Petzval – Up Close And Personal

Z6…

27th Dec 201928th Dec 2019 awendesLeave a comment

….or how I learned to stop worrying and love mirrorless, full-frame cameras.

A Kniphofia, found on a dog walk. Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 S

So, I’ve been using my Nikon Z6 for a couple of months now and it’s a fun camera to use. It’s also quiet, and has an even quieter silent mode if you need it. You can even use your DX lenses with it, you just need the FTZ adapter and need to be happy with your full-frame sensor acting as a crop sensor.

What I believe to be a buddleja, surrounded by succulents. Petzval 55mm MKII

That said, even the 24-70mm f/4 S kit lense is nice, with crisp focus and not bad bokeh. As I’ve been posting of late, I’ve been using the Petzval 55 MKII lense quite a lot, at the expense of the kit lense. But no more. I’m using them both now and enjoying them equally.

Lots of little black berries. Petzval 55mm MKII

As for the performance of the camera itself, the extra megapixels are nice and the camera itself is easy to use. I do occasionally change a setting without realizing it, or changing it and then not knowing how to change it back! This is however solved by a trip to the hefty manual.

As always, I will keep experimenting with this camera and I’ll start using the FTZ adapter with my currently abandoned lensbaby optics!

Captures of the… somewhen.

10th Dec 2019 awendesLeave a comment

So, these are just a few of the shots I’ve taken of late. All taken with the Petzval 55 f/1.7 MKII.

The eye of our dog, taken with the Petzval 55 and extension tubes. Lots of crisp detail for f/2.

Up Close and Petzval-y

3rd Dec 2019 awendesLeave a comment

So, I said previously that I’d experiment with using extension tubes with the Petzval 55 MK II lense. I was slightly disappointed to find that the swirling bokeh associated with this lense is mostly lost in macro. That said, the bokeh itself is so soft and silky, irrespective of swirl and that it’s a joy to use. Even shooting at f/1.7, in macro, there’s a nice crispness to the areas that are in focus.

While it may not always be my first stop for macro work, it’ll definitely be in my arsenal for the future!

A succulent, my first experiment with extension tubes on the Petzval lense

A slightly more abstract shot of my Haworthia, again with spider webs on it.

d20. Taken for macro Monday on flickr, for the theme of red.

Petzval, Petzval and more Petzval

24th Nov 2019 awendesLeave a comment

So, I’m really loving this Petzval lense. The more I use it, the more I get a feel for it. It’s barely left my camera. Just a few more shots from the past few days. I’ll be looking to try the lense with some extension tubes in the next day or two, to see how it performs.

My wife and our spaniel. I was really enamoured of the bokeh I got on the sweeping tree branches.

I liked the way this leaf stood out against the background and the petzval lense gave it some extra interest with the swirlyness.

I wasn’t sure if I liked this image to start off with, but it has grown on me. The focus is in just the right place, I think.

A Peony that’s died back. Again, loving the bokeh.

Getting a bit Petzval

20th Nov 2019 awendesLeave a comment

So I spent out on a new lense, the Petzval 55mm f/1.7 MK II from lomogrpahy. I have to say, it’s a beautiful lense, which gives interesting, swirling bokeh effects and is a nice prime lense too. The way it renders colours is interesting, giving a distinct look. You can turn the bokeh effect down, but why you’d do this I don’t know!

Here are a few shots I’ve captured with it over the past few days.