Alphatracks

May 9, 2009: The rumors of new dSLR’s from Sony continue to swirl about the internet. Many people expected something at the PMA show in February, but a Sony official was quoted as saying no dSLRs would be released until after PMA — fueling speculation that new models would be coming soon after that.

There are several sources speculating that new models would be known as the A230, A330 and A380. There is yet another rumor of an A800. I have heard talk of other models, but I don’t want encourage rumors of cameras that may not be available for months or even years from now — if at all.

It does appear, however, that new models in the A300 and A200 line may soon be introduced. David Kilpatrick of PhotoClub Alpha (in the UK) has some screen captures from a SonyStyle site that contain photos of some of future Alpha dSLRs. These appear to indeed be the A380, A330 and A230.

You can read David’s musing on the PhotoClub Alpha site.

So what can we expect from these new dSLRs? Until now, all the Sony Alpha dSLRS carried names that fit neatly into an even 100 digits: A100, A200, A300, A700, A900. The only exception is the A350, which is more or less an A300 with a denser, 14mp sensor.

Since the new models carry names like 330 and 380, it appears the new cameras may be variants of the existing A300 and A350. If the photos are accurate, however, the new models appear to have newer, smaller bodies.

So other than the bodies, what will the new dSLR’s offer?

Sony hasn’t yet revealed the specs on the new models, so everything said here is pure conjecture.

Several people have suggested that Sony may remove the AF motor from the new bodies. This is bolstered by the recently announced Sony lenses. The new lenses overlap existing glass in the Sony catalog. There doesn’t seem to be a need for the new lenses, unless they have internal motors. These motors could handle the autofocus duties on cameras that lack their own AF motor.

This could produce lighter, more compact camera bodies. That is all well an good, but it breaks compatibility with older glass. Until now, you could use almost any A-Mount lens on any Sony Alpha. Minolta A-Mount lenses. Aftermarket (Tamron, Sigma, etc.) A-Mount lenses. And of course all the existing Sony A-Mount glass.

If the rumor is true, most of these older lenses will not offer full compatibility with the new bodies. I assume you should be able to attach the lenses and shoot using manual focus. Only the handful of older lenses that include internal focusing motors will actually offer auto focus ability on the new cameras.

Which is more important: lens compatibility or overall weight?

If this is true, I will be a little disappointed with the new models. In the first place, I don’t really like overly-light cameras. Heavy cameras dampen vibration and feel more solid to me. My all time favorite film SLR was the incredible XK-Motor. The camera itself was as heavy as a tank, and that was before you bolted on the battery pack that held ten AA batteries. As heavy as it was, the XK-M was so well balanced that felt and handled beautifully.

I do have a lot of experience in backpacking, and I understand the importance of eliminating extra weight. But if I have the choice between maximum lens compatibility and a smaller, lighter body, I would choose lens compatibility every time.

Kilpatrick also speculates the new bodies may abandon Compact Flash cards. Once again, I hope this isn’t so. Sony has only recently started selling their own line of CF cards. I prefer having a single card type that I can exchange between cameras. If the new digi-SLRs don’t accept CF cards, it will break compatibility with many of the older models. If the new cameras use SD cards, there will be no memory card compatibility with any current Sony Alpha. This might not be a problem if you only shoot with one camera. If you use multiple bodies, however, it will be pain to keep different memory cards for different bodies.

Different strokes for different folks, and Sony may have found that there is a considerable market for smaller, lighter bodies. Considering the limited amount of available lenses, I wouldn’t think the lower weight and smaller size would be worth the trade off. In my opinion, one of the best features of the Alpha is the huge array of Minolta A-mount lenses. Take away the ability to use those lenses and what do you have?

When will Sony offer a dSLR with video capabilities?

The other question is whether any of the new dSLRs will offer video. I’m not all that hungry for video myself, but with both Canon and Nikon offering dSLRs that have video modes, I find it puzzling that Sony isn’t stepping up to compete in the video/dSLR segment.

After all, Sony is a huge player in the camcorder market. The last I heard Sony was a close second to Canon in camcorder sales. So I would expect Sony to enter into the fledgling dSLR with video market with both feet.

Rumors — and remember these are only rumors — say the new Alpha dSLRs will not contain a video mode.

If this is true, I won’t be heart broken, but I want the Alpha to be competitive on all fronts. If the market is moving to onboard video on dSLRs, I want Sony to offer a video dSLR. This has nothing to do with being a Sony “fan.” The stronger the Alpha line becomes, the more aftermarket support we will see. It will also encourage Sony to release new and improved Alpha products.

Then again, it wouldn’t put it past Sony to abruptly release a new model that no one is expecting. After the release of the A700, everyone was expecting the A900 to be the next Sony dSLR. Without warning, Sony suddenly replaced the A100 with the A200. Only about a month later, the A300 and A350 were announced.

So until Sony clarifies the situation, this is all speculation. There is also no indication of when the new cameras will be on the market. The important thing is the Sony Alpha market is continuing to grow. Even if I don’t want to see a video-free dSLR without onboard internal focus motors and no CF slot, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a market for such an animal.

I sure hope folks at Sony has done their homework.

So what is your take on the future the Sony Alpha? Is there room for SD cards and bodies stripped of AF motors? Should Sony add a video mode? What say you?

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This aluminum adapter converts a M42 screw mount lens into a A-mount lens.

May 4, 2009 A few weeks ago, I discussed using an M42 lens with the Sony Alpha. The way you pull this off is with a M42 to A-mount adapter.

The adapter is nothing more than a thin piece of metal with a Sony/Minolta A-mount bayonet fitting and a threaded opening for a M42 lens. The term M42 represents 42mm — the diameter of the threaded lens mount. There are other similar lenses, including M39 and M40 diameter lenses. The M42 mount is the most popular of the”M” mounts, especially when it comes to lenses designed to fit a 35mm SLR.

M42 adapter has an A-mount bayonet on one side and a threaded opening that accepts a 42mm screw in the center.

There is one other screw-mount lens you need to be aware of: the T-Mount. I’m not sure why there was a need for the T-mount, because the screw threads on the T-Mount are also 42mm in diameter. The difference is the thread pitch: the M42 lens uses 1 thread per mm, while the T-Mount uses a slightly coarser 0.75 thread per mm. This is important, because the M42 and T-mount look extremely similar. but they are not interchangeable. You can screw either lens into a M42 adapter, but only the M42 lens will thread fully home. If you try to thread a T-mount lens into an M42 adapter, it will seize up before the lens flange seats properly. The same is true if you try to install a M42 lens on a T-mount adapter.

I’m spending a lot of time on the M42 and T-mount lenses, because most lenses of this type do not have any markings indicating the mount type. You really need to use caution when buying a used screw mount lens. In many cases you will find T-mount lenses advertised as M42, and M42 lens sold as T-mount. There are both M42 and T-mount adapters available for the Sony Alpha, but it is important to know what type of 42mm diameter screw lens you are buying. If your screw mount lens doesn’t thread into the adapter smoothly, do not force it. Mixing lenses and adapters can result in damage to either the lens or the adapter.

Now that we’ve established what an M42 adapter is, lets look at why you would want to use an adapter in the first place.

You can see the 42mm thread on this Vivitar lens. Note the switch next to the red M. Not all M42 lens have this switch. This Vivitar can be switched into a auto mode when used on auto diaphragm cameras like the pre-bayonet Pentax film SLRs. To use the lens on a Sony Alpha adapter, it needs to be switched into the manual (M) mode.

The fact is there are millions of optically excellent M42 lenses available, many at ridiculously low prices. Carl Zeiss actually produced the first M42 lenses in 1938. The mount was used by Practica and became the standard Pentax 35mm lens mount until Pentax switched to a bayonet mount the mid ’70s. Today, Carl Zeiss continues to produce new M42 lenses under the ZS model name. These are manual focus lenses and other than Zeiss quality, have little in common with the AF Zeiss lenses sold by Sony.

The Russian Zenit line produced M42 lenses quite recently. They may or may not be still manufacturing M42 lenses and cameras. In addition, there are countless used M42 mount lens available on ebay, pawn shops, used camera dealers, garage sales and the like.

While M42 lenses are plentiful, there are good reasons you can buy them so inexpensively. As a universal style lens, initially designed over seventy years ago, these lenses are devoid of may of the innovations modern photographers take for granted.

Here is a partial list:

• No Autofocus
• No Automatic diaphragm
• You need to use manual exposure on the A200, A300 and A350
• Image stabilization does not work

M42 lenses don’t offer auto focus

The lack of auto focusing doesn’t bother me very much. After years of shooting action sports with manual focus cameras, I am somewhat uncomfortable turning over the focusing duties to a silicon chip. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate auto focus; but its absence isn’t a deal beaker to me.

Adapters cannot provide automatic diaphragm connections

Not having an automatic diaphragm is more troubling. On the other hand, I am using my M42 lens when I want a fast telephoto. This means when I use this lens, I am nearly always shooting wide open. This negates any concern about the auto diaphragm, since the lens is usually open to the maximum aperture.

The result is the M42 lens becomes a special purpose lens to be used only in low light. If conditions are such that I can shoot at f/4 or higher, I switch to one of my A-mount, auto focus telephotos.

Manual exposure is required with M42 adapters on the A200, A300 and A350

The Alpha A200, A300 and A350 cannot use a lens adapter in the automatic mode. The camera will not not recognize that there is a lens attached, and will not fire the shutter in the auto mode. The only way to use an ordinary adapter on these cameras in the manual mode.

Most of the Minolta Maxxums and other models of the Sony Alpha can use adapters in the aperture priority mode. Different cameras use different methods to allow you to use an adapter in the auto mode. Consult the owners manual if you are unsure of the procedure for your camera.

Shooting with manual exposure outdoors can be a pain, especially if the light is shifty. Since I am using the M42 lens to shoot under fairly constant indoor lighting conditions, this isn’t a real problem either. I shoot a couple of frames and use the LCD to make sure the exposure looks good. Since I’m shooting in a sports arena, the light is not likely to change during a game. So once I have a good exposure on the LCD, I can shoot the rest of the day without changing anything.

Hey I thought in-body stabilization works with all lenses…

Some of you might be wondering about the lack of image stabilization. The whole premise of the Sony in-camera anti-shake system is that it works with any lens right? Well not exactly.

Because the system is built into the camera, technically it should work on any lens you attach to the camera. However, in order to maximize effectiveness, the Steady Shot system needs to know the focal length of the lens. Without this knowledge, the camera doesn’t know how much IS to apply. This isn’t a problem with Sony, Minolta and aftermarket A-mount lenses. These lenses have electrical contacts that let the camera know the focal length of the lens.

There is no way for the Sony Alpha to “read” the focal length of a M42 lens. Since the camera cannot identify the focal length of a M42 lens, SSS can’t operate.

Upgrade to a chipped adapter for SSS and aperture priority exposure

If you are willing to spend a little more money, you can have IS and aperture priority auto exposure. There are M42 adapters that include a “focus confirmation” chip. These adapters attempt to fool the camera into thinking there is a real Sony A-mount AF lens installed.

M42 lens (top) pictured with a T-Mount lens. You can see the threaded portions look very similar, but they are not the same. Make sure you know what type of mount your screw mount lens actually has.

Naturally, you won’t actually have AF, and you still won’t have an automatic diaphragm. Your camera will let you use Aperture Priority automatic exposure, so you can select the aperture and the camera will select an appropriate shutter speed. You cannot use shutter priority, since the Alpha series has no communication with a M42 lens, so it cannot adjust the aperture.

A focus confirmation chip will also return Super Steady Shot functionality, because the camera now knows the focal length of the lens…at least it thinks it does.

The confirmation chip works by convincing the camera that there is a real Sony lens attached. The camera reads the information from the chip and uses that data to determine how to react.

This means you can’t use just any chipped adapter with any particular lens. If the chip in the adapter tells the camera there is a 50mm f/1.7 lens attached and you actually are using a 400mm f/8 lens, Image Stabilization will be less then optimal. In short, you have to match the chipped adapter to the focal length and f/stop of the lens. You can use a plain, non-chipped adapter with any M42 lens, but if you want IS, you will need an adapter matched to your lens.

There are a couple of other things to watch out for. Although a well made Sony M42 adapter should be capable of focusing to infinity, some of the cheaper models are slightly too thick. Even a few thousands of an inch of extra thickness will move the lens too far away from the focal plane, so you cannot achieve infinity focus. I haven’t encountered that problem, but over on the Flickr forums Arkku has set up a nice demonstration of the problem. Arkku solved the thickness problem by sanding the adapter until it brought the lens close enough to the sensor to focus at infinity.

Here a T-Mount lens is threaded as far as it will go into a M42 adapter. Note how much space there is between the lens flange and the adapter. Attempting to thread the lens further onto the adapter would likely result in damage to the lens, the adapter or both. Because the lens doesn’t meet the adapter, this setup will not focus properly.

The second problem involves some poorly made adapters that can jam onto the camera’s lens mount. David Kilpatrick of Photoclub Alpha encountered this problem on an A700 and had to resort to a pipe wrench (gulp!) to remove the adapter. In one of the Sony Alpha foruns on Flickr, another reader reported his adapter had become jammed.

I have had no problem with my no-name aluminum adapter, which I originally bought from a Singapore vendor off ebay. I would use care using the adapter for the first time, until you are confident it won’t jam. If the adapter doesn’t attach the camera easily and smoothly, I wouldn’t use it. The older Amount dSLRs (Sony A100, Minolta 5d, 7D have slightly different lens mount. Sony beefed the mount up on the A700, A200 A300, A350 and the A900, so even if you have an adapter that works OK on the A100, you still need to ensure it works on later Sony dSLRs.

There are a world of inexpensive, high quality M42 optics available if you are willing to forgo auto-focus, auto diaphragm and other niceties.

There is one other thing to consider if you decide to go the M42 route. If you make a real effort to master using M42 glass on a dSLR, you will undoubtedly become a much better photographer. If you can wring out the best from a screw mount lens, you will find you are a better shooter no matter which lens is on your camera. Since you cannot simply put the camera on full automatic when dealing with a M42 lens, you are forced to think carefully about how to use the lens. The result is that you will be far more comfortable and knowledgeable about your camera and all your lenses

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Now is a great time to add to your memory card collection. Prices have been falling steadily for the last year, and you can snatch up some very large Compact Flash cards for not a lot of money.

Case in point, Office Depot is offering the SanDisk Ultra II 8GB Compact Flash card for $29.99. No rebates or trickery, just show up and pick the card off the shelf.

Since Summer is coming up, I took advantage of the deal and scored an 8GB card for $31 and change with tax.

I can’t guarantee that all Office Depot locations have the card at this price, but I can tell you that the stores in the Charlotte, NC area are advertising the cards at $29.99 through 4/4/2009. I believe you can also buy the card online as well.

There is a trick to finding the card at this price online. When I searched for Compact Flash cards on the Office Depot website, the Ultra II card did not show up. To actually find the card on the site, I had to open the weekly sales flyer from the Office Depot homepage. The flyer is interactive and the card is shown on page 4. Clicking on the card in the online flyer opens the order page on the Office Depot site.

I had to input my Zip code to see the flyer for my area. If the flyer for your Zip code doesn’t list the card for $29.99, use Zip code 28056.

It’s true this is the Ultra model card, which lacks the performance of the Extreme III cards from SanDisk. From my experience, however, the Ultra cards work very well in the Sony Alpha A350/A300 models. Perhaps the Extreme cards might provide an advantage with the faster continuous rate of the A700 and A900. Even with these cameras, the Ultra cards are more than adequate for most types of shooting.

8GB will store a lot of images, and I wanted a another good size card as a backup, and I felt I couldn’t go very wrong buying a SanDisk card at this price

If you are williing to to forgo instant gratification, MeritlineOnline has the Kingston 16GB Elite Pro 133X Compact Flash for about the same price. Currently they will sell you the Kingston card for $30.99.

I’ve never used a Kingston CF card, so I can’t vouch for how well they work in the Sony Alpha. I have had very good results with Kingston RAM memory and PCI cards in various computers, so I have an overall high opinion of Kingston products.

I have also ordered various gadgets from Meritline in the past. My experience with Merritline has been quite positive. So I wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of this deal either. Especially since MeritLine is offering free standard shipping. There is no indication of how long this price will last, so if you want one, I would act now.

If any Alphatracks readers have experience using Kingston Compact Flash cards (especially the 16GB one) in the Sony Alpha or Minolta Maxxum dSLRs, why not leave a comment with your opinion.

With the price of nearly everything else going up, it is nice to see Compact Flash memory coming down in price. Only a short time ago, a 16GB card would sell for well over $100.00. With this deal, you can have one shipped to you for 31 bucks.

Time to add to your Compact Flash collection!

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March 4, 2009: Yesterday Sony has just announced six new optics to the Alpha dSLR lens lineup. They are:

• Super Telephoto Lens

• DT 50mm F1.8
• DT 30mm F2.8 Macro
• DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6
• DT 55-200mm F4-5.6
• 28-75mm F2.8

No word on pricing or when they will be available, but Sony says they are coming.

I find it interesting that four of the six lenses are DT lenses, intended for APS-C sensors. These lenses will not cover a full-frame sensor like the one in the A900. Sony hasn’t promised any further full-frame dSLRs, but as sensor technology evolves, full frame dSLR cameras are becoming more and more common.

I have to assume that Sony will offer more full-frame dSLRs, but based on these new lens offerings, it appears that at least some of the future Alpha lineup will feature APS-C sensors. Why introduce new DT lenses unless you intend to offer further APS-C cameras?

This is significant, when you consider that The A200, A300 and A350 were announced twelve months ago and the A700 is nearly 18 months old. On average, dSLR models are refreshed or replaced every 18 months. That means that at least some of the APS Alphas are due for replacement or a major update in the next year.

You don’t introduce four brand new DT lenses unless you intend to continue selling APS dSLRs. So I expect that Sony has some more APS-C dSLRs up its sleeve.

At the same time, I wonder about the wisdom of buying into these new lenses. If you expect to move into a full-frame dSLR at some point, these aren’t the lenses to buy for the long haul. You can use DT lenses on the A900, but not at full resolution. Basically a DT lens will turn the full-frame camera back into a crop camera, at reduced resolution.

On the other hand, you can use a full frame lens on a crop camera without a hitch. I think I would prefer to buy full-frame lenses so they could be used with either format.

Of course Sony hasn’t given us an indication of the price of the new lenses. Possibly Sony will bring the DT lenses in at an attractive price level. We will need to wait and see.

I also wonder where the new 18-55mm lens fits into the lineup. The standard kit lens has been the 18-70mm zoom. Unless the 18-55 offers a significant improvement over the 18-70mm, I don’t see any reason to introduce a new lens in this focal range. When you already have a solid 18-70mm lens, why replace it with one that lacks 15mm in the telephoto range?

If it is not a replacement, who will buy this lens if the 18-70 is still in the catalog? If the new lens was significantly faster or offered macro capabilities, perhaps I could see its value. As it is, unless it offers superior sharpness or better auto focusing, I don’t understand this lens’ purpose at all.

Also somewhat puzzling is the announced DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 lens. Sony already offers a lens of this exact speed and focal length. Perhaps the new model will offer improvements not available in the current 55-200mm zoom. Still, you would think that Sony would concentrate on filling out its lens line with optics that are not available, rather than replacing one 55-200mm with another.

Sony is also offering a new 50mm f1.8 DT lens. It will obviously be priced lower than the existing f1.4 50mm, but it is a DT lens. I think the old Minolta f1.7 50mm, which will cover a full frame sensor, might offer a better value equation, unless the new Sony comes in at a very attractive price. It will be interesting to see how the new lens affects the pricing of used Minolta 50mm f1.7 lenses, which have steadily increased in value as the Sony Alpha line has expanded.

Some people are already wondering aloud about the 30mm f/2.8 macro, but to me this makes perfect sense. Remember it is a DT lens, so it isn’t really a wide angle macro, as some have suggested. On a APS-C sensor, it will offer the equivalent of a 45mm macro. Since Minolta sold truckloads of 50mm macro lenses, I would guess there is a place for this lens in the Alpha lineup.

That leaves the mystery “super telephoto.” I take the term “super” with a grain of salt. Not that I don’t expect it to be a good lens. It has the appearance of the highly regarded G lenses, so I expect this will be a G lens as well.

Sony has gotten into the habit of calling any lens greater than 300mm a super telephoto. If you look through the Sony lens catalog, most of the G lenses as well as the 500 mirror are listed as super teles. So super doesn’t indicate this is an extraordinary lens — it simply means the lens is probably greater than 300mm.

The mystery lens does have a tripod collar, so I assume it will be fairly heavy or fairly long; or both. The recently introduced 70-400 G lens does not have a collar, so I am banking to this lens being faster or heavier.

If looks are any indication, it will be a fast lens — but what focal length? There is no indication whether it is a zoom or a fixed focal length lens. It appears to be finished in silver, like the other recent Sony G lenses.

About the only thing we can say for sure, it that it will probably be excellent. And expensive!

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Certainly NOT your father’s Oldsmobile.

Jan 26, 2009: I had a chance to attend BarCamp Charlotte last weekend. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, barcamps consist of a loosely organized group of bloggers, internet marketers, computer programmers, film makers, web developers and new media types. While photographers weren’t as well represented as some of the other disciplines, there were several dSLR shooters in attendance. I also met at least one other Sony Alpha owner.

The Charlotte camp was held in an art community known as Area Fifteen, located in the NoDa art district. Area Fifteen is large meandering building with artist studios, large open areas, a labyrinth of hallways and winding stairways.

With the eclectic group of people and the fascinating backdrop of Area Fifteen, there was no shortage of photo subjects. I kept the A350 busy recording as much of the activities as I could, while still participating in the individual BarCamp sessions.

The most interesting thing about covering an event like BarCamp Charlottte, is the absolute lack of
self-consciousness of the part of the participants. There were video cameras and photographers everywhere. One of the principle themes of the barcamp movement is transparency and openness. That was a refreshing change from some ofther events I have photographed.

I took nearly 300 images during the day. No one said “Don’t take my picture!” No one turned away to hide from the camera. I could have been invisible…no one was the least bit concerned that I was aiming my lens at them. It was exciting to have the freedom to photograph whoever and whatever I wanted without interference.

I used a variety of lenses for the shoot. Because most of the activities were held indoors, I wanted the Minolta 50mm f/1.7. This gave me the ability to shoot available light under most conditions. I also brought along the Sony 18-70mm, primarily for the wideangle focal length. I thought about bringing along the Minolta beercan, but I figured the weight and f/4 aperture would be a negative.

Instead, I decided to continuie experimenting with a new acquisition, a Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 screw mount lens attached to the A350 with a M42 adapter. This arrangement has its drawbacks — no auto focusing, no Super Steady Shot, no automatic exposure. It is also a fixed focal length — no ability to zoom.

Grab shot somewhere in the depths of Area 15.

On the other hand, 135mm on the A350’s APS-C sensor equates to something like 192mm on a 35mm film camera. That meant I had the equivalent of a 200mm f2.8mm, great for capturing individual candids.

I shot some available light images at ISO 400-800, but decided to use flash for most of the images. For a flash unit I went with another oldie but goodie; a Minolta 4000 AF mounted on Control Grip 1000 flash bracket. The old Minolta flash was connected to the A350 with a Sony FA-CC1AM Alpha Off-Camera Cable. Not exactly state of the art, but extremely capable.

So how well did this somewhat primitive setup work? Quite beautifully. You can check out the BarCamp Charlotte gallery I assembled here.

I wanted to get the images online as soon as possible after the event.
I did very little post processing, other than converting the RAW images in Adobe Lightroom. Thankfully, very few of the images required any retouching, including the images from the old Vivitar.

I converted, tagged, organized and exported the entire gallery the evening after BarCamp. The next day I added some links and edited some of the CSS files. I had the gallery posted to the web by noon.

I’m not trying to brag. I just wanted to point out the images I got from the older equipment required very little editing to be ready for the web.

If there is a BarCamp in your area, I recommend you check it out. You can find out about future events in Charlotte by signing up at the BarCamp Charlotte website.

All in all, I am quite pleased with how well the old M42 lens and the 25 year old flash unit worked on the modern A350. Stay tuned. I’ll talk more about the using the M42 adapter on the Sony Alpha in the near future.

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1/64 scale steam locomotive captured with Sony A350’s tilt-out live view system.

Jan 21, 2009: For the last several years, I’ve taken the grandkids to see the “trains, trains, trains” exhibit at the Kings Mountain Historical Museum. Held each December, the event is put on by the Carolinas Division of the Atlantic Coast S-Gaugers.

S-gauge is a model railroad term that indicates the scale of the model trains; larger than HO scale but smaller than the O-Gauge rolling stock from Lionel and other makers. American Flyer is the best known maker of S-Gauge rolling stock, but manufacturers like American Models, S-Helper Services and others produce compatible 1/64 scale locomotives, cars, track and accessories.

Naturally, I always haul a camera to these events. This year, the choice was the Sony Alpha A350. I figured the Live View option on the A350 would come in handy. I was, however, surprised how great the adjustable LCD screen proved to be for this type of work. By placing the camera right on the layout and composing with the LV screen, it was like I walked right into the scene. I’ve shot models at various times in the past, but the A350 Live View opened a brand new dimension for me.

The Carolinas Division of the Atlantic Coast S-Gaugers has created a large layout table, with two tracks running around the perimeter. While the trains are the centerpiece, there are dozens of buttons arranged around the table. Each button triggers an animated display of some sort. One button might cause a building to light up, while other buttons trigger railroad sounds, a plane to swoop over the layout or some lumberjacks to saw away at a fallen tree.

You can spend hours experimenting with the buttons, but for a photographer, the layout offers a host of wonderful subjects. Live View allowed me to capture some interesting viewpoints that I missed when shooting in the past.

By flipping the A350’s LCD into the horizontal position, I found I could aim directly down the track at an approaching locomotive. Choosing a vantage point outside a curve let me compose a head-on shot, secure that the train would swing away before it hit the camera.

Shooting in this manner, I did encounter one of the limitations of the Live View system. Like most electronic view finders (EVF) the Sony Live View LCD can’t show you an instant preview. There is a slight lag between what you see on the screen and what is actually happening. You can prove this by moving the camera quickly from side to side. You notice the image on the LCS screen will look smeared, because the LCD can’t refresh quickly enough.

In the case of the train heading directly at the camera, I found I had to shoot slightly before the locomotive looked in focus. If I waited until the front of the engine was perfectly focused on the LCD, the train would be unfocused in the actual image. Because of the shallow DOF, the engine would move beyond of the zone of sharpness while it still look perfectly focussed on the LCD.

Once I understood what was happening, I was able to significantly increase the number of in-focus, head-on shots using the LCD.

Shooting models (not that kind of model…we’re talking toy trains here) is always a challenge, due to depth of field issues. If you read the my basics article on depth of field, you know that the closer your lens gets to a subject, the shallower the depth of field will become. It is tempting to use a macro lens for this type of shooting, but with a macro lens the DOF is so shallow that only a very slim part of your subject will be in focus.

Even without resorting to a macro lens, you’ll probably notice very shallow DOF. Usually I would stop the lens down to create more DOF. However the trains at the King’s Mountain Exhibit were always moving. This led to an interesting dilemma. If I stopped the lens down, the shutter speed became too slow to stop the moving trains. Opening the lens up to the maximum aperture gave me a sufficient shutter speed to prevent the trains from blurring, but the DOF became too shallow to display an entire locomotive — let alone an entire train.

I tried some flash images, with a hand held Minolta 4000 AF flash cabled to the Sony A350. By hand-holding the flash I could aim it in various directions to get some interesting, shadowless light. This gave me some decent DOF and effectively froze the motion of the trains. Actually the flash was too effective in freezing the motion. The 4000 AF stopped the locomotives so well that they appeared static. If I was going to shoot with the flash, I might just as well have asked the guys from the Atlantic Coast S-Gaugers to stop the trains so I could shoot them while they were not moving.

I could have upped the ISO, which would have allowed me to shoot at faster shutter speeds with the lens stopped down. However, I was concerned that this would increase noise, which might obscure some of the fine details on the models. So I tried a variety of shooting techniques. I scrapped many of the captures because they didn’t work out. But I got a few I really liked, and there were enough interesting ones to create a nice magazine or newspaper spread.

Take a look over the gallery and tell me what you think. After shooting the layout with the Sony A350, it is hard to imagine photographing this kind of subject with any camera that doesn’t offer a tilt out LCD.

Check out the model train image gallery to see how the A350 performed.

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Tom Bonner
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Jan 1, 2009: Observant Alphatracks readers might have noticed a new Photography Basics section listed on the sidebar. The Basics area is still in development; in fact there is currently only a single article: a treatise on Depth of Field.

The idea behind Basics came about because I’ve noticed that Alphatracks readers are comprised of all experience and skill levels. Some have been shooting as long or longer than I have, while others have just acquired their first Sony Alpha. Some haven’t even bought that shiny new dSLR, but they frequent the site because they are looking for advise on which model will fit their needs.

I’m happy to have such as a diverse readership, but when I’m writing a technical post, I struggle with how much background information to include. I don’t want to turn off experienced photographers by spending too much time on introductory topics. At the same time, I worry that new Alpha shooters may find some posts too difficult, unless I delve into the fundamentals. So I am torn between offering too much or too little peripheral information.

For 2009, I have plans to look more deeply at Sony and Minolta lenses, flash units and accessories. For obvious reasons, some of these posts will be somewhat technical. It occurred to me that if I had a section on the site that was dedicated to photographic principals, I could eliminate the need to include much of the raw detail of a technical piece. If I think a particular post might require additional info, I can simply link to the relevant text in the Basics area. In that way, experienced photographers won’t feel bogged down by elementary material, but I can direct those requiring more clarification to a thorough explanation.

It seemed like a good idea, so I created Basics.

I think it might become a popular addition to Alphatracks. I added the Depth of Field piece just to get everything organized. I did none of the usual promotion I typically do to encourage readership of a new post. With only a single, small link on the sidebar, the depth of field article attracted dozens of viewers in the first hour. I seems that many readers were looking for that information.

I will be adding to the Basics section as time permits. Just simple, bite-size discussions of basic photographic theory. Of course the usual posts won’t change. I think I have lined-up material that will appeal to all levels of Sony Alpha users. If I can just find the time, I have ideas for product reviews, interviews, more “Alphatracks Visits” pieces and the technical lens and accessory discussions I alluded to earlier. I’m sure that Sony will have some interesting news in the coming year as well. And now that the holidays are over, I will resume posting weekly tips. So if you liked Alphatracks in the past, I think you’ll enjoy the 2009 edition.

Here’s wishing everyone a great 2009, filled with great images.

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Is that antique sailing canoe levitating in thin air? Find out in the image gallery.

Dec. 17, 2008 A few weeks ago, we dropped in at the Bob Timberlake art gallery in Lexington, North Carolina. My wife fostered my original interest in Timberlake’s art. Then, while we were living in Wilmington, the St. John s Museum of Art (since replaced by the Cameron Art Museum) had a wonderful exhibit featuring the works of Timberlake and Andrew Wyeth. Timberlake’s subject matter dovetailed closely with many of my own interests; snow covered barns, historical scenes, seascapes and mountain ranges. Most importantly, I love wooden boats, and many of Timberlake’s subjects are wood boats.

I wasn’t sure whether my Sony A350 would be welcome at the gallery, since many similar establishments have a “no cameras” policy. Thankfully, the staff at the Lexington gallery gave me permission to shoot, as long as I didn’t photograph the artwork directly. The huge hexagonal building is filled to the rafters (literally!) with interesting stuff…artwork, antiques and memorabilia. It would be a wonderful place to play “I Spy,” because there is a jumble of things everywhere you look.

That doesn’t mean the gallery is unattractive. The interior is light and airy and the items on display are attractively arranged. There is a whole lot of stuff, but the gallery is not cluttered by any means. The modern building itself is lovely, with a large well-lit atrium, dominated by a huge stone chimney.

The highlight, other than the artwork, is the fully rigged, antique sailing canoe suspended in the main gallery. It has gorgeous lines, and it was the main reason I wanted to tote the A350 into the gallery. Although the sailing canoe is the centerpiece, there are several other wooden boats and canoes inside.

Although there are many fascinating antiques, these aren’t offered for sale. The old guns, farm equipment, fishing gear and beach flotsam are simply backdrops for the artwork, furniture and clothing.

Yes furniture and clothing. While Timberlake is best known for his art (with good reason) he has branched into designing furniture, luggage and clothing. Naturally, almost everything in the Timberlake catalog is on display at the gallery.

Because I didn’t want to use flash inside the gallery, I shot everything with existing light. Thankfully, the large overhead windows and skylights provided bright, even natural light. The upper gallery was very well lit. In the lower area the light was dimmer, but Super Steady Shot made it possible to get decent hand-held images.

The Lexington location is one of two Timberlake galleries. The other one is located in Blowing Rock, in the western North Carolina mountains. I haven’t made it to the Blowing Rock gallery, yet…maybe next summer.

View the Bob Timberlake image gallery

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Steady as you go! The amazing strap trick in action.

Tip of the Week This week’s trick concerns a new way to hold your dSLR. It should work with any dSLR or SLR and the best thing is it doesn’t require any extra equipment or expense.

A few weeks back, I was on an outdoor shoot on a large piece of property. I had finished my photography and I passed up the offer of a ride back to my truck, preferring to hike through the woods. Before I set out, someone offered me a glass of Gatorade.

So I started down the trail with the drink in my left hand and carrying my Sony dSLR in my right. I had a strap on the camera, but I let it dangle free and just carried the camera by the grip.

I spotted a squirrel next to the trail and decided it was worth grabbing an image. I had left the A350 on, so I was ready to shoot. Well, almost. My problem was the sports drink.

I figured if I put the drink down on the ground, the squirrel might scamper off. I considered simply dropping the plastic cup, but I feared I would end up with liquid all over my jeans and the impact would scare my quarry away.

The third option would be to steady the lens while still holding the cup with my left hand. But I’ve made enough bone-head mistakes in my life to realize that holding several ounces of sticky red liquid that close to all that pricey electronics was a disaster waiting to happen.

So I concluded the only course of action was to shoot one handed, holding the camera in my right hand and trusting Super Steady Shot to keep the camera and lens from shaking.

As I raised the camera to shoot, the loose strap brushed against my left hand. Without thinking, I wrapped my fingers around the strap and carefully pulled downward. At the same time I kept a steady upward pressure on the camera. I was amazed how steady the camera felt.

Long story short, the squirrel dashed away before I could shoot. But I took several landscape images using the strap trick. I couldn’t believe how steady the the rig made the camera.

Not long after that, I was shooting the the image series inside the Apple Hill general store. When I found I needed to shoot with shutter speeds around 1/10 second, I remembered the strap trick.

This time there was no squirrel or sports drink, but pulling upward against the strap allowed me to shoot at long shutter speeds without shaking.

You can see a sample image taken with this technique at 1/10 second. Super Steady Shot may have been a factor in the image sharpness, but I’m convinced the strap trick contributed to keeping the image sharp.

Some of you may recognize a strong similarity to the ever popular “poor man’s tripod.” I first heard about the poor man’s tripod decades ago. It is apparently still arround, as just this year, I have read about it on at least three blogs and heard it described on two different podcasts.

Basically the idea behind the PMT involves tying a string to a screw inserted into the camera’s tripod mount. You step on the string and pull up on the camera, and the resulting tension keeps the camera steady even at long shutter speeds.

Obviously this strap trick has a lot in common with the PMT. The PMT may offer greater steadiness, since the ground can’t move when you step on the string.

But the strap trick offers some real advantages. The most important thing is that you don’t have to make anything to use the trick. If the strap is already on your camera, you are ready to use it to steady your images. Even if I took the time to make a PMT, (I never have) chances are I wouldn’t have it with me when I needed it. But the strap is usually with me whenever I haul out my cameras.

I haven’t tried this with any really long lenses as yet. I know it works very well with lenses in the 18-85mm range. I intend to try it out with my beercan in the near future, to see how well it works at 210mm.

Why not try it yourself and let me know what you think. As I said in the opener, it won’t cost you anything.

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Tom Bonner
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Note: This is the first of a series of photography tips that will be appearing weekly in Alphatracks. Watch for the a new tip each week.

Practice this technique and you will know at a glance which Compact Flash cards are free to use and which need to be uploaded to your computer.

Dec 5, 2008: If you are like me, you have a collection of memory cards. It’s great to have extra Compact Flash cards available, because you never know when an exciting photo situation may fall into your lap. If you have several cards on hand, however, it easy to loose track of which cards need to be transferred to more permanent storage and which can be erased and used for a new shoot.

To be honest, I actually learned about this trick a long time ago, and I cannot remember who I heard it from. So while I can’t credit the original author of this tip, I can tell you it has become my standard operating procedure for handling memory cards.

A case for every card, and every card in it’s case

Like many photographers, I keep my spare Compact Flash cards in their own carrying case. My choice is a Case Logic faux-leather case
that holds six memory cards zipped inside. By carrying cards inside a case, all my cards stay together and are easy to find. I don’t have to search through my camera bag to locate the relatively small Compact Flash cards; all I have to do is locate the zipper case and select the card I want.

Initially I simply stuck the cards face up in the case. Then I heard someone suggest that you could determine which cards were already filled, by inserting them face down in their storage pockets. Cards that are empty or which can be erased are inserted face up.

It may sound fairly simplistic, but you would be surprised how much time and aggravation this can save. It is especially helpful when you have more of one card of the same brand and type. I recently got a great deal on three identical 4GB Compact Flash cards. I already had a couple cards of the same brand, which means that I now have five cards that look similar. Had I not adapted this trick, it would more than a little difficult figuring which cards needed to be uploaded and which were available for use.

My procedure, which I adhere to without fail, is this. When I upload and backup my images from a CF card to my computer, the card is ready for reuse. I never erase or format the card on the computer, because I believe the camera is better at formatting a card for its own use. So when I determine a card can be reused, I simply insert it face up in any of the pockets inside the zipper case.

Available memory cards are stored face up

When I want to load a fresh card into one of my cameras, I can open the zipper case and select any card whose label is face up. As soon as the card is in the camera I either delete all images stored on it or format the card. This only takes a few seconds, and leaves the card empty and ready to store fresh images.

When I fill a card, or swap it out for a fresh card, I place the used card face down in the case. By following this procedure, I can tell at a glance which cards are available for use. When I return to my computer, I remove all the face down cards and start uploading them with my card reader. When I am certain that all the images are backed up, I return the cards to the case face up and the process starts all over again.

Did you or did you not archive the contents of that memory card?

There are other benefits to this procedure beyond knowing instantly which cards can be reused. Recently, I had several assignments back to back. About the third day, I grabbed a card from the case and noticed that it contained images from day 1. For a few anxious moments I tried to recall if I had already uploaded the files from that card. I couldn’t remember. I thought I had, but I was not sure. Then it occurred to me the card had been face up in its pocket. Because I never deviate from the practice of only placing cards that can be safely erased face up in the case, I knew the pictures had been backed up. I went ahead and formatted the card, secure that the existing images had been backed up, even though I couldn’t remember doing it.

Note that this only works if you are a fanatic about following this practice. I knew my files were backed up, because I never put a memory card face up into the zipper case unless it is free for reuse.

Don’t overlook orphan files on your Compact Flash cards

One other advantage to this trick is it prevents you from leaving orphan files on your memory cards. Many times I have filled up a memory card with a hundred photos or more, then shot a handful of images on a second card. If you shoot a lot, it is easy to overlook the small collection of images stored on the additional card, especially if you are traveling or working on a tight deadline.

Because my procedure is to remove all face down cards from the case and upload everything to my standard folder structure, nothing is overlooked. Even if there is a card with only 1 or 2 images on it, these images will be added to my library because I force myself to upload all the images from all the cards before putting them back in the case.

How about you? Do you have a procedure that helps keep things straight when you are in the field?

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