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[OM] Backups, weddings, lenses, films and bokah

Subject: [OM] Backups, weddings, lenses, films and bokah
From: Ken Norton <image66@xxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 1999 19:55:08 -0600
One question was asked whether or not some of us carry a medium format
camera as a "backup" to weddings.  The answer for me is yes.  Once in a
while you will come across a picture that you just know will be blown up
into a mega-sized print.  For those shots, there hasn't been any substitute
for raw negative size.  I really like the 6x7 format for those shots,
however, next year I will convert the 6x7 to B&W shots and exclusively use
the OMs for the color work.  The new wedding emulsions are fabulous and can
easily be blown up to incredible sizes without apologies.  The biggest
factor now isn't the film, but the lenses.  I'm really intruiged by Gary's
lens tests and will be changing my camera bag to accomodate some of those
incredibly sharp lenses.  In all seriousness, it is extremely hard to get
quality bookings without having medium format equipment--even if you just
use it for a few shots.  I shoot maybe two rolls of 120 in my 6x7 at a
wedding.  If it was an SLR design and I had the lens selection, I'd
probably use it more.  For a 35mm only wedding, the going rate here in the
midwest seems to top out at $600 for a wedding, whereas I can go up to $800
with just a few shots of medium format.  If I was exclusively medium
format, I'd be charging in excess of $1000 for the basic wedding shoot, not
including the reprints.  If I went into wedding photography exclusively,
I'd get the new Contax 645, all the lenses, and establish myself as a
"high-end" wedding photographer with the low number on the rate card of
$2000.  I'd dress in black, wear one of those hokey beany hats and talk
with a fake French accent.  Oh, and have three female assistants.

On how many cameras do we carry?  Well, I only own two OM cameras these
days, so I guess that one of them is a backup for the other.  I usually
have two different speeds of film loaded though (Velvia/Provia in one and
Ektachrome 400 or B&W in the other).

On films:  My favorites remain Velvia and Provia.  Once in awhile I'll go
nuts and shoot Kodachrome 25 with wonderful results making me wonder just
why I don't use it all the time.  Then I remember the mounting, smudges,
lost rolls...  For weddings, the new Kodak emulsions rock!  I really like
the ISO 400 stuff--not quite as blah as the old PMC.

Ah, Bokah!  My 100/2.8 is my prized bokah lens.  However, an interesting
thing happened on the way to market...  I like doing night shots
periodically and bright lights will always give me some wierd star patterns
due to defraction past the blades.  It is most evident in red lights.  I've
used this to great effect when I want it--like in the swan photo in the
gallery.  Now, here is something interesting:  The lens in my IS-3 doesn't
produce nearly as nice a bokah as the Zuikos, but it doesn't have the
defraction characteristics of my Zuikos either.  Lights stay sharp and
don't star on me.

Bokah continued:  I've been trying to come to grips with Bokah and apparent
sharpness of a lens and ease of focusing.  For some reason there are a few
lenses that possess a "snap" when in focus.  For instance, I used Joel's
300/4.5 (formally GMA's?) and was suprised at how easy it was to focus that
lens--there was absolutely no doubt when the subject was in focus.  The
backgrounds were blurred so wonderfully, I could have mistaken the bokah
for a 2.8 lens.  On the other hand, the Tokina 300/2.8 just kinda mushes in
and out of focus and the bokah appears more like a 5.6 lens.  None of my
aftermarket zooms or teles were easy to focus and possessed lousy bokah.
My Tokina AT-X 35-70/2.8 has rotten bokah but is an extremely sharp
lens--and more difficult to focus.  My Zuiko 35/Shift has nice bokah, is
easy to focus and is very sharp.  My 24/2.8 also has nice bokah--for a
wideangle.

Ken Norton

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