Patek Philippe – Christmas 2018

Photographs

Another showstopper.

I never tire of posting images from the long running Patek advertising campaign as there’s not a bad one to be found. Each tells a story with great charm and subtlety and the sheer physical beauty of the models is always to be wondered at.

Here’s the latest, Christmas 2018. The handsome father either made his money the smart way, by choosing his parents well, or is some sort of hedgie or Googleapplesoftie who sold out well. His son’s demeanor suggests a mix of curiosity and arrogance, and given that he has never wanted for anything, who can blame him? The lighting on the boy’s face is perfect, for he is as much the focus as the watch.

A magnificent image. The timepiece will allow you to choose between itself and a top-of-the-line Honda, as the prices are identical. I would rather not have the car.

I should warn you that there’s a price that comes with looking after your analog, mechanical Patek Philippe. My Nautilus has been off my wrist for 4 months this year, and counting, enjoying its second visit to the factory for what ails it. But when I next check the time I know the wait will have been worthwhile.


Gérald Genta’s greatest creation – the Nautilus.

My son rags me mercilessly about the rigors of maintenance and repair as he enjoys his joyless digital wonder, but one day the Nautilus will be his and he will understand. And, mercifully, he too is physically beautiful.

Nikon – a magnificent legacy

Cameras, Nikon bodies, Nikon lenses

The Nikon Museum in Tokyo.


Click the image to go to the interactive Google view.

Nikon honors its legacy in the extensive displays in the Nikon Museum. When Nikon abandoned the Zeiss Contax lens mount replacing it with the F mount in its first – and best – SLR, the peerless Nikon F, it was as much a statement of intent as it was an act of courage. The wisdom of that decision persists to this day when even the earliest F mount lenses can be mounted on the latest Nikon D850 DSLR.

Now with a new, wider mount in the Z6/Z7 mirrorless offerings, Nikon has finally begun to abandon the flapping mirror in favor of what is already acknowledged as the best EVF in the business, the one found in the new Z bodies.


A display of rangefinder bodies which preceded the Nikon F. The related lenses put Nikon on the map.

Leitz, Wetzlar used to be the owner of the legacy crown, snatched from it by Nikon with the Nikon F which saw the rangefinder Leica M bodies migrate from being workhorses to becoming silly Veblen goods. The working pro gives these not even a passing thought, no more than an enthusiastic driver thinks about Rolls Royces.


The Nikon F. The camera which changed everything. This camera did to the German
camera industry what Honda did to British motorcycles.

A week in sunsets.

Photographs

High desert drama.

Scottsdale, Arizona features dramatic sunsets at this time of the year and I am lucky that my patio faces south to enjoy the drama at its best.

These were taken on seven successive days last week.



Saturday, 5:44pm.


Sunday, 5:37pm.


Monday, 5:18pm.


Tuesday, 5:21pm.


Wednesday, 5:24pm.


Thursday, 5:20pm.


Friday, 4:57pm.


All snapped on the iPhone 7, straight out of camera.

4mp is all you need

Technique

The lunacy of the pixel race.

These images are of the same subject with the two best lenses I own – the ‘pro’ Lumix 12-35mm at 25mm (50mm FFE) on the Panasonic GX7 and the Nikon D700 with the 50mm f/2 HC MF Nikkor. The GX7’s sensor is 16mp on 3/4 sq. in., the D700 has 12mp on its 1.5 sq. in. sensor. Both at 400 ISO and f/5.6.

The image below enlarges the center 40x, so a 40” x 60” print. Note the greater warmth of the Nikkor optic. To properly display focal length in the EXIF data I have installed a CPU in the Nikkor lens, which has nothing to do with its optical quality. No extra sharpening – just the default of 25 in Lightroom, no other processing:

These images display maybe 1 mp of the sensors’ pixel counts.

In the next image I have increased the GX7 sharpening from LR’s default of 25 to 70. The Nikon image is unchanged, using default sharpening:

The results are indistinguishable as regards definition.

Here you can compare the shadow details – GX7 at left. The D700 has one of the best sensors for rendering shadows in the business:

The results are again indistinguishable.

The madness of the sensor pixel race, with FF sensors now approaching 50mp, dictates that users upgrade their lenses as all the ‘faults’ of older optics are now on display when pixel peeping. The reality is that no one makes 40″ x 60″ prints and that users would be better off sticking with modest sized sensors and old lenses. The 50mm f/2 HC Nikkor used in the above dates from 1973 and can be found in mint condition for $50. A mint Nikon D700 with low shutter actuations can be had for $450 or less. And you will not have to wait all day for the images to render in Lightroom owing to the modest file sizes.

4mp is all you need.