25mm Nokton Review late to the party

Some people have tried to knock this lens down, but it still comes up fighting.

The 25mm Nokton was the first lens to give M43 "The Look". Of course by that I mean that the Nokton was the first lens made for the system that gave m43 the much sought after and vaunted full frame look, particularly shallow dof.

Takeout in China.

Delivery food in China is handled by deliver boys on bicycles like this one.

Eating in China can be an interesting experience. People often fall into one of two patterns. You either choose a few foods you are comfortable with and order those repeatedly everywhere you go, or you become a person obsessed with trying everything on offer. Some people like me tend to switch between the two.

Keep reading after the break

10.5mm F0.95 Voigtlander Nokton 8 month Review

M43 as a system has advantages over many of it's contemporaries. It has a large lens portfolio, good ergonomics, multiple body manufacturers, and an overall smaller system size than most other interchangeable lens systems. However it does have it's disadvantages. These include low light performance, compared to larger systems that have larger sensors and lenses with larger entry pupils, and shallow dof. Voigtlander has personally taken on the mission of rectifying this issue by releasing a series of super fast f0.95 lenses. The most recent of these releases was the 10.5mm nokton. I have been shooting with the nokton since September of last year and I have finally decided to write a review from the perspective of a long term user.  Continue reading after the break to see what I think of this unique lens along with a collection of the images another photographer and I have created with it. 

Shooting a fisheye with a flash

Shot at f8

f3.5. I thought it was set to f8 and had it zone focused.

So while I was walking around the other day in Huaqiangbei I stumbled upon a camera store carrying a variety of c mount lenses. These are very interesting due to their miniscule sizes and low prices. I ended up buying a 50mm f1.4, 35mm f1.7, 25mm f1.8 16mm f1.4 and a 8mm fisheye that was made for cmount but they had a m43 version available as well.

These two shots came out of the fisheye. I decided to leave my Voigtlander noktons at home, and just shoot with the tiny 25mm, 50, and fisheye. With my 10.5mm I often shoot with a cabled flash at close distance. These were two shots were I was playing around and tried out the same technique with the fisheye. I love the way that it is able to draw in the entire background while bringing me close enough to use my flash. It really lets the subject stand out in the image even more than they do when I shoot with the 10.5mm.

As you can see the lens is very sharp, and as the kicker? It only cost 60 usd. :D

Please comment and let me know if you have any questions about this little lens. I will be happy to answer.

Shenzhen's Painting Village

A tray for discarded paint in Dafen Painting Village

Shenzhen may not be the oldest city in China but it does have it's share of attractions. One of these is Dafen oil painting village. A beautiful area where paintings of any kind can be found or commissioned. Dafen serves as a location where companies from around the world can have oil painting produced either in large quantities or as single commissions. It is a very interesting area and a must see for both the art and the low prices.

Olympus Em5 Mark II 6 month review

          

In October 2015 I switched from using my Panasonic gx7 to using an Olympus Em5 Mark II as my main camera. I have been using the Em5II solely since then and have become very familiar with it. I will be reviewing this camera as it relates to my personal usage.

Keep reading after the break.

2 years as a photographer.

An artist has his brush and a photographer has his camera.

2 years ago I bought my first camera. It was a Panasonic g6 that I intended to use for video before anything else. Learning to shoot stills with the camera was an entirely secondary concern and I only started because I didn't want to waste the capabilities of the camera. It turned out that I shot far more photos than videos and eventually began to spend a large portion of my free time pursuing photography. It has become one of the most enjoyable and rewarding hobbies I have ever had. After the break will be a number of photos I have taken over the last two years that I feel reflect how my style has changed and developed over time during my 2 years as a photographer.