Rolduc Bell Tower, or: A Biogon 21mm/2.8 in dire straits

[Katsunami]

Since the day I've received it, my Zeiss ZM Biogon 21mm/2.8 did not feel quite right. Well... I /did/ get it on a huge discount, as it was a demo lens, and it functioned as it should, so I just used it.

Still, it developed play in the housing and focus ring, so I sent it in for repair under warranty. (As the lens was never registered as sold before, Zeiss granted me the 3 year warranty on purchase.) After being away for a month I received it back a few days ago, and this was it's first serious outing in half a year.

There was an open house at the Rolduc Church in my metropolis (city, town, village, hamlet... depending on your frame of reference...), and we got to go up the 900 year old bell tower too. A hard task for the Biogon, with the following results. All images are edited in Lightroom, and completely uncropped.

After you enter, and climb the first stair, you see this, when turning back:

Now you need to go left. If you manage to turn without killing yourself by smashing your head into one of the posts, overhead beams or connection pins, you'll certainly go blind:

Now, creep under, over or alongside the beams until you're past this light (that is as annoying as hell, but the only way you can see anything):

Yes, that was as small as it looks. So, we're past that, and should be entering the bell chamber by now? Wrong. A lot more steps to go:

I was inside the bell chamber too, but that is pitch black, only illuminated by the guide's flashlight. No chance to take a picture. Sorry.

Tomorrow I'll post some picturs of parts of the church itself.

 

[Wiener]

Hi Katsunami, interesting set! What ISO did you use for these? They seem very grain-free...
Andy

 

[Katsunami]

Thanks for looking

I've set the GXR to determine ISO automatically. The AUTO ISO limit I set is 1600, as that is more than enough for most of my situations. If I had remembered that, I maybe would have set the limit to 3200, or even have locked ISO at that value. I seem to have gotten away with very short shutter speeds. (Courtesy of the many beams to lean into, probably.)

1: 1600, 1/11s
2. 1600, 1/17s
3. 295, 1/30s
4. 1600, 1/13s

Aperture was f/2.8 for all shots. (I could have grabbed the 35mm f/2, but that lens would have "seen" even less than the 21 in these tight spots. And my 15mm f/4.5 would've been waaay too dark.

By the way: I think that Lightroom 4's noise reduction also helps a lot. I didn't do anything with it though: just left it at default.

 

[Wiener]

Thanks for this information, Katsunami!
Appreciated...
Andy

 

[thelps]

Its a lens I have always wanted, but more back in the film days.
I am a big fan of 21mm, even thought this is not 21 on the GXR-M its still a useful length.
Glad you got the warranty!

 

[Katsunami]

Its a lens I have always wanted, but more back in the film days.
I am a big fan of 21mm, even thought this is not 21 on the GXR-M its still a useful length.
Glad you got the warranty!

It's the best option to have a thirty-ish lens without using a weird length such as the Zeiss 25mm.

Warranty was simple. It was not due to courtesy of Zeiss. The lens was a demo / for hire in the store. I bought it as demo / second hand, but the registration card was blank. I just registered the lens over the internet, expecting Zeiss to refuse if it was registered before. It seemed it wasn't, so I just got the warranty as first owner. Big luck, as it turned out. The lens is 100% now, but I did save €250, and got the €89 hood (which I don't use).

Any opinions about the pictures?

Ps: damn, they're dark and contrasty on my tablet. I'll stick to my calibrated monitor for judging photo's....

 

[thelps]

Any opinions about the pictures?

Ps: damn, they're dark and contrasty on my tablet. I'll stick to my calibrated monitor for judging photo's....

the images look fine on my monitors, good colour balance. The tablet may be in power saving mode and the backlight at a lower level.
I love the inclusion of the date of 1624 on the last one - that image is the winner for me. To think someone carved that out all that time ago. What would they make a GXR now!

 

[riccadonna]

Katsunami. I know that Biogon 21/2.8 is very fine lens even I prefer for portability sake 21/4.5, which I don`t own but I did try in front of Photografica shop discovering that`s much better then my VC 21/4. Writing about dire straits makes me think of widest of wide. I have VC15/4.5 which is not bad. For a situation like yours interiours I would like something like 10mm on APS-C and compact at that. I`ve heard that Samsung is coming with APS-C mirrorless fish-eye 8/2.8. Alas only in NEX and NX mount. Why nor in LTM, damn. I`ll have a look at NX which has bigger flange dist to check if it`s possible to fiddle with it in order to mount it on GXR. As to photos, they`re cool, well maybe some spiderwebs, bat dung and mummmmified monks would make it complete.

 

[Katsunami]

Thanks for your comments, Riccadonna.

Did you have a look at the shutter speeds above? I own the 15mm f/4.5, but that lens would have been way too dark. ISO would need to be at 3200 to compensate the f/2.8 to f/4 difference, and the shutter speeds would need to be even lower to compensate te step to f/4.5. I am sure there are spider webs, bat dung, and some mummies.... in the dark parts of the tower. However, I feel Gollum-ish enough already.

PS: With regard to the Zeiss 21mm f/4.5: it's smaller and lighter, but not too much. It does have a huge disadvantage, and that is that no camera will handle it correctly, especially the M9, except the GXR with it's special sensor. The CV 15mm f/4.5 (and CV 21mm/4 too) has the same problem, but I'm not going to use 15mm on a full frame camera. It's too wide except for occasional shots. If I'd do so, then I'll use CornerFix if need be.

 

[riccadonna]

Katsunami dear brother of the order, I do know about the ISO and apertures and exposure times. But you do could use some tripod crutches like hunchback from NotreDam to stabilise your trembling hand in these catacombic surroundings. If you exposed for , say an hour or two, you might even catch those unseen ectaplasmic bodies of monks dead hundreds years ago. A double circular fish-eye take would be perfect for a 3D stereo wild-eye hallucination pict. Anyway, you know that I´m faking a bit just for fun of it . By the way, what do you mean 15mm is too wide on GXR. Boy it only 23 on APS-C! More that your lovely 21mm Biogon is ment for FF. Okey doke, I`ll try to thing about some creepy picts I`ve taken to show to the world. Long live GXR.

 

[Katsunami]

By the way, what do you mean 15mm is too wide on GXR. Boy it only 23 on APS-C! More that your lovely 21mm Biogon is ment for FF.

What I meant is that the 15mm on a full frame camera would be much too wide for me.

On the GXR, the 15mm becomes 23, and therefore becomes quite an all round lens you can use for many things. It can replace a 21mm (such as the Zeiss 21mm/4.5, or CV 21mm/4) , or a 24 or 25mm. On a full frame camera, the Biogon 21mm/2.8 would become my wide angle lens. (I would probably also even add a 28, for if I wanted a wide lens, but not as wide as 21.)

The 15 would only be mounted for very specific shots such as huge landscapes. It becomes a special purpose lens, IMHO.

Not to even mention the CV 12mm f/5.6 on full frame. With that lens, you'll take pictures of the back of your head if you're not careful. It's ridiculously wide.

 

[Gab]

Katsunami, very nice set very well captured in those light conditions

 

[riccadonna]

I would love to have CV12/5.6, On APS-C it gives 18mm which is the lens I used to use for arch shots on film FF. It gives you 90 degrees horizontally which means that if you position your camera in the corner of room , it will see along right and left wall. By the way, to photograph the back of your head you`ll need Nikkor Fish-eye 6mm/2.8. It`s angle is 220 so it actually sees behind. Alas they go for over 100 000$ so I guess we both won`t bother.