efix:photography - News. Thoughts. Pictures. » Tech-Talk

Hardware issues

efix — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:59:57 +0000

It’s been quiet around here the last weeks, as regular visitors may have noticed. This is partly due to the fact that I am mostly busy with work and family, and rarely take the time to actively work in this site. I also started to post links to interesting news and articles to my facebook page almost exclusively, except for those which I find very important.

The other reason for the more recent silence is that my trusted Dell Latitude E5400 laptop, which I have been using both for work and private for the past two years, [...]

TOP discuss the “Most Desirable Cameras on the Planet”

efix — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:33:25 +0000

The Online Photographer has a new column which discusses the “Most Desirable Cameras on the Planet”. Counting down from 11 to 1, Mike Johnston presents and discusses eleven cameras that he deems desirable for different reasons.

Part 1 (the 11th-most desirable camera on the planate) was on the new PhaseOne IQ180 80-megapixel medium format digital back, whose image quality apparently challenges high-resolution scans of 8×10″ large format film.

Part 2, published yesterday, discusses the Nikon D3x, Nikon’s top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art, ultimate professional high-end full-frame “Hunka hunka burnin’ hunk” (TOP) DSLR.

If you’d [...]

What I hope for the NEX-7 to be.

efix — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:01:36 +0000

I just joined the TalkNEX forum, a new forum dedicated to discussing the Sony NEX line of mirrorless cameras. My first post in that forum is about my hopes for the NEX-7, coming from the Leica M8, and some thoughts on rangefinder, analog and digital photography, and why I think that Leica failed at bringing the rangefinder idea into the digital age.

You can find it here: http://www.talknex.com/f12/m8-user-high-hopes-nex-7-a-263/

Now hear who’s crying again.

efix — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:14:36 +0000

I just stumbled upon an article on 1001noisycameras, linking to high-ISO comparison by Focus Numérique, comparing the output of the new Sigma SD1 to that of the Nikon D7000. Of course, the Sigma SD1 looses big time in this pixel-peeping contest, and the editors and commentators on 1001nc go on to bash Sigma and rave about Nikon. Phrases such as “being horribly out of touch with the realities of the market” are uttered.

Now, I wonder who it is that’s “being horribly out of touch with the realities of [...]

I must be a miracle worker of some sort. UPDATE: Or not.

efix — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:02:30 +0000

A few weeks ago, I realised that my Yashica Electro 35 GT’s meter wasn’t giving me any readings anymore. The battery chek light was working, but the meter wasn’t and the shutter operated at its 1/500 sec default speed. So I put it aside, planning to take a look at the electronics once I’d have the spare time to do so.

In the meantime, I was gathering information about possible repairs or replacements, and it was clear that I would have to spend at least 100 € to get a camera that is working and will continue working for [...]

News & Articles | August 5th, 2011

efix — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:56:43 +0000

It seems it’s time for another round of news and articles! Over the past weeks, I’ve been collecting interesting links again, which I’d now like to share with you.

Section 1: Micro Four Thirds

The Photography Of Amos Chapple This really doesn’t need many words. Amos Chapple is an avid traveller and records his adventures using Micro Four Thirds cameras by choice. Look at his pictures and you’ll know why they say it’s the photographer that takes the shot, not the camera. Amazing stuff!

DSLR Magazine: Olympus PEN Lite (E-PL3) test The Spanish DSLR Magazine [...]

Turorial video: how to load a Contax T with film

efix — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:27:21 +0000

Loading the Contax T compact rangefinder camera with film is a bit difficult, and I’ve read many complaints by Contax T users that they didn’t get their camera loaded properly and ended up with a roll of unexposed film.

Since I believe to have found a simple way to make sure that your Contax T is loaded properly, I’ve made this little video to demonstrate how it is done. (This is the first video of this kind that I EVER made, so I want to apologize beforehand if it lacks somewhat in contemporary qualiy standards )

Sad news … my Yashica Electro 35 died …

efix — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:20:12 +0000

Today, I noticed that my Yashica Electro 35 GT is dead. The electronics stopped working and the shutter defaults to 1/500 sec.

I first noticed this on sunday, when I was shooting a fresh roll of Kodak BW400CN inside in dim light. The shutter didn’t sound like it was exposing long enough. Yesterday, I picked up the developed roll of Sensia 100 I shot in the past weeks, and about ten pictures, all taken inside, turned out either underxposed or plain black.

The funny thing is, pressing the “Battery check” button on the back of the camera makes the [...]

News and articles | July 18th, 2011

efix — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:44:44 +0000

Oh my! It’s been more than a month since I last posted a news-and-articles-recap … ! I’ve been (and still am) rather busy with work and newly enamoured with film, so my love for digital photography has been dampened somewhat recently. Still, I collected a bunch of interesting weblinks to share with you, and as my son is currently peacefully playing by himself, I’m using the opportunity to put together a quick roundup of what’s been published around the interwebs those past weeks!

Photoradar: Earth from space Photoradar have posted a series of images taken by [...]

Leica M8 “optimization of internal processes”

efix — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:37:04 +0000

The new firmware v. 2.014 for the Leica M8 adds support for the new Super Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 lens, as well as “optimization of internal processes”. Some users claimed higher ISO settings would show less noise now, others claimed the image preview was rendering faster now. Personally, I could not observe any changes in the camera’s behaviour since I installed the new firmware.

Of course, M8 users have been wondering what this “optimization” really was, and now we have an answer. A keen rff user dared to inquire with Leica, and here’s the [...]