105mm

All posts tagged 105mm

Short Photo Walk: Duluth, MN in Summer!

Posted by Matthew Durr on July 30, 2019
Posted in: Travel Photography. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Michipicoten Scale
105mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/200

On work trips, I make it a habit to pack my camera along every chance I can. Though performances and other logistical duties often keep me busy on most of these outings, I do sometimes find a bit of time to myself to catch a break, walk around, and take in the area. The most recent chance I got came from my time in Duluth, Minnesota while I was working as a part of Navy Week Duluth–first TV appearance here too! (with slightly questionable mic/audio levels…). As with most trips of this type, the majority of my time passed performing, liaising with contacts, and photographing/editing photos of performances I wasn’t directly involved in.

On the final evening of this particular Navy Week, I wanted to get that “Duluth Experience” of seeing the massive 1000+ ft. long (300+ meters) “Lakers” pass under the seemingly-tiny aerial lift bridge that connects Canal Park and Park Point. In fact, what you see in the above title photo is just under a third of the length of the Michipicoten ship as it shoots through the narrow strait. This instance was later in the evening, though, so perhaps I should backtrack a tad. Continue Reading

Site Update: Winter 2019 + Time-lapse!

Posted by Matthew Durr on May 3, 2019
Posted in: How To's, Ramblings. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Frosty
70mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/400

Seems like it has been a while, eh? I suppose I have a lot of catching up to do!

When it comes to photography in inclement weather, I used to always be a firm proponent of the “get out there and do it anyway” thought process. Alfred Wainwright comes to mind, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” In that, I have had great luck in the past photographing through deluges of thunderstorms, searching for compositions in heavy snow, and even waiting through balmy and mosquito-filled evenings for a good sunset in Florida. It’s the shot that counts at the end of the day, right? After all, discomfort from a bit of heat or cold is really only temporary if one plans ahead.

This past winter, though, makes me think Alfred Wainwright never visited Chicago. Continue Reading

Site Update: End of 2018 + New Photographer!

Posted by Matthew Durr on January 6, 2019
Posted in: Ramblings. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Wind-Driven
105mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/400, 2 images stitched

Now that the festivities of Christmas and New Years have wound down once more, many reading this are back to their normal lives. I hope everyone out there had a great time with friends and family the past couple weeks and didn’t do anything too crazy (but hey, I can’t tell you how to celebrate!). Especially with it being a great time for gifts and resolutions, I’m sure many are finding themselves learning a new camera or lens to shoot with. As long as you are mindful of Gear Acquisition Syndrome (G.A.S.), you should be fine. 😉

Oddly, WordPress didn’t put together an end-of-year analysis like it usually does for this site. A few clicks into my analytics still show great numbers despite my decline in post frequency (which, if you’ve been following previous updates, are due to a myriad causes). Over 110,000 views from 71,000 visitors, with the top three countries being U.S.A. (no surprise), the U.K., and Germany (Hallo!). I can’t thank you all enough for still supporting the site through my many life changes. Speaking of those life changes, 2018 definitely had its fair share. I moved from Japan back to the States in Chicago, got married, bought a car, and even managed a promotion at work. Keen readers may know what Mrs. Matthew Durr Photography looks like from a previous post or two, but just in case… Continue Reading

Fall 2018, Come and Gone

Posted by Matthew Durr on November 15, 2018
Posted in: General Photography. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Submerged
105mm, ISO 640, f/5.6, 1/1250

Summer and Winter may just be the easiest seasons to photograph regardless of where you may find yourself on the planet. Both seasons take some time to get through, and provide plenty of opportunity for photographs for even the busiest people. The seasons of change however, Spring and Fall, present a fast-paced challenge for many throughout the world. When I was in Japan for the past couple years, Spring was the most difficult time of the year to photograph due to not only my work schedule, but also to the fleeting cherry blossom trees almost necessary to provide ambiance for the Japanese setting. Depending on the type of cherry blossom tree, a window of 3-4 weeks was pretty generous.

Here in North Chicago, I found myself getting rushed through the millions and millions of leaves changing over the course of only a couple weeks. Due to an unseasonably warm early Fall, the landscape here didn’t begin to change until mid-late October. However, arctic air–and the high winds that accompany it–blew in so quickly that the splash of color everywhere was all but gone by the start of November. Combine that short turnaround with a couple busy workweeks, well, let me just say I was in a rush to capture whatever I could in my little corner of the Midwest. Continue Reading

Site Update: August/September 2018!

Posted by Matthew Durr on October 3, 2018
Posted in: Ramblings. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Something to Remember
400mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/320, 3 images stitched

Just like that, with the passing of only two months, it seems everyone is jumping on the large-sensor mirrorless camera craze these days! Nikon’s came out with their rendition of the Sony A7 via the Z6 and Z7 with a brand-new mount, Canon is testing the waters with the M50, Zeiss’ recently announced ZX1 puts Lightroom editing right in the camera, and Fuji is even trying to make their quasi-medium format cameras more affordable with the 50R.

Since I have not held any of the new cameras, nor really cared to pay attention to pre-release hands-ons or first-impressions, I cannot really give any informed opinion on the new tech. What I can mention, however, is how glad I am the “big boys” Canon and Nikon finally dove into the pool of full-frame mirrorless that Sony has diligently developed for years now. Any competition brought in from others can only benefit the consumer, and while Sony already pushes the envelope with what a given camera can do at affordable price points (ala A7III), it will be exciting to see what else the company can bring to the table to further separate themselves from the pack. Who knows, computational photography may be well around the corner! And if you don’t know what that is, rest easy, because the big camera companies still don’t seem to get it yet either. 😉

As far as personal photography goes, I still haven’t made it over to downtown Chicago yet for some photowalks (hey, it’s not my fault public transit is beyond shabby here…), though I am slowly working through getting some more test shots for my 400mm f/2.8 review. The lens is a lot easier to use on full-frame due to the larger sensor’s pixels being a bit more forgiving, so longitudinal aberrations aren’t nearly as apparent as they were on my NEX-7/a6500. As an added bonus, the wider field-of-view makes for easy Brenizer-style panoramas (seen above), offering sharp focus detail and a very flat perspective. And before any readers get a bit confused with the title photo, no, I’m not back in Japan, I just finally got around to lugging the 400mm to the Chicago Botanic Garden’s own version of a Japanese garden. I’ll give them some major props for their work here, if you sit back and ignore everyone speaking english all around, you may almost forget you’re still in the States. There will be a few more photos of this area in the 400mm review to come.

Back to a couple things American’s love, though, if anyone is in the Milwaukee area and craving some serious butter-burgers and frozen custard, you’ve got to stop by Kopp’s in Greenfield, WI. For a cool $10 you can get what may be one of the juiciest burgers you’ll ever put in your mouth, along with frozen custard that has no equal (yes, I’m talking to you, Culver’s…). As an added bonus, they have these rather odd German cows out back for decoration. Hey, whatever catches customers’ attention!

The Row
105mm, ISO 100, T8, 1/80

That’s all for this little catch-up post, guys and gals, thanks for stopping by! Though no one knows for sure what the world of mirrorless cameras will bring us now that everyone is in the game, it’s safe to say almost everyone can be happy with at least one of the many choices out there for us today. Get out there and make some photographs, and as always, have a great day!

Site Update: June/July 2018!

Posted by Matthew Durr on July 31, 2018
Posted in: Ramblings. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Framed
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/640

This summer, I have searched for some local photo-friendly spots that I can use to test out lenses and other gear. There are local parks, trails, and the like in North Chicago, but little to nothing that compares to the sprawling metropolis/park areas I saw on the daily in Japan. Some of the smaller areas and bike trails are great for getting out for an afternoon of fresh air, but they don’t offer much in the way of a bonafide picturesque and scenic location. Thankfully, I did not have to search too far to come across the excellent Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, IL. Housing 27 separate gardens and four nature areas on 385 acres of land, the “living museum” has so many great places to make some great photographs. As it should be no surprise to some of my readers, I’m very excited they house an extensive bonsai collection as well as a well-manicured Japanese-style garden (that I plan to visit on my next trip!). In a summer filled with Navy Weeks and other projects, here’s a few photos made during a day trip to help keep my photographic chops sharp.

Continue Reading

Lens Sale Alert!

Posted by Matthew Durr on May 5, 2018
Posted in: For Sale. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

UPDATE: All four lenses are now available on eBay via these links:

Rokinon 16mm f/2

Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-s

Nikon 105mm f/1.8 AI-s

Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 S-Auto

As mentioned in my last update, I’m getting ready to list a few of my old lenses I no longer need in my kit on eBay. As I like to do when I sell off old gear, I will leave this post up for about a week if any readers would like to purchase one or all of the lenses before the eBay listing goes live (email contact is A-ok!). After they are up on eBay, this post will be edited as needed. Of the four lenses, I have written a full lens review on three of them:

Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-s

Nikon 105mm f/1.8 AI-s

Rokinon 16mm f/2

Of course, my reviewing style and technique (as well as photographic skill in general) changed over the years. I’ve had the Nikon 105mm ever since I first got into photography (its review is almost six years old!), while my Rokinon 16mm is just from Fall of last year.

Regular readers to this site may not recognize the last lens in the photo, which is a very old Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f/1.4, from when Nikon labeled their lenses as Nippon Kogaku! These same readers likely also know that I take care of my photo gear over the years. I used these lenses, for sure, but never abused them.  Continue Reading

Site Update: 2017 Year-in-Review!

Posted by Matthew Durr on January 31, 2018
Posted in: General Photography. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Kandatsu Mountains
iPhone 6s Plus

What a year 2017 turned out to be! Whether it be multiple and varied photowalks early on, three brand-new lens reviews, or even a first-shot at photoshop tutorials, I had a lot of photographs and accompanying edits to go through last year. In addition, the photographic world showed no signs of slowing down as company after company released new and exciting lenses and cameras to flesh out the industry. Sony E and FE mount continues to grow, Nikon is doing as well as ever with the d850, and Canon…well…they’re just doing their own thing. As I often write about in my monthly updates, I can’t imagine we are that far off from getting a full-frame sensor inside a NEX-7/a6500-style body. The technology is almost there, and if Sony can figure out the problem of heat dissipation in such a small product then I’ll finally take the full-frame plunge.

But what about stragglers? As I looked back on some of my previous catalogues from 2017 I found some photos I wanted to share that didn’t originally make the cut in their own posts. Continue Reading

Site Update: November 2017!

Posted by Matthew Durr on December 1, 2017
Posted in: Ramblings. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Sunset On the Pond
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/2500, 6 images stitched

It looks like the days of comfortable sandal-wearing weather are just about finished for the year in Japan! With the chill, of course, comes the late and colorful Fall in the Tokyo region. I managed three great trips last year covering Kamakura, Yokohama, and the huge Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo. This year, due to factors outside my control–including a residence move and strong winds messing with a lot of the foliage–I could only get out once (and relatively late in the season). This year I gave Sankeien Garden another shot, as last year I toured around a bit too early in the season to capture any fall colors. A few photos from that day will likely make it into my end-of-year recap from other photo outings that didn’t make it into their own post. Until then, stay tuned!

Review-wise, I got my personally-anticipated Laowa 15mm f/2 review up and running earlier this month. The lens performs great, though it doesn’t quite measure up to its price point on APS-c. Much cheaper lenses like the newly-released Sigma 16mm f/1.4 will likely outperform it. When I happen upon a full-frame camera that suits my photography needs, though, the Laowa will surely shine. In the meantime, I am enjoying the increased corner sharpness thanks to the lack of field curvature. It’s just a matter of time before my trusty Rokinon 16mm f/2 goes up on eBay, and when it does, you all will be the first to know! Apart from that, I would love to review a couple more lenses from my kit before moving on to other new optics (my 400mm f/2.8 is begging for a review…if only I could lug it around with me more!).

Looking over other photography news in November, Panasonic announced what looks to be a challenge to Sony’s A9 in the form of their own G9. Honestly I’m not sure what the point is in spending so much on a small-sensor camera like that (diminishing returns have to kick in at a certain point), but I still hope it performs well and adds to the competition. Lens-wise, Leica decided to up their ultra-high priced (and usually very-high performing) game and announced the Noctilux 75mm f/1.25 ASPH. At $13,000, this crazy lens makes even high-quality medium-format lenses look cheap by comparison. Besides, if I was a collector, I’d go for a triple-lens set for even less, like the 100th Anniversary Nikon Kit for a much more “affordable” $8,000 (chump change, really!).

That about wraps up November’s update, guys and gals! I’ve got big plans to hit the ski slopes heavy this winter with camera in tow, and may even make a journey to the northern island of Hokkaido to check out some real heavy snowscapes in mid-winter. Much of this is up in the air as I eventually transition back to the States, but regardless of what gets thrown my way, I’ll try to always have my camera handy. As always, have a great day, and thanks for dropping by!

Site Update: September 2017!

Posted by Matthew Durr on September 30, 2017
Posted in: Ramblings. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Cosmo Clock Sunset
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/25, 3 images stitched

Every year when September rolls around, I have little to complain about. The weather starts cooling off from the oppressive heat of the summer, oceans are still warm to explore in, and various flora are still alive and kicking to add some greenery to photographs.

In spite of some great weather and photographic opportunity, however, September is also one of the busiest months of the year at work. In addition to last-minute preparation for Navy advancement exams, this marks the second year I’ve participated in Yokosuka’s annual “American Sound in Yokosuka” concert, as well as two other “Hojinkai” jazz concerts in Miura and Kawasaki. In fact, the weekend I’m posting this website update is one of the few times I have had a couple consecutive days off this month!

Day job aside, I’m still working on writing my Laowa 15mm f/2 review, and have already made all the necessary product and technical test shots. All that’s left now is to go out once or twice more to get more real world photographs! On my first outing with the lens, I returned to a sunny Yokohama and walked around the whole day to see what I could find. By sunset on Osanbashi Pier I captured the ever-colorful Cosmo Clock with my other trusty Laowa, the 105mm f/2 STF. Due to my attempt at a quick turnaround in reviewing the lens (by comparison, my recent review of the Rokinon 16mm f/2 has select photographs from three years of shooting), I’m hoping I can still run the lens properly through its paces. First impressions, however? It’s a fine wide-angle with few faults!

Otherwise, in the wide world of photography, there isn’t a whole lot to report back on. The awesome Nikon D850 has launched and is starting to become widely available, while Sony launched the RX10MkIV, another evolutionary upgrade to its great bridge camera line. The rumor mill is still stirring for Sony’s next “pro” camera, as the A7 (as well as the A7s/A7r) is well overdue for an update. Meanwhile, I’m still just sitting over here hoping for a full-frame a9000 in the NEX rangefinder-style body. Honestly, it’s just a matter of time. 🙂

That’s all for this September update, guys and gals, thanks for dropping by! If all goes well I’ll have a couple days the next two weeks to take the Laowa 15mm f/2 out again to try and get some sample photos to do this compact optic justice. Until then, thanks for dropping by, and as always, have a great day!