Photo of the Week 2026-04-13

 

Back in November I picked up the vintage Canon FD 35 f/2 Concave - Chrome Nose lens. On a trial outing I took along the FD 35 f/3.5 S.C.for some comparison shots ...

 

The thorium element(s) of the 35mm f/2 lens had yellowed due to radioactive decay and the warm character shows in it's colour rendition. The second image was shot with the 35mm f/3.5, no colour correction has been applied to either image but obviously, I could cool or warm the resulting images in post processing if desired. But these two images were made with direct comparison in mind.

 

 

I have since set up a rudimentary treatment process to expose the lens elements to UV-C light which can remove some of the yellowing of the thoriated lens element. The results are temporary as continued radioactive decay will yellow the lens on an ongoing basis. Wait ! Radioactive ... yes I said radioactive, but not to the degree where it is dangerous or even a health concern and I don't sleep with the lens under my pillow. FYI - a few decades ago thorium was added to some optical glass formulas to improve optical performance and the Canon 35mm Concave and other lenses are revered for their sharpness. As for clearing some of the yellowing, it's an experiment in process with some improvement shown.

 

note: I lost track of what aperture I was using and was shooting handheld which required light cropping adjustment afterwards to align the. I really want to repeat the exercise with the camera tripod mounted shooting a range of apertures for comparing sharpness of each lens across settings ... and now I have a FD 35 f/2 S.S.C. Concave and FDn 35mm f/2.8 that could be added to the mix ;-)

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-04-06

 

' Pavilion at Jacob's Landing '

' Riverbank Lofts - Old Hespeler Sawmill '

' Jacob's Landing Benches '

It was well past time that I got out for a photo walkabout and still under orders for no strenuous activity or lifting, I went for an easy location and light on the gear. The first two shots were made with my EOS M3 and FDn 20mm f/2.8 (effectively 32mm on the crop sensor) mounted via Fotodiox adapter,. The third image was shot on a R5 with FD 100mm f/2.8 Chrome Nose mounted via Fotodiox Pro adapter.

 

Using vintage, manual focus lenses adapted to modern digital mirrorless cameras certainly changes my process. The requirement to make mechanical inputs for shutter speed, aperture setting and focus slows down image capture. Add to that my decision to use prime lenses instead of zooms and there is also the need for me to physically move when I alter composition... and as long as I'm moving forward or back why not side to side or up and down to fine tune things. 

 

Whether it's the change of gear, my mindset, the nostalgic component, limitations of fixed focal lengths, this leg of the Journey is proving very enjoyable. 

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-03-30

 

Now I know that Spring has just arrived but I've delayed outdoor adventures for a bit while I convalesce after hernia surgery one week ago. Any recent photography activity has been limited to some shots of Sully around the house or working on the computer with images from previous outings.

 

And that's where today's photo caught my eye. Back in November, I mounted up a couple of vintage lenses on modern digital camera bodies and went for a frosty morning walkabout in the Guelph Arboretum. The sun rose magnificently in clear skies bringing it's warmth in colour as well as temperature. Low in the morning sky, it provided exquisite back-light for the remaining fall colours and foliage.

 

' morning smoke '

From a distance, this Smoketree (I did not take note of the specific variety) with it's feathery 'flowers' gave the impression that it was smoking or steaming which drew me closer. I enjoyed some close-up shooting using the back-lighting to bring an ethereal, abstract feel to the images.

I was using two different camera/lens combinations and cannot recall which lens was used for the image above, likely a 35mm or 50mm variant of the vintage Canon FD lenses I have acquired. Unfortunately key-wording was skipped for files from one setup on import to the computer and being a fully manual vintage lens, there is not electronic communication with the camera to have the info recorded in capture metadata.

Note to self ... don't forget to keyword when importing images, particularly those shot with vintage lenses.

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-03-23

 

Spring may have arrived according to the calendar, but you could have fooled my camera ...

 

' over the ice to flowerpot in spring fog '

I made the image above on a first hike of spring 2026 when Lynn and I trekked to Mermaid Cove with Sullivan wanting to see what it was like with the water of Georgian Bay still sporting it's coat of ice. Some things on the schedule may prevent me from getting back before the waters are free of winter's grasp.

 

There is a view between the trees looking out to little Middle Island ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and just to show the difference in the scene from  the first day of spring, March 20 above, compared to early winter, when I was there at sunrise on January 1st less than 3 months ago, below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came across something interesting from Chase Jarvis talking about what he calls "The Messy Middle", when the freshness of a creative project has passed, when the real work is still to be done, before reaching the home stretch when a project is finally wrapped up. I found it interesting. Here is a link if you are interested.

  

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-03-16

 

I recently picked up the photo kit of a retired photojournalist to add to my growing collection of Canon classic film SLR's and lenses. Surprisingly, the lenses were in quite good shape and showed little abuse, the camera an F-1 3rd and last generation, showed signs of serious use with a couple of dings and some brass showing through worn paint. All were in good working condition so after a detailed cleaning, I replaced the light seals and mirror bump pad in the camera, loaded it with film and took it out for a spin in Downtown Guelph. I've yet to finish the film but will shortly I'm sure. Until I have those images ready to share, here are some from the same outing using my digital camera with a vintage Canon FD 35mm f/3.5 manual lens from another purchase ... 

 

Now an added bonus ... or maybe not depending on your take ;-)

 

It was time to update my profile pic here on Google / Blogger so I mounted up a vintage portrait lens on the R5 and set up for some portrait selfies using the Canon Camera Connect App on my phone as remote trigger. I thought it's been a while since some of those following me have seen this mug and wanted to let you know what Iook like in case we run into each other.

 

 Damn it's hard to get your subject to smile ;-)

 

DJE