Magnolia-2015-(A)

Magnolia here must be a garden variety of Magnolia Kobus, its origin was a Japanese

“Kobushi” (こぶし）which has 6 petals.  But I don’t know the Garden Name.

In this post, the photos were taken by a homemade Lens on Tilting Bellows.

And if it was not fuzzy, it was done by the Canon EF Macro 100 mm F2.8.

I still like those fuzzy images.  🙂 

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What we see in flower Photo

You may believe that you are seeing the detailed truth of the things before you.

Yet the reality is, that is only your naive hope.   In our eyes, only the center,

about 15~20 degree of vision can see the detail.   — And in fact, on this text, if you 

gaze at a word “seeing” on the first line,  you are not able to read adjoining words

without wobbling the eyes. 

Exactly the same way to fill the gap of blind-spot in our eyes, our vision is

a conveniently  re-constructed mapping of the environment. = Anyhow,

we don’t need to have the detailed vision of everything. = because we knew

if necessary, we can give a close look.

And in reality, we reject the most of the details, otherwise our brain would be

overloaded —– we only need to have “a kind of understanding of [it is there]”

It is a funny belief that the photograph got to be sharp and show the details.

—– even though,  very few people know the significance of the detail of

such as the structure of a flower. —– So, the most of us don’t care !

With the same belief, even a Phone-camera which got mare 2 mm size lens with

2 x 3 mm sensor, still has 10 MP, 15 MP and produce pretty decent sharp image !

 (—– that’s annoying me.  😀  ) 

So, while using  x10 more expensive and x10 heavier camera I’m creating utterly

fuzzy image. —– anyhow, no botanists or any scientific person needs my photo.

Then suddenly appeared photos here, were taken by a proper Macro lens.

Some of the people prefer this kind of “normal” photo.  —– Why ?  

Are they a botanist or an entomologist ? 

Does anybody expect to find something important from this photo ?

—– I don’t think so.   Nothing significant in here.

It seems, it’s not just me, the people got tired of sharp pan-focused image.

So that, even Google Photo, created an app to give “out of focus bokhe”. (by

moving the camera and gives 3D depth info and digitally creates  bokhe !) 

 I think, the sharp pictures are a kind of piecemeal,  make  us to have a false

peace of mind that the nature is still with us.

(even though, the most of us are nothing to do with it ) = Even a man who

never gave a close look to a face of bee, still feel “Yes, this marvelous creature

 is [My Friend]= I’m in the circle” because I’m seeing such close details.     🙂

For me, the images behind the hazy curtain would calm me down more =

I was relieved  from the detailed scanning task and see the world as it is. 

—– or I would say, “Just feel it” = away from an useless thinking.

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Moss

Wet but not too cold = who most enjoy this weather must be the Mosses.

And nobody would say otherwise.  So, no word here. 

(In fact, I do know them very little any way.  🙂 )

Three photos above were taken by Zeiss 85mm F1.4 with close-up lens.

Rest of photos were taken by Canon EF Macro 100mm F2.8 with Close-up lens.

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Close-up Lens on EF-Macro Lens

Well, those top two photos were taken by Canon EF Macro 100mm F2.8 Lens alone.

This Macro lens has internal focus system and it will be focused down to the life-size.

 For general macro work,  it is convenient to use though, for me,  life-size is often just

not close enough.  So that I specially made additional Proxer / Close-up lens my self.

As I detailed in the post, By using the Proxer, the Lens can close to  x2 size, and

in addition, it creates almost phenomenal out-of-focus Bokhe.

The Bokhe created by this additional lens looks almost like Air-blush Graphic work.

Still, since this Proxer was made out of the front element of a Zoom Lens, it got double

lens Achromatic construction, no Chromatic aberration was appeared and the focused

image is quite sharp, corner to corner, even when the lens aperture was fully open.

All those photos, except top two,  F-aperture was set to F2.8 and the Camera was

set to AV mode.  Auto focus does work though, as the nature of this kind of

close-up work, I used manual focus.   

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Ultra Proxer — Recycled from Old zoom lens

Proxer is an old name to call Close-up lens which attach on front of the lens.  

The lens I’m talking here is a front lens element  I’ve scavenged from an old zoom lens 85~210 mm F 3.8,  sold under many different names —– the photo was in the previous post (first photo, Front lens was near the left end).

Most of the close-up lens consist simple convex, single meniscus lens mounted on a filter frame.   Same idea to put a magnifier before camera lens and take close-up  photo.  It was convenient to have a small adapter lens to take closer picture, as in the old days there was no such things like a macro setting on the Primary lens (Standard lens).  

—– To make a high-performance Proxer,  I did some cut and bonding works with epoxy glue, which was worthwhile to create a treasure out of junk.  🙂 

Photo left :  Don’t hesitate to hack-saw a lens barrel.  Once disassembled and the glass was removed, even a precision optical device, is a piece of metal.   = What it used to be is only in your mind.  On this moment you are dealing the work to create something new.  What required here is a careful but very simple and boring push and pull work.  😀  

Center photo :  To the front lens, hack-sawed front barrel (which got 58mm  filter screw )  was screwed back and a filter ring was bonded to its rear side with epoxy glue.  

Photo right :  The finished close-up lend was attached on the front of the Canon EF 100 mm  Macro lens, which also has  58 mm filter size.

You might be wondering,  while having macro lens already, and having a skill to use the lens in reverse etc.  = all sorts of close-up trick, why do I need to have yet  another close-up lens. —– well, all of my Macro lenses were down to the life-size, in other words, they take a picture of  36mm x 24mm is the closest.  I simply wanted to close a bit more.  (My attention tend to go rather small things.  🙂 )

—– And a real intention was to have much more exaggerated out of focus Bokhe.  (I’m tired with clear images which is everywhere and too easy to come by today.)     

Photo left :   With this close-up lens, when the master lens,  100 mm Macro lens was set to the infinity,   a small dole (36 mm tall) looks like this. (taken F 2.8)

Center Photo :  With close-up lens, when the Master Macro lens was set to the life-size, it produces  x2 larger image (dole’s head is 10mm).   Have look the Bokhe in F 2.8 = max open).  (This Bokhe is quite close to the Olympus Zuiko 50 mm F 2 Macro lens ! )  

Photo right :  A small beetle who happen to came to my room (it’s too hot these days,  the window was fully open) this photo was taken with a bounced flash-light with F 11.

Unlike most of the Proxer, this home-made close-up lens has double lens chromatic structure,  and fully coated. = Think, a cost of common cheap Proxer, and a Front lens which is the most crucial part of the lens structure in a  zoom lens.  

= Difference of quality is obvious.     As you can see it in those sample photos.  

A photo of a moth parched on the wall in my room, taken by EF 100 mm Macro with the handmade Proxer. = With F 2.8 the depth of focus is really shallow still, in the focused area, the image is very sharp.

This is a test shot of the screen of a Tablet (a photo of my umbrella).  This close-up lens maintained very high quality of the image = Very even, corner to corner.  And this is at F 2.8 ! (See details, by click it, and again)

Left photo is Macro lens alone and about  1/2 size.   Right photo is, with close-up lens but Master lens was set to Infinity.   Hence this combination can take photo from infinity to  1/1  and with this Proxer to  x2.  (By the way, Canon 5D mk-III has dreadful red-color cast when ISO was set to 6400.   In AWB and in any setting.  Though, at  ISO 100 much better.  = See the photos below)

(Photo left :  5D but Mk-II.   Photo Right :  The ISO setting was  100  = Much better !)(Those are hand-held photos = only for Color reference.)  To be fair,  I show you the photos by Nikon D810’s color  in similar setting.

(Photo Left :  Nikon D810 — ISO 3600    Photo Right :  Same but ISO 100   Both with Micro Nikkor 55mm F3.5 — 1/2 )

Higher ISO setting mean, very low out-put of image sensor has to be amplified electronically to its limit.    While amplifying to such extent, still linearity has to be maintained, while the out-put of each BGR may not having exactly the same character.

= Can of warm is opened.  🙂   In the same time, higher amplification also amplify the noise as well.  

—– I admire and praise  the people who managed it and brought the benefit of very high ISO setting even if it was not (yet) perfect.

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Photos in Tone

Nature has its own tone, under rather subdued light, it’s shows subtle shade.  

Shape and its 3D structure may not as clear like the image under the direct light though,

we are not necessary need to see such detail.  

Subtle shade seemed to show more of what they are as it is.

Just see and appreciate as they are, without imposing my view is in fact less tiring and

able to relax.  After all, the photos here are not for any scientific or reference purpose.  

They are just what they are today as I’m here on this moment.

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