Photo Jottings!

More thoughts on the insignificance of full frame sensors.

Posted by Kurt on May 14, 2012 in Jottings

A few people had plenty to say about my recent article where I stated my desire for Sony to end their ‘full frame’ debacle and concentrate on producing great APS-C and NEX lenses at affordable prices.  Well, after checking the comments here, I’d say about 50% never read my article, 40% were off-topic, 3% were busy attacking each other, 3% were apparently on the wrong page, and 4% seemed rational with a good point!

I have to laugh though; one guy was quite busy calling me a crack…

Nice time-lapse of Yosemite

Posted by Kurt on May 3, 2012 in Jottings

Check out the great time-lapse photography by Shawn Reeder, called Yosemite Range of light.  It looks like this type of work is his specialty, go here to see his other stuff.  Although this technique isn’t exactly new, it’s still good to see people breaking out of the mold, and doing something different, that’s the reason it caught my eye, and why I’m posting it for others.  I like the part where it looks like tracer bullets are flying above the camera at night, more than likely airplanes though.  I’m thinking a fast lens had to be used to keep the exposure times to a minimum for a smooth playback.

Sony’s cameras and lenses by the numbers

Posted by Kurt on April 30, 2012 in Jottings

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been slowly updating the Sony DLSR page and lenses chart, and in the process, I’ve collected some interesting tidbits about Sony’s DSLR and NEX camera systems, so I thought I’d share that info with you.  Some people will probably get PO’d over some of my assessments, but sometimes reality sucks, sorry.  However, on the flip side, some people may be pleasantly surprised by reading other parts.

I’ll start off with some stats for all of Sony’s cameras and lenses, and then offer some thoughts on Sony’s progress (FF, APS-C and NEX) since their purchase of Konica Minolta’s imaging division in late 2005.

Sony has been in the DSLR/SLT business for a relatively long period of time (over six years now), so let’s see what they’ve achieved!

Sony NEX-7 and Sony A57 in stock…at the moment

Posted by Kurt on April 19, 2012 in Jottings

The Sony NEX-7 body only and with kit lens is currently in stock, but probably not for long.  The great CZ 24/1.8 lens sold out in minutes after it came in.  Take a look at the new Sony A57 (body only).  I doubt I’ll have time to review that camera as I’m plenty busy right now, plus involved in trying to get the old site up to date; that’ll take some time!

Canon Powershot G1X review posted!

Posted by Kurt on April 18, 2012 in Reviews

Go to the old site and check out the Canon G1X review.  It’s top heavy with lens testing, but there are already tons of reviews out there with good write-ups on the features and functions of the camera, so I skipped most of that.

The Canon G1X is a stellar performer, especially when you consider the size, and that is has a very useful zoom lens.

Folks that are picky about their images, and want to really learn how to take better pictures should look very closely at this camera.  The pictures look great using auto mode, so you don’t have to worry about shooting in RAW and fiddling with apertures, shutter speeds and ISOs.  Good pictures come from concentrating on composition and lighting, not the camera.

I bought this camera from B&H photo because I liked it so much, and now I use it for almost everything except paying jobs, although I have used it a time or two for Real Estate work.

Sony sale items, and maybe NEX-7 in stock!

Posted by Kurt on April 16, 2012 in Jottings

Word is B&H Photo might have some NEX-7 bodies in stock, or maybe some with the kit lens, (not sure), so if you’re ready to step up to this camera you may as well give it a try and hope for a completed sale, instead of the dreaded ‘notify when in stock’ note.  I would imagine in a month or so Sony should have enough of the NEX-7′s produced to fill orders regularly, although they may still sell out once in a while.

For those that want a great factory flash for the Sony camera, I’d highly recommend the HVL-F43AM, it’s the best Sony has to offer if you’re going to use it away from the studio, plus, it’s $318, or $30 off.  For Studio shooters, get the HVL-F58AM, $448 or $50 off.  It has the cable socket for off-camera use,  and a plug for an external battery pack which provides quick recharges.  But seriously, if you want a great studio set-up, get the Elinchrom D-lite-4 IT kit, it has two 400ws flash heads, two stands, and two softboxes.  It also comes with a skyport, which allows radio control from your camera.  It’s way more powerful than a couple of camera flashes, and much cheaper too!  I bought one of these kits (in part) for shooting from outside to inside through windows when it’s cloudy out to make it look like it’s sunny.  They work great, and have super sensitive built-in slaves, so you only need one flash going off to set the two heads off.  I’m going to review this kit when I get time.

The Canon G1X review is about done, look for it in a few days.

New things in the works

Posted by Kurt on April 11, 2012 in Jottings

I’m still working on the Canon G1X review, which btw, will be quite extensive since I’m going to do a full review of the lens too!  Look for the review later this month.

Kurtmunger.com will be updated slowly over the next month or so.  I’ll be adding new cameras to the data base, re-working the NEX page and lens chart, and adding useful information to the lens reviews, such as alternatives that have become available recently, and links to comparisons etc.  The site should be fully updated by mid to late May.  Areas that need quick attention are the recommended cameras and accessories pages.  I”m doing this to reflect new products I use, products that are no longer available,  and getting rid of others that I don’t find very useful anymore.  One of those items….

NEX fisheye converter comp with Vivitar 7mm F/3.5 fisheye

Posted by Kurt on April 7, 2012 in Jottings Reviews

Whoops, I forgot to post this with the NEX fisheye converter review, so here it is now.  I’ve cropped the images in four different areas and added them to the gallery so you can see the quality of each lens without going through the full size images.  The Sony NEX-C3 was used with the fisheye converter, along with the Sony A580 and Vivitar 7mm F/3.5 fisheye.

The NEX fisheye converter looks pretty good in the center and right side…

Sony NEX fisheye review

Posted by Kurt on April 5, 2012 in Jottings Reviews

The Sony VCL-ECF1 (review here) is a cool little add-on lens for people wanting a fisheye experience using the Sony NEX system.  While this converter is not an optical masterpiece, it actually works well, and can be very fun if you know how to use it.  It’s not for ‘getting it all in’ in a general sense, so don’t use it simply as you would a wide angle lens.  Check out my boring Sony 16/2.8 fisheye review for ideas, or Flickr for interesting fisheye compositions, some good, some bad.

Sad, but true, for about the same price of the Sony 16/2.8 fisheye lens, you can get the Sony NEX-5N, 16mm pancake lens, and the fisheye converter, which works almost as good!

Sony NEX 16mm optical viewfinder

Posted by Kurt on April 3, 2012 in Reviews

Sony offers this bright optical viewfinder for the 16mm pancake lens as an aid for people that don’t like using the LCD in bright sunlight, or other reasons I suppose.  The FDA-SV1 is part of the ‘smart accessory terminal’ system that currently includes the new EVF and two flashes.

This viewfinder is only for the 16mm F/2.8 lens, and will not provide the right field of view when using any other lens, or the two converters for the 16mm F/2.8 lens.

There isn’t much to this item, but check it out if you have nothing else better to do.