Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) 1:1 Aspect Ratio

The 1:1 aspect ratio offers a unique style of capturing images that is often over-looked or completely forgotten about. Made famous by medium format cameras such as Hasselblad, Rollei 6x6 and a multitude of Twin Lens Reflex Cameras, the 1:1 aspect ratio is truly singular. 

For some reason, 1:1 aspect ratio gives photographs a reality to them that 3:2 or 16:9 does not. Sure, you can drop any image in Photo Shop to 1:1 but when you shoot in 1:1, you have to think about your composition in a completely different way. Because 1:1 is a perfect square, you're not always going to be able to get everything that you might want to get in the shot. You have to be selective about where you place your subject.

I like shooting in 1:1 aspect ratio on my Leica for selfish and frugal reasons. Namely, it's likely I will never be able to afford a digital back for my Hasselblad 503CW. I recently purchased a poor man's digital back for the Hasselblad in the form of a Hasselnuts "digital back" adapter. The adapter looks like a regular Hasselblad A12 back but it has a slot for your iPhone 4 or 5. The image is captured to your iPhone and ends up being something close to a 6 megapixel image. This product is sort of "gimmicky" and has a few severe limitations. I'll be doing a video review of that product in the near future over at HeyDontShoot.com.

The Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) features an easy to use aspect ratio selection dial in the lens dial, right next to where the body and the lens join. You can choose form the standard 3:2, 16:9 which will give you a wide, cinematic view, 4:3 and lastly, 1:1.

Leica lenses have much the same qualities as the Zeiss Hasselblad lenses. They feature colors that are neutral and very true to life. Clean, clear images with fantastic bokeh. Swtich that dial on the Leica over to 1:1 and BAM, you've got your digital 1:1!

I've been meaning to write this blog post for a couple week, but boredom ultimately drove me to shoot a few photos around the house today. I heeded my own slogan of "Everything is a Picture" (Get your "Everything is a Picture" T Shirt right here) and shot some photos in the empty house, empty all except for my sisters dog "Molly".

Leica D-Lux (Typ 109)

Mounting a Hasselblad Lens on a Sony A7II

If you've ever wondered if you can mount a Hasselblad lens onto a Sony E Mount camera, the answer is yes (with an adapter). And if you ever wondered what it would look like, well then, just scroll down a little and look at the picture.

I'm not exactly sure how much I'll put it to use, but I do enjoy the luxury of having numerous high quality lenses to choose from and to mix and match on my various cameras. Which is why I went ahead and purchased the Kipon lens adapter for mounting Carl Zeiss Hasselblad lenses to my Sony E Mount cameras such as the Sony A7 II (pictured with Carl Zeiss Planar f/2.8).

I've got two "Hassy" lenses; the 80mm and a 150mm. So far I've only shot the one test image that you can see below. But it definitely transfers that distinct Hasselblad look to digital pretty well. Gotta take it out and shoot some more.

Kipon adapter Hasselblad to Sony E Mount (NEX)

Sample image Hasselblad Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm lens mounted on Sony A7II

First Shot - Hasselblad 503CW

One of the best parts about having a shooting buddy is that I've always got a photography subject close by, and really, I find great pleasure in photographing friends, especially friends who are photographers.

Turner is a good person, devoted family man and a passionate photographer.

It was Turner who reminded me of a critical step in film photography, which is to keep a notebook detailing camera settings and lighting conditions for each photo. This is an essential step, not dissimilar to zeroing a scope on a rifle. Unfortunately, I made the rookie mistake of not keeping notes on my first roll of film, so I can't even tell you what the settings were for this shot. All I know is that it was shot on expired AGFA APX ISO 100 black and white film.

The photo below is one of the first shots that I took with the Hasselblad 503CW and it is a promising sign. With time, knowledge and practice I am certain I will get some great results.

The next Episode of our Hey Don't Shoot YouTube show is about film photography, I should have it edited and posted by next weekend.

Check out Turner's photography at the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/turnerhuntphoto
http://turnerhuntphoto.smugmug.com/

"Turner" - Shot with Hasselblad 503CW

Hasselblad 503CW