Laowa 6mm for Micro Four Thirds
Generally I’ve stayed away from writing too much about gear in recent years, but finally it seems to be what people want to read, so while I have no interest or skill in objective testing (haha), if I’ve got something subjective to say, that might be of wider interest, why not.
So, today I’m going to write about a lens I have quite literally just received, the (deep breath) Laowa MFT 6mm f2.0 C&D-Dreamer lens by Venus Optics. I’ve been eyeing ultra wide angle primes for a while, to complement or sometimes replace my Olympus 8-25 f/4, and while the Lumx 9mm was a strong candidate, it seemed more sensible to go for something wider. I would echo what others have said - if you’re interested in an ultra wide prime for Micro Four Thirds, just stop reading already and buy this one (although finding it may be a little tricky).
So, Medium Format?
When I’m in the zone with the Hasselblad X1Dii, it’s really something else. The look of shots on the luxuriously huge, contrasty rear screen convince me that we’re really on a different level here. That yes, this is worth 4x or 6x or whatever times the price of the Olympus OM-1. Even when downloading and editing, the feeling remains, and hitting zoom at 100% reveals the incredible level of detail. I’m convinced I have photos here I could not have taken with any other camera (well, yeah, ok, there is the dp0 Quattro sitting on the shelf over there). This gear-induced high continues, urging me once again to consider the unthinkable upgraded to an X2D. And then…
…and then I compare a shot to a similar one taken on a far more humble camera 10 years older.
Is it worth it? Is it really? It is. It must be. Mustn’t it?
More Madeira
Despite alarmingly expanding numbers of tourists, Madeira is still a magical place. I’ve just got back from my last visit, and the next one is all arranged. It’s not just about photography, in fact photography is rather peripheral. I’m not sure just how feasible it is to really capture the essence of highland Madeira, with it’s other-worldly peaks, the remnants of the ancient laurisilva forest, the natural and man-made waterways, the wild weather, all of it. Madeira has certainly climbed up the ranking of trendy destinations recently, and has attracted YouTube wannabe photo-influencers, although thankfully so far not to saturation level. But I’m afraid that could soon change. And why not - Madeira is a dream destination for travel/adventure/landscape photographers, especially those who don’t mind a bit of a challenge (both physically and photographically).
The Minox Factor
During the second half of the past year I have had quite a pivot towards film photography. I’m not sure why, but maybe I just find it more creative, especially working in my local area (air travel with film is not something I’m planning on returning to). The most significant evidence for this is my acquisition of a Hasselblad 501 CM, which so far I don’t regret. But following along with my usual philosophy of never avoiding unnecessary complexity, I am now working with 3 film formats (35mm, 35mm pano and 6x6) and 4 camera systems. For 35mm I have always had at least one compact camera alongside my Olympus OM kit, and since the mid 1990s I’ve usually had a Minox lying around somewhere. So I thought it was about time to dedicate a blog post to Minox 35mm cameras.
Madeira
Madeira is several things. It’s a fortified wine. It’s an island. It’s a place favoured by retiree Brits, since due to imperial histories and flying boat legends, English is widely spoken. And it is an enthralling landscape, of spectacular peaks and high plains, plummeting sea cliffs, and above all the near-magical labyrinth of “Levada” canals snaking across the island, bringing water from the mountains to the fertile low(er) lands. Above all Madeira is green (ok, for some Madeira = Cristiano Ronaldo, but allow me to skip that part). And for whatever reason, although it largely lives from tourism, it hasn’t - yet - been overrun.
Of course Madeira doesn’t have a lot of snow, but it does happily fit into to my other obsession, with islands.
Square Space
I’ve been virtual window-shopping V-Series Hasselblad’s for quite some time now, but, rationally, my X1DII in square crop already does everything they can do… doesn’t it? Well, yes, but it doesn’t shoot film, and it doesn’t quite give the 3D depth of those Zeiss lenses on true 6x6 format. I thought I wanted a 503cw, since those were the last word, but they are expensive and that, luckily, stopped me. Following a bit of revision, I realised that the only difference between a 503cw and a 501cm is that the 503 has extra features for flash photography. And I really, but really, do not do flash. Shortly after this, a very nice looking, very late model 501cm popped up on a Swiss auction site. And it was black, which inevitably as it goes against the flow, I prefer. So I put in the minimum bid, and to my surprise I won.
612 Slightly Delayed
I didn’t really have a happy relationship with the Linhof 612, despite it being a camera I’d wanted to use for well over a decade before I bought the first one. I was drawn to the camera through the works of one of my earlier influences, New Zealand landscape photographer Andris Apse. He was a great exponent of the Linhof, or more precisely, the 612 format. I originally discovered his work shortly after I started working with the Hasselblad XPan, and immediately felt that the 612 format was often more to my taste than the wider 24 x 65 of the XPan*. Also, the Linhof 612 lenses all have a built-in 6mm positive shift, which can be a huge plus in landscape photography. And the camera body has a tripod socket on top, as well as beneath, so that you can invert it to get a 6mm negative shift.
Panoramic Puffins
This is the first post about the results of revising my film archive through the means of DSLR scanning. I’m seeing photos in a way I’ve never seen them before, and I’m exploring shots that I would never even have bothered scanning before. It’s quite an experience.
Out of this emerges a set of XPan photos of the puffin colony at Latrabjarg, Iceland, taken back in 2004. And along with these a tale of how I came to be there and to make such a strange choice of camera for shooting wildlife.
Same but different
If you are reading this, you’ve arrived at the latest incarnation of snowhenge dot net, now hosted on Squarespace. The content is much the same, if a little refreshed, the style also, and the general mood is unlikely to change. So not a lot in the way of filtering and the odd uninformed rant to entertain you now and again. But what does change is that all the behind-the-scenes heavy lifting is now done by Squarespace, leaving me to focus on content, not web design and administration.
Scanning rediscovered
I’m very, very late to the party on this one, but I’ve finally discovered camera film scanning. By which I mean digitising film using a setup based around a film holder, light source and digital camera.
The results are astounding. I am now able to dig into shadow detail of positive (slide) film to a level that was completely impossible before with any of my desktop film scanners, or indeed the mythical Hasselblad/Imacon Flextight X1.