{"id":10676,"date":"2017-12-01T16:29:44","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T15:29:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=10676"},"modified":"2017-12-02T08:41:47","modified_gmt":"2017-12-02T07:41:47","slug":"manual-photographers-series-part-8-bob-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/manual-photographers-series-part-8-bob-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"The Manual Photographers Series Part 8: Bob Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

P: Hi Bob, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to use manual lenses?<\/strong><\/p>\n

B:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019m originally from New York City but oddly enough, I\u2019ve never really photographed there.\u00a0 I live in the suburbs of Minneapolis, MN and work downtown.\u00a0 Hence, you can usually find me photographing\u00a0 both natural and urban landscapes.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been photographing since the mid-80s but it was a fledgling interest initially.\u00a0 While I have a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, the darkroom was never all that interesting to me.\u00a0 My obsessions with photography took off when digital cameras took off as well.\u00a0 \u00a0Maybe it was the instant feedback but the digital darkroom resonated with me.\u00a0 \u00a0I started with a Nikon 880 but quickly transitioned to Canon with the Canon 10D. \u00a0Then came the 20D, 30D and 5D.\u00a0 About this time, I really started getting into Canon L glass.\u00a0 In 2003, I joined FredMiranda.com.\u00a0 I learned more about photography by reading and looking at images on that site, than any other.\u00a0 It was there I was introduced to the Alternative Forum.<\/p>\n

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Voigtlander Heliar 15mm f\/4.5 III @ f\/8, 1\/15 sec, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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That led to my first manual focus and (still) favorite Zeiss lens . . . the Zeiss Distagon 35\/2 ZE!\u00a0 My desire to try new and different lenses grew.\u00a0 I became fascinated with the rendering of Zeiss ZE glass and invested as I could.\u00a0 My collection grew to include the Zeiss Distagon 21\/2.8, 35\/2 and both 50 and 100mm Makro-Planars.\u00a0 By now I was shooting the 5D Mark II and a Canon 1D Mark 4.<\/p>\n

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Voigtlander 65mm APO-Lanthar @ f\/2.8 1\/80 sec, ISO 1600<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2011, I was working and living in The Netherlands for a 6 month period.\u00a0 It was then that Sony announced the NEX 5, a mirrorless camera with the promise small lightweight cameras with small lenses and DSLR-like image quality.\u00a0 I was intrigued and purchased the camera in Europe. Then came the 5N, NEX-7 and finally the A7 series.\u00a0 With the A7 series, there were limited native options for lenses.\u00a0 But then adapters allowed for almost any lens to be used.\u00a0 Since I was such a fan of Zeiss, the Alt forum on FredMiranda.com became my obsession and I experimented with Zeiss, Voigtlander, Canon FD, Olympus, Minolta lenses and more.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been \u2018experimenting\u2019 ever since.\u00a0 I love trying different lenses from different eras and using their \u2018character\u2019 as an artistic tool.\u00a0 It\u2019s still that way today although I carry a mix of native and adapted lenses.<\/p>\n

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Voigtlander Heliar 15mm f\/4.5 III @ f\/8, 1\/60 sec, ISO 400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

P: Can you give us a look into your camera bag and tell us a little about your gear?<\/strong><\/p>\n

B<\/strong>: I currently shoot the Sony A7rII and the A6500.\u00a0 I also have a A6000 converted to Infrared.\u00a0 The A7rII is my main camera as I mostly shoot natural and urban landscapes.\u00a0 The A6500 I use for shooting wildlife on the lake; mostly loons, eagles and blue herons.\u00a0 I\u2019m excited for the A7rIII (which should be in my hands when this is published) and it\u2019s improved AF and tracking.<\/p>\n

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Voigtlander 65mm APO Lanthar @ f\/11, 25 sec, ISO 64<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Voigtlander 65mm APO Lanthar @ f\/2.0, 1\/1250 sec, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My lens line up also depends on my subjects but my favorites are my manual focus primes.\u00a0 It\u2019s mix of Voigtlander and Zeiss and lately the former has been putting out some stellar lenses.\u00a0 At the 35mm focal length, I have a hard time deciding on the Zeiss Distagon 35\/1.4<\/a> and the Voigtlander Ultron 35\/1.7<\/a>.\u00a0 With both, I use the PCX5000 front filter which improves the performance of both lenses on Sony mirrorless cameras<\/a>.\u00a0 Currently my bag typically consists of the following:<\/p>\n