tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91057269010281509562024-03-18T01:05:44.756+00:00Observing the Natural World: Photography, Video, Binoculars and TelescopesPhotography has entertained, informed and infuriated me for over 55 years. This blog covers my interests in still, video, cine, monochrome and colour photography as well as dealing with optics for bird-watching and viewing wildlife. The reader will also find something on the history of photography in Britain from the 1950s to the present day.Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-33104575382302978932023-12-14T16:40:00.000+00:002023-12-14T16:40:12.843+00:00SONY RX10iv. Making Soft Release Buttons That Fit and Stay in Place<p>I bought the Sony RX10iv mainly as a video camera. I assigned video on/off to the main shutter release button (the Movie button is small and awkwardly positioned as on so many cameras mainly designed for still photography) for use when in dedicated video mode. I was delighted to find the shutter button has an old-fashioned screw-in cable release socket. It would therefore take a standard screw-in Soft-Release Button. I thought that would be a useful accessory since the shutter release is fairly small and only just projects above its surrounding ring. For starting video recording on or off a tripod, especially in cold conditions, a larger, raised button would surely be better.</p><p>The Soft Release Button was named not because it is made of soft material (although some were made partly of hard rubber) but because it was thought it helped photographers squeeze the shutter release and therefore avoid camera shake. It was a standard if little used accessory in the days of film cameras.</p><p>I soon found there were oodles of soft release buttons on Amazon and eBay. What could possibly go wrong? In short, although the several I tried screwed into the socket, they did not stay there. The slightest movement, even turning the camera upside down, resulted in the button falling out. They were soon sent back for a refund. Could I make my own?</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzNoMnHHLUG537ZRmt00WCDVfyVolEk6rMAlrwL4g6eWaUODOFsJW-t2LrfJFNpZ8YmeXBxsX6W09hL0_2ufI3lHH9ovoA8-NoKdMqltmwQnDkDl5HEFAtNprga3SeD9F2s9Kak6YOVQQehhnaAZu2wjQm9Y_AC_KSpvcJ3Yy-0VkIngsRu1dXky4irY/s3635/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2295" data-original-width="3635" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzNoMnHHLUG537ZRmt00WCDVfyVolEk6rMAlrwL4g6eWaUODOFsJW-t2LrfJFNpZ8YmeXBxsX6W09hL0_2ufI3lHH9ovoA8-NoKdMqltmwQnDkDl5HEFAtNprga3SeD9F2s9Kak6YOVQQehhnaAZu2wjQm9Y_AC_KSpvcJ3Yy-0VkIngsRu1dXky4irY/w382-h241/1.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My home-made Soft Release Button</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Accessories that fit into the cable release sockets are supposed to be interchangeable. They once weren’t—Leica had its own. The specifications of ‘Shutter cable release tip and socket’ are described in ISO 6053 with two variants, tapered threads and parallel threads. The RX10iv socket has a tapered thread and so did the buttons I bought from Amazon that did not stay in place.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJAVY4DPteAqP78tIMoZiqe98Rqxlx9I0sJtigeWgf4h-Y46kgdbo4hUXJBN9m7YBdG2fUcrov66OooURCYcD94Hc3nLpS73I5KbbarRW_NAXTvyRPAJcvQLdaWxyRoVaCdcfpKYFeoNhGTYqPUNBfoDvYjgshLmO6AtzKaCmky-IUDitoVl0d9Xv8Ao/s2359/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="2359" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJAVY4DPteAqP78tIMoZiqe98Rqxlx9I0sJtigeWgf4h-Y46kgdbo4hUXJBN9m7YBdG2fUcrov66OooURCYcD94Hc3nLpS73I5KbbarRW_NAXTvyRPAJcvQLdaWxyRoVaCdcfpKYFeoNhGTYqPUNBfoDvYjgshLmO6AtzKaCmky-IUDitoVl0d9Xv8Ao/w387-h197/2.jpg" width="387" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Standard cable release tip I have had since the 1960s</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I had some 3 mm grub screws, with parallel threads ending in an unthreaded cone, in the garage. I found that they fitted and tightened perfectly. It was then a case of finding some way of attaching a button to make my own soft release.</p><p>I made three different versions. The only points of design I had to bear in mind were not to make the diameter of the button so wide as to foul the surround of the socket (I set a maximum of 11 mm) and not to set the button so low that it might hit the socket surround before firing the shutter. All the items I used are easily available from Amazon and/or eBay and use common tools, except for my final design which needs a lathe.</p><p>I also discovered that soft release buttons decorate cameras as more of a fashion statement than utility demands. Luxury versions made of wood or stone and bearing decorations are available at high prices. It is amazing what people will pay for. For those seeking a functional version that works on a real working camera, an outline of my three versions is shown in the accompanying diagram. The following notes provide further explanation of what is needed.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttIOuTX4D17tmBNPjtcua4GpZU2dbKgYCNk-e97Eftua34cdEKAtO_PA4SlWXo2Fqtqv4q4XJAPKIzunWgVhE_IcyP0UWRN0KrLathXZOBsEq5sK4YnLHU4qM9H6taAfmSgz0WggakssxO2if4ANot2idFhF_HEDGBmx_E3l4pRpA5LC2ylLr1ZhXT0I/s3935/Soft%20Buttons%20Full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3935" data-original-width="2694" height="827" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttIOuTX4D17tmBNPjtcua4GpZU2dbKgYCNk-e97Eftua34cdEKAtO_PA4SlWXo2Fqtqv4q4XJAPKIzunWgVhE_IcyP0UWRN0KrLathXZOBsEq5sK4YnLHU4qM9H6taAfmSgz0WggakssxO2if4ANot2idFhF_HEDGBmx_E3l4pRpA5LC2ylLr1ZhXT0I/w566-h827/Soft%20Buttons%20Full.jpg" width="566" /></a></div><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Style 1. Very simple construction</h4><p>This is the simplest to make. The only problem that might eventually arise with it in use is if the button were to receive a hard knock, sufficient to dislodge the epoxy used to attach it to the metal parts.</p><p>1 M3 6 mm cone point grub screw</p><p>1 M3 Nut</p><p>1 Button - sewing box raided - measured at 10 x 2.2 mm; 2 hole</p><p>Loctite threadlocker</p><p>Epoxy (Araldite Rapid Steel - I had opened tubes already)</p><p>Milliput Extra Fine filler</p><p>Spray paint</p><p>Threadlocker was applied to the blunt end of the grub screw which was screwed into the nut until the ends were level. Excess Loctite wiped off and left overnight. Button attached with Araldite and left overnight. Holes and depression in button filled with Milliput, smoothed and left overnight. Top sanded flat and spray painted (threads protected by pushing into cardboard).</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tlLpp8n8vnysNrzqBUxBvvVhuqfgFK8Eho0g2h-mzVyeEPRrWp-wTFvOzB3s_IUi490kYYu_RQQr8H682CsFztICO7lyPSo6iJo7wUnYifb8RPUP_c4vSXUfCgrHtI2CSUvGoMRCBVbjLn_ZHZy-CIBlj-gN2qleNGnDlECyISN61funA1ZeRZdiHYk/s2014/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2014" data-original-width="1730" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tlLpp8n8vnysNrzqBUxBvvVhuqfgFK8Eho0g2h-mzVyeEPRrWp-wTFvOzB3s_IUi490kYYu_RQQr8H682CsFztICO7lyPSo6iJo7wUnYifb8RPUP_c4vSXUfCgrHtI2CSUvGoMRCBVbjLn_ZHZy-CIBlj-gN2qleNGnDlECyISN61funA1ZeRZdiHYk/s320/3.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Style 1 Components</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cdB_g3ABL22IjZjw74MFBCbZpFYYKV8lpCfWsWh2WuEjt-ZFJ4PT0FRBRdx8Xyo3_vYlZVKTsPamu7NZLm4A1LmzTU7SQQatcVEwxbgsr5SzVNW8PMIT8FMgSCi2qzzbG4FLKJsXA6AltqMSAi14oDmF6ZzxCAFNvQDqcM8dkWHbd1sCFhKyAJezFvA/s2280/3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2060" data-original-width="2280" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cdB_g3ABL22IjZjw74MFBCbZpFYYKV8lpCfWsWh2WuEjt-ZFJ4PT0FRBRdx8Xyo3_vYlZVKTsPamu7NZLm4A1LmzTU7SQQatcVEwxbgsr5SzVNW8PMIT8FMgSCi2qzzbG4FLKJsXA6AltqMSAi14oDmF6ZzxCAFNvQDqcM8dkWHbd1sCFhKyAJezFvA/s320/3a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Style 1 on camera</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Style 2 Taller and more robust</h4><p>1 M3 10 mm cone point grub screw</p><p>2 M3 Nut</p><p>1 M3 8 mm diameter washer</p><p>Loctite threadlocker</p><p>Epoxy (Araldite Rapid Steel - I had opened tubes already)</p><p>Milliput Extra Fine filler</p><p>Spray paint</p><p>1.5 mm Styrene Sheet (as sold for model making)</p><p>11 mm disc punched out of styrene sheet (cheap hollow punch sets for leather etc on Amazon). One solid hit (against a solid piece of timber) with a heavy hammer produces a clean circle. Centre drilled 3 mm. Edges cleaned up with sandpaper.</p><p>Threadlocker was applied to the blunt end of the grub screw. Two nuts added leaving room for the washer and half the thickness of the styrene disc. Excess Loctite wiped off and left overnight. Washer and styrene disc attached with Araldite and left overnight. Hole in disc filled with Milliput, smoothed and left overnight. Top sanded flat and spray painted (threads protected by pushing into cardboard).</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarR5CcHSozFODr1aJB3GyxEvqt-VCdNihzjxBiRRVsdhmfTJVNFKaFZB0mqtGmadVj6CxTo1CruU5S9JOL3Oy9NM147WQG-BQJbruJxe768H0KqDc_wlOSnGOYIPukACCFpibhxT7Y6jo-zTlQOo9bqZnmZy_AOvUnlens9HBVkiGL1s6fPkg0JXy620/s2395/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1809" data-original-width="2395" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarR5CcHSozFODr1aJB3GyxEvqt-VCdNihzjxBiRRVsdhmfTJVNFKaFZB0mqtGmadVj6CxTo1CruU5S9JOL3Oy9NM147WQG-BQJbruJxe768H0KqDc_wlOSnGOYIPukACCFpibhxT7Y6jo-zTlQOo9bqZnmZy_AOvUnlens9HBVkiGL1s6fPkg0JXy620/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Style 2 components</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zpsZb7Aahkz8d6GqDk1cff3Vy04YzfFw0Fohht0FUbo8BgZBTYILENu5XpciLrvhKB819tLDUw63Zcl1Zmar1rpfO7m1LdKE6UTRS5lNJrf-Dd519hchO2o03avYKlB7YI4i0bDZPyvYz6OWdzYhtJoKo-0SOtglkkdbDRewNYka1ykkCJ7nsw_ALYk/s1971/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1971" data-original-width="1946" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zpsZb7Aahkz8d6GqDk1cff3Vy04YzfFw0Fohht0FUbo8BgZBTYILENu5XpciLrvhKB819tLDUw63Zcl1Zmar1rpfO7m1LdKE6UTRS5lNJrf-Dd519hchO2o03avYKlB7YI4i0bDZPyvYz6OWdzYhtJoKo-0SOtglkkdbDRewNYka1ykkCJ7nsw_ALYk/s320/5.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Style 2 on camera</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Style 3 Lathe needed</h4><p>Brass button 11 x 3.3 mm turned on lathe. Centre drilled 2.5 mm. Tapped 3 mm</p><p>1 M3 6 mm cone point grub screw</p><p>Loctite threadlocker</p><p>Milliput Extra Fine filler</p><p>Spray paint</p><p>Threadlocker was applied to the blunt end of the grub screw. Inserted into brass button, leaving 3.5 mm protruding. Excess Loctite wiped off and left overnight. Hole in brass filled with Milliput, smoothed and left overnight. Top sanded flat and spray painted (threads protected by pushing into cardboard).</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKX7K2o99BeW9Pzf9HA8UinZDT17B-xXP1KkmPhmhkfuixFV38n4yDooWj4-1yZMbQX17Fi63VdrfmyfWXAE6HMbKA_78zDQ3r11TK7ZDJZPzeW6uzMD6oHHdL4UVOVTHyWV2Zj46OvPluT9ps0RkMMRa2VsBrhCosFPYo07cmbvUWYL-eLN5G6Wnjp3c/s2077/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1921" data-original-width="2077" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKX7K2o99BeW9Pzf9HA8UinZDT17B-xXP1KkmPhmhkfuixFV38n4yDooWj4-1yZMbQX17Fi63VdrfmyfWXAE6HMbKA_78zDQ3r11TK7ZDJZPzeW6uzMD6oHHdL4UVOVTHyWV2Zj46OvPluT9ps0RkMMRa2VsBrhCosFPYo07cmbvUWYL-eLN5G6Wnjp3c/s320/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Style 3 on camera</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">And yes they do work as intended—and stay in place.</h4><p>I have since read that other owners of cameras with cable-release sockets have experienced similar problems with the commonly available commercial soft release buttons. Some have resorted to using threadlocker in the socket (not recommended since heat needed to remove it) or nail varnish. Better to just make your own.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Nk0JWl-ybj-pD1yW2UTmkfuTf7cdbHC6MeJ5CClVHtF8CsFrxj9kl9IBbwTWL5yjXxDRprXd4T7LLTeCTOKiDFv_duOcfQSFkqc2Ue1fkgOMC_JhZOaQPKx3rSn1joDJAZmw3jrEiDVp4fuyKycKdx4_GMFyrOKvxLBNyfgM6XYRsmZTCbyzguKdQ-o/s3475/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2532" data-original-width="3475" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Nk0JWl-ybj-pD1yW2UTmkfuTf7cdbHC6MeJ5CClVHtF8CsFrxj9kl9IBbwTWL5yjXxDRprXd4T7LLTeCTOKiDFv_duOcfQSFkqc2Ue1fkgOMC_JhZOaQPKx3rSn1joDJAZmw3jrEiDVp4fuyKycKdx4_GMFyrOKvxLBNyfgM6XYRsmZTCbyzguKdQ-o/w514-h374/7.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-10940119222079002372023-02-21T16:46:00.003+00:002023-02-21T16:46:56.716+00:00CANON LEGRIA HF G70 CAMCORDER Review 2. Noise? What Noise? The swings and roundabout of sensor sizes and lens apertures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPAHre44DNV3v5WN879kb5potUeumAzUenXEUZ5AF1H2nQ7fGFlMIko91vwQZ8iCJROE817KshvvQHHFdK6dNP4OKJS9LZ3TelhdJ-YN9cJ5BXEwHA2ZGokR4aJ7uLNjYGB9lDsiRRFN9AbXA5J-1LcRVmbzy1BD3TxLcFrJjYMvZmwwOkyBimOL-/s1122/Canon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1122" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPAHre44DNV3v5WN879kb5potUeumAzUenXEUZ5AF1H2nQ7fGFlMIko91vwQZ8iCJROE817KshvvQHHFdK6dNP4OKJS9LZ3TelhdJ-YN9cJ5BXEwHA2ZGokR4aJ7uLNjYGB9lDsiRRFN9AbXA5J-1LcRVmbzy1BD3TxLcFrJjYMvZmwwOkyBimOL-/w476-h305/Canon.png" width="476" /></a></div><br /><p>It is a truism that a large sensor will show less obvious noise in low light than a small sensor. Given equal processing and noise reduction algorithms, a camera with a large sensor and not too densely packed pixels must perform better in low light than a camera with a tiny sensor. That sounds obvious but in practice there is another factor at play in video recording: the lens aperture. Since the exposure for video is constant or virtually so (i.e. 1/50th of a second for 25 frames per second or 1/60th for 30 fps) the aperture of the lens is the determinant of how much light reaches the sensor over that period. More light equals a higher signal:noise ratio and, therefore, less noise. Some people, many online, interpret having to increase the ISO setting, or gain, as the cause of the noise. That is not so. Increasing the ISO setting simple increases the gain of the amplifier to make the image visible; both signal and noise are increased.</p><p>The Canon HF G70 has a 1/2.3”* sensor. The maximum aperture varies across the zoom range between f/1.8 and f/2.8. To see how good—or bad—the noise was in low light I compared it first with the main camera on the iPhone 14 Pro (‘main’ f/1.78, said to be size 1/ 1.28"). This test was done in a dim, northerly facing room in daylight. The Exposure Value was 4. In the deepest shadow area there was a little noise and I could not find any difference between the Canon HF G70 and the iPhone. I then compared the HF G70 with my Nikon Z7, which because of the very large number of pixels is known to be noisier than the Z6. I put on a 50mm f/1.8 lens. The Exposure Value was 4.3. Again there was a little noise at f/1.8 (ISO was 800), slightly less perhaps than on the HF G70 and iPhone. However, when I turned the aperture to f/4 (keeping the shutter speed at 1/50 and letting the ISO setting increase to 4000), there was marked noise. In other words, my Nikon Z7 in full-frame mode at f/4 was noisier than the Canon HF G70 and the iPhone 14 Pro at f/1.8. The difference between f/1.8 and f/4 is 1⅓ stops (EVs) but of course a more than doubling of the light hitting the sensor.</p><p>In other words we are talking about trade-offs with apertures, sensor size and depth-of-field. One advantage of using a full-frame camera is being able to isolate a subject in a narrow depth-of-field. However, with video, the depth-of-field at f/1.8 is wafer thin. With a 50 mm lens at a distance of 5 metres it is only around 20 cm. Therefore, it is highly likely that I would want to use a smaller aperture. With a smaller sensor, the same depth-of-field can be attained at a larger aperture so what you gain on the swings by using a camera with a larger sensor, in terms of noise, can easily be lost on the roundabouts of using a smaller aperture.</p><p><b>This is all a very long-winded way of saying that I am very pleased with the performance of the Canon HF G70 in low light</b>. My guess is that Canon have got it as good as it can be with the current state of technology. All my trials have been with 4k video. I note that Canon in their marketing of this camera stress ‘Over Sampling HD Processing High quality Full HD. Uses the 4K UHD sensor to deliver superior Full HD images’. I haven’t tested that yet.</p><p>While I was doing all this I realised something I had not fully taken in before. When my Sony AX-53 (also a 1/2.3” sensor) broke down in use (cash refunded by Amazon) and I unwisely bought the Sony AX-700 just before covid lockdown (camera also broke down in use and just out of extended warranty but with very few minutes on the clock) that the advantages of the larger (the so-called 1” sensor) in terms of noise and of a slight isolation of any subject at larger apertures, were offset at least partially, by the smaller maximum aperture of the lens. The AX-53 is f/2-f/3.8 over its zoom range; the AX-700 f/2.8-f/4.5. The Canon HF G70 as I noted earlier is f/1.8 and f/2.8 (over a much wider zoom range).</p><p>Unfortunately, it is not worth trying to show the videos of the trials; the definition here and on YouTube is just not good enough for any difference to be illustrated. It is also worth pointing out that while I always try to take 4K, I normally put this on a 1080 timeline thus giving me the opportunity to zoom in by cropping without losing definition. I did that with all the samples (where I could spot the noise on playback on my 24” Mac with 4K Retina Display). However, when I did as I usually do, output the video as an MP4 file and looked at it on a television (no, not one of those huge things that fill a wall) I could see no noise, except for the slightest flicker evident in the footage from the Z7 at f/4.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Desperately needed is some international standard for sensor sizes in cameras. The use of fractions of inches and the like can be utterly confusing. We need the dimensions in mm--a simple statement some manufacturers are very reluctant to state. That, together with the number of pixels should be a standard imposed. </span></p><p><b>Coming Next</b>: Ergonomics and Setup</p>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-51300715586200547892023-02-03T14:23:00.003+00:002023-02-03T19:21:28.372+00:00CANON LEGRIA HF G70 CAMCORDER Review 1.’ IR Mode’ Confusion <p>To replace the died-in-service Sony AX-700 which in turn replaced the died-in-service Sony AX53, I considered all sorts of options, from using my or another full-frame or aps-c mirrorless camera, to relying on my bridge camera, or, in a decreasing market, to get another camcorder. I should explain at the outset that I want a video camera for my specific purpose not, as most people write about, for commercial advertising or for making wedding videos for customers. Opinions from the latter seem to dominate online.</p><p>Having tried all sorts of cameras and having retried them after the Sony died, I still find a camcorder the best for wildlife. The weight and form factor are important. The grip is ideal for holding the camera steady and the microphone does not have to dangle from a perch on top. It can also be ready to use in seconds. If I were just taking personal travel videos I would simply use my latest-generation iPhone with its state-of-the art computational photography. But for wildlife, a long-focal length lens is needed, and some camcorders fill that bill.</p><p>There are very few camcorders now being made that fit into the ‘prosumer’ category. Sony had no new models and I did not want to pour any more money down that particular drain. I have used Panasonic camcorders in the past but have always been disappointed with the autofocus, limited to contrast detection and often found to focus on something that could be focused on rather than something which needed to be focused on. In that respect, the Sony, with its on-sensor phase and contrast detection, was superb.</p><p>Then I found that last September Canon had released a new range of camcorders. Amongst them was the HF G70, called a Legria model in PAL countries and Vixia elsewhere. But I could not find a single review of the model anywhere; nothing, apart from Canon’s own marketing material (website <a href="https://www.canon.co.uk/video-cameras/legria-hf-g70/" target="_blank">here</a>).</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnIWQqJWUpttZ93qdbMquiagZkX2e6FnyRnw0eAFV-ilmkiXW5VDjYzcTibNsq1WpaZMhJAnGurOevqvhRDnJfVy7b_ltBb1fvBZcoTm66iDO-G6FsgpnMFcrxVwHWnTCuAGd_HpjmsRfrWfQiBR-nPnuc0B_n4bOJ4hhLGN7Q_KbR69eehPc7AhZ/s1122/Canon.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1122" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnIWQqJWUpttZ93qdbMquiagZkX2e6FnyRnw0eAFV-ilmkiXW5VDjYzcTibNsq1WpaZMhJAnGurOevqvhRDnJfVy7b_ltBb1fvBZcoTm66iDO-G6FsgpnMFcrxVwHWnTCuAGd_HpjmsRfrWfQiBR-nPnuc0B_n4bOJ4hhLGN7Q_KbR69eehPc7AhZ/s320/Canon.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Canon HF G70 (from <a href="https://www.canon.co.uk/video-cameras/legria-hf-g70/" target="_blank">Canon Website</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Reading the specifications I was in two minds. The Sony AX-700 hit that sweet spot of sensor size. The so-called 1-inch sensor produced relatively low noise in low light compared with the smaller, 1/2.3 inch and now, I see, 1/2.5 inch, of most camcorders aimed at the low-end and prosumer markets. Notwithstanding some excellent features, the HF G70 seemed a backwards step to a 1/2.3 inch sensor. However, it is a brand-new model compared with the Sony models still on the market six and more years since their introduction. There has been time for improvement in sensors and electronic processing of the signals over those years, so I decided to go with the Canon. Very few UK retailers had it in stock which I presume is still down to the shortage of chips. However, WEX did and were offering a free extra: a large additional Canon battery. WEX soon had it on my doorstop.</p><p>In this series reviews as I set up and use the camcorder, I will concentrate only on those aspects important for my purposes. But before that, in this first article, I should point out a puzzling mismatch between the marketing material, clearly derived from Canon, being used by some dealers, the instruction manual and the capabilities of the camera. That mismatch extends to within the list of specifications on the Canon website. The question is simple: what’s all this about an infrared or IR mode?</p><p>In the overview section on the Canon website:</p><p></p><blockquote><i>A host of outputs and recording options include <b>Infrared mode</b>…</i></blockquote><p></p><p>The overview of the camcorder’s features on the websites of a number of dealers throughout the world shows a bueelt point:</p><p></p><blockquote><i><b>Infrared mode</b> captures high-quality video in low light</i></blockquote><p></p><p>Then the ‘Specifications’ section of the website contradicts itself. Here in the Exposure section we have mention of an |R mode:</p><p></p><blockquote><p><i>Exposure Metering</i></p><p><i>Center-weighted average metering </i></p><p><i>AUTO, P, Av, Tv, Portrait, Sports, Low Light and<b> IR modes </b></i></p><p><i>Segment evaluative metering </i></p><p><i>Night Scene, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight modes </i></p><p><i>No metering in Fireworks mode: Exposure constant</i></p></blockquote><p></p><p>But then under Shooting Modes we see: </p><p></p><blockquote><i><b>Infrared Shooting Mode Not supported</b></i></blockquote><p></p><p>There is no mention in the instruction manual of an IR mode or of infrared. I have also searched the camera menus and controls for anything about an IR mode. I have tried the low light and night modes to see if there is any sign of infrared or near infrared detection being used in the imaging process even though the IR Mode is mentioned as something distinct. Again, no.</p><p>When I read the marketing blurb I assumed that there was an infrared mode, akin to Sony’s night mode which produces a green hued monochrome image in response to an infrared source or infrared illumination from the front of the camera. There clearly isn’t but what has been going on with the introduction and marketing of this camcorder? Was an IR mode planned for this camera but then ditched before release? Indeed an IR Mode is present in the 'professional range. Did those responsible for marketing not get the message or only half one? Whatever happened, Canon need to clarify what is and is not in the list of features of the HF G70. Otherwise those thinking they were going to get an IR video in the dark functionality will be disappointed.</p><p><br /></p>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-4527513514346564762023-01-03T14:41:00.001+00:002023-01-03T14:41:31.733+00:00How to throw £1590 down the drain. An object lesson from a Sony AX-700 camcorder<p>I bought a Sony AX-700 in May 2019 to replace an AX-55 which failed just after the Sony warranty expired but for which I received my money back from Amazon. With covid delaying planned foreign travel, I have used the AX-700 very little, probably under 7 hours of recording in all. I took it on a wildlife trip to Indonesia in November, keeping it in a special compartment provided out of air conditioning. I then carried it in a waterproof bag up a hill to a bird hide (blind). It had been raining and the humidity in the hide was high. The AX-700 would not turn on. I put it on a bench beside me. Somebody sitting behind noticed some time later that the green light had turned on spontaneously. The camera was extremely hot, especially around the screen display area so I switched it off using the button inside the flap. Again after a few minutes it turned itself back on. I again switched it off and disconnected the battery.</p><p>Over the next day some functionality returned to the viewfinder and recording but only for a few seconds. The camcorder shut down.</p><p>Back in UK I sent it to Sony for repair. This was the reply:</p><p></p><blockquote><i>Regrettably we are unable to repair the unit as we have found it has suffered liquid contamination, therefore we are unable to guarantee a reliable repair. Please note this damage is not covered by warranty. Attached is the photo of the contamination. In order to resolve the case, we wish to offer an alternative solution. We wish to offer a new FDR-AX53 at a discount price of £270.71 as a replacement for your unit as it is no longer available. Please note if the replacement is accepted, your original unit will not be returned.</i></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGH3rhaXzJT2tYiaLtRuxBAQB83NKA98T3kh16m0to-YIXDOJqLj2AIcEiLqG1-uk9gdTKq2ZkWCJ1szn-xURDrYckJd6gqyp3ppTPC-bjIV2y-4dpy_hpdZQ5HHF1kndIT8ACitMPaLyZwgxsDGfRJs4m6PGgGmhGrUPG0VY7bUYaLvdkT23tjRC9/s1088/Fault.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1088" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGH3rhaXzJT2tYiaLtRuxBAQB83NKA98T3kh16m0to-YIXDOJqLj2AIcEiLqG1-uk9gdTKq2ZkWCJ1szn-xURDrYckJd6gqyp3ppTPC-bjIV2y-4dpy_hpdZQ5HHF1kndIT8ACitMPaLyZwgxsDGfRJs4m6PGgGmhGrUPG0VY7bUYaLvdkT23tjRC9/w443-h251/Fault.png" width="443" /></a></div><br /><p>Thanks but no thanks was my response.</p><p>The camcorder has been kept in dry conditions since I have had it. Reading more about corrosion in electronic circuits, it seems high humidity is sufficient to dissolve the salts formed from the soldering flux deteriorating over time which then cause mayhem.</p><p>I then sent the photograph to another, independent, repairer. He also said a repair is impossible because of corrosion. It seems there are no spare boards available for the AX-700. I am left with a useless hulk. And Sony are still selling the AX-700. I wonder when they were built.</p><p>My love/hate relationship with the AX-700 is over. My views on Sony are unprintable.</p>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-32551862126137655222022-06-28T11:44:00.003+01:002022-06-28T11:44:58.523+01:00Sony FDR-AX700 Camcorder. Coping with the viewfinder eye adjustment wheel<p>I do not know which genius of industrial designer puts an unlockable adjustment wheel in just the position where it is inevitably going to get moved. Well whoever designed the viewfinder of the Sony AX-700 camcorder did just that. Not only does it take great care to pull the viewfinder to its open position, the wheel is so positioned that it catches on the sides of camera bags, on straps and on clothing. Much foul language is emitted when all I can see is a grossly out-of-focus image in the viewfinder. Three times in six days of use it happened to me recently.</p><p>I thought about trying to lock the wheel in place with sticky tape—as some users do—but sticky tape often comes adrift, especially in hot places, and if somebody else uses the camera then they have to adjust the dioptre setting to suit their eyes. Not only is the adjustment wheel unlockable, but it is also uncalibrated, so there is no way of knowing it has moved out of position or how far it needs to move to restore the setting.</p><p>I decided that instead of trying to tape the wheel in position I would put a mark on both body and wheel where I found optimum focus. This I did with a 0.7 mm white paint marker. Provided the paint sticks (so far so good) I can at least return the wheel quickly if it does get moved or if somebody else uses it. I could also use a different light colour on another position of the wheel to suit another regular user or even a different eye.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9TeSqo_7i2mGLc4NoWu6kQBi6IAKmF6CZmuX6cfiweuyDhKP_jvIhg0Li9VIMik8ZCrMblykFcMEWy72kqL0_MUdn5yIHjtd_uzy2vtMxDTpuMh4Bx_5eHjhPhjnKiYxfb91rz5_cQEYUeDyyVbFwQWIKsJ6S3nQBjaASeTj0Oqz9zTSKPmCZJqR/s4032/AX-700%20Eye%20Adjustment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2295" data-original-width="4032" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9TeSqo_7i2mGLc4NoWu6kQBi6IAKmF6CZmuX6cfiweuyDhKP_jvIhg0Li9VIMik8ZCrMblykFcMEWy72kqL0_MUdn5yIHjtd_uzy2vtMxDTpuMh4Bx_5eHjhPhjnKiYxfb91rz5_cQEYUeDyyVbFwQWIKsJ6S3nQBjaASeTj0Oqz9zTSKPmCZJqR/w400-h228/AX-700%20Eye%20Adjustment.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's the eye (dioptre) adjustment wheel which gets moved accidentally</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwKyzDUDrLTgSz8usDM5GcDdAAA23Y1EsNr7pPzhZSf9D6Kukozg2c9jsa8_KyK8K5IWlMisKl4oE_fVubXbZ703QufTy3wEgVmCibkjqElCC0hdlUFGOe3FTtX2nf-zXWs2D1-QPs8PQTynX2RR4paViVvEhbC5DNHcj1P5-S1kFYX3fwnzvfrF7/s2239/Mark%20Viewfinder%20AX-700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="2239" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwKyzDUDrLTgSz8usDM5GcDdAAA23Y1EsNr7pPzhZSf9D6Kukozg2c9jsa8_KyK8K5IWlMisKl4oE_fVubXbZ703QufTy3wEgVmCibkjqElCC0hdlUFGOe3FTtX2nf-zXWs2D1-QPs8PQTynX2RR4paViVvEhbC5DNHcj1P5-S1kFYX3fwnzvfrF7/w400-h269/Mark%20Viewfinder%20AX-700.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">...and that's the index mark I have added across body and wheel</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-76343546882193037842022-06-27T12:26:00.000+01:002022-06-27T12:26:07.659+01:00Sony FDR-AX700 Camcorder. Another annoying feature in a case of ON or OFF<p>That’s very odd, I thought. I must have left the viewfinder pulled out. Several times I have found long clips of video on my Sony FRDR AX-700 camcorder. Only when I found comment in a forum on the annoyances and idiosyncrasies of this camera, did I realise what I had been doing. On all other camcorders I have had, returning both the LCD monitor and the viewfinder to the closed position turns the machine off, even if the camera is still recording. Indeed I have used that method to stop recording and turn the camcorder off since pressing the on/off recording button inevitably causes a small movement in the clip. And that is what happens according to the main text of the instruction manual (either monitor or viewfinder open, power on; both closed, power off). But it doesn’t. In in small note under the main text describing powering on and off is written: <i>When recording movies or when connected to another device via USB, the camcorder does not turn off even if the LCD monitor is closed and the viewfinder is returned to its original position</i>.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIxwtfxPD6GVbZlZ8kKU9jZM-SRYwU-0KiBPSs-B-i0LvLDmYZuF4UaUjlOkJylPhcFSzO_OOjy1l940fmaaXjMEwr2VGupBG13MZB_ksnNJKQA3YGL-Va_ekTcRaaXUWLpMv6H9uJbUlH-TDzrvTwsduyOIvDTb1HOvcZGnEhHMf9oIlE4Q1UWaz/s1998/AX-700.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1998" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIxwtfxPD6GVbZlZ8kKU9jZM-SRYwU-0KiBPSs-B-i0LvLDmYZuF4UaUjlOkJylPhcFSzO_OOjy1l940fmaaXjMEwr2VGupBG13MZB_ksnNJKQA3YGL-Va_ekTcRaaXUWLpMv6H9uJbUlH-TDzrvTwsduyOIvDTb1HOvcZGnEhHMf9oIlE4Q1UWaz/s320/AX-700.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />So, if still recording intentionally or accidentally (see below) the camcorder cannot be turned off by the usual means. It carries on recording. It must be that some bright spark at Sony thought this would be a good idea to save battery life during long recordings with the camcorder mounted on a tripod with no need for the monitor or viewfinder to be used. The problem then gets worse because even if, with the monitor and viewfinder closed, you find it still recording, one might have thought that stopping recording would then turn the machine off completely. But no, the camera stays turned on. To turn if off the monitor or viewfinder has to be opened and then closed.<p></p><p>This problem of stopping recording and turning the camcorder off is exacerbated by another highly annoying ergonomic failure. To the operator, the only indication of whether or not the camera is recording video is a tiny indicator in the top right of the monitor and viewfinder. The tiny letters change from STBY in green to REC in red. That’s OK—if not exactly a signal loud and clear—indoors or in moderate outdoor light. However, in bright sunlight, the monitor is difficult to see (even with it brightness turned up). Turning to the viewfinder in bright sunlight is like staring into the Black Hole of Calcutta and it takes some time for the eye to accommodate to the dim indicator lights (the brightness of which cannot be controlled). Because a definite press is needed on the button to switch recording on and off it is difficult to confirm what the camcorder is actually doing. Hence it is possible to both miss shots and to to leave the camera recording accidentally.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1veSp_WtmZ3AKS6J6h55xWpYPxa-NRNFO2M6LVr0zILwezUtSaMtiA7o9V1eITB6Vwn-VPSsAf_POc7pVp6UlJ1l3v3hGwRugIwNdUtOVw9FH01cg-zl56k3LSQHTzd_Q_Z8kz2wk3hA7QdVS1cCs4XhyfO8TWkrQ6x6n7iX3RQjHj9iG_xUlPtM/s3964/AX-700%20Screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3964" data-original-width="3489" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1veSp_WtmZ3AKS6J6h55xWpYPxa-NRNFO2M6LVr0zILwezUtSaMtiA7o9V1eITB6Vwn-VPSsAf_POc7pVp6UlJ1l3v3hGwRugIwNdUtOVw9FH01cg-zl56k3LSQHTzd_Q_Z8kz2wk3hA7QdVS1cCs4XhyfO8TWkrQ6x6n7iX3RQjHj9iG_xUlPtM/w353-h400/AX-700%20Screen.jpg" width="353" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Screen and viewfinder information in Standby and<br />Recording modes. Easy to see indoors and on dull<br />days but try the viewfinder in bright sunshine and<br />it's a different story. And pity those who are<br />red-green colourblind</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>I have written before of how I regard this camera as my curate’s egg. I can only repeat my conclusion:</p><p><i>This camcorder then is typical Sony: some brilliant features let down by poor ergonomics, poor user interface and poor documentation. </i></p><p>Unfortunately, this 2018 model (the manual is dated 2017) has not thus far been replaced. With camcorders being out of fashion I am not surprised but the the AX-700 still being sold by Sony for a high price (£1,800) relative to its features. I am sorry to say that Sony has not seen it fit to update the firmware for four years when there are so many features that could be improved. The AX-700 is not a great advertisement for Sony ergonomics or for its care of what customers experience.</p><p><br /></p>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-11552080708338401762022-04-18T12:27:00.000+01:002022-04-18T12:27:15.315+01:00A Robust and Cheap Conversion of a Gitzo G1375 Tripod Head for Arca Swiss Quick Release Plates<p> I bought another old Gitzo tripod a few months ago (a chap even in these days of in-camera stabilisation can never have too many tripods). It came with an off-centre Gitzo head (G1375M) which had an old-fashioned screw fitting to the camera. It must have been made after 2002 because it has the modern Gitzo logo.</p><p>Those major manufacturers Gitzo and Manfrotto make excellent tripods and heads but the constantly changing multiplicity of plates and closure mechanisms drove me to despair, to not a little annoyance and to the occasional literal wrap on the knuckles from those infernal spring-loaded devices that release the operating lever at great speed in the direction of flesh and bone. I came to prefer the Arca Swiss system and standard width of 38 mm for the plates that Chinese and other manufacturers adhere to. My various cameras now fit all my tripod heads without having to change the plate.</p><p>Although rather excessive in weight these early off-centre Gitzo heads work very well (I once had one of the same design (G1376) which had a proprietary quick release system. They can achieve all sorts of angles and they lock with little or no drift. I decided to hang on to the G1375M head but to convert it to take Arca Swiss style plates. Some people have been doing that for years with clamps made in the U.S.A. but prices were high. The entry of Chinese manufacturers selling under a plethora of brand names brought much lower prices for these simple devices.</p><p>I bought an Andoer CL-70N Quick Release Clamp (i.e 70 mm long) because instead of just using the single screw on the Gitzo head to hold it in place and on which it might work loose, I could fix it more securely by using two bolts screwed into the clamp. I keep a few steel ¼-20 UNC bolts, washers and nuts (i.e. for the standard camera tripod socket) on hand. I had to shorten the bolts to a thread length of 17 mm. I used Loctite Thread Locker as I tightened the bolts. From the various types of clamp available I see that only with the 70 mm models can two bolts be used; there is only one, central socket in those 50 mm long. I can of course use Arca Swiss style camera plates of all sizes in the clamp.</p><p>Total cost: £27.99 plus two bolts and a drop or two of glue.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkt024KmmP37jS_x7cHtKCDV2yqG6DSowSrZQaAD1bu2dFHjLA9NoNEOo_UYWvLyoGWXDah7dy07NKnuJ0wWxfepdKs8WLni_Oh67BQrdpl5bXljNyUhvkOwnvI4PIEkmg-Z-QGeJHZUL9x-yc5Ciq4Z6X-j7osuWpkj4Ji6GyShGEWd0jboT-3ZHN/s3024/IMG_3648.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2379" data-original-width="3024" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkt024KmmP37jS_x7cHtKCDV2yqG6DSowSrZQaAD1bu2dFHjLA9NoNEOo_UYWvLyoGWXDah7dy07NKnuJ0wWxfepdKs8WLni_Oh67BQrdpl5bXljNyUhvkOwnvI4PIEkmg-Z-QGeJHZUL9x-yc5Ciq4Z6X-j7osuWpkj4Ji6GyShGEWd0jboT-3ZHN/s320/IMG_3648.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before - with the fixing bolt removed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDmWW-ov_Uqo-i3aumOj0KCSuKySINnKtMSJ6XRP9btepqyAI2QdVg9nTx1ooBeIqd8QI33gwXlo2lFRZ860dlysGMe4IpNfZmjilbTSq9bJQ2-fHaSjwgrntInGC46SOklg5fvS60KDbnM01tbSlZAx_S8C4ojwAdzo42DhuLrtJaZrb94EF8G78/s2679/IMG_3651.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2679" data-original-width="2422" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDmWW-ov_Uqo-i3aumOj0KCSuKySINnKtMSJ6XRP9btepqyAI2QdVg9nTx1ooBeIqd8QI33gwXlo2lFRZ860dlysGMe4IpNfZmjilbTSq9bJQ2-fHaSjwgrntInGC46SOklg5fvS60KDbnM01tbSlZAx_S8C4ojwAdzo42DhuLrtJaZrb94EF8G78/s320/IMG_3651.jpeg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV5GJ98hdXS2M-7vpvLxk1qMOo_xoS-4Vb5Wx5dy-zn-J2ODuIFQtRhepJZ9VnKDIJYCvg3KV_ZGz0AJyqM-4OjuS0fd0XHTVJK-tLmO4umJBCpA_Xn6JSNu2jGB9M1R2AZLkEXBzvudAeeDwqq1CzRwIhZohv7C_8nOsgOBwqdrGI5ubtkJ4yCpj/s3190/IMG_3652.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3190" data-original-width="2716" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV5GJ98hdXS2M-7vpvLxk1qMOo_xoS-4Vb5Wx5dy-zn-J2ODuIFQtRhepJZ9VnKDIJYCvg3KV_ZGz0AJyqM-4OjuS0fd0XHTVJK-tLmO4umJBCpA_Xn6JSNu2jGB9M1R2AZLkEXBzvudAeeDwqq1CzRwIhZohv7C_8nOsgOBwqdrGI5ubtkJ4yCpj/s320/IMG_3652.jpeg" width="272" /></a></div><br />Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-53071164898707657592022-03-17T15:38:00.004+00:002022-03-21T17:33:36.883+00:00Infrared photography with an iPhone. DIY IR filter mounts for all three cameras of an iPhone 11 Pro<p>Although I have two infrared-converted Nikon DSLRs, I sometimes am out and about only with my iPhone and see a shot that would look good in infrared black-and-white. There are numerous reports phone cameras of phone cameras being used with a 720 nm cut-off filter held in front of the lens. The best guide I have found is that by Rick Shea, described <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SqtnlPX0RU&t=24s" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href=" https://blog.robsheaphotography.com/index.html" target="_blank">here</a>. However, he was unable to use the ultra wide lens/camera on an iPhone. That’s because there are problems with the design of any attachment used to hold the infrared filter.</p><p>During the winter I was determined to see if I could get usable infrared photographs from the ultra wide lens (equivalent to a focal length of 13 mm in a full-frame 35 mm camera), since it offers pictorial possibilities many people do not have in their range of lenses for their DSLR or mirrorless IR-converted camera.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf-_KrwoXOS7HLMNfDoGGmMe_uddSZfCTl_pKqchqT5V_EgJqTzWyP1VECyP6noq6INlhx2Dppp1UdoIL9DjdBgVT-6pIotzEtHopAvBFnzBlCAV5MFovXka4nEtDt9a1IgMxYQ-Ix2qdNlCcqg0Qtpcfsc6iLBSh7xaQhrIbfiePLg3bnNixikCwR=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf-_KrwoXOS7HLMNfDoGGmMe_uddSZfCTl_pKqchqT5V_EgJqTzWyP1VECyP6noq6INlhx2Dppp1UdoIL9DjdBgVT-6pIotzEtHopAvBFnzBlCAV5MFovXka4nEtDt9a1IgMxYQ-Ix2qdNlCcqg0Qtpcfsc6iLBSh7xaQhrIbfiePLg3bnNixikCwR=w507-h380" width="507" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">iPhone 11 Pro with 720 nm filter. Wide (26mm equivalent) Lens/Camera</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Having produced attachments that work, I would not want the reader to think that a iPhone is in any way a substitute for an IR-converted camera. There are problems that are inherent in the way the cameras operate, in using the standard Camera app, in the size of the sensor and with lens hotspots:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Using the Apple Camera app, it would be logical to think that the standard settings of 0.5x, 1x and 2x would engage each of the three lenses (respectively 13, 26 and 52 mm focal length in 35 mm equivalents. By holding a finger over the lenses to see which one is producing the image, 1x and 2x magnifications are both produced by the 26 mm lens. Only above x2 (and then not consistently at higher digital magnifications) did the 52 mm lens come into play. I have therefore abandoned the Apple’s standard Camera app for infrared. Instead I use the camera function of Adobe Lightroom. There, selecting UW (13 mm), W (26 mm) or T (52 mm) does actually engage the respective cameras. I will use UW, W and T to denote the three cameras below. Incidentally, I have the file format set to DNG. However when on UW, DNG is not available and the format reverts to jpg.</li><li>There is some sort of algorithm operating in the iPhone 11 Pro that interlinks the three separate cameras. If one camera is obstructed there can be times when the UW will not focus or get the correct exposure.</li><li>The presence of a 720 nm filter needs an increase in exposure of approximately 12 stops or E.V.s. With the fixed wide aperture of the three lenses (f/2.4, f/1.8 and f/2.0) and optical image stabilisation for W and T, the phone can be hand held for subjects in sunlight. However there is no stabilisation with UW and some form of support may be necessary depending on the exposure and how steady you are in holding a phone camera.</li><li>All the lenses have an infrared hotspot. Ways of dealing with them by making presets for Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop are described by Rick Shea.</li><li>The phone has a tiny sensor. That couple with the 12-stop increase in exposure will tend to produce a noisy image. I have define Topaz DeNoise AI excellent in dealing with infrared images from the iPhone.</li><li>Forget any notion of obtaining faux-colour infrared images. Yes, it can be done but the colour range that can be achieved is not worth the effort.</li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Filter Holder Requirements</h4><p>In view of the above I set out to cover all three lenses with a 720 nm IR filter. My first attempt using the clip-on filter mounts that hold a 37 mm filter was completely unsuccessful. I realised there were two problems to overcome, that had not been envisaged when these clip-on plastic mounts were produced for a single phone lens. Although I removed all of the thin plastic plate from the inside of the filter ring, I could not find a position for the clip which allowed all three cameras to be covered by a filter at the same time. There was vignetting from the filter ring either in the UW and/or the W image according to where the clip was positioned. In short I could not find a position where a 37 mm filter could ever work with all the lenses of the iPhone 11 Pro. This problem is, of course, caused by the extremely wide fields of view of the UW and W lenses arranged as they are on the rectangular camera plate of the phone. With diagonal fields of view of 118° and 80° it is only too easy for the filter mount to come into the side or corner of the frame.</p><p>A second problem was that in moving the clip around light could get enter the space between the filter and the lens and reflect back into the lens, causing characteristic light marks on the image. To that end the light within the phone’s camera cluster must be turned off.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNebMoluU25W91muT_pl_hWz_j8zCInfN70B71BKVigjZ5hmuagjZd39RJ4ZP_PDmy0vEQWDAGK07Fm6QY7d0o0ihJk2mh2dYelf4WTCrvassnRvGDYn1FCGK3QnMKTcAeibWciN4Q5_vC1dNGbSXPi2PfGQiDkCnoT_xiMaULfj1UvudywKkUt12Q=s6047" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6047" data-original-width="4032" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNebMoluU25W91muT_pl_hWz_j8zCInfN70B71BKVigjZ5hmuagjZd39RJ4ZP_PDmy0vEQWDAGK07Fm6QY7d0o0ihJk2mh2dYelf4WTCrvassnRvGDYn1FCGK3QnMKTcAeibWciN4Q5_vC1dNGbSXPi2PfGQiDkCnoT_xiMaULfj1UvudywKkUt12Q=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The effect of light leaking between the<br />IR filter and the phone</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><u>Therefore, it is clear that any attachment has to be simple enough to be used by any of the three lenses without physical adjustment and has to prevent light entering behind the infrared filter</u>.</p><p>With it not being possible to use a 37 mm filter, the next common larger size is 52 mm—and I had a 52 mm 720 nm filter to hand. There was no problem finding a position in which a 52 mm filter could be used without vignetting. However, the phone itself is not wide enough and needs a plate into which the cluster of cameras will fit and of sufficient width to hold a circular filter mount.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Filter Holder Construction #1</h3><p>My first attempt to make a filter attachment is shown below. It was made from 1.0 mm styrene sheet and bars. The width of the plate is that required for a 52 mm filter holder to be fitted. The supporting bars allow a close fit to the phone and the lengths have to avoid the buttons on the sides. I first made the olate (cutting out the round-cornered rectangle was the most difficult bit). Then I bought a metal 55-52 mm Step-Down Ring. The 55 thread on the outside extended from half-way down the ring while the 52 mm thread inside went the whole way through. Therefore to get a broad flat surface I cut off the part of the ring with the 55 mm outside thread using a cutting disc. When smoothed down, I stuck it to the styrene plate with cyanoacrylate superglue. To reinforce the joint and to make sure light was excluded I ran black Sugru around the edge. Before gluing the ring in place, I checked its intended position in order to make sure there was no vignetting from any of the cameras..</p><p>To be used this plate has to be held tightly to the phone in order, again, to prevent light reaching the back of the filter. The large, soft-sprung clip shown in the photograph is the best I have found so far. The spring has to be gentle in strength because one side presses on the glass front of the phone.</p><p>After a spray of matt black paint I found this style worked fine. The attachment, filter and clip would fit in the pocket. Anything similar could easily be built using a 3D-printer.</p><p>The use of this filter holder is not confined to an IR filter. Standard 52 mm Polarising and neutral density filters could be used for ‘normal’ photography and video.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyRjqXcMqFyRgkrHvN3QvKYxHW9Vd9jQISyaz1cCqi-nV_FFse6KOIzzzgiROTm6q-Edow64DzZX5wR_lbKN7F1pOpnegynNJ2MaXJdE07XRkCEDjyt72eANANGSmUx4V_byfGiBq1I9bdpM31qntp6vcQNN4LZgmZB-yUjodqayy107ilTsxVNRyS=s3814" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3814" data-original-width="2212" height="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyRjqXcMqFyRgkrHvN3QvKYxHW9Vd9jQISyaz1cCqi-nV_FFse6KOIzzzgiROTm6q-Edow64DzZX5wR_lbKN7F1pOpnegynNJ2MaXJdE07XRkCEDjyt72eANANGSmUx4V_byfGiBq1I9bdpM31qntp6vcQNN4LZgmZB-yUjodqayy107ilTsxVNRyS=w497-h853" width="497" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqe68XsLnnJAd6eGEL7qHWm2fFSZmUR_gjL6LN8X8Wyp5rZ7nNvO_NSOvHDpKby6xkIc26MRpJ8m6eMlbZH4pVNWHqp0nFQF5DiRRCXMfn3dhhQEo4mO3U-_iE6_DHysndlMbUjzDQLmRmO3ur-RZwScVGnn9lm1b8JxkVhxZ0rXUyPyn-BO5VIeDI=s2769" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="2769" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqe68XsLnnJAd6eGEL7qHWm2fFSZmUR_gjL6LN8X8Wyp5rZ7nNvO_NSOvHDpKby6xkIc26MRpJ8m6eMlbZH4pVNWHqp0nFQF5DiRRCXMfn3dhhQEo4mO3U-_iE6_DHysndlMbUjzDQLmRmO3ur-RZwScVGnn9lm1b8JxkVhxZ0rXUyPyn-BO5VIeDI=w477-h206" width="477" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Step-DOWN Ring used to hold the 52 mm IR Filter</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Filter Holder Construction #2</h3><p>With the design of the iPhone lens cluster, a circular filter is not ideal. A rectangular one would be easier to deal with. I therefore made a similar plate to #1 for taking a rectangular piece of filter material. That could be narrower. However, finding a piece of rectangular 720 nm filter material is another matter. I was not keen to buy a large circular filter and cut it down on the chance I could do so without breaking the glass sandwich. Industrial quantities were out of the question but I did find somebody on eBay selling what seemed to be 720 nm plastic material of the sort used in electronic infrared controllers. I soon cut a piece down and sealed it to the plastic plate. Unfortunately, while the initial cut off may be around 720 nm, the supplied spectrum showed there was a dip in transmission at some longer wavelengths and the attachment was unusable. That was a pity because for a purely infrared filter attachment of small size the approach seems ideal. If anybody can get hold of material used to make photographic 720 nm IR filters, or has a go in cutting down a large circular filter, then making such a small attachment would be worthwhile. Incidentally, I have found no other cut off filter, other than 720 nm, works with the iPhone. Lower wavelengths let too much ordinary light in; higher wavelengths so little that the camera tries to take a photograph of the inside of the filter. Again though, that design with suitable filter material could be made by 3D-printing.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdhbg3jCztqZCwCmrvtJlrx219ou6II8W2UTO2oehWWTYLCbMXzrfPtOAPH7pgTax_tPDn5Pkv9ZWPqLCApfi-IXZFGaPWQg0e84S786Mg8ZLWqg8Vi5fB8MUPo3H7f2FSlUqRaZevXth12VTb7s5GOOLHItquK9l53I9N64OxJIyyMsywFDf_1WRH=s2148" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1096" data-original-width="2148" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdhbg3jCztqZCwCmrvtJlrx219ou6II8W2UTO2oehWWTYLCbMXzrfPtOAPH7pgTax_tPDn5Pkv9ZWPqLCApfi-IXZFGaPWQg0e84S786Mg8ZLWqg8Vi5fB8MUPo3H7f2FSlUqRaZevXth12VTb7s5GOOLHItquK9l53I9N64OxJIyyMsywFDf_1WRH=w533-h271" width="533" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhidtS9LJw4KRSzHd1ZzcUZyPg5S-2efhBubw6aP-FMmV5cuaPp2WjdzhjfofNvwdVLT1dRTABeL0GZv-T_IsJifzZceniEJoClxMtgv30V8tynswZEoaAdW_uoQe9mrKOahc71FVSyWnQOt6EkMPvhdjU4Vub97V6JFduxvCAOBcujFiVmhB9D88fX=s1190" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1190" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhidtS9LJw4KRSzHd1ZzcUZyPg5S-2efhBubw6aP-FMmV5cuaPp2WjdzhjfofNvwdVLT1dRTABeL0GZv-T_IsJifzZceniEJoClxMtgv30V8tynswZEoaAdW_uoQe9mrKOahc71FVSyWnQOt6EkMPvhdjU4Vub97V6JFduxvCAOBcujFiVmhB9D88fX=w251-h246" width="251" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Filter Holder Construction #3</h3><p>The last design uses a SmallRig cage (2776) and therefore avoids having to have a clip to hold a filter holder in place. I realised that I could use a filter mount (Kinqwon Flycoo 52 mm Filter Adapter for GoPro Hero 10/Hero 9 Black) since the rectangular lens bulge of the GoPro is similar in size to the lens plate of the iPhone. I found that the height above the plate of the cage caused vignetting. I therefore cut the back of the filter attachment leaving the rectangular opening surrounded by a 52 mm filter mount. That was glued to the rubber covering of the lens plate. However, there were holes where light could enter around the edges. I therefore sealed the whole thing with black Sugru. That arrangement works perfectly most of the time. However, sometimes when the phone is inserted in the cage there can be a very small light leak between the phone and the plate of the cage (to the right of the logo in the photograph below). I insert a piece of 1mm styrene card into that gap. I suppose I could glue card to the inside of the plate but the quick fix works fine.</p><p>Like #1, #3 can be used with other 52 mm filters.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRKTx9lrm_KKdWZ5gq-y00rl94yyPVQX523H1q-OZ7tgWQ5F-lQLPdXoPNK8f0KoS8-nCz1ARmAP0rjECLnCJiXfkyYiU5v68IJRziKlHehCBcTGt_EDuriAPIREDIzsVD7xifoGQBvrvdg1p-9EkaKpoD5spKB8ClJ97PH2_LEUbWgi-ulcbv4lWe=s2275" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2275" data-original-width="2104" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRKTx9lrm_KKdWZ5gq-y00rl94yyPVQX523H1q-OZ7tgWQ5F-lQLPdXoPNK8f0KoS8-nCz1ARmAP0rjECLnCJiXfkyYiU5v68IJRziKlHehCBcTGt_EDuriAPIREDIzsVD7xifoGQBvrvdg1p-9EkaKpoD5spKB8ClJ97PH2_LEUbWgi-ulcbv4lWe=w592-h640" width="592" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTBbFGjpcbSjGWOcg2VtAlTZ2cBBG_pQX9LPAcGoL9okh-uJb3edvPnI83V40eSfvMi2QOlbL10akqfu-1swe5EXK9TmPWFJexyPzlof_dGhxtpKqwobIDQ1M3N7TDOfiv9lWXz78SisBA7zPcQ20imdiuwyK41H7CuDEkmyEI39q4kXPTPL5SdWK0=s2313" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2175" data-original-width="2313" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTBbFGjpcbSjGWOcg2VtAlTZ2cBBG_pQX9LPAcGoL9okh-uJb3edvPnI83V40eSfvMi2QOlbL10akqfu-1swe5EXK9TmPWFJexyPzlof_dGhxtpKqwobIDQ1M3N7TDOfiv9lWXz78SisBA7zPcQ20imdiuwyK41H7CuDEkmyEI39q4kXPTPL5SdWK0=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The 52 mm filter holder designed for a GoPro</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBWshEG5fh2qzjnsdXyQzuDZ9lgpig0G86wvhh85BzlvQ4iW1O6XyO0-UPPAdQ8qYAe1l-j4Ia_0merWMy5xnXiVrLOTePljnXcJQNrd4MtDVapq48z9t1enMplDYeDtZ0v9s1TrImIPlki4U98fzVCh-bpbwJhDNYncqP3EAa3r2fJbKRzvL6W3GN=s2993" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2153" data-original-width="2993" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBWshEG5fh2qzjnsdXyQzuDZ9lgpig0G86wvhh85BzlvQ4iW1O6XyO0-UPPAdQ8qYAe1l-j4Ia_0merWMy5xnXiVrLOTePljnXcJQNrd4MtDVapq48z9t1enMplDYeDtZ0v9s1TrImIPlki4U98fzVCh-bpbwJhDNYncqP3EAa3r2fJbKRzvL6W3GN=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj8FDrnP-wjlCwpnHAzEBFis1-nc2UOcgTIkyzk1dKs2VqRtYuDXGmIh0fVbCUFDHuwFgb7t2giIvJPh8nR5LkMxVBWJJbyOUmAatjR-hmVkyw2IUmWa5kiF_5HfU0W5Raplns8-6g0bdD-rYcZXzD8-VzIsP8rH4Fd6i362nlmoEkcHJhA5BV0c_O=s4090" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1460" data-original-width="4090" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj8FDrnP-wjlCwpnHAzEBFis1-nc2UOcgTIkyzk1dKs2VqRtYuDXGmIh0fVbCUFDHuwFgb7t2giIvJPh8nR5LkMxVBWJJbyOUmAatjR-hmVkyw2IUmWa5kiF_5HfU0W5Raplns8-6g0bdD-rYcZXzD8-VzIsP8rH4Fd6i362nlmoEkcHJhA5BV0c_O=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Black Sugru used to fill gaps</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br /></p><p>With the changing of models and phone sizes, there is of course no permanent solution to producing a filter mount for iPhones. Already the iPhone 11 Pro is two models behind. For those who do not want to have to make a holder like #1 and #2 every time they change their phone, then the cage option with some sort of filter holder of the type that fits a modern GoPros may be the way to go. There must surely be a commercial opening here for iPhone filter mounts that cover all the cameras and not just attach to the cage to cover one (W) as at present.</p><p>Finally, I have been surprised about the quality of the infrared black-and-white photographs from the IPhone, but more on that topic in a later post. Suffice it to say at this stage that the UW (13 mm equivalent) lens/camera produces some very strange images with periperal area of mush - just as if some noise reduction process has gone crazy locally. There creative possibilities since anthing towards the centre of the frame is not affected. All-in-all impressive black-and-white IR photographs emerge from the W and T cameras.</p><div><br /></div>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-18869839954446199712021-10-03T17:44:00.001+01:002021-10-03T17:44:38.752+01:00Raynox 2.2x Extender for Sony FDR-AX700 Camcorder: When length really matters<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Those of us who use a camcorder to take wildlife videos while travelling are often in a dilemma. A very small sensor can produce excess noise in low light while the image is subject to diffraction at all or just about all lens apertures; such cameras are though light in weight. A large-sensored (APS or full-frame) camera, by contrast, is much less liable to noise and diffraction but with a long lens is both heavy and bulky. To some extent the 1-inch sensor is a good compromise in terms of noise, diffraction and weight but choice in the market is very limited with new models appearing only very rarely. Those available have a useful if limited lens zoom range. Thus my Sony FDR-AX700, with which I have a continuing love-hate relationship, has an optical zoom range, in 35 mm equivalents, of 29-348 mm, which in some circumstances is not wide enough or long enough.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The option to use Sony’s ‘clear image zoom’ provides additional focal length at the long end, with a zoom range of 18x, i.e. 29-522 mm when using 4K. I really cannot see the stated small difference in resolution between optical and ‘clear image zoom’ when I shoot in 4K, edit in and output from a 1080 timeline in FCPX and then watch the video on a normal sitting-room sized 1920 x 1080 television.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I always shoot in 4K and edit on a 1080 timelines, giving me the option of cropping without loss of resolution up to 2x. That scaling effectively doubles the maximum focal length of the lens, in this case to 696 mm (optical zoom) and 1048 mm (clear image zoom).</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes, though I need a greater focal length and have been working with two lens extenders, both of which will fit directly on to the filter thread of the AX700. Lens extenders in general have a terrible reputation with cheap and nasty versions available since the 1960s. However, Olympus made a tele-extender (‘Tele Extension Lens Pro’ TCON-14B) for its E-10 and E-20 cameras which went on sale in 2000-2001. That one multiplies the focal length by 1.4. They now sell for very little; I paid £13 for one in mint condition. Reviews from the time praised its high quality but the tests were made on a 4 MP camera. The TCON-14B is very heavy (465 g).</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Raynox are highly praised for their converters—the Raynox DCR-2025Pro seemed ideal for my purpose. I have been deterred from buying one by the UK retail price—in excess of £220 and from some suppliers much higher. When I saw one advertised at £115 I ordered it. This one multiplies the focal length by 2.2, providing a very respectable increase in maximum focal length of the AX700 to 766 mm (35 mm equivalent) with optical zoom and to 1148 mm with clear image zoom. Multiply those figures by 2 for maximum cropping of 4K video in a 1080 timeline and we have 1532 (optical zoom) and 2296 (clear image zoom). With those sorts of focal lengths you really could not ask for more.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCy1Spb448c5jY6qGLKd6eP6kHxkw5hlo0osnMMCvgLFr2TWYOHuq_-MxnDJTjXHcRdLTUjl8CkHPtblD7IUJiwsqRZb6ltE76yc9pZVAc8z16CZYIqlJ3Ah1OFSvD19fMhPDwRkSRsc/s2048/Raynox+AX700.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="2048" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCy1Spb448c5jY6qGLKd6eP6kHxkw5hlo0osnMMCvgLFr2TWYOHuq_-MxnDJTjXHcRdLTUjl8CkHPtblD7IUJiwsqRZb6ltE76yc9pZVAc8z16CZYIqlJ3Ah1OFSvD19fMhPDwRkSRsc/w559-h286/Raynox+AX700.jpg" width="559" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Raynox DCR-2025Pro</span> mounted on the Sony AX700</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The choice between optical zoom and clear image zoom isn’t just one of a small, imperceptible to my eyes when used in the field, difference in resolution. One of the annoying features of the AX700 is that some features that are available in optical zoom disappear when using clear image zoom. I find the central focus area option very useful subjects like perched birds or small mammals. However, the option for that is not available in the clear-image zoom range of x12 (348 mm) to x18 (522 mm). Therefore, it will sometimes be better to use manual focus with peaking.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Apart from the problem of heat distortion in the air between camera and subject that cannot be avoided with any very long lens, there are disadvantages of using a teleconverter. The first is having to operate at full zoom or very nearly full zoom; with any wider angle there is severe vignetting reaching the point of a central circular image. The second is having to screw it in position and then remove it when not needed—a fiddly, two-handed job. A friend lost a Raynox from a canopy hide in a rainforest; it fell while she was trying to screw it into position and was never seen again.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Turning to the Raynox DCR-2025Pro itself. I was delighted to find it is built of light plastic and for such a long and powerful extender weighs only 380 g. Mine came in its original box (I suspect it had never been used at all) and contained a Raynox brochure, dated 2018, which states:</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The model Raynox DCR-2025 Pro high definition telephoto lens is made of high index optical glass elements, and it’s designed with new designing concept of two group/four element formula to obtain the maximum resolution power of 260-line/mm at center (MTF30%.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The lens hood (shade) is included as are caps and adapter rings for 43, 52, 55 and 58 mm filter ring lenses. I was confused when looking at the description of this lens by UK dealers since they did not included in their descriptions the fact that it fits a 62 mm lens ring—the AX700 size. In fact 62 mm is the native size with no adapter needed.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The combination of AX-700/Raynox DCR-2025Pro providing such long focal lengths does need a sturdy tripod even without pan/tilt movements while filming. And I soon discovered that shot against the light were a no-no; flare is too great even with the substantial hood on.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been testing the AX-700/Raynox DCR-2025Pro a little. To do so I have had the camera on a tripod with stabilisation off. I have put the 4K footage (clear image zoom on) on a 1080 timeline in FCPX and without further processing exported still image tiff files from a single frame. I looked at still images this way because the resolution of in-camera still images is different from that of video and I use this camera for video not stills.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the following series the flower is in a different position because there was a gentle breeze.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ljrr4Bat2-Yjwl9RrMJX8Vl_oOIus6WTd3ai6EfR3Cf1M7HwESvNWyyWXCJHkh02y2jlxh4GIkSFX9_Eff-GIM7yO_UEa_lgYxAeoqdDOiVvj92SOX8DuIOzfVuY3XXADgb1BdO9urc/s2048/Extender+Montage+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1199" height="835" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ljrr4Bat2-Yjwl9RrMJX8Vl_oOIus6WTd3ai6EfR3Cf1M7HwESvNWyyWXCJHkh02y2jlxh4GIkSFX9_Eff-GIM7yO_UEa_lgYxAeoqdDOiVvj92SOX8DuIOzfVuY3XXADgb1BdO9urc/w488-h835/Extender+Montage+2.jpg" width="488" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The nest series is a similar illustration for comparison of the two extenders with the maximum focal length of the AX700. Below is added an image from the same position taken with a Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ82 at 1680 mm (35 mm equivalent) from 4K footage on a 1080 timeline. The difference in resolution is very clear but perhaps not surprising given the price difference between the cameras.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZhtQvPa1ML6Jl2kDK4DkPxx4KoU5TDMDHQKNZZGbC9lc8lUwC6zqUHA0PSBFtbe88J2gpmswv7Ble1IubiDZWe9PdJwcmzIiJ4mxgbXpo4gZE-Qzc2PyBID0qn1p7Z42vgmGhROQS5o/s2048/+Extender+Montage+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1194" height="834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZhtQvPa1ML6Jl2kDK4DkPxx4KoU5TDMDHQKNZZGbC9lc8lUwC6zqUHA0PSBFtbe88J2gpmswv7Ble1IubiDZWe9PdJwcmzIiJ4mxgbXpo4gZE-Qzc2PyBID0qn1p7Z42vgmGhROQS5o/w488-h834/+Extender+Montage+1.jpg" width="488" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegTAYDMTEhIJteDqU4xei3orUwXle3D7UYHD5cBIT-skvTChiMLdwMZ8XKl7Kbn1oFDF0l49mQEq7jn1cbqipJg62h_BAxcw_r7DUckl4EqxWyq0V9rNvNy7b-Y8RNiBAw0VnsLlEb54/s2048/1D+Lumix+FZ82.tiff" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegTAYDMTEhIJteDqU4xei3orUwXle3D7UYHD5cBIT-skvTChiMLdwMZ8XKl7Kbn1oFDF0l49mQEq7jn1cbqipJg62h_BAxcw_r7DUckl4EqxWyq0V9rNvNy7b-Y8RNiBAw0VnsLlEb54/w490-h276/1D+Lumix+FZ82.tiff" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ82 'bridge'camera </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have also tried the Raynox extender in the field. I chose a dull day to prevent the effect of ‘heat shimmer’ affecting the image.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These two series are from two single frames at maximum camera focal length plus the 2.2x extender with clear image zoom on. The top is straight from the timeline; the next at 150% scale (i.e. 1.5x) and the bottom one scaled to 200% (i.e. 2x). Thus the bottom image is the equivalent of using a 2296 mm lens on a full-frame 35 mm camera, i.e. a lens 2.3 metres long in a non-telephoto design). The head shots are cropped stills from the exported tiff files.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zzs93kYFNNe1Juzb5ZdZ1CgQI-EwRvVK1N-kldjdbTfWlR2UUzg3dqRL3hXGzTdLFORqwzd5qFXSsuPDl4LaOT-NQA_OI9yDEFVXzit4EwROijbgBuM4OHYPTyIus-sl1WJV72pfuiw/s2048/Duck+FCP+Scale+Full+size.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1214" height="842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zzs93kYFNNe1Juzb5ZdZ1CgQI-EwRvVK1N-kldjdbTfWlR2UUzg3dqRL3hXGzTdLFORqwzd5qFXSsuPDl4LaOT-NQA_OI9yDEFVXzit4EwROijbgBuM4OHYPTyIus-sl1WJV72pfuiw/w500-h842/Duck+FCP+Scale+Full+size.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIP36kCLcXJq5K_4nEXH3EQSKg0gRsFwy4H6izpnt2Z8fMR_Yi4w7x5cjgaUFy7IPuro90FgVu15qR8HM3dbiNX8VoJHI3niPPG8mqVqFmw-Ar5xgjw14eaPkXOvnxD-VLTS4VJI7ODvs/s2112/Duck+FCP+Scale+Head+only.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="2112" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIP36kCLcXJq5K_4nEXH3EQSKg0gRsFwy4H6izpnt2Z8fMR_Yi4w7x5cjgaUFy7IPuro90FgVu15qR8HM3dbiNX8VoJHI3niPPG8mqVqFmw-Ar5xgjw14eaPkXOvnxD-VLTS4VJI7ODvs/w640-h158/Duck+FCP+Scale+Head+only.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ePRSzl3yQYjFUcSOzlz9a1evRnaL9y1mWKJm3jy91QvWJGpXHYLI893sQUNdSNO_XN7shyYAButCGY0XgSFjJiLVn_Wtfp6wkfrh6F5LAziD4gSTwb2O5_5azQAkghMTAuIpDqe2dUA/s2048/Heron+FCP+Scale+Full+Size.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1214" height="841" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ePRSzl3yQYjFUcSOzlz9a1evRnaL9y1mWKJm3jy91QvWJGpXHYLI893sQUNdSNO_XN7shyYAButCGY0XgSFjJiLVn_Wtfp6wkfrh6F5LAziD4gSTwb2O5_5azQAkghMTAuIpDqe2dUA/w499-h841/Heron+FCP+Scale+Full+Size.jpg" width="499" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6OLgTwoKOIqD5el1TMsDL5gka4IDS_H6ye1JQEJHyqQ8T5SiVWzAGq37vRb6eGY_lj0UYD4kHC2GHNJt0Gjt_qbG7O7n7Septptth5q7aSF8d-1Dg36MxgdroQEbIxihJXy6Hc-9uC8/s853/Heron+FCP+Scale+Head+only.jpg" style="clear: left; 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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, I made the footage I took into a short video. Except for the wide-angle shots all the rest was made using the Raynox extender on the AX-700.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="393" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/isbaTZp0UYs" width="600" youtube-src-id="isbaTZp0UYs"></iframe></div><br /><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When I started the search for a tele-extender I suspected the Olympus version, although only 1.4x would be so optically superior that I would have to abandon the Raynox 2.2x. But no. When length matters the Raynox on the Sony AX-700 reigns supreme. I will be using it in other scenarios and will report if my initial verdict changes.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-88676175463401405742020-08-18T14:49:00.000+01:002020-08-18T14:49:37.861+01:00Microphone Wind-Noise Muff for Sony Camcorder AX-700<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJ-f4pPL9tFbMgI2poxaUiMdFm2hQV5qalkjt0WBxMPGLq_Gqo2vo8fNg16JACDfFHmdHgy7VyxE-LtLjEts_P9qm4aU96gTeqP2tcKWrPtyIy7rSwUr-8yq7DKpH6GHy-isaEzygvaw/s1600/IMG_2118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1385" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJ-f4pPL9tFbMgI2poxaUiMdFm2hQV5qalkjt0WBxMPGLq_Gqo2vo8fNg16JACDfFHmdHgy7VyxE-LtLjEts_P9qm4aU96gTeqP2tcKWrPtyIy7rSwUr-8yq7DKpH6GHy-isaEzygvaw/s320/IMG_2118.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I previously described how I made a built-in microphone muff for the Sony FDR-AX33 (shown with full details <a href="http://photovideooptics.blogspot.com/2016/12/microphone-wind-noise-muff-for-sony.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I have now made one for my Sony AX-700. The process is a little easier because the curve of the body is not so tight and the self-adhesive Velcro does not lift so easily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Again I used Velcro Heavy Duty Stick On with the hook half attached to the camcorder and the loop piece attached to faux fur fabric which came from eBay as ‘blue beige wolf’. This time I cut the tough Velcro using a wood chisel for the inner cut out and the outer edges of the hook half and for the inner cut out of the loop piece.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I trimmed the long fake fur to a more reasonable length. Depending on the direction the fur lies it is easy to produce a camcorder with a Trump or end up, like this one, with a Boris Johnson coiffure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those wanting to make one, here are the dimensions:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7ks4wFvBZtNelh5TFm1L6W6nsBGSDhaFv8rhB5ie8MnVLcId8ZJE6_19_sM6Ll3YsAss9IWl5b4qFkHaSd1Ffc_CtzeSGKYM1gInG4WUvc1Ecazp9OgF2Xauj9RO06Dyx5kqDWX5jlM/s1600/Muff+AX700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="1590" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7ks4wFvBZtNelh5TFm1L6W6nsBGSDhaFv8rhB5ie8MnVLcId8ZJE6_19_sM6Ll3YsAss9IWl5b4qFkHaSd1Ffc_CtzeSGKYM1gInG4WUvc1Ecazp9OgF2Xauj9RO06Dyx5kqDWX5jlM/s400/Muff+AX700.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Care must be taken when removing the muff to get a finger nail between the two layers of Velcro and not between the fur and the loop Velcro. I make up several before long trips overseas and with some I make the loop Velcro/fake fur wider than the hook Velcro attached to the camcorder when I know I will be removing the muff frequently since it is easier to get a grip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have found these muff to be highly successful in reducing or obliterating wind noise. Using them I do not have to attach an accessory microphone. That makes clambering in and out of vehicles or simply dropping the camcorder in a bag much easier.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6Cs6Weg328ng0uQOJDZst3WRTA93c1zBwmEFhMxCzQ1edvL0idOP6QG6tVw7VxxluEvIXLtaY7zllVFMaGq7mME5aFNj728Jndzppv33HpdXxd10Is9tXobtu3NMprN1F3_YXXpF_VM/s1600/IMG_2116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6Cs6Weg328ng0uQOJDZst3WRTA93c1zBwmEFhMxCzQ1edvL0idOP6QG6tVw7VxxluEvIXLtaY7zllVFMaGq7mME5aFNj728Jndzppv33HpdXxd10Is9tXobtu3NMprN1F3_YXXpF_VM/s320/IMG_2116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-62144602631869584822020-08-04T17:08:00.000+01:002020-08-04T17:08:21.390+01:00Lenses and ‘Glass Disease’<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;">I was also told, in relation to microscopes, to be wary of using old lenses since over time the glass deteriorates. For photographic lenses, telescopes and binoculars that problem is seldom mentioned these days. The other problems that befall old lenses such as fungus, dust, separation of elements because of balsam deterioration, and condensation of lubricants as well as mechanical damage to the surfaces all get covered in guides to buying and repairing but actual deterioration of the glass itself is only rarely mentioned. I supposed the writers and repairers are often not dealing with really old lenses, merely ones that are not current models. For users and potential purchasers of old film cameras, particularly those made before the widespread adoption of coated lenses, binoculars, telescopes and microscopes, the problem can be real and insoluble.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">The warning about using old lenses for microscopy came in what I can only describe as the most long-winded and boring course (apart from botany) it was my misfortune to attend. Robert Barer* was the new Professor of Anatomy in Sheffield and he gave his now infamous snail-pace course on the use of the microscope he had started at Oxford to those of us who were honours students in zoology. Before deserting most of the sessions, I did pick up that snippet on old lenses. In order to check my memory I bought a copy of his book, Lecture Notes on the Use of the Microscope, first published in 1953. There, he wrote:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: times;">Do microscope lenses deteriorate with age?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: times;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>They may do so. The surfaces of some glasses tend to become cloudy with age, particularly in the presence of moisture. The balsam used to cement lenses together may dry up irregularly, or may retract, leaving an air space. Moulds sometimes grow in the space between lenses. Many old lenses are still perfectly good, but nevertheless caution is advised when purchasing any objective more than about twenty years old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">Since then I have seen a number of lenses affected by what is called ‘glass disease’ in lenses of all sorts. Glass Disease is a major problem in museum collections of glass objects. Its appearance depends on the chemical composition of the glass and the humidity of the surrounding air. It shows first as a cloudiness on the surface of the glass and soon becomes irreversible; the chemistry involved is explained in an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_disease" target="_blank">article</a> on Wikipedia. Because of the importance of chemical composition, some glasses show relatively rapid deterioration when in high humidity or submerged; others show no deterioration whatsoever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">The nature of glass disease was brought home to me during covid-lockdown. In 1964, my wife, before she achieved that status, spotted on old tip while cycling to work during the summer vacation. Investigating further, she found a number of old medicine bottles and the like. They were left uncleaned with her parents who simply moved the whole lot with them each time they moved house. They emerged when we cleared their house and were transferred to a shed in our garden. Re-emerging as the shed was tidied I was volunteered to clean them up. I have to say with due modesty that I did a very good job. Several, however, had large patches, inside and out, of surface cloudiness. That was resistant to every chemical treatment I could devise, from strong acid to organic solvent. In short they had glass disease and I read that the only way it could be removed was by gentle but prolonged mechanical abrasion.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLD0_f6t3MrF3_L67A4qnu_JqGqfXZ04QitR8wHj4EXHivHSMbTiXroVjdb1BQK3t30KnuHMc94MkS6XnQ3JUMTdAcC9L5HVChyAQB4G10npsz2At35d9oir58jws40BrGXedUSnRVXA/s2521/IMG_2008.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1247" data-original-width="2521" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLD0_f6t3MrF3_L67A4qnu_JqGqfXZ04QitR8wHj4EXHivHSMbTiXroVjdb1BQK3t30KnuHMc94MkS6XnQ3JUMTdAcC9L5HVChyAQB4G10npsz2At35d9oir58jws40BrGXedUSnRVXA/w400-h198/IMG_2008.jpeg" title="A long-buried bottle with glass disease" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A long-buried bottle with 'glass disease'</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">I have, over the years, seen examples of glass disease in microscope lenses, old binoculars and photographic lenses. Since high humidity is needed it is not surprising that fungal growth and glass disease sometimes go together, as in lenses kept without desiccant in the tropics. In the three years before he died my father acquired a large collection of classic cameras. Some of those had cloudy, uncleanable lens surfaces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">Regardless of chemical composition, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-reflective_coating" target="_blank">coatings</a> applied to modern lenses prevent glass disease. Indeed I was surprised to read that they were invented for that purpose by Lord Raleigh in 1886. Only afterwards did he discover that they decreased the reflectivity and therefore increased the transmittance of light. Some coatings though peeled off in patches or were worn away by zealous cleaning, leaving the surface open to glass disease.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqunpNSMclzOljMKO-NuawvhjJxvUctmauRLVk8U8sW2f9x6TBOxEciZ_t62WyniO8kkyil5AYYumj6US4MK68008tI2CdWS02RHbKhNh0vqodBU5j6ZsakpFSgH9436Cc94w1eVoOus/s1600/Paxina+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="1472" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqunpNSMclzOljMKO-NuawvhjJxvUctmauRLVk8U8sW2f9x6TBOxEciZ_t62WyniO8kkyil5AYYumj6US4MK68008tI2CdWS02RHbKhNh0vqodBU5j6ZsakpFSgH9436Cc94w1eVoOus/s320/Paxina+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">The only ‘remedy’ for lenses with glass disease I have seen is to polish them with jewellers’ rouge, a mild abrasive. The effect on the optical properties of the lens was not stated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">I, needless to say, avoid really old or decrepit lenses. They, like many of the cameras they were made for, are simply beyond redemption and are best relegated to the display shelf.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">*Although he bored us rigid, we did have great respect and sympathy for him. Word had got out that he was the first to have entered the typhus-ridden Sandbostel Concentration Camp in April 1945; that experience affected him for the rest of his life. He was medical officer in the Guard’s Armoured Division in the advance across Europe. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions, including rescuing the crews of three burning tanks while under accurate shellfire. Robert Barer (1916-1989) wrote <i>One Young Man and Total War,</i> Portland Press, 1998.</span></div>
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-41355848079400629292020-05-19T12:26:00.000+01:002020-05-19T12:26:31.841+01:00Sony AX-700 Camcorder: My bargain 1.45x Tele Extender—the Olympus TCON-14B<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the past I have often carried a 1.4 or 1.7x lens extender for whichever camcorder I have had at the time. That extra reach a lens extender gives can be very useful for mammals a long way away and for small mammals, birds and reptiles. Purist still photographers hate extenders because they degrade the image a little and sometimes a lot; they also reduce the maximum aperture. However, I have found them really useful for video and Sony used to make both tele and wide-angle adapters for its camcorders. They no longer do that. When I bought the Sony AX-700 last year I looked around for a suitable tele-extender. Most that have been made in the past have a much smaller diameter than the lens on the AX-700. But one doesn’t: the Olympus Tele Extension Lens Pro TCON-14B. This fits the 62 mm diameter screw fitting of the Sony without needing conversion rings. I soon found a range for sale at camera dealers and on eBay. I bought a mint one for £5.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The AX-700-TCON-14B combination</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had read old reviews which praised the optical quality of this Olympus lens which was built for an early digital camera, the E-10, a model first sold in 2000. I have found it to be the best tele extender I have ever used. Its only disadvantage is its weight of nearly half a kilogram; it really is solidly built.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The TCON-14B is a 1.45x extender which means I can achieve a 35 mm equivalent focal length of 505 mm using optical zoom only or 757 mm using clear image zoom. The values are with stabilisation turned off since I cannot imagine using the combination without a tripod. I normally output 4k footage to 1080 which means I can up to double the effective focal length in post production to over 1000 mm.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At short focal lengths there is vignetting, as with all tele extenders and so I only use it near or at the maximum focal length of the zoom lens.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The close focusing distance of 100 cm does not change with a tele extender and so it can be used for close-up shots when greater separation between subject and background is needed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The front end of the extender has the slightly unusual 86 mm diameter filter thread.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The match between the diameter of the extender and the outside diameter of the camcorder lens is very close. The TCON-14B could have been designed for the AX-700 rather than for a camera 20 years ago.</span></span></div>
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-25787849486621754552020-05-11T17:34:00.000+01:002020-05-11T17:34:35.890+01:00One Tripod; Three Columns; Three Heads…and two types of mounting plate<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tripods are rarely a triumph of engineering design. Over the years I have owned or used many and even though I have a clear out once in a while, they still seem to accumulate as I try to find the perfect one for the job in hand. A major problem has been the attachment of heads; the torque from long lenses and telescopes has freed many a head from its mounting.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My go-to home and local, as opposed to travel tripod, is a Gitzo G1228LVL Levelling Mountaineer Reporter Mark 2. Although this one almost but not fully solves one of the key problems in tripod design—locking the head to the column by a bolt tightened from the underside of the ‘Power Disc”—changing heads then becomes a hassle, especially if I want to do a quick change. I have, therefore, searched for and bought on eBay as many spare columns as I have been able to find: one full-length spare column and a shorter version. Therefore, when I want to change heads I just change columns. When the hook on the bottom of the column is not in place, that change takes seconds and even if I have the hook on, just a few seconds more.</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Manfrotto Junior Geared Head 410 on Gitzo Series 2 Column Kit D1228LVL.C or D1228C</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3-Legged Thing Eclipse Airhed Switch head on Gitzo Series 2 Ground Level Column Kit GS2511KB</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gitzo GH1720QR 2-way Birdwatching Head on Gitzo Series 2 Column Kit D1228LVL.C or D1228C (Used for telescope and video)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other infuriating thing about tripods is of course plates: different sizes from different manufacturers and different sizes for different heads by the same manufacturer. At least for the heads shown, I can now have just two kinds of camera plate. I have converted a plate for the geared head to Arca Swiss (Andoer Mini Adjustable Clamp Quick Release Plate Compatible Arca Swiss QR 38 mm) so that two can be used with a simple Arca Swiss Plate. However, the Gitzo birdwatching head still needs its own plates (medium-long version permanently attached to the telescope; short version for video cameras). At least, two is better than three.</span></div>
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-3699767383672529542020-05-11T13:57:00.000+01:002020-05-11T13:57:51.981+01:00Sony FDR-AX700: Function Button Settings for Wildlife and Travel<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I have written before the ergonomics of Sony camcorders fall short. After trying my AX-700 in the field for wildlife and travel with unchanged function buttons, I started to make a series of changes which have made life more convenient for my particular purposes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An annoying feature is that some of the function buttons are labelled with their default function, so that their label remains when the button does something entirely different. If I do not use the camera for several months or hand it to somebody else, it helps to be reminded of what the new function is. Therefore I used to a labelling machine to mark new or changed functions. The labels, of course, can be removed if necessary.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because I sometimes want to take a still photograph and on this model a visit to the menu system is needed to shift from video to still and vice versa, I assigned Button 3 to toggle between the two modes. Then Button 4 becomes the shutter release (as labelled) in Stills Mode.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The normal Menu button is inconveniently placed way along the side of the camcorder. In Video Mode, therefore, I assigned Menu to Button 4, which is convenient for the index finger of the right hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am often using the camcorder to take birds in bushes or trees. To check quickly if the autofocus is on the bird or surrounding branches, I have Button 5 set for Focus Peaking—also convenient for a finger of the right hand. I can then quickly decide whether or not to switch to manual focus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found I needed the option to swap quickly between focus areas so I have assigned Button 6 to Focus Area.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Buttons 1 and 2 remain unchanged.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thus far, I find the modified set-up works well for the kind of work I do. Here is a summary:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ASSIGN BUTTON 3 SHOOTING MODE toggles VIdeo—Stills</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here is the AX-700 with the Function Buttons labelled:</span></span></div>
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-83928691457765093592020-02-19T16:57:00.000+00:002020-02-19T16:57:49.051+00:00Sony AX-700. Great results but still a curate’s egg of a camcorder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Continuing my search for the perfect camcorder for wildlife and travel I bought a Sony AX-700. I should say at the outset that for wildlife, a camcorder is far more convenient to use handheld than a mirrorless camera. A camcorder is more compact, has a sufficiently long focal length lens for most purposes and can be held without shaking much more easily. I can speak from experience since I have both. But camcorders do not sell well and the few manufacturers bring out a new model very rarely.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was looking for a camcorder with more reliable and defined-area autofocus than is available with the contrast only autofocus systems on Sony and Panasonic camcorders with a 1/2.5 in sensor, where the camera will often focus on what it can focus on rather than on what I want it to focus on, even when the object is in the centre of the viewfinder.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Sony AX-700 has phase as well as contrast autofocus. The sensor is bigger (13.2 x 8.8 mm) than in my previous Sony and Panasonic camcorders (5.8 x 4.3 mm) but not so big that the depth-of-field at wide apertures and with the lens at full zoom is minute. It is the cheapest but most compact of the professional non-broadcast range of camcorders introduced by Sony in 2017 since it lacks the audio handle and microphone of those ‘higher’ in the range.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have now had the opportunity to use the AX-700 at home and in Iceland.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The curate’s excellent parts of this curious egg of a camcorder are: the quality of video output and the autofocus which is truly outstanding whether using a wide autofocus area or a small central area. The increase in weight over the 1/2.5 inch camcorders is worth the trade-off.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But there are outstandingly bad features. The buttons, menu system and manual can only have been devised by somebody who has never had to use the results of his or her efforts. The menu is turned on by pressing a button under the lens on the side while controlling the selection by a joystick on the back panel alongside the start/stop button. The arrangement of the menu items is illogical and although the functions of the pre-labelled menu buttons can be changed there is often little advantage in doing so because for many functions, pressing one button is insufficient and the menu itself has to be brought up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I defy anybody to understand setting up for slow-motion on first reading the manual. This is because it takes a while to realise that the camera does not record, say, 100 (120 in USA) frames per second, to the card, leaving the editor the choice of what to do in post-production. No, it stores footage taken at high frame rates and then records to the card the completed slo-mo video at 25 (30) fps—eventually since it takes time for this process to be completed and further shooting is impossible until that clip is produced.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Really annoying is the description of Super Slow Motion. I had to actually try the different settings using a falling pencil at my desk to see what the instruction manual is trying to say. And all that has to be done with manually set exposure and manual focus. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Bob Myers of AVP Studios</b> produced this excellent review of the AX-700 on Youtube. It is well worth watching and I will not repeat his criticisms here, other than to agree with them:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">A number of difficulties seem to arise from the fact that for any of the ‘special’ features like slow-motion this is not a 4k camcorder. It is really a 1080 machine that will shoot 4k at 25(30)fps. But even at 1080 there are many features that cannot be used with autofocus and autoexposure. One might have thought that it would at its price shoot 4k at 50(60) fps but it doesn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The AX-700 is probably over-priced and slightly over-heavy (although it will run for hours—no 30-minute limit) without overheating which suggests some of the weight is in heat-dissipating metal).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In conclusion, Sony’s AX-700 is not the perfect wildlife and travel camcorder. Many useful functions needed within seconds cannot be changed or accessed quickly enough. It is on the ergonomics where it falls short.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This camcorder then is typical Sony: some brilliant features let down by poor ergonomics, poor user interface and poor documentation.</b> </span></span></div>
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-20452563262806309462019-05-21T14:25:00.000+01:002019-05-21T14:25:34.619+01:00Panasonic HC-VXF1 Camcorder: How did it perform with wildlife in the field?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my post of <a href="http://photovideooptics.blogspot.com/2018/08/camcorders-unplanned-change-from-sony.html" target="_blank">28 August 2018</a> I explained how I my Sony AX53 had failed when nearly new and why I decided to replace it with the Panasonic HC-VXF1. I also pointed out how the Panasonic compared with the Sony in my hands.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have now used the Panasonic for wildlife at sea and on land. I am just as impressed with it then as I was at the beginning, especially the arrangement and control of the menu system which is vastly superior to the Sony effort. In many ways it is the ideal travel camcorder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The only area in which I have found it to be less good than the AX53 is the autofocus under certain and unpredictable conditions. Even in good light on occasion, the camera has not focused on the bird or mammal in the centre of the frame but has picked on a patch of ground further away. In one case, the focus point it picked was a patch of grass in good light, in another, the pebbles of a beach. I just could not get the camera to autofocus on a cicada sitting on a tree trunk; again it eventually settled on the background. My impression was that, although I obviously did not have an AX53 with me to compare, the Panasonic's contrast-detection AF was not quite so good as the Sony's, although the latter does not get it right every time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another user I know has found the same problem with even a large antelope in the centre of the frame being ignored and focus being established on the background well to the left or right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The answer, some my remind me, is to switch to manual focus but speed is often of the essence. Birds and mammals may be in view for only a matter of seconds and by the time several buttons have been pressed and a ring turned, the opportunity may have gone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Sony AX700 which has phase and contrast detection autofocus on its larger sensor does not suffer the problem of the contrast-only autofocus camcorders. It is perhaps unlikely that on-sensor phase detectors can be installed on the tiny sensors installed in the camcorders at the lower end of the market. However, there is a trade off between weight and sensor size so I may well keep my Panasonic for those occasions when I do not wish to or cannot carry anything heavier.</span>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-40282750834932720362019-03-20T16:41:00.000+00:002019-03-20T16:43:20.321+00:00Cameras: Why Not a Square Sensor?<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those of us brought up with the square format of 6 x 6 or 4 x 4 cm film can remember the delight of not having to move the camera. Printing to any size of paper (either landscape or portrait) was routine should the composition, or customer, demand it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With modern sensors, the same number of pixels could be arranged as a square rather than as a 1.5:1 rectangle. The area of coverage on the film plane would be the same so there would be no question of having to have a difference in lens mount or focal length. The result would be as shown in the following diagram: a 29.4 x 29.4 mm sensor rather than a 36 x 24:</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A Square vs a conventional Rectangular Frame Size<br />The red and blue frames have identical areas and therefore<br />the same number of pizels</span></td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shock, horror may be your response—we would lose pixels along the horizontal. Yes, you would but not that many. My D810 would have 6011 x 6011 instead of 7360 x 4912, for example. But—shock horror—the camera would be bigger. Yes, it may have be be taller by 5.4 mm but it could be shorter horizontally by the same amount—and think of the ergonomic advantages whether hand held or mounted on a mono- or tripod.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Micro Four-Thirds sensor goes some way towards a square format (1.3:1) but the manufacturers did not go the whole way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Would I buy a ‘full-frame’ camera with a square sensor, smaller horizontally but larger vertically? Yes. Will one ever be manufactured? No chance. As I said, I never cease to be amazed by the ways of photographers still alive and well with the technological legacies of the 1950s.</span></div>
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-32416770931313758532018-09-21T19:27:00.000+01:002018-09-21T19:27:06.333+01:00The camera I nearly had and the one I did have. The Carl Braun GLORIA and PAXINA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcUdQ9od7e0aGwQI-jDVgVVaIs51Zbeh-Tv4fFGhVsCyTJFo-kbKqHqFiJNhzZCK5YMDt-6i1pfTT7EnE0Eq5lNOvOJ6SoTz_959USMsC9ckeShkxUBdAcKItYFezCB8gfEi55O7vz6E/s1600/DSC_6439+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcUdQ9od7e0aGwQI-jDVgVVaIs51Zbeh-Tv4fFGhVsCyTJFo-kbKqHqFiJNhzZCK5YMDt-6i1pfTT7EnE0Eq5lNOvOJ6SoTz_959USMsC9ckeShkxUBdAcKItYFezCB8gfEi55O7vz6E/s320/DSC_6439+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had thumbed the catalogue for weeks; the ‘we’ being my grandfather, my father and me. In the mid-1950s, Neville Brown & Co (NEBRO) produced a catalogue of the lines they sold*. in 1956, my grandfather fancied buying me the Gloria because it had an f/2.9 lens—probably the widest aperture on a (relatively) low-priced camera. Money was tight and it was either that with no ever-ready case or the cheaper Paxina with a case. Eventually, it was decided; a Gloria it was going to be. One Saturday morning we set off for Nottingham Photo Centre but when we arrived, there were no Glorias in stock. I left clutching a new Paxina in its box, the solid ever-ready case in another. So I never did get my hands on the Gloria—until I thought it would be fun to see what I had missed sixty years previously. I bought a good-looking Gloria on eBay and had it serviced by Ed Troszka before he gave up the business. It came back in beautiful condition. As well as cleaning the Prontor shutter he cleaned the rangefinder internally. I soon found a lens hood and filter mount plus a few filters of the correct size going for very little on eBay. I then put a couple of films through it to relive the dubious delights of 1950s photography.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The medium-format (we didn’t call it that then) Gloria and its cheaper sister Paxina were made by Carl Braun Camerawerk of Nuremberg. They produced the successful Paxette range and little-known Gloriette of 35 mm cameras as well as box cameras and a folder. From 1906 until the end of the Second World War, Carl Braun had produced parts for radios and binoculars. Like a number of other German manufacturers trying to get re-established after the War they entered the camera market in 1948 with their box cameras. The demand for German cameras was enormous in the late 1940s and 50s but the more expensive ones like Rollei, Leica and Zeiss Contax could not be imported into Britain because of currency restrictions. Cheaper models, however, could get in but even then Purchase Tax of about 30% or more was added. Nevertheless, there was an opening for cheaper cameras from first tier manufacturers (Zeiss), second tier (Agfa) and the new third tier manufacturers, like Carl Braun, to get a foothold in the British, Commonwealth as well as the US and world markets.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It should not be imagined these cheaper cameras were cheap. The Paxina 29 (named for its f/2.9 lens) with the Prontor-SVS shutter was 17 guineas (including tax) or £379 in 2018 prices, the Gloria about 12% more. That was big money in 1956. The cameras were 3 guineas cheaper with the Pronto 4-speed shutter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These medium-format cameras taking 120 roll film had, in common with some other simpler models, one key feature. The lens/shutter assembly was held at the correct distance from the film plane by a metal tube that was either spring-loaded (Gloria) or manually pulled (Paxina) from the body. Other manufacturers like Zeiss and Agfa had stuck with a fold-down arrangement of struts and bellows. The resulting folding camera was flatter in profile for carrying but relied on the struts holding the lens parallel to the film and on the bellows not leaking light. One of the reasons my grandfather, brought up with folding cameras in the very early decades of the 20th Century, was so keen on the Braun cameras was that bellows did deteriorate and light leaks could be a problem. That design of the ‘tube’ camera makes one more attractive to people who want to use these cameras in the 2010s. With the Zeiss Nettars, Ikontas etc and the Agfa Isolettes there is always the state of the old bellows to worry about.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to McKeown, the Gloria was made between 1954 and 1957, the Paxina 29 between circa 1953 and 1957. There were earlier Paxina models, made from about 1950.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lenses were incredibly fast for their time, especially on a medium-format camera. The Gloria I have has a Praxar 75 mm f2/9. Both Praxar and Praxanar lenses are shown as having been fitted to the Gloria in Mckeown’s guide. The Paxina is said to have been fitted with a Praxar or Steiner but mine has a Praxanar. These lenses are triplets and have some form of coating. All the lenses were made by Steiner-Optik GmbH of Bayreuth, still in business as makers of binoculars.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As with most other than top-range cameras of the time, hoods and filter holders were a push fit. The problem was that when fitted they obscure the scale on the focusing ring.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprYXfju97bgzTW73XAu_LNXbBTpYDlGGDbHsZpad-_z32RKb9LJdcqeFhwSSntsPFZsX5gCV1SfkPK2MYeutS3Jkj6EpaDnutp6vgpVMl0NmbnEQtRFNd0BVe4drCxZBL1izBa0zGKx0/s1600/DSC_6447+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1600" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprYXfju97bgzTW73XAu_LNXbBTpYDlGGDbHsZpad-_z32RKb9LJdcqeFhwSSntsPFZsX5gCV1SfkPK2MYeutS3Jkj6EpaDnutp6vgpVMl0NmbnEQtRFNd0BVe4drCxZBL1izBa0zGKx0/s320/DSC_6447+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paxina 29 - tube in the closed position</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Gloria has several features the Paxina 29 lacks. The first was a non-coupled rangefinder, a good coincidence rangefinder with a coloured second image. The second was a body release (the shutter release on the Paxina 29 is on the lens/shutter assembly). The third is a double-exposure prevention device that comes along with the body release. The fourth is a spring-loaded tube to extend the lens to the taking position (the tube has to be pulled out manually and locked in the Paxina).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for performance, these lenses were thought of originally as of rather low contrast compared to the cameras with the more expensive Tessar-type lenses. It is difficult to say how they compare now with the competition then in terms of contrast and sharpness because coatings etc may have deteriorated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Using the Gloria reminded me of how slow the whole process was even though, and ignoring flash photography, there were only aperture, shutter speed and focus to set before cocking the shutter, pressing the release and remembering to wind the film on. An extra step could involve fitting filters and a lens hood after setting the focus and not moving the ring while doing so.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpxP82DNCaf1sZtd803Y5CFDV5uCB06wnYHctp9imEoLmE9gqCDxwtU3tm5IxMfAtO9pKYyF3Mzw8e-g4usWbWHGEDn-pwMIaSzGtWbdw-Z6Ycp5nTPt4_UbdeLck6Sctz_m7wMIKhwE/s1600/Gloria+FP4011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1563" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpxP82DNCaf1sZtd803Y5CFDV5uCB06wnYHctp9imEoLmE9gqCDxwtU3tm5IxMfAtO9pKYyF3Mzw8e-g4usWbWHGEDn-pwMIaSzGtWbdw-Z6Ycp5nTPt4_UbdeLck6Sctz_m7wMIKhwE/s400/Gloria+FP4011.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lens at its extreme - f/2.9<br />FP4+/Rodinal, negative scanned, processed in Lightroom</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl50uRvH4XhSZMY6RO_mKqtVvWbxJN6uya0Is-uZLH-no7UAaK_B8fFRR3PQK1GSFR_9sujxRXg0knULZ8oAcAUxwczukaEjKSFvRD7U1gJ0UyEQRSwWNcE7hK9Vdaru4Q5VMGPjfPwo/s1600/Gloria+FP4002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="1600" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl50uRvH4XhSZMY6RO_mKqtVvWbxJN6uya0Is-uZLH-no7UAaK_B8fFRR3PQK1GSFR_9sujxRXg0knULZ8oAcAUxwczukaEjKSFvRD7U1gJ0UyEQRSwWNcE7hK9Vdaru4Q5VMGPjfPwo/s400/Gloria+FP4002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alloway Auld Kirk - on a dull day</span></td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The only problem I had was seeing the numbers on the film backing through the red window. The modern film I was using all had the same backing paper, with the numbers and arrows printed in a light shade of grey. That’s when I missed the automatically determined wind-on of a Rollei.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These cameras had no means of attaching a strap and every-ready cases (‘never ready’) are a pain with flaps getting in the way and the camera having to be removed completely to change the film.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One advantage of these cameras over a single- or twin-lens reflex is that they can fit into a large pocket although they are not so flat as a typical folding camera from that era.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I enjoyed using the Gloria with my iPhone as exposure meter—for a short period, but it is time for somebody else to enjoy the pleasure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, how long did I keep the Paxina I was bought in 1956. Not very long—but that’s another story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have made a short video on the Goria and Paxina:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Inside Gloria and Paxina cameras sold in Britain can be found a sticker recommending Ferrania film. NEBRO were the agents for Ferrania as well as Carl Braun of Nuremberg.</span></span></div>
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-39591013414105346082018-08-28T15:47:00.000+01:002018-08-28T15:47:40.828+01:00Camcorders: An unplanned change from Sony FDR-AX53 to Panasonic HC-VXF1<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After using my Sony AX33 for several years in the wild, I was frustrated by the limited focal length compared with the later model, the AX53. After putting off a decision in the expectation that Sony would soon replace the AX53 (first on sale in 2016) I finally bought, from Amazon, the AX53 in May, a few weeks before a long trip. I was very pleased, as with the AX33, with the video quality. However, the longer maximum focal length came with what seemed to be more movement of the optical stabilisation system (BOSS) before settling down and a difference in the way the autofocus seemed to operate. Objects in the centre of the viewfinder only a little darker than the surroundings were sometimes ignored while higher contrast objects in the background were brought into focus; this was particularly evident in low light, but not exclusively so. The old annoyance of the electronic viewfinder in the AX33 was still there—no control over brightness. However, no camera is perfect for every job thrown at it and it did a very good job in terms of quality of output, on land, sea and air.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A fellow traveller had a new Panasonic camcorder (VXF1) and asked me to take some footage with her in it. The controls were virtually identical but I was impressed by the ergonomics of the viewfinder display, the speed and accuracy of autofocus and the stabilisation. Overall, I liked its handling a little more than my Sony.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After I had edited and stored the footage, I was clearing the cards when suddenly the Sony failed to start up. A camcorder logo appeared on the screen and I could hear the sound of a motor near the front but then nothing. I did all the usual checks (battery out for half an hour, tried the mains adapter etc) but still nothing. The camcorder was dead—an ex-camcorder. Having struggled to find what to do with a broken-down Sony camcorder still within warranty, I decided to contact Amazon support. After a quick web-chat, the excellent assistant realised that it was a hardware failure and within minutes had sent me labels for it to be picked up by courier the next day for a full refund (it was outside the period for a normal return). The offending AX53 was soon back in its box and on its way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thinking back this was my second camcorder to die. The first was an early 1990s Sony Hi8. With that one I was lucky. I had just used it to play the last of my stored Hi8 video tapes onto a dvd, I think it was, via a PC, when it too refused to start. That was in the days when there were were magazines dedicated to camcorders and pages and pages dealing with the then common hardware failures.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How was I going to replace the Sony AX53; like-for-like or go for something different? Remembering the Panasonic VXF1, I started to look up reviews. However, I found surprisingly few. Camcorders are completely out of favour to capture video and new models do not get the coverage they once had. Nevertheless, the few reviews that have been written or shown on YouTube did prefer the newer VXF1 over the Sony AX53. I was also rather reluctant to trust another AX53; once bitten twice shy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I should explain again that I prefer a camcorder with a small sensor. Unlike a film maker seeking narrow depth-of-field, I need a wider depth of field for wildlife that is often being filmed at maximum range and maximum aperture, and is often surrounded by vegetation. Much as I would like to carry a camera/camcorder with a larger sensor as well, for those other shots, there is only so much my back will carry. Better to get a small bird in focus, even if some of the background is also sharp, than get a fuzzy bird, is my motto. I should also explain that I prefer the ergonomics of a camcorder to that of a stills/video camera. I find I can hold a camcorder still for longer using one hand and arm locked into position than I can a conventional slr-style or ‘compact’ camera. I also do not have to think about using an external microphone since the for most of my purposes the built-in microphones for ambient sound are fine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to go with the 2018 Panasonic VXF1 rather than the 2016 Sony AX53 again, even though I had to re-equip with spare batteries and it was more expensive. I have done some trials. Video (4K) is excellent. The lens seems a little better especially the edge definition. I checked that the sharp video is not the result of oversharpening. Focus seems faster. The stabilisation system does not go wandering off all by itself. The viewfinder is better. The menu system is far superior to the Sony. There are programmable function buttons. The viewfinder is supplied with a rubber hood. The level indicator works well. It has infrared night vision (which I sometimes use and which once differentiated Sony from the competition). I was also surprised by the build quality. In my long line of camcorders starting with Hi8, I have had one previous Panasonic; the build quality of that was not impressive. My overall impression is that it is as if Pansonic looked at all the annoying features of the Sony and tried to come up with something better, even if a little more expensive.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course there are features I would like that aren’t there (a log profile video option, 50(60) fps 4K, GPS); but, my verdict on the Panasonic VXF1: so far so good.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Out goes the failed Sony AX53</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSf_LnIy8D2c7bK6XRCiBbalBtvT69Abi184anVK0LWyfCvuuS_p2mmZfWvdreKwnyJ72F7ZDf8CvBHpy_86u7dslWZaq7NNVRbGTPXOAZDzktK_Kx_2yoL1u9SnEr8jIV-1uNzDGNb8/s1600/Panasonic+VXF1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1500" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSf_LnIy8D2c7bK6XRCiBbalBtvT69Abi184anVK0LWyfCvuuS_p2mmZfWvdreKwnyJ72F7ZDf8CvBHpy_86u7dslWZaq7NNVRbGTPXOAZDzktK_Kx_2yoL1u9SnEr8jIV-1uNzDGNb8/s400/Panasonic+VXF1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In comes the Panasonic VXF1</span></td></tr>
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-4989330645532877222018-08-18T15:50:00.003+01:002018-08-18T15:50:54.665+01:00Variable Neutral Density Filters: Why are they not calibrated for photography or videography?<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Variable neutral density filters are useful for video or time-lapse work. However, they are infuriating—as I pointed out in my review <a href="http://photovideooptics.blogspot.com/2015/06/an-extremely-cheap-variable-neutral.html" target="_blank">here</a>—because they are not calibrated in stops or Exposure Values (EVs). Instead, all that I have found for sale have a linear scale corresponding to the change of angle of rotation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is the scale on a variable neutral density filter made by Gobe:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36rD4WmUSqF5n_5aWCpp3lPQshd2-Cc_UVuQLXUxOZt2ZqMAr9kR_gZf1kw0-dM3EgZbaVIl8GABKbCOWYvgj4kemBzguWgMV2px4tSSF8oSSRVr1VghVXOh1hrORqeC42yxoHCu9gFM/s1600/DSC_6429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="1600" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36rD4WmUSqF5n_5aWCpp3lPQshd2-Cc_UVuQLXUxOZt2ZqMAr9kR_gZf1kw0-dM3EgZbaVIl8GABKbCOWYvgj4kemBzguWgMV2px4tSSF8oSSRVr1VghVXOh1hrORqeC42yxoHCu9gFM/s400/DSC_6429.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Variable neutral density filters comprise two sheets of polaroid material, one rotating on top of the other. When the angle of polarisation of one sheet is identical to that of the other, there is no reduction in the amount of light passing through (other than the basic reduction caused by the material itself). As the angle is increased up to 90 degrees, the amount of light transmitted is decreased until, with two ideal polarisers, no light is transmitted at all. Although polaroid material is not an ideal in terms of a perfect optical polarising material, it does follow pretty well the Law of Malus. The intensity of light transmitted by the filter can be calculated from the angle of rotation of one sheet with respect to the other. I have actually checked experimentally using an ordinary cheap variable neutral density filter (i.e. made of polaroid material) that there is close agreement between the actual curve of intensity against angle of rotation and the theoretical curve calculated from the Law of Malus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The problem for photographers is that we do not work with a linear scale of light intensity. We work with stops or Exposure Values, a base-2 logarithmic scale. In other words, halving the light intensity is 1 EV (stop) difference; halve it again, 2EV differences and so on. If we look at the graph calculated from the Law of Malus, we can see that the angle of rotation between the two polaroid sheets needs to reach approximately 45 degrees for the light intensity to be reduced by half, i.e. 1 EV or stop. With a scale of say 14 steps on the rim of the variable ND filter, we have to get to number 7 just to get a 1 stop reduction in light transmitted over and above that caused by the material itself. Minus 2 EVs is reached at 60 degrees but then smaller and smaller changes in angle are needed to achieve a change in EV.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This diagram shows the reduction in transmitted intensity with change of rotational angle (calculated from the Law of Malus). Also shown are where changes in EV fall on the line.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So we know that moving the rotation by one point at one end of the scale does not have the same effect as rotating the upper layer by one point at the other end of the scale. Quite simply the photographer does not know which graduation to use to achieve a reduction of light transmission by, say, 4 EVs or stops.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This graph shows the calibration of a variable neutral density filter in photographic terms, i.e. in stops or EVs. This one (made by Gobe has a scale marked with 14 points together with ‘min’ and ‘max’ marked as bands placed non-linearly:</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This graph shows the effect of the setting on the rim of a Gobe variable neutral density filter<br />on the decrease in Exposure Value (EV) (stops). EVs were measured to the nearest 1/3rd<br />of a stop. A was the arrow on the side of the 'Max' mark nearest the scale. The graph<br />serves as a calibration curve for the filter.</span></td></tr>
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<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My simple question is: why do manufacturers of variable neutral density filters not calibrate their filters with decrease in EV? Is it because the calibrations would all be close together on the rim? Or that it would be difficult to engrave a marking that sits precisely on an EV difference? In that case simple markings for, say, 5 or 6 EVs should not be too difficult even if only one or two of the marks had values attached. Or have manufacturers not done so because variable neutral density filters were traditionally marked by and physicists, with the graduations indicating simply the change in rotation? The very least manufacturers could do would be start the markings at a point where there is a decrease of 1 EV beyond the basic decrease (of approximately 2 stops) produced by having the filter in place.</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is actually plenty of room on the rim for two scales. Since the rotational angles cover 0-90 degrees, there is the rest of the rim on which EVs could be marked.</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wondered if more expensive filters had markings in EV. It would appear not. I found the instructions for Tiffen:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Tiffen Variable ND filter operates on the same principle as a Circular Polarizer </i>[erm, no it doesn’t]<i> – rotate until you reach your desired effect and shoot. It allows you to have continuous control over the amount of light coming through your lens in an approximate range of 2 (ND 0.6) to 8 (ND 2.4) stops – while maintaining the integrity of your image. Note: The evenly spaced indexing marks between MIN and MAX do not represent calibrated stops. They are for reference only, to be used as a density bench-mark to return to a previous setting.</i></span></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What would a variable ND filter look like when calibrated for photographic use? Here is the same photograph as above but the upper one this time has marks added in Photoshop to indicate a scale marked in EVs:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKb2djMtvM0oMKSGHagwmpTY9v4NDZEsWl7zDzwPHxDX8e-nJ0GtzWyP1U_H9AjSMdQfUxHZe9Lghc_2pFCps2pgNjNlayw0q-CgzJkzm3IXw3_WjdLvidaQqNujBMtub1aFNRB2oL3g/s1600/Filter+composite.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="1600" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKb2djMtvM0oMKSGHagwmpTY9v4NDZEsWl7zDzwPHxDX8e-nJ0GtzWyP1U_H9AjSMdQfUxHZe9Lghc_2pFCps2pgNjNlayw0q-CgzJkzm3IXw3_WjdLvidaQqNujBMtub1aFNRB2oL3g/s400/Filter+composite.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A big improvement, I would submit.</span></div>
Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-53418472858282011362018-03-20T12:37:00.000+00:002018-03-20T12:39:12.500+00:00Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ82: Wildlife video at extreme range<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Readers of my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Readers%20of%20my%20previous%20post%20on%20the%20Lumix%20FZ82%20bridge%20camera%20will%20know%20that%20it%20is%20a%20mixed%20bag.%20Some%20features%20I%20like;%20some%20desirable%20features%20are%20missing;%20implementation%20of%20some%20features%20is%20poor.%20However,%20I%20have%20it%20for%20its%20very%20long%20focal%20length.%20With%204K%20video%20the%2025%20mm%20equivalent%20maximum%20focal%20length%20is%201,680%20mm.%20%20On%20the%20Tibetan%20Plateau%20in%20Sichuan,%20China,%20last%20November%20I%20used%20it%20to%20take%20videos%20of%20Blue%20Sheep%20a%20very%20long%20way%20away%20on%20an%20alpine%20meadow%20and%20of%20Pallas%E2%80%99s%20Cats%20also%20a%20long%20way%20away.%20I%20had%20the%20camera%20mounted%20on%20a%20Manfrotto%20Befree%20Live%20Video%20tripod.%20The%20wind%20was%20strong%20and%20gusting%20and%20even%20the%20crumbly%20soil%20(undermined%20by%20Plateau%20Pikas)%20caused%20a%20wobble.%20I%20could%20have%20done%20with%20having%20the%20tripod%20at%20minimum%20height%20but%20the%20camera%20does%20has%20not%20have%20a%20moveable%20screen!%20%20At%20maximum%20focal%20length%20shimmer%20caused%20by%20warmed%20air%20rising%20is%20always%20a%20problem%20that%20nothing%20can%20be%20done%20about.%20%20The%20footage%20is%204K.%20I%20was%20outputting%20at%201080%20so%20could%20scale%20up%20by%20a%20factor%20of%20two%20if%20necessary,%20i.e.%20to%20the%20equivalent%20of%20about%203,500%20mm.%20Yes,%20on%20a%20full-frame%2035%20mm%20camera%20and%20a%20non-telephoto%20design,%20that%E2%80%99s%20a%20lens%203%C2%BD%20metres%20or%2011%C2%BD%20feet%20long.%20%20Here%20are%20some%20examples:%20%20%20%20%20%20Video%20at%20these%20extremes%20and%20under%20such%20conditions%20is%20like%20the%20dog%20that%20talked%20with%20a%20Birmingham%20accent.%20The%20remarkable%20thing%20is%20not%20the%20accent%20but%20the%20fact%20that%20it%20could%20talk%20at%20all.%20%20I%20also%20used%20the%20camera%20at%20a%20long%20focal%20length%20to%20take%20close%20shots%20of%20a%20Plateau%20Pika.%20The%20distance%E2%80%94and,%20therefore,%20shimmer%E2%80%94was%20much%20less%20evident.%20%20These%20are%20the%20full%20versions%20of%20the%20videos%20on%20Youtube:%20%20%20Is%20there%20a%20non-professional%20and%20light%20camera%20that%20in%20the%20conditions%20could%20have%20done%20better?" target="_blank">previous post</a> on the Lumix FZ82 bridge camera will know that it is a mixed bag. Some features I like; some desirable features are missing; implementation of some features is poor. However, I have it for its very long focal length. With 4K video the 25 mm equivalent maximum focal length is 1,680 mm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the Tibetan Plateau in Sichuan, China, last November I used it to take videos of Blue Sheep a very long way away on an alpine meadow and of Pallas’s Cats also a long way away. I had the camera mounted on a Manfrotto Befree Live Video tripod. The wind was strong and gusting and even the crumbly soil (undermined by Plateau Pikas) caused a wobble. I could have done with having the tripod at minimum height but the camera does has not have a moveable screen!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At maximum focal length shimmer caused by warmed air rising is always a problem that nothing can be done about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The footage is 4K. I was outputting at 1080 so could scale up by a factor of two if necessary, i.e. to the equivalent of about 3,500 mm. Yes, on a full-frame 35 mm camera and a non-telephoto design, that’s a lens 3½ metres or 11½ feet long.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are some examples:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BUDlviKm_cM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="393" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BUDlviKm_cM?feature=player_embedded" width="600"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Video at these extremes and under such conditions is like the dog that talked with a Birmingham accent. The remarkable thing is not the accent but the fact that it could talk at all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also used the camera at a long focal length to take close shots of a Plateau Pika. The distance—and, therefore, shimmer—was much less evident.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These are the full versions of the videos on Youtube (most of the footage is from my Sony AX33):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1j8qWBu418A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="393" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1j8qWBu418A?feature=player_embedded" width="600"></iframe></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bNUaCOaT6dg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="393" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bNUaCOaT6dg?feature=player_embedded" width="600"></iframe></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-PRbrCNOhGo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="393" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-PRbrCNOhGo?feature=player_embedded" width="600"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Is there a non-professional and light camera that in the conditions could have done better?</span><br />
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Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-34120896177695017542018-02-22T17:17:00.000+00:002018-02-22T17:17:48.723+00:00My current processing workflow for black-and-white infrared photography<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I now have a standard protocol (workflow) for producing black-and-white images from my infrared-converted cameras. It is very simple and allows adjustments and corrections at all stages.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Lightroom Classic, in Basic, I select Black & White then Auto Tone. Then I take the image to Silver EfexPro2. I usually use the preset High Structure Smooth or High Structure Harsh. Then, after making adjustments, I go back to Lightroom to make further general or local adjustments to finish the job, usually leaving noise reduction and sharpening until the end.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those simple steps suit Raw images from my converted Nikon D80 with a 590 nm filter and my Nikon D7100 with 720 nm filter, or either camera with an 850 nm filter over the lens.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here, as they say, is one I made earlier:</span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/16609079@N04/39730513152/in/album-72157684368798845/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Culzean Castle"><img alt="Culzean Castle" height="331" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4709/39730513152_4e0614b903_b.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-10495556499906471792018-02-18T15:42:00.000+00:002018-02-18T15:42:04.056+00:00Infrared Processing in Macphun (Skylum) Luminar 2018<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those photographers not locked into/who don't like the business model/who can't afford the Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop environment, choices for processing images taken with an infrared converted camera have been limited. However, I saw that Macphun's (now Skylum) Luminar 2018 has a Channel Mixer and have been trying it out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I should also point out that another rival system out there, DXO Photolab also has what they call a channel mixer in its optional extra, FilmPack 5. However, this is for changing the amount of the various channels in a conversion to black-and-white. It cannot be used for faux colour infrared conversion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeNpQNdgUgTK41YluK6bpOyu3VMxsA49g0tJPHse0tmBIgXmNsqZTpP4DcKdQ6YURJD8TqWV0iW58bFd-00It_GLx36N6i37WXUCVVXvU6htVPe_tQJ15WWRw8V-LcUechTPSQmy77NY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-18+at+15.35.31.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="251" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeNpQNdgUgTK41YluK6bpOyu3VMxsA49g0tJPHse0tmBIgXmNsqZTpP4DcKdQ6YURJD8TqWV0iW58bFd-00It_GLx36N6i37WXUCVVXvU6htVPe_tQJ15WWRw8V-LcUechTPSQmy77NY/s200/Screen+Shot+2018-02-18+at+15.35.31.png" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Luminar Channel Mixer 'Filter'</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Luminar, the Channel Mixer works fine and in the same manner to that in Photoshop. For a newcomer to infrared, there is the added advantage that everything can be done to complete the image in this one app. The same cannot be said for Lightroom where a trip to Photoshop (or indeed to Luminar as a plug-in) is required.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A set of presets (which includes a channel mixer stage for faux colours and various black-and-white options) has recently been made available by <a href="http://www.laurieklein.com/product-category/presets/" target="_blank">Laurie Klein Photography</a> for $9.95. I have tried them and they might produce a reasonable starting point for some people but I would find it just as easy to build my own presets using settings for Photoshop devised by Bob Vishneski (see my post of <a href="http://photovideooptics.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/my-current-processing-workflows-for.html" target="_blank">12 June 2017</a>). The problem with somebody else's presets for infrared is that what you get depends on the filter/sensor combination is in the converted camera.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One slight criticism of Luminar is that when things start getting complicated with lots of filters applied, there is a really noticeable lag from moving a slider to seeing the result appear on screen. That may be a property of my now old Mac but I do not have that problem in Lightroom and/or Photoshop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those looking for a different or much cheaper option for faux colour infrared images, Luminar 2018 has a lot to offer.</span><br />
<br />Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-18706581567286401052017-11-05T15:08:00.001+00:002017-11-05T15:08:48.563+00:00Has the recent increase in film photography peaked?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a photographer who ditched film photography as soon as results of equal quality could be produced from a digital camera, other than still dabbling with medium-format black-and-white film photography, I have been fascinated by the increase in interest in film photography during recent years, particularly among the young who are attracted as much by the process as by the results. As such I have been looking at various websites over the years, sometimes just for historical interest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the past months though I have noticed a decrease in activity and I now monitor three activities that, to me, seem to serve overall as an index of interest and potential interest in film photography. I feel a bit like the journalist who counted the number of skips in front of houses in his street to gauge the health of the building industry. I will not state here what I am counting but will keep reporting on my index in coming months, suffice it to say that on one measure interest is at 70-80% of what was what at the peak a couple of years ago and on another measure is about 90%.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9105726901028150956.post-40381190203836157102017-08-08T12:53:00.001+01:002017-08-08T12:55:31.684+01:00Identifying a camera from the 120 film negative image size<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was sorting some old family photographs and had difficulty putting some into date order. I used three 120 6 x 6 cm cameras sequentially in the 1950s, namely, a Kodak Duaflex TLR box camera, a Braun Paxina and a Zeiss Nettar. When I looked at the negatives I had from this era, I realised that the images were of a slightly different size and that I could easily identify which camera they came from since I knew that certain photographs were taken with each camera.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Different manufacturers clearly used a slightly different frame size for their nominal 6 x 6 cm (2¼ x 2¼ inch) cameras. I have three such cameras at present and so I measured the frame sizes: Here they are added to my measurements on negatives:</span><br />
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<tr class="tableizer-firstrow"><th></th><th>Frame Size (mm)</th><th></th></tr>
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<tr><td></td><td>With direction of travel</td><td>Across film width</td></tr>
<tr><td>Braun Paxina/Gloria</td><td>58</td><td>56</td></tr>
<tr><td>Zeiss Nettar</td><td>56.5</td><td>56.5</td></tr>
<tr><td>Kodak Duaflex</td><td>58</td><td>58</td></tr>
<tr><td>Minolta Autocord</td><td>55</td><td>56</td></tr>
<tr><td>Rolleicord Vb</td><td>56</td><td>56.5</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-aaYS8qZkurUgSUwP1LODPXNez-YdKXoReC1zvmB0fkxOKLTowKFdprLZflTLjBR_vpkyCj6KTQMwlPR5v5Askl97njhYyCBCZQtvxxyyCxbHydGkA_hdpzzM9NjSJtJXBjBS2bh2S8/s1600/P1010108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1600" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-aaYS8qZkurUgSUwP1LODPXNez-YdKXoReC1zvmB0fkxOKLTowKFdprLZflTLjBR_vpkyCj6KTQMwlPR5v5Askl97njhYyCBCZQtvxxyyCxbHydGkA_hdpzzM9NjSJtJXBjBS2bh2S8/s400/P1010108.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Are there measurable differences in 24 x 36 mm frames from 35 mm cameras which would be useful for identification?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I hope this method proves useful to others faced with the same problem.</span><br />
<br />Malcolm Peakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01499093362376605221noreply@blogger.com0