Sometimes trying out a new toy adds a bit of incentive to go out with the camera, and this weekend was rather exciting in that it marked the arrival of a “new-to-me” Zuiko 11-22 lens in absolutely unmarked mint condition. After using it for a day I can already see why some people weld it to the front of their E-1s – hardly any distortion for a comparatively wide angle lens (and no software trickery to get that result either), excellent image quality (especially when stopped down a bit, as with most lenses) and lovely colours. It just feels so nicely-made too. So far it’s only been on a couple of dog walks so here are a few quick snaps from my local area – Dulwich and Herne Hill in SE London. I’m looking forward to putting in some work to use it properly soon.
The telephone box above is outside Dulwich Picture Gallery (there is a reason why) and here is the phone inside – not so different from the one we had at home when I grew up in the ’70s (my parents didn’t like the new “trimphones”.
And here is the back of Dulwich Picture Gallery – the oldest public art gallery in the country, with a lovely collection. The building that is sticking out is a mausoleum that the gallery architect Sir John Soane designed for the original owners of the collection. Look closely at the roof of the mausoleum, and imagine it without the urns:
In the 1920’s the Royal Fine Art Commission launched a competition to design the British telephone box, and this was won by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who happened to be Sir John Soane’s nephew, was a trustee of his museum, and was influenced by the roof of the mausoleum at the gallery (also replicated at Sir John Soane’s tomb, which can be visited at St Pancras Church in London) – so next time you see the iconic British telephone box, you know where part of the design originated from. The museum is opposite the rather grand victorian Dulwich Park – here’s an image from the walk through there; unfortunately the park is full of additional fencing protecting various bits of new turf at the moment – not great with a very wide angle lens!
And a couple more grabbed shots from my walk home – it was such a lovely day yesterday. If you’re out in the middle of the day in harsh light perhaps sometimes it’s best to try and make the most of the shadows?
The E-1 really does colour:
It’s been years since I used the 18-180 but that one came out to play this weekend too – here’s what we saw in the little park at the bottom of our road – not exactly an obvious lens to use with the non image-stabilised E-1 but not too shabby:
Here’s hoping for some more spring weather – I could get used to this….
Jon
The Photographer's Block 