Greetings to all! I continued my Thanksgiving weekend photo experimentation with the Mighty Double Split and D800E, this time adding a 36mm extension tube into the mix with my 85mm PC/E tilt-shift lens. Some pretty decent results, if I do say so myself :-)
Let's start with an overall view of the movement as seen from a shallow angle. This photo is stacked from 20 source images using Helicon Focus:
Getting closer -- some of the lovely gold chatons, blued screws, and jewels in this movement:
One of the two column wheel assemblies in the DS:
The Split Minutes bridge. This assembly is a marvel to me -- just imagine, in this small space we have two independent (yet linked) instantaneously jumping, flyback, chrono minutes assemblies, one of which is also a rattrapante! For me, this one assembly alone is worth the price of admission to this spectacular watch:
Here's the split seconds bridge, illuminated a bit to show the heart shaped cam and other internal parts:
Finally, the two "split" mechanisms that give this watch its name, together in one photo.
I shot these on full manual settings -- the consistent light seemed to suit Helicon better than in previous shoots where I used aperture priority and auto-exposure. With stacking, the extremely shallow DOF with the extension tube is not an issue. And the sharpness of the D800E is a revelation -- especially for this tight work where it reveals (as in the last photo) the depth of the engravings and every line of the Glashutte striping...
- Gary Getz