you believe, those images were created by the lens costed almost nothing !   And now you might be realised that the photography even with such thousands pound Hi-Tech camera may not necessary be very precise and rigid technology or art = in fact they can be very soft.  (You can see the images if the optical axis of the lens was 15° out.) 

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13th Moon

Well, the full moon will be on the 12th though, it may not be clear sky then = better move when we can.   Last month when I saw the Super Moon I was on the Thames River Boat.  From then already 4 weeks has passed.  😦   — When we have 12 full moons, its mean one year has gone ! = frightening isn’t it.

(The photo here was by the Tamron 500mm lens again.  But unlike before, I did it without open the W-grazed window.  So, the picture quality was worse than the photo over a low quality dusty filter —– still, it’s a Moon. — we mankind has been watching the same moon millions of years while guessing there must be a club or rabbit living there.  Then only those hundreds years, we started to concern the real image of the same moon !    😀    Our understanding of the TRUTH is always changing. — Still, we ARE believing it IS the only truth.  And try to impose its idea to the others.)   Are you sure ? ? ?   😀

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Delusion — Zen ?

Soon after I posted the previous post, someone asked me if I’m promoting to indulge a delusion ?   Or is it nothing to do with the Zen Buddhism ? —– I answered, that the Zen is not judging or promote anything.  Because the Zen is not a direction but the way to go there, where-ever it is.   The sword master Musashi refined the way to kill, through the Zen.   Zen wouldn’t direct a person not to kill.  The person can learn the best way to kill in the highest efficiency through the way of the Zen.   So that the Shaorin Martial art came from the same temple where the Zen was started as they ARE the same teachings.  Likewise an Otaku may achieve his own best delusion.   Right or wrong is in the different teachings.   Buddhism will not pretend to be right but it would be naturally prevailed while the one living in Dharma.   Still, as Dharma is everywhere and the Karma is dealing with all sorts of fate, it is no doubt, a professional killer must have his (her ?) own Dharma.   What’s wrong ?  —– I don’t think you can direct Dharma, let alone editing it in your preference.   😀

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Live on a fantasy = naughty talk !

This is a photo of a girl’s figure (The image has bee removed / disappeared) costed almost 2 million yen = about £14,000.  (You may see more photos in this link.  >>> http://onecall2ch.com/archives/8593286.html )  It seems, her name was Megumi Kato — though I have no idea whether she was a character in a comic story ?  Apparently the person who bought this figure (one of 10 people) was quite rich and having many more figures in his collection which were displayed in a special room !   The guy seemed to be  hooked by the love for the fantasy world. —– Was that anything wrong ? —– In fact, there has been many many stories of “A man fall in love with a doll” in the history.  Or, even with shoes, under wares etc etc = so-called fetishism.  A man can love anything, pretty deeply.  But sometime people call it “Obsession”.   Anyway there is no sane love .

You might say, this is a bit healthier choice as she is a real woman (girl ?) in flesh.  She, Ai Shinozaki is, probably the most adored idol in Japan.  If you Google her name, you may find the 10s of thousands of items in their list. = on top you may find a site having her nearly 5000 photos in their collection.   Obviously, she is not a world-class beauty, — you may even say plain, some even call her pig though, yet the boss of Japanese Woman’s Association ( somewhat that kind) complained that because of her, so many Japanese man has been trapped by her and kept away from “normal” marriage. 

It might be true. = Psychologically being in love with her, the one can feel somewhat the same kind of comfort and the excitement, without having all the awkward trouble and the cost of real life. — Delusion can have anything.   Why not and what’s wrong.    😀

Don’t you remember, when you were in early teens, you’ve fallen into love with somebody (often others say, “Why her ?”) the one, even never seen her reality, worse still even without knowing the name.  Unlike a girl seeing in a train, young man can download or print-out  Ai Shinozaki’s half-naked body.   As she got very strange and strong pull, on top of her big boob, she is the idol pretty enough to fall in love yet still having no mess of life with real woman.  If a man want to have a sex, it’s easily available anywhere = So, who need to get marry = hence now-a-day 1/3 of eligible Japanese men are not keen to get involved in relation, let alone get marry.   Cynical irony is, since the male and female population is about the same, effect of the attitude of the men affects the women.

When the effect of the baby boom started to bite on the 70s, the population difference of men and women forced-out million of women from having the relation = women were forced to live alone hence the needs of equal pay and all sorts of women’s right became the serious issue.   Since then, the Human-right, Protection of this and that etc getting further and further creating independent-minded women, sexually liberated women etc = to the man, it’s mean better not getting involved, better keep distance from them otherwise the worst could be sued and be claimed compensation.   The society was disintegrated, or even into anonymity.  

In principal, equal number of both sex and the monogamy system was to guaranty every member of the society to have an equal chance to have a mate and rise a family.  In order to reinforce this system, the availability of sex was strictly controlled (= only allowed between married couple) and the relation has to be “contracted under authority / even by the God” and hard to divorce. —– To establish this system, mankind spent thousand of years of trial and error while negotiating with “Human Nature” !    But, once the fragile balance was broken, only the chaos would come.   Not only the less and less marriage, the spread of SD especially syphilis among the young Japanese people are alarming rate.  And it push the birth rate even lower.

—– In different aspect, this chaos could be a remedy provided by the Dharma to curb the exploding world population.  😀

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New year 2017

In brief moment, morning sky showed a sign of sun rise though, soon after it was covered with thick cloud.  So, this was the only shot for the New year.  (Heavily cropped 18mm lens wide image.) 

New year has arrived with almost nothing special (as I don’t drink) only with distant firework noises and the Big-ben’s gong from the radio. 

Something funny about was the song, Auld long syne.  This old Scottish song might be the most well-known song all over the world. (It seemed every where in the world, people singing this song back of the New year report.)  This song came to Japan almost 150 years ago.  Japanese new Government then sent out many researcher or study group to the west to find and study the advanced western system and the technology.  (So, Political system from Britten, Technology from Germany, Law system from France and strangely, lots of Scottish, Irish songs — but with heavy misinterpretation.)   Such as like almost Anti-war “Danny Boy” was changed to praise the old family ethos.   Likewise, a song missing the old-time and the friends, Auld long syne was changed to a song, sending out the hard-working student from the school. (So, this song became exclusively for a school graduation.) 

— At least, I graduated from Junior, secondary, High and University though, I attended only a Junior School Graduation due to a consequence to be who I am.  (I was fully aware what I was going to do with its consequence.)   Since I was a bad boy, secondary School suspended my Graduation.  I carried out a silly prank to disrupt Hi-School ceremony and the time of my Uni’s, I was in the remote islands for a botanical research expedition.  So that I have quite heavy emotion behind this song.   “What was my life for ?” “Has it been worthwhile ?” — I would say that I was lucky enough to do as much as what I wanted.  (You can do the same = Just Do.  Not leave the regret of didn’t do, but rather burnt fingers by challenging !  Its mean, “To be there, on its moment.  Don’t escape or avoid ” So that, I lived the life what my Karma gave it for me. = I can confidently say, this IS the Zen as I’ve tested on my life.) 

___/\___

PS :  This is a follow-up = a bit more likely photo on the next morning.  🙂

( Taken on 2nd Jan’ 2017, 08:32 GMT)

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Winter Cherry (again) – (2)

Just take picture of mere cherry flowers, this set up must be the most swaggering one. 

Still I’m not doing this for ostentatious show off.  simply because, the lens (rear part of a video camera wide converter) has 160mm focal length, hence it need to have quite long extension (therefore, need to use a bellows).  And why I wanted to use this lens here, you will see it in those photos.  Wide converter was made by a reputed good lens maker Tokina, not a jokey Chinese crap.  — I wanted their lens component, not the function of wide converter.  So, I hacksawed it to take a front concave lens out. (which became to the front element of “Wide angle Pinhole Machine“.  And the left over converging lens became a fuzzy long focal lens as you can see it here.  😀 

Those optical devices were designed to give decent requisite function in certain quality, it’s mean, those optics has been designed to eliminate the aberration by combining the different types of lenses — in other words, if the front and rear element was separated, aberration couldn’t be corrected.  

(Photo left = despite of heavy halation, this lens gives quite sharp image.  And having a nice softness.)

So, this rear part of the lens showed quite a blur yet still, it retains the certain sharpness (= It’s a funny lens ! —– I like it though, shame, it’s so awkward to use.)

Ideally those photos should have rather dark blue sky to show white halo around the flowers though, the sky was just hopelessly gray. (Another solution would be, go back there with a flash or LED ring light when the ambient light was getting dimmer. —– I might do it. )

And, to everybody, a Happy New Year for 2017

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Winter Cherry (again !)

OMG, —– when I walked close by, I noticed that, that Cherry is flowering again. —– Since she is flowering every winter, it shouldn’t be any surprise though, when actually face it, still it was a OMG.

Though this time all the flowers are rather high on the branches.  I went back there with “Tele-photo Pinhole” = simply it was the DD Pinhole further extended by the extension rings which made it to 105mm Tele-photo.  (If it was a lens, extension ring will work as a close-up device but for a pinhole, it only makes the effective focal length longer. — in fact, as it will make the image larger, it would have a close-up effect as well though, pinhole has no focus at all, in any “focal length”, if you close to the subject, you will get larger image any way.)  So, what so ever the theory, Pinhole image is Pinhole like image.  Too fuzzy.  Still  if anybody want to see more decent sharper images of the same flowers, I got many many other shot. = please go back to them.   😀

(On the photos above, left and middle were the same flower though, the middle photo was by the Mag lens (and heavily cropped)

I may need to come back with other kind of lenses.  😀

Incidentally, soon after I wrote London weather was mild, suddenly it became cold.  And, this is my first frosty photo of this season. (by the Mag lens)

So, anybody in the cold, Please survive well.

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Chilly still very hot !

It’s a dark gray winter (in theory though, the reality here in London it has been quite mild) — so, why not to have burning red staffs ! (Somebody kindly educate me, the history how such hot staff was named as Chilly !    😀 )

I’m not dealing with Xmas kind though, I have to deal with closing shops or stoppage of the transport etc —– so, I decided to get lazy while saving a work by cooking a Chinese Ma-po-Tofu for three days meal.  It’s a hot staff.  So, not only a hot Chinese seasoning Toban-jan, I bought a bowl full of chilly.  It was the medium size one on the photo though, it found to be a seriously hot staff.  (On the photo, left large one is rather sweet and having the “most Chilly Pepper like exquisite flavor”.  And, right small one is notoriously, killingly hot ! = better not to handle it with your bare hand !)

Seriously hot still, they are classified as edible = fit to human consumption.  So, they can be cooked just like other vegetables, chopped and boiled with others, carrot, onion, potato etc. with your seasoning.     —– Three days portion of Ma-po-tofu was a big amount ! = 500g of minced beef (rather horrifying staff to some of you) four fist sized onions, one 12″ size carrot (grated), one big spoonful of minced Garrick, five big spoonful of Chinese Toban-jan, four hot chilly, 800g  (one pack) of  Tofu, one spoonful of sugar, etc. of seasoning (such as Chinese 5 spices etc.) = altogether put into a big pan !   So, this is Ma-po-tofu.  (As it was originated from Szechuan, it is hot indeed — still, we can survive. (as I did.  😀 )  (You may find a bit more moderate recipe in the net. )

There seems to be a quite common boast all over the world which is, “Our cooking is the hottest in the world” (Egyptian said so, Mexican, Malaysian, Korean, Jamaican, —– etc all insisted so, alongside the amount of drink he can take, and how big his penis is.  So, they are the things what the man try to cling in his pride.  (In material level though.)   (Do you do ?    😀 ) 

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Lens quality — in different aspect

While watching the morning sky (8:52 AM  GMT  24-12-2016) I saw a light of an air craft.  I clicked my Nikon D810 with Zeiss Distagon 18mm (for Nikon mount) thinking if the light was captured.

—– With my amazement, not only the light but also the air craft itself was clearly captured. 

It’s difficult to see on the original photo, still on the enlarged image, not just the light but the shape of the airliner was clearly seen.  Yes, this IS what we call the resolution, the quality of the lens.  (May be, the quality reflecting its Thousand pound price, more precisely. —– still, this lens was made by the Coshina, Japan whom Zeiss entrusted.)  (By the way, those photos were taken through the dusty double grazing window, so, they were not in the optimum quality. = I’m not such keen to wide open the window or go cold outside for this kind of shooting. — sorry, lazzy me.)

I found an interest to see the comparison of the lenses.  (Photo above was the same Zeiss 18mm image and its part enlargement of the bottom right — See a crane and its red light behind the tree branches.)

Oh, how sweet !  This image was made by the homemade Mag Lens. — not much details (because of heavy Coma aberration) yet, strangely the image of the tree was somewhat retained.  That was why I love this lens !  If you know any optical filter or digital manipulation which could create same to this effect, please let me know.

This was rather surprising, what I found was some detailed images from utterly cheap (two plastic) Toy Camera lenses ! = faint though, the red light was still visible.  —– This image might impose you a question, in reality, what quality you actually need, with what price ?   Wasn’t that just a useless obsession or vanity to have 40, 50 Mp Hi-resi images = What are you going to do with it ? And after you died, who is going to keep your photos ?  (My photos are destined for a landfill, that why I’m showing them here in 700 x 300 pic size while I can, for somebody to have a fun,  Ha ha ha.   😀 )   (The quality of a photograph is not its sharpness but its context.)

For a comparison, the another thousand pound lens = Canon EF 24~70mm F2.8 was mounted on Sony A7R, fixed as a 28mm lens — though, may be with fully open F2.8 or being as a Zoom lens otherwise because of Canon = showed some details and the red light but far behind the Zeiss’ sharpness.   

So, they were some rough guide to the lens quality. — or I’m saying, toy camera or homemade lens are not too bad.    😀

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