Hartblei on a Mamiya 645 AFD

[Don Libby]

Well the monsoons are here in Tucson so I decided to go out and for the heck of it take a couple images from the backyard.  Nothing much here other than I liked the way the clouds looked.  I used my Mamiya 645 AFD II along with the P30.  The lens used for these shoots was the Hartblei T/S Super-Rotator using the tilt/shift option.  

I’ve got other plans for using this lens but right now I just want to get to know its “feel”.  So far I think I really like the lens and can see a lot of potential.  BTW the files were downloaded onto my laptop then opened in CS3 with no corrections.  Enjoy …..  


don

[BobDavid]

The Mamiya 50 mm shift lens is much better, both optically and mechanically. It doesn't have tilt, but frankly, at this focal length, it's not that necessary.

[etrump]

Don,

Can you upload a 100% crop so we can inspect the edges.  It does not look like there are any signs of CA and the dynamic range looks pretty good.

ed

[mtomalty]

The Mamiya 50 mm........It doesn't have tilt, but frankly, at this focal length, it's not that necessary.

Not neccessarily so,Bob.

Even a modest 2-3 degrees of tilt with a lens in the 45-50mm range can open up
near/far depth of field possibilities that are impossible even by stopping down
a non-tilt lens to f45.  

Using a 'blad ArcBody with 45mm easily enables one to get subject matter from 18" to
near infinity in complete focus from f11 and down.

Very valuable for certain types of landscape shooting and I believe that the medium format
SLR manufacturer that gets a high quality version of a tilt/shift to market will be sitting
on a goldmine

Mark

[Don Libby]

Don,

Can you upload a 100% crop so we can inspect the edges.  It does not look like there are any signs of CA and the dynamic range looks pretty good.

ed
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128547\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Ed  Here's a crop from the upper right corner 300dpi at 1555x2919 pixels

[Khun_K]

Ed  Here's a crop from the upper right corner 300dpi at 1555x2919 pixels
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128552\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Just in case you guys are also interested to see a 4 capture stitched of H3D39 using HC 100/2. The picture was recently took in south east Tibet. I converted the 3FR to DNG and merge them in Photoshop and output just in 8-bit jpeg. Somehow I felt raw process with CS3 is faster and more convenient than using the Flexcolor, which to me is somewhat slow.

[Khun_K]

Ed  Here's a crop from the upper right corner 300dpi at 1555x2919 pixels
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128552\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Just in case you guys might be interested to inspect a 4-captures stitched, taken with H3D39 and HC 100/2.2. Location is south east Tibet, approx. 3,400 meters above sea level, considered low by Tibet standard.
I am not much in to Flexcolor so I converted the 3FR to DNG and process the raw file with CS3 and merge the pictures using CS3 in stead of RV that I most often use as a test.

[eronald]

Just in case you guys are also interested to see a 4 capture stitched of H3D39 using HC 100/2. The picture was recently took in south east Tibet. I converted the 3FR to DNG and merge them in Photoshop and output just in 8-bit jpeg. Somehow I felt raw process with CS3 is faster and more convenient than using the Flexcolor, which to me is somewhat slow.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128573\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Cannot see anything

Edmund

[Khun_K]

Cannot see anything

Edmund
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128584\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Not sure what happened. I have problem attaching the image.

[Khun_K]

Cannot see anything

Edmund
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128584\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Not sure what happened. I have problem attaching the image.

[eronald]

Not sure what happened. I have problem attaching the image.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128587\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Nice.

Edmund

[thsinar]

Very nice, K!

I can't wait to see your other work in Tibet.

Thierry

Not sure what happened. I have problem attaching the image.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128587\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

[etrump]

Thanks Don,

Other than jpeg compression artifacts I don't see any CA or even lens blur.  Is it as good as it looks in print?

Are these images were taken by shifting all one direction, making an exposure, full shift in the opposite direction, expose then stitched?

Did you have to recompose or simply shift and shoot?

I have always used my TS-E canon lens to modify the plane of focus only, this opens up a whole new way to do panos.  I currently use RRS pano kit and move everything.


regards,
ed

[Don Libby]

Thanks Don,

Other than jpeg compression artifacts I don't see any CA or even lens blur.  Is it as good as it looks in print?

Are these images were taken by shifting all one direction, making an exposure, full shift in the opposite direction, expose then stitched?

Did you have to recompose or simply shift and shoot?

I have always used my TS-E canon lens to modify the plane of focus only, this opens up a whole new way to do panos.  I currently use RRS pano kit and move everything.
regards,
ed
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128597\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

RRS has a lot of my money!  I’ve been using the “Ultimate Omni-Pivot Package” for almost a year now and like it very much.  I have yet to try it out with the P30.  I normally keep the PCL-1 planning clamp on my tripod and that’s what I used on the images.  I shot the 2 images left to right using the PCL-1 just making sure that the camera was level.  Had I really wanted to create a pano I would have set the entire pano kit up.  I have found thru my sampling and testing with the 645 that panos appear to be much easier to accomplish that when I was doing them with my 1Ds II.  I’ve also found that PS3 has greatly enabled me as well.

To answer the first part of your question, I opened the lens, focused, shifted the lens, then set the aperture setting, I had the camera set in AE (which is something I normally don’t do) and took the images moving the camera.   In this experiment I did not shift the lens left to right, I moved the camera on the PCL-1.  

I plan to do another set of images very soon where I’ll use the lens to shift left to right for the pano.

The one hardest thing I’ve found so far (at least for me) is making absolutely certain that the focus is dead-on.

Hope this helps


Don

[etrump]

Understood, the PCL-1 is a great solution and RRS is getting in my pocket as well.  I wish they had a real L-Bracket for the 645.  I had to make one using their multi-purpose rails and it looks like  frankenstein.  LOL!  (Kirk said they were going to have some available the end of the month, we'll see.)

I am in new england this week (annversary trip, not photography) but did have time to shoot a 6 shot stitch of the boston skyline.  I think the CS3 stitching and blending code has improved substantially.  16000+ pixels wide and I can't see any blending artifacts.

You can check out a low-res version on my blog:

Boston Pano Blog Entry

You've got me thinking I should pop for a Hartblei lens, but it will have to wait until the p30 hit quits hurting.

[Khun_K]

Understood, the PCL-1 is a great solution and RRS is getting in my pocket as well.  I wish they had a real L-Bracket for the 645.  I had to make one using their multi-purpose rails and it looks like  frankenstein.  LOL!  (Kirk said they were going to have some available the end of the month, we'll see.)

I am in new england this week (annversary trip, not photography) but did have time to shoot a 6 shot stitch of the boston skyline.  I think the CS3 stitching and blending code has improved substantially.  16000+ pixels wide and I can't see any blending artifacts.

You can check out a low-res version on my blog:

Boston Pano Blog Entry

You've got me thinking I should pop for a Hartblei lens, but it will have to wait until the p30 hit quits hurting.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128944\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I am faithful user for RRS and I use their L plate for almost all my cameras. But unfortunately I use Seitz VR for pano shots and have to use their bracket, not as good, but they are more travel friendly - smaller and lighter, but I can still have the VR drive to motorize a H3D39+100/2.2. I sometime use the Manfrotto pano set for manual stitching control, and they are pretty good and strong, and cost less. Mafrotto also have a leveling device which is good for the pano shoot as it is only part sphere, and part ball head, just enough to level your pano set on tripod and keep it low without to risk a full size ballhead that may introduce more vibration. I saw Manfrotto also started to market their own L plate to use on their heads, nice but not as good as RRS.
Anyway, the CS3 is a large improvement over CS2 for stitching, I have in some cases stitche files from 39mp DB backs up to 29,000 pixels wide with excellent results, it also works faster and easier than RV. Shifting the lens right and left is a nice option although still not as big as the full frame stitching and may not save that much time but certainly if ultimate depth of field is needed you cannot dispense the tilt function.

[free1000]

I got one of these for its short DOF possibilities. I regard it as a Lens Baby on Acid. Sharpness isn't one of its greatest suits.

However, with the Aptus 75 at 400 ASA, there is something very vintage film about the look... not particularly sharp with nice grain. Throw the focus way out with the tilt and its quite nice.
 
I thought I'd thrown my money away after the few test shots... but it was the right lens for the next job that came in, so it earnt its keep within a few days.

[Don Libby]

(Kirk said they were going to have some available the end of the month, we'll see.)


[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128944\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Is this rumor or confirmed?

[doncody]

Just in case you guys might be interested to inspect a 4-captures stitched, taken with H3D39 and HC 100/2.2. Location is south east Tibet, approx. 3,400 meters above sea level, considered low by Tibet standard.
I am not much in to Flexcolor so I converted the 3FR to DNG and process the raw file with CS3 and merge the pictures using CS3 in stead of RV that I most often use as a test.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=128575\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

K,

Wow! Beautiful image.

Don