Seen in a house in Switzerland. I liked the positioning of the statuette in front of three fans with Japanese (I assume) writing.
Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.
Return of the samurai
Schneider-Kreuznach Retina Xenon 50mm f1.9
I love the Schneider Xenon lens on my Retina IIc so when I came across this article My Favorite Lenses – Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL on the Lens Bubbles site it was something I started keep my eye open for. Eventually I found this one at a reasonable prize and picked up a DKL-Sony E mount adapter (so that I could use it on my Sony NEX 5n).
It’s a fairly low contrast lens, with the kind of color rendition I liked from my Retina IIc. It’s also a solid, well built and rather heavy piece of equipment and of course the adapter adds a fair bit to the size (in the picture the silver part is the lens, and the black part the adapter).
I must admit that I found it rather frustrating at first. I had some difficulty getting it to focus correctly. With these adapted vintage lenses I usually focus wide open and use focusing aids such as focus peaking and focus magnification. That didn’t seem to work with this one and I suspect that it’s because of its low contrast nature. Instead I had to stop the lens down, focus and then return to whatever aperture I needed.
It’s certainly a very sharp lens, even wide open.
One interesting feature is the red “ears”, which move as you change aperture to indicate depth of field.
Incipient blackberries.
Clematis
Planters in our garden.
One other post also featured this lens: Chimney in the Woods.
Exotic Onion
You’ve heard of ‘Spanish Onions’, well this is a ‘South African Onion’. I took this picture some time ago at Stonecrop Gardens, and although I posted a number of pictures I didn’t post this one. I have a vague memory that this was because I couldn’t remember what the small sign on it had said and I didn’t want to post it without having this information.
I was back at Stonecrop with some friends about two weeks ago and this time I remembered to take a picture of the sign. It reads:
Boweia volubilis, otherwise known as the Climbing Onion, is a curiosity from South Africa. This unusual bulb is a member of the Lily family and will produce green and white flowers later in the Spring.
For more information see: Bowiea Sea Onion Info: Tips For Growing Climbing Onion Plants
So it’s not even an onion, and I’m guessing that it’s decorative rather than edible.
Taken with a Sony NEX 5N and Carl Zeiss Jena, 50mm f2 Biotar.
Geneva – Lakeside, Along the Quai Gustave Ador
Flags on the Quai Gustave Ador. Looking back into town with the St. Pierre Cathedral in the background.
According to Wikipedia:
To extend the south-side promenade of the Lake of Geneva from the Jardin Anglais, the Quai Gustave-Ador was constructed in 1856 with a length of around 1,800 m.
In 1936–37 the first rosebushes were planted and since then there are more than 13,000 rosebushes.
You will find the Jardin Anglais, the Jet d’eau, the Baby plage, the Port-Noir, the Parc La Grange and the Parc des Eaux Vives at this promenade. From here you can see the famous Pierres du Niton.
Today it is considered an important two lane main road connecting central Geneva with some south-eastern suburbs (Cologny, Vandoeuvres) and the French border, but it has still not lost its attraction for tourists and Genevans alike.
Geneve Plage (Geneva Beach). We went to a wedding reception there once.
Tropical Geneva. A very pleasant lakeside bar where we went with our daughter, her family and some of her friends before going to dinner at Le Relais de l’Entrecote in town. Lots of windsurfers. To the best of my knowledge this bar did not exist when we were living in Geneva. It’s not actually on the Quai Gustave Ador, but rather on the Quai de Cologny, a continuation of Gustave Adore, and just a very short walk from where we lived.
And, in case you’re wondering, Gustave Ador (23 December 1845 – 31 March 1928) was a Swiss politician who became President of the Swiss Confederation in 1919
Geneva – Lakeside, Near the Jardin Anglais
The inevitable, cheesy photograph of Lake Geneva. A gorgeous, sunny day, fluffy clouds, blue skys, a picturesque boat, the Jura mountains and the famous Jet d’Eau in the background.
Taken near the Jardin Anglais (English garden) with a Sony RX-100 M3.