ABOUT

Focusing on Photography
Hi Folks - isn't Photography Fun?

I started taking pictures with a SLR when I was 12 years old.

My grandma smuggled a whole photo lab across the Eastern German boarder (Yes, from East to West!), it was way more affordable that way – THEY HAD THE GOOD STUFF THERE: IHAGEE Practica Dresden, Zeiss Ikon, Leitz Wetzlar, all for a fraction of the prices in West Germany!
From then on I developed and enlarged all my pictures myself. I won a prize locally at the age of 13, later other interest had a stronger impact on me, like motorbikes, girls etc.. You know how it goes….

In the seventies and eighties my jobs took me to many nice places in the world, and my 2 Nikons had been steady companions. You know – taking pictures, you get them back from the lab, put them in a drawer in the desk with best intentions to sort them “when I have time.. in a photo album” – where they are until now - in the drawer. I did not take pictures for years, and then there were times I was so interested in things that I took photos for weeks, day after day!

In 2000 I bought a Digital OLYMPUS RS100; after the first trials I was so exited with the possibilities of Digital Photography that I sold my 35mm Nikons.
I purchased a Nikon Coolpix 5400 with a Wide Angle lens Converter a year later after I detected that not one of the digital consumer cameras had a decent wide angle lens.
I also got a little Pentax Optio as a small every day companion, which is now replaced by the only wide angle capable consumer camera, the dual lens Kodak V 570.
Now, after experiencing these cameras, I sold this equipment and decided for a Digital Prosumer Samsung pro815 (8MP, 28-420mm equivalent) and a MINOLTA Maxxum (Dynax in Europe) 5D – the first DSLR with Image Stabilizer, where I used a Sigma 10-20mm and a TAMRON 200-400mm. This way I covered 15-600mm Zoom range with only 2 cameras and 2 lenses. I sold as well the 5D as the Samsung and shoot right now with two SONYan alpha 100 – the successor of the MINOLTA 5D- and an A350, which also work – with the right adapters – to test MINOLTA MD and TAMRON Adaptall-2 lenses for SONY alpha and Olympus 4:3 cameras which we also offer for sale.
I added an OLYMPUS E 510 and am quite pleased with the 4/3rds System. I can see a great opportunity for the Micro 4/3rds, the Panasonic G1 is already an exiting camera.

I am a huge fan of MINOLTA cameras and Lenses and just went back recently to reactivate one of my favorite XKs, after I realized that my photographic skills were going downhill by just relying too much upon “Automatic “, Settings.

Also I detected amazing opportunities using TAMRON lenses & the Adaptall-2 System.
This system allowed the use of some High Quality lenses on all significant SLRs and should have gotten more attention in the 35mm SLR age! One lens could be attached to all 35mm SLRs with different Adaptall-2 Adapters.
Unfortunately, the two main players defeat anything that is equal or even better than their overpriced lenses to death - what recently happened to MINOLTA!

I started my experience with TAMRON & MINOLTA DSLR (5D) testing a TAMRON AF 200-400mm f/5.6 LD and the image stabilization on a 5D shooting bees free hand from a distance of 8 meters in a blossoming cherry tree.
The results were STUNNING for both parts of the equipment - flying bees came out almost like with a Macro lens, 10x cropped!
I am now working on a system to have TAMRON Adaptall lenses and MINOLTA MF lenses revived for DSLR, focusing on
1. Sony alpha
2. Olympus e-330, E510 and E-3 and everything that emerges like the new E30
3. Pentax K10D (2008)
I came across amazing possibilities while reactivating my 30 year old professional MINOLTA XK system.
In the photographic area I (try to) maintain the websites:
www.Photo-Shows.com
A Picture tells more than a 1000 words -
A Photo-Show tells you the entire Story...
www.aPICTUREisWORTHa1000WORDS.com
Unfortunately, there seems never enough time to maintain these sites, so have a look at the beta…..
Recently I retired from all my business ventures and founded www.alphalenses.com together with two other businessmen and a professional photographer to let you participate in the results of our experience and get the best possible equipment for the most reasonable price!

www.alphalenses.com offers original MINOLTA MaXXum AF lenses and shows how to use MINOLTA MF lenses and TAMRON Adaptall-2 lenses with appropriate adapters on SONY alpha and OLYMPUS 4/3 System.

HERE SOME EXAMPLES FROM MY OWN LENS/Camera OUTFIT:

1. A 35$ MINOLTA MF (MC / MD) 55mm 1.4 works as:

1. 55mm f/1.4 “Normal” Prime Lens on any MINOLTA MF (35mm MF Back UP camera)
2. 110mm f/2.8 on MINOLTA 35mm AF (Maxxum – 9) with the MINOLTA M/A MF->AF adapter, which is also a high quality 2x converter (original, very rare) (35mm AF Back UP camera)
3. 165mm f/2.8 on the SONY alpha with the MF->AF adapter, and last not least
4. an extremely good 1.4 110mm Portrait Lens for the OLYMPUS 4/3 System - with the right adapter!
Cost: Lens + Adapter: 75.00-125.00 US$ -
Compared to: 800.00-1,100.00 for a used MINOLTA AF 85mm f/1.4; or 1,299.00US$ for a new SONY alpha Zeiss Ikon lens.

B) A 225$ MINOLTA MF (MC / MD) 135mm 2.0 works as:

1. 135mm f/2.0 Tele Prime Lens on any MINOLTA MF (35mm MF Back UP camera)
2. 270mm f/4 on MINOLTA 35mm AF (MaXXum – 9) with the MINOLTA M/A MF->AF adapter, which is also a high quality 2x converter (original, very rare) (35mm AF Back UP camera)
3. 400mm f/4 on the SONY alpha with the MINOLTA M/A MF->AF adapter, and last not least
4. an extraordinary (Indoor Sports, Theatre, Fashion Shows) 2.0 270mm Tele Lens for the OLYMPUS 4/3 System - with the right adapter!
Cost: Lens + adapter: 200.00-325.00 US$ -
Compared to: 1399 US$ for a new SONY alpha Zeiss Ikon lens.

C) Macro
With the TAMRON 90mm/2.8 on the OLYMPUS 4/3 System e-330 I get the perfect Macro Setup with the flip down live view screen and 180mm 1:1 f2.8; the whole rig with the high quality TAMRON shouldn’t cost more than 600 $, or 240 - 300$ just for the lens and the adapter! Priceless!

D) A 250$ MINOLTA -Tokina 80-200mm f/2.8 MF works as:

1. 80-200mm f/2.8 Tele Zoom Lens on any MINOLTA MF (35mm MF Back UP camera)
2. 160-400mm f/5.6 on MINOLTA 35mm AF (MaXXum – 9) with the MINOLTA M/A MF->AF adapter, which is also a high quality 2x converter (original, very rare) (35mm AF Back UP camera)
3. 240-600mm f/5.6 on the SONY alpha with the MINOLTA M/A MF->AF adapter, and last not least
4. An extraordinary (Indoor Sports, Theatre, Fashion Shows) 2.8 160-400mm Tele Lens for the OLYMPUS 4/3 System - with the right adapter! (You should use an E-510 or E-3 with IS!)
5. f/4 225-560mm Tele Lens for the OLYMPUS 4/3 System, with a TAMRON SP or other quality 1.4x Teleconverter
6. f/5.6 320-800mm Tele Lens for the OLYMPUS 4/3 System, with a TAMRON SP or other quality 2x Teleconverter
Cost: Lens + adapter: 300.00-375.00 US$ -
Compared to: 2399 US$ for a new SONY alpha Zeiss Ikon lens.

E) A 650$ TAMRON 300mm 2.8 B60 300mm 2.8 works as:
1. 300mm f/2.8 Tele Prime Lens on any MINOLTA MF (35mm MF Back UP camera) – TAMRON MF Adapter required
2. 300mm f/2.8 on MINOLTA 35mm AF (MaXXum – 9) with the TAMRON AF Adapter (35mm AF Back UP camera, here in Mf mode)
3. 600mm f/5.6 on MINOLTA 35mm AF (MaXXum – 9) with the MINOLTA M/A MF->AF adapter, which is also a high quality 2x converter (original, very rare) + TAMRON MF Adapter required (35mm AF Back UP camera)
4. 450mm f/2.8 on the SONY alpha with the TAMRON AF Adapter
5. 900mm f/5.6 on the SONY alpha with the MINOLTA M/A MF->AF adapter, + TAMRON MF Adapter required and last not least
6. an extraordinary (Indoor Sports, Wildlife) 2.8 600mm Prime Tele Lens for the OLYMPUS 4/3 System - with the right adapter! MINOLTA MF/AD-2 to Olympus 4/3 Adapter required
7. f/4 840mm Tele Lens for the OLYMPUS 4/3 System, with a TAMRON SP 1.4x Teleconverter MINOLTA MF/AD-2 to Olympus 4/3 Adapter + TAMRON SP 1.4x Teleconverter required
8. f/5.6 1200mm Tele Lens for the OLYMPUS 4/3 System, with a TAMRON SP 2x Teleconverter MINOLTA MF/AD-2 to Olympus 4/3 Adapter + TAMRON SP 2x Teleconverter required
Cost: Lens + adapter: 700.00-900.00 US$ - A good used TAMRON 300mm f/2.8 is available best buy from 650.00 US on eBay, compared to 5999.00 for Sony and equivalent OLYMPUS 4/3 lens!

Lens Adapters available & recommended:
• Original MINOLTA M/A converter-adapter 2x -> adapts EVERY MC or MD mount lens to a MINOLTA AF camera (5000/7000/9000, 5,7,9; 5D and 7D, Sony alpha 100 and 700 (75–150.00 US$), also a HIGH END 2x Teleconverter!
• TAMRON ADAPTALL-2 to MINOLTA MF ( ~ 15-20US$)
• TAMRON ADAPTALL-2 to MINOLTA AF ( ~ 65-120US$)
• MINOLTA MF to Olympus 4/3 System ( ~ 55 – 125US$)
DO NOT BUY MINOLTA FIT MF/AF ADAPTERS WHICH PRETEND THEY HAVE NO MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS TO INFINITY. THEY CONTAIN CHEAP GLASS THAT DOES NOT MATCH THE GLASS OF YOUR LENS, OR THEY ARE UNABLE TO FOCUS TO INFINITY. YOU’RE BETTER OFF TO SPEND THIS MONEY FOR A NICE DINNER!

Lens Converters available & recommended:
Rule#1: STAY AWAY FROM CONVERTERS. ;-)
Rule#2: Use only FAAAST Glass! f/2.8 recommended, f/4 acceptable! Please consider:
While a 1.4 x converter converts a 300mm Tele to a 420mm Tele lens, the speed decreases by 1 stop, i.e. a “common” 300 f/5.6 becomes a 420 f/8! While a 2 x converter converts a 300mm Tele to a 600mm Tele lens, the speed decreases by 2 stops, i.e. a “common” 300 f/5.6 becomes a not acceptable 600 f/11!
Rule#3: Buy only highest quality converters!
Rule#4: Limit the converters to 1.4-1.5x + 2x. A 3x converter “sounds” good, but does not make sense.

• TAMRON SP Converter Adaptall-2 1.4x and 2x (~ US$ 50-70)
• MINOLTA M/A converter (~US$ 75-150) also the best available rare MINOLTA original lens adapter for MF lens generation to SONY alpha 100/700 and Minolta 5D/7D 5/7/9 5000/7000/9000 While I am generally NO friend of converters, a recent result blew me away: I did a lens test of a MF Rokkor 200mm f/4 with the M/A adapter on a Sony A100. My test object is the (Old metal structure) bridge 4 miles across the lake where I live. The 25 year old 200mm f/4 turned out to be SHARPER than the legendary Beercan under the same conditions!
• TAMRON MINOLTA AF 1.4 and 2x Converters ( ~ US$ 50-90)
• Komura Telemore 95 II – 7 elements for XD MINOLTA MF ( US$ 40-110)
Of course a generic Minolta AF (US$ 200+) or MF HQ Teleconverter or the TAMRON Pro Series is (marginally) better, but considering how often you use these converters you might just save that extra money!

Macro Adapters/Converters available & recommended:
• MINOLTA fit MF/AF adapters without lens for MACRO use ONLY -even with a macro focusing teleconverter (~ 25US$)
• Vivitar Macro Focusing Teleconverter MF ( ~ 45-110US$)
• Reverse Macro Adapter AF – available in 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, you simply attach the adapter to the camera and screw the lens with the filter ring on the adapter – gives extreme magnification!(12-15US$)
• Please note that TAMRON continuous focusing telephoto macro zoom lenses are favorable, because they just go into macro mode, and you do not have to push a button to activate Macro!

Using a lens with manual focus on an Autofocus DSLR
1. You have to tell your camera through the menu that a lens is attached which does not electronically correspond with the camera. In the case of the SONY alpha you go to the (Flower Symbol) *2 and choose ”Shutter lock” OFF no lens.
2. You set the right top dial to “A (aperture priority).
3. You set the aperture to the preferred speed (i.e. 2.8 for Portrait, flowers (bokeh), 8 for max sharpness, 4 – 5.6 to get a fast shutter speed and enough depth of field for sports)
4. You focus on the object, preferably with open aperture
5. You set the lens aperture to the preselect camera setting
6. You shoot and shoot and shoot…. just as usual, having one hand at the focus ring and just slightly correct the focus if needed.

That might sound complicated, but actually this method has some advantages over the AF setting:
• You control the aperture
• You focus exactly where YOU want the camera to focus – and not where the camera thinks it has to focus.
• In Portrait mode you really take the time to play with the DOF
• In Macro mode you focus manual anyway
• Shooting sports or wildlife: You avoid a hunting AF
You most likely missed already a couple of good bird and wildlife shots, because your system was not able to lock AF at a moving animal, sports car or player – in such cases I even switch an AF lens into manual to be certain I get that shot I waited for so desperately!
You also might have experienced situations where the AF focused not at the object (animal or player), just a bit on the side, very important with that shallow DOF using a long wide open Tele lens.

Stay posted, more will follow!
On the photographic part, I am starting http://www.Artofdigitalimaging.com, to make it a site for amateur (now they are called ‘enthusiast’ fellow photographers.
…loooong way to go!

Back to the Classroom with my 30 year old XK