Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Vintage Classic

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Old VW Beetle in via Vincenzo Monti, Milano: I don't know why, but in this area I frequently spot vintage cars, in apparently very good shape. I was playing with the 28mm Biogon and it is really a great lens, sharp edge-to-edge, even wide open, and has no distortion. All lenses should be this good.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Werra: weird, but I will not chase it

My dear friends, please be sure, I will not buy this camera: anyway, it’s very cheap on eBay.

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Werra was a sort of a unique camera that it was developed and released by not Zeiss-Ikon but lens manufacturer, Carl-Zeiss Jena. It was well-known in Europe around 1950 to 1960.

The noteworthy feature of this camera is a way of winding the film.
On Werra, there is no film wind lever. Instead, the film is winded with the ring at the base of the lens. This is how it works: Turning this ring clockwise about 60 degrees transports the film to the next exposure, and also it charges the shutter. Winding operation of this is very smooth and easy.
For the shutter is charged at the same time as the film is transported to the next by turning the ring, there in no need to worry about the double exposures, but on the other hand, multiple exposures are not taken with this camera.

One other feature of this is a unique design of its appearance: buttons and other projections on operation around the camera body was omitted as much as possible, and its body design impresses a large number of people.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Titanium Beauty

Pictures of cameras. Beautiful pictures of cameras. Pictures of beautiful cameras. Beautiful pictures of beautiful cameras. Beautiful pictures of people with cameras. Beautiful pictures of beautiful cameras with beautiful people. Heck, even pictures of nude people with cameras.

It's about the camera.

Kobayashi Maru

The Kobayashi Maru scenario was an infamous no-win scenario that was part of the curriculum for command-track cadets at Starfleet Academy in the 23rd century. It was primarily used to assess a cadet's discipline, character, and command capabilities when facing an impossible situation as there is no one answer to the problem.

In the scenario, a cadet was placed in command of a starship on patrol near the Klingon Neutral Zone. The starship would receive a distress signal from the SS Kobayashi Maru, a civilian freighter that had been disabled in the zone after having struck a gravitic mine. If the cadet chose to enter the neutral zone in violation of treaties, the starship would be confronted by three Klingon K't'inga-class battle cruisers. The test was considered a no-win scenario because it was impossible for the cadet to simultaneously save the Kobayashi Maru, avoid a fight with the Klingons, and escape from the neutral zone with the starship intact. Electing not to enter the neutral zone to rescue the ship is considered a failure. A cadet's choice of how to handle the rescue operation gave great insight into his or her command decision making.

There were likely several variations of the Kobayashi Maru scenario that existed at various times. It is probable that the Academy instructors periodically retool the scenario to fit current events in the galaxy.

In the 2250s, James T. Kirk became the first (and only known) cadet to ever beat the no-win scenario. After taking the test and failing twice, Kirk took the test a third time after surreptitiously reprogramming the computer to make it possible to win the scenario.

Kirk got a commendation for "original thinking", and later commented wistfully that his stunt "had the virtue of never having been tried." Kirk would later defend his "cheating" by arguing that he didn't believe in the no-win scenario. Ironically, Kirk also defended the test itself by suggesting "how we face death is at least as important as how we face life".

In 2285, Kirk, then an admiral serving as an instructor at the Academy, supervised Lieutenant Saavik's performance in the Kobayashi Maru scenario. Former USS Enterprise crew members Spock, Sulu, Uhura, and McCoy participated as "actors" in the simulation. Saavik's performance was predictably dismal; as Kirk observed, "She destroyed the simulator room and [the crew] with it."

The term "Kobayashi Maru" may be a slang term for any hopeless situation in the 23rd century, at least in Starfleet Culture. Leonard McCoy considered his and James T. Kirk's imprisonment on Rura Penthe to be a "Kobayashi Maru", and told Kirk as much their first night at the penal mine.

A similar simulation was later used in the 24th century. It involved a damaged Ferengi ship and Romulan warbirds instead of Klingon battlecruisers, and was performed on the holodeck.

Trekkers are crazy!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Fibonacci Lampshade

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Alain Jost, 2008
(BTW, another non photo-related post!)The swirling structure of this silicone lampshade is based on the Fibonacci Spiral, a mathematical rule that expresses sequences found in nature. Discovered by an Italian mathematician during the Middle Ages, the sequence explains the arrangement of pinecones, the spirals of sea shells, and other natural, biological patterns. This lampshade can be used with any kind of light bulb or hanging light kit to make an eye-catching addition to any room.

Available at the MoMa store.

Cosmic Motors

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Finally, a post non-related to photography!

Don’t miss this site: http://www.cosmic-motors.com/main.html

And visit this one too: http://www.danielsimon.net/

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Poladroid [?]

download-sticker

«POLADROID»  generates images the same way than a Polaroid™ would do (Polaroid™-like). It produces high-defnition images (400 dpi) with the real aspect of a Polaroid™ and perfectly suitable for printing.

UsingPoladroid is straightforward: just drag an drop any JPEG directly on the icon of Poladroid and wait until the image appears... slowly... very slowly. POLADROID is an unusual software, completely crazy, which reproduces all the strange behaviours of a popular picture camera with its unique result but... so much copied: the Polaroid!

The resulting images reproduce all imperfections of a real POLAROID photo, such as:
- colour shifting and vignetting
- having to wait to get the result... can you believe this in a fast-running world?
- processing limitation of 10 images in a raw... yes, a Polaroid cardridge only contains 10 flms! You’ll have to quit the application and relaunch iit to be able to process 10 more fles.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Analogue Photographic Society and other oddities…

"I don't think, film will be completely dead,
but it could possibly become one of the most
luxurious things in the years to come."
Toshihiro Oshima

2803092108_9e3b914085_oTHIAPS, "The International Analogue Photographic Society" is a platform for photographers who love the tactile quality of film-based images, who enjoy the wet and warm smell of developers and fixative, with a strong believe that ”Film is not dead it just smells funny".
For those who create their photographs with 35mm, rollfilms, sheets and plates, with Polaroid or Liquid Light, with Large Format or any tool whatsoever, as long as chemical processing is involved.

linkmemberA flickr group for photographers who are NOT using a digital camera.
35mm, 6x6, Polaroid, pinhole, holga, color black and white, whatever, even Liquid Light as long it is not digitally shot.

logoPolaroid is transforming itself from an analog Instant Film Production Company to a global Consumer Electronics and Digital Imaging company. Production of analog Instant Film stopped in June 2008, closing the factories in Mexico (Instant Packfilm production) and the Netherlands (Instant Integral production).

Impossible b.v. has been founded with the concrete aim to re-invent and re-start production of analog INTEGRAL FILM for vintage Polaroid cameras. Therefore Impossible b.v. has acquired the complete film production equipment in Enschede (NL) from Polaroid, has signed a 10-year lease agreement on the factory building; and has engaged the most experienced team of Integral Film experts worldwide.

The Impossible mission is NOT to re-build Polaroid Integral film but (with the help of strategic partners) to develop a new product with new characteristics, consisting of new optimised components, produced with a streamlined modern setup. An innovative and fresh analog material, sold under a new brand name that perfectly will match the global re-positioning of Integral Films.

ottebyfyra