I'm not sure about how swirly the bokeh is - I think it has more to do with the shape of the tree. I'd love to get my hands on a Zeiss Jena Biotar 75/1.5 one day - that's really the master of swirly bokeh :http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Biotar+75
If you want to play with swirly bokeh but on a reasonable budget, check out the Helios-44 58/2. I picked up mine for around $50 plus shipping, and it is well worth the price.
Helimat: I remember your shots taken with that!.. Nice one! Will try to find one!
Luka: Aah..gamla stan.. Love all shots without exception. Sending credits from my current other half for your wabbit shot..
Thanks Dmitri and thanks to your other half. All things considered gamla stan isn't all that fun to photograph. There are only so many pictures you can take of a narrow alley. I walked around and through it three or four times with different lenses and I didn't find much inspiration.
There are two versions, the newer black M42 mount Helios 44-2 that go for about $30, and what I have, a mid-sixties Helios 44 M39 mount which is unpainted and kinda cool looking IMO.
denoir wrote:
All things considered gamla stan isn't all that fun to photograph. There are only so many pictures you can take of a narrow alley. I walked around and through it three or four times with different lenses and I didn't find much inspiration.
Interesting view. We, tourists from the land of concretes and sky scrappers, love the narrow alley of the Old Town. I guess the place could have too many tourists to be interesting :-)
It's not that I don't like such places in general, it's just that the old town in Stockholm isn't as exciting as say Mala strana in Prague or many other historic districts in European cities. It's small and fairly repetitive.
Love the portrait Dimtri! The shot of the tomato tree, really like the colours with very interesting bokeh I assume you are shooting with a crop camera, which makes your photos even more amazing
Great shots Luka! I love the rendering of the lens. Just wish the ZE 50/1.4 could almost be the same as the Rokkor
Charles: That's right...shooting 20D. Thank you really, but it seems that my inner critic's voice is louder than my inner child's.. I am a little short of tonality with 20D's renditions. Great camera, but I really feel need for more "punch" so to say.
Luka: I know how you feel. I came back empty handed from many Old Town walkabouts, though I think sometimes we just don't see all the small details we miss so much when we are far away.. I love the shots anyway!
Helimat, Cavewalker - great shots!!!
Sorry...feel absolutely uninspired to post any shots for now...
Edit: Helimat, just found about 4 Helios-44s on Yahoo auctions here, but they are all quite beaten up..price varies between $20 and 40....
Cavewalker, very painterly like shot! Nice shot
Helimat, very nice shot. Very detailed.
Luka, amazing shots of the leaf/ves. #2 is a my favourite.
Dmitri, Excellent shot! The 20D is a great camera. I only sold my last year to update. You have some amazing shots in this thread. Great stuff.
Jfinite, Charles - thank you for your kind comments.
Indeed 20D is a great cam, but I really feel the need to upgrade. How much difference the FF will make is debatable, but I could surely use more tonal contrast and invest in a focusing screen, which is a tad expensive for 20D. I will most definitely keep 20D - really love it.
Also need to work out which AF confirm chip I can salvage from a broken EF lens. Will any do really? Or do I need to try to match focal lengths with the "donor"?
I am a little short of tonality with 20D's renditions. Great camera, but I really feel need for more "punch" so to say.