Sony Diaries #1037: The amazing Beercan!

The Minolta 70-210F4, aka The Beercan, is an amazing lens, arguably the best value telephoto zoom. It can still be found on Kijiji or Craigslist for $80-125. It seems  the production majority were good copies. I've had 3 copies but I have only kept the best one. This review by Kurt Munger reaches the same conclusion as other reviewers: great optics, great value. The Beercan was launched in 1985 and is compatible with the Sony Alpha line (I use this lens on an A77II) and with the A7 series using an LA EA4 Adaptor. Actually, it seems to me that the Beercan looks sharper on the A7III than it does on the A77II, but this observation is not based on any scientific testing.

Below are two versions of the same shot, uncropped and cropped. There is chromatic aberration (the purplish fringing around high contrast areas) such as around the wings but for the subject matter, I can live with it.

1/500 F4.5 ISO1000, shot at FL  200 (300mm)

Sony Diaries #1036: the Mallard couple is back

Every year, this Mallard pair pays a visit to the small seasonal pond in the back of the house. With the stay-at-home guidelines in this Covid19 times, I'd be home when they came. Still, it took my birder wife to alert me to their presence. So it's another year, another set of Mallard photos.

We used to think mallards mated for life; a quick Google check indicated that they only stay together until the female lays her eggs.
This pond lies behind a crisscrossed thicket of branches so the camera had to be set to Spot focus to shot through the gaps in the thicket. Anticipating the mallard's movement through the thicket is essential since the Minolta 70-210F4 (Beercan) is notoriously slow in grabbing focus. But it's not bad for a 35-year-old lens design that can be had on Kijiji/Craigslist for $100; if you're lucky, you'll get a good copy. All the shots were at the 200 (300mm length for this crop sensor)

The mallards were wary of my every movement and since  I wasn't behind a duck blind, I had to stand still or move slowly. Both flew away 15 minutes after I started taking the photos.

Luminar 4 Update

I bought Luminar 4 for its Portrait capabilities but just this week, I started using it for landscapes shot in my backyard and around my neighbourhood.

In a word: AWESOME! If you are on Instagram and you search for #luminar, you'll find some amazing photos.

Here's a Before and After using 5% Photoshop and 95% Luminar. The Before is a SOOC JPG, AWB, using an APS-C Sony A77II and a 25 year-old Minolta 70-210 F4 (the Beercan), It was overcast and the fog was just lifting off. I had gone out hoping to shoot a pair of mallards that visit the seasonal pond in the woods behind the house, as it is their annual thing to do. I didn't see them so I shot this scene, more as a record and not really hoping for any print-worthy images. If I had expected potentially amazing scenes, I would have used my Sony A7III and the far sharper Tamron 70-200 F2.8.

There is a plethora of imaging software out there, almost all doing the same things. I typically use Camera RAW in Adobe Photoshop. Based on my initial use, I find Luminar 4 to have more specific tools with more nuanced controls. For example, for this set, the Gradient Tool, and Dehaze to reduce the fog/mist, is superior to anything else that I have tried.

Based on this exercise, Luminar 4 seems to offer the possibility of getting more out of my SOOC JPGS, for maximum results. I can't wait to revisit the Olympus JPGS that I have from a Philippine trip 12 years ago. I had to use Photomatix HDR to get the best out of those files.

26Mar2020

Sony Diaries #1022: Scenes out of the water at a Swim Meet

 cheering on your clubmates

 wishing each other good luck

 waiting your turns on the starters' blocks

 pre-meet warm-up

 killing time waiting waiting for a specific event

 warm-down pool

 catching up on social media

 finding a spot to relax between events

 passing snacks to race officials

 post-race consult with your coach

tense moments

Sony Diaries #1021: The power and majesty of the Butterfly (Fly)

Considered by many coaches and swimmers as the most difficult stroke, there is nothing better to watch than a Fly swimmer with flawless technique, making a demanding stroke look easy. Arguably the best swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps made the Fly his bread-and-butter stroke; he still holds the 200M record. I think the Fly can be most appreciated when seen from all 4 sides of the pool, as opposed to the backstroke that is best viewed from the stands, the higher the elevation, the better. 

2018 Dash For Cash, University of Guelph

Sony Diaries #1002: What's in my bag?

I strive to capture spontaneity and candid moments in my wedding photos and it is essential to be  nimble on my feet. Traveling light is important for easy movement and the good health of my back. 

For a typical wedding/event shoot, I take 2 bags (main and backup gear), a monopod, and a light stand. I use the monopod for reception shots with the Tamron 70-200f2.8 and the night stand is for when I use my backup flash as an off-camera flash.

My main gear consists of a Sony a99, Tamron 28-75f2.8, Tamron 70-200f2.8, Konica-Minolta 17-35f2.8-4, Sigma 24f1.8macro, Godox TT685S, 3 spare batteries, 12 rechargeable AA's.

My backup gear starts with a Sony a77II , Minolta 24-85f3.5-4.5, Tamron 70-200f2.8, Sigma 10-20f3.5, Godox TT685S, 2 spare batteries, 8 rechargeable AA's.

The two sets are notable for it's low acquisition cost. The Tamron's are the lowest-priced in their  category but can compete with the OEM in image quality. The Minoltas are the best-kept secret in the full-frame world. Sony Alpha cameras are descended from Minolta and still use the Minolta mount. Minolta lenses are world-renowned for their optical and build quality. Minolta stopped producing lenses 20 over  years ago but these lenses are equal to, if not better, than current lenses. And there's plenty of them still available on Kijiji and Craigslist. The Sigma 24f1.8macro is an anomaly: a fast wide that is also a macro lens. And it's less than $600 new. The Sigma 10-20f3.5 is a crop-sensor lens but it is cheap at $500 and very sharp at f5.6. 

In a pinch, I also have the Sony RX10 as a very capable 2nd backup: a very sharp 24-200f2.8, built-in flash.

                                                                                           

Sony Diaries #1001: Right To Play

I t was a privilege to shoot a segment of the Right To Play Program in Fort Erie Ontario. Below is a sampling of the over 2200 shots I took in the 3 hours with the RTP group.

November, 2017

Sony Diaries #1000: Super Moon on Jan 1st, 2018

It's been such a long time since I've posted; I only had 17 entries in all of 2017! Well, that is going to change for 2018. This is a resolution that's actually very doable.

Last night, in a relatively mild  -14Celsius, I went out on to the backyard and took these hand-held pics. The sky was cloudy grey, with dark clouds drifting in and out. Whilst I could have waited for a clear shot of the moon with it's craters in sharp relief, I preferred to go the moody route, with a somber mood playing hard to get behind the flowing clouds.

January 1st.