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john mackay

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    Shen Hao HZX45-IIA and a Nikkor-SW 75 mm f4.5

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>Vinny's right, you'll only get around an inch of shift with a 90mm on the standard bellows. I don't imagine that there's any need for a recessed board if you were shooting with the bag bellows.</p>

     

    <p>I'd heard good reports about Dave & Deb Parker's Satin-snow Ground Glass but due to its popularity I was looking at around a two month wait for that and although I ordered one anyway, I needed a more immediate solution and so also decided to see if I could pick-up a cheap second-hand fresnel off EBay.</p>

     

    <p>A five minute search of EBay turned-up LensN2Shutter's very serviceable Ultra-Thin Fresnel?. At around .46 of a millimeter thick this fresnel is literally no thicker than my soft and delicate public service fingernails. Taking into account the registration shift due to the fresnel being mounted forward of the GG this translates to an actual focal plane shift of less than a 1/3 of a millimetre (0.31mm).</p>

     

    <p>The difference was night and day, in that I had gone from very poor edge illumination of the Shen-hao supplied GG even under a hood in marked contrast to the combination of the Ultra-Thin Fresnel where the entire image was discernable from 12 inches off the GG in ambient light with the hood removed.</p>

     

    <p>In fact, spot-meter readings taken off of the back of the Shen-hao supplied GG with and without the Ultra-Thin Fresnel show a 1 stop increase at the centre and a two stop increase at the outer edges of the GG -- night and day and a must have if you're shooting wides in my opinion.</p>

     

    Hope this helps...John.

    Where's the drawn line?

    in The History & Philosophy of Photography

    Posted

    <p>Dave Reichert wrote: <i>"As I see it, the concept might have a chance to be redeemed. If either the "owner" of the artifact, or the artist himself would make a high quality scan of it and offfer it free to anyone that sends a blank CD and a self addressed stamped envelope, I might be persuaded to recognize some value."</i></p>

     

    <p>Unfortunately, it is the <i>"giving"</i> that kills the new meaning that this level of appropriation affords. In context, this wasn't just your garden variety appropriation. Richard didn't just use the ticks and mannerisms of consumerism a la Warhol or appropriate store mannequins or Hollywood persona's as leverage on the female condition as did Cindy Sherman. No. Richard took appropriation art to whole new level by literally taking someone else's photo and without permission making it his own through the simple act of re-contextualising it and not just any photo but a very specific photo that could be said to embody the American psyche.</p>

     

    <p>I guess the joke, if there is one, lies in the irony; that we can become so easily indignant about the appropriation of a single photograph whilst remaining for all practical purposes blithely indifferent to the fact that as Americans and Australians we owe our existence as nations to the very act of appropriating them from their indigenous peoples (original owners). Many of us might counter that it is only through that act of appropriation that the original's potential or true worth could be fully realised.<p>

     

    <p>I imagine Richard's argument is much the same :)</p>

    Relative sharpness Grandagon 6.8 vs. 4.5 ?

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>Bob Salomon wrote: <i>"In all measurable respects the 4.5 versions will outperform the 6.8 versions."</i></p>

     

    <p>The saggital MTF for both lenses shows an advantage (albeit slight) to the 6.8 version when stopped down to f/22 and meridianal MTF is identical out to around 100mm from center for both lenses. In that sense then it is not until you start to push near to around 2" of shift that the f/4.5 starts to pull ahead in terms of meridianal MTF.</p>

     

    <p>Additionally, the light-fall off characteristics as measured across their respective image circle radius' is almost identical for both lenses which is to be expected but the f/4.5 does appear to have better control of distortion.</p>

     

    <p>I would suggest that for all practical purposes if it was the intention to shoot either of these lenses at a working aperture of between f/16 and f/22 using only the limited movements on most 4x5 field cameras then the f/6.8 version is every bit the equal of the f/4.5 as well as having the advantage of being lighter and having a smaller filter size.</p>

    Where's the drawn line?

    in The History & Philosophy of Photography

    Posted

    <p>In truth the sheer power of Richard Prince's work Untitled Cowboy rests entirely in the act of appropriation and specifically as applied to this iconic advertising image and its representation--it is genius pure and simple. It was a bargain at $1.2 million and will be worth tens of millions if not more in years to come.</p>

     

    <p>I remember when it sold a few years back watching a dozen art critics fumble around as each tried and failed to grasp its monumental significance.</p>

     

    <p>In my mind it is the most powerful conceptual art ever produced--he'll never trump it and I doubt anyone ever will.</p>

    Women's view of nudes

    in The History & Philosophy of Photography

    Posted

    <p>What's truly depressing is just how quickly these type of posts turn in to a John Peri bashing exercise. The guy has done nothing wrong and truthfully by denigrating his work we are by proxy denigrating the women he has photographed.</p>

     

    <p>Let's be honest, what most of us are really pi$$ed about and I'd include myself from time to time, is that he's popular. His highly stylised captures of women are no different from the landscape or wildlife porn I see posted on this website from time to time--mea culpa. :)</p>

     

    <p>I've felt a little frustrated too at times of the profile that nudes enjoy in the popularity stakes but let's face it--it's not John Peri's fault that his work is popular.</p>

    Relative sharpness Grandagon 6.8 vs. 4.5 ?

    in Large Format

    Posted

    Hi Scott,

     

    I own the f/6.8 version which I find has more than enough coverage for 4x5. The main difference that was important for me was that the f/4.5 peaked to early at f/11 and because the majority of my work is landscape I really wanted that peak to occur more in the f/16 to f/22 bracket for DOF situations that I can't tilt my way out of. The larger filter size was also an issue for me on the f/4.5 as well.

     

    Cheers....John.

    help with lenses

    in Olympus

    Posted

    <p> Hi Jet,</p>

     

    <p>Your camera's effective 35mm focal length is around 38-114mm which is moderately wide to moderate tele-photo. I think your choices will be limited to the WCON-07F wide angle adapter which at .7x should increase your wide angle field of view from 38mm to around 28mm. At the long end you're probably looking at the TCON-17F which is a 1.7x teleconverter which should extend your zoom from 114mm to around 200mm effective field of view.</p>

     

    <p>So, the WCON-07F adapter would allow you to fit much more of the scene into the photo and the TCON-17F would allow you to zoom into the details of the scene.</p>

     

    <p><Hope this helps.</p>

     

    <p><Cheers...John.</p>

    What are the top macro lenses for 4x5?

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>Ken, I recall reading somewhere that the sironar-N's are really only suitable down to around 1:10 with the S series being more suitable for table-top work at around 1:5. I recently purchased a second-hand Rodenstock APO-Ronar 240mm f/9 in Copal 1 for $200US. These are supposed to be optimised for 1:1 and I estimate it should focus down to around 28" with 360mm of belows extension providing (I think) around 1:2 reproduction on film.

    <br /> 

    </p>

    <p>Cheers...John.

    <br /> 

    </p>

    New Shen Hao or used Toyo 45A?

    in Large Format

    Posted

    Hi Brian, That's absolutely correct. It is a combination of base and axis tilts. Using standard extension I measure around 295mm from lens panel to film plane which still permits movements such as tilts, rise, fall. Using the combination of base and axis tilts on the front standard this then is measured at 380mm but no movements are available.

    <br /><div>00J2h7-33834284.thumb.jpg.042460b3971a6609bb3fab281095788f.jpg</div>

    New Shen Hao or used Toyo 45A?

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>Hi Norman,</p>

    <p>Other forum posts have addressed the excellent build quality of the Toyo so I won't repeat that here. However, the Shen-hao has more extensive movements than the Toyo. Ultimately your question will hinge on whether (for all practical purposes) you require the bullet-proof construction of the Toyo or the more flexible movement options of the Shen-Hao. I have provided a matrix below for comparison of their respective movements.</p>

    <p>

    <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" height="243" width="640"><tbody>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"><b> Movements</b></td>

    <td width="33%"><b> Shen-Hao HZX45-IIA

    <br /></b></td>

    <td width="33%"><b> Toyo-View 45AII

    <br /></b></td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Front Tilt (fwd/bk)

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 90deg/45deg</td>

    <td width="33%"> 90deg/15deg

    <br /></td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Front Tilt Type

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> base and axis

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> base only

    <br /></td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Front Swing

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 17 deg

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 8 deg

    <br /></td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Front Shift (left/right)

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> -</td>

    <td width="33%"> 7mm/7mm

    <br /></td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Front Rise/Fall

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 37mm/32mm</td>

    <td width="33%"> 20mm/23mm</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Rear Standard Travel

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 70mm</td>

    <td width="33%"> fixed

    <br /></td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Rear Tilt (fwd/bk)</td>

    <td width="33%"> 90deg/40deg</td>

    <td width="33%"> 90/15 deg

    <br /></td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Rear Swing

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 20 deg

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 8 deg</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Rear Shift (left/right)

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 40mm/40mm</td>

    <td width="33%"> -</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Rear Rise/Fall

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 45mm</td>

    <td width="33%"> -</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Bellows</td>

    <td width="33%"> 360mm (interchangeable)

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 324mm (fixed) *

    <br /></td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Size (mm)

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 17 x 17 x 10

    <br /></td>

    <td width="33%"> 18.8 x 20.9 x 10.7</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td width="33%"> Weight</td>

    <td width="33%"> 2.2kg</td>

    <td width="33%"> 2.8kg</td>

    </tr></tbody>

    </table>

    </p>

    <p> *Toyo does have an optional 100mm extension back

    <br /> 

    </p>

    Andreas Gursky

    in The History & Philosophy of Photography

    Posted

    <p>Stefan, you've made a good point. If, in fact the quote was translated from German then it may have lost much of its original meaning. However, as translated to English, Gursky appears to be using the words <i>"see"</i> and <i>"seeing"</i> interchangeably to suggest a purely optical experience at one level (whatever that is) and cognitive experience at another level--yes?

    </p>

    <p>I guess I'm arguing that Gursky's quote is specious to imply that to <i>"see"</i> can exist as a purely optical experience. Without cognition, the only thing the human optical system is transmitting is noise. It is only through cognition that these noisy waves of light have any hope of forming something of meaning in our mind's eye, so to speak. So, when I photograph a half eaten doughnut there are people who will process this as ...well ...a photo of a half eaten doughnut and yet others who will process the same photo as a post-modern indictment of how modern society is eating away our sense of wholeness :)

    </p>

    <p>Both viewpoints required cognition and neither can be held to be superior to the other. Both represent <i>"truth"</i> albeit from the individual's perspective--such is the relativity of truth.

    </p>

    Andreas Gursky

    in The History & Philosophy of Photography

    Posted

    <p><i> "when we see with our eyes we're not actually seeing"</i>

    </p>

    <p>What a complete load of trope. Are these really Gursky's words or Homer Simpson's perhaps? :)</p>

     

    <p>Whilst at face value the quote may appear profound it is in fact spectacularly meaningless.</p>

     

    <p>Unless it is your intention to demonstrate the self-referential abyss of its own absurdity I would strongly recommend you refrain from listing this quote in your dissertation.</p>

    80-400mm, 300mm f4, or used 300mm f2.8

    in Nikon

    Posted

    <p>Hi Julie,

    </p>

    <p>I went through the same thing several years back. I started with Nikon's 80-400 VR, moved to an older 300 f/4 IF-ED and TC-301 teleconverter and finally to a 300 f/2.8 AF-I with a Tc20E. The 300 f/2.8 AF-I was an excellent albeit very heavy 3Kg chunk of glass and subsequently it spent most of its time on a tripod. It's balance on a tripod was quite front heavy but this disappeared once the TC20E was stacked on. Hand-held I found it to be far the easiest lens to get reliable results out of probably due to its mass.

    </p>

    <p>If you can live with manual focus (and I recommend that you think about that carefully) the results from the 300 f/4 IF-ED and TC-301 in combination easily rivaled those from my 300 f/2.8 AF-I. In point of fact the results with the TC-301 were often better than I managed from the 300 f/4 alone. But, at the end of the day it was a very dark and small view on a Fuji S2 Pro.

    </p>

     

    <p>If you haven't had a chance to already I would recommend having a look at <a class="l" href="http://www.photo.net/shared/community-member?user_id=79334"><b><b>Bjorn Rorslett's</b></b></a> lens reviews to get an idea about each of the different lenses characteristics at different apertures and with TC's etc.

    </p>

    <p>Cheers...John.</p>

    Email Password Working?

    in PhotoNet Site Help

    Posted

    I forgot my password a few days back and used the email forgotten password

    facility several times over as many days but it never worked. I still received

    all of the forum updates by email as I usually do so it didn't appear to be an

    addressing problem.

     

    I also reported this via the Contact Us page but heard nothing back. Luckily I

    was able to extract the password from my browser's Password Manager when I

    returned to work Monday so I was able to access my account and change my password.

     

    You might like to have someone confirm that the email password facility is

    operational.

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