Camera and Lens and Accessories Reviews

I just decided to make this portfolio page. Too often, I scour reviews mostly out of curiosity, sometimes to gain insight on gear I own, and when considering a purchase. My reviews will be based on use without being beholden to anyone. Honestly, for cameras and lenses the images do most of the talking. I don’t care about coma or softness in the corners or similar things, and frankly once a review goes down that rabbit hole I hit the escape key.

I’ll post my “version” of camera and lens reviews here. My interest is on how a camera or lens makes pictures, how it feels in the hands, how it will stand the test of time, and its ease of use.

Regarding accessories, I tend to accessorize every system to the point of ridiculousness. Being absent minded, I cannot find most of the small accessories after using them. They get lost in the bottom of one of a bag until I pick the bag up again – meaning I should never have purchased the damned thing in the first place! There are some I try hard not to lose track of and use regularly, and those are ones I’ll discuss here.

Lastly, the endless search for the camera bag that suits me. For a bag to work for me, it must be good looking, durable, functional and most important it must be comfortable to sling on my shoulders.

Billingham Stowaway Camera Bag Review

I will supplement this screen grab with actual photos of the bag for storing my FujiFilm X100V and accessories.

I own a LOT of camera bags. I have read many reviews of high quality bags for small camera carry. Think Oberworth and the like. I own a small shoulder bag from Wotancraft that is very functional and handsome, but it is heavy. A much used bag is the small Hold Fast shoulder bag with a beautiful lambs wool interior but it too tends to get heavy on the shoulders when packed. I like the Think Tank Restrospective 5 but it is bulky and I tend to store too much stuff in it. The Stowaway is perfect for my needs with a small camera kit.

When not wanting to carry a small camera around my neck, I struggled to find a light and functional bag until finding the Billingham Stowaway. I own another large Billingham and it serves as a storage bin for Leica accessories. found my copy on Ebay for $50, much less than the hefty $250 price at large photo retailers. Would I spend $250 on this bag? No. Damn, what a deal.

The main compartment is absolutely perfect for a Leica M camera and an extra lens stored in a lens pouch or a sock. There are three other storage areas with different functionality. The zippered pouch on the front of the bag is good for holding small items like SD cards or a spare battery. I use this pouch for film cartridges and a cleaning cloth and dust brush. Pop open the classic Billingham clasp and there is a good sized pouch where a cell phone or small wallet will fit. Lastly, on the left forward side of the bag there is another zippered pouch that will hold a slim item like a thin cell phone. Using the side zippered pouch and the front pouch at the same time can lead to awkward bulkiness, defeating the utilitarian purpose of the Stowaway.

The bag is supremely light and comfortable. While there is a dedicated Billingham strap for the bag, mine did not come with one. I use a simple nylon seat belt type strap with two end clips.

There are two after-thought pouches on the side that I do not use.

When zipped, the bag is very secure from roving hands. Padding is very good and the interior is finished in a fine felt material. The zippers are of superior quality. The handsome green fibernyte material is very durable and will withstand the weather. The leather accents look great.

The bag does come off as a “man purse” if one is sensitive to such things. If this appeals, then the bag could perform admirably as a small every day carry bag.

Grabbing the camera from the bag is not lightning fast especially if the zippers are employed. I use a thin Peak Design strap on my X100V and it is perfect complement to the camera with this bag. With the strap around my neck I can carry the camera in stealth mode and with a quick pull it is ready to shoot.

There is no more to say than that the Billingham Stowaway Camera Bag is highly recommended.

Nikon 105mm F 1.4 Imagery and Discussion

August 27, 2021

I just acquired this lens second hand in excellent condition. My early impressions are these after my first time shooting with the lens:

1. Heft. This is one honking lens. It is heavy and robust and I won’t be carrying the camera without supporting the lens with my hand. Regardless of the weight, the lens balances well on the D 850. The Nikon kit I am carrying in my overstuffed backpack is quite a load, with an F6 and D 850, a 70 – 200, a few 35mm lenses and a small 28mm AIS lens. This kit is a back-breaker!
2. Autofocus, Manual Focus. Autofocus is snappy and accurate. The manual focus ring is smooth and fills the hand.
3. Colors. The lens produces beautiful lifelike colors, deeply and richly.
4. Bokeh. I have never experienced such creamy bokeh. The D850 gave me the luxury of shooting at F 1.6 in late day sun (shutter speed 8,000). Technology yields flexible creativity. This lens is a go to for beautiful portraiture.
5. Sharpness. It is silly sharp, one of the sharpest lenses I have ever experienced. One would hesitate to have such sharpness for portraits, but the lens still renders beautifully with subject separation from the background.
6. Without further adieu, here are some images from my first experience with this beautiful lens

View Project

Zeiss 35mm F 1.4 Vignetting

This lens vignettes in the top right and left corners. Maybe I am doing something wrong.

FILM SCANNING HOLDERS AND COMPARISON SILVERFAST 9 AND EPSON SCAN SOFTWARE; LOMOGRAPHY VERSUS EPSON FILM HOLDERS

This first set is an incomplete test since the scans in the Epson holder were made with the stock Epson Scan software from my V 800 scanner and those made from the Lomography holder were scanned with Silverfast 9.

I always struggle to get the film flat in the Epson holders. The only way to lay it flat is to wrestle the film under the extrusions on both sides of the plate. But doing so is impossible and risks damaging the negatives (bending), so I just rest the film on top of them. If Epson would only open up the slot between these fingers and the plate flatness would be much easier.

The Lomography holder fits the entire sheet of film easily allowing me to scan the edges with film date, especially handy for the Pentax 645NII film imprints.

The film used here, Kodak TriX, dried very flat. The experience with curled film is still in doubt for the Lomography holder, but one of the variables from the Lomography scans, be it the holder or the software, obviously leads to much better scans – and it is not even close.

Sorry for the inconsistent orientation.

Silverfast automatically performed a few different actions on the negatives including multiple exposure and some sharpening. With Silverfast I was able to designate the film stock and film speed. I suppose I could have added these adjustments in Epson Scan before scanning, but Silverfast was much easier and the results left me with more tonal range to work with in post processing.

The Epson holders have a glass plate in them and the Lomography holder has nothing between the film and the scanner bed.

EPSON SCAN, EPSON HOLDER

SILVERFAST 9 SOFTWARE, LOMOGRAPHY HOLDER. Not a great image by any means, but there is much better tonal range and the sharpness is enhanced.

EPSON SCAN SOFTWARE, EPSON FIM HOLDER

SILVERFAST 9 SCAN LOMOGRAPHY 120 HOLDER There is better sharpness and more detail in the bulb and the frame bolts and the T electrical connector. There is more to work with in post processing here, and the differences are more apparent.

TOUCHLESS CURE FOR LENS STIFFNESS

I have had this old Nikon macro lens hanging around for a long time. To turn the lens barrel I have considered bring a pipe wrench in my bag. I can’t recall when or how it happened, or even if I bought the lens this way. Originally it was a bit taut, but I am sure the grease dried from inattention leading to rigor mortis. I took the lens into my mortician for an autopsy, but he recommended I retire the lens to the the ethereal. I could not bear to do this to such a fine piece of glass. It is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever used. This led me down the path to take the lens apart. Unfortunately, the tiny screws are frozen in place. I have since learned I can free the screws with a cotton swab and naphtha, and a retry of the surgical procedure was on the list to happen someday (probably never). I figured even if I ruined the lens it would be cool to see its internal organs. I was meandering around the web and came across a post suggesting to put a lens with rheumatism into an airtight container with a cotton ball soaked in naphtha (lighter fluid). According to the author, the fumes from the naptha soften the old grease. Not having much to lose, I tried it. It is a miracle. The lens is smooth as the day it left the Nikon factory. I am not sure if this will last, or if the inners are smattered with oil, but as of now, the blades look clean and the glass looks fine. I left the lens caps on during the process. I used a Tupperware tub and some makeup removing pads and left the lens in the tub for 5 or 6 hours. If you have an old lens that is stiff, it might be worth a try.M

Touchless Cure for Lens Rheumatism

Exploring the Mamiya 7ii: Impressions and Performance