Industar 61 – MikeHawkey.com

In today’s post, Stairs to Freedom, I wanted to create that visual experience we all get when adjusting to different light sources. Be it turning on/off a light in the middle of the night, or coming out of a dark tunnel into bright daylight as in this image. The eyes take a moment to adjust to the differing light. Until then things are not quite clear.

Today’s image was shot in one of the old tunnels used for WWII. Coming from the other side, ones eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, only to turn a corner and be greeted by a staircase with bright light shining down.

Shot on the Sony Nex with a old legacy Industar 61 lens, using Gimp I converted to B&W, added a light vignette and adjusted the levels.

It must have almost been a week since I picked up my Sony Nex, and many many months since I last used my Industar 61 (generally I would grab the Jupiter-8 for a manual 50).So, I headed out with this combination and my Ricoh GR1 (to finish the film in it) for a several hour stroll around the Devonport and Belmont areas.

As it has been for a few weeks now, the beaches were packed with people, the sun out and the water cool. I had earlier gone for a swim, so ventured off the beach track and more into the local parks and reserves. Walking out of Devonport, Lake Road, I captured today’s image. Shot just behind the memorial plaques and crosses, a wood post, chain fence runs the entire length. Approaching early evening the shadows were getting longer and I was drawn to the light filtering through the trees as I looked through the viewfinder up the fence passageway.

In post editing I did a fair amount of mucking around today in Gimp, adjusting contrasts, shadows, saturation and finishing with the rounded edges just after an aspect crop.

I also managed to finish off the film in the GR1, but don’t know if I will get around to developing it for the next few days or not.

The days are counting down until I return to work now. I enjoy my job, but am never one who enjoys finishing a holiday!…but enough about that. I still have several days up my sleeve!

We had some more great weather today, so after some tidying around the house I managed to go for a several hour walk. I brought along my Nex 5N and two of my old legacy lenses – the Industar 61 and Jupiter 11. Todays image ‘Air Brakes’ was captured on the Jupiter 11, a 135mm soviet lens, which equates to about a 200mm lens when coupled with a APS-C sensor like that on the Nex. For the price, its a nice old lens that I have spoke about before. I think I will take it apart and re-lube when I get some time as its a bit stiff to focus, which makes all the difference when focusing on moving targets.

In post editing, I did crop the photo, both to remove a branch in the left, and also to give a larger shot of the bird. Shot in .jpg, I wish I had been also saving in raw as it would have given me some more detail to play with.

I have a Juipter-8 on the way from Ukraine also and cant wait to give it a run on the Nex (and some 35mm rangefinders) as I have read some positive things about it, most suggesting its a better lens then the Industar 61 (which I like anyway).

Today was mostly made up of being ill in bed and torrential rain that flooded the region. However, at the end of the day the rain subsided and I felt the need to get out for some fresh air (cold air really). Armed with the Nex 5N and Industar 61 lens I took a walk around the Bayswater Marina. The Clouds were particularly dramatic this evening with the sun setting and shining out about them. I wanted to catch their natural colors (from the Russian lens’ perspective) and set the exposure to the clouds, allowing the foreground to silhouette. A gull decided to head off towards the sun also, so I captured it in the center of the frame. A beautiful end to a not so beautiful day.

I ventured across the harbor for a stroll in town today with a new old lens for my Sony Nex 5N. One thing that makes the Sony great is the wide range of adapters you can get to fit other branded and era lenses. My newly acquired lens is an old 55mm Soviet FED Industar 61. Overall I found it a nice lens to use with good smooth controls and some nice images produced. The Industar 61’s can be a bit hit and miss quality wise, but they are generally a cheap and cheerful purchase.. I did struggle today with the 35mm equivalent of around 80mm – I generally use my GRD IV day in/out with its equivalent 28mm. All being said, after an initial struggle I came up with some images I was happy with. Street photography is not an area I have practiced enough, so i’ll have to get out there a bit more. Todays image is taken in the lower section of Auckland City. The only post processing being done is a small crop and converting to B&W.

Tag: Industar 61

Stairs to Freedom

The Chain Fence

Air Brakes

Sundown at the Marina

Nex in the City