The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 07/31/20

Found Slide

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 07/30/20

Found Slide

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 07/29/20

Found Slide

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 07/28/20

Found Slide

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Found Slides: Red, Rustic, and Yellow

Vintage analog color and black-and-white slide images from way back in the 1980s, scanned, edited and post-processed for enhanced web publishing.

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M.Zuiko Digital 17mm 1:2.8, A Case for JPEG Images

Cameras and Lenses: On the urge to shoot in JPEG, with an Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8, an early pancake prime for the MFT (Micro Four Thirds) system, a versatile 35mm street photographer's sweet spot lens on the Olympus PEN E-P5.

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The easing of the pandemic confinement saw me going for a short walkabout in the park recently, and for the session, I had the PEN E-P5 mounted with an M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8. Images were, however, taken in JPEG format, rather than the *.ORF Raw format, which I am used to.

The case for JPEG images, as we all know, has always been a long-drawn-out discussion, as many tend to associate it with poor image quality. While some may agree with the notion, others may not. JPEG is actually a very capable format, with images that you cannot differentiate from other formats, and it comes with the main advantage of its superior compression capability.

Olympus PEN E-P5, M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8

For a start, JPEG images are compressed from 1/10 to 1/20 of their original size with no loss of visual quality, and the freedom from the time-consuming conversion process needed to transfer raw files into a more practical format for printing, uploading, and storing. As for the images I took, they all turned out rather well (except maybe for the first image above), and no worries, I will gladly do it all over again if I need to.

Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.7, A Quick Take, I

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a non-functional (jammed aperture) legacy Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.7, celebrated as an exceptional vintage optic, though still workable for image captures, on an Olympus PEN E-P5, I.

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Testing out the Konica Hexanon 50mm f/1.7, which came in through the post recently. Bad luck, though, as the lens was faulty: it had oily blades that were almost stuck, a bent filter ring that refused to be removed, and a front trim that was loosened due to the pressure of trying to unscrew the filter.  These images ended up being shot at the lens's widest aperture.

The bent filter ring was resolved by knocking out the glass element with a hammer and using a pair of pliers to twist the metal part off the front trim. The oily blades, however, will have to wait for the trip to 'Uncle Wong', the part-time camera repair and service pro, who I hope can have them cleaned.

Olympus PEN E-P5, Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.7

Olympus XA1, Serene

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, serene, images with a vintage Olympus XA1 35mm film camera, a simple, battery-free 35mm point-and-shoot autoexposure film camera.

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I was on the Olympus XA1 and a roll of expired Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400 here, with a batch of shots at the end of the roll preempting the series. Interesting captures at the Central Market public bus transport terminal in downtown KL.

The Olympus XA1, though not the favorite among Olympus XA-series camera enthusiasts, is actually one of my favorites.

Olympus XA1, Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400