tosogu images

[paulb]

I have spent many hours in the past trying to photograph sword blades. Over the past couple of days I have had a different challenge in attempting to accurately capture the fine detail on two recently purchased pieces. Results attached

[Greg F]

Youve captured some nice fine details Paul, well done.

 

Greg

[Vermithrax16]

Outstanding! Thanks for posting them.

[Bazza]

Yeeees...  I was going to be super critical and give Paul 6 out 10.  Attention needed on DoF (Depth of Field) which will take care of some of the focus issues.  Also white balance seems a little off.

 

Topically speaking, nice katakiribori work in the clothes of the monk.  How about signatures Paul??  The fuchigashira could be Ishiguro...

 

BaZZa

(who also tries VERY hard to take good photos.  It does take hours and hours...)

[Ken-Hawaii]

With deeply-cut items, both lighting & DoF are factors. On the first image, try adding a tiny supplemental light from about 45 degrees to pick up the lower details. I'd give you 8.5/10. Are you using a macro lens or bellows?

[Rivkin]

Well I never miss an opportunity to guess  - both items are from 1800, the kozuka is Hamano Nara, the fk is harder to pinpoint, a very popular topic.

With such extreme macro focus stacking is usually what I resort to.

 

Kirill R.

[paulb]

Thank you for the feedback and suggestions gentlemen it is much appreciated. I am afraid there is one vital element missing from my setup and that is patience! Combining the lack of this with incredible clumsiness does not make a good foundation to practice this art, but I shall persevere. Regarding the questions:

Ken-  I used a macro lens I also had lighting from the side as you suggested but probably could have improved the angle.

 

Barry- I can understand why you thought it might be Ishiguro, I thought that when I first saw it. It is signed Hidefusa. I cant find him listed in any of my limited rferences but he is thought to be a follower of the Omori school.

 

Kirill you are correct about both time (I have them around 1820) and the Kozuka is signed Noriyuki who is a listed Hamano artist.

[Ford Hallam]

What camera and lens are you using Paul? Specifically, are you able to select aperture size?

 

and I assume a tripod and shutter release?

[paulb]

Hi Ford

I use a Nikon D3000 with the standard 55mm lens with a macro attachment (for some of them). Likewise I have a tripod and do use it (sometimes)

According to the "dummies guide" I can change the depth of field but so far this dummy hasn't worked out how nor been able to follow their step by step instructions (I guess there are degrees of dummies and this caters for a higher level:-))

I really appreciate people taking their time to help and offer tips which I will find very helpful. I think the aim with these was really just to show the level of workmanship in particular areas rather than offer an illustration of the whole thing (but may be that's just an excuse!)

Cheers

Paul

p.s. I hope you are continuing to recover and doing as you are told.

[Brian]

Paul,
Don't think you need me to tell you that these are beautiful fittings! Technique and detail is amazing. Jealous

[paulb]

Hi Brian,

Thank you and yes I agree they are beautiful. I admit to having had very little interest in fittings, I could look at hundreds of tsuba, and I did, without really feeling any of the appreciation I do for swords. When I do look I normally focus on iron tsuba but more recently started to look at soft metal. As you say the technique and skill levels are amazing. I also think the way the artists combine different alloys to such good effect is incredible. I think I may have started on the slippery slope to becoming a fittings enthusiast!!

[Ford Hallam]

Morning Paul

 

looking at the specs on your camera I see you can shoot in aperture priority. This means you can select the effective depth of field and thereby the sharpness. More shallow DoF equals a more crisp image....but as its a smaller hole for the light to travel through it needs a longer exposure to gather that light. So a tripod set up is vital (with shutter release cable or remote, imo, to ensure stability.

 

Not sure if your camera allows for an enlarged image preview for manual focussing but that's essential I feel in achieving the best results too.

 

And naturally the lens arrangement is going ultimately to be your final limit. Standard kit lenses are never going to give you the really crisp images you may aspire to, and macro attachments are always a compromise, a dedicated macro lens will transform your view. I suppose what I'm saying is that there is a limit to what you can expect from a particular bunch of gear, so don't judge your results too harshly.

 

If you are thinking about upgrading your kit I'd suggest something like the Sigma 105mm macro for Nikon. (I use canon but swear by my Sigma art lenses for almost all my filming nowadays.)   It's a little bit of an investment, (about the price of a very mediocre set of f/k but great value for an excellent macro lens) and it functions well for portraits and landscapes so it's fairly versatile.

 

For fitting's detail shots I tend to use an aperture of between 9 to 11 and mostly let the camera decide on the speed of the shutter unless I'm after a particularly moody or arty image, then I get creative with the shutter speed myself. 

 

Edit to add: Looking at the old Nikon D40, a very decent camera by all accounts, I see it has an enlarged preview image screen which is very helpful in terms of getting those super sharp images. They're available for about £100.

[paulb]

Thank you Ford I appreciate your advice I will have an explore and play

Best Regards

Paul

[kissakai]

I'm shortly visiting a 'Dark Sky' area in Northumberland UK

I read the dummies but found much more help on Youtube

You may have to change the search descriptions a few times but it is well worth

Just combine this info to the post comments and I'm sure you will do well

The last couple of years I use a light tent which is cheap, a remote trigger also cheap and two lights

I have a light blue background which I remove with photoshop and then there is nothing to detract from the image

[CSM101]

Dear Paul,

 

I have always two things in mind:

 

#1 = "If your photos are not good enough, then you are not close enough"   Robert Capa   

 

and

 

#2 = "The amateur wants a better hardware.

         The semi pro wants a better software.

         And the real pro wants a better light."      Unknown

 

So, here is my setup when it comes to tsuba. The best thing is F&V HDR-300 ringlight. Not a ringflash.

You can control the brightness in a much better way then with a ringflash.

 

And the result: two halves stitched together, CutOut, done.

 

Uwe G.

[paulb]

Thank you Uwe,

you have gven me a lot to look at and think about

much appreciated

Paul

[paulb]

Dear All,

Just to prove it is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks and thanks to your combined advice I have found out how to adjust the depth of field......

While still a long way below some of the excellent results often shown here I think I have made progress.

[b.hennick]

+1

[Rivkin]

There is 55mm micro-Nikkor, which is one of the best designs in Nikon lineup. Its manual version is not very expensive and fully capable, but still 55mm is a tad wide, though this macro is not known for distortions. Gret corner performance, crisp colors. But since its going to be very close to the subject, light is an issue.

105mm miro-Nikkor will be easier to use and more versite for such shots, though dof will be narrower. And its 1:1 which means you can fell the frame with fuchi.

I actually still have both from the times I used Nikon gear. Never got my act together to actually sell them. Both still work decently with f/32, though I did use them with f/16 and focus stacking.

 

There are many techniques to light those up, tsubas usually do well with a ring or box, fk sometimes do benefit from a bit of shadows...

 

Kirill R.

[Vermithrax16]

paulB you have inspired me to really put an effort into getting better equipment and better skills. Great thread.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Photos look good, Paul. Have you started stacking images yet?

[Bazza]

Most stacked image software I see has a price I'd rather not pay at present.  The prices are OK, but I want to avoid paying until I'm in a better position.  Is there any free download software that is good to use in the interim???

 

BaZZa.

[Brian]

https://windowsreport.com/focus-stacking-software/

[paulb]

Hi Ken,

the short answer is no I havent, mainly because I had never heard of it and have no idea what it does. At the moment I am bathing in total smugness that after probably 10 years I have finally worked out how to change a key feature on the camera. Going beyond the basic editing software in windows 10 may be a step too far and bring me swiftly back to reality

[kissakai]

I think it is better to try the various manual options before even thinking about stacking

DOF is a great starter

I use a light box and two lights but better lighting would help me

Next hardest for me is a good colour match

[mas4t0]

Focus stacking in a nutshell is when you take multiple photos on a tripod with the same settings, but focusing on different parts of the subject (different distances) and then digitally combine them to create an image where everything is in pin sharp focus.

 

It creates great results, but you can get great results with manual settings.

 

I find that square-on there's usually not a need for focus stacking and it becomes much more relevant when dealing with an isometric projection or when there is a distinct foreground and background which you're looking to keep in focus.

 

The effect is nicely illustrated if you hold a finger up on front of you, you'll find that if you're very close to a wall you can focus on both, but you can't move far from the wall before you can focus on only one or the other.

[Nikanoru]

I think I may have started on the slippery slope to becoming a fittings enthusiast!!

 

Welcome to the club, Paul!

My name is Alexander and I'm a tosogu addict 

[Bugyotsuji]

Great thread and I am itching to get stuck in!