what photography related item did you buy this week?

[Bytesmiths]

I bought two tanks of petrol.

At the same time? Where did you put the second one?

I fill up about every six weeks.

 

[Steveee]

Slightly photographically linked: managed to bag two tickets to Wimbledon, first time I've been able to go in quite a few years, in fact since I upgraded to the EM10ii from the Canon P&S. I cannot express my excitement adequately here!

More concrete connection: 2 BLS-50 batteries to make sure I have enough battery power. Looked at the Olympus ones (£54!!), saw some from companies I'd never heard of at about £15, decided to take the half-way path with Duracells at £19 (with 20% discount for two being close enough to the others) plus a compact charger from them too.

Now wondering if I should get another memory card just in case....................but not sure what the 10ii will take or the best kind.

 

[John King]

@Steveee Sandisk. Doesn't have be very fast, as the E-M10 MkII won't write very fast.

Should be able to take at least 32 GB, as my earlier E-PM2 will take that size.

 

[retiredfromlife]

Slightly photographically linked: managed to bag two tickets to Wimbledon, first time I've been able to go in quite a few years, in fact since I upgraded to the EM10ii from the Canon P&S. I cannot express my excitement adequately here!

More concrete connection: 2 BLS-50 batteries to make sure I have enough battery power. Looked at the Olympus ones (£54!!), saw some from companies I'd never heard of at about £15, decided to take the half-way path with Duracells at £19 (with 20% discount for two being close enough to the others) plus a compact charger from them too.

Now wondering if I should get another memory card just in case....................but not sure what the 10ii will take or the best kind.

I use scandisk 32 gig cards in my EM10 mk 2. I use the extreme pro cards
But the 32 gig are getting hard to get as the 64 gig are not much dearer
I always wait till they go on special at my local store

 

[Steveee]

@John King @retiredfromlife Thanks for the responses - off for a browse right now!

 

[Michael Meissner]

Slightly photographically linked: managed to bag two tickets to Wimbledon, first time I've been able to go in quite a few years, in fact since I upgraded to the EM10ii from the Canon P&S. I cannot express my excitement adequately here!

Just in case, make sure you know what the rules are for cameras before you go to the stadium. I've heard several places (in the USA) ban cameras with interchangeable lenses, while others ban 'more professional' looking gear (i.e. a E-m10 mark II with 14-150mm f/4-5.6 might pass muster but an E-m1x with 40-150mm f/2.8 might not due to the larger size and heft of the gear).

And obviously try not to be 'that guy' that blocks the view of others to get the shot and/or hits people with the lens. Good luck in getting some good photos.

 

[Steveee]

Just in case, make sure you know what the rules are for cameras before you go to the stadium. I've heard several places (in the USA) ban cameras with interchangeable lenses, while others ban 'more professional' looking gear (i.e. a E-m10 mark II with 14-150mm f/4-5.6 might pass muster but an E-m1x with 40-150mm f/2.8 might not due to the larger size and heft of the gear).

And obviously try not to be 'that guy' that blocks the view of others to get the shot and/or hits people with the lens. Good luck in getting some good photos.

Thanks - having not been for a while, I checked that almost before I bought the tickets! - the info on the site says they doesn't allow the use of lenses more than 300mm in length when extended, so the 10ii with the plastic fantastic 40-150 will be well within that. And I'm waaaay too polite to block the view, trust me!

I don't do much in the way of sports photography, but we always hope for good photos, don't we? It is also possible, however, that I'll be so engaged in the tennis I don't take many!

 

[Macroramphosis]

If you want more reach, the P45-175 may well also be a good option (that's 50mm more in FF terms). It does not extend, and is decently sharp at the long end. They're cheap to buy second-hand too... some examples below, but I do not know what gear you have otherwise or where you will be sitting... I hope you enjoy yourself.

Last time I was there I sat through a Gabriela Sabatini match and left with a smile, much in love. Sigh.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[Mack]

Just ordered a cheap ### Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ Lens for $225 as they seem to be discounted $75 off the $299 list price. The thing seems to do well for IR work - and if I'm to believe what I read on the web about it - with less hotspot issues compared to the more expensive lenses.

Also wanted it because it has a small 37mm filter size and 'cause I'm cheap and got a bunch of sundry small filters to play with. Beats paying for the larger dinner-plate size and costly filters.

We'll see....

 

[Web-Betty]

I shoot a lot of non-electronic glass, and I got real tired programming in the EXIF info. The ten slots for such info on the E-M1.2 is way too few!

So, I got five Peleng chips to glue onto five µ4/3rds —> OM adapters, so I can program them to semi-permanently mate with my most-used OM lenses. Then, I can swap with abandon, and my EXIF info (and IBIS operation) will be automagically entered!
View attachment 893555

What is this magic that you speak of? I can program some EXIF data for my adapted lenses??? ?

 

[Michael Meissner]

What is this magic that you speak of? I can program some EXIF data for my adapted lenses??? ?

On the newer high/middle end OM-D Olympus cameras, you can save several values when using a manual lens to select the focal length and aperture. You give each of the slots a name, and that name, along with the focal length and aperture are recorded in the EXIF information. The thing to look for is "Saving lens info" or "Saving lens data".

• Olympus E-m5 mark III, page 196
• Olympus E-m1 mark III, page 239
• Olympus E-m1 mark II, page 132
• Olympus E-m1x, page 550.

 

[CD77]

If you want more reach, the P45-175 may well also be a good option (that's 50mm more in FF terms). It does not extend, and is decently sharp at the long end. They're cheap to buy second-hand too... some examples below, but I do not know what gear you have otherwise or where you will be sitting... I hope you enjoy yourself.

Last time I was there I sat through a Gabriela Sabatini match and left with a smile, much in love. Sigh.

View attachment 893784

View attachment 893783

I’ll second the nomination for the P45-175, it’s fantastic as a low cost telephoto.

 

[Steveee]

If you want more reach, the P45-175 may well also be a good option (that's 50mm more in FF terms). It does not extend, and is decently sharp at the long end. They're cheap to buy second-hand too... some examples below, but I do not know what gear you have otherwise or where you will be sitting... I hope you enjoy yourself.

Last time I was there I sat through a Gabriela Sabatini match and left with a smile, much in love. Sigh.’

Agreed (about the lens and Gabriela!) but EBay uk is showing c.£190 cheapest which would be difficult to justify for a one-day trip, especially as I already have the 40-150. And the main point of the trip is watching the tennis, not the pics!

If I come away with a few almost as good as yours (above and in the thread dedicated to your daughter8s progress) I’ll be well happy! From previous experience the picture opps will definitely depend on the seats, and other than the court I have no idea at the moment where we’re going to be sitting.

 

[sbm]

I spent too much money in REI the other day... and while none of it was technically camera equipment, I wouldn't be going camping next month if I didn't expect to stumble across some scenic spots worthy of a landscape or two. Plus, if I'm well-hydrated and don't get blisters, I can take more photos, right... right?

 

[agentlossing]

No explanation is ever necessary for shopping at REI, also, no need to specify that you spent too much money as that is inferred.

 

[Diamondback]

Just ordered a cheap ### Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ Lens for $225 as they seem to be discounted $75 off the $299 list price. The thing seems to do well for IR work - and if I'm to believe what I read on the web about it - with less hotspot issues compared to the more expensive lenses.

Also wanted it because it has a small 36mm filter size and 'cause I'm cheap and got a bunch of sundry small filters to play with. Beats paying for the larger dinner-plate size and costly filters.

We'll see....

Nearly all my IR images are taken with this lens due to minimal to no hot spot issues. Also, as you say, if you use front mounted filters or have a full spectrum converted camera, the 37mm IR filters for the lens are much less expensive.

 

[Mack]

Bought some filter to knock down the sharpness of the Nikon S mount lenses that are way too sharp for me. Never thought that might be an issue for me.

I had a look at the Tiffen Soft Focus and Diffusion Triangle and decided the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 S needed a Tiffen 82mm HDTV FX 1/4 Filter. Shame to pay almost $150 to dial back the lens sharpness without adding halation or too much diffusion and loss of contrast.

This thing: https://www.amazon.com/Tiffen-W82HDTVFX14-82mm-HDTV-Filter/dp/B001U888IC/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tiffen+hdtv+filter+1/4&qid=1624063897&refinements=p_89:Tiffen,p_n_feature_ten_browse-bin:10705360011&rnid=10705332011&s=photo&sr=1-3

Got the filter and the effect is so slight I could leave it on the lens 24/7. When I first opened it, the filter looked like a smoky car's windshield. Didn't know if that was the way it was supposed to be. Knowing most of the Tiffen filters are laminated, I took some lens cleaner to it and got rid of the smoky and hazy look which I think is because it sat too long in the plastic and foam case and it just did its "I'm old and have been sitting too long" geriatric thing as some of my old filters also seem to haze up too over time.

Below is an animated GIF of extreme close-up of some sunglasses on a wig stand head. This is an unretouched camera RAW image shown in FastRawViewer. You can see the reduction of the dust on the glasses in the "With filter" image. Some reduction in dark area noise too shown by the blue jagged line also. Visible contrast reduction is also very slight to naked eye. This is only a 1/4 strength softening HDTV filter and maybe a 1/2 might be better if it is still too sharp. How Tiffen managed to make such a slight sharpness reduction is baffling looking through the clear filter.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[Bytesmiths]

What is this magic that you speak of? I can program some EXIF data for my adapted lenses?

The problem is that todays µ4/3rds cameras have a very limited space for storing non-electronic lens info. Both my E-M1.2 and my Pen-F only have ten locations for legacy lens info. Many other cameras have just one.

I've got more than ten legacy lenses! But that's just a quarter of the problem. I also use focal reducers and two different tele-extenders. To have separate entries for each lens with each modifier will require four times as many slots!

What I got was a set of contacts you can glue into a plain legacy mount adapter. You can then program the chip inside the contact strip to supply focal length, max aperture, and EXIF info for your lens. This means I don't have to put that lens in the camera's EXIF data store at all. With a bit of luck, a tele-extender on the end will modify the chip data, and still won't require a valuable EXIF data slot. (Focal reducers take the place of the mount, so they won't work with the chip.)

 

[richardp]

The problem is that todays µ4/3rds lenses have a very limited space for storing non-electronic lens info. Both my E-M1.2 and my Pen-F only have ten locations for legacy lens info. Many other cameras have just one.

I've got more than ten legacy lenses! But that's just a quarter of the problem. I also use focal reducers and two different tele-extenders. To have separate entries for each lens with each modifier will require four times as many slots!

Why I got was a set of contacts you can glue into a plain legacy mount adapter. You can then program the chip inside the contact strip to supply focal length, max aperture, and EXIF info for your lens. This means I don't have to put that lens in the camera's EXIF data store at all. With a bit of luck, a tele-extender on the end will modify the chip data, and still won't require a valuable EXIF data slot. (Focal reducers take the place of the mount, so they won't work with the chip.)

I had a look on their website (www.peleng8.com) and was amazed to see these gadgets had been around since 2005! But afaik not discussed here before.
Anybody besides @Bytesmiths using them?
At £16 or so I may have to try one.

 

[Neil_jo]

A Venus Laowa 7.5 f/2 lens and a step up ring to use my Lee filters.