Olympus VR-370, Magic Art Filter, People and Places

Creative Arts: Image making with the Magic Art Filter in Drawing mode on the 14MP CCD Olympus VR-370.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

I was out and about in the city, trying to capture the essence of the city which is ushering in the CNY 2024 spirit. Still, it looks like I ended up in the wrong location at a place that looked staid and stale with its own itinerary of events and the spirit they are celebrating. Sad, as it all seems unreal that, in these days and times of celebrative entrepreneurship, I could still find such a city spot that could not motivate or incentivize itself to the prospect of having strong economic returns by organizing and promoting recurring celebrative events.

I had fun, though, instead of doing another shoot for the 'Re-Living the CCD Sensor' series, going for the special effect Magic Art Filter, in Drawing mode, on the 2013 vintage point-and-shoot Olympus VR-370, a small and compact 16MP CCD travel zoom category camera. The mode represents an image in a line art or line drawing form against a (usually plain) background without gradations in shade or hue, done usually in monochromatic. The location, just as well, was perfect for the people and place watch.

Olympus VR-370

The VR-370, almost the perfect CCD vintage collectible, is a stand-out with its 12.5x optical zoom lens and a 24mm equivalent super wide-angle start that extends out to a 300mm reach. The camera has iAuto, Scene selections, Face Detection, AF Tracking, Magic Art Filters, and Beauty Mode. The camera is also supported by Shadow Adjustment Technology for a more uniform exposure across the image, and by Dual Image Stabilization that combines Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization with high ISO sensitivity to compensate for the image blurring due to camera shake.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Nikon Series E 35mm 1:2.5, First Take

Sunny 16 Rule: First take with a Nikon Series E 35mm 1:2.5 on a 10MP CCD Nikon D80, fully manual exposures.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Here I am, looking for a new drift in trying to catch the wind towards re-kindling the interest of doing still photography in fully manual exposure modes, as we did in the early days of film photography, doing it this time, though, with a digital SLR camera that only permits manual shooting mode when mounted with an old-school focus lens. The Nikon D80, an enthusiast-grade DSLR, launched together with the semi-professional Nikon D200 in 2006, is the model I am referring to, and the lens, an equally vintage Nikon Series E 35mm 1:2.5. 

The D80 comes with a 6MP CCD sensor, and has the screw-mount autofocus drive, but lacks the 'Non-CPU Lens Data' menu item or entering information about non-CPU lenses, and the aperture-indexing finger for full-aperture metering with older 'AI' lenses. When used with these old-school manual focus lenses, the D80 will only work in Manual mode, with the option of setting the ISO, shutter speed, and lens aperture opening, manually.

Nikon D80, Nikon Series E 35mm 1:2.5

To get things going, these are the first batch of shots I did earlier in the morning, and as recommended, the shots were taken in color (1/100 second, ISO 100) and converted to monochrome on the tabletop image editor. On the conversion route, the images were tweaked with the green filter overlay and a 50% increase in contrast. 'Chimping' was also used during the shoot, as I did so to bracket the shots.

The Nikon Series E lenses are also acknowledged for other excellent performance and should not be just left aside when they can still be put to good use. To get you started on the same quest as well, the Sunny 16 Rule is the way to go.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

FinePix BigJob HD-3W, An Early Morning Shoot

The CCD Sensor: On an early morning shoot with the 6MP CCD Fujifilm FinePix BigJob HD-3W.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

A

n early morning session with the Fujifilm FinePix BigJob HD-3W, a heavy-duty ruggedized all-weather 6MP CCD digital camera I am recommending for CCD enthusiasts who are out-and-about, and on the go. The camera is water, dust, and shockproof, can withstand a fall of up to 0.7 meters, and comes with a reinforced glass coating cover wide-angle 3x (28-84mm) optical zoom lens, a big 230,000 pixels 3-inch LCD, ISO sensitivity of up to 1600 for the low noise in low light level shots, and a powerful flash that can be set for up to 10 meters. The camera is powered by a pair of easily available AA batteries.

The camera is reminiscent of the 35mm point-and-shoot autoexposure cameras of the old, easy to use, and comes with ample-sized buttons and a layout that is equally easy to use while wearing gloves, a 5 mode exposure selection button (Auto, Manual, Scene Position, Movie, and CLS), and an equally simplified shooting menu that can be accessed through the LCD interface. The camera has an automatic shutter speed range from 2 to 1/2000 second, has a 27MB internal flash memory, and stores images on xD-Picture Cards. In Manual mode, the camera can be set to a fixed ISO sensitivity level.

Fujifilm FinePix BigJob HD-3W

When the camera was first introduced to the UK and Europe in 2007, it was also promoted as having two world firsts, a 'Detection of Manipulation' system that records whether an image has been edited since it was first shot, and CALS, a mode also takes 1-megapixel pictures for quick and easy distribution by email. The camera was perfect for forensic and insurance investigations then, and could very well be today's go-to camera for the rough-and-tough adventurous outdoors

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm 1:4, First Impression

The CCD Sensor: Image making with an SMC Pentax-A Zoom 35-70mm 1:4, first impression on 10MP CCD Pentax K-m.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

A quick take with the small, compact, and beautifully designed SMC Pentax-A Zoom 35-70mm 1:4, the only 35-70mm Pentax lens with fixed aperture. The lens is a 7-element in 7-groups construction, solidly built, and enjoys a Sharpness rating of 8.3, Aberrations at 7.9, Bokeh at 8.1, Handling at 8.5, and Value at 8.9 on PentaxForums. Reviews on its sharpness and image quality, which are good, colorful, and contrasty, are arching towards the accolades. 

I have yet to take the lens anywhere except for the garden, and the few images here, shot in Program mode with the lens aperture setting set to 'A', seem to reflect the forum's thoughts. On the 10.2MP CCD K-m, the lens is equivalent to (about) a 50-105mm zoom on a 35mm full-frame camera, a good range to have if you are into city walks and street shooting. The lens should be in good company with the 18-55mm autofocus AL, which came as a kit lens with the camera.

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax-A Zoom 35-70mm 1:4

Setting up a manual focus lens on the KAF2 mount of the K-m body is straightforward, all you have to do next is to set the aperture setting on the lens to 'A', and register the focal length of the lens with the camera. The request for this input is displayed on the LCD screen as you switch the camera on after installing the lens. I input 50 as the focal length of the zoom, and it works.

The flashing LED and audible focus confirmation beep of the K-m (also available on other camera make and models) is one of the aids I look for when using the camera with a manual focus lens, which I put at being almost akin to having focus peaking on mirrorless digital SLR cameras. Good thought!

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.