Japan Wide Open with a 5D

[justahack]

Great stuff Joe.

No matter where you point your lens I find Japan has so many opportunities. If you have never been to Tsukiji Fishmarket in Tokyo I can highly recommend it on a future trip.

Is the mountain/forrest Fuji-san?

--
Cheers.

...Please don't rub up against my glass...

 

[joe mama]

My wife is pressuring me to make it my "first home", and I am finding
it harder and harder to find a reason not to do so. On this last
trip, I hiked Yatsugatake, but only one peak. On my next visit, I'm
doing all eight -- they're incredibly beautiful and close to my
wife's hometown. My legs are still sore from the one, though. It
was a furious pace to get up and down in just one afternoon.

What prefecture is Yatsugatake in? I would dream of living in a
small mountain village - if I could figure out a way to earn a decent
living. Unfortunately, so much of my living/work experience has been
in the "big city", i.e. esp. the Tokyo area. My wife is from a small
city in Kyushu, near Kagoshima, near to which are some nice mountain
villages.

Yatsugatake is in Nagano which is in central Honshu. Unfortunately, I, too, will find it difficult to find a job, besides teaching English, in a small mountain town. I have to figure out a way to make money in Nihon -- it's the biggest hurdle for the move.

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[joe mama]

Welcome back Joe. I've kind of missed our little "quarrels" Very
nice pics. Please bore us with some of your family/friends stuff too.

Here are a few that I've converted:

Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2, 1/50, ISO 400

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83609436



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2, 1/60, ISO 400

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83610121



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2.8, 1/100, ISO 800

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83610229



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2.8, 1/80, ISO 200

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83609277



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2, 1/80, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83609771



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 5.6, 1/25, ISO 400

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83604828

And btw, I had some responses to you about your "equivalence" essay
in the "Please show off your 85mm f1,8..." thread, that you might
want to see.

I'll check it out sometime, but for now, I'm processing pics and recovering from jetlag. : )

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[joe mama]

thank you for sharing some amazing photos. I love your style.

Thanks!

Please can you share with us your impressions of the 16-35 II. What
are its strengths and weaknesses. What tipped you toward the 24L?

Unfortunately, I used the lens so rarely that I really have nothing to say. What tipped me toward the 24 / 1.4L is, of course, more shallow DOF, even when wide. : )

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[joe mama]

I'd be interested to know what focusing technique you use when wide
open 50/1.2 & 100/2 i.e. One shot, AI Servo, CF4.1

Yes.

or shutter button to focus, focus recompose centre point or nearest outer
point etc..

I often use off-center AF points, and compose so far off-center on occasion that even with an off-center AF point, I must focus and recompose.

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[joe mama]

The first one is really cool with the three people heading the same
way, but the staircase(?) is a bit distracting.

In fact, that distraction originally caused me to pass, initially, on processing the pic. However, I kept coming back to it, anyway. : )

In the one with the umbrealls, the air vent(?) in the upper left
corner draws my eye away from the umbrellas- Clone or crop, maybe?

Hadn't noticed that -- perhaps I will clone it out. What bothered me about that pic was the large dark area on the left of the frame. It might be best simply to crop tighter to the umbrellas.

Anyway, really sweet collection I hope to someday be shooting in
Japan, too. Wouldn't mind some pics like yours!

The more I go, the more I like Japan. It's the mountains, mainly. However, I could just stay in the US and move to the mountains, too. Everyone loves San Diego, but its lack of weather (and "real" mountains) bugs me.

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[joe mama]

Great stuff Joe.

Thanks!

No matter where you point your lens I find Japan has so many
opportunities. If you have never been to Tsukiji Fishmarket in Tokyo
I can highly recommend it on a future trip.

Sounds like a done deal -- sushi is my favorite food by far, and my primary food doing my visits. The funny thing is, that it's better here in San Diego than it is in Nagano. : )

Is the mountain/forrest Fuji-san?

No, Yatsugatake. I hiked Fuji-san a while back, actually. I began at 10 PM so I could watch the sunrise from the top. Pretty spectacular on that particular day, actually. At the time, I only had a Canon G1, so my pics were less than dramatic. Here's one of them:

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/31244960



The irony is that on this trip, I had better equipment, but was too tired to use it at the top, and in too much of a rush to get back before nightfall to rest! Next time, I'm going to do all eight peaks, so I'll bring a tripod and have more time. : )

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[justahack]

Wow. Very cool.

The folks at Tsukiji don't like flash so at 4am in the morning bring fast glass. I have made several trips. One of the merchants even made me a sushi breakfast after I sat talking to him for a while. The best!

Enjoy your travels!

--
Cheers.

...Please don't rub up against my glass...

 

[dy1119]

Joe, amazing stuff really. All images are just wonderful and can be categorized between very good to excellent... The kids pics are just outstanding.

One think I've learned from these images - the ability to produce unique pictures by a prime lens outperform the ability of a general purpose (good) zoom lens which would be appropriate in many instances, but is lacking the special possibilities of the prime.

Dror

--
http://www.pbase.com/dror_yalon

 

[Steen Bay]

Welcome back Joe. I've kind of missed our little "quarrels" Very
nice pics. Please bore us with some of your family/friends stuff too.

Here are a few that I've converted:

Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2, 1/50, ISO 400

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83609436



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2, 1/60, ISO 400

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83610121



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2.8, 1/100, ISO 800

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83610229



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2.8, 1/80, ISO 200

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83609277



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 2, 1/80, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83609771



Canon 5D + 50 / 1.2L @ f / 5.6, 1/25, ISO 400

http://www.pbase.com/joemama/image/83604828



--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos.
If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than
editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[chicagoguy]

Joe please. Seriously stop posting these wonderful images! Normally i'm joking when I say that but honestly....I can't afford this lens right now, lol.

 

[joe mama]

Totally OT -- take a look here:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=24297527

You asked about why bother with "equivalent" images? Because of threads like that one.

Anyway, glad you like the family pics. Note that they're mainly at f / 2 and f / 2.8 since they incorporate multiple subjects, instead of the f / 1.2 of my single subject pics. However, even then, f / 2.8 (f / 1.8 on 1.6x) is as deep as I really want to go for people pics. Sometimes, like with the one close-up, I'll go as deep as f / 5.6 (f / 3.5 on 1.6x), but that is extremely rare for me.

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[joe mama]

Joe please. Seriously stop posting these wonderful images! Normally
i'm joking when I say that but honestly....I can't afford this lens
right now, lol.

Heh! It took me six months after renting the wonderful 50 / 1.2L to finally sell my 70-200 / 2.8L to fund the lens. However, I should tell you that beyond f / 2, there's not a lot of difference between the 50 / 1.4 and 50 / 1.2L, and beyond f / 2.8, the 50 / 1.4 actually has better corners (although the L is still ahead in the center).

So if you don't need below f / 2 like I do (I'm at f / 1.2 almost all the time with the lens), then I strongly urge you to consider the 50 / 1.4.

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[joe mama]

Joe, amazing stuff really. All images are just wonderful and can be
categorized between very good to excellent... The kids pics are just
outstanding.

Thanks!

One think I've learned from these images - the ability to produce
unique pictures by a prime lens outperform the ability of a general
purpose (good) zoom lens which would be appropriate in many
instances, but is lacking the special possibilities of the prime.

Here's the thing: zooms give you the ability to be more creative in your perspective, whereas fast primes give yu the ability to be more creative in your DOF. Technically, primes can match zooms for perspective, but you have to be constantly switching lenses, and I don't think anyone does that. Usually, with a prime, you choose a perspective and stick with it until you discover that that particular perspective is no longer working for you. Thus, in terms of persective, primes decrease your creativity.

However, while fast primes allow a greater diversity in terms of DOF than zooms, I always find myself at the shallow end, anyway, so I don't make much creative use of my primes except as I get DOF with them that I could not get with a zoom.

In other words, in the manner I use primes, I am not creative, but have found a particular style that I like that I cannot achieve with zooms. However, don't take that to mean that I don't often yearn for a zoom. However, the shots I get with a prime are usually not possible with a zoom, so I make do with what I have. And, quite honestly, just how many pics can I take, anyway? : )

I think there's a place for both zooms and primes for most people. However, I generally find the deeper DOF of the shorter zooms rather unappealing. I even prefer the shallow DOF for macro, which is usually the realm of ultra deep DOF.

So, I am not a versatile photographer, but a niche photographer, and the 5D with ultra fast primes suits me well. If someone can create the type of compact I want (see my profile), I'd get one for the deep DOF snaps, but I don't feel a need for deep DOF with my 5D, as I'm not a "true" macro or landscape photographer. Thus, I stick with primes for the most part.

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[John Rain]

But how do they reflect or characterize Japan? JR

--

 

[joe mama]

But how do they reflect or characterize Japan? JR

...other than that those pics convey my impressions of Japan on this last trip. I went walking in the city, saw people on bikes and scooters, thought it was interesting enough to photo since that's rarely seen where I live. I went hiking in mountains that are very much like rainforests that don't exist where I live. I saw laundry and umbrellas hanging out to dry in public view and that doesn't happen where I live.

In short, those are the pics that characterize my impressions of Japan on my latest trip, but that, in no way, says that they are representative of the whole of Japan.

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[John Rain]

Joe,

Please believe me that I admire your pics and do not question your impression of or experience in Japan. I guess your subject line led me to believe that your post will reveal something about Japan that I haven't seen yet and that the pictures will provide some insight into its magic and its fascination for many westerners - well, at least this one.

Living where I do (San Francisco Bay area), seeing street scenes with Asians, or Japanese, are not that special. From that perspective, only the 3rd pic (Izakaya?) or 5th pic (umbrellas) display something potentially unique to Japan.

I guess I was looking forward to pictures showing how Japan is unique from every other place. Not that I ever succeeded in capturing that.

The picture I like the most is the one with the climbers in the fog.

Peace, JR

But how do they reflect or characterize Japan? JR

...other than that those pics convey my impressions of Japan on this
last trip. I went walking in the city, saw people on bikes and
scooters, thought it was interesting enough to photo since that's
rarely seen where I live. I went hiking in mountains that are very
much like rainforests that don't exist where I live. I saw laundry
and umbrellas hanging out to dry in public view and that doesn't
happen where I live.

In short, those are the pics that characterize my impressions of
Japan on my latest trip, but that, in no way, says that they are
representative of the whole of Japan.

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos.
If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than
editing in these forums, please ask.

--

 

[perfectmoments-XichLo]

There are some beautiful photos at f1.2 like flowers, portraits, I love them but for lanscape why it need to be @f1.2, the photographer need to choose the f stop according to the scene.

 

[joe mama]

Please believe me that I admire your pics and do not question your
impression of or experience in Japan. I guess your subject line led
me to believe that your post will reveal something about Japan that I
haven't seen yet and that the pictures will provide some insight into
its magic and its fascination for many westerners - well, at least
this one.

Hah! The last time I began with a line that I would give some magic got me slapped in the face! : )

Living where I do (San Francisco Bay area), seeing street scenes with
Asians, or Japanese, are not that special. From that perspective,
only the 3rd pic (Izakaya?) or 5th pic (umbrellas) display something
potentially unique to Japan.

Well, see, that's just the thing -- photography is very subjective. Seeing a dead body means a lot less to a medic than it does to the average joe (so to speak).

I guess I was looking forward to pictures showing how Japan is unique
from every other place. Not that I ever succeeded in capturing that.

I was hoping that the manner in which I presented the images was unique, or, at least, "interesting", but not necessarily the images themselves.

The picture I like the most is the one with the climbers in the fog.

Interestingly, it's the most viewed of the posted pics. I thought it was because people were so very curious as to what use I have for f / 11. : )

Peace, JR

No worries!

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.

 

[joe mama]

There are some beautiful photos at f1.2 like flowers, portraits, I
love them but for lanscape why it need to be @f1.2, the photographer
need to choose the f stop according to the scene.

...to post "non-conventional" takes of conventional images. For example, you say that "there are some beautiful photos at f1.2 like flowers, portraits", but many flower and portrait photographers would tell you that f / 1.2 is simply too shallow and even "gimmicky". So it's interesting that you object to its use for the landscapes.

In fact, the forest landscape pic was my second hiking trek out this trip. On my first hike, I had the 16-35 / 2.8L II on the 5D. However, after that day, I realized that the typical wide and deep DOF shots associated with landscape photography were not my style, for the most part (although, obviously, I liked how the one I posted came out).

For the second hike, I purposely chose to affix the 50 / 1.2L to the camera (although, as with the first trip, I did bring all my lenses -- quite a ***** hiking with all that glass!) to get the types of shots I did.

I'm very pleased with the results.

That said, I do not expect others to share my appreciation. Sushi is my favorite food, but not even the Japanese people I've met love it as much as I, or even close. Why should my taste in photography be any different?

So, you can take these pics as either examples of anything from a different look that carries some appeal to grossly inept photos by someone who has little to no education in photography (which is true, by the way).

They are art, and as art, they are great, horrid, and everything inbetween, as is the case with all art. The best part of it is, you didn't have to pay a cent to see my exhibit, but I'll accept donations. : )

--
--joe

http://www.josephjamesphotography.com
http://www.pbase.com/joemama/

Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit my photos. If you wish to use any of my photos for any purpose other than editing in these forums, please ask.