These images were taken at a bubble workshop, held by the IACC Macro SIG. They are created by oil in water, in a glass dish. The colours are created by sheets of coloured paper under the dish. I decided they look like really psychedelic planets.

Drops of Jupiter
 

When Planets Align Starry Starry Night

Four high contrast images, prepared for the IACC Black and White SIG. 

Silhouette Gone to Seed Waiting for Open WaterJasper National Park, AB Nothing to See HereWest Edmonton Mall

Three images of, as advertised, snow and ice.

Off PisteElk Island National Park, AB TracksAstotin Lake, Elk Island National Park, AB Melting Ice in a PuddleJasper National Park, AB

Photos of leaves. What else can I say?

Golden LeavesSelby Gardens, Sarasota, FL FernMuttart Conservatory, Edmonton, AB Sea GrapeSiesta Key, FL

Three images from a recent visit to Jasper National Park, AB. 

Mountain ViewNear Pyramid Lake, Infrared
DriftwoodAthabaska River

Snow on the MountainOff Highway 16

These images were prepared for the IACC Black and White SIG. The theme was low light.

Leading LightsGolden House of Nero, Rome

ConduitGolden House of Nero, Rome Leaf in the ShadowsSelby Gardens, Sarasota FL Shadows on the IceAstotin Lake, Elk Island National Park, AB Last LightSelby Gardens, Historical Campus, Sarasota, FL

Sorry for the gap in posts. I'm trying to get back to one per day again! Here are three abstracts from the May 1 Abstract SIG. The theme was "companions".

Four Jittery Dancers Going My Way? Berry Bowl

 

The theme of our April 2023 Abstract SIG was glow. Here's the three images I submitted.

LanternMarie Selby Gardens, Sarasota FL.

SignWest Edmonton Mall Koi PondMarie Selby Gardens, Sarasota, FL.

As advertised! I find myself increasingly drawn to black and white at the moment. I prefer strong shapes and lines, with high contrast.

CN Tower, EdmontonInfrared ShadowsRoyal Alberta Museum Shadows on a WallDurango, Colorado ArchesUniversity Town Center, Sarasota Subway Zig Zag

Yes, I do. Here are three images from my last visit.

Window in an Adobe Wall. Shadow at High Noon Off the Plaza

Industrial Architecture. The corrugated steel panels create great textures.

Granville 01 Granville 02

Emulating the old printing technique called solarization (the Sabattier effect).

Kinsman Park, Edmonton

Campanile, Rhodes Old City

From Sarasota, FL.

Sunny DaySarasota Art Museum Ca d'ZanRingling Museum

A bit of fun in the macro studio. The background is a plate.

Angry Tomato

This is the written version of a pesentation I did for the Images Alberta Camera Club. I have included references to websites and other sources. All figures are my own work.

STC Clip Filters: A Review

By Ron Ross

 

Introduction

STC (Sense-Tech Innovation Company) of Taipei produces a wide variety of photographic filters, including specialist filters for underwater, infrared, and astrophotography. This includes filters that clip into the camera body, behind the lens and in front of the sensor. The design of the filter mount varies with camera brand. Olympus and Panasonic micro 4/3 cameras require different filter mounts, and they are not interchangeable. This review applies only to Clip Filters for Panasonic m43 cameras. 

I purchased three Clip Filters for use in my full-spectrum Panasonic GX8: a 590nm IR pass, a 720nm IR pass, and an 850nm IR pass, plus a three-filter carrying case. When I had the camera converted, I had purchased a set of 62mm screw-in filters to fit my PL 12-60. They worked adequately, but there were five issues I hoped to solve with the Clip Filters.

1. I wanted to use all of my lenses. This would havee necessitated a slew of step up and down rings, and still left my 7-14mm zoom and my fisheye unusable as they have no filter threads.

2. The use of stepping rings often precluded the use of a lens hood. This is a major problem. Many lenses are prone to internal reflections in the infrared. I found that I had to be extremely aware of shooting angles, and even then had some issues with uneven contrast reduction.

3. The stepping rings limited my ability to use other filters and accessories.

4. Stepping rings made the camera/lens combo bulky and awkward. Square system filters such as Cokin or Lee would have helped other issues, but made this problem worse.

5. I was ending up with way too many filters, rings, etc. in my camera bag. Clip filters were a potential way to simplify my loadout.

 

Cost, Shipping and Service

Clip Filters are comparable in price to good quality screw-in filters from other suppliers. For example, the 850nm Clip Filter for Panasonic was $85US at the time of writing, while LifePixel charged $75US to $150US for front of lens filters, depending on filter size. Shipping was an extra $35US to Canada.  I did get dinged an extra $20CDN by Canada Customs, but I consider that very reasonable given the overall size of the order.

The order was shipped promptly via DHL, and arrived in Edmonton in less than one week. Everything was packaged very securely and professionally. I didn’t require any post-purchase service, but was impressed with their service department anyway. They contacted me by e-mail before fulfilling my order, to make sure I knew that these filters would only work on a full spectrum camera. It was a nice touch, and shows that they are concerned with customer satisfaction.

 

Design and Build Quality

Each Clip Filter consists of a disk of optical glass firmly fixed in a stamped steel mount (Figures 1 and 2). The glass is claimed to have an anti-smudge and anti grease coating on both sides. I have been very careful when installing and removing the filters so haven’t tested the quality of this coating. The steel mount is A2/SAE 304 stainless (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_304_stainless_steel), with a hard matte black anti-reflection coating. The filter mounts by flexing very slightly, and so far everything is working well. I am not going to do metallurgical tests to verify the material, but my impression is that the mounts are very well made and are likely to be extremely durable.

Because the filter mounts between the lens and the sensor, any lens that extends deep into the camera body may cause issues. I would strongly recommend examining each of your lenses before first use to see if it have a long backwards extension, including racking zoom and focus to see if it causes a rearward extension. None of the lenses I own suffer from this problem, but my collection is far from complete!

As a side note, there are no pieces of padding glued to the mount. There was a thread on DPReview in which one owner of an Olympus Clip Filter complained that a rubber or felt pad had fallen off of his filter onto his sensor (https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/63927861). No such pad exists on the Panasonic model filters.

Fig 1 STC 850nm Filter Lens Side Fig 2 STC 850nm Filter Sensor Side
 

Handling

One of my main concerns when first looking at these filters was installation and removal. After all, this involves proximity to the sensor (Figures 3 and 4). STC has a Panasonic-specific video on their website (https://shop.stcoptics.com/product/clip-panasonicm43/), but I worried that the actor was someone with a lot of practice and/or especially small fingers. Once I tried it, I realized that installation and removal are easy if you follow their instructions. The only caveat is that for removal you need to hook a little tab (there is one on either side). If you have any sort of fingernail, you are set. However, if you are a guitar player, need to work with gloves, etc., you may need a small tool. I have a small plastic potter’s tool that does nicely, and will not scratch if I slip. It could also be used to set the filter if your fingers are too large.

Aside from that, it is worth noting that the filters are quite small. I strongly recommend changing filters where the camera can be laid on its back on a flat surface. Since changing the filter requires working with the lens off, it is also a good idea to work somewhere clean. Since I tend to only use one filter on an outing, this works well for me. If you want to change filters frequently in the field, screw mount or square system filters will probably suit you better.

Fig 3 GX8 No Filter Fig 4 GX8 with Filter

Hot Spots and Flare

One unexpected benefit of switching to the Clip Filters was the almost complete elimination of IR hotspots and flare. Anyone who has used an infrared or full spectrum digital camera is painfully aware that many lenses produce infrared hotspots (KolariVision https://kolarivision.com/articles/lens-hotspot-list/, LifePixel https://www.lifepixel.com/lens-considerations/lens-hot-spot-testing-database) at some or all focal lengths and apertures. For example, the Panasonic 14-140 MKII is known to be problematic from 14mm to about 25mm, resulting in the effect seen in Figure 5. This effect is most visible when using “standard” (720nm) and “black and white” (820-850nm) filters. In addition, many lenses are prone to internal flaring, as seen in Figure 6. These can often be “corrected” in post processing (Parapadakis 2015 https://4ground.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/how-to-fix-ir-hotspots/), but it adds an extra level of work and annoyance.

Fig 5 Hotspot Fig 6 Lens Flare

Before I got the Clip Filters, I tested each lens I owned, where I could mount a filter, for hot spots and flare. This involved shooting four series of images (towards the sun, 90 degrees left, 90 degrees right, 180 degrees) from wide open to fully stopped down with each filter. With zoom lenses I repeated this for all marked focal lengths. I repeated the test again with the Clip Filters, this time including lenses like the 7-14. So far I have not been able to reliably produce either flare or hotspots. I have seen a few very mild, very diffuse hotspots (about 8 in 2000+ exposures), but they have only been visible after application of vigorous contrast adjustments (contrast, clarity, texture, dehaze, tone curve) in post processing.

I can only speculate on why the Clip Filters reduced or eliminated these problems. With the flare, it may relate to being able to use lens hoods normally, and/or elimination of an uncoated glass surface in front of the lens. In other words, a coated filter may have helped.

IR hotspots are poorly understood, and may arise from multiple sources (Melentijevic 2018 https://kolarivision.com/the-science-of-infrared-hotspots/). One suggestion is that they are reflections of the sensor on the rear element of the lens. The Clip Filter’s position may disrupt such reflections. The reflection theory is supported by several lines of evidence:

• Digital sensors are often highly reflective in IR but not visible light. Experiments with anti-reflection sensor coatings are reported by some authors to have helped.

• Hotspots are worse at smaller apertures, just like sensor spots. This tends to implicate something close to the surface of the sensor.

• The problem is not seen in film cameras. IR film is not reflective in IR.

In any case, the difference has been very noticeable, and very helpful. Whether this would be the case for other brands of cameras cannot be determined from my tests.

 

The Carrying Case

I ordered a carrying case with my Clip Filters, and am glad I did. The case is a stack of metal cylinders (probably aluminum) that screw together, with top and bottom rings that screws in (Figure 7 and 8). They are extremely well made, apparently specifically for the Panasonic filters, and provide a compact, secure, and elegant carrying solution. 

Fig 7 Filter Holder Opened Fig 8 Filter Holder Closed

Conclusion

No one solution fits everyone. For me, the STC filters solved all the issues I had identified, and more. The reduction/elimination of the flare and hotspot problems has made creating infrared images a lot more about creativity and a lot less about solving technical issues.

 

Times Square Rain Queen Street ChairToronto Selby GardensSarasota FL

This last year and a bit, I've been a member of the IACC black and white special interest group. The theme for April 2023 was abstract. Here are my entries.
 

Diagonal Sunshine Service StationTierra Amarilla, NM.

 

These are some images I showed at the Abstract SIG in November 2020. I was learning to use Boris Optics.

Arch Glow Fisheye Leaves Fisheye Leaves 2

West Edmonton Mall (WEM) is one of the world's largest. It has a lot of attractions, and for a photogapher, lots of opportunities. For our last abstract group, the theme was reflections, and I found a lot of them at the mall. Enjoy!

Through the Skylight. Santa Maria di WEM.Yes, theres a full size (r close to full size) reproduction ship in the mall! This is its reflection, with an added oil paint filter. Skylight ReflectionsThere are two car dealerships in the mall, and they often have vehicles on display in the concourse. Skylight Reflections 2 Villages in the MarshLights reflected in a sign. Reflections Reflections in Black and White Stairwell Reflections CurvedNot a reflection, but I liked it! Lights in the Window

Yesterday, I posted some 'straight' photos from the Chipman show and shine from June 2023. Here are some abstracts from the same shoot.

Spark Plug Wires Electric Paint Untitled Hot Light Brake Cylinder Variation 7 Brake Cylinder Variation 2 Brake Cylinder Variation 9 Old Paint Rust Spot Bumper Recession Untitled Pinwheel Details Details Watch Face Untitled Purple Paint in the Sun Untitled Keep On Truckin' Untitled

The Chipman, Alberta, show and shine is held in June every year. It is a great event for photographers, not to mention anyone who likes cars of all vintages. Here are a few 'straight' photos of some of the cars at the 2023 show. Tomorrow, I'll post some of my better abstracts from the same day.

Front View Mirror Weber Carburator! Burnt Orange From Above Moroso (Colour) Moroso (Black and White) Going Places Brake Cylinder

This is a digital version of my winning print from the 2023 IACC Annual Competition, in the Preident's Choice category. The theme of the category was reflections.

Reflecting Pool

Some images from a walk around Old Strathcona, in Edmonton, in the spring of 2023.

High Rise Windows Church Steps More Church Steps Shadow Balconies Strange Shadows

This presentation was given to the IACC in January 2023.

2023 01 12 IACC Member Showcase Abstract Eye

As indicated, these were my submissions to the Images Alberta Camera Club (IACC) special interest group on abstract photography for January 2022.

Barrel Variations 02 Kaleidoscope Radial Barrel Variations 03 Kaleidoscope Radial (half) Barrel Variations 01 Kaleidoscope Log Pile 01 Kaleidoscope Wood Wall 01 Kaleidoscope Radial

I've been to Rome quite often. Here are a few abstracts. Most are straight photos, but as the first image illustrates, I was starting to create distorted images using Photoshop. 

By the Tiber Liquify and Twirl

Triangles and Rectangles in a Fountain

HerringbonesCampidoglio

SpiralFirehose, Ostia

I suppose it is inevitable that I am coming late to the blogging game. I've never been one for hopping on bandwagons. By now, most of my photographic contemporaries have invested heavily in one or more social media platform, and blogging has become a bit passe. However, I have serious concerns about social media platforms, especially as a way of sharing photography and other works of art. Zenfolio has more image security measures, not to mention a better image management structure.

For a while, I was using Zenfolio's gallery system as sort of erzatz blog, but recent changes to their system means that these galleries are no longer available for public viewing after a year. So I'm moving their contents to this blog, bit by bit. I will also be posting new content here, so for a while the blog will be a mix of old and new content. My Thematic Galleries are exempt from archiving, and continue to be publicly visible. They can also be reached from the menu above. 

 

BoxcarLamy, New Mexico