Under cover of darkness
I tried. I lasted about five years, following my shift from silver salts to bits and bytes. Played the zoom game. And now I’ve returned to the fold. Prime time is back.
Zoom lenses are really convenient. But once you look, really look at the results, the truth is there. A zoom is a compromise. A prime lens is a confirmation of optical law. Today, after a measured weight, my new (slightly used) 50mm f:1.4 glass arrived. And it was worth the wait, and the weight. Optical glass is not the same as optical plastic. And a fast aperture means that with the right ISO, you can just about shoot in the dark.
This photo was taken “in the dark”. I couldn’t see it, so I let the autofocus run the show. Exposure time of 1/5th of a second, f:1.4, ISO 3200, no flash. Tri-X never went here.
Available light just took on a whole new meaning for me.
The weather is still unseasonably warm. Today, we topped 26C, with the humidex upping things to 29C. The air conditioning isn’t running, yet, in the office, and we noticed. Warm enough that my snow deposits have disappeared. I even tried calling to find out the price of a new pool liner, but despite a ten minute hold time never got through to the right department. The receptionist was apologetic, and suggested I start calling early tomorrow. Busy time of year for them.
The private school near the office has released the graduating class T-shirt. And without the need for a parka, it became the colour of the day.
