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The Half-Frame Format: Olympus E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5~5.6 EZ

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Photo of the Day

The Half-Frame Format: Olympus E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5~5.6 EZ

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The Half-Frame Format, 3:4 Image Aspect Ratio

The Half-Frame Format: As with the new Pentax 17 half-frame film camera, taking the challenge of the half-frame format on digital is just as creative.

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The half-frame format, which is making a comeback with the resurging interest in film photography and the launch of the Pentax 17 35mm half-frame film camera, is an interesting and creative format to work with. The format, also known as the portrait format, measures 3 units in width against 4 units in height (3:4) and became popular when Olympus PEN half-frame film cameras began to be sold in 1959. On film, the image frame is 18x24mm, half the size of the standard 35mm film frame, which is 24x36mm. This cost-effective design fits 72 images on a standard 36-frame film roll.

The frame is equally adaptable to the digital genre where later model digital cameras are already fitted with this image frame setting feature, and on mobiles, where the format is almost the standard for sharing photos on social media platforms. For the casual user, the format which is nearly a square with an elongated height, might be a challenge as it does not conform to the standard width and height of the 3:2 image aspect. Image composition might take a new meaning and adaptability of subject matters might also be a concern.

The strongest suit for the 3:4 image aspect is for portraiture, and subjects with strong vertical orientations, such as tall buildings in the urban scape, waterfalls, and vertical landscape features. The format, however, is just as well adaptable for still-life, close-ups, or everyday general shots where image cropping is kept tight. The format is also favored for large art prints and vertical wildlife images.

Olympus E-PM2, M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5~5.6 EZ

Emulated on the half-frame format here are images shot with an Olympus PEN E-PM2, a mirrorless digital with the smallest footprint when it was launched in 2012, mounted with an M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5~5.6 EZ lens. With the lens focal length set to 19mm (equivalent to 38mm on the full frame), image framing should be almost identical to the Pentax 17. Colors and image characteristics are, of course, from two different worlds.

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Photo of the Day

Panoramas: Minolta P's

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Photo of the Day

Panoramas: Minolta P's

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Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

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Photo of the Day

Panoramas: Minolta P's

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Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

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Photo of the Day

Panoramas: Minolta P's

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Minolta P's, A 35mm Panorama Film Camera

Panoramas: Film photography favorites, sights, and scenes with the Minolta P's, a 35mm point-and-shoot film camera with a 24mm wide-angle lens.

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The Minolta P's (Minolta Riva Panorama / Freedom Vista) is a lightweight, compact 35mm autofocus point-and-shoot film camera with an auto flash and crop frame panorama feature. The camera, a cult classic introduced by Minolta in 1991, comes with fixed blinds that trim the top and bottom of the normal 3:2 image aspect ratio of standard 35mm film images to 2.7:1.

Tech specs include 5 elements in 5 groups 24mm 1:4.5 lens, infrared autofocus with a range from 0.9 meters to infinity, programmed autoexposure, a shutter speed range from 1/4 to 1/200 second when flash is deactivated, ISO 100 or ISO 400 DX-coded film rolls, and automatic film loading and rewind. The camera is powered by a CR132A 3-volt Lithium battery, which is good for up to 25 rolls of 24-exposure film with 50% flash use.

Minolta P's

Loading the film is fairly straightforward - open the film back, drop in the film canister, pull the film tab across to the red line across the film box, and close the back. Using it is equally easy and fun, slide the lens cover open, frame the image, and half-press the shutter button for the green diode to light up before releasing the shutter fully. The camera flash will fire automatically to compensate for low-light conditions, and the shutter will remain locked while the flash charges.

To capture images without flash, press and hold the press cancel button located to the left of the camera's top while taking the shot. Low battery is indicated when the flash takes more than 20 seconds to charge, the shutter will not release, or the film rewind stops before the operation is completed. A tripod socket is available on the bottom plane of the camera. The camera weighs 170 grams without battery and is slim enough to fit in your pants pocket.

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Photo of the Day

At long last, my first success with a 'moon shot,' tonight,

Sony DSLR-A350, Minolta AF APO Tele-Zoom 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6

(handheld, 300mm, cropped, ISO 100, f8, 1/160 second)

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Photo of the Day

The CCD Resurgence: Sony DSLR-A350, Minolta AF APO Tele-Zoom 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6

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Photo of the Day

The CCD Resurgence: Sony DSLR-A350, Minolta AF APO Tele-Zoom 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6

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Photo of the Day

The CCD Resurgence: Sony DSLR-A350, Minolta AF APO Tele-Zoom 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6

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Photo of the Day

The CCD Resurgence: Sony DSLR-A350, Minolta AF APO Tele-Zoom 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6

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Sony DSLR-A350, Minolta AF APO Tele-Zoom 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6

The CCD Resurgence: Early images with a compact and lightweight Minolta AF APO Tele-Zoom 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6 mounted on a 14.2MP CCD Sony DSLR-A350

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First impression test of the Minolta AF APO Tele-Zoom 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6, a bargain A-mount tele-zoom (compatible with all Sony A-mount SLR camera bodies) introduced by Minolta in 2000. Seen as a fair price offer on the auction listings, the AF 100-300mm lens is a lightweight and compact 3X telephoto zoom lens with a circular aperture and two AD (Anomalous-Dispersion) glass elements to correct chromatic aberrations. The front lens element does not rotate during autofocus, and the lens has a focus-hold button and focus-range limiter for reduced focusing time and improved operation.

The lens is very well built, with 11 elements in 10 groups, 9 aperture blades, a smooth black satin finish externally, a nibble of wobble with the zoom fully extended, a metal mount, weighs 435 grams on my kitchen scale, and takes 55mm filters up front. Zoom and focus operate smoothly, manual focusing is a bit (plastic) 'dry'. The front element housing, and the hood (if it still needs to be fixed) are plastic. Images are impressive and inspiring, with the mention of having 'Minolta Color' qualities, sharp even at its widest, and excellent form f8 on.

Sony DSLR-A350, Minolta AF APO Tele-Zoom 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6

On the Sony A-350, the Minolta AF APO 100-300mm 1:4.5~5.6 is equivalent to a 150-450mm long tele zoom, which is more often the realm of sports and nature photographers. Too bad I am neither of both. What matters most is that the lens is a well-built lightweight, a potential favorite, and even when combined with the camera itself, is still a price breaker. I do not think that I will have any qualms about lugging the camera/lens combo around for the next street shoot and beyond sessions.

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Digital Moments: Canon EOS 300D, Pentacon Auto MC 50mm 1:1.8

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Digital Moments: Canon EOS 300D, Pentacon Auto MC 50mm 1:1.8

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The CCD Resurgence: Pentax Optio W90

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The CCD Resurgence: Pentax Optio W90

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Canon EOS 300D, Pentacon Auto MC 50mm 1:1.8

Digital Moments: First impression images with the Pentacon Auto MC 50mm 1:1.8, for its delightful and pleasant colors, and bokeh characteristics.

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The well-made 6 elements in 4 groups Pentacon Auto MC 50mm 1:1,8, said to be a direct descendant of the equally acknowledged Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm 1:1.8, is a compact full-frame lens with an unusually close focus distance of 33 centimeters. The lens has a slightly rounded 6-blade diaphragm, measures 60mm in diameter, and 38mm in length, weighs 194 grams, and takes 49mm filters. This lens is also well known for its 'soap bubble' characteristics, with strong and sometimes harsh outlines, and seen as swirls on others. the lens has also enjoyed its moment as a 'cult classic', appreciated for the bokeh effect and its very delightful and pleasant colors as seen on both film and digital.

Though optically identical, but with no multi-coating of the older versions, the lens was seen with four iterations over its production run, with the oldest version having silver stripes on the aperture ring branded either “electric” or “auto”. This was followed by the second version which has no stripes on the aperture ring but has two silver rings at the front of the lens. The third version has one silver ring at the front, and the focus ring of the third version has a spiked profile. The last version is all black. A late version with a PB mount is also available. The lens enjoys a Sharpness rating of 9, Aberrations at 8.3, Bokeh at 10.0, Handling at 8.7, and Value at 10 on PentaxForums.

Canon EOS 300D, Pentacon Auto MC 50mm 1:1.8

These first impression images with the Pentacon Auto MC 50mm 1:1.8 are shot with the lens mounted on a Canon EOS 300D. Both camera and lens are vintages, of course, with the M42 mount Pentacon produced from 1971 to 1978 from the factory outside of Dresden, in Germany, while the Canon EOS 300D (EOS Digital Rebel in the US, EOS Kiss Digital in Japan, and also sold as the DS6041) was the first entry-level digital SLR camera introduced by Canon, Japan in 2003. The camera is fitted with a 6.3MP APS-C-sized CMOS sensor.

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