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[Contax G2] Some Biogon and Planar photos
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 11:19 pm    Post subject: [Contax G2] Some Biogon and Planar photos Reply with quote
Some film and rangefinder photos for a change Smile
taken with the Contax G2 and Biogon lenses 21mm and 28mm and Planar 45mm.
The film is Ferrania Solaris (colour), converted to B&W because the colours turned out kind of funky.

Bologna under the rain (Biogon 21mm):



At a country "sagra" (Planar 45mm):



(Planar 45mm)



(Biogon 28mm)



At another country "sagra" (Biogon 21mm):



(Biogon 21mm)



(Biogon 21mm)



(Biogon 21mm)


PostPosted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 11:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hey I have been there, nice to see again! I like portrait from Monica even if B&W Laughing Laughing


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
My favourites #1 and #5, the portrait of Monica and #6 for the composition.
Great B+W conversion!


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 12:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Love the old Landini.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Wow, look at the tonality in the tractor image! NICE NICE shot, Orio! I really love the degrees of grays and blacks. The image balances nicely.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 2:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Laurence wrote:
Wow, look at the tonality in the tractor image! NICE NICE shot, Orio! I really love the degrees of grays and blacks. The image balances nicely.


absolutely what i thought, looking at this picture! great contrast and tonality! simply... WOW!


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 2:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks guys!
Making my own B&W prints out of the film has taught me a LOT about how B&W images should be. So now, I feel I have improved in B&W digital conversions, too, thanks to that experience.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 2:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Biogon 21 mm rules. Very Happy Very Happy

I have never shot in B&W even converted from color photo,
so these nice photos makes my eyes open wider. Mmmm

Yesterday's morning shot by G-Biogon 21 mm (click the photo to enlarge please)>


Tonality is good even though I used a simple greyscale mode in PSE.

I should increase more contrast?



PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I like the flipping of the image! Laughing Wink

The contrast of the middle range is the key to good B&W in my opinion. Try the "zeissifier" on your scan - but careful not to burn the sky (or lake, or whatever Laughing )


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I do not think your "zeissfier" works for PSE (Element), which does not
accept .atn file. I do not know much about PLUGIN files tho.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
koji wrote:
I do not think your "zeissfier" works for PSE (Element), which does not
accept .atn file. I do not know much about PLUGIN files tho.


ok, then simply use Unsharp Mask filter (if Elements has it) and set threshold to 0, range to anything from 50 to 90 depending on the size of your image, and amount just as much as you like Smile


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for information, Orio. I applied "zeissfiler" method to the original
colour photo, then converted to greyscale. The result>


I don't remember radius (~32) and %(~80) well. More experiment is due. Smile


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Koji, I have best results when I "zeissify" the B&W (not the original) Smile
This way you can also easier calibrate the amount.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Interesting how the tonality (especially in the tractor image) tends
to increase the three-dimensionality. I would think that the middle
tones would be the paramount influence, because the mid-tones
could be something to "work off of" in increasing or decreasing
the whites and blacks?

Orio, have you found any cause-and-effect as stated above, for
the maniuplation of the mid-tones?

As a side note, I totally agree that it is OBVIOUS that your expertise is
soaring to new levels as you learn and gain insight into the vagaries of
black and white developing.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
OOOPS, I re-tried "zeissifing" to B&W. This time 120% and radious 35.



One mystery to me is this, so much of USM applied but B&W photo
does not show much of ill_effect of what you are calling too much USM.

Very interesting experience for me.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
koji wrote:

One mystery to me is this, so much of USM applied but B&W photo
does not show much of ill_effect of what you are calling too much USM.
Very interesting experience for me.


it's really difficult to set a solid ground, each image tends to react in it's own way... one should always experiment.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Laurence wrote:
Interesting how the tonality (especially in the tractor image) tends
to increase the three-dimensionality. I would think that the middle
tones would be the paramount influence, because the mid-tones
could be something to "work off of" in increasing or decreasing
the whites and blacks?
Orio, have you found any cause-and-effect as stated above, for
the maniuplation of the mid-tones?


Well, I would not say that I have found any cause-effect because I am not an expert, but my observations started from the acknowledgement that setting the white and black points to a B&W image does not prevent it to be "muddified" if the tonal range looks flat/compressed.

What I learned from printing with the enlarger is that the chemical paper does not apply contrast in the way Photoshop thinks contrast is, like auto-contrast that sets the white and black points. The chemical paper sort of boosts the middle range more. Sure you always lose something at both ends when you increase that contrast, but the key point is that an aesthetically wise contrast boosts the medium range "inherent" contrast more than pushing the white and black ends over the limits.

A big part is played by the lens, a lens like the Biogon that I used for the tractor inherently has a lot of microcontrast, which has the visual effect of boosting the middle tones. This is where the "textural" effect that you have appreciated in the image, comes from.
The texture in a black and white photo is appreciated mostly in the micro-contrast that takes place in the middle part of the spectrum.
If you analyze Ansel Adams Yosemite rocks pictures, you will see exactly that.
Shooting B&W with Zeiss lenses makes it easier because they are lenses that natively boost that range in the images. With other lenses that might be more difficult - but still doable.

That's my thoughts, I hope they can help somehow Smile
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