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Mystery and Imagination - Nature with the Noctilux

jonoslack

Active member
Hi there
Kristian's wonderful noctilux photographs, together with the first weekend with my lovely new M9p inspired me to put on the ND filter and try shooting my noctilux wide open in the daytime.

It's high summer here, the woods are quiet and secret, and much of the garden has been left wild for the birds (we have nesting flycatchers at the moment).

Here are the results:













 

jonoslack

Active member
and some more - these are mostly from the garden





















As far as I can remember all of these were shot wide open.
 

ashwinrao1

Active member
Beautifucul caps, Jono. Were any cropped...Soime seem closer than 1 m? Red and yellow above is my favorite of the group, though the last with water drops is fantastic as well.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Beautifucul caps, Jono. Were any cropped...Soime seem closer than 1 m? Red and yellow above is my favorite of the group, though the last with water drops is fantastic as well.
Hi Ashwin
Yes - some where cropped - 'focus and recompose' is a bit fraught at 0.95, so I reckon to do some cropping to get the composition right (in some cases at least).
 

leicashot

New member
I am certainly not a nature guy and can't stand looking at boring images of test shots taken in the garden! These beautiful images are certainly not that. A great example of how the Noct can be used in this way, but with a little more imagination and composure when shooting. I particularly loved the butterfly shot and the paparazzi on the duck ;-)

Well done mate, loving my M9-P too, though it's kind of odd, cause it looks like an MP, but feels like an M9, which is the only disappointing thing I can say about it - and thats a real nit-pick haha
 

leicashot

New member
Hi Ashwin
Yes - some where cropped - 'focus and recompose' is a bit fraught at 0.95, so I reckon to do some cropping to get the composition right (in some cases at least).
Don't forget to focus bracket a succession of shots too. I did this with the Noct and it certainly increases the hit rate, especially if shooting plants in the wind.
 

leicashot

New member
Wonderful photos, Jono. I love the subtlety of composition, color, and focus.

This is my favorite. Shows that (in the right hands) the Noctilux can transform everyday scenes into something quite extraordinary.
Agreed, this simplicity, light and point of focus really draw you into that 'something' that normally you may miss with your own eyes.
 

emr

Member
A great idea to use an ND filter to shoot wide open in daylight. Brilliant pics, Jono as usual.
 

D&A

Well-known member
Wonderful photos, Jono. I love the subtlety of composition, color, and focus.

Agreed...your next to last posted image is one of my favorites of the group. I didn't look at it as a pic taken with a Noct, but an interesting composition with the subtlety and interplay of light, subject and selective focus...which happened to be captured with a Noct. Lovely Jono!

Dave (D&A)
 
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m_driscoll

New member
Hi there
Kristian's wonderful noctilux photographs, together with the first weekend with my lovely new M9p inspired me to put on the ND filter and try shooting my noctilux wide open in the daytime.

It's high summer here, the woods are quiet and secret, and much of the garden has been left wild for the birds (we have nesting flycatchers at the moment).

Here are the results:
and some more - these are mostly from the garden





As far as I can remember all of these were shot wide open.
Jono: Nicely done! These two are my favorites. 8x ND filter? +1 to what David and Kristian said on the 2nd one, above. I like the foreground/background split in the first, the simple color palette, and the thin IF area. :thumbup:

Cheers, Matt

http://mdriscoll.zenfolio.com
 

jonoslack

Active member
Well done mate, loving my M9-P too, though it's kind of odd, cause it looks like an MP, but feels like an M9, which is the only disappointing thing I can say about it - and thats a real nit-pick haha
Thank you - it's really odd isn't it, but it still is a thing of beauty (do you have a chrome or a black?)

As for the focus bracketing - I do if there's time, but somehow the first one is always the best.

very nice, a visual mozart sonata
Thank you! - what a lovely thing to say :)

Wonderful photos, Jono. I love the subtlety of composition, color, and focus.

This is my favorite. Shows that (in the right hands) the Noctilux can transform everyday scenes into something quite extraordinary.
Thank you David - Our kitchen is always a great place to take photos - my wife has a really quirky way of arranging things, there are always surprises to be seen.

A great idea to use an ND filter to shoot wide open in daylight. Brilliant pics, Jono as usual.
It certainly wasn't an original idea - but getting hold of one was a bit of a mission . . . and then remembering I'd got it!

all the best
 

jonoslack

Active member
HI Dave
Wonderful photos, Jono. I love the subtlety of composition, color, and focus.
Thank you - purr purr!

Jono: Nicely done! These two are my favorites. 8x ND filter? +1 to what David and Kristian said on the 2nd one, above. I like the foreground/background split in the first, the simple color palette, and the thin IF area. :thumbup:

Cheers, Matt
Hi Matt - I think it's a 6 times B&W, but to be honest, I ordered it so long ago that I'm not sure (and I haven't checked). . . . . . it is an 8 times - I guess that means it's 3 stops?

#2 in the garden series, for me (first one immediately above): gorgeous. Nice work, Jone

KL
Thanks Kit - there's a lot more poppies around here - when I can get out of the office I'll be right there attam!

all the best
 

simonclivehughes

Active member
Also inspired by Kristian's post and images, I've been playing around with my Voigtländer 50mm f1.1 Nokton, with a FaderND on one of my NEX 5 bodies. Wide open, it's not a Noctilux (nor is the NEX an M9), but it's as close as my budget allows, so I have fun anyway.

Here's a couple at f1.1:

View attachment 46540 View attachment 46539

My observation, specifically for nature, is that for a successful image, you need to find subjects that have a natural spacing between them and the other elements so that it doesn't all degenerate into a bokeh blob. :LOL:

Here's another at f1.1 where the narrow DOF is more evident (focus on the eyes):

View attachment 46542


Here's one stopped down to f8 with the FaderND cranked up (very tricky adjustment at the end of the range as it seems to be exponential!) for about a 4 second exposure:

View attachment 46541

These were shot yesterday at Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park in BC.

Edit: I should note these are from RAW and PP in ACR and Topaz Detail 2 for minor sharpening.

Great fun!

Ciao,
 
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jonoslack

Active member
Simon - these are fine - I especially like the last one.
Excellent . . . . how will the lens do on the Nex7 then!

all the best
 

Knorp

Well-known member
I like my images a tad underexposed, it adds to the mystery ...
 
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leicashot

New member
I like my images a tad underexposed, it adds to the mystery ...
Maybe its just me, but I see these images as being correctly exposed. Many images I see on the net are often overexposed to show as much shadow detail as possible. Yours are correct
 
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