indian hill imageworks

New Artwork

by EveNSteve

I’ve been working for some time now with the Overlapping Frame Panoramic Technique I have outlined here on Figital Revolution for my A New Eden Series and I have recently adapted this creative method/ technique to my Leica M7. One beauty of this technique lies in the editive creative possibilities the overlapping frames afford and now with the M7 and my two lenses- the 90mm F2.8 Elmarit and the new 28mm F2.8 Elmarit ASPH- I not only have the option of different focal lengths (something I did not have with the previous cameras I used for these artworks) but now I also have the option of mixing lenses between shots for a Multi Lens Overlapping Frame Panoramic Technique. The artwork below was just made using the 28 / 90 / 28 and results in a sense of space I really like. 

springtrees-vermont-2009

Spring Trees, Vermont. 2009
Multi Lens Overlapping Frame Panoramic Technique (28/90/28)
Leica M7, Kodak Ektar 100
Scanned on an Imacon Scanner, Oil Mount
Image Size: 25″ x 10″
Printed on the d’Vinci Fine Art Printing Platform (12 Color) at Indian Hill Imageworks
Paper: Hand-coated Fabriano 640 GSM Rough (22″  x 30″)
Edition Size: One

Copyright Stephen Schaub 2009

Leica 28mm F2.8 ASPH Distortion Test

by EveNSteve

OK, the proof is in the pudding or in this case the print… I shot this quick portrait of my wife Eve this afternoon in our front yard, had my sophisticated lab soup the C41 (Rite Aid) and I did a quick scan on the Imacon… the lens (Leica 28mm F2.8 ASPH) was focused at 3 or 3.5 feet at F 2.8 / F4 (I shot a variety at each)… distortion, what distortion?… seriously there is a bit of distortion but this is fantastic for a wide angle lens at this close of a distance… again 3 feet! The OOF rendering is also quite nice for a 28mm lens. Is the 28mm my new portrait lens?… NO, but it is nice to “see” that in a pinch or a very tight space it very well could be an option.  Film, Kodak Ektar of course.

eve28mm3footdistoriontest

Eve, Vermont. 2009
Copyright Stephen Schaub

Leica 28mm Elmarit f 2.8 ASPH Meets Kodak Ektar

by EveNSteve

Leica 28mm F2.8 ASPH

Just a quick post… I’ve been looking for an “affordable” Leica 28mm lens and was able to make the move last week as Leica has a $300 dollar rebate now available! I decided on the 28mm Elmarit F 2.8 ASPH for a few reasons:

1. It is really small and light and only blocks a very little bit of the lower right corner of  the viewfinder on my M7 when the hood is attached- none when it is not.

2. According to test reports* it’s damn sharp (I agree)… see print below / link. Additionally it has very little distortion and a very nice OOF (out of focus) rendering.

3. I had owned the Voigtlander 28mm F 1.9 Ultron lens a few years back and was not really that impressed (so I sold it) and the Leica 28mm F2 ASPH Summicron was out of the question due to the cost and it is a larger lens which blocks more of the viewfinder.

So how good is this lens….

Spring Buds, Vermont. 2009

Print 1: Full size print 9.5″ x 25″. Printed on Hand-coated Fabriano Artistico 640 gsm.

Spring Buds, Vermont. 2009 Crop 1

Print 2: Crop 4.5″ x 4.5″ of Full Size 9.5″ x 25″ Print

Spring Buds, Vermont. 2009 Crop 2

Print 3: Crop 4.5″ x 4.5″ of Extreme Full Size 19″ x 50″ Print!

Note:  The negative was scanned on an Imacon Scanner (wet mount) at 4725 optical dpi, 16 Bit… about a 500MB file. Film… Kodak Ektar 100.

Viva la Revolution-
Stephen

Want / need more information on the Leica 28mm Elmarit F2.8 ASPH… here is a link to a detailed review by Erwin Puts.

The New Kodak Ektar Film in 120 – A Quick Review

by EveNSteve

As promised here is a quick review of the new Kodak Ektar film in 120!

Full 120 Ektar Test Image

Click on image to see crop detail… full size image is 40″ x 40″, crop detail is a 4.5″ x 4.5″ section outlined in the above image as a white box. 

Technical Stuff… 

  • Camera: Rollei TLR “F”
  • Exposure: 1/60 at F11
  • Film: Kodak Ektar 120, EI 64 (Same as my test for the 35mm version.)
  • Scanned on an Imacon Scanner, dry.  I did my scan using a color setup I had created for the 35mm version of this film (scanner setting all balanced to a Macbeth Color Chart in direct sun) and found that it matched perfectly when opened in Photoshop.

 macbeth-color-checkerColor Chart Example. 

  • Photoshop adjustments limited to levels.
  • Full Size File: 600MB at 360 DPI which equals a 40″ x 40″ Print.
  • Cropped area equals a 4.5″ x 4.5″ section of the full 40″ x 40″ Print.

Conclusion… as with the 35mm version of this new film from Kodak it is hard to find something not to like… it scans quite easily, has great contrast and color, very fine grain with good sharpness. Again, I feel that it performs better in contrasty light at and EI of 64 than the box speed of 100 but that is just my opinion. Link to First Ektar Article here on FR.

ONE QUESTION… did you see the bent nail in the detail crop?… WOW!

Viva la Revolution-
Stephen

Buying Used Photographic Equipment

by EveNSteve

AudioBlog Logo

Buying used photographic gear can be a great way to save a few bucks and get that lens or camera body you’ve been dreaming of now. In this audioblog I outline a few suggestions to consider when buying used gear online or at a photographic store.

The artwork below was just made with my “used” Leica M7 and my “used” Leica 90mm Elmarit Lens.

leafearringsvermont2009springm7

Last Year’s Leaves, Vermont. 2009
From A New Eden
Leica M7 with 90mm Elmarit Lens
In Camera Overlapping Frame Panoramic Technique, 3X
Kodak Ektar Film
Printed 9.5″ x 25″ on Fabriano 640 gsm Rough, Hand Coated.
Copyright Stephen Schaub 2009

detailvermont09

Print surface detail, hand-coated Fabriano.

The Corrupted M7 Meets Kodak Ektar

by EveNSteve

Ah yes I had a bit too much time on my hands Friday… I just figured out a method for slipping film in my Leica  M7 using a similar technique I’ve outlined here for the XA and LCA camera systems… somewhere there is a German engineer grinding his teeth!

Early Spring, Vermont. 2009

Early Spring, Vermont. 2009
Leica M7 with 50mm Summilux F 1.4 Lens
In Camera Overlapping Frame Panoramic Technique, 3X
Kodak Ektar Film
Printed 10″ x 25″ on Fabriano 640 gsm Rough, Hand Coated.
Copyright Stephen Schaub 2009

The Human Rangefinder

by EveNSteve

This instructive video provides a useful technique for making your very own, personalized rangefinder for the purposes of better focus accuracy with camera systems like a Rollei 35 and 35 S, Olympus XA 2, 3 and 4 as well as the LOMO LCA and Diana + camera systems… basically if you have to scale-focus your camera then this video is for you!

LINK:

Human Rangefinder Card Generator

I would again to thank Thomas Achtemichuk for making this very cool photographic tool available! 

Viva la Revolution- Stephen


Using the Black Cat Extended Range Exposure Guide

by EveNSteve

As promised here are my thoughts on using the Black Cat Extended Range Exposure Guide. 

LINKS:

Black Cat Extended Exposure Guide Web Site

Previous Article on Pocket Exposure Guides here on FR

The Horror of Redscale Film Technique

by EveNSteve

AudioBlog Logo

Let’s be clear: I personally don’t like Redscale film and the image below confirms it. It is possibly going to give me nightmares or at least a rash… my wife describes it as the Amityville Horror photograph. Nonetheless, the audio portion of this post describes Redscale film technique and gives pointers on how to maximize your negatives and additional information on how Redscale film techniques works. If this is your cup of tea, then go for it!

redscaletest_schaub
LOMO REDSCALE Film Test: March 21, 2009
Camera: Rollei 35 S
Overlapping Frame Technique (3 Frames)
Exposure: F4 @ 1/60, Rated at Box Speed

LINKS:

How to load your own REDSCALE Film.
LOMO REDSCALE Page

Viva la Revolution- Stephen!