1st post and first roll w/CV 25/4

[phillip]

this roll mostly sucked, all my shots tended to be underexposed
but i did like the way this one came out, especially being handheld
and in the dark

 

[jja]

I like that image phillip, and welcome to the forum. What film, at what speed, and on what camera body?

 

[Doug]

Welcome, Phillip; that's a winner, and a very difficult lighting situation.

 

[oftheherd]

Ditto. Nice shot. Welcome. How did you get that?

 

[wrenhunter]

Welcome. I like that photo, too.

 

[lido]

That is a beautiful shot, welcome to RFF.

 

[phillip]

the lens was on the bessa L
the day it came in the only camera store around was closed
so i got a roll of kodak bw400cn from bestbuy

the shot was hurriedly taken from my seat in the orchestra,
and since the act was about to start, i neglected to write down
what the shutter speed was

i do remember the lens was wide open and focused at 1m

thanks for the kind words. if you saw how awful the rest of the
roll was, you'd know how much i appreciate this shot

 

[Nearsighted]

phillip, I was rather disappointed with my first shots with this lens too. It may take me a few rolls to get comfortable with the non-coupled lens. f4 is a very slow lens to try to do low light work unless your using much faster film. Anyway, I don't think in the long run I'm going to be dissapointed. I like the focal length better than the 21/4 I use to have. Welcome to RFF.

 

[cbass]

I was rather disappointed with my first shots with this lens too. It may take me a few rolls to get comfortable with the non-coupled lens. f4 is a very slow lens to try to do low light work unless your using much faster film.

My sentiments exactly. I've been using the 25/4 for about a month now and I'm kind of disappointed. My results have been very poor, due almost entirely to operator error 😱 . I get the impression that the 25/4 is better suited for outdoor work and not low-light & indoor stuff. I'm going to try some Cape Cod beachscapes with it over the summer.

Very nice shot, Phillip. You pushed the lens to its limits and got a winner! 😀

 

[raid]

I bought my 25/4 just before taking a trip to Japan last summer, and I loved the results from the begiining. Your chosen subject is difficult for a 25mm lens, unless you use a spotmeter to get the right exposure. A built-in meter could mislead you unless you are very careful in locking in the right exposure. The lens is a delight to use. Here are a few examples.

 

[raid]

The above photo files are rather small and they don't show how sharp this lens is. The one danger with it is to forget re-focusing for near distance photos. Color rendition is excellent overall.

 

[Doug]

I've been using the 25/4 for about a month now and I'm kind of disappointed. My results have been very poor, due almost entirely to operator error 😱 . I get the impression that the 25/4 is better suited for outdoor work and not low-light & indoor stuff.

I agree... I began my "environmental portrait" with the 25mm Skopar, figuring that the wide lens would help put some context in the indoor shots. I had become fond of this lens on a trip to southern Spain. I did manage a few good portraits in my project but the lens was necessarily wide open, the distances were close, and I had to be very careful about setting focus.

This led me to the 28mm f/3.5 Skopar, and this tiny gem's RF coupling was more confidence-inspiring under the circumstances. But I ultimately turned to 645 format and faster film. Here's a shot from the 28 Skopar...

 

[phillip]

outdoors the lens did perform better, as can be seen
in the outside shot below, but this other inside shot
was also taken in the orchestra pit (the composition
is bad, but it demonstrates the lighting)

you can see the house lights are still on, but regardless
the pit is very dark. if i remember right, i metered the floor,
which is covered with carpet near the color of astroturf