magazine
2024.12.17

Tsubasa Mfg Discusses | Capturing the City with a Lens | PENTAX K-1 Mark II | Knowledge #174

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Cover photo by Tsubasa Mfg

Creators who love photography share stories about their cameras. The presence of a 'beloved camera' reflects each person's worldview and values. In this series, Tsubasa Mfg, who loves the PENTAX K-1 Mark II, makes an appearance.

When photographing cityscapes, choosing the right lens is a key to expanding the range of expression. We explain techniques for capturing city details with a macro lens and dynamically expressing with compression effects using a super-telephoto lens. Additionally, we delve into the deep allure of cityscape photography, including how to create dramatic effects by utilizing aperture values.

PENTAX K-1 Mark II Basic Information

Equipped with an effective approximately 36.4-megapixel 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor, combined with an accelerator unit and PRIME IV image processing engine, it achieves high-sensitivity shooting up to ISO 819200.

Also featuring the Pixel Shift Resolution System II, it allows for high-resolution images even in handheld shooting. The 5-axis shake reduction mechanism 'SR II' enables stable shooting in various scenes. Furthermore, it includes features that enhance the convenience for photographers, such as an optical viewfinder offering a bright and wide field of view and a flexible tilt LCD monitor.

Dramatic Effects

When photographing cityscapes, you often want everything in focus, but with lenses that have a small aperture value like F1.4, you can make only the intended subject stand out in the cityscape filled with a lot of information. You can easily capture the city with lenses that allow for dramatic effects.

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Photo by Tsubasa Mfg

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Photo by Tsubasa Mfg

Dynamic with Compression Effects

When photographing cityscapes, you might wonder what you can capture with a super-telephoto lens or if it might be underutilized.

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Photo by Tsubasa Mfg

The purpose of using a super-telephoto lens is for compression effects. You can strongly feel this effect in places with a sense of perspective, such as shopping streets lined with signs and stores. It richly and dynamically expresses the overlap of buildings and crowds.

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Photo by Tsubasa Mfg

Macro Lens

Macro lenses, also known as micro lenses, are designed to allow close-up photography by getting close to the subject. There are many close-up scenes even when photographing cityscapes, such as items displayed in shop windows or small objects on the roadside.

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Photo by Tsubasa Mfg

Macro lenses and close-up lenses are often considered the same, but a macro lens with a focal length of 100mm is also a medium telephoto prime lens.
When photographing cityscapes with this, you end up cropping a large portion of a building or other structure. This angle of view can reveal unexpected discoveries and insights.

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Photo by Tsubasa Mfg

By focusing on small things, you can crop a part of a large city with a macro lens.

INFORMATION

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Tsubasa Mfg

cizucu Certified Writer
Chasing urban landscapes in Tokyo

cizucu: Tsubasa Mfg