- #2,066
Arjan82
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collinsmark said:Ok, back to the Lily Pond.
This time I learned my lesson and set everything to manual. Manual-ISO, manual exposure (shutter speed and aperture), manual focus. Everything exposure and focus related.
View attachment 348062
Figure 1. Lily Pond again. This time with an airplane. At least I got the f-stop right this time.
Leica SL3
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH
(ISO-640, F/8, 1/500 sec)
I decided to boost the ISO a little, thus allowing me to reduce the shutter speed, to sharply capture the airplane. They were coming in about once ever minute or two.
By the way, if you ever happen to fly into San Diego and have a starboard side window seat, you can see Balboa Park pretty clearly soon before you land.
The Leica glass did an excellent job with the sharpness. This scene is notoriously unforgiving in terms of chromatic aberrations. Something about the palm trees against the blue sky at this time of day tends to amplify any color limitations of lenses. This scene right here is one of main reasons I switched to the Leica system instead of sticking with my Nikkor lenses. Was it worth it? I don't know, but the Leica APO-lenses do hold up well.
I also redid that walkway photo, this time using a 50 mm lens instead of the 35 mm. The 50 mm lens offers a little more compression (relatively speaking). I'm not sure which photo I like better, but here it is.
View attachment 348061
Figure 2. El Prado walkway, this time with a 50 mm lens.
Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH (ISO-100, f/8, 1/30 sec, handheld)
I took a load of other pictures too, but most didn't turn out well. So I won't post them. Anyway, here's some flowers:
View attachment 348059
Figure 3. Flowers in the Alcázar Garden.
Same 50 mm lens (ISO-100, f/2, 1/2500 sec)
I decided to stick around to see what photo opportunities the park had to offer after dark.
Here's the Lily Pond again at twilight. Also taken with the 50 mm lens this time. (This is nice that I don't have to do this at any particular time of year. All the lighting here is artificial, except for some residual skylight.) The bottom of the camera was touching the railing for a bit of stability. I also had image stabilization turned on.
View attachment 348063
Figure 4. Lily Pond at twilight.
Same 50 mm lens (ISO-400, f/5, 0.4 sec, handheld [with the help of a railing for support])
I took a couple dozen images before deciding on this one. That duck in the middle of the image is very photogenically affable. All the other ducks swam around back and forth, but that middle duck posed in the center for quite awhile, as if he knew it was his place to be in the photo.
Also, notice the clouds coming in, reminding me that my telescope will not be in use for yet another night. Again.
On the way back to the car I had to stop and take a photo of these pillars.
View attachment 348060
Figure 5. Pillars near Casa Del Prado.
Same 50 mm lens. (ISO-40000, f/5, 1/100 sec, handheld)
I don't know what it is about this scene, but it captivates me. I think the palm fronds in the immediate foreground, the shadows of the palm fronds on the pillar, and the hand-railing to the left all play nicely together. As a matter of fact, Lily Pond be damned, I think this is my favorite photo of the day.
(All photos posted here were touched up, at least a little, in Lightroom.)
Those are absolutely stunning... Especially the second one. Well done :)
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