Mitakon Zhongyi 50mm f/0.95 Day 1

Mitakon Zhongyi 50mm f/0.95 Review Day 1 from Makai Creative on Vimeo.

I just got my Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 lens! I used it one day and made this little video. Paired up with a Sony a7s or a7ii and this is an amazing set up. Music: Licensed via The Music Bed. Software: Graded and Edited in Final Cut Pro X FPCX using Color Grading Central Color Finale

I just received the new Mitakon Zhongyi 50mm f/0.95 lens. First of all, the box it is delivered in has a lot of wow factor. Secondly, as soon as you pick up the lens, you know it's not some cheap plastic lens; this lens is built like a tank and is really heavy. In fact, when I used it in my water housing that was previously buoyant with my Sony 28-70mm lens, this 50mm lens would sink the housing. 

This is a completely manual lens and the iris and focus controls are buttery smooth, but a little stiff. I prefer it be a little hard to turn so you don't get the jerkiness that some lenses have. It is a de-clicked aperture ring so it's even more buttery. 

After day 1 with this lens, I can't think of any cons. It's exactly what I expected and more. I used my Sony a7ii in this video to help with the stability. This fast lens coupled with the sony a7s is the low light king. I can't wait to include this in the Hawaii wedding videography and wedding photography scene. This will sure be a very dynamic piece of glass to add to the arsenal. There will be more videos and photos to follow with more depth in specifics, but I just had to get this short video out. 

Sunchasers: A Sunset Short

Sunchasers: A Sunset Short from Makai Creative on Vimeo.

Growing up in a surfing family in Hawaii, The Endless Summer was a rite of passage. As a young boy, not only did that surf film give me a love of the ocean and adventure, the image of the cover was burned into my memory. (Even Vanity Fair applauds the world renown portrait.) The iconic shot contains a dramatic composition of the setting sun with the movie's surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, and the film maker, Bruce Brown, in the foreground. That image was a source of inspiration for my surfing lifestyle, but more recently, an inspiration for my photography and cinematography. 

I wanted to recreate that classic "Endless Summer" image, but also add my creative expression to it. I knew my 70-200mm lens wouldn't cut it, so I reached out to the team at Lens Pro To Go and rented a lens that might make this idea possible: Canon 800mm f/5.6. It was a little humorous because they seemed a little reluctant to lend me their most expensive lens. 

I had rented the lens for two weeks and knew I had to take full advantage of it. Prior to receiving it, I had to do some research to know where on the horizon the sun would be setting, the position the camera would need to be and where the subject would have to be located relative to the setting sun and the camera. So I grabbed my 70-200mm f2/8 and x2 teleconverter and went to the coastline. My supportive, but hesitant wife even walked up big, sharp lava rocks with our oldest son to assist in this process. We did capture some amazing images in this scouting process. This particular day (2 images below) with my wife and son was extra special because about 75 yards off shore there was a Humpback Whale and her calf swimming in the Pacific. 

In Hawaii we have this natural phenomenon known as "Vog." When our usual breezy trade winds stop, we often get the fumes from the active volcanos on the Big Island leaving the island chain hot, humid, and hazy causing a lot of local's allergies to go crazy. However, when there are no trade winds to blow away the haze, it results in very dramatic sunsets. Thankfully, the first few days I rented the lens, there were amazing, voggy sunsets. 

These sunset shoots were literally months in the making. I had to keep a close eye on the sunset time, but more importantly the sunset location. The only way the 800mm focal length could be advantageous hinged on the location the subject was positioned; the distance, the elevation, and the general surroundings. Moreover, there are only a couple of locations that created that ideal position. One location I used (ie., images of Brooke with her longboard) created a 2000 foot distance between the camera and the subject. That created for a very dramatic image, but there were a many failed attempts because of variables out of my control: people walking in the shot, too much debris in the air causing a softer image, and the low elevation of the subject which created a very short window for the shot. 

Not only was subject position of extreme importance, but the weather was the biggest factor. There were just as many successful shoots as failed attempts. For these particular sunset shots, there couldn't be any clouds on the horizon. A few times it looked like that the weather was going to cooperate so I got the camera set up, people in place, and as soon as the sun was coming into the proper composition, it hit a low layer of clouds and the shoot was ruined. It was a bummer, but also part of the journey. The times the shot came out, it made it well worth all time and effort put into the failed attempts. 

The mythical and mysterious "green flash" was proven true. In this above shot, you can see the green starting to form. The last shot in the video you can definitely see the green flash in real time. 

Overall, I am stoked with the images that were captured. Further, Makai Creative is known as a Hawaii Wedding Photography and Wedding Videography company, so it is nice to keep our content fun and fresh. It is always refreshing to take the photography and cinematography back to the roots. 

Gear used: Sony A7s with metabones adaptor, Canon 800mm f/5.6, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8, Canon x2 Teleconverter. Video edited in Final Cut Pro X (FCPX) Special thanks to Brooklyn Hawaii, Eric Sterman, Marissa, and others for your help. Music license via The Music Bed. 

Aloha.