As a Kowa ambassador, it was a great privilege to spend some time with the Kowa team down in London at the Broadcasting and Video Expo 2015 (BVE).
Not only are the Kowa MFT lenses built for conventional photography, they are also designed for the Videographer – with unique features like a choice of aperture F click or smooth T stops for video, manual focus and manual aperture. The 8.5mm lens is of particular interest to this market as it has edge to edge sharpness and very low distortion for such a wide field of view.
Video is an area which I would really like to explore with the three Kowa MFT lenses.
Working on the stand was fascinating and I met lots of interesting people from the broadcasting industry including a chap who had designed sets for James bond films, others who make music videos and time lapse as well as producers and camera operators who had worked on programs such as Top Gear. The technology on show was mind blowing.
Lots of people asked us about the old Kowa Anamorphic lenses from the 1960s and 70s which produce those movie like looks and lens flares. There was also a great deal of interest in the new lenses from all types of professional broadcasting sectors as well as serious end users.
It was great to watch seasoned pros being wowed by the Kowa 8.5mm lens and at just how good it performs – a particular highlight was seeing the guys on the Panasonic stand put the Kowa 8.5mm on a GH4 camera with a live 4K video feed to a 4K monitor – it was simply stunning and people were amazed at the footage both the camera and lens was producing and one thing is for sure – I’m buying a Panasonic GH4, the video performance in conjunction with the Kowa lenses is stunning.
Although time was short – I managed to get out and take a few shots of the local area:
The Excel building has a striking entrance captured in its glory with the Kowa 8.5mm f2.8 lens
Opposite to the Excel stands the Aloft hotel – with the Kowa 8.5mm f2.8 it creates a striking abstract image.
Using the Kowa 25mm f1.8 lens on the Aloft hotel gives an even more abstract feel by cropping in to a section of the building
A moody evening shot with long shadows down by the River Thames – captured with the Kowa 25mm f1.8
After the show we had a stroll down to the Thames to take in the city skyline. I can’t take credit for the above shot, this moody scene was spotted by a Kowa colleague whilst I was busy photographing Canary Wharf, he spotted the long shadows creating a moody scene along side the river bank – thanks John for this one! and well spotted. just goes to show that a striking image can be found in the most ordinary of places.