Anyone tried intentional Lo-fi with modern DSLRs?

Messages
2,559
Name
Ben
Edit My Images
Yes
I have been thinking about playing around with settings. Was wondering if anyone had had a go at it.
I was thinking that intentionally using high ISO to add grain and narrow apertures to introduce distortion. Haven't actually done anything so far.
 
50D at max Iso and harsh it up in PS gives you a very Monet ish result.
Matt
 
I often deliberately shoot at high ISO in Mono - like the effect!

Coupled with my pinhole lens it can give some very atmospheric results if I do my part.
 
I have been thinking about playing around with settings. Was wondering if anyone had had a go at it.
I was thinking that intentionally using high ISO to add grain and narrow apertures to introduce distortion. Haven't actually done anything so far.

Small apertures do not introduce distortion, but they do increase diffraction and depth of field whilst at the same time reducing some other aberrations and vignetting.
 
Last edited:
I have been thinking about playing around with settings. Was wondering if anyone had had a go at it.
I was thinking that intentionally using high ISO to add grain and narrow apertures to introduce distortion. Haven't actually done anything so far.

If you want the grainy look, you can just add that in Lightroom afterwards. As for using apertures to introduce distortion, I'm not entirely sure you'd be able to do that without cutting down the light too much. IE, at f22 there won't be much light getting in at all, but you may not see much distortion either. If that's your intention, I would suggest getting a vintage lens, just something cheap off ebay to give you distortion and unique lens characteristics.
 
If you want the grainy look, you can just add that in Lightroom afterwards. As for using apertures to introduce distortion, I'm not entirely sure you'd be able to do that without cutting down the light too much. IE, at f22 there won't be much light getting in at all, but you may not see much distortion either. If that's your intention, I would suggest getting a vintage lens, just something cheap off ebay to give you distortion and unique lens characteristics.
I've got a couple of vintage lenses to play with. I can only learn what effects these things have if I try, I won't be losing out by doing it :)
 
I did a bit of pinhole with my old 1100d which came out ok (ish) if a bit washed out, but gave that body and kit lens to my old dad when his Fuji bridge died.
Tried it again a bit later with a 350d we had kicking about and it was a dust spot fest!

Fun though. Creating images like that.
 
One thing I tried was inspired by photographs I saw at non photography exhibitions at museums. Pictures that were enlarged way beyond what the original shot would look good at, pictures with too much or too little contrast, that sort of thing, just technically bad pictures that had a certain charm. I had a go at making pictures that looked something like them, I shot with my Panasonic G1 and an old Minolta Rokkor 50mm lens, cropped the pictures very heavily and spent time in CS distressing them :D

Some examples...

1-_1110113_1.jpg

1-_1110293_1.jpg

1-_1110297_1.jpg

1-_1110313_1.jpg
 
If you want the grainy look, you can just add that in Lightroom afterwards.

Yup. For most 'Lomo' style effects, there's a filter for that.

Rather than adding effects (either physically or digitally) to modern DSLRs, I wonder if older (are they retro yet ?) digital cameras and the look you can get from them will come into vogue. Old phone cameras becoming the modern toy camera ?
 
One thing I tried was inspired by photographs I saw at non photography exhibitions at museums. Pictures that were enlarged way beyond what the original shot would look good at, pictures with too much or too little contrast, that sort of thing, just technically bad pictures that had a certain charm. I had a go at making pictures that looked something like them, I shot with my Panasonic G1 and an old Minolta Rokkor 50mm lens, cropped the pictures very heavily and spent time in CS distressing them :D

Some examples...

View attachment 113343

View attachment 113344

View attachment 113345

View attachment 113346
Those are very cool.
Yup. For most 'Lomo' style effects, there's a filter for that.

Rather than adding effects (either physically or digitally) to modern DSLRs, I wonder if older (are they retro yet ?) digital cameras and the look you can get from them will come into vogue. Old phone cameras becoming the modern toy camera ?
I hate adding effects afterwards. I would rather teach myself to make an image look the way I want it to.
 
Back
Top