xwing15 wrote:
Joshua .. what is your secret of your colors. fantastic!!!!!!
René
Thanks, René!
My processing is quite simple actually. The images were pre-processed in LR using basic adjustments (highlight, shadow, exposure, color balance, etc.) and then processed in PS using Nik's ColorEfex Pro. I do apply my own recipe that consists of 3 filters in ColorEfex Pro: Tonal Contrast (I set all three sliders to negative settings between -20 ad -30 for softer rendition, in this case), Pro Contrast (I put more emphasis on dynamic contrast) and Reflector Efex (I don't recall the correct name) to add a little bit fill-in effect to open up shadows somewhat since I didn't use any fill-in flash. That's it.
The Jupiter-8 is nice for portraits, close up work, and street / middle distance shots where the "atmospheric" nature of the shot does not require edge-to-edge sharpness. There is some halo wide open that is gone by f/2.8 and is most pronounced close up. By f/5.6, the lens is sharp in all but the far corners. I have not tested infinity landscapes properly, as that was not what I hoped to use the lens for.
A friend of mine has the Jupiter-3. It is comparable in weight and dimensions to my Leica M 50/1.5 Summarit, with the Leica being just a bit larger and heavier. The Jupiter-8 is shorter still and a little over 1/2 the weight of the Jupiter-3. The ergonomics on the Jupiter-8 are very light touch yet still somehow well damped.
sebboh wrote:
thanks! the jupiter-3 is a fantastic portrait lens in the f/2-5.6 range. i've always been tempted by the jupiter-8, but figured the j-3 is already small enough and i suspect i'd like the j-3 better than the j-8 at f/2. how is the j-8 for landscape (the j-3 is never really that good towards the edges)?
I can't recall if I posted these here or not, but these are from the Jupiter-8, all wide open, with the B&W image being wide open and extended 8mm (?) by the VM-E. The purple flower shot was deliberately de-focused for a more impressionistic look and to assess the bokeh. I was particularly surprised at the deliberate flare shot only having what I think looks like a nuanced glow rather than ugly flare. The scene looked exactly as it did to my eye, rather than corrupted by glass. All in all, pretty impressive from a $70 (shipping included) lens.
Thank you for all the like and comments, I appreciate. and there are lots of great images in this thread, I really enjoy those and thank you all for sharing.
After admiring the recent portraits from Charles.K with his Leica 50 cron IV, I sought one out. I appreciate his advice on version as much as the inspiration in his photos. I have not shot more than casual test shots thus far but love the lens. Here are a few looking at bokeh fairly close up with challenging backgrounds. The purple flower shots are all wide open. The coast shots at wide open or f/4.
I came across a few images from the trip to Greek monasteries in August during my file transfer process into my new computer. I meant to post a few more back then after the trip but for whatever reasons I didn't do it. Anyway, the first image is of the housing structure framed by lush greeneries. It is not opened to public. The second and third image offer a glimpse on how they hoist up food and other supplies using a winch system. The forth image was posted for completeness sake to illustrate how cumbersome it was to just get basic supplies up to the monasteries, perching high up on rock tops. I posted similar images of the landscape there previously.
Yes, the lens was stopped down for the first 3 images to the "sweet" aperture of f/8 and the zoom was set its best FL alright but this lens is really a superb performer. This is my second copy of the lens that was replaced by Sony in place of my first and very sub-par performer copy.
Jim, thank you for your kind words The 50 Cron IV is a wonderful lens. Balance of old and new and has the magic of Mandler. Wonderful shots. It is an unusual lens in that is very sharp even at f/2, and it yields beautifully to B&W rendering.
Fred, stunning landscape!
Michael, very nice to see you here
Joshua, superb sets of images!
Love the wedding procession! Feel like you are right in amongst the crowd.
Amazing shots of the Greek monasteries !!
charles.K wrote:
Joshua, superb sets of images!
Love the wedding procession! Feel like you are right in amongst the crowd.
Amazing shots of the Greek monasteries !!
Gregg and Charles, thank you so very much! I am really flattered you guys like the images.
Gregg, bokehlicious in spades, buddy! I see that you are now selling the 50mm Summilux ASPH. Wow!
