Leo Laksi’s Bangkok And Back

Waiting for the train in Tokyo

I’m normally don’t shoot with telephoto lenses.  Most of the time I use wide angle lenses with an occasional long normal lens thrown in. There are occasions when I have needed longer lenses and have been satisfied with the Nikkor DC 135mm f/2 lens.  Recently I purchased a 15 year old AF Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8 ED lens for $300 in Japan.  The condition, both cosmetically and performance-wise is stellar.  Sure, the lens does not have VR (image stabilization) and is somewhat heavy since it’s body is metal.  Still, it’s a very capable lens and more than matches up with the D700 since this camera is exceptional at higher ISO’s.  This latitude allows one to crank up the ISO to compensate for the lack of image stabilization.  I have been tempted to purchase the latest AF-S VR Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 IF ED but will postpone this until Nikon improves this lens so its performance on a FX body is better.   With the performance of the 80-200mm, there’s no reason to buy right now.

Photos were taken in Tokyo and Bangkok with the Nikon D700 and an AF Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8 ED lens.  Post processing is minimal (or none).  All photos shot at or near f/2.8.

Incoming call

Atagaw market prawns

Veggie vendor

Red camera

I find the Sannomiya Train Station and its environs very interesting for photography.  From photos of the station and its trains to various entertainment venues and other attractions in the area, it makes for a variety of subjects worthy of a photo or two.  As you know if you follow my blog, I like taking photos of trains.

In these particular shots, I liked the contrast between the burgundy exterior of the trains to the calm green of the interior upholstery.

The photos were taken with a Nikon D700 and 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Lat month I spent a few days in Kobe, Japan.  Kobe has recovered from the disastrous 1995 earthquake and in fact the quake area has been rebuilt.  Kobe does not have the dynamism of Tokyo or nearby Osaka but is interesting in its own right.  There is a certain intimacy that is endearing.

Photos taken with D700 and either the 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens or the 80-200mm f/2.8 lens.

Single light source in the corner

The other night I was roaming around looking for something to shoot.  No quite sure where to go or what I was going to do.  Suddenly I happened upon a wildly “edgy” bar I had been to once before.

On the earlier occasion, I took a series of photographs of the bartenders.  Luckily I had my Leica M8 and the Noctilux 50mm f/1 lens.  Although my Noctilux has a slight back focus issue, it performed well, given the very dark ambiance of the bar.   And remember, with the M8, we are talking manual focus.  In a very dim bar. The photo below was taken that first visit.

Leica M8 with Noctilux 50mm f/1 lens

On the recent visit, I hadn’t prepared for a return visit.  As a result I ended up with the D700 and the 14-24mm f2.8 lens.  Because this lens is only capable of f/2.8, I dialed up the ISO to 6400, hoping that I could compensate for the lens’ relatively lack of wide aperture.  I half expected the auto focus to struggle and that I would have to go to manual focus.  Well, this didn’t happen.  After I turned off the AF assist light, I went strictly low impact.  I used the D700’s spotmeter with “aperture priority” and f-stop 2.8.

Post processing was minimal.  Noise reduction was turned off.  I took the liberty of processing some of the b&w in a high contrast style.

Bottom line, the D700’s performance, including its high ISO capabilities and the extremely fast and accurate auto-focus,  makes it a joy to use.  The only downside was the sheer size of the combination when compared with the M8.

Caged

Cropped from above

Kobe graffiti corner

Several weeks ago I picked up the highly acclaimed Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens.  On a full frame camera like the Nikon D700, the wide angle junkie can attain Nirvana for its field of view (fov) in a non-fisheye lens.  Now sometimes, amateur photographers think of ultra wide angles (UWA) and landscapes in the same breath.  However, UWAs are very useful in shooting photographs where the subject is closer, such as in this series of photographs recently shot in Kobe, Japan.

This lens is considered the reference standard for wide angle zooms.  And for good reason.  The resolution is phenomenal with a sharpness in image that almost unmatched.  Edge to edge image quality at a f-stop of 11 is quite sharp.  However, at wide open or near wide open, the lens yields bokeh that is pleasing.  These photos were shot at focal lengths from 14 to 24mm.

Downside?  The lens is huge, with a bulbous front element, for which there is no filter.

Photos shown are uncropped and  taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Closer can be interesting

What to eat

Looking from the outside

Flowers with bokeh

I’ve stayed at several of the Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea hotels, including the Ambassador, the MiraCosta and the Hilton.  Of the three, I prefer the Ambassador.  Although it’s the oldest, you never get the impression that its anything but top drawer.  The public areas, including the restaurants and the lobby, and the rooms are first-rate.  I have no complaints at all.

Although the MiraCosta is impressive with its faux-Italian decor and its direct private access to DisneySea, the Ambassador has a more impressive array of eating establishments.  Not only are there several on-premises restaurants, you’re just a 5 minute walk away from the Ikspiari Complex, what with its numerous restaurants including a fast food court.  Oh yeah, there’s also a supermarket.

From the MiraCosta and the Hilton, the Ikspiari is a train ride away.  Not all that inconvenient but nevertheless slightly more work.

FYI, you can also make your reservation at the Disneyland Resort Hotels online.

Photos taken with a Leica M8 and Carl Zeiss Biogon 21mm f/2.8 lens.

If you’ve followed my blog, you know that I’ve been “playing” with a Panasonic G1 for four months.  I bought the G1 and the Leica M-mount adapter to use with my Leica lenses.  The results with the Leica lenses, at least the wide angles, have been less than stellar, what with poor resolution away from the center of the image.  And with the 2X crop factor, wide angles lenses became less than wide angle.  Check out my other postings for impressions and photos taken with the Leica M-mount lenses.

However, the Lumix 14-45mm and 45-200mm zoom lenses on the G1 have performed in good fashion.  In color images, I found the sensor (and lenses) to produce rich color images although the lenses were not the sharpest at the wider apertures.  I also found the focus lock to be quick and accurate.  When you combine that with a compact design that’s easy to carry, you have a winner.

This series of photos were taken in a span of one hour.  They were converted to black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro and Aperture 2.

Tokyo Disneyland, with its parklike setting and large “public” areas, makes a visit very leisurely and relaxed.  Compared to some amusement parks that cram attractions in every square inch of land with the predictable congestion and confusion, Tokyo Disneyland is wide open, resulting in an quick and efficient transition from one theme to another.    You can orient yourself to the castle and always shortcut across the park to another area.  Although sometimes it can be congested, the spacious central “mall” area gives one the impression of more space than there really is.

Photos taken with a Leica M8 and Carl Zeiss Biogon 21mm f/2.8 lens.

I’m finally getting to the bottom of my DisneySea photos.  It’s such a picturesque venue with lots of opportunities for photographs.  Between the attention to detail of the various themes to people watching, you would be hard-pressed not to have your camera out.

Photos taken with Panasonic Lumix G1 with Lumix 45-200mm f/4-5.6 zoom lens and Leica M8 with Summicron 35mm f/2 lens.

Tokyo Disneyland is a “theme park” known for its wide array of attractions.  The park is divided into seven themes (and areas) with rides and activities designed for each theme.  An important but sometimes overlooked feature of Disneyland is its floral and landscaping design.  Although the landscaping is traditional in its appearrance, the design integrates well with the overall traditional feel of the park.  Visitors tend to focus on the physical structures and not notice the landscaping.  I believe the “flow” of the design transitions visitors from theme to theme, making the park more intimate although it is a huge park.

Photos were taken with a Leica M8.  The first and the last with the Carl Zeiss Biogon 21mm f/2.8 lens, the rest with the Summicron 35mm f/2 lens.