Month: November 2012

Queen of Portraits

michaelmerto

Minolta made some “G” or “L” class lenses in there first go round with autofocus. Legend has it that through it’s formal cooperation with Leitz (more known for it’s Leica division)  Minolta integrated unusually high performance optical technology that some would prefer over the twice as expensive Zeiss. With a focal length of either 85mm on a full-frame or 127.5mm on an aps-c combined with an ultra fast 1.4 aperture it makes for a beastly portrait lens. Creamy Minolta bokeh, rich colors, and a hulk-like build add to the credence to it’s nickname “Queen of Portraits.”

and now a video:

Beercan

michaelmerto

Sony lenses that are accessible to me are crap. Nice images. Cheap, but cheaply made. Plastic mounts. Flimsy focus rings. Lightweight, sure and that has its benefits but one drop and…..

This got me searching for some comparable Minolta lenses. Love! Metal mounts, brick-like build, brick-like weight (maybe that’s not a plus), and the colors! The creamy bokeh! My collection was unmanageable. I had to let a few go. I now feel compelled to shine a light on a few of them while they’re in my possession.

The “Beercan” is probably the most well known of Minolta’s first generation AF glass. It is heavy. 70-210mm and a constant f4 is a pretty nice feature set considering ebay prices go around $150 US dollars. The autofocus is driven by the camera’s in-body motor and the glass is propelled by a screw. The zooming is in body so the barrel doesn’t extend as you zip across the range. It’s pretty long though and looks obscene mounted on the a77 without a grip. It’s sharp from around 5.6. The focus ring is narrow and not the best for full-time manual adjusting.

The “Beercan” produces much better IQ than the “Big Beercan” (75-300), is faster than the “Mini Beercan” (100-200) and has more reach than the “Baby Beercan.”

In the Sony/Minolta world of cameras, it’s a must have. It is legendary.

And now a video…

A Love Story and a Baby.

michaelmerto

Is there ever a need or a reason to have to know somebody? Is being surefooted with a singular goal more of a risk than being open to constantly trying new things? I’m pretty sure all my original thoughts were wrong. I’m pretty sure that this type of story is rarer than total eclipse. I’m happy that I get to know Brian and Ada. It never gets boring to say but he is her first boyfriend AND vice verse.

I got to spend a day with them and their first baby, Brayden.

Technical stuff of note:

The last scene with the dog (Gigi) was shot with the Canon 5D Mark ii. I’m starting to get addicted to the full frame look. That tree almost looks 3d! Most everything else was shot with either the Sony a77 or a hacked GH2. It’s getting real annoying how one camera’s strengths are another’s weakness. The a77 was by far the easiest to shoot with, quickest to get focus, and the easiest to compose (articulating screen and evf). Shot in 60p and slowed 40% in post for all the slo-mo shots. The biggest issue with the GH2 and a77 was the lighting. I walked in relying on natural sources and it just wasn’t working. The higher ISOs I had to use gave me some noisy footage. I also came in to snap stills not motion and was a bit groggy from being up all night battling the sniffles….ahh excuses – I feel magically better about the video now. As far as the stills go, I was much happier shooting with the a77 paired with a vintage 1985 85mm 1.4 Minolta lens. I never missed a shot I wanted. The Mark ii just wasn’t fast enough to lock focus on certain occasions and I missed a few shots. When I pulled all the images though, the 5D pulled a significantly higher useable hit ratio. Wish I could take all three cameras and roll em into one.

Lenses used:

Minolta 85 1.4
Minolta 50 1.4
Minolta 50 2.8 Macro
Canon 50 1.4 USM
Leica Summilux 25 1.4

Chopped in Final Cut

Bonus:

I came across this and have to share. The Sony team behind the NEX decided to make fun of DSLR users. I think I turn into the last guy sometimes. “Let me put it into video mode!”