The Freedom Train: Since the Pandemic, participation in the annual Martin Luther King Freedom Train appears to have dwindled. In years past, the event included presentations to civic leaders and teachers who furthered the promotion of Dr. King's ideals. While other residents chose to use the holiday as a Day Of Service, many continue to ride the CalTrans Freedom Train to a commemorative parade in San Francisco. While not a dedicated train, it provides free transportation for those who were ready to pick up their tickets at the San Mateo Train Station and board when it arrived at 10:10 am.
When I arrived at the station, I was surprised to find that there had been no presentation ceremony, and that staples of events past were gone, specifically the customary singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” I found a relatively small crowd milling about, bereft of the sweatshirts, caps, posters, and other items commemorating Dr. King.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw several children mugging for their mothers, each carrying a graphic of Dr. King at the Washington Monument. As I approached, I attempted to make several "if nothing better comes along" shots in case nothing better could be had. When they saw that I had taken an interest in them, they became very eager to cooperate with me. For the record, the camera was a Fuji X-T2, the lens was a 10-24 F 4.0 lens and a Godox V1 Round Head speedlight with a grid installed. I had set my exposure (1/250 of a second, F 11, ISO 400) as a starting point. The sky and clouds in the sky were not particularly attractive, so I changed to F 16 in the hopes of improving the background. When the background exposure was satisfactory, I adjusted the flash output to achieve a reasonable exposure on my subjects' faces. Since the flash was mounted on the camera and there wasn't time to experiment, I ran with what I had and hoped for the best.
Since I wanted the flash to produce a relatively narrow light spread, so I had already mounted a grid. This combination produces a relatively even disk of light with a soft by distinct edge. In this pair of photos you can see the grid produced a round, centered illumination pattern on the left sample. On the right you can see that when the head is tipped up slightly, the light falls off at the lower half of the frame.
If we re-examine the published image, you can see that the subjects received almost no light from the waist down. This offers two advantages, The legs, being closer to the flash because of the low camera angle, are not subject to the usual overexposure. Secondly, nearly all of the light is concentrated above my subjects' waists. This emphasizes the faces and the papers they are holding. I may continue to fret about the many "what ifs" I have concerning light quality, flash placement, the quality of the clouds ad nauseum, but in the end, it was a reasonable shot considering that from the time I first saw my subjects to when the last exposure was made was a mere three minutes.
I used a similar technique when I photographed the official dedication of a monument to the displaced Japanese citizens during World War II. Instead of a grid, I adjusted the beam angle using the speedlight's internal adjustments along with the tipping of the flash head itself. It kept me from burning the foreground subjects beyond recognition while concentrating the light on the center of the dark bronze statue. I don't know if anybody was disappointed to find the statue was more "gold" in color, but that bit of bottled sunlight helped me capture the rapt expressions of the many admirers.
The edge softness of the Godox V1 makes it a personal favorite so long as I resign myself to shooting manually. The TTL controls is just to fussy, and by applying the proper adjustments, brings a lot more control than most conventional speedlights.
No More New Lenses: I keep reminding myself that my Sony A7 only exists as a platform for my existing legacy lenses. Through the years, I have acquired samples sporting Pentax Screw (M42), Pentax K Bayonet, Minolta SR, Nikon AI and non-AI, and most recently, four Zeiss lenses with Contax/Yashica mounts. I thought I would be content with these manually focused SLR lenses, and swore I wouldn't buy any dedicated Sony full-framed E mount lenses. I broke my own promise when I purchased a Tamron 24mm F 2.8 auto focus lens, which I would use on those rare occasions when I wanted to free myself from the manual-focusing rituals. But that would be it. I thought I could stop this addiction to buying additional lenses cold turkey.
My friend Shawn, in his infinite wisdom, loaned me three Voigtlander lenses, prompting me to get adapters for both the Leica screw mount (M39) and Leica bayonet. After playing with those lenses, I decided that I absolutely had to own a 25mm Snapshot Skopar of my own. I got a used one with the Leica screw mount as it was designed to be zone focused and therefore wasn't manufactured with a focusing cam. I passed on the optical viewfinder because I could accurately compose using the Sony's electronic viewfinder. For the record, I love this lens, but it did make me think about buying/using some of the new and inexpensive Chinese made Leica mount lenses. I found a 7Artisans 35mm Pancake Lens at Seawood Photo in San Rafael, and I bought it for a bit of dumb fun. While it wasn't expensive, the 35mm focal length was a bit too long for my taste. I proved too difficult to actually use, and can only conclude that it was purchased as a gag gift for a rich uber-enthusiast.
The TTArtisan Esthetic: Shawn suggested that I should consider purchasing one of the new Chinese lenses that attempted to duplicate the look and feel of those elegant Leitz lenses for a fraction of the cost. One of the lenses , the TTArtisans, copied the look and feel of the expensive Leitz Sumarron-M 28mm F 5.6. It was designed with the film shooting Leica enthusiast in mind, as it comes with a rangefinder cam to aid in critical focusing. I must admit that the lens is attractive, and those who have reviewed it have commented on how well the manufacturer has simulated the true rangefinder experience. Improper calibration of this focusing cam is one problem that my digital workflow has deftly sidestepped, since I use the focus peaking feature when viewing through the electronic viewfinder.
The 7Artisans Functionality: The other serious contender was one made by 7Artisans, one with the same 28mm F 5.6 performance specifications but a different optical formula, was my ultimate choice. The overall design was more reminiscent of the most current lens esthetic, while the TTArtisan lens looked more at home mounted on an older, pre-M series body, which I believe are called Barnack bodies after the original designer. Several bloggers gave this lens the performance edge over the TTArtisan interpretation. So I was primed and ready.
The spur to action came from an email from B&H Photo announcing a major discount on the 7Artisans lens if I was willing to wait on delivery. I placed my order on November 28, and didn't receive the lens until January 4, about 5 weeks later. I had paid a total of $145.50 (tax and shipping included) at a time when the suggested retail was closer to $300.00. It was nicely packaged in a flip-top box containing both front and rear lens caps, instructions, and a slip-on lens hood. Also included was the small screwdriver necessary for adjusting the focusing cam. Missing were the instructions on how that was to be done and the special calibration target, an omission I discovered after viewing some YouTube videos. I wasn't concerned about the calibration of the focusing cam because I was using the lens on a mirrorless camera with an electronic viewfinder, but heard that Leica users weren't happy with the having to do the calibration themselves.
On January 24, 2024, the lens still costs less than the TTArtisan at B&H Photo if you are willing to wait.
The Frame Line Issue: Another irritant for Leica users was the apparent mismatch of the bright frame finder with the actual focal length of the lens. According to a YouTube video (below), the 7Artisans lens, when mounted, signaled the body to display the 35mm frame lines, while the TTArtisans lens brought up the proper 28mm lines, as one should expect. Perhaps this flaw may have initiated a sell-off of existing lenses so that a corrected, "Mark II" version could be introduced. I am sure this would be good news to the Leica contingency, but as I mentioned, not something I was concerned about.
Filter Size: The 35.5mm filter thread must be part of a Leica compatibility issue. Filters in this size are expensive and difficult to source. In lieu of a protective filter, I'm going to look for an inexpensive screw-on lens hood, just to keep my fingers off of the front element of the lens.
The Pudding: I have played with the lens a bit, good weather being a little scarce right now.
Lucky Drive in Kentfield, Marin County
Lucky Drive in Kentfield, Marin County
Lucky Drive in Kentfield, Marin County
17th Street, San Francisco
Cole Valley, San Francisco
So far, I've found the lens very satisfactory, although its specifications are very close to my Snapshot Skopar, which is a full stop faster. Still, the 7Artisans is a fun lens, and one that I will use from time to time. Neither the Snapshot Skopar nor this 7Artisans lens would be my first choice for an early morning walk where slow maximum aperture might be an issue. But for daytime walks, either will work just fine.
Comparison Video: Matt Osborne's video gives a good comparison between the TTArtisan and the 7Artisans lenses. During the summary, I heard the blogger speaking glowingly of the TTArtisan, but cites mostly the physical attributes and the appearance of the lens, while deigning to acknowledge the slightly better contrast of the 7Artisans. I cannot confirm the bright frame issue, and am sure the calibration concerns are valid. However, it certainly is $140.00 worth of fun, especially since it can cover a full frame.
Happy New Year: When the forecast predicted a sunny New Year's Day, I decided to visit Sausalito with the hope of finding some evidence of raucous revelry from the night before. The morning air was cleansed by the recent rains, and the sunlight brought its warmth to both the body and my subjects, providing a "golden hour" tint to the sunlit photos.
Photos made in Open Shade were a different matter. The coldness of the skylight made everything seem a bit pale, almost lifeless, in direct contrast to some of the artwork displayed in the shop windows. For a moment, I thought I was looking into a portal to a colorful street in Chicago.
I have difficulty accepting Sausalito as a real city. Perhaps it was in the 1940s when it was a shipbuilding hub, creating tankers and Liberty Ships for the war. The town would re-invent itself as an artist colony, and finally into a tourist destination. With these changes, old buildings get repurposed, as this one-time produce store transformed itself into an art gallery.
In San Francisco, we call these Parklets, enclosures made by combining several parking spaces which are used to create an outdoor dining space. When needed, portable propane heaters provide comfort for diners in the evening hours. In silhouette, the heater's function is not so obvious.
The sun is not far from the horizon, and this directional light tends to hide a great deal of detail in the shadows it creates. Here it emphasizes the strength of the safety barrier created to keep inebriated patrons of the nearby bar safe and dry.
I should have not been surprised by the numbers of bicyclists and 'boarders taking advantage of the streets made quiet by the early morning hours. Swarms would ride down Bridgeway, the main tourist thoroughfare, vibrating from enthusiastic chatter, and in a moment, gone.
This boat trailer was in the Sausalito Yacht Club parking lot, ready to be taken to who knows where. Hopefully the three boats will be part of some great adventure that will entertain, and inspire, three crews of sailors in some nearby estuary.
The next few days will be spent re-conditioning the capacitors in my dozens of speedlights, re-setting the calendars on all of my digital cameras, and finishing the backups of the thousands of photos I made in 2023. I also need to take stock of my equipment and my "kit", making sure that anything I might need during the photographic year will be close at hand.
Post Script: The camera was a Fuji X100 T. I normally use it with its dedicated wide angle adapter, giving me the effective full-framed focal length of 28mm.
