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Samyang XP 35mm - Christmas decoration

Wong Chap Him Timmy

Photographer from Hongkong

Samyang XP 35mm - Christmas decoration

“Ho-Ho-Ho”
Christmas is coming! Shopping malls, streets and literally everywhere are all lights up with colourful and attractive decorations. It’s not an easy task to move your eyes away from them. People use their smartphones to take selfies, photos of these wonderful decorations and record the joys. Nowadays there are special depth of field effect installed on smartphone cameras and they look great, however, the results are nowhere near to the real depth of field from prime lenses on DSLR. The Samyang XP 35mm F1.2 prime lens has a super large aperture with 9 blades and with a minimum focusing distance of 0.34m, you may get some good depth of field off this lens.


 
 



Usually the decoration is installed with some lights, i.e. some light bulbs, LEDs or spotlights, in front or behind the object. These lights may cause over-exposure or under-exposure to the photo and there are a few ways to play around with.

1. Play tricks with angle, try to block the light source with the object itself or people passing by the background if possible.

2. If the object is relatively dark and the metering from the camera indicates either the object is underexposed with a nice background brightness or the background is overexposed with the object is clearly visible. Try to use the torch function on your smartphone and provide some light at the main object you are trying to capture.

3. Try to find some objects with reflective surface, perhaps at some angles these objects are bright enough so either the object will not be under-exposed or the background will not be over-exposed and vice versa as if the reflection from the object is far too bright compared to the background, try from another angle. 





4. Find the frequency of the lights. The frequency of the lights could be a nightmare sometimes. Tripods are not a daily thing you carry around, even if you have them on your hand you may not be allowed to use it. It could be the place is too crowded or tripods are prohibited, so you need to use aperture f/1.2 and high ISO to prevent shaking and blurring. With this setting you may match the frequency of the lights and you will see the lights blink, thus there are chances to capture the shot with lights are partially or entirely switched off. However, sometimes with this technique you may overcome the problem and obtain a surprising result.
 


The lights make a lot of difference!





Sometimes the lightings will distract people’s focus and the object becomes less obvious and blended into the background.

Other than these methods to play with lights, composition is a very personal taste, yet, it is always a good practice to have several trials before leaving the spot.
1. Try to separate the object from the background, avoid it blends into the background, i.e. the brightness, the colour tone, similarity etc.  




2. Try with different angle, sometimes get closer to a reflective surface may bring surprise to the photo.


 




3. Look for objects with contrast colours to the background. Making the object itself more significant and attractive.


  


4. Take advantage of the minimum focusing distance, you can get a bigger contrast as it appears to be larger from the blurred background.

 


All these photos were taken with the new Samyang XP 35mm F1.2 lens. Despite the most remarkable advantage of this lens, aperture f/1.2, the bokeh is very nice and the focused area is really sharp even using f/1.2. Nonetheless, no significant colour abbreviation is found while using f/1.2.

Finally, I will you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Happy photography!






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Samyang’s Guide to Achieving the Optimal Angle of View

The perfect spacing and distance are always necessary when shooting all kinds of subjects, including people, to give them a proper relationship with the beautiful space around them. So, what’s the exact distance that helps you best appreciate a work of art, or a photo?

The correct answer is the diagonal length of the full frame of a subject.

표준화각 자료 이미지
표준화각 자료 이미지

The best standpoint from which to appreciate the full view of a subject is the distance of the diagonal length of the subject frame. This wider angle is superior to standing closer at a 50 degree angle to get a more detailed view. This notion of an ideal distance or view point is also applicable in the world of photography.

For still images, keeping a distance equal to the diagonal length of the full image surface is recommended. The full frame sensor of a digital camera is 36 x 24mm and the diagonal length is 43.26mm so any distance close to this number is nearer to the ideal than the currently accepted industry standard of 50mm.

Back when film cameras were common, 45mm was the industry standard and this continued as reflex cameras needed extra space to fit a mirror. However, as mirrorless cameras become more popular again, there has been a need to return to this industry standard…which is the impetus for the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 FE. With less distortion than a 35mm lens and wider angles than a 55mm lens, the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 FE is a perfect lens for portraits, landscapes, architecture photography, and pictures of pets.

What is Preset Aperture Control Function?

On the Preset Aperture Control function, the aperture blade operates smoothly like a "De-clicked lens", which is advantageous for video recording.
Fujifilm cameras are engineered to control the aperture according to the minimum exposure value(F-stop), so when the camera controls the aperture, it blinks momentarily to set the proper exposure.

AF 75mm F1.8 X intentionally disconnects the communication with the camera body and the lens itself on the Preset Aperture Control function, so it is possible to smoothly adjust the exposure without flickering. ISO and shutter speed are adjusted according to the changed exposure by controlling the aperture, so the exposure value can be changed even with the 1/2 F-stop.

What is Preset Aperture Control Function?

On the Preset Aperture Control function, the aperture blade operates smoothly like a "De-clicked lens", which is advantageous for video recording.
Fujifilm cameras are engineered to control the aperture according to the minimum exposure value(F-stop), so when the camera controls the aperture, it blinks momentarily to set the proper exposure.

AF 75mm F1.8 X intentionally disconnects the communication with the camera body and the lens itself on the Preset Aperture Control function, so it is possible to smoothly adjust the exposure without flickering. ISO and shutter speed are adjusted according to the changed exposure by controlling the aperture, so the exposure value can be changed even with the 1/2 F-stop.

What is Recommended Settings for Preset Aperture Control Function?

The Preset Aperture Control function operates only when shooting video(Movie mode) and the focusing mode of the camera is set to AF mode. Please set the aperture at f/1.8 before switching the "Custom Switch" to "Mode 2. It is recommended to set the "Exposure mode" as A mode (Aperture Priority AE) or M mode (Manual Exposure).

* How to use the “Preset Aperture Control” function?

1) Camera Body Setting
      AF Mode → Video Mode ('A' or 'M' mode) → Set the Aperture @F1.8
(2) Lens Setting
      Switch your "Custom Switch” to “Mode 2(M2)"
(3) Now, you're ready to use the Preset Aperture Control function with your focus ring

What is Recommended Settings for Preset Aperture Control Function?

The Preset Aperture Control function operates only when shooting video(Movie mode) and the focusing mode of the camera is set to AF mode. Please set the aperture at f/1.8 before switching the "Custom Switch" to "Mode 2. It is recommended to set the "Exposure mode" as A mode (Aperture Priority AE) or M mode (Manual Exposure).

* How to use the “Preset Aperture Control” function?

1) Camera Body Setting
      AF Mode → Video Mode ('A' or 'M' mode) → Set the Aperture @F1.8
(2) Lens Setting
      Switch your "Custom Switch” to “Mode 2(M2)"
(3) Now, you're ready to use the Preset Aperture Control function with your focus ring

[What is Dolly Shot? How to Shoot Easily]

[What is Dolly shot?]

A dolly shot, also referred to as a tracking shot or trucking shot, is a camera movement technique used by cinematographers to track and follow a subject in motion. To achieve this, the camera is mounted on a device called a "dolly," which facilitates smooth tracking movement. The dolly can move in front of, behind, or alongside the subject, which can be a person, a location, a product, or any other object of focus in the frame. Through this, you can control the emotional distance between the subject and the viewer by highlighting the audiovisual and dramatic effects.

[How to take a Dolly Shot simply by handheld]

Tip. If the moving distance is long, the camera may shake, so please shoot at a focal length between 35 and 100mm.
1. Stand at a distance of about 1.5 to 2 meters away from the subject.
2. Set the custom switch to MF and Mode 3 and adjust the focal length to about 100mm.
3. After focusing on the subject, set the aperture to F8~16.
4. Slowly turn the zoom ring to the left (towards the wide-angle end) while using your upper body and arms to move the camera toward your subject.
5. Dolly Shot complete!
※ When shooting from a farther distance from the subject, use a cart or gimbal for more stable shooting.

DSLR / Full Frame
1D X Mark Ⅱ
1D X
1Ds Mark Ⅲ
1Ds
5DsR
5Ds
5D Mark Ⅳ
5D Mark Ⅲ
6D Mark Ⅱ
6D
DSLR / APS-H
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1D
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7D
80D
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D60
D30
77D (9000D)
760D (8000D / Rebel T6s)
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1200D (Kiss X70 / Rebel T5)
200D (Kiss X9 / Rebel SL2)
800D (Kiss X9i / Rebel T7i)
700D (Kiss X9i / Rebel T7i)
100D (Kiss X7 / Rebel SL1)
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D5600
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D5500
D3300
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D5300
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D7000
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D300
DSLR / Full Frame
Z6
Z7
D810A
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D750
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DSLR / APS-C
D7200
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* Cameras released within 5 years from 2019 are tested.

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