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.

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.

Publishing Your Own Photography Book- Part 2

by EveNSteve

I decided to have Blurb print and bind a second copy of A New Eden Volume 1 for two reasons…

  • 1. To see how the printing consistency would be.
  • 2. To see how the Image Wrap cover option compared to the dust jacket option.

Some More Thoughts:

THIS JUST IN- I like the Image Wrap cover with the premium paper as the best-of-all option- the dust jacket keeps falling off the book and drives me nuts. The dust jacket does have a better range of color than the image wrap, and is glossy but there is something nice to the look and feel of the image wrap, and on a small book with only 38 pages- like mine- as the extra material of the image wrap makes the spine look and feel nicer…the book just feels more complete. The premium paper is way nicer than the standard (I tried both) and really worth the few extra dollars. With regards to printing consistency… seems OK to me so far but I will continue to monitor and keep you posted if my thoughts change.

Biggest question: does this process make sense if you are selling your books? Services like Blurb are much less expensive than some other online publishing companies… that being said, the per book cost for my Eden project is now at almost $40. When I compare this to my similarly-priced second book Through A Glass Darkly -which is in a league all it’s own and beyond compare to anything Blurb or any online service can print or bind- it does give one pause. Once again, I think you need to think of a book like this as a very nice promotional piece, that you will at best maybe make a few bucks on… but ultimately with the ulterior motive of greater visibility for your works which will hopefully translate into print sales and other good things. I’d suggest a markup from Blurb’s cost at around 10%, it’s a fair percentage and at the same time keeps your per book cost at a point that is still marketable.

LINK: Publishing Your Own Photography Book, Part One.

Viva la Revolution – Stephen

Testing New Canson Papers

by EveNSteve

Burning the midnight oil at Indian Hill Imageworks!!! Just how many patches are in the icc. test target?…over 2,200!!

Stay tuned for my thoughts/ review on my first tests: Rives BFK and Arches Platine!

Now back to printing!

Viva la Revolution!

Stephen

The LOMO LCA – Part 1

by EveNSteve

Over the next few months I’ll be writing several articles on the LOMO LCA and LCA+. I’ve decided to use these small and very opinionated cameras for my new artwork series, entitled Vanishing Vermont. Articles will focus on working with these cameras, how to carry them, films to use and why… XPros, where to buy and differences in current and older models.

I know there are a lot of opinions out there (both pro and con) about the LOMO (LOMOGRAPHY) and I look forward to an open discussion, so first lets agree on two things: 1. Its the print that counts! 2. See number 1.

Here are a few helpful links to get things started…check them out and stay tuned!

Me and My 1991 LCA!

Viva la Revolution!

Me and My 1991 LCA!

The New Kodak TMAX 400 (TMY-2) – Pushed to 1600, Processed in XTOL!

by EveNSteve

New Tmax 400 Box

As promised here is a sample image (my wife Eve Ogden Schaub of Life=Art) in Puerto Rico pushing the new TMY-2 (Tmax 400) to an E.I. of 1600 and processed in Xtol Straight using Kodak’s suggested time/ temp . The light was very, very low as even at an E.I. of 1600 my exposure was still 1/8 at F1.4 (hand-held.) The image was made with a Leica M7 with a 50mm Summilux.

So what are my thoughts????

EveFull_1600EveDetail_1_1600EveDetail_2_1600

Please note: click on the thumbnails for a larger view.

1. Of course there is more grain than the 400 speed test I posted a few days ago (click here) but not a lot considering this is a 2 stop push! It is not as crisp and lacks some fine image detail as the other test image had due to the increased grain and I am sure the slow shutter speed and the f1.4 working f stop ( I do the best I can, but on 10 shots of espresso a day what do you expect?)

2. Good shadow detail and the highlights still have nice separation especially considering the light source.

3. Easy to scan- no problems with excessive contrast or anything…the scan was as easy as my last test scan. (Scanned on an Imacon Scanner at 3200 dpi, 16 Bit, wet mount, no sharpening.)

So what does this mean??? Where do we (I) go from here?

Well I for one will shoot this film as my NEW primary film at box speed (400) – but it is nice to know that in a pinch I can push this film to meet my needs no matter what they are… I am going to continue my exploration of different developers (stay tuned!!) for this film, but for now- Xtol works fine. Once again in my opinion – Kudos to Kodak! (It’s been a long while since I’ve been able to say that twice in one week!)

Image Copyright Stephen M. Schaub 2008

Revolutionary Quote for the Day – Sebastiao Salgado

by EveNSteve

”Before becoming a photographer,” Salgado firmly believes, “it is essential to have an education, an understanding for the world in sociological, political, economic and historical terms. Then there is no limit to the photography. To be a photographer is to be able to transmit a certain understanding of the world.”

Quote taken from the current issue of PDN (The Legends Issue, Jan 08.) Article/ Interview by Peter Hamilton

Sebastiao Salgado

Growth Industry: Photography As A Top Job Pick in 2008?

by EveNSteve

AudioBlog LogoPhotography is a growth industry? At least that is the assertion made in a recent Yahoo article titled “Eight Top Fields with Major Job Growth” by Sonya Carmichael Jones. We take a look at this assertion from a real world perspective and provide an inside out view of the “growth” of our industry today. Featuring Hybrid Artist Stephen M. Schaub.