View Full Version : Colt Commander closeups
Bought a new macro lens, had to use it for something, so thought I'd take some more pictures of my Colt Commander. It started life as a stock blued NRM Commander, which I then had customized by Marianne Carniak in Michigan. Finish is hard chrome from Tripp Research (brushed flats on the slide, matte everywhere else). I've posted other photos of it in the stickied photo thread, but those were from a few years back.
Nothing special, but thought I'd post these new ones just for fun. :)
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/Comm07_6462.jpg
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/Comm07_6473.jpg
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/Comm07_6475.jpg
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/Comm07_6478.jpg
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/Comm07_6480.jpg
1911 Shooter
10th May 2007, 08:04
Excellent detail and clarity. You did real good.
Your mods on the Commander are excellent. I like the TS and the Novak's.
Rich-D
10th May 2007, 08:20
Great pic's of a fine gun.
K9american
10th May 2007, 09:01
Great pix. Nice composition. Better than the feature photos in the gun magazines - to my eye, anyway.
What camera and lens did you use.
What camera and lens did you use.
Thanks!
I used a Canon 300D (Digital Rebel) 6MP camera, with a Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens.
Excellent pictures, sweet looking Colt. http://forum.m1911.org/images/icons/icon14.gif
MacEntyre
10th May 2007, 10:55
Great pictures, and a great looking pistol!
Have you noticed that every brand name on it is in the possessive form?
Colt's, Wilson's, Novak's...
daveohno
10th May 2007, 12:19
Nice pistol and really great pics with neat detail! Nary a speck of dust nor smudge! :D
Hunter
10th May 2007, 12:40
That is a good looking Colt. I just discovered what macro is for on my digital camera (thanks John). Man you did a great job on those pictures.
garrettwc
10th May 2007, 13:51
Ichiro has got himself some competition!! Great shots! What type of lighting setup did you use? You got it perfect!
I love the modified thumb safety.
Can I now ask you to put your standard lens on the camera again and take a nice picture of that Commander at 1280x1024 and mail it to me? It's for my Commanders Wallpaper Collection. Thanks
Ric4509
10th May 2007, 15:05
Oh my!!! Excellent pictures, great shots. Very nice commander.
sprice1973
10th May 2007, 16:00
Great pictures,makes me want to pony up the cash and buy one! Well some time soon anyhow!
aphco
10th May 2007, 18:36
Great shots! What type of lighting setup did you use? You got it perfect!
.
Marianne always does fine work.
Ditto on the lighting. How about a picture of the lighting setup? :)
Joni Lynn
10th May 2007, 18:56
That's a really sharp Colt! I haven't seen much of her work and it looks great!
clughog
10th May 2007, 22:17
Is it the new lens or is it the photographer?? Great shots!
tombstone
10th May 2007, 22:38
Nice Colt - great photos. Cheers!
dakota1911
10th May 2007, 22:51
Nice photos. Nice gun. And, although off topic I think you just sold me on that macro lens. I have a Canon Rebel XT.
Wow, I'm really overwhelmed with all the nice comments on the photos...thanks everyone!
Ditto on the lighting. How about a picture of the lighting setup?
I'm using a home-built lightbox for the lighting, made from foamboard. I basically made a box out of the foamboard, cut some windows into the sides, and covered them with parchment paper. A pair of 250 watt halogen lamps shine through them. Additionally, I'm using a light behind the camera with a diffuser to bring out some of the highlights.
I'll try to get a picture of the setup this weekend and post it.
Can I now ask you to put your standard lens on the camera again and take a nice picture of that Commander at 1280x1024 and mail it to me? It's for my Commanders Wallpaper Collection. Thanks
Will do - my original pictures of this Commander are from 2004 and a bit dated (I've learned a lot since then about photography), I've been meaning to get some new full shots taken.
And, although off topic I think you just sold me on that macro lens. I have a Canon Rebel XT.
I've only had it a short time, but I've been very happy with this macro lens. Does a great job. I've been getting the itch to upgrade to the Canon Rebel XTi, but have held off so far...
Will do - my original pictures of this Commander are from 2004 and a bit dated (I've learned a lot since then about photography), I've been meaning to get some new full shots taken.
Thank you!
elijdub
11th May 2007, 09:45
Beautiful gun! ...and looks impecably maintained as well!
I've been getting the itch to upgrade to the Canon Rebel XTi, but have held off so far...With gorgeous photos like those, you can forget upgrading the camera.....
:lm:
garrettwc
11th May 2007, 13:43
With gorgeous photos like those, you can forget upgrading the camera.....
+1, unless the XTi has a new function you just can't live without, why spend the money on another body. Get good glass and work on technique. It's not the tool, it's the technician.
EchoBravoKilo
11th May 2007, 14:03
Great photos, great pistol. The work looks terrific - how is her turnaround time?
Sidtek
11th May 2007, 16:40
At the risk of being redundant, WOW! I think those are the cleanest pics of the cleanest pistol I've ever seen. Thanks for sharing both the pistol and your technique. Makes me want to upgrade on both counts! Regards,
.45FMJoe
11th May 2007, 16:42
I can't wait to see the pictures of the setup! :)
Great pictures,makes me want to pony up the cash and buy one! Well some time soon anyhow!
I couldn't agree more but I'm talking about the camera set-up since I already have a commander.
FJC fantastic pics! Can't wait to see shots of the set-up.
colubrid
14th May 2007, 01:55
who modified the thump saftey? I want to get one like that.
Finally got pictures taken of the setup. As you can see, it's pretty crude, but it does the job.
The lightbox itself is made out of foamboard, connected with pins and packing tape. I have 12x12 inch holes on either side cut into it, and parchment paper (stolen from a roll in the kitchen) taped over the holes to act as diffusers. I plan to cut another in the top for some light from that direction.
The yellow lights on the sides are 250 watt halogen "work lights" I bought from Home Depot for $8 each. The light clipped to the folding chair next to the camera was I think $5 at Home Depot, though it does have a $20 diffuser snapped onto the front of it.
Inside the lightbox is a length of a nylon-like material I acquired somewhere years ago. It runs along the bottom and back of the lightbox, and hangs out the rear.
Also in the picture, if you care, is a rocket blower (that rubbery thing that looks like a rocket, it's a hand blower to blow dust off lenses and such). Next to that blower is a small black remote to trigger my camera. The tripod is a cheap one - I'm anxious to upgrade to one with a horizontal boom to allow me to get some different angles.
On the chair to the left you can see (buried under a rag) my white card, which I use to set a custom white balance in the camera.
A couple views of the setup:
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/lb_1176.jpg
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/lb_1177.jpg
This picture is with the lights running...this messed up the exposure on the little point-and-shoot camera I was using, but I thought it might be worth seeing:
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/lb_1175.jpg
Great photos, great pistol. The work looks terrific - how is her turnaround time?
She does a great job. Back when I had this built (in 2004), I dropped the bare original Commander off to her in March I believe, and had it back in June. Not bad at all considering that included a trip to Tripp Research for the hard chrome job.
I have no idea what her current turn-around time is, though.
Here's what the pistol looked like before she started work on it.
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/comm-std-left-1.JPG
who modified the thump saftey? I want to get one like that.
Marianne Carniak modified it. Basically, I told her that I preferred a thumbs-up grip, with my right thumb riding the safety. She suggested taking a safety (Wilson Combat one, maybe), and reshaping it to be a good shelf for such use. That's how it came out...very nice, I feel.
This pistol also has an ambi safety. I wanted the other side to be quite narrow, to help keep down any chances of it being accidently swiped off. She did a good job of that as well. (Note - updated post to include a newer picture.)
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/comm07_6520.jpg
TattooPaul
14th May 2007, 10:20
Colt makes a "Commander"?
(Jusy kidding... beautiful pistol and great pics!)
garrettwc
14th May 2007, 13:48
For you enterprising shutterbugs who would like to do this yourself, here's a link to a website with an interactive tutorial on how to make your own lightbox:
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/kmckevin/itma_kevin/projrep/lightbox.swf
At the bottom of the page is an adobe PDF link to download a printed version of the instructions.
garrettwc
14th May 2007, 13:53
FJC where did you get the diffuser for your front(key) light?
colubrid
14th May 2007, 14:00
Marianne Carniak modified it. Basically, I told her that I preferred a thumbs-up grip, with my right thumb riding the safety. She suggested taking a safety (Wilson Combat one, maybe), and reshaping it to be a good shelf for such use. That's how it came out...very nice, I feel.
This pistol also has an ambi safety. I wanted the other side to be quite narrow, to help keep down any chances of it being accidently swiped off. She did a good job of that as well. Here's an older picture that shows that.
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/carcom-rear.JPG
WOW! That is an awesome piece.
I wonder if Marianne will reshape one by itself and send it out.
Here's a few more pictures.
Full size view - this picture is also in 1280x wide format (not quite 1024 high, but should still work) at this link http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/Comm07_1280_6501.jpg
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/Comm07_6501.jpg
The other size (this one also in 1280x format, at http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/comm07_1280_6505.jpg)
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/comm07_800_6505.jpg
And a couple other shots...I'm finding the problem with a macro lens is that you can see all the grime deep in the corners that I'm not getting out... I've got some cleaning to do it seems!
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/comm07_6517.jpg
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/Comm07_6523.jpg
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/comm07_6524.jpg
http://www.condron.com/pics/colt/comm/com07_6508.jpg
Man, that is one pretty Commander. http://forum.m1911.org/images/icons/icon15.gif
Fantastic pics, FJC. http://forum.m1911.org/images/icons/icon14.gif
XTrooper
14th May 2007, 17:06
Great subject, outstanding photography!
OK, you owe me a notebook. Drooling over a keyboard is not expensive, but over a notebook!!! Good Lord, where will I find another one now?
Blackhawk
14th May 2007, 17:57
Great pics of a fantastic looking gun. Who made those grips?
colubrid
14th May 2007, 18:13
I think a hardchrome finish is one of the prettiest finishes on a 1911. The color is brighter and more appealing than a stainless 1911. I have seen lots of other hardchrome finishes on other guns. But the HC on a 1911 seems to go together like peanut butter & jelly.
Great pics of a fantastic looking gun. Who made those grips?
Thanks!
Grips were are Ahrend's gaboon ebony grips, with the mainspring housing pin covered. Checkering is the "tactical" or also called "Ranger" style. I ordered them from pickagrip.com back when they were still around. He installed the Colt emblems in them for me for a small fee.
TheGerk
16th May 2007, 12:24
Thanx for sharing the photography techniques, awesome photo’s
Oh yea, nice Commander to.
Blackhawk
16th May 2007, 22:16
FJC let me know if you ever decide to part with those grips and congrats again on a fantastic 1911.
elijdub
16th May 2007, 22:45
FJC, +1 here! Those grips look great on the HC. My apologies if i missed this, but where did you have the work done (i know you mentioned the "thumb safety maker".)? ..the HC-ing, etc.? How bout that beavertail...Wilson? Those look like aftermarket sights too, right?
NICE!!
The work was done by Marianne Carniak of Troy, Michigan. She learned from her father and inherited his business, which used to go by Carniak's Custom Colts - I think they are The Accurizer Shop now. I just dug up my list of what I had done:
Ed Brown beavertail
Wilson ambi safety custom reshaped by this gunsmith
Match trigger w/trigger job
Reliability work (tuned Wilson extractor & polishing/throating as needed)
Match bushing
Novak tritium front site
Novak low-mount rear tritium bar site
Wilson flat checkered mainspring housing
MILD Dehorning
Flare/lower ejection port
Tripp Research hard chrome (brushed flats, matte everywhere else)
I originally had a full-length guide rod put in as well, but removed it later on (I had foreseen that I might, so had the original recoil spring parts hard-chromed when it was built so they'd match).
elijdub
17th May 2007, 09:14
Well it turned out lookin' great! That is a fine, fine specimen...and great photog. taboot!
Good thinkin' havin' the original recoil spring assembly HC'd!
eli
Birdawg
20th May 2007, 20:23
A class job all the way around.
Hunter
24th May 2007, 02:36
Wow great job with that light box. I learned right much from seeing those pictures.
Once again that is a beautiful Colt Commander.
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