Car Show at Chemical Guys HQ

All the cars come out for summertime

CARSLENSESCAMERAS

Tommy Barker

7/3/20244 min read

It was a wonderful summer day on June 22nd, 2024. Chemical Guy's was throwing a pop-up car show at their HQ in Torrance. I caught wind of this show from my friend Alan barely a week prior. I had just come off of a successful job of shooting a kid's birthday party, so I was pumped for the chance to get creative with some cars. If I had a modicum of journalistic integrity, I would have done more to capture the details of the event. The show was very well run, and there was little, if any, rambunctiousness. This means, that we should be able to enjoy more shows like these in the future.

There was an eclectic mix of modern cars and trucks, imports, low riders, hot rods, and classics. I'm often drawn to the classic American cars, because of the southern Californian conditions that allow these cars to withstand the ravages of time. I, however, started my car journey early on with Japanese and German imports, so I was pleased to see them represented here as well.

The mid-morning lighting proved a challenge with fighting through shadows. The 5DIII struggled with the shadows and contrasting light. The R6II, though, was a champ throughout the event. I shot primarily with a Canon EF 24mm F1.4L version I, mounted to the 5DIII. On the R6II, I used the 50mm Super Takumar F1.4. I could not believe how well the Super Takumar handled chromatic aberration, whereas the 24mm L fell apart wide open. This was my first chance to see what my Pentax Super Takumar 50mm F1.4 was able to do, and I was amazed by the results. In the right situations, the cars look light they were painted or made by AI. The lens is proof that micro-contrast (i.e. 3D Pop) is real. The L lens has some 3D Pop for sure, but my Super Takumar certainly lives up to the nickname, "Zeiss Killer."

I installed an inexpensive, metal lens hood that screws into the filter thread of the Takumar. It wasn't until after pulling the raw files into the computer did I notice one of the side effects of the quality of this hood. While minimizing the effects of stray light hitting the front element, the minor reflections from this aluminum hood cause a dream like haze on certain shots. I hate using this word, but it's a "vibe" for sure which is totally optical and not digital. You can see the effect in the two images below.

For cameras, I used my R6II and my 5DIII. I have fully drunk the full frame Koolaide for shoots like this. I've also come to love and depend on mirrorless cameras for the work I'm doing. I've fallen in love with vintage lenses, specifically with low element counts, spherical elements, and thoriated glass where possible. Mirrorless cameras allow me to make use of all of that vintage glass out in the market, whereas, dslrs are limiting in what I can use.

It is often noted, the 3D pop is accentuated with higher f-stops. I was blown away by the 3D rendering provided by the Takumar at F2.8. I feel that F2.8 creates the cinematic look, that people often believe comes with shooting wide open. Two of my favorite shots of the day are shown below. One was taken at F1.4, and the other was taken at F2.8. Can you see the pop?

Despite the age of the sensor and image processes, I was still pleased with the results I got with the 5DIII and the 24mm F1.4L. Of course, auto focus is nice, especially when doing some panning shots. In the future, I will be testing out some Rokkor wide angle lenses to see if I get the same kind of pop I got with the Takumar. However, the 24mm was no slouch, and here's some examples where it held up well.

At the end of the day, I walked away with many, many keeper shots, and some new additions to the portfolio. I'm definitely hooked on shooting vintage lenses, and the chance to mix state of the art sensor technology, with mystically designed glass from the height of optical formulas. Below are some galleries of the other cars and trucks that drew my eye. Thanks to Chemical Guy's for throwing on a great show, and I look forward to next time.

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