mastering89: LOL now they have a name for it? I've been freelensing with the Vivitar 24mm F2.0 DIY tilt-shift a long time ago!

The video maximum ISO appears to be ISO1600.

wingster: The laptop design is just as important - in that sense, neither of them are perfect, but I prefer the cropped version.

e-jump: Indeed! Weird position to put her on LOL.

ahpingko: Nice #1 but without the crop.

wufei: Your night shots are quite... boring. Nothing's going on!

destfull: Congratulations!

cjlai: I have not tried with a regular non-HD TV.

Mikeshashimi: Nice #3!

laslzo: Nice!

destfull: Like the processing but the background's a bit too busy.

kysham: Nicely done, though it looks all too familiar.

zstan: Argh #1 misfocus! Do not prefer #4 or #7 - awkward poses.

ahpingko: #1 could be so much better without the greenhouse roof in the top left. It would look like the real thing.

I like #3 but there's something about the framing that is not right. Also for #4 bring the exposure up on the top half, or at least the bird. #5 is sad because the eagle is king of the cage.

ahpingko: Did you intentionally give a green tint to #10 to hide the birds?

Love #12, now that's an interesting expression!

joejoe2004: Welcome!

croomaniac: A bit cold in the eyes - a localized WB adjustment in the whites of the eyes will help. The WB of the skin is good to bring out details. Also could use a bit more contrast.

---

Added on November 7, 2010, 2:52 amGreat article:
https://www.lensrentals.com/news/2009.12.27/the-portraitist

---

Added on November 7, 2010, 5:21 am
Perhaps, it was indeed too soon to declare that I would only buy one A-mount lens in 2010. Here's the second (the first being the rare Minolta 24-50mm F4.)


This is the Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG, which sets the world record for widest, brightest rectilinear lens for 35mm full-frame format. 122 degrees diagonal coverage!

Of course, my Peleng 8mm F3.5 circular fisheye does 180 degrees from edge to edge, but de-fishing the image to make a rectilinear projection loses a lot of resolution!


You can fit pretty much all you can see, in the frame!


Perspective distortion makes closer objects much bigger.


A common misuse of ultra-wide angle lenses is when they are not pointing straight at the subject - you get parallel lines converging. In this case it is recommended to stand further away, aim forward, and crop the excess floor.


However, it is great when you are in a tight space! I could not stand any further back.


It also gives plenty of leeway for group shots.


Also, you may find you'd be cropping feet a lot less often in tight spaces!

This post has been edited by albnok: Nov 7 2010, 05:21 AM

I used DxO Optics Pro Elite to process these pictures from the A900 - it applies a fair bit of barrel distortion correction, causing the corners to look more stretched out. Arguably, the barrel distortion of the original picture looks a bit more natural. Also, I shot this at a slower shutter speed, so don't be confused between motion blur and stretched edges!


I was standing just in front of them.


So what about that other rectilinear lens for 35mm full-frame format? The Voigtlander 12mm F5.6 in Leica M mount? Here it is, with a Sony NEX-5 and Kipon M-mount to E-mount adapter.

It is, however, only for rangefinders with a shorter flange distance, or Sony NEX/Micro-Four-Thirds/Samsung NX cameras with an adapter. Though it won't be so appealing on Micro-Four-Thirds due to the 2x crop factor, and the Samsung NX's weaker ISO performance, especially since the lens is F5.6. It also does not zoom!


However, its main plus point is its tiny size!


I also stumbled upon the Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 EX DC HSM for APS-C cameras, which is slimmer, but has the same front-heavy balance. The Sigma 8-16mm focuses to 24cm close and has a front cap adapter (not to be confused with the lens hood) which takes 72mm filters. The Sigma 12-24mm meanwhile focuses to 28cm close and has a front cap adapter which takes 82mm filters.

While the 8-16mm does offer practical benefits in terms of size, there isn't an APS-C camera that does 24 megapixels yet.

ahpingko: Ah. You could process it but without making the birds greenish. Crop #20 to portrait orientation?

wingster: Eh I didn't see this!

fansoption: No problem.

Yes the non-moving mirror should make it harder (but not impossible) for dust to go in. So far I have not noticed any dust on mine.

Read the manual on blowing the A55 sensor. Interestingly, like the NEX series, the shutter is open when the camera is off.

I like the light in #2 and #3 - with #1 a bit more exposure helps.

croomaniac: Yes indeed though you'd have to get creative by pointing the flash at selected subjects.

ieR: Go get it. HSM in A-mount!

e-jump: Your 85mm is already telephoto on the A300.

destfull: Argh, why hasn't anybody shot a portrait using the 35mm F1.8 DT SAM? (Other than myself.) All I see are boring shots of toys, leaves and flowers. (Not saying yours ah ahpingko!)

zstan: The realism in your shot is a bit offputting.

Mikeshashimi, just put all your stuff in bag as hand luggage. No problem travelling with your current lenses what.

fansoption: I told you to read the manual. Read the manual. Read the manual!

ahpingko: I'm talking about the Clubsnap link. All boring shots of toys and leaves. They got nothing else to shoot with a 35mm F1.8 ah? It is F1.8 and it can go anywhere and shoot anything! Quite disappointed with their sample shots lor.

zstan: Not digging slant in #1 but #4 is interesting. #7 is more fun and I like how the bokeh surrounds her head like thoughts in #9.

yuhi: Could use more space around the coffee! Would be cooler if you were in the path of the zombie.

destfull: Sony 50mm F1.8 DT SAM gives better bokeh than the Minolta 50mm F1.7.

eddybeh: Hassle lah, better to get a cheap drybox with its own hygrometer.

eddybeh: If it's too dry it will dry the rubber but that is way better than fungus.

destfull: The Minolta 50mm F1.7 and 50mm F1.4 have ugly brightline bokeh. I have to say, these are probably the only Minoltas which do this!

zstan: Love the eye contact on #1 #4 and #5! #2 is not quite there framing wise because of the right.

The A560 was indeed upstairs at the Sony booth at KLPF. Nothing new, just as expected, and there was still that red glow in the viewfinder which looks like a light leak.



shukrie: I like #1! Very unexpected.

lwliam: It's not that heavy. at 600 grams. Certainly not Zeiss 800+ grams heavy! Like the second pigeon shot.

applemango: Yes the F20 can mount on the A230 but it won't have that much power.

signither:

http://alphanatics.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=19290

3rd party batteries not so future-proof or body-proof.

lwliam: Nice graduation on #1! A bit too warm on the green bottle but as a mysterious shot it works.

azamunekrone: Love the noisy fog look! Also like the shot with the hidden house, especially so since it's hidden and the tree is cropped... adds to the mystery.

shukrie: I like #2 but with more focus to the front/middle bit.

And whoa at the raindrop!

laslzo: Love the blurry color pencils shot (and how you achieved it!)

wingster: I like the randomness in the shots, like they weren't framed properly and yet worked.

signither: Yes it would be enough. Let's say you know you'll be there for 4 hours, then after 1 hour, make sure your battery is more than 75% or else you need to adjust your usage patterns.

mastering89: For #1 you could choose a warmer WB. Something's not right with #2 framing-wise.

The Peleng is a circular fisheye for FF cameras; there's still a leftover dark corner in APS-C. The Samyang is a diagonal fisheye for APS-C. I would prefer the Samyang for APS-C because I prefer diagonal fisheyes - they're much easier to use.

ProX: The right WB would help make the spider pop. Right now the red/brown cast makes everything melt in.

ProX: Adjust your WB so you can see a difference in color between spider and rocks.

shukrie: Whoa now that is 3D!

powerfox: Depends on the light, but I prefer the no-flash shot.

shootkk: Happy Birthday!

zstan: Oddly, no I have not tried the 85mm Zeiss on the A55. I love the Opteka 85mm F1.4 on the A55 though!

shukrie: Could be angled better or zoomed more; I can barely make out the people playing guitar on the pier.

fansoption: Could have more space below #2 and above #10.

evilhomura89: Funny, I never noticed it. Here's a picture of an LA-EA1's rear baffle:



(And yes, there are ruler apps for other phones, too...)

I'd probably try to make an apodization filter to fit in the LA-EA1.

eugenechiuu: Not as far as I know, though some of these third-party batteries don't work well with either the A33 or A55.

lwliam: Nice diptych!

mastering89: Nicely done!

e-jump: Not terribly interesting... but what if you cropped just the center 1/3rd? So you get a picture FULL of lights, and no sky. I guess this is only possible at such elevations anyway!