The door to the rooftop of our apartment building was opened once again so I had a nice view of the fireworks here in Sydney. My brother had a much nicer view though, he was right in the middle of it.

I took my recently converted Canon PowerShot G6 to the beach.

I recently converted a Canon PowerShot G6 to shoot infrared so I’ve been trying it out around the University of New South Wales.

I just got a couple of Kodak wide adapters and I thought I’d try it out on my way to and from work. They both have 37mm threads so I’ve paired them with the Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens which has a 37mm filter thread. The 0.6x and 0.5x give a field of view of 10.2mm and 8.5mm respectively. Image quality is horrible but it can produce some funky looking pictures from time to time.

First four pics below were taken with the 0.6x and the other four were taken using the 0.5x.

I recently bought a second hand Olympus E-PL1 and replaced the anti aliasing filter with glass which I cut out from an old UV filter. Lucky for me, the UV filter glass is the same thickness as the anti aliasing filter. And my brother has a 52mm Hoya R72 filter which fits perfectly on the Panasonic 14-42mm so off I went to take some infrared pics.

Here are my first few pics with it. Images were processed in Adobe Photoshop. I’ll try to take more this week and possibly update this post. I hope it stays sunny.

Update 2011-09-18

I just added three more pics taken this past week. I’ve noticed that my brother’s Hoya R72 filter has some sort of imperfection in the glass which makes the middle part of the image blurry. It’s not a scratch and it’s hard to see unless you’re looking at it against a bright light source (and even then, you really have to be looking for it) but it makes the photos look horrible when the Panasonic 14-42mm lens is at its widest. It disappears the more you zoom in but I like to shoot wide so I don’t think I’ll be using it much. Besides, I’ve just realised that using a red filter produces more pleasing results when doing faux colour IR photos so I think I’ll be using that from now on.

Every now and again, my wife and I will walk over to McDonald’s and get some food then eat it at one of the grassy parts of the University of New South Wales. We did the same thing earlier today and after we finished eating, we walked around a little and we eventually came across a little turtle dove (I never knew what a turtle dove was until today) that was getting murdered by two crows plus a gang of other little jerk birds. I’m guessing stuff like that happens all the time in nature, survival of the fittest and all that fun stuff, but this little bird was all alone getting smashed by around a dozen birds and I couldn’t just stand by and let it happen.

The photo above was taken just before we decided to put an end to the massacre. The little guy had no chance! It took some time for us to catch the little guy (it probably thought that we were out to hurt it as well) and when we did, we saw that a lot of its feathers on its back were gone and the crows have done some serious damage to its fleshy parts.

When we brought the turtle dove to the Struggletown Vet Randwick, this big fluffy dog was there to greet me and hang out with me while they sorted out the turtle dove. She seemed really friendly and kept coming near me so I just rubbed her while my wife filled out some paperwork. The staff seemed nice and they were the ones who told us that the bird was a turtle dove.

Hopefully the little turtle dove recovers and stays away from the other mean birds.

The view from my place as seen through an IR modified Canon PowerShot G2. I modded another G2 back in 2009 but I sold it off. I was recently able to purchase another one for $35 so I thought I’d give it another go and it seems to have turned out better than the last time (because I now have glass that very close to the thickness of the G2′s AA/UV-IR cut filter). I’m hoping to try modding an EOS 300D when I get a bit of free time.

This image was stitched together from 5 shots, all taken vertically (or portrait style). The G2 lens isn’t that wide so I usually have to take several photos if I want to go wide.

Every now and again, I come across people who would like to get into macro photography and they tell me that they are saving up for a macro lens. A lot of newcomers often think that they have to spend a ton of money on equipment in order to take macro photos and I always tell them that it doesn’t have to cost and arm and a leg to get into it. You can, of course, spend hundreds if you choose to do so. But I always suggest some of the cheaper alternatives to people who are starting out for a couple of reasons:

What if they spent hundreds on a lens and later on realise that macro photography isn’t for them? The way I see it, spend a bit of cash now and see if taking macro photos is your thing. If not then at least you didn’t spend much. If you like it then you can get a macro lens. But also…

Some of those cheaper alternatives do an excellent job. I guess I’m just the type of person who will try to look for the cheapest way of doing something without sacrificing quality. Plus, I like doing all sorts of photography and I don’t expect to spend a ton of time taking macro photos so I don’t want to spend too much money on it.

The first of those alternatives is to get an older lens that you can adapt to your camera. It isn’t the cheapest and some can sell for over $100 but it is possible to grab a bargain if you keep an eye out for them (my Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 Macro cost me around $6.50). You’ll also need to get an adapter which would cost around $20. The good thing about doing this is that you can use the lens for more than just macro photos (portraits, for example). The downside is that you most likely won’t have auto focus so you’ll need to learn to manual focus. But this isn’t that big a deal when taking macros.

The photos below demonstrate the difference between non macro lenses and macro lenses. Both were taken using 50mm lenses.

A Raynox 250 is something that attaches to the front of any lens that has a filter thread between 52-67mm. Mine cost me $80 and the nice thing about it is that it can turn any of your existing lenses into macro capable lenses so you don’t need to bring a separate macro lens with you. You’ll also be able to use auto focus if your lens has it. And the longer the focal length of your lens, the greater the magnification will be.

The two pictures below were taken using the same lenses as above but with the Raynox 250 attached to both. The Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 with the Raynox 250 produces roughly the same magnification as the Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 Macro on its own. Of course, attaching the Raynox 250 to a macro lens produces even greater magnification (see second picture below).

Probably the cheapest option is to get extension tubes (I got mine for free but you can probably get some for $10 or less). These allow your lens to be positioned further away from the camera body, which in turn increases the magnification of the lens. The downside from using this method is that modern lenses won’t be able to autofocus. And if you have a lens where the aperture is controlled by the camera body then you won’t be able to control the aperture so your lens is stuck wide open. The last one isn’t that much of a problem if your lens has an aperture ring.

The photos below were taken with the Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 (non macro lens) and different lengths of extension tubes.

Combining extension tubes with a macro lens allows you to achieve even greater magnification.

Another issue with using extension tubes is that it requires you to remove your lens whenever you need to use the extension tubes. It can be a bit of a pain if you’re out and about which is why I haven’t used this method all that much. I’ve mainly been using the Raynox 250 for my macro photos before I got my macro lens a couple of weeks ago.

When used with either the Raynox 250 and the extension tubes, I noticed that the the Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 had shallower depth of field than with the Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 Macro even though both were shot at f/3.5. Because of this, I would prefer to use the macro lens whenever possible.

There will be times when I won’t have my macro lens with me whereas the Raynox 250 is small enough to bring everywhere so I’ll probably end up using that more often. It is probably the most convenient way to take macro photos out of the three options I’ve discussed. I am also quite happy with the macro lens + Raynox 250 combo so I’m looking forward to trying out that combo outdoors. It’s been super cold here lately so I haven’t been taking a lot of photos outside.

The photos above have been resized but are uncropped. All of them were shot handheld using a Panasonic Lumix GF1.

We were on our way home from the city and we took a wrong turn and ended up north of the bridge. I thought “might as well take some photos now that we’re here” since I don’t often find myself on the other side.

We were on our way home from the city and we took a wrong turn and ended up north of the bridge. I thought “might as well take some photos now that we’re here” since I don’t often find myself on the other side.

From left to right:

- Hanimar 55mm f/1.7
- Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8
- Titamatic 135mm f/2.8
- Tokina 80-200mm f/4
- Canon FD 55mm f/1.2
- Canon ‘NEW’ FD 50mm f/1.8
- Auto Focal 28mm f/2.8
- Tokina 28mm f/2.8

(First 3 are M42 mount, the rest are Canon FD mount.)

I just posted these lenses for sale on eBay. As much as I love my babies, I’m gonna have to let them go. I have way too many legacy lenses and I end up not using my best lenses because for some reason I try to use them all equally. Besides these, I have 4 other FD mount lenses and 5 C-mount lenses. Plus the 20mm pancake, the 7-14mm and the 14-140mm.

Except for the Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 which cost me $300, most of the lenses above cost me around $10-25 each (shipping included). The previous owners either didn’t know much about the lenses or just didn’t care about them. And I guess for me to have gotten them at those prices, not a lot of other people really didn’t care about them either. I wasn’t really expecting much from them because I didn’t pay much for them but I’ve been surprised by the quality of these lenses.

If I didn’t have the exceptional 20mm pancake and I was okay with f/2.8 I would be perfectly happy with either of the 28mm primes. Any of those fifties would be fine with me but I’ve decided to stick with my Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 (nice balance between the heavier 55mm f/1.2 and the not as fast 50mm f/1.8). I couldn’t even find any info on the Titamatic so I just assumed it was junk. Boy was I wrong. And the Tokina 80-200mm isn’t even in the best shape but it still produces sharp images (as long as I keep my hands steady).

If you’re a photographer on a budget I highly recommend taking the plunge and giving legacy lenses a shot (provided that you can adapt it to your camera). For the price of one quality lens that can autofocus, you can get several legacy lenses that can do different things and show you different ways of shooting a scene. After using these lenses for almost a year now, I’ve realised that it was limiting my creativity to only have one or two lenses. Experimenting with these older lenses allowed me to see the world differently than before. It also gave me a little bit of an appreciation of what photographers of years past had to go through to get their shot before everything was automatic. Don’t rush into it, take your time, think about the shot, think about why you are shooting a scene. It opened up a whole new world for me and I am more in love with photography now than I ever was. And all it cost me was $10-25 per lens.

(I have to say though that the Micro Four-Thirds format also deserves credit for everything. A big thank you to Panasonic and Olympus!)

So I guess this is goodbye. Not a total goodbye for legacy lenses since I’ll be keeping a few others with me but it is goodbye for these lenses. I’ve had a ton of fun giving them a new home and breathing new life into them and I have been able to take a lot of memorable shots with them so I hope they end up with someone who’ll appreciate them like I did.

Dammit, now I feel like pulling the plug on those eBay listings

Update 2010-11-22

I’ve just bought few more legacy lenses. From left to right:

- Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8
- Kimunor 135mm f/3.5
- Pentacon Auto 50mm f/1.8
- Vivitar 35mm f/2.8
- Vivitar 28-105mm Macro Focusing Zoom
- Cobra MC Auto 70-200mm
- Tokina 28mm f/2.8
- Canon ‘NEW’ FD 50mm f/1.8

And not included in the photo above is a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8. I’ve ended up buying more of these because I am unable to pass up a bargain. I’ve picked up a couple that I plan on adding to my collection and I’ve had fun using these lenses but I have to trim the fat so these as well as the ones in the photo below (which as I write this are currently selling on eBay) will have to go. It’s kinda nice buying older lenses at bargain prices to see what works great and what doesn’t then selling them and (hopefully) making a little profit.

From left to right:

- Nikon Mount: Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-H 28mm f/3.5
- Canon ‘NEW’ FD 35mm f/2.8
- Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 SC
- Canon FD mount: Soligor 135mm f/2.8
- Fujinon 55mm f/2.2
- Pentacon Auto MC 50mm f/1.8
- Hanimar 28mm f/2.8
- Zelar 135mm f/3.2

The Canon FD 35mm is the standout of the group. It’s very sharp even when shot wide open and I really like the 35mm focal length on a Panasonic GF1/GH1. The Fujinon is nice lens which has a unique character to it. Images taken using it have a slightly different colour to them, I can’t explain it but I find it very pleasant. I can make do without the others but I kinda regret listing those two on eBay.

“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can…”

This spider was trying to hang onto what’s left of its webbing as the cold wind was blowing it around like crazy. I think it has already lost a leg when I saw it since I can only see seven. Poor guy

The first 11 photos were shot using my newly acquired Hanimar 55mm f/1.7 lens and the last 3 were shot using my Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8. I’m about to sell them so I thought I’d take some photos while I still have them. I quite like how they turned out.

The pair seem to go well together. The Raynox 250 does a great job for macros and the Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 is is sharp at f/2 and gets very sharp from f/2.8 onwards.

Well she didn’t get me the moon but she did get me a Sky-Watcher ED100 telescope. Its the gift that keeps on giving! I’ve always wanted to see it up close so it really made me super happy when she surprised me with it. Plus the box was huge so I got to unwrap something big which was a really nice feeling, one that I haven’t felt since I was a little kid.

The moon has been hiding from our field of vision for a few days. It was out during the day but not at night so this was the first time since getting the telescope that I got a clear shot at it. The first few pics are kinda blue-ish because the sun was still out somewhat when I started shooting.

I am in love with this flower. I think it is a nectarine flower.

Shot using my Panasonic GF1 and my Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8 which I got used for around $10. I’ll be selling it soon since I have too many 50mm lenses but these pictures make me not want to sell it.

Not a big Gundam fan but we thought we’d give it a shot and I’m glad we did! Seems like a fun place. The last three photos below were taken inside the (somewhat futuristic) toilet. The seat lifts up if it senses a human being in front of it. Plus it makes some Gundam related sounds. We got a real kick out of it and so did a lot of the people going in there (based on how much time they spent in there).

The Umbrella Corporation guards posing for the camera. I love how the girl is holding the Zombie Survival Guide.

We went to Kings Comics and they were packed (nice to see so many people getting into it) so we went to the Kinokuniya Bookstore and they usually don’t sell singles but they had FCBD (Free Comic Book Day) stuff so yays! And a lot of the staff and some other people were dressed up as all sorts of characters. They had Harley Quinn (with a cork gun), Shadowcat (the blue costume), Snake Eyes (he looked great), Kick-Ass, the Rhino, the Punisher, 3 Umbrella Corporation guards, Catwoman, and a ton of Star Wars dudes. There was even a red Star Wars droid that made all sorts of sounds and a massive Dalek. Too bad I didn’t get more photos.

We were kinda late so I was happy to see that there were still some Iron Man/Thor copies (I loved it by the way, thanks Matt Fraction and John Romita Jr and the rest of the creative team!) and my wife got Artifacts from Top Cow. Most of the people ahead of us were getting Sonic. A lot of people seemed to have taken advantage of the 20% off comics sale so that’s good. It really makes me happy to see people getting into it. My wife got the I Kill Giants hardcover and I wanted to get Parker: The Hunter but I might just get it online since the price wasn’t that good at the store.

For various reasons, I’ve missed all the other FCBDs so this was my first one and while I wasn’t able to go to my shop (I hate going in there when there’s tons of people), I was glad to see Kinokuniya do something special for FCBD. So yeah, quite a bit of fun!

Nice Thai place in Randwick.

One of the flowers at Gardens R Us after it just had a shower.

Some sunset photos taken while walking home from work, taken using an Auto Focal 28mm f/2.8 lens. The one above as well as the two below were each stitched together from 3 photos (so 9 photos total) because the lens that I had with me was not wide enough to capture each of the scenes in one shot.

This place is awesome! If it was slightly closer to our place, I’d be there everyday.

Besides their main restaurant at Chifley Plaza, Azuma also has one at George Street near the Greater Union cinema. We had tickets to the premiere of Kick-Ass (awesome movie!) and we thought we’d grab a quick bite first. We are officially addicted to the spider crab sushi.

Great food!

Parked outside of the Wang Wang restaurant in Kingsford.

Nice food, just not enough of it.