Film: Surreal sky, Surfers' paradise

[Nigel Allan]

I was walking along the beach at Surfers' Paradise, Queensland Australia in April 1989 and was struck by the sky and cloud formation and how it appeared to meet the land in the distance. It seemed so unreal or surreal due to the angles of the clouds and beach - almost other worldly.

Like all my film shots this is straight out of the camera apart from a bit of cleaning of dust and digital sharpening during scanning, although I am not one to digitally enhance skies anyway as that is not my thing and I think nature is fantastic enough on its own without having to use Photoshop to make it look even more stunning

1. Nigel Allan: Surreal sky, Surfers’ Paradise 1989 - a

2. Nigel Allan: Surreal sky, Surfers’ Paradise 1989 - b​

Pentax LX 50mm 1.4, ektachrome, Nikon Coolscan 5000 ED

 

[Michael Fontana]

Yea Nigel

I agree, they have some amazing sky in Queensland, the clouds mooving sheep-like on the blue meadow..

Some friends were living a bit further north in Brisbane, we avoided the crowed place as we could... and moved rather a bit furter north...

nice surfs on your photos anyway, I can see, that you took' em in the evening, is it how you avoided the crowd of Surfers' Paradise?

Do you have some more - whithout the buildings?

 

[Nigel Allan]

Yea Nigel

I agree, they have some amazing sky in Queensland, the clouds mooving sheep-like on the blue meadow..

Some friends were living a bit further north in Brisbane, we avoided the crowed place as we could... and moved rather a bit furter north...

nice surfs on your photos anyway, I can see, that you took' em in the evening, is it how you avoided the crowd of Surfers' Paradise?

Do you have some more - whithout the buildings?

Thanks Michael. These were the only two I shot there (that's the 'discipline' that comes from only having 36 exposures on a roll) and actually I also wanted to show the contrast between the heavily built up skyline with high rise apartments right on the beach and the beach itself. I was struck by the overdeveloped nature of this stretch of 'paradise' and that was in 1989, so I am sure it is worse now.

Yes these would have been taken I suspect between 6pm and 8pm

thanks Michael

 

[Michael Fontana]

and actually I also wanted to show the contrast between the heavily built up skyline with high rise apartments right on the beach and the beach itself.

I think that works, Nigel - the reflections of the clouds in the water are nice.

 

[Rachel Foster]

Love the top one.

 

[Nigel Allan]

Thank you Michael and Rachel for your feedback.

Many people (in other forums - not here) go on and one about how modern digital lenses are so much better than many older lenses, but the detail captured by my old Pentax lenses is quite superb, especially when expressed through film due to the extremely fine and smooth grain.

I looked at these enlarged quite significantly and was amazed at some of the finer detail I could make out which in digital would have become pixelated.

 

[Michael Fontana]

Many people (in other forums - not here) go on and one about how modern digital lenses are so much better than many older lenses, but the detail captured by my old Pentax lenses is quite superb, especially when expressed through film due to the extremely fine and smooth grain.

I looked at these enlarged quite significantly and was amazed at some of the finer detail I could make out which in digital would have become pixelated.

It doesn't lookes like a Velvia, but rather as a Kodak...
any yes I agree about the the lenses, having a bag full of Contax-Zeiss....

To me it looks like quite some camera brands had for a good while produced lenses with lower quality. The last two years, they get aware about the importance of good lenses, as today's sensors outresolve quite a lot of the lower quality lenses of the last ten years.

They might change from selling every 15 months a new cam to rather selling high quality glass - today glass has become more expensiv than a prosumer DSLR.

 

[Nigel Allan]

Interesting timing...I just read today about a new range of Zeiss lenses for Nikon. Now all I want is a higher resolution Nikon body/sensor and I'll be happy (and the money to pay for all this ...)

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/news/431038/carl-zeiss-for-nikon.html

Carl Zeiss for Nikon
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 Paul Nuttall Comment on this article

New series of lenses announced

Carl Zeiss has announced a forthcoming range of lenses compatible with the Nikon F bayonet mount.

The lenses feature a built-in CPU, enabling the transmittal of EXIF data, and arrive under the ‘ZF.2' moniker.

Seven focal lengths are available in the new range - 3,5/18, 2,8/21, 2/35, 1,4/50, 2/50 1,4/85, 2/28 and 2/100 - with the first number referring to the maximum aperture.

The lenses are available at the end of November, with the 2/28 and 2/100 to follow early next year, and for further information either visit Zeiss online or see below for full press release....

 

[Michael Fontana]

for the Canonboys they have the code ZE, for the Pentax, the ZA, etc.

You might notice, they aren't build in Germay but in Japan from Cosina, for Zeiss.

 

[nicolas claris]

for the Canonboys they have the code ZE, for the Pentax, the ZA, etc.

You might notice, they aren't build in Germay but in Japan from Cosina, for Zeiss.

more here: http://www.zeiss.com/C12567A8003B58B9/ContentsWWWIntern/8E8AE439A3FD6101C125711B005A77C4

 

[Mike Shimwell]

I have a ZF 35/2 for use on my Canon. It's a great lens, though the manual (ona canon) aperture can be a bit of a pain in walk around shooting. The new lenses have the potential to be lovely to use.

I also have an old Zeiss Contax 28/2.8 that I'm quite fond of And they are pretty good value these days.

Mike

 

[Michael Fontana]

....... I also have an old Zeiss Contax 28/2.8
that I'm quite fond of And they are pretty good value these days. Mike

yep Mike, Distagon 28 mm in use and much liked here too; best quality for even a small pocket. I think you can't beat that, unless you' re spending a lot of money!

A good but rare one is the Sonnar 100 3.5: ok, it's not bright - I can't help myself, and don't know really why, but it doesn't needs post... the images look so natural...

 

[Asher Kelman]

1. Nigel Allan: Surreal sky, Surfers’ Paradise 1989 - a

2. Nigel Allan: Surreal sky, Surfers’ Paradise 1989 - b​

These would have to be HDR to come from a digital camera. The water is really wet and the sand crunches under foot!

What we have given up in film!

Asher