Dumb ? about closest focusing distance

[StS]

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One final point - sorry if I mention facts which already known.

 

Lots of the images here have been taken by the digital M8, where the sensor is smaller than 24mm x 36mm. As a consequence the image is already cropped a bit by the sensor, the image angle of the 50mm lens is like a 67mm lens (if there were one) for 35mm film.

 

Same lens at the same focusing distance cropped by using an M8. Aperture is f/2.0, focus at eye level, the ears are already out of focus.

 

All the best and lots of good images for 2008.

 

Stefan

 

Edit - by the way - the depth of focus will be the same for film and the smaller sensor, it will be the same using your lens with the M2.

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[stuny]

To give you a head-start on your May trip I’ve placed text from notes to our niece before she took an after graduation trip to Europe. May is a far better time than our niece’s trip since you will be ahead of the summer crowds & the weather will be milder. You may also want to visit our site to get some photo ideas, and in the case of the Netherlands, to find some trip notes.

 

London

• Because our opinion of the food in England, we usually recommend people going to London pack a lunch. Indian & Chinese food is often pretty good, as are fish & chips in the pubs fish. The best food is either ethnic or obscenely expensive. Over the last few years the food has greatly improved, but the prices are much higher than you are used to.

• Check out the Thai restaurants in Soho (Greek St.), or the brasserie at Soho Soho.

• Leicester Square (and north of it) is the happening area. The Atlantic is the hot club. The trick to getting past the queue at the door is to book a table for dinner. Once you get past the door, get lost in the crowd and don't collect your table. Book late (10:30 or so) the place starts jumping around 11 pm when the pubs close.

• Tickets for plays are inexpensive and the quality is superb.

• If you like Turner, the Tate Gallery has a slew of them (on the Thames, about a half mile down from Parliament) plus lots of other interesting artworks. If you don’t know Turner there is a superb retrospective running now at the National Gallery in Washington, DC.

• Westminster Abbey is neat (careful of pickpockets), partly because of how many important dead people are planted there inside the church, under large stones with chiseled ID on them.

• If you go to Buckingham Palace, don't forget to go across the street to St. James (pronounced "Sint James") park which is quite nice and has many unusual water fowl, such as the gorgeous mandarin duck.

• The tower of London is very touristy, but worth the visit.

• Tower Bridge is the bridge you've seen in all the adverts, and it's neat. It's near the Tower of London (which isn't very high). Walk along the esplanade of the Thames to it.

• If you're into it, the British Museum has the plunder of the world, and is where Marx did all his research, arguably never working an honest day in his life as he espoused the plight of the working class. • The National Gallery is an excellent art museum.

• St. Paul's is the largest church in town with a spectacular dome. • The restored Globe theater is an exciting place to see open-air theater during the day.

• If you have time to get out of central London, Richmond is lovely (a long ride on the Underground). Lots of quaint shops and nice restaurants on the Thames.

• A boat ride up the Thames to Greenwich is fun on a sunny day.

 

Paris

The Seine roughly divides the city into the Right (northern) and Left (southern) banks of the river. The Seine actually arcs so it's not precisely north and south. Paris is segmented into districts called arrondissements. These arrondissements are arranged in an outward spiral beginning at the center of Paris. So, the 1st arr. is at the Ile de la Cite (a small island in the middle of the Seine with Notre Dame on it) and the Right Bank, which includes the neighborhood of the Louvre. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th (Le Marais) are on the Right Bank, then the spiral switches to the Left Bank for the 5th arr. (the infamous Latin Quarter where the Sorbonne resides), 6th arr. (St. Germain-des-Pres) and the 7th arr. The 8th is back on the Right bank, etc. The higher the number of the arrondissement, the farther out it is in the fringes of the city. Zip codes in Paris reflect the arrondissement, for example, 75001 is in the 1st, 75002 would be the 2nd, etc. Paris streets are winding and it's easy to get lost. It pays to buy "Paris by Arrondissements" which includes not just a map of the whole city with Metro and bus maps, but also detailed street maps within each arrondissement. You can get this at any newsstand. It's worth the cost. Definitely buy a Metro pass rather than individual tickets. It's good for unlimited use within its time period and can be used on buses also. The Metro is easy to figure out.

 

Here are suggestions for Paris:

• One of our favorite museums in the world is the Picasso. It's housed in a 17th century mansion. One proceeds through the 27 rooms in chronological order of his work, which is accompanied by newspaper articles (in several translations) showing what was happening in the world and the artist's life in each period that influenced his work.

• The Musee d'Orsay is a mid 19th century train station converted into a stunning museum. Arrive one morning when it first opens, and go immediately to the top floor so that you can enjoy the Impressionists without anybody blocking your view. This is the collection that had been at L'Orangerie, and then some. Consider lunch in their sit-down dining room. We've found it to be almost universal that fine lunches are served in the restaurants of good museums. Or, it's open late on Thursday nights (check to be sure that's still the night) and that's a good time to go. It's in the 7th arr. on the left bank of the Seine. • At Notre Dame, pay the few euros and climb up into the parapets to be surrounded by the gargoyles and the view.

• Down the street is La Sainte Chapelle (within the walls of the Palais de Justice). Downstairs is the incredibly ornate chapel for the common folk. Upstairs is the over-the-top chapel for the aristocracy. You can almost hear Louis' and Marie Antoinette's heads rolling.

. TheConciergerie (the old dungeon) in this complex is also interesting. • If you like Rodin, there is the Rodin Museum down the street from Les Invalides (not far from the Musee d'Orsay). The house has many of his sculptures, the front yard has one of our favorites (the Gates of Hell), and the gardens in back are lovely and peaceful.

• If you're a Napoleon freak, his tomb is in Les Invalides. Even better is Field Marshal Foch's tomb, which looks like several 1st world war soldiers as pall bearers of Foch's actual casket, all in stone.

• From Les Invalides, you can walk up the Champs de Mars to the Eiffel Tower. Across the Seine from the Tour Eiffel is the Palais de Chaillot. It has an interesting cinema museum.

• One of the best things to do in Paris is to just stroll along the banks of the Seine and into the charming neighborhoods, such as Le Marais and St. Germain-des-Pres, which have lots of art galleries, cafes and shops. La Place des Vosges in the 4th is one of the prettiest squares in town. Victor Hugo's house is open as a small museum.

• You have to start at the Tuileries, cross the Place de la Concorde, and walk up the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. It's especially beautiful at night. Don't be tempted to hang out in the cafes on the Champs Elysees, they're overpriced and touristy. Better to go to one in the chic Marais section.

• The Latin Quarter is the student's area and it has many inexpensive restaurants. The Moroccan ones are particularly good, couscous is terrific. La rue Mouffetard has a colorful outdoor food market in the mornings. You can buy some interesting tidbits and have a picnic lunch in the nearby Jardin des Plantes (botanicalgarden).

• After visiting Notre Dame, walk around the back of the cathedral and over the small footbridge to the Ile St. Louis. Incredibly charming little island with wonderful old houses, boutiques, restaurants, etc. and a great ice cream shop - Berthillon.

• The fancy shopping street is la rue du Faubourg St. Honore in the 8th, which houses the top designers. There are lots of great boutiques in le Marais but clothes are expensive unless you catch a sale or a discount place.

• If you want to see the Mona Lisa, get in line before the Louvre opens, and go immediately to her room. Use one of the less crowded side entrances, don't enter through the Pyramid. Later, it's impossible to get within 10 ft. of her. She's far better in the flesh than any reproduction. If you plan to visit museums, buy a museum pass, it's a very good deal and you probably can get an additional student discount with id. There are dozens of more things to do, but those are among our favorites.

 

Eating? Here are some interesting choices:

• L'Oulette in the 12th - country French. The last time we were there we had excellent 3 course dinners with complimentary appetizers (amuse-bouche) and petit fours, and the just arrived Beaujolais for about $55 each.

• Gaya in the 8th - The bistro of a far more expensive seafood restaurant and excellent in its own (friends tried it as recently as last November and report it is still superb).

• La Charlotte en L'Isle - A tiny chocolate shop on the Ile Saint-Louis. We went there before dinner one night and had hot chocolate that seemed to be nothing but melted Belgium chocolate. We still wake up moaning about it. It operates at odd hours, you have to check her sign.

• Le Grizzli - an authentic old-style bistro with a good fixed price menu. It's near the Centre Pompidou (all the French refer to the CP as "Beaubourg")

• Brasserie Flo - it's an old tourist institution, but it's really lively and fun with an incredibly friendly staff and good food. Reservations required. It is near the Bastille in an alley (cours des Petites-Ecuries, I think, which is off la rue des Petites-Ecuries)

No one eats early in Europe. 7 pm is considered early for dinner except at the tourist places. Not sure which clubs are hot in Paris these days.

 

Chartres

I see that we never wrote-up our visit to Chartres to see a dear friend & Leica Forum member. You must see the Cathedral, and once night falls see a light show (projected on the exterior showing how it had been painted centuries ago). Also nearby is the gorgeous Dreux Chapel. See the photos on our site.

[SiMPLiFY]

EXCELLENT!!!!! Thank You Barbara and Stuart!!!! I REALLY appreciate you sharing these notes and am looking forward to reading more and visiting the albums on your website!

[Shootist]

One final point - sorry if I mention facts which already known.

 

Lots of the images here have been taken by the digital M8, where the sensor is smaller than 24mm x 36mm. As a consequence the image is already cropped a bit by the sensor, the image angle of the 50mm lens is like a 67mm lens (if there were one) for 35mm film.

 

Same lens at the same focusing distance cropped by using an M8. Aperture is f/2.0, focus at eye level, the ears are already out of focus.

 

All the best and lots of good images for 2008.

 

Stefan

It is true that the M8 has a smaller image capturing device then normal 35mm film cameras. But a 50mm lens is still a 50mm lens whether it is used on film or cropped digital. The lens still sees the same scene on both camera only the M8 can not capture all of what the lens can see. The sensor in the M8 is the same ratio as 35mm film, 3:2, as apposed to some other digital cameras that have weird ratios. So to get the same scene with a M8 with 50mm and a M3 with 50mm all you have to do is move back slightly when using the M8 and becasue of the framelines being set to the closest focusing distance the M8 capture more then you think it does when looking through the viewfinder window.

[stunsworth]

EXCELLENT!!!!! Thank You Barbara and Stuart!!!! I REALLY appreciate you sharing these notes...

 

In Paris do not ignore the advice about the Bertillon ice-cream. It is sensational.

 

The rue Moufftard street market was one of my favourite places on a Sunday morning. With a cafe or two at the bottom of the hill for some light refreshment.

 

My two other favourite places where Pont des Arts - great people shots with Ile de la Cite in the background, and the Palais Royale. A very attractive formal courtyard and garden. Endless opportunities for people shooting here too. Then again I used to live about 5 minutes walk from both, so I'm probably biased <grin>.

 

There are now two Tate galleries in London. The original - Tate Britain - is a little upstream from the Houses of Parliament, the other - Tate Modern - in downstream and in a converted power station. There's a boat that connects the two that's well worth taking. St Paul's Cathedral is a short walk over the river on a footbridge.

[rubenkok]

Now I am anxious to test yet another roll! I wish I'd asked months ago!

We are looking forward to see your results from your other roll

regards

Ruben