Midrange Zoom Methodology

Bagged Leaves

Working with primes, I had a simple way of composing. I looked through the view finder and moved around until what I saw looked like a photograph. With an SLR, the view envelopes you. My choice of lens was set by how close I wanted to get to my subject and how much depth I wanted to portray. Most of the time, the normal lens of 35mm to 50mm reflected my visual sense, so I felt comfortable in that range.

With the Leica, time enters into the shot to a greater degree because it’s easier to see around the outside of both the camera itself and the actual picture frame because of the mechanics of the camera.

Shooting with midrange zooms now, I’ve had to think about how to approach the choice I was holding in my hands. One idea is to choose a focal length for the subject and then put the camera to the eye. Kind of like having multiple primes available instantly.

Over the past few months I’ve developed a different way of working. I tend to keep the zoom at its widest view as I approach a subject. I explore through the view finder, approaching as if I had a wide prime on the camera. If I see detail in the scene that I want to isolate, I move into zoom mode and fill the frame. It’s led me to longer focal lengths and tighter shots. My mantra, courtesy of Vincent Versace is: “Own the frame”. Instead of waiting for the photograph to assemble in the viewfinder, I find myself more actively creating the image because I can play with position and focal length subtly and simultaneously.

My realization that I had changed my approach came from looking over my images from the last two weeks and running across this from Moose Peterson:

Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 AF-S: “I use the 17-55 mainly for landscapes and portraits. My preferred way of using it is getting close physically to the subject and than using the focal length variability to isolate the subject while telling its story. This means that quite often I’m using the lens wide open if not real close to it.”

Tamron 17-50mm Quality



Decorated Log, originally uploaded by jjvornov.

I’m very happy with the Tamron midrange zoom so far. This image has a beautiful tonality range and real dimensional rendering that I like. I’m reminded of the Zuiko 14-54 that I had for the old E-1.

You can’t go wrong with this lens for an APS-C Nikon.

Another Camera Bag

While in the camera store this afternoon, I also bought a new camera bag. It’s the fourth bag that I’ve ever purchased. The first goes back to my Minolta SRT-201 days, a little Sundog that was great for a small film camera and an extra prime. I think that I may have put the Olympus E-1 in it from time to time, but the E-1 basically just had the really nice Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 on it all the time (28-108 equivalent). I’ve bought two camera bags since, but neither has seen real service. I picked up a Mountainsmith waistpack on sale at Campmoor in NJ once, but it seemed to be all padding and too small inside for it’s bulk. I took it out once or twice, but it mostly moved from car to house holding two lenses and a flash. I moved up in size with a bigger Kata bag, but it was just a bigger waste. I held my full nikon kit, but again just seemed too bulky to be useful as anything other than a way to transport kit from one site to another.

I have a little collection of Domke wraps that cushion equipment enough to put it into whatever I’m carrying for travel- laptop backpack, currently a nice Patagonia Lightwire or hiking pack. My philosophy has been that the camera should either be out and being used or put away.

One of the problems is that these packs are all too big for daily use. I have a small list of items that pretty much go everywhere with me:
1. iPhone
2. Small notebook
3. Fountain Pen
4. Camera.

I can fit 1, 2 and 3 into pockets. I the winter, the DP1 can go into a jacket or coat pocket, but not at other times. No way to bring the Nikon DSLR other than hand carried. Which I can do if there’s just one lens, sitting on the camera.

I’ve looked for a small simple messenger style bag over the years for a DSLR plus one lens. This Lowepro Terraclime 100 is a small, unpadded messenger bag that comes with a Domke-like camera wrap. It looks like a perfect fit for either two extra lenses plus flash if lens number three is on the camera and the camera is not in the bag or for a camera plus one lens.

Lets see whether it increases my image output by making it easier to have the camera with me more often.

Midrange Zoom Chapter 2



Big Leaf, originally uploaded by jjvornov.

After a morning at the dentist, I stopped by our best local camera store, Service Photo. I had a look through their used midrange zoom collection including all of the usual suspects. I ended up walking out with the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. It’s compact, fast and, in the non-HSM version I bought, very inexpensive compared to any other f/2.8 alternative.

It’s not a VR lens, but then I’m not so sure that I’ve gotten any real boost in sharpness in this focal range given that I hand hold relatively well down to 1/30th second.

Here’s one of the first session with the lens in one of my favorite spots for quck shots, a local 1 acre conservatory.

Horses for Courses



Yes… we’re OPEN, originally uploaded by jjvornov.

My photographic output has been much less over the last few months. Whether symptom or cause, my cameras have not been accompanying me unless it’s been specifically for travel, in which case the Sigma DP1 now automatically comes along.

I’ve seen some very nice light over this time, but I didn’t have a camera with me. I started once again trying to decide whether there was any reasonable way to carry a camera with me more consistently and even started checking out smaller compacts that would be more easily pocketable than the DP1.

In the end, I decided that the problem was that I’m lacking photographic goals right now. With the end of the calendar year in sight, I’ve spent some time looking over my images in Aperture, looking at what equipment has been most productive for me and thinking about how I use my collection of equipment.

The DP1 is my business travel camera, sometimes being traded off with the Leica M6 when I’ve shot Black and White in cities, mostly London. My most popular images on Flickr are DP1 images, whether because of the image quality, the subject matter or the level of interest in the camera. It’s clear to me that when Sigma offers an update with a faster lens, better low light capability and faster operation, I’ll be a buyer. Or perhaps we’ll see the equivalent from Olympus or Nikon in the near future. With a new Leica M8 now going for $4000, it could be that I might eventually go to a digital M.

The D300 gets used with either the 24-120mm VR or with a kit of the 12-24mm f/4 plus the 105mm f/2.8 Micro. I’ve grown fond of using the 5x zoom of the 24-120mm, but the rendering quality of the lens doesn’t suit me well. While images tend to sharpen up well enough in post processing, it is not a crisp, high contrast lens. Yet having it on the camera, it tends to displace my better lenses, since the focal lengths are completely or in part covered by the superzoom.

I’m going to try to use the 300 with a bit more purpose now. Either with the 24-120mm for casual shooting, easy enough when I’m walking out to my car and not having to walk much with the big camera and big lens, or with the 12-24mm plus 105mm kit for a serious shooting session.

It seems I really don’t need anything longer than the 120mm for now and I might even consider swapping it for the newer Nikon 16-85 VR which is reputed to be a sharper lens.

The two primes, the 24mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.8 are small and fast, but I don’t see how they fit into this plan right now. I loved them on the D80 since I could have a small, light DSLR kit. I’m used to the larger D300 at this point and have the DP1 when I want to go very light. And I don’t get along with the evaluative metering on the D80, while the D300 and DP1 are generally right the first time.

Getting Back on the Wagon



At the Corner in Fall, originally uploaded by jjvornov.

Nearly two months without a photo upload or post here. The combination of the Jewish holidays and the election seemed to squeeze out any air for photography. With the election now decided, I regret that I missed some of the best light and fall color. Here’s my penence: a black and white conversion from a D300 image. When I grabbed it this afternoon in the overcast light, I saw it as monochrome, so I immediately converted it.

This with the much maligned Nikon 24-120mm zoom, which I find sharpens up nicely.

DP2 Coming?



Parking Divide, originally uploaded by jjvornov.

Photokina is underway in Germany. It’s held every other year and is the worlds biggest photography equipment show. I’ve been uninvolved emotionally in the rumors and announcements so far because I’m pretty well satisfied with my three current systems- Leica M6ttl film/scan, Nikon D300 DSLR, and the Sigma DP1.

The DP1 is the problem child as I love the images it produces, like this one, but it’s responsiveness is the the worst I’ve ever had in a camera I used regularly. I switched away from Olympus to Nikon just because my E-1 was so pokey compared to a Nikon, but the DP1 is much, much worse. I work around it, but I’d love a replacement that actually let me adjust shutter speed, aperture or ISO more frequently than every 10 seconds.

It’s rumored that a DP2 with a 40mm equiv lens will be shown tomorrow. I’ll wait to see whether they’ve improved on the electronics before committing. If they have, I’ll probably add it to the DP1, since 40mm is a very natural focal length for the way I see– as the 24mm on the Nikon DX (36mm equiv) is a favorite of mine.

The other camera I want to see is, maybe surprisingly, the Minox “spycam” due out tomorrow: Minox DSC/

I loved the sharp, infinite depth of field of the Minox film cams. If they can do something similar with a digital, I’d be interested in using it as yet another way of seeing.

So far the Nikon D700 sounds great and if didn’t already have the D300, I might have gone for it. For now though the extra cost doesn’t get me anything other than shifting focal lengths up and making my one DX lens (the 12-24mm f/4) less usable. I’m OK wide with the the D300 and the low light sensitivity is good enough for me now.

The micro 4/3rds cameras from Olympus and Panasonic may turn out to be great, but the Panasonic is larger than the DP1. I’ll wait to see whether we get something smaller and more capable than the DP1. But that DP1 Foveon image quality will be hard to beat without new sensor technology.

So I’m kind of sitting out this round for now, trying to make images.

No Plan



Action, originally uploaded by jjvornov.

This is an image that had no intent to it. I was photographing my son as he slid down a slide in these cascading pools, working on how to set shutterspeed and pan to capture him sharply amid the rushing water. In this frame he was out of site more or less (that’s him at the far left of the frame) but the image is striking.

Favored Focal Lengths



The Conversation, originally uploaded by jjvornov.

This is an image captured with the Nikon 105mm Micro VR. It’s a beautifully sharp lens. This was handheld at 1/60th sec at f/5.

As I’ve looked through some of these images, I’ve begun to realize why I like the wide lens of the Sigma DP1 and why the 24mm f/2.8 spends so much time on the Nikon DSLR.

This image shows it well. The knothole in the tree on the right is nice and sharp. But the near side of the knot on the left is out of focus enough to bother me. The depth of field of the 105mm is just too shallow for my favored look. When I use the 24mm and move in close to frame at an aperture of f/5 the depth of the two trees would be fully in focus.

It may be that I’m better off without the 24-120mm lens because of typical subject matter and desire for deeper focus. At the very least I need to work toward bracketing apertures to better judge how much I need to stop down to successfully capture this kind of image.

Landscape in Miniature



Landscape in Miniature, originally uploaded by jjvornov.

I’ve finally ranked the images from my New Hampshire vacation now almost 3 weeks later. I really felt kind of blocked and detatched from the image making, largely because I felt that I had a low number of captures and an even lower yield of good images out of the collection. I hope to work through them steadily as I probably have about 30 images worth the effort of post processing.

It’s almost like a loss of faith or confidence that in the end one or two of these images will be standouts. I think that my eye is much more critical of technical flaws, leaving me unimpressed with so many images. Of course that should only lead to better images in the future.