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Distagon T* 2,8/21 ZF –
Indoor Shots with the New Ultra-Wide-Angle Lens |
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I had been looking forward to testing out the new Distagon T* 2,8/21 ZF for a series of indoor shots. When it comes to interior architecture, I am always drawn to the fascinating symbiosis between planning and design. Spaces need to be created in a way that allows people to change while remaining lively and vivid. The Distagon T* 2,8/21 ZF is the perfect tool to capture these kinds of impressions, and Berlin offers a wealth of potential subjects.
All the images shown here were taken using a Nikon D700 and the Distagon T* 2,8/21 ZF on a tripod.
My first destination was the “Theater des Westens” venue. Having seen a play there a few years ago, I could still clearly recall the grandiose design of the interior. This time I had the space entirely to myself and could take my time trying out different perspectives. After I had spent quite some time searching for the right spot, I set up my camera on a tripod. Pondering the subject once again and enjoying the peace and quiet, I tried to remember how the theatre sounded as it filled up with a steady stream of chattering spectators. Then I pressed the shutter release. The result was this appealing shot that really encourages you to become absorbed in the details.
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| The “Theater des Westens” is steeped in tradition and is one of Germany's most renowned and beautiful theatres. |
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Another of my chosen subjects was the Westin Grand Hotel. I recalled how I had visited this hotel shortly after German reunification. I had been particularly impressed by the hotel lobby with its imposing flight of stairs and its modern design combined with traditional elements. I felt compelled to include this lobby in my series of photographs. A major plus of the Distagon T* 2,8/21 ZF in this case proved to be its uniformly superb performance over the entire field of view all the way to the corners of the full-frame sensor. The Distagon was a clearly superior choice here, especially compared to a wide-angle zoom lens.
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| The Westin Grand is located in the historical center of Berlin. |
The next shot shows the “Bärensaal” (Bear Hall) in Berlin’s “Altes Stadthaus” (Old Town Hall). A number of viewing angles were on offer here. There was still some daylight trickling into the hall through the skylights, and artificial light from the surrounding corridors was shining through the archways. I went up to the gallery and positioned the camera on the tripod to take in the empty hall through the Distagon. When I subsequently saw the results on the monitor, I was impressed by how successfully all the chromatic aberrations in the image had been corrected. No color fringing was visible even along the extremely high-contrast edges of the windows. The result shown here required virtually no further processing.
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| The three-storey, barrel-vaulted ballroom known as the “Bärensaal” (Bear Hall) is located in the middle of the “Altes Stadthaus”. |
The “Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche” (Protestant Kaiser William Memorial Church) is the fourth subject in this series. This was another subject that was familiar to me from occasional previous visits. I still recalled the beautiful glow of the mosaic walls. The church is not particularly large and the Distagon T* 2,8/21 ZF once again proved to be the perfect choice of ultra-wide-angle lens. Even at this early hour, there were crowds of tourists in the church, and I had to wait quite some time on the gallery before I got a clear view of the alter with the mosaic wall behind.
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| The Protestant Kaiser William Memorial Church is located on Berlin's Kurfürstendamm in the Charlottenburg district. |
My final subject, the old auditorium known as the “Kopsch Hörsaal” in the Charité Hospital grounds, was a new experience for me, too, and really quite remarkable. I think that I have only ever seen anything like it in the movies! The space was extremely narrow, but once again the Distagon T* 2,8/21 ZF came to my rescue with its huge angle of view. Thanks to its outstanding attenuation of stray light, the bright lights in the image did not produce any kind of flare or ghosting.
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| The Charité is a famous hospital in Berlin that is rich in tradition. |
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| | About Michael Wartmann
Michael Wartmann, was born in 1962 in Berlin. While living in Tempelhof he started photography during his job training as an electrician, gaining the basic knowledge as an autodidact. Between 1993 and 1996 he studied logopedics in Aachen, Germany. During this period of his life, photography became his passion. His favourite topics are people, landscape and architecture. After graduating from University he returned to Berlin and started different photographic projects in his spare time. |
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March 2009 |
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