First Time Out with 15mm Heliar

[dazedgonebye]

Now there are pics.

------------------------------------------
No pics yet...just rambling.

I went out to do errands on my lunch break and could not resist stopping for a few shots out in the desert. We had a front through recently and the sky is full of fluffy white clouds. Great stuff this time of year. The sun is not so harsh and direct as it is at noon in summer and it’s a heck of a lot more pleasant to walk in the desert at 55 deg than it is at 115 deg.
Anyway, this was my first time out with the Bessa L and 15mm Heliar. It was very different, shooting a rangefinder ultra-wide instead of a DSLR ultra-wide. I admit to some apprehension regarding framing (Did I keep my shadow out? Am I level? Is that near cacti going to be fully in the frame?)
I went to some of the old spots I’ve been to many times before and shot some of the specific saguaro that are getting to be old friends. Hopefully, experience with the subject will overcome lack of skill with the new tool.
So, are those 36 good frames of 8 different subjects sitting in my pocket, or just a bunch of little lessons in bad zone focusing?
I’ll know tonight or tomorrow.

 

[kb244]

...
It was very different, shooting a rangefinder ultra-wide instead of a DSLR ultra-wide. I admit to some apprehension regarding framing (Did I keep my shadow out? Am I level? Is that near cacti going to be fully in the frame?)
...

Probably because depending on what digital SLR you have, you are not shooting an ultrawide. If you have a 15mm lens on a DSLR, you are shooting the perspective of 24mm (1.6x crop) or 22mm (1.5x) or 30mm (2.0x olympus), unless you have a Canon thats either full frame or 1.3x. You would have to get a Canon 10-22 on a Canon camera to get roughly the same focal length as the 15mm on full frame.

Just thought i'd say.

...
So, are those 36 good frames of 8 different subjects sitting in my pocket, or just a bunch of little lessons in bad zone focusing?
...

Also I'd say it's almost impossible to not get something sharp zone focusing on a 15mm, out in the bright sunlight even at f/8 just about everything will be in focus. Hell my 21mm Color skopar lets everything stay in focus from 6 foot to infinity wide open at f/4. Just point infinity marker above the f stop on the DOF scale and look at the distance on the other side of the DOF scale to see how much depth you got at that f-stop.

Course you should know this seeing as you own the 21/4 (despite being rangefinder coupled)

 

[kb244]

Ohh... and post pictures when you can, I wana see 😀 (Even the ones that are like 'aww dammit' it's a learning experience for the rest of us as well, especially if you remember what you did )

 

[dazedgonebye]

I do shoot a 10-22 on my crop camera, so the 15 is only very slightly wider.

By way of comparison, this gallery contains shots of the area I visited today at lunch. http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevemphoto/sets/72157594305338381/

Posting my losers? We'll see....

 

[dazedgonebye]

Well, he asked for mistakes....
These two jump right out at me. Can anyone point out the little booboo in the first shot?

Here, the second is a bit more obvious.

I have to say, I've never managed THAT with a SLR.

Fortunately, I did get some good shots off that roll. Those will follow.

 

[colyn]

Here is one of my shots with the 15mm f/4.5 Heliar lens on my Canon P

 

[dazedgonebye]

The Keepers

The Keepers

Five keepers...maybe one more I haven't worked on yet.

I felt the need to desaturate some of these just a touch, that 400UC is pretty vibrant.
I managed to avoid wide angle distortion for the most part. One of these shots did get a small amount of perspective correction.
All in all, I'd have to say that it's a pretty competent super-wide kit.

 

[dazedgonebye]

Ok, one last shot from that roll.

 

[mc_vancouver]

I'd love it if you could post some photos taken with the 21/4. I'm debating (with myself, of course) whether to get the 15 or the 21. Can't justify/afford both. Opinions?

 

[dazedgonebye]

I'd love it if you could post some photos taken with the 21/4. I'm debating (with myself, of course) whether to get the 15 or the 21. Can't justify/afford both. Opinions?

Two VERY different lenses. I didn't take any out in the desert with the 21mm, but here's one showing how wide it goes.
I would say, if you're getting 1, get the 21mm. It's a far more versitile lens.

 

[oscroft]

I'd love it if you could post some photos taken with the 21/4. I'm debating (with myself, of course) whether to get the 15 or the 21. Can't justify/afford both. Opinions?

Here's a few shots with the 21. I have both and I find the 21 much more useful than the 15 (I love the 15 - it was the first one I got - but it I don't use it a lot). If I had to choose only one, the 21 would win easily.

 

[oscroft]

And here's a few with the 15.

 

[nikola]

nice one ManGo

 

[Theo-Prof]

Five keepers...maybe one more I haven't worked on yet.QUOTE]

Very good shots. I bought one of these little gems last year. Yes, keeping the fingers out of the photo can be a real challenge.

I have to say that I also go back to familiar places when testing out new equipment. Knowing what compositions have already worked, what time of the day to get the best light, etc. let me concentrate on getting familiar with the new equipment.

Kevin