Photo 150 - Phil Wood

wow - so you walked/ran into the car park shot part way through the exposure?
I like it, however you did it (even if the technique is never revealed!)

Ill like to give this selfie long exposure a go

I tried it yesterday in broad daylight, but with no filter the slowest shutter speed I could manage at iso 50 and f22 was about 1 sec. So working the timing was not on!

I was actually trying the smooth reflection app to get cloud movement in a street view. Given that the camera was set to take 16 exposures and merge them to one, I should have used that and floated through the frame, <doh!>. Another day perhaps.

Week 4 - Theme 1 - Lens Extravaganza.

Week 4 and it's the 70-210mm f3.5-4.5 - the fourth of Minolta's 1988 offerings, in my opinion the pick of the five, but only second best by Dyxum rating.

This is a lens that suffers enormously from comparison with its predecessor - the legendary 'beercan' 70-210mm f4. It simply isn't as good, it doesn't feel as good, it doesn't seem like it will last as well (though my copy has survived the last 30 years pretty well) and it just doesn't take quite so good pictures. It's redeeming features in my book are that it is lighter and fits into one of the Lowepro belt pouches I like to carry spare lenses in.

Although it isn't as good as the beercan, it isn't at all bad, for the first time in the Project 150 I feel happy using the Lens Extravaganza choice for the Landscape theme as well.


Castle (about 150-200m away).

Sony A99ii + Minolta AF 70-210mm f3.5-4.5 @ 200mm. ISO 100, f9 1/200s

Edited by Phil Wood - 29 January 2021 at 16:18

Nice photos with that "new" 70-210, not the same smoother/painterly rendering you get from a beercan but still nice. The second one could be a fine pencil drawing.

Week 4 - Theme 3 - Try Something Creative.

Another angle on last week's shot. Single exposure, no PP blending.

Happy in my own company.

Sony A99ii + Minolta AF 24mm f2.8 ISO 100, f10, 10s.

Week 5 - Theme 1 - Lens Extravaganza.

The fifth and last of Minolta's 1988 offerings, like that year's 70-210 the 35-105 was a replacement for a 1985 lens of the same range. In this case the aperture range is also the same as the 1985 model - hence the addition of an N (presumably for New) to its model designation. Like the 70-210 the original 35-105 has a significantly higher reputation than its replacement; but I'm not so convinced. The problem is that the two lenses have differing strengths and weaknesses. The original is a case study in distortion from pincushion to barrel, but is seriously sharp for its time; the replacement is not quite as sharp, but the distortion issue is massively reduced. It is also lighter and more compact and has, to my taste, better colour.

In 1988 this was the top of the range kit lens to partner the 8000i (even into space as part of the special edition 'Mir' white kit). Nevertheless, my past experience led me to have few expectations. In fact, I am surprised by how much I like the images I took today. All in all its an okay lens - and dirt cheap (mine was £18). The range is not so great on APS and, if you have a full-frame A mount digital your camera deserves better. But, if you're still using an 8000i, this is not a terrible choice.

Market Place in lockdown - vignetting is obvious, but you don't get straight lines like this from the 1985 model.

Sony A99ii + Minolta AF 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 N @ 35mm. ISO 400, f4 1/250s