The Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8 Premium: the other normal lens

 

 Of course, everyone knows the usual consensus that defines the "normal" focal length of any picture format by its diagonal of its recording plane-surface. The best known can be referred in the old 35mm film format ( 24 X 36mm) as the 50mm lens although the result of the real calculation in this particular format should have been around a focal length of 43mm.

In fact, with a field angle of about 45 degrees or a little more, these so-call "normal" lenses are often perceived as a little too discriminating and this is why another category of lenses has been developed alongside, often qualified as semi-wide-angle, with a visual arc of +/- 65 degrees. Their effect of distancing subjects from our personal vision is not very pronounced and the general rule is that the distortion produced by their image compression remain modest if not imperceptible.

During the interesting history of modern photography, several authors, reporters, or travelers have favored this other normal focal length (35mm lenses in the 24 X 36mm format), sometimes even venturing with 40mm focal lengths lenses especially present in non-interchangeable single-lens compact cameras. More recently, many 35mm film enthusiasts will remember, among other optics, the Leica Summicron 35mm F2.0 or the Nikon Nikkor AI(S) 35mm F2.8 which were very versatile basic prime lenses.

Today with the pronounced and universal development of zoom lenses, single or fixed focal length lenses have taken a bit of shade, but since a decade or two, we have witnessed their coming back in force with photo gear manufacturers and more particularly with compact mirrorless camera systems. This is how at Olympus (Now OM System) in Micro Four Third (MFT) sensor format, they have developed a whole series of lenses called Premium or Pro series which correspond well to the focal lengths prized by lovers of fixed focal lengths. Among these, there is this Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8 now accompanied by its more recent big brother called the professional 17mm F1.2.

The Olympus M.Zuiko Premium 17mm F1.8 can be the ideal companion for a compact camera such as the OM-D E-M5, E-M10 or Pen-F models. Its visual field of 65 degrees corresponds to a visual rendering comparable to the area of ​​sharpness of the human eye (even if our total visual field is of course much larger). This 17mm F1.8 is compact and relatively light. It can be focused automatically by the camera or set manually on the fly since the focus ring has two convenient and directly accessible positions (clichy functionality). Its very metallic construction is serious but the lens is not officially qualified by the manufacturer as weatherproof.

The Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8 belongs to this category of lenses that I like to call contextual, i.e. direct proximity of the subject. We find in this family, other focal lengths such as 12mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm or even 42.5mm and 45mm, all adapted to the MFT format. But the 17mm has the added bonus of being a true "al purpose" lens that can pick up for many subjects spontaneously. And it's not an intimidating lens. Although it is seen primarily as a street or travel optic, it can be used as a documentary lens.

Because the Olympus M.Zuiko Premium 17mm F1.8 is not a zoom lens, it will require greater availability of movement from the choreographer-photographer-author in order to obtain the assurance of a framing or of an adequate composition and to optimize the quality of the anticipated result. Of course, this is the case with most fixed focal length lenses. However, these invariable focal length lenses are tools that provide superior image quality than zoom (vario-focal) optics as many photo gear reviewers proclaim and often demonstrate. They are less demanding (and more linear) for the corrective software embedded in current cameras. This smaller correction process induces a greater fineness of definition of the image and contributes to a much less destructive post-processing even in the situation of a pronounced reframing.

You may find that this Olympus M.Zuiko Premium 17mm F1.8 is the only lens you really need in most photographic tasks. In any case, this 17mm will be able to fulfill its mandate well and will become a much-appreciated companion, no doubt about it.

(French original version previously published in February 2018. The text has been enhanced for this more recent English version)

© Photos Daniel M: Pen-F/17F1.8; OM-D E-M5 II/17F1.8

Klimatik Views: the future of planet Waste-Land

 Over the past few decades, the climatic debate around the world has been amplified year after year peaking just prior to the present sanitary crisis that is prolonging itself for more than two years now. Climatic changes are a fact almost universally accepted except for people or organizations that don't want to acknowledge its profound implications in socio-economic terms. Their biased or ignorant points of view will be fruitless in front of the inevitable perspectives, but they are buying time for their own interest.

As photographers, we can only record the obvious testimony of the environmental situation and its effects on our life and our planet. The human demography in constant growth have altered severely our landscape and way of life. Simply showing our pictures (and films) have alimented our conscientious ad sub-conscientious about the phenomena (climate changes) even if we are facing more at first, the disastrous aftermath effects in comparison of the possible alternatives. On that specific point of reforming us, the solutions can be either personal or collective.

Transiting from a consumer culture to a more ecologically respect attitude is not an easy task. For one, the photographers of this world are often frenetic consumers themselves and the photo gear manufacturers have become marketing master of that tendency based on their market survival in the classic definition of a producing economy. How many camera models, lenses and accessories associated to, are finishing their life span on tablets, closets, or simply waste dumps? This is an amazing warning about our anti-ecologic habits.

Climatic changes are rightly associated with human activities and especially the ones that are not particularly efficient by transforming basic resources into nonreusable residues. The planet Earth is in any ways a big waste park and a plastic dead ocean. It is correctly frightening if you are not an ignorant (the term ignorant is used here with kindness).

What has happened to the nature? Some may still have the illusion that we can "restore" the natural state of planet Earth as it was a few centuries ago but this is a big illusion like having personal garden for everyone in this humanity. It is radically impossible. Yes, we can create big or small zoologic zones in certain protected areas, but the interest stops there. Nature views as a free and infinite state of animals and things is a long gone past since the human exponential demographic growth that will conduct us a general planetary urbanization. Many vegetal and animal photographs are now taken in subtraction of their context and that may appear disturbing for the picture lookers who seems to have and maintain a preconceived view of what is the "real" habitat of them. In doing so, the culture of denying the obvious profound planet changes is "preserved" and is avoiding any observations, analysis, and debates regarding this question.

There is no "objective" way of observing, recording, and interpreting the world surrounding us. We don't want to emphasize the evidence of our general consumer destructive habits. For many, seeing this testimony of desolated and destructed areas is too much disturbing for their taste of beauty and harmony. The question is why it is so disturbing? May be because we are sharing a kind of responsibility regarding those images obvious testimonies.

It is hard to not do an instant judgment about reprehensible behavior without really knowing the contextual factors that have contributed to act "against nature". Wilderness for one has been looked as a granted gift in the past (even recent one) but it is now perceived as a lost cause for humanity. The climatic change warning is a beckon on what we must base the start of a more global discussion concerning our human future and heritage and photography might help to open our eyes and to document our search and our analysis of this changing situation state.

© Photos Daniel M: G85/45-200 OIS; Pen-F/45F1.8; Pen-F/14-42 II R

Crispy Contrasts or how to catch the eye!

 I love contrasts! My camera too! And its autofocus system is crazy about contrast at a point that if there isn't any, it refuses to work properly! Contrasts are an important part of this life. Contrasts in lines, in colors and gray tones, in people and subjects, even in opinions... Contrasts are creating differentiation between things, surfaces, graphic forms, etc. Contrasts catch your attention and are pushing us to try to get more details which are part of the image definition. Yes, we love or hate, for some, contrasts but we are not indifferent to contrasts, even on a very philosophical point of view.

Getting the maximum contrast and preserving a maximum of details, that is the question! How can we do it without losing too much differentiation while maintaining the nuances. Not only that but we don't want to transform a photograph into a photo paint that will eliminate too much authenticity of the subject and its context. "Hard" black and white photographic representations (without medium gray tonal scale) use to have a certain popularity during the 1960's for example but now people are asking for more sophisticated pictures.

Color opposition is another kind of visual contrast.
Color contrast also called complementary colors is another way to create strong separation between surfaces or textures or volumes. In a way there are more spectacular in their effect although they may become more distracting of the main subject of the picture. Color patches are always attractive especially if you are creating a specific "mood" in your picture.

The better dynamic of digital photography.
One thing that the digital era has brought to photography is its fantastic ability to render details from the different and largely dispersed picture light zones. That detail capacity has opened a new world in permitting to record and to enhance the pictorial subject/context to a level never seen before and mostly without too much destructive post-photographic manipulations. All this have allowed the photographer to register contrasty pictures with more profound representation of their subject. " The devil is in the details!"

Contrast of subjects.
By opposing different types of subjects, we are creating a contrast of ideas, of contexts, of people that will increase the single impact of them individually speaking. that will add to the analysis of the picture observers. Yes, it is essentially a cultural point of view for most of us that is differing from the various human groups or cultures, but the basic interpretation of the picture author stays as a personal afterthought regarding his/her surrounding world.

A life of contrast is that make the living so interesting, so instructive, so challenging. Why stay drab when you can get higher in every sense of the word?

© Photos Daniel M

Generosity (the only way for humanity to survive!)

 Generosity is not in any way a very popular word in our consumer society. It is not only a materialist unavoidable fact but also a counter-philosophical point of view that prevents any kind of appreciation and help for others even the closest ones. In these actual days, to give is becoming a personal loosing attitude.

We are at a point that there is no more desire to communicate, to inform, to enlighten others and the world surrounding us. Yes, we like to be confirmed in our tastes, choices or own actions or reactions, we like to be comforted when we need to get some sort of life motivation but in a sense, but there is nothing there that is supposing in any way that we are open to suggestions or new ideas and certainly not to any critical remark!

So, we are inventing humanity without humanity. We are all the greatest, all the finest, the most extraordinary person among the others. We are the star of our own planet if not the entire galaxy. And ... it is simply a pity for all of us because we may have already notice that we, humans, are only fragile, momentaneous fragments of dust in this universe. Some may reply to that the true is not the true, but they are contradicting themselves by pretending that they are telling the true!

And a human alone is a very lonely person, physically, mentally, irremediably. Our strength has been always the summation of a group of individuals rather than the work of a God, a prophet, or a dictator. Our intelligence is based on not only personal observation and analysis but in collecting critical information, points of view and discussions from other fellow humans. Singly, we are a dead end, collectively, there is no limit on what we can reach.

The theme of generosity as I state earlier is not a today popular one except if we understand how important an open social behavior can be our salvation and progress hopes for a better future, different, interesting, and exhilarating. Be generous in any way, that can be our best resolution for this new year!

© Photo Daniel M