Zeiss Opton Biogon 2.8/35 T @ The Taipei Guesthouse 台北賓館

2007.2.4

Of course, I used vintage lenses when I went to shoot the historic landmark. Took a Voigtlander BESSA R2C with a Zeiss Opton Biogon 35/2.8 T lens.
On February 4th, the Taipei Guesthouse reopened to the public after a major renovation. I took my wife and 2-year-old daughter to visit. We had already pre-booked our tickets online, so we were able to enter quickly after presenting our ID and passing a security check. We were surprised to find that we were free to explore the guesthouse at our own pace, rather than following a guided tour.

The architecture of the Taipei Guesthouse is beautiful. There is also a video on display that provides information about the renovation process. It was a great opportunity to learn about the history of this important landmark. The back garden is paved with white pebbles, which give it a Japanese garden feel. My daughter loved playing with the pebbles, and it was hard to get her to leave.

Taipei Guesthouse online booking:
http://tgh.mofa.gov.tw/

Parking is not convenient near the Taipei Guesthouse. I recommend parking in the underground parking garage at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and walking the rest of the way (about 10-15 minutes).

Here are some of the Taipei Guesthouse's visiting rules:
Queue up and pass through security.
Do not enter restricted areas, linger without reason, or do anything that would disturb other visitors.
Leave large bags or other items at the designated location. They are not allowed inside the guesthouse.
Do not bring prohibited items or dangerous materials.
Do not smoke, eat, chew betel nuts, gum, or bring pets inside.
Do not step on the grass or climb, destroy, or damage the flowers, trees, or other public property inside the guesthouse.
Do not use cell phones inside the guesthouse buildings.
Do not bring banners or flags inside.
Visitors should be neatly dressed. They are not allowed to wear sweaty shirts, slippers, or other inappropriate clothing.
Do not take photos or videos in prohibited areas.

拍古蹟當然是出動老鏡，一切從簡的 Voigtlander BESSA R2C 與 Zeiss Opton Biogon 35/2.8 T。
2/4當天艷陽高照，台北賓館重新整修後首次開放民眾參觀，於是帶著我親愛的老婆和可愛的2歲女兒到訪。因為我們事先已經先上網路預約，所以在入口處查驗證件，並進行簡單的安全檢查，確認我們沒有攜帶任何「刀劍槍炮彈藥」後就放行了。原本以為要跟著導引人員走，走完一圈就結束，卻發現只要在規範的區域內，愛參觀多久就參觀多久。
台北賓館的建築很美，館內還有賓館整修過程的影片可供了解古蹟修復的程序，算是不錯的知性之旅。賓館後院走道鋪的是日本「枯山水」用的白石子，勉強有日式庭園的味道。女兒就蹲在地上玩起了白石子，玩得不亦樂乎，好不容易用「吃麵麵」的引誘把她帶離現場。


台北賓館網路預約 http://tgh.mofa.gov.tw/。
台北賓館附近停車不便，建議停在中正紀念堂的地下停車場再走路過去(約10~15分鐘)。


台北賓館參觀注意事項節錄如下:
依序排隊並接受安全檢查。
不得擅自跨越非開放區域、藉故滯留或有其他影他人參觀之行為。
大型包裹或物品請托寄於指定地點，不得攜帶入館。
禁止攜帶違禁品或其他危險物品。
禁止吸煙、飲食、嚼食檳榔、口香糖及攜帶寵物進入。
禁止踐踏草皮或攀折、破壞、毀損賓館內之花草樹木及其他公物。
禁止於賓館建? v物內使用行動電話。
禁止攜帶標語、旗幟進入。
參觀民眾服裝應整齊清潔，不得穿著汗衫、拖鞋等不雅服裝進入。
不得擅自於禁止拍照之地點拍照或攝影。



Photo 1: 台北賓館 (BESSA R2C, Zeiss Opton Biogon 2.8/35mm T)


Photo 2: 台北賓館右翼 (BESSA R2C, Zeiss Opton Biogon 2.8/35mm T)


Photo 3: 台北賓館長廊 (BESSA R2C, Zeiss Opton Biogon 2.8/35mm T)

其它精采照片請參閱 台北賓館 相簿。

CONTAX TVS Panoramic photography 寬景攝影

2006.11.14

Following the previous report on the trip back to the manufacturer for the CONTAX TVS (T Vario-Sonnar), this time, I would like to share its 'Panoramic photography' function.

In the mid-1990s, 35mm film cameras sparked a small trend in 'Panoramic photography'. Cameras ranging from compact point-and-shoots like the Pentax Espio Mini to full-sized SLR cameras like the Pentax Z1-P introduced this feature. How could you capture a wide field of view like 16:9 or even wider on a 3:2 film frame? To put it simply, there wasn't any extraordinary optical technology involved. It essentially required adding movable masks within the film frame to create a smaller frame of 36mm x 16mm within the standard 36mm x 24mm frame. On the CONTAX TVS, there's a 'P' switch next to the rear viewfinder, which allows you to switch between these two modes. However, with the TVS II, due to changes in market trends and cost-saving considerations, this particular feature was no longer included.

繼上次跟各位報告CONTAX TVS (T Vario-Sonnar)的回娘家行程後，這次來分享一下她的「寬景攝影」功能。

在90年代中旬，135底片相機掀起了一股「寬景攝影」的小風潮，小如傻瓜相機(Pentax espio mini)，大如單眼相機(Pentax Z1-P)都加入這個功能。那要如何在3:2的底片上呈現如16:9或更寬的視野呢？說穿了，沒什麼高超的光學技術可言，指示在底片是內加上上下兩塊可活動的隔板，將36mm x 24mm的底片阻隔成36mm x 16mm的大小就成了。CONTAX TVS 背面觀景窗旁就有一個「P」的開關，可用來切換上述2種模式。TVSII則因為這股風潮不再與節省成本的考量下取消這項特一功能。


Panoramic Mode 寬景模式 

Normal Mode 一般模式

When using the 'Wide-Angle Photography' feature, the captured area only occupies about 50% of the film frame. As a result, the 28mm wide-angle lens, which is the original focal length, feels more like a 50mm standard lens when shooting, making it a bit restrictive. Since I used RVP100 film, I mostly shot with the maximum aperture of f/3.5, leading to noticeable vignetting in the images. Stopping down to around f/5.6 helped alleviate most of the issue.

使用「寬景攝影」功能攝影時，拍攝面積約僅佔底片面積的50%，因此原本的28mm廣角鏡頭使用起來的感覺比較像是50mm標準鏡頭，拍起來有些綁手綁腳。由於底片使用的是RVP100，因此幾乎都是用最大光圈f3.5來拍攝，成像有明顯的失光現象，約f5.6可減輕大部分。

Photo 1: 自來水博物館 (CONTAX TVS, Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 3.5-6.5/28-56mm T*)


Photo 2: 台北101百貨 (CONTAX TVS, Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 3.5-6.5/28-56mm T*)


Photo 3: 大溪 (CONTAX TVS, Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 3.5-6.5/28-56mm T*)

其他照片請參閱 相簿-寬景攝影測試。