Kenko Tokina USA recently announced the Hoya HD3 series UV and Circular Polarizer lens filters. According to the company, the filters are 4 times stronger than optical glass, and offer a 99.7 percent light transmission rate. Read more
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]
Aiming to bring low-cost illumination to residents of the Philippines, a nation of 7,000 oceanic islands, the Salt Lamp uses a free and abundant resource to reduce fire risk from candles and replace the cost of traditional lighting.
Developed by engineer Lipa Aisa Mijena of De La Salle University, the Salt Lamp requires a single glass of water with two tablespoons of salt to provide a night’s worth of a light, but, best of all, it can run off the naturally salty water of the surrounding ocean.
The electrode can run for over a year without requiring replacement as well. The next-generation version of the Salt Lamp will also have the capacity to charge portable electronic devices like cellular phones.
Currently, many households in the country lack access to or funds for electricity, resorting instead to oil lamps (which can cause house fires) or battery-powered lights (which cost more to use). Worse, during times of critical need (the area being prone to natural disasters) the resources required to make light are all the more essential yet difficult to acquire.
As someone who has both spent time with locals around the country and a member of Greenpeace Philippines, Mijena developed the Salt Light as an eco-friendly, low-footprint alternative that could be sold commercially but, first and foremost, deployed via non-profit organizations to those in need. “There are no materials and components inside the lamp that may cause fire accidents. One less thing to worry about for families that rely on kerosene lamps as their main source of lighting. This lamp uses the science behind the Galvanic cell, the basis for battery-making, changing the electrolytes to a non-toxic, saline solution — making the entire process safe and harmless.”
Traditional timepiece meets inventive illumination in this human-powered hourglass lamp that draws its energy elegantly from grains of falling sand. Designed …
Click Here to Read More »»
A classy alternative to hanging animal parts, this deer head wall lamp started as a design concept, went viral as a prototype and has just been funded for full …
Click Here to Read More »»
Lamps are usually used to illuminate other, more interesting objects – but these 15 designs deserve their own spotlight.
Click Here to Read More »»
[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]
[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]
[ By Steph in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]
Clinging to a craggy cliff like an oversized artificial barnacle, this pod is only accessible to those willing to scale the 400-foot rock face from the base of a Peruvian mountain. If you’re brave and hardy enough to pull off that feat, you’ll probably do just fine taking up residence in a hotel room that the rest of us will only ever have nightmares about. In addition to its precarious location, the Natura Vive Skylodge is completely transparent, so you can’t exactly forget that you’re hundreds of feet in the air while inside.
As fragile as they look, these three pods are made of aerospace aluminum and weather-resistant polycarbonate, so they’re not likely to be blown down or punctured in a storm. At 25 feet long and 8 feet wide, each one is spacious enough to accommodate eight guests, offering comfortable beds, a dining room and even a private bathroom.
The journey to the pod is actually safer than it looks, as climbers can be tied to a steel cable as they traverse the trails, with ladders and bridges helping them to the top. This zipline route offers alternate access for those who aren’t experienced enough to make the climb. You can even hook yourself to the cables as you perch on a wooden observation deck positioned atop each pod, looking out over the valley.
Solar panels capture energy to power four interior lamps and a reading light, and the ‘sink’ and toilet are dry. The roughly $ 300-per-person-per-night fee includes transportation to and from your hotel, guides, equipment, snacks, a gourmet dinner with a bottle of wine and an al fresco breakfast.
Watch eerily illuminated sea creatures swim past your windows at night as you fall asleep on your own ‘private floating island,’ an underwater …
Click Here to Read More »»
A glass balcony on the Willis Tower, a vertigo-inducing overlook in Norway and 11 other towering platforms and observation decks offer views unlike any other.
Click Here to Read More »»
Visiting London in 2012? You’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to stay in a temporary boat-shaped hotel perched on the roof of the Southbank Centre.
Click Here to Read More »»
[ By Steph in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]
[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]
A new filter manufacturer called Novo is promising a range of filters that will be made from super-durable sapphire crystal and Gorilla Glass, which should have enhanced scratch resistance. The company also claims its filters will have extremely thin brass frames, and will feature ‘superior coatings’. Read more
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]
The crumbling stone ruins of churches, farmhouses and barns are integrated into new structures that preserve and display their historic character while adding playful modern elements, like glass additions that adjoin disparate buildings or fill in damaged areas. These 13 renovations to historic architecture include examples of when the process is done right – honoring the original structure’s heritage – as well as cases where the changes are less than welcome.
A gaping hole created during the demolition of an adjacent convent was filled in with a geometric modern glass addition at the Sant Francesc church in Santpedor, Spain, a stone building dating back to 1721. The renovation added contemporary elements to both the interior and exterior while leaving the evidence of the building’s decay over time in place, creating skylights where the ceilings had caved in.
A historic brick church in Hoboken, New Jersey in use as a studio for Marchetto Higgins Stieve Architects is extended with an unusual glass canopy, curving down from the upper portion of the existing structure to the ground.
A pair of dilapidated stone farmhouses in Ireland are now connected via a transparent, glass-enclosed staircase. Architect Peter Legge maintained the rustic character of the rural buildings but added the glass atrium to unite them, as well as a transparent dining area with folding doors.
ODOS Architects transformed a collection of 18th century stone farm buildings in Ireland with a new single-story wing made of glass and timber. The new wing unites the trio of existing buildings to create a courtyard and enables views to the adjacent woodlands with large expanses of frameless glazing.
Having absorbed “changes and layers of occupation from the 17th century onwards,” this farmhouse in Gloucester has now evolved into a contemporary home with the removal of incongruous additions from previous eras and the addition of a modern glass structure. The award-winning renovation encloses and extends a portion of the living area, bridging a gap between the two original buildings.
Cold, dilapidated and lacking modern amenities like bathrooms, Beijing’s historic architecture in the Hutong districts becomes livable again with sleek …
Click Here to Read More »»
A ruined 12th-century castle serves as a stunning historic shell for a contemporary residence in a renovation by Witherford Watson Mann architects. The …
Click Here to Read More »»
A beautiful old chapel in the Italian town of Lonate Ceppino has been transformed into a modern library with a perforated aluminum tower that adds to the …
Click Here to Read More »»
[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]
[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]
[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, or forget that they’re literally living in a fishbowl, if they have any modesty at all. Designed for a steep plot in Zurich, this ultramodern angular residence by L3P Architekten boasts all-glass, entirely transparent exterior walls that give the outside world more than a glimpse into the life of the family who lives there.
Naturally, you can’t be too concerned about privacy if you live in a house like this, but the architects have taken a few steps to provide a few spaces that prying eyes can’t see. One is setting the house into the earth to create a ground floor that’s partially walled in black exposed concrete, accessible from a subterranean entrance that opens onto the hillside.
The concrete continues throughout the interior, blocking off certain areas of the home without disturbing the views provided by all of that shimmering glass and adding a sense of weight and balance. The interior walls, floors and ceilings are all hewn in this solid material for contrast.
“This work on the vineyard slope copies the logic of a vine: a supporting middle wall, platforms and non-bearing windows follow the structure of the stem, the trunk and the hanging fruit,” says architect Boris Egli.
Would you give up all your privacy in order to live in a spectacular glass cylinder with a tree growing up the center? Perhaps the secluded forest location …
Click Here to Read More »»
In a surreal reversal of modern architectural convention, this Vertical Glass House trades a tradition of solid horizontals and clear verticals for an opaque …
Click Here to Read More »»
On an unusual kind of cross-country road trip, this couple visited garage sales, antique dealers and added these to other roadside finds, all toward the quest …
Click Here to Read More »»
[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]
[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]
Do you want a sharp and well built lens? Of course you do. Everyone does. Think you can’t afford great glass? Think again. You may not be looking in the right place.
If you’re like me, browsing through latest high-end lenses can be a little depressing. The cost of luxury grade glass can easily peak in the thousands of dollars. What if I told you that you could have excellent lenses without breaking the bank?
Recently I learned about a method for retrofitting older film lenses to function with our modern cameras. The possible bad news is that these are mostly manual focus prime lenses so your autofocus and metering won’t work (with one exception we’ll talk about later). The great news is that the majority of these lenses are built like photographic tanks and possess extremely capable optics. These lenses are also readily available and affordable on most any budget.
So how is it done? How can you make a twenty, thirty, or even forty year old piece of gear work with today’s advanced camera bodies? Believe it or not, the answer is deceptively simple. For virtually every lens and camera combination there is an adapter that will enable you to use any lens with any camera – regardless of manufacturer. Here’s an example:
I have an old analog Nikon F3 that was given to me by my father along with a couple of lenses: a Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8.
The entire kit remained mostly forgotten in a camera bag, and in storage for years. One day I stumbled across some information about how a few photographers were using old M42 Zeiss screw-mount lenses with their DSLR’s using adapter rings and producing outstanding photographs. That got me thinking – if it were possible to find adapters for these old M42 lenses, could there also be manufacturers who produced similar adapters for other lens types? Almost instantly the old Nikon leaped from some distant corner of my memory. My main shooting body is a Canon 7D MkI. Could I possibly use those thirty year old Nikkor film lenses on my 7D Canon? Shockingly, the answer was yes! All I needed were these unassuming aluminium adapter rings which I sourced on eBay for about $ 12 USD each.
One side of the ring matches the Nikkor mount.
The other mates with the Canon body.
The entire process is very simple; the adapter simply snaps onto the lens.
Without the adapter.
With the Canon adapter.
Then it’s business as usual attaching the adapted lens to the camera. Just line up the indicator dot with the mounting dot on your camera body.
You’re done.
The adapters are also removable if you choose to do so later by depressing a small spring catch (most brands have these).
As I said earlier, these are completely manual lenses. Meaning that you adjust your aperture by hand as well as focusing the lens.
Personally, I enjoy the deliberateness this action forces. You have to think about your composition so much more, and you get to experience the effects of aperture adjustment literally first hand.
The impressive aperture blades on this beautiful Nikkor 85mm.
Don’t worry if this manual operation doesn’t appeal to you. The exception concerning the adapter rings I spoke of is that some are now being made with focus indicator chips built into the adapter. While this chip doesn’t enable you to use autofocus, it does allow the lens to communicate to the camera when the selected point of focus has been obtained. This is complete personal preference. I opted for the non-autofocus indication adapters because I wasn’t comfortable using aftermarket electronics of that type with my camera. Again, this is a completely subjective.
Please Note: Neither the author nor Digital Photography School are responsible for any damages to your camera or lens as a result of using aftermarket devices. Please be an informed photographer prior to attempting any modifications to your precious gear!
Now, here are some images produced through a little Frankensteinish innovation.
googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );
googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );
The post Old Glass: How to Use Old Film Lenses with New DSLR Cameras by Adam Welch appeared first on Digital Photography School.
[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]
A beautiful and boldly open design, this see-through structure uses glass to reveal (and staggered layers to conceal) different parts of the everyday lives of its occupants.
Designed by architect Yuusuke Karasawa for a medium-density city lot in Tokyo, the snakelike S House relies on upper layers, underground areas and limited walls to create privacy where required or desired.
The split-level approach replaces corridors with staircases and serves to section off parts of the interior without creating excessive walls, all reinforcing the overall openness of the design (reminiscent of Modernist masters including Mies van der Rohe, Philip Glass and Le Corbusier).
Primarily white, limited wood accents are added and the neighborhood becomes a kind of passive decor, its textures visible from almost any area of the interior.
Partly, the design plays on a cultural element of respect for personal space found in Japan – prying eyes are not something to be worried about.
Nonetheless, the master bedroom and bathroom are located on the level below ground, and a rooftop deck also affords a higher degree of seclusion when needed.
Smart glass can shade rooms on demand, making them transparent and reducing thermal gain with the flip of a switch or turn of a key.
Click Here to Read More »»
In a surreal reversal of modern architectural convention, this Vertical Glass House trades a tradition of solid horizontals and clear verticals for an opaque …
Click Here to Read More »»
Sometimes, beautiful views of your surroundings simply trump the need for privacy. Living in a bubble isn’t so bad when you’re in a remote location …
Click Here to Read More »»
[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]
[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]
It’s not uncommon for a company to patent technologies that might be incorporated into products at some point, though the company might not have any plans to use it in the immediate future. Such a business move appears to be the case with a recent Canon patent, which details the use of variable lens elements in combination with traditional glass elements. Read more
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By Steph in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]
Magnifying glass clutched in his fist, Jordan Mang-osan uses nothing but focused rays of sunlight to burn detailed drawings onto panels of wood. A native Igorot from the Cordilleras of the Philippines, the artist draws inspiration for both his imagery and his unusual techniques from his heritage, using indigenous materials.
Other than a pencil used to draw on his initial designs, a magnifying glass is his only tool, and no paints or inks are required. Mang-osan holds the glass steady to burn one tiny detail at a time onto the wood.
It takes several months to complete a single work, slowly moving the glass just millimeters at a time in a technique that’s similar to pointillism. It’s another unusual way to harness the power of fire to make art – see 14 more pyro-centric sculptures and installations including ‘fire sculptures,’ portraits drawn in soot, and graffiti set ablaze.
This loaf of colored glass may not look like much from the outside, but slice into it and you’ll find an incredible recreation of Leonardo da …
Click Here to Read More »»
Slices of wood take the place of traditional vinyl in these beautiful hand-crafted, laser-cut records by designer Amanda Ghassaei.
Click Here to Read More »»
On an unusual kind of cross-country road trip, this couple visited garage sales, antique dealers and added these to other roadside finds, all toward the quest …
Click Here to Read More »»
[ By Steph in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]
[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]
You must be logged in to post a comment.