Lens (?) Comparison

 

Photo above was the picture taken by the “Twisted Lens”

Gaudy Lens

The same flower meadow was taken by the “Gaudy Lens”

for the comparison of Fuzzy effect.

2 Element Toy Lens

Effect looks very similar to Gaudy Lens though, this

is a lens originated from a Toy camera + added

concave lens on front (= effectively a Retrofocus structure)

— advantage of this lens is its omuni-focus design.

Double Density Pinhole

And this one was taken by the Double Density Pinhole.

Mono-Pinhole

But this one was by the simple Mono-Pinhole.

Tri-Pinholes

Then, how about Tri-Pinhole !    🙂

Double Density Pinhole

Different angles by the DD-Pinhole.

Double Density Pinhole

This photo showes the flowers in the green, between the houses.

= nothing special.

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Meadow by Twisted Lens

This was the first field test of the so-called

Twisted Lens = Two convex lenses stacked on a bellows.

As the lens was on a bellows they were easily

re-positioned = so, the effect of blur was adjusted.

As the lens was on the bellows, they were rather awkward

to use, nevertheless it managed to produce the photos.

You might wonder why I fuss about such fuzzy images =

The reason is, in our eyes we may not seeing sharp clear

images — they might be the brain re-constructed image.

(Remember, we never see straight line with rownd eye balls

— straight line IS the re-construction in the brain) 

That’s why we are surprised and impressed by the sharp

clear photos, same as when we see a detailed close-up

photo of an insect which we can’t see otherwise.

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Cherry Cherry – 2016

Those photos were from the several Cherry trees,

probably the last cherry photos of this year.

Lens used was that modified Tokina-Wide-Converter

with bellows on Canon 5D Mk-III.

—– Don’t you agree, £1 junk from an Odds n’ Ends box

of a Camera shop wasn’t too bad.  😀

.

Cherry by Soft Lenses

The photos here were taken from the same Cherry tree as

the previous post.   (As they are not plain 5 petals flower,

this is not Somei-yoshino) 

The softness (?  Blur) on the previous post were created by

the Focus-Shift = focused image and the out-of-focus image

were mechanically superimposed on the shot. — But here,

the softness was caused optically by the lens’ aberration.

= Those first 4 photos were taken by the homemade

single glass lens = nicknamed “Gaudy lens” .

Among my homemade lenses, this is the most useful,

easy to use lens.

You may say, the aberration of this lens is too much

though, this is what I wanted.   🙂

Above those two photos, you can see the type of

softness are very different.  = The photo above and

the following 3 photos were taken by  the modified

(front diverging lens was removed)

Tokina Wide-Converter.

Regardless the technical blur blur, all about

the photography (or any art) the matter is the

end result = if it is good, it’s good. 

Nothing else.   😀

(And when the result was the same, the cheaper

the cost is the better.)

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First Cherry 2016

–

I’ve been closely watching this cherry tree for a past few days.

And at last on yesterday I found a first flower opened on there. 

Good heavens, when I went to the tree next day with my

camera, hundred of the flowers were blooming.

(Still, it would be a week away to see it’s full blooming)

There are hundred of different cherries even in this country.  

So, a kind of Kan-Zakura (Winter Cherry) has been flowering

already, yet still, this is the first typical Japanese Cherry = 

Somei-yoshino’s flower I found.

—– How I can tell this IS the Somei-yoshino was,

(1) The leaves come out only after the flower.

(2) The fertility of the Somei-yoshino was very restrictive =

Somei-Y’ x Somei-Y’ can’t germinate (= with other variety can) 

Therefore, we never see the Seedling under the Somei-Y’ tree.

So that, the propagation of Somei-Y’ could only be done by

grafting = Cloning = in other words, ALL the Somei-yoshino in

the world originated from a single tree found in the Somei Village,

a northern corner of Edo (Tokyo), 200 years ago.  It’s mean, if the

tree was grown off  a seed, it is NOT a Somei-yoshino.  (= So, some

Koreans claimed that “That Cherry grow naturally in our country”

is a proof of their ignorance, how they didn’t know the history

NOR biology. = Same kind of ignorance like they claims that the

Chinese-character was invented in Korea.   😀 )

—– What so ever, I’ve been enjoying the bloom on this tree

for the past 15 years !  (But I’m not necessary happy to see the

flowers in such early timing = it’s not even April yet)

(Photos taken by the Tamron 500 mm Mirror Lens/Canon 5D Mk-3)

————————-

And now, the same Cherry have had the full bloom !

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Peach flower

—— (Photo above: taken by a homemade, so-called Gaudy Lens)

Peach flower is much more appreciated in China than in Japan.

In Chinese myth, the famous Shangrila was written as 桃源郷

which mean The place where the Peach Blooming. = (neither

Cherry nor Banana.)   The reason why Chinese value Peach more

than Cherry is, not only its juicy fruits but the color of flower is

more reddish.

The color Red mean prosperity and the longevity to the Chinese.

In a stark contrast, Cherry Blossom is the symbol of the ephemeral

life, even the death to the Japanese (in the Buddhists context.)  So,

Japanese appreciate its moment of the flower falling like a snow

storm, as well as when it was fully blooming.

——- (Photo above Left : by Canon Fisheye Zoom 8~15mm —

——–Photo Right : Converging Lens from Tokina Wide converter.)

The reason why Chinese likes Red was originated from the vermilion.

Vermilion is the Mercury Oxide = deadly poison = therefore it is a

very effective preservative to the timber. So, the Chinese temple etc

has been painted with Red Vermilion = never rotten for thousand of

years.  So, Red Vermilion is the demonstration of the longevity !

And there was a fancy story of the Vermilion, whether it was a 

fabrication of the novelist or not, there said to be an Elixir of life made

from Vermilion, which was repeatedly oxidized and deoxidized 9 times,

called  九還丹 in China.  (If you found it in the Net, you may try ! )

—— (Photo above : Converging Lens from Tokina)

To the Japanese, the appreciation of Peach flower was in its

association with the girl’s festival (桃の節句) on 3rd of March

other than that not much special feeling in the Japanese mind.

So that, other than in the fruits orchard in a country side,

we don’t see as many Peach trees like Cherry in town .

—— (Photo above : by converging Lens from Tokina

Wide Converter mounted on a Bellows = Photo right

= As the lens was mounted on a bellows, it can focus

from ∞ to 1/3 close-up)

Front element of the Diverging Lens has been used somewhere

else, and the left over converging element was used here.  😀

(You may amazed, how photography can be done in such a casual manner.)

[∞]

Winter Cherry 2015

Someone might say,”Same again how boring”

though, it’s not only an accustomed tradition here

but this tree is more than a friend to me.

She is an indicator of Life.

Having had a rather unusual life style = flowering in  

the winter and the last one tree left among the three,

— to see her flowering again in this year, really

gave me a sigh of relief.

By the way, they are the same flower though, right photo was taken

with a built-in flash of the Nikon D810, and I found it is rather useful.

(Though, flashlight was diffused by a white paper.)

So far, the weather in London is not cold at all.  Still it is winter.

The photos here were taken by either Zeiss 18mm F3.5 for Nikon or

Homemade single glass lens/so-called Gaudy Lens on Nikon D810.

(Strangely, the Non-CPU lens on D810 was functioning well here —

I haven’t fully tested whether D800 and D810 got different OS/setting.

The setting was for Non-CPU/Zeiss 18mm Lens = the Lens, brighter

than F5.6 may be working but may not be with Pinhole unless AI ring

was set to the proper position.)

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Focus-Shift Flower image

Somebody in the USA contacted me to use one of my old photo which was

taken by a technique of Focus Shift, hence the image has big off-focus

bokeh superimposed on it.  In fact I’ve published such photo many times

like this or this. (though, the gear used or the lens may not be the same)

And even there was such drastic approach.   🙂     But this time, focus ring

was moved manually, and in order to have a slower shutter speed, shooting

took place in the evening, under rather dim light.

And to make off-focus, shift to near or far, or the setting of F-aperture etc,

above all, how far the subject, will make the picture looks quite different.

(still, there is no fixed manner = it’s just case by case.   🙂  )

Funny things of Focus Shift is, first moment, it was focused to the main

subject, then move the focus, generally till completely out of focus though,

why not focused here and there.  = Two subjects will have each clear focus

(and bit of bokeh)  🙂

Camera used here was the Nikon D810 — having had 37Mp image-censor,

there are ample of space to crop the image.

A radio DJ mentioned Xmas —– Oh no, soon it will be the November

—– still, flower patch has few flowers left.    Thanks Goodness.

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Bizarre Lens on Macro shot

It’s the same lens, Pentax AF Zoom 35~70 F2.8 — with that heavy proxer.

So, the magnification ratio was about 0.5 (at 35mm)~1 (at 70mm).

As you may see, I’m not after the scientific details but the optical softness.

Still, when the subject was on the same plain (within the depth of field)

the lens can capture quite a details.   (All the photos here = F2.8)

(Note, in this photo, left bottom, an egg of the Green lacewing.)

Macro photography is the constant supply of the visual fantasy for me.   🙂

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Garden Flowers @ Greenwich Park

Lots of flowers from the Greenwich Park. (They were taken by the Homemade

Two Element Lens and the Homemade Gaudy Lens on Canon 5D Mk-III.)

Don’t see this as a botanical picture.  (If this one was for botanical use, it must be a

nightmare for the photographer = may be even beyond the  Hi Dynamic Range process.)

= So, see this as an abstract painting. —– black petunia kind and the white one.  

After green and the blue Chrysanthemum was created, next by next, rather fancy

colored flower has been appearing in the market.  

Another day, I saw an almost perfect black Tulip —– and started wondering, if the

flower industry managed to crack the genetic-code of black color or found the

chemical to tint the flower.  In either way, it is a very very uncomfortable situation. 

They are extra = I found a huge Tulip Tree in the park. = I may need to visit

again to see its ancient flower !

And realized, in fact there are lots of Chestnut tree = better come again

on October to pick the nuts.  🙂

It was a very hot day —– still some people like to enjoy the sun.

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