Categories
Landscape Urban

Friday October 2, 2015

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Today I experimented with old lenses. I have a small collection of Carl Zeiss Contax-mount lenses from the 1930s including an early and a late f1.5 50mm Sonnar, an 85mm f2.0 Sonnar and a 35mm. These lenses were notable for their speed and brilliant quality. They are mostly unusable today because the Contax mount is weird – the 50mm focusing helix was actually part of the camera body – but fortunately I was able to buy on eBay an adapter from the 1950s that adapts these lenses to a Leica screw mount. Another part adapts the screw mount to a Leica M mount, and a further adapter lets me put M mount lenses on my Sony 7Rm2. These lenses don’t actually work very well on an Leica M because the rangefinder doesn’t couple properly and the wides don’t fit at all. I’ve also got copies of legendary Nikkor lenses from the 50s, also in Contax mount.

All of these lenses work well with the Sony 7Rm2 – which is turning into the universal platform for all lenses ever made. I spent some time experimenting with the old Zeiss lenses today. They are uncoated, so there can be a slightly dreamy quality and veiling flair tends to make shadows look transparent. Dreamy wide open; thoroughly modern stopped down.

I’ve included a night image through the 1938 f1.5 Sonnar 50mm shot wide open, and a picture of the lenses and their adapter.

Day 2178 of one photograph every day for the rest of my life.

Day 2178 of one picture every day for the rest of my life.
Image shot with 1936 Carl Zeiss Sonnar lens
Old lenses
Contax mount

On this day four years ago (day 717): Laura

Day 717 of one photograph every day for the rest of my life
Laura and Alexander’s wedding
Categories
Landscape

Thursday October 1, 2015

NEW YORK NEW YORK – I took the subway to Wall Street today and spent a couple of hours exploring the Trinity Church graveyard. Not much going on there other than flocks of tourists.

Day 2177 of one photograph every day for the rest of my life.

Day 2177 of one picture every day for the rest of my life.
Trinity Church New York 2015
Day 2177 of one picture every day for the rest of my life.
Trinity Church New York 2015

On this day three years ago (day 1081): Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

Day 1081 of one picture every day for the rest of my life.
Staten Island Ferry Terminal 2012″R”
Categories
Landscape

Wednesday September 30, 2015

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Out with a very wide lens on my Sony 7Rii – a view of the Lipstick Building that I hadn’t seen before.

Day 2176 of one photograph every day for the rest of my life.

New York City 2015
Lipstick Building 2015

On this day three years ago (day 1080): Overpass out of a taxi window.

Day 1080 of one picture every day for the rest of my life
Overpass
Categories
Landscape

Tuesday September 29, 2015

NEW YORK NEW YORK. I poked around Grand Central Terminal today with my Sony A 7RII and a Contax mount Nickkor 35mm lens from the mid-1950s. I tried some very long exposures handheld, without much success. Here you go.

Day 2175 of one photograph every day for the rest of my life.

New York City
Grand Central Terminal 2015

On this day five years ago (day 349): South Street Seaport

New York City 2010
South Street Seaport from Brooklyn Bridge Park
Categories
Landscape

Monday September 28, 2015

NEWQ YORK NEW YORK – Back home shooting with my Sony alpha 7RII and some vintage Leica and Carl Zeiss Jenna lenses.

Day 2174 of one photograph every day for the rest of my life.

New York City 2015
Street
New York City 2015
Citicorp

On this day last year (day 1809): A way through the forest

Day 1809 of one picture every day for the rest of my life.
Warren CT 2014
Categories
Landscape Minatures Urban

Sunday September 27, 2015

NEW YORK NEW YORK – Back home at last. After an intense two weeks of travel (Tokyo, Hong Kong, San Francisco) I’m tired, out of sorts and my body clock is starting a massive rebellion. I predict a few days of mediocre images as I sort myself out.

Day 2173 of one photograph every day for the rest of my life.

Napkin ring
Napkin ring from Kenya
School
New York private School

On this day three years ago (day 1077): Bermuda Sunset

Bermuda sunset
Bermuda sunset
Categories
Interior

Saturday September 26, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) – I’ve got my usual travel day blues, making my way back to New York. I got exactly one image today of a screen in the airport here – the screen is actually a pretty good example of mid-century modern design. Today I took exactly one image, with my iPhone 6S.

Day 2172 of one photograph every day for the rest of my life.

Screen
Screen

On this day three years ago (day 1076): Adoration

Rapt audience
Rapt audience
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