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- Tim
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I have a confession to make.
Since February 7, none of the images I've posted are from an E-Mount Sony.
They are from an A-Mount camera.
But....
Not a Sony.
They are from my newly acquired Minolta Maxxum 5D, with 6...count 'em, 6 whole megapixels of fantastic CCD sensor. Lenses were all Minolta and varied from day to day.
The recent bird images were all taken with the 500mm f/8 Reflex AF.
Light was a challenge so some were at ISO 400. Even at that I couldn't get the shutter speed fast enough. Think about that in context: A 20 year-old sensor with a 30+ year old lens, and a reflex at that. If you've never shot a reflex you should try one. The older/experienced guys know what they're like.
So 750mm equivalence on a camera body sporting the world's first IBIS. Supposedly 3 stops, I think closer to 1/2 or 1 stop, shooting at shutter speeds below the focal length. Yeah, some were soft. Not surprising. One thing 6MP will do is make you think. There's not a lot of room to crop so you compose in the viewfinder instead of depending on pixels. Any cropping on these shots was for minor adjustments. Large crops don't hold up well and pixelating happens early. I have to say though I was pleasantly surprised at how well the old sensor handled ISO 400.
The view from the office shots and sunrise shot was with the fantastic 28-135, as were the majority of shots from Took a Walk.
The two exceptions were the helicopter, which was the 100-400 APO, a lens that I struggle with. Sometimes it's fantastic and sometimes it's not. A real conundrum. The military monument is the other, made with the 85/1.4.
The boxcar shots were made with the most expensive of my A-Mounts, the venerable 80-200/2.8 APO HS G.
All of these lenses are excellent examples of Minolta's beautiful color rendering. Most will suffer from some CA due to the coatings, but that's expected.
I've had a lot of fun with the challenges of the old technology. We tend to forget what it was like and just how much things have improved in what's really a very short period. I suspect in 20 years someone will be saying the same thing about the current crop of cameras. This is a nice inexpensive diversion, and even less costly if you already own some lenses. Interesting to note, the combination of the camera and 28-135 cost less than $200 in today's market. A lot of fun for low dollars.
There were times when I wish I had been better armed. This shot would've been a beauty with one of the Sonys and the 200-600. Certainly would've withstood a crop to make the hawk appear closer. I was astonished though at how much detail I was able to recover in the feathers, the camera had metered for the bright sky and the hawk was quite a ways off.
PICT0016 by telecast, on Flickr
The camera is capable of 3 frames per second in burst mode. I didn't use it much, but I did try it out on a kid going by on a moped. All of the shots were surprisingly in focus.
This is my new EDC. I'll swap out for the Sonys once in a while and use them for more critical stuff, of course, but I'll be using this camera to take when going to work or just for some walk around fun.
Oh, and the best part? It's a camera. NO VIDEO!
Since February 7, none of the images I've posted are from an E-Mount Sony.
They are from an A-Mount camera.
But....
Not a Sony.
They are from my newly acquired Minolta Maxxum 5D, with 6...count 'em, 6 whole megapixels of fantastic CCD sensor. Lenses were all Minolta and varied from day to day.
The recent bird images were all taken with the 500mm f/8 Reflex AF.
Birds - Birds Non-BIF Thread - Post Your Shots Here
Yes it's always painful listening to someone justify their herd mentality. Could just say 'I seen five birds I haven't seen before', and all parties would know exactly what it means. The other week we were searching through these shrubs for wrens when a lady walked past and said 'oh you must be...
www.alphashooters.com
Light was a challenge so some were at ISO 400. Even at that I couldn't get the shutter speed fast enough. Think about that in context: A 20 year-old sensor with a 30+ year old lens, and a reflex at that. If you've never shot a reflex you should try one. The older/experienced guys know what they're like.
So 750mm equivalence on a camera body sporting the world's first IBIS. Supposedly 3 stops, I think closer to 1/2 or 1 stop, shooting at shutter speeds below the focal length. Yeah, some were soft. Not surprising. One thing 6MP will do is make you think. There's not a lot of room to crop so you compose in the viewfinder instead of depending on pixels. Any cropping on these shots was for minor adjustments. Large crops don't hold up well and pixelating happens early. I have to say though I was pleasantly surprised at how well the old sensor handled ISO 400.
The view from the office shots and sunrise shot was with the fantastic 28-135, as were the majority of shots from Took a Walk.
A view from the office
This is part of what I see through my office window. Could be a lot worse!
www.alphashooters.com
Took a walk
Beautiful day here especially for this time of the year. Went for a walk with no particular subject in mind. A little window art, some landscapes, etc.
www.alphashooters.com
The two exceptions were the helicopter, which was the 100-400 APO, a lens that I struggle with. Sometimes it's fantastic and sometimes it's not. A real conundrum. The military monument is the other, made with the 85/1.4.
The boxcar shots were made with the most expensive of my A-Mounts, the venerable 80-200/2.8 APO HS G.
Trains - Saw this old boxcar
This car had been on a siding in another town for years. I kept meaning to stop and take some shots, but it disappeared. Next thing I know it shows up on a siding in my town, figured it must mean something, so I made the effort.
www.alphashooters.com
All of these lenses are excellent examples of Minolta's beautiful color rendering. Most will suffer from some CA due to the coatings, but that's expected.
I've had a lot of fun with the challenges of the old technology. We tend to forget what it was like and just how much things have improved in what's really a very short period. I suspect in 20 years someone will be saying the same thing about the current crop of cameras. This is a nice inexpensive diversion, and even less costly if you already own some lenses. Interesting to note, the combination of the camera and 28-135 cost less than $200 in today's market. A lot of fun for low dollars.
There were times when I wish I had been better armed. This shot would've been a beauty with one of the Sonys and the 200-600. Certainly would've withstood a crop to make the hawk appear closer. I was astonished though at how much detail I was able to recover in the feathers, the camera had metered for the bright sky and the hawk was quite a ways off.
PICT0016 by telecast, on Flickr
The camera is capable of 3 frames per second in burst mode. I didn't use it much, but I did try it out on a kid going by on a moped. All of the shots were surprisingly in focus.
This is my new EDC. I'll swap out for the Sonys once in a while and use them for more critical stuff, of course, but I'll be using this camera to take when going to work or just for some walk around fun.
Oh, and the best part? It's a camera. NO VIDEO!