Mielke Photography

Will LensAlign Pro offer a simpler and more efficient product against others that are available for lens alignment?

Recently I rented a lens from LensRentals.com. I wanted to try out the Nikon 14-24 against the wide angle I already own the Sigma 12-24 to see if there was a significant difference in quality between the two lenses. Though this review won’t be about the above comparison, I can say that the 14-24 is a much better lens; I did not find it to be 3x better than the Sigma. If you just look at cost that is what you would expect. Of course that doesn’t mean I won’t purchase it at some point in the future.

I have looked on and off at doing lens to body calibrations. I have tried multiple different sites to see how each method would perform. Each time I came away disappointed in the reproducibility of each of these techniques. Despite many glowing comments, I never was overly pleased with the results enough to keep the calibration data active in each of my DSLRs. I always turned it off after a period of usage and comparing images and not being satisfied that the level of sharpness was what I demanded.

This might change.

When the LensAlign Pro was announced I was quick to be interested in such a device that seemingly could take a lot of the guesswork out of the lens/body calibration voodoo. With a positive review from Michael Reichmann at Luminous Landscape and listening to the Image Doctors also have success using this device I was all set to purchase it some months ago. Then I saw the price. At $139 it is quite pricey for something that won’t be used more than twice a year so I held off. There is a lower priced model, but I had not read as much positive press about this model. I would want a device that was easy to use and accurate. The LensAlign Lite I read was accurate, but not as easy to use.

In browsing the LensRental.com site I was able to discover that I could rent a LensAlign Pro for one week for $15. The shipping from LensRental.com is the same regardless of how many items you rent. So it was a no-brainer to just add this to my cart.

I have spent the last week checking and re-checking each of the settings on my digital cameras. Since I have 3 of them this can take some time. One thing I have learned is that I really need to trim the number of lenses that I do have down to a manageable number. Well, maybe later. After all of this testing here are my impressions.

The unit works and does the job very well. I consistently was able to re-calibrate with each of my lenses and received for my efforts a result that was within 1 or 2 of what I originally calibrated it at. I don’t believe there are any units associated with the numbers under AF Fine Tune so there isn’t any way to know how far your focus was off.

In my testing I didn’t see any consistent results between camera and lens combinations. Each changed with each separate camera/lens combination. An 85 f/1.8 on my D3 had different settings on my D700 and D300. Sometimes there was positive change needed an on another lens/camera combination there might be negative. After my testing I did some comparisons and it did seem in every case that there was improvement in the lens. The LensAlign Pro did it’s job and seemingly very well.

The downside of this product is the lack of instructions. There was a brief one-page document included with the set-up. I can only say that some trees were wasted for that brief of an instruction manual. There also were some videos that helped me to get started. A little trial and error later and I felt I had a streamlined system. Once I got that, the testing went very fast. For the price of this product I would have expected an instruction manual either online or enclosed in a CD-ROM.

Another important part of this process was also neglected by the lack of a instruction manual. There wasn’t any idea on how close to the LensAlign Pro should I try to focus the lens? From reading other sites there seemed to a contentious of 2.5 to 3x the focal length of the lens. Upon searching the website discussion group that was also the common thought here as well. I will say that though I did not ask a question it appears that the manufacturer is quite active in the forums. My suggestion if you don’t naturally figure things out quickly, I would ask your questions there and I suspect you will get help pretty quickly.

I have included some before and after pictures of a calibration that I did with my 70-200 on my Nikon D3. The AF Fine Tune used in this case was +5. As can be seen from the 100% crops of these photos there is a difference in how “sharp” the photo is with even this small of a change. You also will see included some photos of the LensAlign Pro properly set-up and one not. Though this may sound a little difficult, the nice feature of the LensAlign Pro is the ability to get behind the unit and center the camera in the center hole to help in the alignment. After I figured this little detail out the alignment went much faster.

Despite the shortcomings of the instructions I did find this product to work and work well. It was much faster than any of the other utilities that I discovered on the web and I felt confident at the end that the information that was generated was accurate for that lens/camera body. For my taste it is still a tad high in price for what I would pay to own this type of device. I will however rent it again at an appropriate time from LensRental.com to calibrate my lenses again.

I have a confession to make. As you might recall early on from my first blog no less, I don’t have much of a filter. If I feel it I am apt to say it. This has led me to many different issues with friends and work. Most positive. If you take care and craft what you say and how you say it, most people respond in a favorable fashion. Being in Sales, it’s how you craft the question, but if you are believable and really mean it, I think customers respond and respect that. This has also helped me in friendships as well. My friends…well for some reason through thick or thin they have been with me. Most for 30 plus years. Who could want for better. This post is about life though and life can sometimes be just plain good!

I was in Iowa the other day for work. I had some spare time before my flight was to take off from Des Moines that I could get a round of golf in. Recently I read an article on the 100 best golf courses that I could play…well maybe not me, but anyone. The Harvester was on this list. Gratefully my travels took me near where the course was. I did not pack my clubs for this trip. It’s too costly almost anymore to fly with your golf clubs, but for some reason I had my shoes. The course was wide open with few people at 2:00pm and with a set of rental clubs I went off the first hole. I will admit that this was a treat. There are sometimes my job allows me to do things that I love and this would be one of those moments. I mean who wouldn’t want to play a course that was not only beautiful, but also had bails of hay sitting next to the holes. I actually started this story to tell you this one though.

I also ran a race a couple of weeks back. Only a 5k, but for the first of the season it was more than I could handle. I was very pleased with my results so I thought I would discuss it here. Just a simple road race through Libertyville, IL. My time was a respectable 24:32. One mile was even below 8 min. I couldn’t have been more pleased with how I did. Being 41, one has to take these moments as they come.

Now onto the golf story. With my rental clubs in hand I teed off. The clubs were very nice, they were Cobra Irons and woods. Not my usual set, but nice nonetheless. I didn’t care for the putter much, but heh it was better than not playing. The course however was the highlight for me this day. Playing from the Blue tees…I’m not up to the back tees. The holes had names like Big Hog and so forth. What a great facility! I started off slowly and had some issues driving. After I was warmed up things got much better. I made my way over to #9 and if not for an errant tee shot left into a mud-pile next too the water for a stellar 7, things would have been much better.

So as I made my way to the back nine, I was still very pleased with my 41. I found myself in a groove though and good things happen when as I’ve learned from my children, The King finds a new groove, or in my case an old one. As I rolled through the “Big Hog” I find myself on the last hole needing Birdie to break 80. This isn’t bad in my book for rental clubs and a guy who at best places twice a month. Well I don’t get my birdie on the last hole but regardless this has been a great day. I mosied(Iowa term) up to the clubhouse to get me some grub. I decided to eat outside overlooking that very same 18th hole where a few moments ago elation filled me.

I’m doing my best in this missive to not sound arrogant. I didn’t feel arrogant during any of these moments. I have been blessed in many parts of my life and I am and should be a very grateful person. I sat on the overlook eating food and was quite overwhelmed with my life. Here I was at 41, married to a beautiful woman who I loved. Children that I couldn’t be more pleased with. I had just ran the week before a sub 8 min mile and wonder of all wonders I had just shot 80 on a great golf course. Life on this day had dealt me all Aces. Filled with gratification I finished my meal, jumped in my car and drove to my hotel. I was certain that life couldn’t get any better.

I have written and commented before many times about my son, Buddy. He loves to swim. Every Monday I attempt when I am not traveling to take him to the pool near our house to take a swim class. The class is for all sorts of people and children with disabilities. You get to meet, talk and see all sorts of disabilities. I had a woman one time as we were discussing things tell me that I had the Cadillac of disabilities. Her child had Apert Syndrome.

On this Monday just days after my elation, I was still hanging on to the glow of the week before. I have to admit I was filled with much pride as I watched my son swim. He splashes around in the pool dragged around in some way by another person attempting to move his arms and legs in the correct way to allow him to swim. Buddy does OK, he likes to dunk his head and he can do a pretty good doggy paddle. Mostly he likes to play.

On this day I happened to notice a father bringing his son into the pool. His son had Cerebral Palsy. For those that are not familiar with the disease, it gets progressively worse as you get older. The really difficult thing is the mind stays intact inside of a body that doesn’t work. The man picked up his 11 year old son from his wheelchair and placed him in the pool. I sat on my bench watching my son. He dragged his son from one end of the pool to the other on his back carrying him around. They have toys all around to play with and his son made some slight motion with his hand just subtle towards one of the toys, a stuffed floating clown. The father carried him over on his back and picked up the clown. The boy made another subtle motion upward. The man put the clown on his head and left it there making now a “clown” hat. He started carrying his son once again on his back through the water sometimes fast and other times slow. The clown finally fell off… and the boy smiled. The dad then picked up the clown again, he dragged him through the water and the clown fell off again, the boy smiled and his face lit up. The father just stopped in the water, collected the clown and just started putting it on his head and he woudl then purposly would off. The boy would smile and the father would stand there holding his son up on his back, putting the clown on his head and watching him smile. This went on for some time. The clown on the fathers head, looking down at his son. His arm and legs twisted and bent, an eternal bend. His arthritic body even at 11 had very little motion left. A few fingers supplying movements on where to put the clown and the son smiling everytime it fell from his dad’s head.

After awhile the man got tired of carrying his son around the pool and grabbed a large styrofoam mat, to put his son on. Still with the clown on his head. He now starts motorboating him around the pool. The clown would still fall and the boy would still smile and the dad would still place it once again on his head. I sat on the bench looking at my son play and realized as I looked at this mans day and what he had and the devotion he showed, that I’m not that good.

I had a pleasant surprise on my most recent trip out west. I happened to be near Bishop, CA and as many photographers know this is the location of the Mountain Light Gallery. I happened to have a few extra moments and fulfilled my long term desire to walk around and experience many of Galen’s great photos in person and how they were intended to be experienced. Hanging on a wall instead of in a magazine.

The great ones where all there. Clearing Strom over El Capitan, Last Light on Horsetail Falls and my favorite the Rainbow over Potala Palace. I spent well over an hour looking at all of his classics having seen many of them over the years. Enough can’t be said about his climbing skill as well as his skill behind the camera.

As I was looking closely at the pictures, most if not all shot on film over some 30 years of his career, I could see and make out many of the emulsions, from having shot them myself. What I found interesting was how “soft” the images were. Nowadays we are spoiled with our many different ways to sharpen an image. We can use multiple different techniques. Unsharp Mask, High Pass sharpening and even a Nik filter that does if all for you aptly named Nik Sharpener.

I made a side-trip to Magee Marsh along the shores of Lake Erie yesterday. Beginning the second week of May this spot will be a birding hot spot for migrating warblers. They will rest along this last stretch of trees before they make the long flight over Lake Erie to Canada. They wait in this grove of trees for a tail wind to help them make the flight. Usually their next stopping place is Point Pelee National Park, this also is an amazing place to photograph the warblers as they stop and rest. Today though as I walk the Boardwalk trail I don’t see any warblers, what I am able to do is to fill up my own soul.

My van for work is a moving communications devise. I travel for work attached to my Blackberry as many are, I handle multiple levels of communications, from Vice Presidents to manufacturing people that make the end-user products that the product I sell goes into. I have to assess each of these conversations and ask questions for what is needed to help understand the situation the best way. I do this while driving, walking, flying. Each can be intense in it’s own way. What many people take for granted in what I do, I work at each day. I won’t say that my job is any more difficult than any other, but my understanding of the situation is what shapes decisions on both companies platforms.

Regardless of what you do for a living all have to find solace somewhere. I do in photography and the places I get to take side trips to. One such side trip is to Magee Marsh in Northern Ohio. The boardwalk trail is the highlight of where the warblers are in the month of May. There will also be a lot more bird watchers during that month than there are today. Today I have the trail to myself. You could hear the wood planks with each step I took. I like trails this way, they help me think and recharge.

For this short walk I didn’t even take a camera. As most know that is a rare occasion for me. I was enjoying the sites, sounds and smells of the trail and wildlife around me. After this trip I was listening to a podcast about Stephen Johnson at 7 Photographing Questions that helped me understand this better. Stephen spent some time describing how best to capture your photos. He felt you had to not only experience a scene with all of your senses and emotions, then you could practice your craft better.

It hadn’t occurred to me, but I do this very same exercise quite often in my photographic journeys. Times where I lock everything else except what I experience around me. No distractions, just the solitude. I had one such walk that I previously blogged about among the Bristlecone Pines. You sometimes need to feed your soul and then your able to practice your craft. I was doing some soul feeding today.

I walked into the wooded seclusion and from the moment I entered I could hear many different variety of birds, the red-wing black birds were the most recognizable, but there were also, jays, woodpeckers, robins and cardinals. Not being a birder myself there were many unidentifiable species. The seclusion was nice. The peaceful sounds, site and smells energized each of my senses that were used to road noise, traffic and the smell of old McDonald’s bags. Even though the morning was very cold, the brisk walk was worth every step. No camera, no phone and about ¼ mile on the trail and I didn’t have any worries.

I felt guilty for not taking any pictures of my experience a little later as I was leaving the park. Along the road out there are dikes on both sides of the road. Along those I spotted some Egrets and later a Blue Heron. From my car I hauled out the D300 and the long lens to capture the above shot. It was cold, windy and rainy. The bird didn’t move, just sat there for at least 10 minutes while I was there and even longer since I only observed for that long. My life had come back to me at this point. The phone rang and conference calls began, decisions were made and conversations and situations were analyzed. I clicked a few shots off of this Egret during one of those conversations; otherwise I just sat and watched, until he decided to fly away. Maybe he was doing the same, as I was earlier on the boardwalk. Filling his soul.

After my meeting before getting on the road to travel to my next destination I went back in the rain to capture this picture. This is the door to the Trinity Episcopal Church, it was built in 1864 for a cost of $9,982. There have been additions to this church over the years, but this was from the original building. I have found through the years that photography helps me relax. After a meeting I can get my thoughts clear and can see much more clear the path forward and the steps I need to take.

Captured with the Panasonic LX3, converted in Aperture with the Pro Contrast filter from Nik Color Efex

This is just a quick photo while the weather here is not cooperating much in the Chicago area. It’s very cold an rainy today. Spring will come, but it’s just not here today. As most know I have been experimenting with textures and this is another attempt and combing. I purchased a product from OnOne called Photoframe 4 recently to help me work with them. Yes, I am well aware that textures are pretty easily applied in Photoshop CS4. Until just recently though I was having a disagreement with Adobe which has now ended.

Photo taken with the Panasonic LX3 and converted in Apeture with Photoframe 4.

Nothing like an old fashioned Easter Egg hunt in your back yard! For some reason the children just didn’t seem to be into it much this year, they were continuing their exploration of the short film Larry Boy seeing how many times they could watch it in a day. There finally was some excitement to go outside and gather up eggs when it was discovered the the squirrels in our neighborhood have a sweet tooth for candy. The chomped on or hid for next winter at least two eggs worth.

In the picture above Punkin gathered up her eggs filled with candy and Petz toys. I kept looking for the elusive egg that contained a D3X, but it looks as if the Bunny left me wanting.

Picture captured with the Nikon D700 and finished off in Aperture

The joys of divorce are having your children only one weekend out of two. This being the case in my life holidays is a challenge. Without some planning simple things like Easter egg hunts or even coloring them can be a challenge. Because of this split I have not had them on Easter for a number of years. This year we have a pleasant surprise of having the bunny visit our house and I was pretty much-caught off-guard. Thankfully my spouse was not. She had gone to the store earlier in the week and picked up some Easter egg coloring tools. Friday being an “off” day from school we set out to see what color we would make them eggs.

Punkin was up early on Friday and she sounded like the proverbial “when are we going to get there” child. About every 10 minutes I would get asked. Since some necessities like eating and bathing have to be done each day, by the time we started it was long past when she wanted to be egg dunking.

Buddy had to be coaxed from a DVD he was watching Larry Boy. The DVD was in the spirit of the season; it was a Veggie Tale story. A good compromise to getting him to the table was a pair of whoopee sticks. He would have rather pounded on the table with his whoopee sticks, then color eggs, but at least it was a start. Oh, and yes they are whoopee sticks. These would be a gag gift courtesy of my wife. I do wonder what would have happened if I had purchased them.

So all the while Punkin is dunking eggs into the dye, Oh, note to the readers combine dye, whoopee sticks and 8-year old boy at your own risk! So Punkin dunks eggs Buddy smacks his stick. Each egg has to lay in the dye for 3-4 minutes and I can hear the Jeopardy music in my head, but it seems to be this odd farting noise in my ears. The farting noise was courtesy of whoopee sticks being pounded on the table by my son. Again dye and pounding on the table ramp up the fear factor quotient.

Buddy would have been happy to stop, but that would mean the chants of, “Larry Boy” would then start. Parenting in these moments is all about compromise. I was under the idea that this was family time and damn if we weren’t going to do this as a family!! Each egg dunk would mean more farting from the sticks, when the sticks didn’t hit the table then he hit himself with them. When he wasn’t smacking with the sticks then he was trying to gouge out eyeballs with the metal egg dunker. Didn’t Paas know that tiny metal devices could gouge out eyes? Each time a “put that down” escaped from Dad’s mouth, then Buddy would say, “Larry Boy”

In this test of wills I was going to win, he was going to sit-up and enjoy dunking the damn eggs into these color-coded containers. He was not going to watch Larry Boy, he was going to color eggs! Triumphant as I wanted to be, what I was really hoping for was the dye to not spill all over the floor.

As you might expect Punkin painstakingly crafted each egg to perfection. Each was different and had a different idea behind it. One used rubber bands, the next glitter; still another had stickers and multiple color combinations. Buddy dunked each one in the same color, the exact same color. I guess he was going through his green phase. I did finally get him to draw with the wax crayon on an egg so it had a design, it was however still green. When you see the pictures of the eggs however they aren’t all green. Dad had his own ideas on coloring, Buddy would point to green dad would dunk it in something else.

After four eggs and countless times listening to Larry Boy being repeated for my listening pleasure, the pounding of the farting stick as well as the terror at dye being dumped all over the floor I let Buddy head out. Punkin didn’t seem to acknowledge whether Buddy was there or not. She just kept crafting her egg one sticker at a time. With one egg left to go and Dad having not colored a single one. Buddy was relieved of duty to find Larry, Curly, Moe or possibly Shemp. I set to work putting together this last and final egg. The gesture though cheesy is true. I wrote on my egg I ❤ Punkin & Buddy with the wax crayon. It looked great in green.

Where else can I get this sort of fun?

I couldn’t have been more surprised when I won a Drobo for linking to a website! Though I track a number of different blogs everyday, I don’t read each blog every day. I do look at the traffic on this site though most days. In the process of doing just that I noticed a large spike in site hits. Almost twice my normal hits that I get each day. As I was investigating why this might be so, I saw that almost all of the extra was driven by one site. MyDL.Me. I quickly jumped over there to see why. After some reading I discovered that I had won myself a Drobo!!

For those that don’t know what a Drobo is, it’s similar to a NAS, but can work like a giant hard drive when connected via a FireWire 800. You can also Daisy Chain 2 Drobos via a Firewire 800 which made me quite happy because I had already purchased one some months back. For those without a FireWire 800 connection you can also use a USB 2.0 connection or purchase the DroboShare to connect it to an ethernet cable.

My thanks to MyDL.Me, the folks at Drobo for getting this unit so quickly to me and picking my site as the winner!

I did want to add one configuration issue that I had that was handled in the Troubleshooting guide. I would not have had this issue had my drives not been already used by my other unit. When I put the drives in, the new Drobo unit must have somehow known they were from a previous unit so all of the Drobo’s lights were red. When I read up on this issue I discovered that I needed to do a reset by pushing the reset button with a paper clip located on the rear of the unit and then plug it in. After this was done I was up and going without any issues.