Windmill silhouette

Craikeybaby

Craikeybaby

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Lewis
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Chesterton Windmill Sunset by Lewis Craik, on Flickr

I haven't been able to do much landscape photography over the last few years, as real-life has got in the way, but with a free evening and what looked like the promise of good light I set out to Chesterton Windmill with plans of a silhouette against an orange sky. There were clouds on the horizon at sunset, so no orange sky, which was just as well, as I would not have been able to get into the correct position - a mid winter sunset is needed for the shot I am after.

However, I was pretty pleased with the end result. I struggled a bit with processing, my gut feeling was to go darker, but everyone I have shown it to so far thought it was underexposed, so I have bumped the exposure, but kept the shadows dark.

Exif is 1/250th @ 5.6 ISO 200. Fuji X-T2 with 55-200mm lens.
 
I quite like the image, and it does what you wanted though the colours seem a little washed out here (hard to tell - I'm trying a new screen).

It looks like the lens is quite decentred because at full size there's blurring on the RHS from about half way though the mill getting steadily worse toward the edge.
 
Thanks. I preferred it darker, with bolder colours too, but a few people I showed it to said that it looked under-exposed.

I have never even heard of a decentered lens - but I will be checking now. However, I hope it is because the foliage on the right of the screen is nearer to the camera than the crops on the left.

I did try to attach a satellite image to show this, but for some reason, it did not work.
 
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To check for decentering Google lens test Fred Miranda - he has a description of the method.

I don't think it's a distance issue because the RHS of the mill is starting to blur too.
 
I have found a similar method, so will try later.
 
Very nice ;)
 
ancient_mariner said:
To check for decentering Google lens test Fred Miranda - he has a description of the method.

I don't think it's a distance issue because the RHS of the mill is starting to blur too.
Click to expand...
I tested this the other day and I think you may be right. The right side of images does seem to be less sharp. I have had the lens about 18 months, and this will have been the first time that I have not shot a single subject in the middle of the frame, with an intentionally blurred background.
 
Craikeybaby said:
I tested this the other day and I think you may be right. The right side of images does seem to be less sharp. I have had the lens about 18 months, and this will have been the first time that I have not shot a single subject in the middle of the frame, with an intentionally blurred background.
Click to expand...

Not the first time a Fuji lens has come up short in this regard. At this res I cannot actually see the softening as mentioned.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Check the full size image on Flickr.
Click to expand...

Oh dear. It's not as bad as that Fuji 32-64 that caused lots of wailing and knashing of teeth - but poor enough to say the OP needs to get it looked at, or moved on for a "better copy".

I have a 70-200 F4 that was as bad as that - you just had to crop squares out of it.
 
Just for fun :) added Orange sky

Les

sIgQBT8.jpg
 
SFTPhotography said:
Oh dear. It's not as bad as that Fuji 32-64 that caused lots of wailing and knashing of teeth - but poor enough to say the OP needs to get it looked at, or moved on for a "better copy".

I have a 70-200 F4 that was as bad as that - you just had to crop squares out of it.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm going to be contacting Fuji UK when I am back from my next trip. I believe it is still under warranty. I was thinking of "upgrading" to the 70-300, but I use this a lot between 55 and 70mm.
Lez325 said:
Just for fun :) added Orange sky

Les

sIgQBT8.jpg
Click to expand...
Looks good, I'm sure it will be worth a trip back in the winter if I get the right conditions.
 
What's the crop around the mill at the moment? Wheat can look nice, as can rapeseed in bloom.
 
Over in the Fuji thread there were some requests for a B&W version, so I did a quick conversion.

Chesterton Windmill BW by Lewis Craik, on Flickr

I think I prefer the colour version though.
 
ancient_mariner said:
It looks like the lens is quite decentred because at full size there's blurring on the RHS from about half way though the mill getting steadily worse toward the edge.
Click to expand...
I sent the lens back to Fuji to investigate, and after a "factory calibration" it seems a lot better - thank you for bringing it to my attention.
 
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