Photoessay: hardware

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This post is a shameless gear p*** interlude, made with mostly recent but also some older images from the archives. I like my hardware as much as the next photographer, and have no problem admitting that some designs are more beautiful than others. Product photography is as much my thing as any other discipline – why not make them a legitimate subject in their own right, too? MT

Shot with various cameras and processed with Photoshop and LR Workflow III.

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Images and content copyright Ming Thein | mingthein.com 2012 onwards. All rights reserved

Comments

  1. John Squillace says:

    Hi, Ming –

    Speaking of legacy gear, might you consider writing a review of the Contax 100-300mm?

    Thanks!

    • Tricky – the problem is I have no way to thoroughly test it at present as I don’t have a FF body it will mount on; this of course means no way to see what it’s doing in the corners.

  2. so amazing

  3. I’m interessested to hear how you light your subjects. Beeing an industrial design student, we have to photograph our models to include in our portfolio. However, there are two issues. The first is my lack of experience when it comes to product photograhy. The second is lack of equipment. Not necessarily when it comes to cameras and lenses (although I don’t have any macro lenses for my 600D) but in form of lighting equipment and studio space. It’s ironic that our school doesn’t have a dedicated studio room, leaving students often to place their models on sheets of paper and using desk lamps as light sources.

  4. No Ricoh GR? Shameful.

  5. The Canon has a NIKKOR on it?

  6. You’ve done a great job of highlighting the most distinctive and appealing feature of each camera: the limber flexibility of the view camera, the removable finder of the F2, Leica T’s contrast between bright metal and black touchscreen, the tactile leather grain of the Hassy, and the simple “M” that makes the Leica such a salivary stimulant. And you’ve let those diverse focal points dictate different styles. Great work, in a genre where something mundane usually suffices.

  7. Are you NOT getting the Hasselblad X1D? ( for back-up perhaps since it is much smaller!?)

    • I have access to one, and far too much equipment here as it is. Personally I prefer optical finders still (and the wider range of native H lenses balances better on the H body). Very much in love with the H6-100c ‘s files at the moment, but never say never I guess!

  8. mike gannon says:

    is there any news about a updated cfv 50c digital back

    • I wouldn’t be surprised if it is updated to the current platform eventually – as the H5-50c was – it wouldn’t make sense for economic efficiencies to keep two platforms in production, I think.

      • Calvin Yee says:

        Hi Ming, B&H just announced that the cfv-50c is discontinued.

        • Not surprising as it was using the H5-generation platform, and I believe they’re consolidating on the H6 platform now. What it means is get them while there’s still stock…

  9. Kristian Wannebo says:

    Aah, the grey old film-Hassy defending its place among all the black newcomers …
    And although you hide behind a Canon, Ming, it’s obvious that you haven’t gone over to the dark force as you usually don’t hide.
    – – –
    Nice photos!
    Nr. 13 is almost symbolic about seeing!

  10. Love the Nikon Titan Shot

  11. As long as we’re on the subject of gear; the new Fuji GFX MF beast just destroyed the A7RII at 6400 as tested yesterday at IR. And the A7RII was no slouch at 6400. Wow, I’d better free up some G.A.S. money :O

    • Not surprised – my H5D was also visibly superior to the A7RII, and the H6D-100 is better still – slightly cleaner at the pixel level, slightly more DR, and double the number of pixels. At the same reproduction ratio, it’s unbeatable. You’ll be seeing some ISO 12,800 stuff very soon here…

    • NICE

  12. John Harvey says:

    Is that all yours now, or some past? Awesome either way.

  13. Egmont Bonomi says:

    My feelings in two words: gear envy 😉

  14. Very nice as photographed in detail.