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Russia Hour Traffic: Andrey Tkachenko’s Soviet Car Concepts

10 Jul

[ By Steve in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

Russian freelance artist Andrey Tkachenko reveals the figurative swans hidden deep within the notoriously ugly ducklings of the Soviet automobile industry.

“General Motors is not in the business of making cars. It is in the business of making money.” So stated the late Thomas Murphy, Chairman of General Motors from 1974 thorough 1980. That mantra was turned on its head back in the USSR where state-run automotive “businesses” cranked out an astonishing variety of unappealing utilitarian conveyances that wouldn’t make their manufacturers money unless they were melted down and minted into kopeks.

That said, Soviet designers managed to express their creativity in very limited ways though such expressions always took a back seat to utilitarianism. Andrey Tkachenko, a young freelance artist and graphic designer based in the northwestern Russian Federation city of Nizhny Novgorod, looks beyond the limits of those stodgy soviet auto designs and extrapolates their modest aesthetics to heights the original designers feared to even imagine. Case in point: the GAZ-13 M13 “Chaika”, a soviet luxury car produced between 1958 and 1981 that falls stylistically between a Packard Caribbean and a Checker cab. Most Chaikas were painted black; the two-toned example above being a rare exception.

Putin Approved

We’re showcasing some of Tkachenko’s graphic renderings – “ciberconcepts”, as he calls them – along with images of their real-world inspirations. It’s an endeavor made possible though the artist’s trademark of captioning most of his works with the vehicle’s model designations. However, we must take issue with the “ZAZ-969 Coupe Japanese Style” above; it’s actually a ZAZ-968 similar to Vladimir Putin’s first car, a 1972 model. Being a judo aficionado holding a black belt, Vlad would likely approve of Tkachenko’s subtly Japanesque makeover.

Zuk On This

The Zuk (Polish for “Beetle”) was manufactured by the FSC Lublin Automotive Factory in Poland for a mind-boggling 40 years – from 1958 through 1998 – with few changes over the production run. Panel van versions were exported to the Soviet Union which is how Andrey Tkachenko knows of them. Tkachenko’s take on the alarmingly slab-sided Zuk transforms the rough & ready van into a Jagermeister-spewing “Time Attack Custom Project”. Can’t say it doesn’t look too shabby, with or without the aid of Jagermeister shots. Just below it is a real-world Zuk parked beside a late-production (between 1979 and 1994) ZAZ-968M.

Step On The GAZ

The GAZ-21 “Volga” was a so-called “executive car” manufactured by GAZ (“Gorky automobile factory” in English) from 1956 through 1970. Volga’s were desirable cars in their day, though one had to be in the KGB to order the hot V8-powered version with an automatic transmission. Exuding a 1952 Ford-ish vibe, the third series (1962-70) displayed a toothy chromed grill that features prominently in Tkachenko’s chop-topped, two-seater “Volgaster”.

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Russia Hour Traffic Andrey Tkachenkos Soviet Car Concepts

[ By Steve in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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SainSonic launches 50mm F1.1 lens for APS-C cameras

10 Jul

Chinese manufacturer SainSonic, which also makes an 8mm F3.0 fisheye prime lens as well as various floating music orbs and tabletop tube headphone amplifiers, has announced a new manual focus lens for APS-C cameras. It’s called the Kamlan 50mm F1.1 (!) lens and it’s currently offered in Sony E-Mount and Canon EOS M mounts, with a Fujifilm mount version coming soon.

The lens has a claimed 11 circular aperture blades (claimed, because if you were to count the blades in the above mockup, you’d wind up with 9), and a fairly pedestrian five elements in five groups, though there’s talk of high quality element coatings.

You can snag a Kamlan 50mm F1.1 today for the very reasonable price of $ 169.99 USD.

For more images and details regarding the lens, head on over to SainSonic. For some samples from the lens and comparative tests, check out Christopher Frost’s video review on YouTube:

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Haunting photos from inside the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia

09 Jul

In August of 2014—two years and seven months after the cruise ship the Costa Concordia sank off the coast of the Tuscan island Giglio, claiming 32 lives—photographer Jonathan Danko Kielkowski swam aboard to document what was left.

At that point, the ship had only recently been raised from the bottom of the ocean, having spend two and a half years partially submerged—a home for sea life and wild superstitions about how its sinking was some sort of omen. After all, it did sink almost exactly 100 years after the Titanic.

But Kielkowski wasn’t going there to document fantasy. He wanted to capture raw, abandoned, decrepit reality.

To his credit, when the ship arrived in Genoa to be scrapped, Kielkowski tried to get a permit and capture the photos legally. But a permit was impossible to acquire, and after being turned back by the Coast Guard once, he tells DIYP he finally succeeded in swimming to the ship in the dark, camera gear and clothes towed along in a small rubber dinghy.

He got in, set up, and once the sun came up he got to shooting. Using his Canon 5D Mark II with a EF 16-35mm F2.8 attached and a small, sturdy tripod, he wandered around the wreck for 6 hours and captured some 500 photos.

“It was pitch black inside the wreck and most parts of the ship had no lights installed at that time,” he wrote in response to one photographer’s criticism, explaining how the photos were captured. “The expose time for most of the images is well over 5 minutes.”

Technique aside, for Kielkowski, those photos provide a distant echo of the nightmarish fear 4,000 passengers must have felt as they tried to evacuate a sinking ship.

The photos above and many others besides were eventually collected into a photo book, Concordia, published by White Press. To learn more about or order the book, visit this link. And if you’d like to see more of Jonathan’s work, visit his website or give him a follow on Facebook and Instagram.

All photos © Jonathan Danko Kielkowski, used with permission.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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What makes a great photo: Wise words from a veteran photographer

09 Jul

What makes a ‘great’ photo? The question keeps professionals and weekend warriors alike busy arguing, practicing and learning. In this video, one photography veteran shares his insights into that question, born of decades immersed in the world of photography.

The video is, first and foremost, a tribute created by photographer Jesse James Allen for and about his mentor Charlie Howse.

“This is a tribute my mentor, who in 2007 showed me how to create an image before the shutter was ever pressed,” writes Allen in the video’s description. “His time and teachings greatly influenced my career.”

But throughout the video the same theme comes up over and over again: what makes a ‘great’ photograph?

Howse touches on several different aspects of ‘great’ photography. He starts with the personal impact of an image—a photograph that’s indelibly tied to what you were feeling and thinking at the moment you pressed the shutter—before moving on to a common debate topic: technology vs art.

“For far too long, I thought that in order to have a great image, it has to be technically a great image,” says Howse. “And I’m coming to realize that the technical aspect of an image is less important than the artistic or the compositional aspect of an image, or the interestingness of the subject matter.”

More important by far than the best gear, says Howse, is knowing how to ‘make an image’ rather than simply ‘take a picture.’ How to pose. How to compose. How to connect.

What we’ve written above just barely scratches the surface of the full video. Howse goes on to talk about the difference between a snapshot and a portrait, about why he chooses to shoot large format, and about the next generation of photographers and what they should focus on.

Maybe it’s too much to hope that a five minute video can shape the way you look at the world and capture a photograph. Then again… what do you have to lose? Click play up top and let us know what you think of Howse’s advice in the comments.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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FAA offers drone registration refunds following court ruling

09 Jul

In 2015, the FAA issued the Registration Rule mandating that small drones used for recreational purposes had to be registered with the Administration. This was the law of the land until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated the FAA’s Registration Rule for these small drones (called ‘model aircraft’) in May of this year, saying the requirement ‘directly violates’ Section 336(a) of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act signed by President Obama in 2012.

Thanks to that ruling, small drone owners who registered their aircraft are now eligible for a refund.

Earlier this week, the FAA announced that small drone owners who operate their unmanned aircraft for recreational purposes can choose to have their FAA registration deleted and to receive a refund for the registration fee—a whopping $ 5.

This deletion and refund, however, only applies to drones that are ‘exclusively in compliance’ with Section 336: that is, for small aircraft that are solely operated for recreational purposes. And, for what it’s worth, the FAA says it still encourages these model aircraft owners to voluntarily register their drones, so if you already registered your drone you might want to remain $ 5 poorer and leave your registration intact.

If, on the other hand, you do want a refund, you’ll need to print, fill out and mail in this form to the FAA—the mailing address is located on the bottom of the second page.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Olympus TG-5 gallery updated with Raw samples

09 Jul

The Olympus TG-5 is one of our favorite cameras for hiking and days on the beach. And with the recent addition of preliminary Raw support, we’ve taken the opportunity to add some new pictures, and some Raw conversions to our gallery of sample images. Keep an eye out for more content (and more pictures) in the coming days.

View our updated gallery of samples from the Olympus TG-5

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Venus Optics shows off footage captured with forthcoming Laowa 15mm F2

09 Jul

Venus Optics has a new lens on the way – the 15mm F2, for Sony’s E mount. Billed as the world’s fastest 15mm lens, Laowa claims zero distortion. And stabilized footage shot with the new 15mm certainly looks nice.

We got our hands on a prototype version of the 15mm last year at Photokina, and we’re expecting a reviewable sample to arrive in our office very soon. Watch this space for sample images!

Read our hands-on with the Laowa 15mm F2 (Sept 2016)

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The Olympus TG-5 is the best rugged compact you can buy right now

09 Jul

Washington State’s Pacific coastal beaches are quite the contrast to what you usually find around Puget Sound near Seattle. The pebbles, barnacled rocks and copious sickly sea foam give way to pillow-soft sand, waves you can surf and mountainous, craggy rock formations that make for an otherworldly visual experience. As a local, I’ll admit that I love both varieties. But despite how picturesque a trip to the beach can be, I absolutely hate going with a camera in tow. Sand can kill.

Even brief exposure to sand and saltwater can make for a deadly combination for just about any electronic device, so in planning for a three-day, two-night camping trip to Washington’s Second Beach in La Push, I had basically written off any possibility that I’d bring a camera along. Then, I remembered we had the Olympus Tough TG-5.¹

The first leg of the journey was a ferry across Puget Sound to get us closer to the ocean.

And in considering the TG-5, I was reminded of a well-worn saying; ‘it’s not the camera, it’s the photographer.’ I happen to think there’s an awful lot of truth in that, but even so, as a nerd as well as a photographer, there are usually lines in the sand (apologies) I don’t cross. One of them is using a dedicated camera with a smartphone camera-sized sensor.

There are usually lines in the sand I don’t cross.

But then again, my smartphone isn’t rugged or waterproof, and doesn’t have an optical zoom. Adding to that, the TG-5 offers Raw capture, GPS logging, good external controls, a more powerful flash and a crazy good macro mode. With the Tough, you’ve got a pretty compelling, compact package without the hassle of endless smartphone apps, clunky waterproof cases and fiddly lens attachments.

The TG-5’s ‘microscope’ mode sounds a little goofy, but it results in very good macro performance. And check out that background blur despite the small sensor!

Besides, I still find some satisfaction in using a dedicated camera as opposed to a smartphone for even casual photography. So, was the TG-5 the absolute perfect camera for this trip? Turns out, it’s got a couple of quirks. But it was still darn good.

What worked

One of the joys of visiting La Push with the TG-5 was access to tide pools at low tide. Then I discovered they were all just occupied by the same green sea anemones. Maybe next time I’ll try snorkeling to get some more variety.

The very first thing I did with the TG-5 when I grabbed it from our camera cabinet was run it under the tap. Of course, it’s fun to do that just because you can, but it also had some sunscreen on it from a previous user that I wanted to rinse off.

So the TG-5 is very well-sealed against both moisture and dust and dirt intrusion. This meant I could comfortably leave it lying around our beachy campsite even though everything was covered in sand.

The very first thing I did with the TG-5 when I grabbed it from our camera cabinet was run it under the tap.

I could put it in my sandy pocket, or deposit it in my sand-filled bag in our sand-filled tent and not have to worry at all. I brought it along on rocky beach hikes where it was likely I would fall into the ocean. This capability alone is pretty much worth the price of admission in my book, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors.²

The TG-5’s resolution and sharpness never blew me away, but the Raw files have at least some flexibility in them for the sensor size, and I ended up with a ton of photos I wouldn’t have taken if I was leaving a DSLR in a bag the whole time for protection.

Every image you’re seeing in this article is the result of a Raw file from the TG-5 processed through a beta version of Adobe Camera Raw (more samples available in the gallery). This is probably my favorite thing about the Tough; even though the images can be noisy even at base ISO, I was able to salvage some clipped highlights and lift some shadows to bring detail back in high-contrast scenes, which you’re likely to encounter in outdoor photography.

The TG-5 is, thanks to an updated processor, also a very responsive camera. Start-up, focus and shot-to-shot times were all very quick, making it easy to whip the camera out for a quick shot on the move (and the well-sculpted grip makes it feel secure in the hand). But sometimes, quick shots on the move proved to be a problem for the TG-5. Let’s explore what Olympus could improve on the next iteration of their tough cam.

The TG-5’s metering did a pretty good job here, but I was able to go into the Raw file and pull down some highlights that had clipped in the JPEG file due to the dark background.

1. Okay, and a Nikon D7200 that stayed safely tucked away in a bag for much of the trip.

2. Some sand will still get stuck around the screen and port doors, but nothing another good rinse under a tap won’t take care of.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Photo of the week: The Shining

09 Jul

This morning was the second of my stay in Torres Base camp (Torres Del Paine NP, Chilean Patagonia) with my Patagonia workshop group earlier this year. The day before we had shot an amazing sunrise from down at the lagoon, and our sights were fixed on something different for this morning.

I asked Erik, our guide, to take us to the top of the Moraine surrounding the lagoon at the base of the Torres. After waking up at 4:30 a.m., we had a filling breakfast and started the 1 hour climb to the viewpoint. Getting up the moraine took about 20 additional minutes, some of them traversing loose rock, but we were in good hands and had plenty of time to arrive safely.

Upon arrival, we took some night shots of the Torres and waited for sunrise. Conditions looked good, but I began worrying that a large mass of clouds to the northeast might block the first rays of sunlight from hitting the Torres. I was proven right, and I was beginning to think we came all this way for nothing until about half an hour into the sunrise, when a small crack between the clouds allowed a projector-like orange beam of light to hit these beautiful, iconic towers of rock.

The color was incredible. The opening was so small, even the clouds above the Torres were left in the dark, which looked quite strange and made the mountains stand out even more.

This image is almost untouched when it comes to post processing, but due to the large range of distances to the different components, I had to focus-stack it from 3 shots, one focused on the Torres, one on the foreground rock and one in-between.

It was captured using my Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 16-35mm F2.8L Mark III.

Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, photography guide and traveler based in Israel. You can follow Erez’s work on Instagram, Facebook and 500px, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates. Erez offers photo workshops worldwide.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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DIYer adds giant heat sink to overheating Lumix GF7 camera

09 Jul

One industrious Lumix GF7 owner named Eric Strebel has solved his camera’s overheating issue with a pretty intense DIY hack. Namely, he added a massive heat sink to the back of the camera…. problem solved.

The entire hacking process is detailed in a video that Strebel uploaded to YouTube, where he explains that his camera would, at times, warn him to let it cool down due to overheating while shooting video. The heat sink, which is attached to the camera using piano wire, is very effective at keeping the camera cool for long recording sessions.

The GF7 features a hinged display that can be flipped up, leaving the back of the camera flat and exposed. It is on that portion of the camera that Strebel mounted the heat sink, which he harvested from an old PC. A drill press was used to machine the heat sink to size, while piano wire was bent and utilized as a removable attachment point for mounting the heat sink onto the camera.

The entire project, explains Strebel, took about 4 hours to complete.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Archive for July, 2017