Posted on Jun.07, 2011, under Automotive

(Olympus E-3, 50mm Macro Zuiko (2x crop factor), ISO 100, Exposure 1/800 sec @ f/2.8)

When I went to the Classic Car Club of American car show at the Gilmore Car Museum I took both of my camera bodies. I’ve been using primarily my Nikon D700, but I still use my Olympus E3 on occasion. I had equipped the E3 with my 50mm F2 Zuiko Macro lens, an old manual lens that I used to use with my Olympus OM4 back in my film days. It was a nice change to use a completely manual set up. Focusing was manual, as was setting the aperture. When I changed aperture, the lens closed down and made the viewfinder darker, which made focusing a little more challenging. I like this 50 macro on the E3 because at the 2x crop factor its like using a 100mm lens. This lens also takes really nice images.

The shot itself shows the interior of a 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton, the same car that was the subject ofyesterday’sposting. I had made the rounds of the show using the wider zoom on my Nikon and switched to the Oly to make another pass to get some closer shots at large aperture. The window of the car was open so I was able to carefully lean in to the car to get the shot, making sure not to actually touch the car. I really like the interiors of these cars as the had some great details. This one has a wonderful metal dashboard with great chrome details.

There isn’t too much difference between the as shot image and the final image. I wanted to go for a very contrasty shot, but something with a film noir feeling to it. I liked the way the shaft of light illuminated the dashboard and the chrome of the shifter. Conversion was done in Silver Efex Pro 2 and I applied a light selenium toning to the final image.

Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave feedback below.

Copyright © 2011 James W. Howe – All rights reserved.

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