Madrid - Belle of the Arts - restoring some of it / Madrid - Die Schöne der Künste - etwas davon restauriert

Madrid is a lovely place, especially after a long winter in Northern Europe. It is a delight to revel in the bright sun and walk the streets lined with beautiful, ornamental buildings.

Some more beauty can be seen inside, especially with the plethora of different museums, and those dedicated for the Arts: Thysssen-Bornemisza, Prado, Reina Sofia (modern art) are the largest ones. Entry prices are very appropriate and you can buy a combo ticket for all three together.

For a photograper a nicety is that, except for the Prado, you are allowed to photograph.
Coming home, the challenge starts to correct for the lighting used in the museums. But then, while you are at it, why not restore the pictures to what they may looked have like during the painter's time?

Those pictures have deteroriated through dirt, uneven degradation of colors and improper light temperatures. So what we see as real is not as it used to be even though some take it for granted. As soon as those pictures are digitized, the world world of color processing is at one's fingertips, so it is much easier doing changes than actually restoring the original canvas itself.

I took the liberty to do so for a set of those works of arts, based on common wisdom, customs at that time and some knowledge which colors deterioriated most. Some of those pictures were taken by me with the camera, some from Wikipedia/-media for comparison, some supplied by the museums online or through Google Earth Art Project.

I share those comparisons here for those also loving classic masterpieces. Resolution is limited to stay within fair-use limits.
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Madrid ist ein schöner Ort, besonders nach einem langen Winter in Nordeuropa. Es ist ein Vergnügen in der strahlenden Sonne sich zu allen und durch die Strassen zu laufen mit schönen, verzierten Gebäuden.

Noch mehr Schönes gibt es innen, besonders mit der Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen Museen, und denen für die Künste: Thysssen-Bornemisza, Prado, Reina Sofia sind ei Größten. EIntrittspreise sind vernünftig und es gibt die Möglichkeit eines günstigen Sammeltickets für alle drei.

Für einen Fotografen ist es schön dass man, mit Ausnahme des Prado, in allen fotografieren darf.
Wieder zuhause, geht die Arbeit los wenn man die Beleuchtung des Museums kompensieren will beim Entwickeln. Aber wnn man schon einmal dabei ist, warum dann nicht gleich die Bilder so restaurieren wie sie vermutlich zu Lebzeiten des Malers aussahen?

Ich habe mir mal erlaubt dass für einige Kunstwerke zu tun, basierend auf gesundem Menschenverstand, den damaligen Sitten und etwas Wissen welche Farben gealtert sind. Einige der Bilder wurden von mir fotografiert, einige sind von Wikipedia/-media, einige von den Online-Seiten der Museen oder durch das Google Art-Projekt.

Ich teile diese Vergleiche hier für all diejenigen welche auch die Klassik-Meisterwerke lieben. Die Auflösung ist begrenzt um innerhalb der Nutzungserlaubnis zu bleiben.

Giovanna Tornabuoni by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1488, Thyssen Bornemisza

I love this painting, especially the tragic story behind. Thank God that childbirth is nowadays no longer the merciless killer it used to be. Ideal skin at that time was white, not the greenish tint the painting nowadays has. Also, the dress used splendid colors. Also ideal was blod hair. Paper color matched to white. The cabinet is not grey either.
 

Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, John Singer Sargent, 1904, Thyssen Bornemisza

Another self-concious woman that strikes you when looking. On one hand a society lady, on the other hand a social reformer, this combination breaks the mold of our conventions. Situated in the shadow of a summer afternoon, the sun breaking through only partly through the leaves, the pale white skin contrasts wonderfully to the exquisite dress. Selective editing of the dress, background, hair and lips done.

Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan by Diego de Velázquez, 1629, Prado

 I love Velazquez. He shatters the pomposity of so many other painters, be it kings or gods as subject. All treated equally, he shows them as they are. Just look at the dumbfound look of the man on the right. Unfortunately, the paint used has gotten worse very much. Laurel restored to green, corrected color of Apollos sandal, toga, hair, skin, the cloths of the mens, the red-hot metal, fire and sparks, the landscape in the background.

Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez, 1656, Prado

 Another Velazquez, Las Meninas. Unconventionally, the most important peoples are relegated to the mirror at the end of the room, in front is a dog, kids and the dwarf.Also, the artist put himself into the picture. I only recently discovered that the strange-looking girl on the right is not another maid, but rather the court-dwarf. For that, looks are actually ok. Corrected brightness, greenish cast, hair color of maid, infanta and dog, mirror contrast.

Car Glamour

Digging in luxury.

Splendour

Custom

Bat mobile

 

Flame of Life / Lebensflamme

Imperfection / Unvollkommenheit

Looking farther than clean-room technical constructions, real life is imperfect in many facets, human creations even more so.
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Wenn man weiter schaut als im Reinraum hergestellte technische Konstruktionen, ist das echte Leben in vielen Facetten unvollkommen, menschliche Schöpfungen umso mehr.

Dashboard of worn-out fire brigade vehicle

aesthetic design wasn't invented yesterday

Wall mural of fire fighters

Music in photos / Musik im Bild

Of course it is not possible to reflect music in the 2 dimensions of a photograph. But the colors during this performance do reflect the mood and the fun of the participants.

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Natürlich ist es nicht möglich, Musik in einer 2-dimensionalen Fotografie wiederzugeben. Aber die Farben und das Licht während dieser Aufführung geben die Stimmung und den Spaß der Beteiligten wieder.

Tube amp

Tube amp

Fall in Ulm / Ulmer Herbst

Some shots of life during fall in Ulm and around.

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Einige Herbstzeit-Bilder aus der Ulmer Gegend

New Synagoge - a friendly place

New Synagoge

Ulmer Münster - Space  / Raumerlebnis

Ulmer Münster

This ain't the Rockies / Das sind nicht die Rocky Mountains

Einstein, but not Albert  / Einstein, aber nicht Albert

Tannheimer Tal

Aggenstein

Lake Lugano / Luganer See

It's not the Titanic...

The Lake Lugano has a certain aura: The surrounding mountains are mostly coated with a mixture of rain forest and mediterrean dense forest straight down to the waterline. Due to the steep shore, not much traffic is there and tranquility rules.

Unless you are a mountain goat, mobility is limited. Unless of course you take to the Lake itself, a boat ride opens up exploration.
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Der Luganer See hat eine bestimmte Aura: Die umgebenden berge sind zumeist dicht bewachsen mit einer Mischung aus Regenwald und dem dichten Buschwald des Mittelmeers bis hinunter zum Wasser. Wegen des steilen Ufers ist nicht allzu viel Verkehr und es herrscht eine Ruhe vor.

Solange man keine Bergziege ist, ist die Beweglichkeit eingeschränkt.  Es sei denn man bewegt  sich auf dem See selbst, eine Bootsfahrt lässt das Entdeckerherz höher schlagen.

Moonlight Serenade

Enjoying the Lake, a boat is a must.

Swiss encapsulated

Mountain ranges in the morning light

Protect from pestilence ... and bike thieves. On the Italian side.

Whenever you wonder where the water IN the Lake comes from, ....

Fruits of Summer / Früchte des Sommers

Fruits of summer ... and hard work.

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Früchte des Sommers ... und harter Arbeit.

Waiting for customers... / Warten auf Kundschaft

Pixel-peeping: Comprehensive (Zoom) Lens test on Sony Nex 5N & A6000 / ILCE-6000: SEL1670, SEL1855, SEL1650PZ, SEL50

UPDATE: For a 1:1 comparison of 1650 versus 1670 both on the A6000, check here: Blog -the-16-something-zoom-shootout-on-a6000)

Guilty as charged - did another lens test to assess the performance of the currently available zoom lenses for the the Sony APS-C mirrorless camera line: SEL1670, SEL1855 and SEL1650PZ. The SEL50F18 was added on the spur of a moment.

If you are interested, you can find here crop comparisons of those lenses both on the Sony Nex 5N camera body and on the A6000. These comparisons are at different apertures: wide-open, f5.6 and f8. Crops were taken from the center of the image, and another set is for the left upper corner.

Just for illustration, a downsized picture of one of those comparison:

Just a small example

Since Google and Flickr mess up the files, I have ZIPped them and added the links below. File size is 5 to 10 MB, so have patience!

My personal summary based on my copies are:

My SEL1670 is a very sharp lens in the center and the edges even wide open at f4. The sharpness wide-open allows good shots in lower light as well as good subject isolation. Contrary to some other reviews, it appears to me as well-usable for landscape photos. Weakest point seems to be edge sharpness at 35mm & 50mm wide open at f4. Further bonus points are the tele range and a silent & fast AF drive. Very well-built.

My SEL1855 needs f5.6 or f8 to perform best, edge sharpness above 24mm is not the best. For the low price a good allround lens. But the 1670 outperforms it in central sharpness by two stops at the wide end and else by one stop, as well as in edge sharpness by one stop. The SEL1650PZ easily outperforms it too, is smaller, and also cheap. So for me, the SEL1855 is ripe for retirement.

Unfortunately, I forgot to test the SEL1670 on the A6000 and therefore had to compare the results of the SEL1670 on the 5N to the SEL1650PZ on the A6000, giving the latter a slight advantage in resolution. See my following lens-shootout between the 1670 and 1650 both using the A6000 here: LENS SHOOTOUT 1670 & 1650

My SEL1650PZ is a compact lens and easily outperforms my SEL1855. Weakness is edge sharpness below 24mm unless f8 is used. Also strange is the dip in sharpness in the mid-aperture range at 16-18mm, similar to the odd behaviour of the FE2870 kit zoom for FF.

If the SEL1650PZ is used at f8, it is a good lens over its entire range, better than the SEL1855. In the wideangle range it is sometimes outperformed by the SEL1670 but at f8 can achieve comparable results. This is impressive for such a small and inexpensive lens. Lacking a lens hood, flare can impact image quality. See my solution using the hood of the SEL1855 and some inexpensive stuff here.

Download links:
SEL1670 at 16, 18, 24, 35, 50 and 70mm on 5N:   Center crops

SEL1670 at 16, 18, 24, 35, 50 and 70mm on 5N and SEL1855 at 18, 24, 35, 50 mm on 5N: Crops from left upper edge

SEL1855 at 18, 24, 35, 50 mm on 5N: Center crops

SEL1855 at 18, 24, 35, 50 mm on A6000 / ILCE-6000: Crops from Center and upper left edge


SEL1650PZ at 16, 18, 24, 35, 50 mm on A6000 / ILCE-6000: Crops from center  &  Crops from upper left edge

SEL50F18 on A6000 / ILCE-6000: Crops fromcenter and upper left edge

Detailed evaluation of lens performance:

SEL1670 (on Nex 5N)

center

16mm sharp from f4, contrast good, improves to very good at f5.6.   18mm sharp from f4, contrast already very good at f4 f5.6.  24mm same (changing contrast due to clouds).   35mm, 50 and 70 mm sharpness and contrast improves slightly from f4 to f5.6.  At 50mm, sharpness decreases somewhat at f8 compared to f5.6

Edges

16mm good at f4 with slight improvement at f5.6.  18mm and 24mm ok to good at f4, slight improvement at f5.6 and good at f8.  35mm soft at f4, ok at f5.6 good at f8.  50mm slightly soft at f4, good at f5.6, very good at f8.  70mm ok to good at f4, good at f5.6 and f8

SEl1855 (on Nex 5N):

center

18mm weak at f3.5 and f4, ok at f5.6, good at f8      => SEL1670 at f4 beats SEL1855 at f8.

24mm slightly soft at f4, ok-good at f5.6 and f8.       => SEL1670 at f4 still slightly better than SEL1855 at f8.

35mm quite good at f4.5, good at f6.3 and f8            => SEL1670 at f4 is reached by SEL1855 at f5.6.

50mm f5 and f5.6 soft, at f8 acceptable                     => SEL1670 at f4 clearly better than SEL1855 at f8.

Edges:

18mm: ok to good at f3.5 and f4, good at f5.6 and f8   24mm: slightly soft at f4, good at f5.6 and f8   35mm soft at f4.5, ok at f6.3, good at f8   50mm soft at f5 and f5.6, ok to good at f8

SEL1855 (on A6000)

center

Same observations as on the 5N, but the pictures are somewhat better on the A6000 (higher resolution?)

SEL1650PZ (on A6000)

center

16mm excellent sharpness and contrast at f3.5, drops to good at f4 and f5.6 and becomes very good at f8

18mm good sharpness at f4, drops to ok at f5.6 and becomes good again (or better) at f8

24mm ok sharpness at f4.5, good sharpness at f5.6, very good at f8

35mm and 50mm starts at f5.6, good sharpness, very good at f8

=> The 1650PZ (at least my copy) outperforms the SEL1855 everywhere.

=> The 1670 on the 16 Mpx 5N is as good or better if both are on f5.6.

Edges

16mm soft at f3,5 and f4, still somewhat soft at f5.6 ok to good at f8 

=> 1670 is always sharp, the 1650 at f8 is still less sharp than f4 on the 1670

18mm soft at f4, somewhat soft at f5.6, good at f8           => 1670 is sharper at f4 and f5.6, about the same at f8

24mm slightly soft at f4.5, good at f5.6, very good at f8   => 1670 better at f4, draw with the 1650PZ both at f5.6 and f8.

35mm soft at f5.6, good at f8                                               =>1670 offers f4, f5.6 and f8 are as good or better than f8 on the PZ

50mm ok at f5.6, good at f8                                                 => 1670 offers f4, is better at f4 and f5.6, draw at f8

SEL50 (on A6000)

Center

Slightly soft at f1.8, improves at f2.8 to good, at f4 better, at f5.6 and f8 bitingly sharp :-)

edge

At f1.8 slightly soft, improves at f2.8 and further at f4 to good, f5.6 and f8 very good

Notes:

Focus was on windows, NOT on the ladder. Central point was used. Changing clouds, so don't overvalue the colors and contrast. AWB, OOC, JPG, ISO 100, 2 sec shutter delay, tripod. OSS off. Keep in mind when comparing that wide-open on the variable-aperture zooms SEL1855 and SEL1650PZ is different from the constant f4 of the 1670. 

The FILE NAMES of the first three comparisons are wrong regarding center or left edge crop. What IS correct is always the text within the comparisons. Sorry for the potential confusion. 

More from Frisco / Mehr aus Frisco

Muir Woods

The stage

From Marin Headlands

Emergency action

Bad Memories

Headwear old and new

Posing is hard work

Fall greets us / Der Herbst grüsst uns

SEL50 - it's about the details in life / SEL50 - es geht um die Kleinigkeiten des Lebens

50 mm on an APS-C camera is a quite restricted focal length and I sometimes wonder why I don't just put my other lenses in use more often. But fact is, this lens allows playing with low DOF and just renders many things very beautifuly. And by simply stepping back or using stitching at least for inanimate objects, I can cope with many subjects.

50 mm an einer APS-C Sensorkamera ist eine ziemlich eingeschränkte Brennweite und ich frage mich manchmal warum ich nicht einfach meine anderen Objektive häufiger benutze. Aber es bleibt die Tatsache dass dieses Objektiv mir erlaubt mit geringer Tiefenschärfe zu spielen und viele Dinge sehr schön abbildet. Und durch einfaches Zurückgehen um wenige Schritte oder durch Stitching zumindest für unbewegliche Objekte, kann ich mit vielen Subjekten zurechtkommen.

Audi 80 1977

MG

 

Mercury Montclair Fender

Auto Union DKW Monza 2-stroke turbo engine