The Most Fun You’ll have with a Lens — Laowa 15mm ƒ4 Wide Angle Macro Shift Lens

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of wide angle photography. One of my favorite lenses is the Nikon 14-24mm ƒ2.8. It is simply one of the finest lenses on the planet. However, it is also important to know that most lenses, even wide-angle lens, don’t necessarily focus very closely. Most of the time this is not an issue but one of my favorite cameras to shoot with is my iPhone.

Grasshopper Portrait — Mexico Beach, Florida 2015 [Shot on iPhone]

In fact, a bit of marketing marvel, iPhone can do one thing that almost no other “traditional” camera can: wide angle [pseudo] macro.

iPhones traditionally have a field of view is similar to a 26mm to 30mm lens on 35mm formats and can focus very closely. In my experience, it appears that iPhone can traditionally focus within approximately 7.5 centimeters (3 inches). While it is not a macro lens, it does give an incredible field of view with a very high reproduction ratio of one subject if focusing at that 7.5 to 10 centimeters. One of my favorite photos that I’ve taken with an iPhone, and iPhone 6, is Grasshopper Portrait.

For years I attempted to reproduce this look with all sorts of lenses on my Micro 4/3 Olympus camera, my Nikon, and others. But simply no wide angle lens could focus closely enough.

One day I stumbled on a photo of a praying mantis. It had the look I was would expect from a master photographer with iPhone but the lighting, shallow depth of field, and image fidelity reminded me more of a traditional camera versus what I expect from iPhone or other smartphone. Clicking on the photo, I found that the lens used was from company that I never heard of before. The 15mm ƒ4 lens touted full 1:1 reproduction and I was in love. The Venus Optics lens was what I had searched for so long and while wider than I wanted, on an APS-C sensor, the field of view would be in the range of 21mm so nearly perfect for my style. And, upon closer inspection, it had shift abilities making it great for architecture.

The Laowa 15mm ƒ4 Wide Angle Macro was sure to be mine. Here are just a few examples from a few walks around the gardens at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago.

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It is a really fun lens to use. There is so much potential with this lens and for a photography style that is very uncommon. The Flickr page for this lens only has 2200 images and of those, few really show the ability this lens gives one to photography subjects in a whole new way.

A word of warning: this lens is not for the faint of heart. It is a shift lens. It is, therefore, only manual focus. It focuses so closely that one will literally bump into one’s subject if not careful. One will also need to pay certain attention to light—the shadow of this lens is easy to get into the shot. Unless you stop down to ƒ8 or ƒ11, the depth of field is very, very, shallow and simply one’s breathing, focus will be lost. One needs patiences and to be very stealthy otherwise a subject may be scared off.

A few other notes about this lens: I’ve shot with many lenses and they all have their own character and all have some opportunities. This includes, its tendency to shift color towards green a touch. Nothing that can’t be fixed in post-production. But also, in some lighting scenarios, green tends to wash out some.

Some positives beyond that discussed, it handles flair very well. Wide angles are notorious for lens flair but only a few shots does it appear but it is also well controlled and I would estimate in the right hands can be a benefit even when it does appear. It has beautiful bokeh even down into the ƒ16 aperture range. This is no doubt thanks to its impressive fourteen (!) aperture blades. And, to top it off, it is very sharp.

Physically, it is a strange lens but not a negative. All metal tank of a lens, the aperture ring is at the front element and the focus ring is closer to the camera body. That takes a little time to get used to but bother rings also have good mechanics and are overall smooth operation.

While this is not really a review of this lens, it is a very special lens. To my knowledge, without using an extension tube, there are no other lenses manufactured like it. If one desires a special look to one’s photos, this lens is very unique and the one of the most fun with which to photograph.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day. It is something many of us take for granted but there are so many who don’t Those who can not see, walk, talk, hear, and some disabilities that are not as easy to identify, live everyday in a world slightly different.

Having worked at Apple for nearly sixteen years now, one thing that still stands out to me about what we do is in support of those who are occasionally forgotten. Apple’s products may sell to the masses with little difficulty but we are also keenly aware that our products are for everyone. Every iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple TV, and all have a massively powerful set of accessibility features implemented into them.

While I was a trainer, some of my favorite people to work with were those with disabilities. They had incredibly stories, interesting perspectives, and were some of the most appreciative people—not only of the fact that they could come to Apple and receive training but the world of new opportunities a device like iPhone afforded them.

And from that, on today, Global Accessibility Awareness Day, I share one of my favorite films Apple has released to date.

Join me and my team today at Apple Michigan Avenue for a special event exploring the world of sound as lead by Andy Slater. Music Walk: In Search of Audible Magic with Andy Slater.

Adrian’s Life Rule #74: Accessible design is good design.

Gore Closefit Tricot Gloves — The North Face

I wasn’t expecting to review these gloves but they’ve turned out to be so much greater than expected that I had to share.

Living in Chicago, where it can get pretty brutally cold, gloves are a requirement. The need to be warm, easy to keep track of, not terribly expensive (because they get lost easily), must work with touchscreen devices, and ensure the highest dexterity possible.

I’ve gone through a lot of gloves. Many claim to be warm and aren’t. Many claim to work with touchscreen devices and don’t—or at least not well. Or those that are warm are bulky an impede manual dexterity. My last pair of gloves, also from The North face, were okay but I never loved them. They barely worked with touchscreens, were thick but not terribly warm, and wind cut right through them.

Just a few weeks ago, while shopping for some gym gear, a sales associate at REI went to search an item I couldn’t find and I took the time to looks at some gloves. I tried on the updated version of what I had currently—still mediocre. I tried some heavier gloves but they were just too bulky. I saw the Gore Glosefit Tricot Glove, picked them up but they were so thin they almost felt like latex kitchen gloves. But the tag noted ‘cold’ which appeared to be the second tear for The North Face gloves and therefore warmer than my current, thicker gloves. The tag also noted ‘windproof’ which is a huge advantage in Chicago. Made from Gore-Tex, it makes them highly breathable and offers some water resistance.

Jersey lining

Trying them on, I found them to fit very nicely—fit like a glove, I suppose! And pulling out my iPhone, they were super responsive on the touchscreen. In addition, the grip was awesome with tiny, silicon dots (apparently known as Jersey lining) on much of the palm, index, and middle fingers. I was almost able to let go of my iPhone XS. As many of you will likely be able to attest to, phones can easily slip out of one’s hand when wearing gloves. No bueno.

I was sold and took a pair home.

These gloves haven’t failed to impress me. Probably the most important attributes of these gloves isn’t the touchscreen compatibility or the grip but the how warm they are and the dexterity they allow.

While they aren’t terribly thick and therefore aren’t super insulated, they are windproof and that helps a ton. Especially here in Chicago, something every Chicagoan isn’t extremely well acquainted with is the brutal wind that sails off Lake Michigan during winter. A -12°C (10°F) day isn’t so bad… until the wind cuts into you like a razor.

Walking down the street my hands were free at my side without any chill, discomfort, or numbness. Further, I also was on a photographic mission and had my FujiFilm X-T20 in had and that is the second plus.

These gloves offer such dexterity that I am able to operated all the small buttons and dials with little impediment. Filmmakers and photographers rejoice—these gloves are go you. In fact, I’ve added them to my Filmmakers’ Gear list. Pull a memory card, operate a touch screen, adjust white balance or shutter angle with the Gore Closefit Tricot Gloves.

I can’t praise them enough—I’me sure there are some glove that are warmer but not as thin. Offer greater dexterity but not as warm. But these made for such a great combination of features, dexterity, warmth, grip, touchscreen functionality, and more that I highly recommend picking of a pair if this review spoke to you.

Price: $45