Tag: Camera

Nikon Zf – What an autofocus

Two ladies going shopping in Genoas Centro Storico - an opportunity for me to try the Autofocus of the Nikon ZF
1/8000 sec | f/2 | ISO 6400 | 40mm

Ok – this is not the prettiest of street photographs. But it shows a couple of things from putting my new baby, the Nikon Zf, through some initial tests on the streets of Genoa. The 24.5-megapixel full-frame BSI CMOS sensor combined with the EXPEED 7 image processor produces awesome results, delivering beautifully rendered images with a high dynamic range.

The autofocus of the Nikon Zf is a true champion

But what an autofocus the Zf has. It was already getting dark in the alleys of Genoa’s Old Town. I dialed in ISO 6400 (which produces absolutely usable images with little noise) and the max aperture of f/2 to shoot wide open. This resulted in a shutter speed of 1/8000 sec, enough to freeze any action.

I dialed in wide-area autofocus with eye/face detection. It totally amazed me how easily the camera picked out the faces of oncoming people and nailed the focus on their eyes. I walked towards the also quite fast walking oncoming ladies and pressed the shutter. E voilà, a sharp image. The Leica SL2-S could never ever have done this.

I took this street photograph with my Nikon Zf and the Nikkor Z 40mm 1:2 SE. It is a jpg out of the camera using the Zf’s default black & white mode. I could quick-select this mode by turning a dial on top of the camera. This is another awesome feature of this amazing camera. Stay tuned for more feature reviews as I continue to discover and learn my new camera.

So far, I can only rave about the Zf and say that I’m truly glad I replaced the Leica SL2-S with the Nikon. I’m also amazed at how superior the Nikon is compared to the much more expensive “high-end” Leica. Especially, the autofocus simply blows the SL2-S away. I have found my perfect street photography camera.

If you are looking for tips and inspiration around street photography, check out my free Learning Center.

Have a great Friday!

Marcus

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Nikon Zf – A Retro Beauty with Modern Power

Nikon Zf – A Retro Beauty with Modern Power
My New Baby | Nuremberg | 2025

After my tumultuous journey with the Leica SL2-S, marked by repeated hardware failures and frustrating customer service experiences, I had decided to move on. Prerequisite was to get another full frame camera, as the larger sensors ensure better low light capabilities, greater dynamic range and more depth-of-field-separation (bokeh) when shooting wide open. And I was looking for a camera that is (like the Leica from its design and haptics doubtless also was) a joy to pick up and makes me want to go out and shoot. Only reliable.

Going through all the current full frame models on the market, I quickly set my eyes on a particular model. The brand I knew well from my early DSLR shooting days. These cameras never failed me and were reliable work horses. I knew I needed to look no further. There was a camera I instantly fell in love with. Enter the Nikon Zf – a retro beauty with modern power….and my new baby since a couple of weeks now….

Continue reading “Nikon Zf – A Retro Beauty with Modern Power” →
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Travel Haiku

Yashica Electro 35 GTN

With lens in my hand,
I capture sights new and strange,
Memories to keep.

It’s finally Friday. And I just had to write this little travel Haiku. As tomorrow, The Significant Other and I take to the skies to fly to Spain for a week. Time to leave the never ending German winter behind for a week. The weather forecast is awesome. Camera ready, batteries charged. The Streets of Nuremberg will pay a visit to their counterparts in beautiful Seville. The captured memories will be shared on this pages.

Have a great Friday

Marcus

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OM-D E-M1X High Res Shot

Nuremberg Old Town and Pegnitz River
Riverside | Nuremberg | 2019

One of the great features of my new Olympus OM-D E-M1X is the ability to use sensor shift technology to increase the image resolution by combining multiple shots. This function is called High Resolution Photo (also referred to as High Res Shot or HRS). The camera takes 8 (in handheld mode 16) consecutive images and moves the sensor by half a pixel between each shot. The 8 pictures are then composited to create the final output. The resolution is 80MP for RAW and 50MP for JPG (when using a tripod) or 50MP for both RAW and JPG when shooting handheld.

Continue reading “OM-D E-M1X High Res Shot” →
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It has been twenty years …

img_7576

It was in the last millennium when I last loaded an analogue film into a SLR. Twenty years ago I bought my first digital camera. Since then I never shot another film photograph. But this is about to change.  Today I bought my very first roll of film in twenty years. And I’m looking very much forward to insert it into this 1970 SLR and take it onto the Streets of Nuremberg for some retro – decelerated photography. Stay tuned for the results.

If you are looking for tips and inspirations around photography, check out my free Learning Center.

Wish you a great Wednesday!

Marcus

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Camera History – Konica Autoreflex T2

Konica Autoreflex T2

The Konica Autoreflex T, launched in 1968, was the first camera with fully automatic exposure control through the lens (TTL). Both features, in their own right, already existed before: the fully automatic exposure control with built-in light meter on the Konica Auto-Reflex, the exposure metering through the lens on the Topcon RE Super / Super D and the Spotmatic series from Pentax. But the combination of both was new. Back then, fully automatic exposure control was a very advanced feature of SLR cameras, other manufacturers were still unable to offer this option a decade later, and until the end of the 1970s fully automatic exposure control was not a matter of course.

For more about this iconic camera and a visual journey around it continue after the jump…. Continue reading “Camera History – Konica Autoreflex T2” →

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Gear & Camera Settings for Street Photography

I often get asked what gear and camera settings I use when venturing out to shoot on the streets. What works for me is less gear and very basic camera settings.

Let’s talk about the gear first. I switched from my Nikon setup to Micro Four Thirds because I was tired carrying around a big backpack with 5 kilos and more of camera equipment but without compromising image quality. Another benefit from using m4/3 gear is that when you carry a big Nikon with a big lense attached (and even Nikon prime lenses are huge pieces of glass) you always get attention, you are automatically regarded as a serious photographer, with all the negativ implications  and restrictions many photographers encounter today when roaming the streets. Now with a m4/3 camera that is much smaller and a small prime lense attached you generate much less attention, blend more in, and that is generally what you are looking for as a street photographer. People tend to much less notice you and when they do, they more regard you as a tourist snapping away than a photographer looking for some serious shots.

PEN_EPL7_17_45
The PEN E-PL7 with the 17mm f1.8 attached and the even smaller 45mm f1.8 next to it

Having said that, I typically go out with a single camera, either my OM-D E-M1 or my PEN E-PL7. Attached to it I have typically my M.Zuiko 17mm f1.8 prime lens. 17mm in m4/3 translates to ~35mm in full frame format. A fast, perfect and small piece of glass with excellent image quality. Many  famous street photographers shoot 35mm only, as it is more or less equal to the normal field of view of our eyes. In the streets I  like to shoot wide as my desire is to show people in the context of their environment. Continue reading “Gear & Camera Settings for Street Photography” →

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