Sony Alpha Diaries Day 46: ISO16000!

Sony a57, Bower 14f2.8, 1/40f2.8 ISO16000

The Sony Alpha Diaries: a description

I'm starting a year-long project wherein I will be posting a photo(s) per day of an images(s) taken within 48-hrs of posting day, using a Sony Alpha camera MOSTLY, either with the a99 or the a57 (or whatever other Alpha-series camera is available). Occasionally, I will post material shot with other Sony products,  mainly Sony video cameras.
Subject matter will be all over the place, depending on where I'm at and where it's at. (Text colour on post will be in Sony orange).
Occasionally, there will be a guest appearance by a Sony NX30 or a Sony CX900 (both video cameras).

The BlackBerry Diaries will continue to be added to (currently at #741).

A Lake Huron Sunset

One of the sunsets from an unforgettable week with the family at a cottage on Lake Huron. Sunsets and a loving family…. that's all we need.

Special thanks to Audrey of Jervis Bay, who shared her family's cottage with us.
(the sun will disappear below the waves at 5:05)

Painting with Light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

on Lake Huron near Goderich. August 2014

Debutante's Party: Where content is always Queen.

This was my second shoot in the same venue: slightly better than crappy lighting but on occasions such as a Filipino Debut Party, where the expectations are to include in the finished video as much footage as possible, CONTENT is everything. Shot with a Sony HXR-NX30 and a Sony a57 with a Bower 14f2.8 (soft wide open…. reminder to self to sell this cheapie), I felt privileged to record this special occasion in an 18-year-old's life. Allysia is a beautiful, intelligent woman, surrounded by good friends and a loving family. May 3rd.

video setup for a Debut Shoot

A Debut (or Debutante Party), is a Filipino tradition for celebrating a girl's/woman's 18th birthday. Venues and degree of extravagance will vary but one thing is certain: it's a happy occasion with lots of opportunities for shooting video.
For this Debut this past weekend, the venue is the same venue as another Debut party a month earlier. This venue is a converted industrial warehouse, with either sodium arc lamps, or fluorescent tubes, 25 feet  overhead, with no facility for modulation. So it's either full-on, or darkness. Remember, this is a warehouse.
So for this event, the overhead lights are turned off, and the only source of light is a row of spotlights trained on the head table, and the candles on the tables. The resulting high contrast is a  guaranteed video killer. BUT, the shoot must go on.
Below is my setup for this video.

Main cam, a Sony HXR-NX30 with a Sennheiser lav mike, with the transmitter  on a light stand a foot away from a speaker box. The shotgun mike on the main cam has proven itself to, on its own, capture sounds well. This cam is on & off a dolly as needed.

B-cam, a Sony a57 with a Samyang 14f2.8 (21mm with crop factor). Beachtek preamp, RodePro Mic. On a tripod, stationary on one spot for minutes at a time.

Videos to come (and lessons learned) ...

an OR photo outfit by Sony

You have an open body cavity  a foot or two from where you are standing, doctors and nurses surround and are hunched over  the patient, their eyes  seemingly shooting darts into you with the demand to take the shot, NOW! In particular, with cardiac patients, hearts visibly beating under the lights, I literally have seconds to take the shot(s). And these shots have to be well-exposed,  in focus, and with very generous depth-of-field (which can be a challenge given the short shooting distance). There cannot be retakes/reshoots.

The equipment has to be light with ergonomics for the cramp space (mindful not to brush your scrubs against anything). Since it's next to impossible to use the viewfinder (this would necessitate leaning over the body cavity), I've come to rely on a flipping finder (so only the camera is over the body cavity) with my arms extended out. And when using a finder, i.e., Live View, I'll need to get in focus and maintain focus, fast!

Enter the Sony SLT camera, in this case, the a57 (could also use the a65, or the new a6000). The one thing these cameras have in common is their fast phase detect auto-focusing system using Live View. Small, light, and very inexpensive, these cameras also have flipping high resolution screens (and NOT articulated finders which make you view the scene away from the lens axis, e.g., Canon 70D). For my lens, I use a 30 year old Minolta 50f2.8 macro, which is as good as any modern macro for sharpness and chromatic aberration, and available on eBay or on Craigslist for $200 (mental note: buy the next one that comes up on craigslist for under $200). For my ring flash, I use the lightest, least expensive, and most power efficient (2 AAA's lasts a long time) flash available: the Metz 15 MS-1. It connects wirelessly, avoiding the cables and the flash body mounted on the hot shoe (see the Nikon with the Sigma flash, below).

 

 

Shown below are two setups used in the past that were the standard, until I "discovered" Sony's phase-detect Live View.

left: Nikon D90 with 120mm Medical-Nikkor and battery pack (6AA's)

right: Nikon D90, Micro-Nikkor 85f3.5, Sigma Ringflash (4AA's)

3 times the weight and volume of the Sony setup, primitive Live View, static LCD, manual focus

almost twice the weight of the Sony setup, top-heavy and awkward, static LCD with primitive first gen contrast detect autofocus.  But this lens is very sharp! February 20th.

ladybug named Icarus, on the edge of the lamp shade...

 

... and we all know what happened to Icarus. February 19th.

down the hi!!

fun on the local hill February 17th.

The Holy Trinity

ginger, garlic, shallots. February 16th.

rich tones in macro

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 16th.

(some of) the teas in the cupboard

Egyptian camomile

 "Dragonwell": Green tea from the West Lake Region, Zhejiang Province, China

 "Blue Eyes": apple, hibiscus, rosehip, cornflowers

"Mango Madness": apple, white tea, orange peel, pineapple, mango, orange slices, tangerine, safflower petals, strawberry, marigold blossoms.

more adventures in macro with a Minolta 50f2.8

 Africa in a snow drift on the window

 North and Central America on a snow drift on the window

 a lion or a bison on a snow drift on the window

 

 

 

 

old and treasured dolls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 stained glass art by Mary

 "ask not for whom the bell tolls..."

 

 old and treasured goblets

kimchi jar lid

 
egg cartoon

 
kimchi jar lid

 
blinds string

 
water jug

 
coffee

 
Mary's art

 

socks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

snow falling, snow drifting, snow blowing, snow shoveling. January 25th.