Computational photography at its best.
Nikon just reintroduced its Noct Nikkor which boasts an aperture of f/0.95 and is about the size of a Mack truck. At $8,000 the price is comparably huge. Leica has long had its f/0.95 Noctilux at a scant $11,000+. Neither could have done a good job, fully open, of this snap, taken last night in near darkness at The Olde English Pub in Albany:
Winston contemplates the annual cod harvest.
You see, the depth of field of those gargantuan optics is less than the distance from my son’s eyes to the tip of his nose, at f/0.95. And if you do not use these lenses fully open, why use them at all? Further, everything but the eyes would be blurred, and I really wanted that Union Jack to be clearly discernible. Third, both are manual focus and while the Nikon’s finder comes with a focus confirmation light, the Leica’s rangefinder can barely do its job at f/1.4. F/0.95? Be prepared to work that focus collar and take multiple snaps. Finally, dynamic range would be shot, the highlights hopelessly burned out.
Then again, the iPhone used to take this snap has 8.5 billion transistors in its CPU to do all the magic, which includes taking 9 images in Night Mode, picking the best bits and doing all sorts of things I will never understand to deliver broad dynamic range. The Leica and Nikon? 8.5 billion fewer transistors.
The recorded exposure? 1/4 second at f/1.8, ISO 800. The result? Stunningly sharp, with a quick pass through Focos to add a touch of background blur. The blur lens of choice? Why, none other than the 50mm f/2.8 Elmar which came with my Leica M3 in 1971.
The result? A picture of a young man on top of his game, with straight As at mid-semester in his Senior year at prep scool, and looking forward to four years at college.
My beer? Served 10F too cold. What else would you expect of a former colony?