Hoya HMC 2.8/24mm

[iangreenhalgh1]

Hi folks

Following my excellent experiences with my Hoya HMC 2.8/28 I couldn't resist grabbing a brand new 2.8/24, I am certain these lenses are made by Tokina and this is just the SL24 rebadged. All of these are with my NEX-3.

[iangreenhalgh1]

Another one from same series, this is Tarn Hows where Beatrix Potter lived for decades. This image is made up from 7 HDR images, total of 42 exposures to make a whopping 46 megapixel HDR photograph. 46mp should be enough to print this as big as I like I hope.

[IAZA]

impressive Ian, your hard work deserve to be paid I guess

[scsambrook]

Very impressive - not just the lens but the work you've done with it

I had one in Canon FD fitting and thought it good. Swapped it for a Canon 24/2.8 that was not that much better overall, although it was less prone to flair. Yet another instance of good independents getting very near major brands, and at a fraction of the price.

[Attila]

Excellent magical pictures! Congrats!

[iangreenhalgh1]

Cheers guys. I like this Hoya lens, it works well for the type of shots I like to shoot.

Flare is unusual with her, it takes the form of blue streaks, I would say it's rather good at resisting flare for a wide angle.

[stratboy99]

Amazing scenery....and great shots

[Excalibur]

[iangreenhalgh1]

I had a Sigma. I would say the Hoya has better flare resistance and slightly sharper. Sigma is not a bad lens though, pretty good.

[Excalibur]

I'm pleased with my Sigma 24mm but then I only have an Ensinor 24mm to compare it with...well what you don't know you don't miss works when the well known 24mms are going for high prices.

[iangreenhalgh1]

Ensinor is a good lens, I had one, pretty sharp but only single coated so flared too much and I need good flare resistance to shoot panoramas.

[Excalibur]

[Lloydy]

If I was being really picky....

No 1, mmmm, bit ott for me.
No 2 Well ott, the sky and the bright subject don't match.

If I don't mention a pic, it's good.

No4 Very good
No5 Very good, great detail.
No 10 Excellent.
No 12 Bit bright ? but still very good
Nos 18 - 20 very, very good. Another of my favorite places as well. The views if you walk off the main path, as you did, are fabulous.
No 21 blurred and dark
no 23 Excellent.

You're certainly getting the best out of the technique and processing, and having good glass that you stick with and learn the niceties of, is paying off.
I might be picky, but I hope I'm constructive.

[iangreenhalgh1]

Ooh, no, please, this is precisely the type of feedback I want!

I agree with all your comments, the blurring on #21 I think, is due to flare, the edges are much sharper, it is too dark, not a very good shot really, compared to some of the others.

I look at #2 now and it is obvious how stupid the sky colour is, skies are tricky in HDR, they sometimes go black in patches which looks stupid to my eyes.

I am going back to Tarn Hows on Tuesday, we lost the light before we'd shot even half of what we wanted to! I did the panos from the tops of the little rocky hills next to the main path to the cottage. I went to the highest of the four and shot a massive two row 24 shot 189 degree panorama, 6 exposures per HDR shot so 144 exposures to combine. Spent 6 hours putting it together then discovered there were two shots missing, I only had 22 of the 24, must have somehow deleted those 2, I was gutted about that, it was the best of the series. I'm going to try it again but I'll use my 17mm Tokina so I can fit it all in with a third less shots hopefully. Had a good laugh that day, they keep some wierd cattle there, really huge compared to normal Friesian or Jersey cows, black with a white band round middle and very hairy. My friend who was with me got chased by one, I almost fell over laughing. Then I did fall over coming down from the top of the hill as it was very muddy and slipped a good 7-8 feet on my backside so had to drive home sans trousers as I didn't have anything to cover the car seat with!

As nice as this Hoya 24mm is, I doubt it will get much more use as I just got a 24mm Hexanon. But good to know this Hoya is a capable performer should I need it.

[iangreenhalgh1]

[noddywithoutbigears]

Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of HDR and in this case it's hard to descern what the lens is like with all the PP going on, is it possible to see some examples with less PP?

[Excalibur]

****Sadly there is no such thing as a cheap 24mm these days...****

Unless you are lucky, I'd try it on my Canon film camera for that price
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hoya-Wide-Lens-24mm-2-8-Canon-A1-/250928392177?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item3a6c7f67f1

[Lloydy]

[Ramon]

You've got some really good pics there but to me they all look oversaturated and unnatural.

I'm another one that doesn't like HDR so I can't appreciate your PP as much as some people might.

Otherwise, well done, it looks like a nice little lens. I've never found a Hoya lens that was that good.

[Pancolart]

As i already said: HDR photos should be submitted to HDR gallery. It's special thing in terms of lens evaluation and comparison. But it can look good no doubt.

[Phenix jc]

[Minolfan]

[iangreenhalgh1]

I didn't use the built-in HDR.

I'm getting annoyed now, if you don't like it, don't look at it.

[Minolfan]

Cannot know whether I like it without looking in the first place
If I take a look I cannot force myself to like it, just because you made it. Even now you are a person that often makes pictures I do like.
So if you want to avoid any reaction other then praising, why presented them here?
When you started presentations here some of your pictures were not really very good, but your picture quality increased fast. Most are good now, so accept they are not all received with honours everytime by everyone.
You like them, thats clear and OK.
I don't like the effect of unsharp parts in the HDR pictures by moving objects like leaves or a person, just by movements during the captures.
You can think it is a special and beloved result for you, I think it is a negative result of the technique used, in all respect for your work.

[Attila]