today, i went to explore on the question:
How do i shoot really close and get a Ralph Gibson, Bastienne's Eye effect:
in the slr world, this problem would simply be solved with a lens that could
focus down to 35cm, or a macro lens. Other options would include
Tele-Converters or extenders which allows closer focusing (at the expense of
infinity).
Another option for SLRs and especially TLRs would be the close-up lens. This is
the least expensive option but the one with a loss of image quality.
So what about RF ?
well, as it turns out, the RF is quite lousy when it comes to close(r) focusing.
With Leicas, the normal close focusing starts from 0.7m, with a Bessa R4,
it focuses down to 0.5m (provided your lens supports it). Issues include
parallax errors giving inaccurate framelines.
So, the way i see it, these are the following options for closer focusing:
a. Use a special lens that allows closer focus or scale focus.
the most famous is the Summicron DR lens, which focuses from 0.5m onwards.
Most wide-angled voigtlander lens allows a mix of rf coupled plus scale distance.
In scale distance, the subject to lens distance is estimated.
I have a Nikkor 50/f2 which is RF coupled from inf to 0.7, and from 0.7m to 46cm (1.5 feet),
it allows scale focusing. I tested this today, at 46cm, it is roughly the length of my fore-arm
to my finger-tips. I found that I could improve scale focusing accuracy if I shot at f4 - f5.6 (at a minimum
aperture).
here is a pix:
The issue is that shooting at this range requires a good estimation + deep DOF.
b. I then went to explore the other direction, using my elmarit 90/f2.8,
fixed it on my epson r-d1 with a crop factor of 1.5m, making it behave
like a 135mm Hektor but faster and shorter focusing distance (1m vs 1.5m).
the effect is similar but different. using a tele flattens the subject avoiding
the large nose effect of closeups. But using a tele isn't really the same
as close up.
c. Another option is to forget rf bodies, and to use the rf lens on mirror-less bodies,
for example, a hawkeye on a sony nex for close focusing:
more information here: Hawk’s Factory Close Focus Adapter Review | J B Hildebrand Photography
d. Lastly, i could just shoot like RG with a 50mm, presumably coupled to 0.7m,
and enlarge the picture (in his case via an enlarger) after scanning and cropping.
Please share your comments.
thanks
How do i shoot really close and get a Ralph Gibson, Bastienne's Eye effect:
in the slr world, this problem would simply be solved with a lens that could
focus down to 35cm, or a macro lens. Other options would include
Tele-Converters or extenders which allows closer focusing (at the expense of
infinity).
Another option for SLRs and especially TLRs would be the close-up lens. This is
the least expensive option but the one with a loss of image quality.
So what about RF ?
well, as it turns out, the RF is quite lousy when it comes to close(r) focusing.
With Leicas, the normal close focusing starts from 0.7m, with a Bessa R4,
it focuses down to 0.5m (provided your lens supports it). Issues include
parallax errors giving inaccurate framelines.
So, the way i see it, these are the following options for closer focusing:
a. Use a special lens that allows closer focus or scale focus.
the most famous is the Summicron DR lens, which focuses from 0.5m onwards.
Most wide-angled voigtlander lens allows a mix of rf coupled plus scale distance.
In scale distance, the subject to lens distance is estimated.
I have a Nikkor 50/f2 which is RF coupled from inf to 0.7, and from 0.7m to 46cm (1.5 feet),
it allows scale focusing. I tested this today, at 46cm, it is roughly the length of my fore-arm
to my finger-tips. I found that I could improve scale focusing accuracy if I shot at f4 - f5.6 (at a minimum
aperture).
here is a pix:
The issue is that shooting at this range requires a good estimation + deep DOF.
b. I then went to explore the other direction, using my elmarit 90/f2.8,
fixed it on my epson r-d1 with a crop factor of 1.5m, making it behave
like a 135mm Hektor but faster and shorter focusing distance (1m vs 1.5m).
the effect is similar but different. using a tele flattens the subject avoiding
the large nose effect of closeups. But using a tele isn't really the same
as close up.
c. Another option is to forget rf bodies, and to use the rf lens on mirror-less bodies,
for example, a hawkeye on a sony nex for close focusing:
more information here: Hawk’s Factory Close Focus Adapter Review | J B Hildebrand Photography
d. Lastly, i could just shoot like RG with a 50mm, presumably coupled to 0.7m,
and enlarge the picture (in his case via an enlarger) after scanning and cropping.
Please share your comments.
thanks
