random

[jconti3]

I took a walk down Western Ave last night and took only my manual focus Nikkor 50mm 1.8 with me. I had alot of fun with it and thought I would share a couple of images here.
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[jconti3]

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[Black Pearl]

Interesting, arty shots but none are even remotely sharp, was this intentional?

[jconti3]

Hey Robin,
It's not exactly intentional. Just shooting sorta care free and slightly out of focus myself. I did zero sharpening in pp (obviously)....Also, I have a hard time getting a sharp focus with this vintage 50mm. But, I like how it looks and It feels a certain way to me.....I use it for the same kinda artsy care freeNESS. The first shot is through a store window,then a puddle. So, uhmmmm yeah.

[Shadowman]

Hey Robin,
It's not exactly intentional. Just shooting sorta care free and slightly out of focus myself. I did zero sharpening in pp (obviously)....Also, I have a hard time getting a sharp focus with this vintage 50mm. But, I like how it looks and It feels a certain way to me.....I use it for the same kinda artsy care freeNESS. The first shot is through a store window,then a puddle. So, uhmmmm yeah.

What was your shutterspeed? You should be able to get relatively sharp photos at shutterspeeds of 1/50s or faster. Also, try setting the camera on a steady surface and use the timer for a few shots, you'll have to set focus prior to setting the timer. I have a 50mm f/1/8 that only works on manual with my Nikon D60 so fast shutter speeds or a tripod are a must.

[Wirefox]

John, I get entirely what you doing. I have a Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 with a flange converter for my 40D. I am guessing that you are shooting wide open so depth of field is very thin. However, I think the softness of the area that should be sharp is down to focussing rather than shake. My Zuiko gives very unpredictable results at f/1.8 but at f/2.4 its pretty solid. These remind me of Lomography images. You used to be able to get a technicolour plugin for PS or GIMP that worked really well on these kind of shots. I think it may need that something more so people do not dismiss them as poor shooting

[Dave Humphries]

~ These remind me of Lomography images. You used to be able to get a technicolour plugin for PS or GIMP that worked really well on these kind of shots. I think it may need that something more so people do not dismiss them as poor shooting

Yes, that thought (Lomography) crossed my mind seeing them.

Hi John,

Were they shot jpg or RAW?, I ask because the saturation seems quite high (not a criticism), leading to the Lomography comparison.

Cheers,

[jconti3]

yes,sorta lomo like. Steve, it is unpredicable wide open....I stopped it down some but, it was pretty dark and the hand held at even slower ss were way blurry. Sometimes I get a shot that is crisp outta of it. I pretty much use it for this and coffee shop/bars. The tripod and timer and all is great but, a different time and place. This is the results of drinking beers and walking a few miles in the dark with just the beater 50mm. These pics take me right back to feeling I had taking them and thats what they are about. I do agree that I should "trippy em up" a bit to make the low quality photos transform into artistic images. Haha....glad they are sparking something!

[jconti3]

used pp to add more of whatever it is I like about these.