Just back from an 8-day trip to Ireland with my wife. This was more a vacation then a photography-centered trip so I didn't have the time for more serious planning and scouting of locations. All-in-all I'm pleased with the pictures that I did manage to take and have started going through them as time permits. 98% of the shots including all the multi-shot panoramas were shot hand-held. I can't say enough about how wonderful the IBIS worked with the A7r2. This was such a change for me as I normally shoot 95% of my serious photography on a tripod.
I contemplated taking only autofocus lenses including my 24-70 GM but at the last minute I decided to make myself work a little harder with mainly an all manual focus prime kit. I ended up taking my Loxia 21, Distagon 35 ZM, Loxia 50 and Loxia 85, I also threw in the Batis 18 just in case I needed a bit wider indoors at churches, etc...
I found that I really could have taken just the Loxia 21, Distagon 35 ZM and the Loxia 85 and I would have been fine. In fact out of 1,672 shots I used the Distagon 35 ZM - 40.8%; the Loxia 21 - 35.8%; and the Loxia 85 - 13.5%.
Here are few from the "Ring of Kerry" in County Kerry which is a very popular 95 mile loop around a peninsula on very winding narrow roads and switchbacks. The views of landscapes and seascapes are just amazing. The driving is terrifying as there are spots where two vehicles can barely squeeze by each other and rock walls inches away on both sides of the roads. In a few spots there are narrow bridges that only one vehicle can pass at a time. There were big tour buses and large construction trucks as well as the stray sheep to be on the look out for as you meandered around these narrow roads!
The people were very friendly and it was a very enjoyable trip. I highly recomend it!
Note: the four shots taken at ISO 1250 was not on purpose. I mistakenly adjusted the ISO and didn't discover it until an hour or so of shooting. The good news is that I always shoot "to the right" on the histogram so these were very clean files with barely any noticable Luminous noise in the shadows. I made a slight 15-20 adjustment in LRCC on the Luminous Noise slider and you would think these were shot at ISO 200-400.
Chuck
6-image stitched panorama in LRCC of Ross Castle in Killarney National Park
Kierzkow wrote:
Hello Joshua,
I`m with you all the way. One can always improve and that’s reassuring.
But you are already A-number-one, top of the list, king of the hill, to use Frank Sinatra’s words.
Cheers,
H.
Henry, I am very flattered but I know my limitations and I am definitely not there.
philber wrote:
Ronny, Joshua, Bob, Jim... what else is new....certainly not the overused words of admiration.... but the emotion is fresh and strong as ever...
Otus 28.
Philippe, thank you very much! Now, your flower images are exquisite!
Trying out a new lens . Just FYI, the semi-circular pattern in the background is there on that structure and not the lens' bokeh rendition.
Superb grabs everyone!
Picked up another 50 on a whim for travel this summer. It's been 3 yrs since I've had this one, so I'd thought I'd give it another go around. Traveling with the FE 50 1.4 ZA to Hawaii just isn't what I want to do(we'll see😉...
Gregg
A7rll and CV 50 1.5 asph
HelenaN wrote:
Beautiful as always Werner! Looking forward to see more from the workshop.
Phillipe, your flower photos are gorgeous.
My partner and I spent last week driving around in southern Portugal. It was very nice, but the coast has become a sad sight. The whole area is packed with huge hotels and many are now left to decay after the economy crisis. The beaches are still beautiful though and mostly empty in April, and we enjoyed the small roads in the mountains. A few years ago we visited northern Portugal and that was beautiful!
#1 and 5 are from A7 + Lensbaby Sweet 50 and the rest A7II + CV 35/1.7 VM.
philber wrote:
Ronny, Joshua, Bob, Jim... what else is new....certainly not the overused words of admiration.... but the emotion is fresh and strong as ever...
Otus 28.
Chuck Coyne wrote:
Just back from an 8-day trip to Ireland with my wife. This was more a vacation then a photography-centered trip so I didn't have the time for more serious planning and scouting of locations. All-in-all I'm pleased with the pictures that I did manage to take and have started going through them as time permits. 98% of the shots including all the multi-shot panoramas were shot hand-held. I can't say enough about how wonderful the IBIS worked with the A7r2. This was such a change for me as I normally shoot 95% of my serious photography on a tripod.
I contemplated taking only autofocus lenses including my 24-70 GM but at the last minute I decided to make myself work a little harder with mainly an all manual focus prime kit. I ended up taking my Loxia 21, Distagon 35 ZM, Loxia 50 and Loxia 85, I also threw in the Batis 18 just in case I needed a bit wider indoors at churches, etc...
I found that I really could have taken just the Loxia 21, Distagon 35 ZM and the Loxia 85 and I would have been fine. In fact out of 1,672 shots I used the Distagon 35 ZM - 40.8%; the Loxia 21 - 35.8%; and the Loxia 85 - 13.5%.
Here are few from the "Ring of Kerry" in County Kerry which is a very popular 95 mile loop around a peninsula on very winding narrow roads and switchbacks. The views of landscapes and seascapes are just amazing. The driving is terrifying as there are spots where two vehicles can barely squeeze by each other and rock walls inches away on both sides of the roads. In a few spots there are narrow bridges that only one vehicle can pass at a time. There were big tour buses and large construction trucks as well as the stray sheep to be on the look out for as you meandered around these narrow roads!
The people were very friendly and it was a very enjoyable trip. I highly recomend it!
Note: the four shots taken at ISO 1250 was not on purpose. I mistakenly adjusted the ISO and didn't discover it until an hour or so of shooting. The good news is that I always shoot "to the right" on the histogram so these were very clean files with barely any noticable Luminous noise in the shadows. I made a slight 15-20 adjustment in LRCC on the Luminous Noise slider and you would think these were shot at ISO 200-400.
Thanks for helping me not be the only "hand held" shooter! Great shots, Chuck -- nice save on the ISO! Looking forward to more!
My mantra is "A professional is not someone who never makes mistakes, but someone who always catches the mistakes before the affect the outcome of the task."
. Just FYI, the semi-circular pattern in the background is there on that structure and not the lens' bokeh rendition.
...
Pretty good expression, considering how she must have been shivering -- that's dedication! 
