Leica 1.0 Noctilux at Carnival

May 5, 2014

Just couldn't resist. Went to the carnival with my Leica M (240) and Noctilux. The f1.0 isn't as needed as in the film days when I purchased my Noctilux but I just love that look that it has been known for for all of these years. Today we can just crank up the iso to get the shutter speed required for the shot. But I still like the glow that it gives off and since shooting at night the vignette goes with the subject matter. Focusing is just a matter of persistence. I tried Live View and Focus Peaking a few times and it does seem to help. The shot of the people on the ride in the air was focus peaking. I have no idea how I got the shot with the ride spinning around. Since the rides travels on the same track I just focused as the chairs went by and after a few revolutions took a few shots. The f1.0 aperture really didn't matter much except for one stop higher shutter speed or one stop slower iso. Walking around with such a small package makes shooting this kind of snap shooting more enjoyable. A Noctilux is huge by Leica standards but my outfit was not much larger than the small DSLR's that I saw people had hanging around their necks. For this kind of shooting it's just my camera and lens and battery in my pocket. No need to carry more equipment or even a bag. The camera has the standard neck strap on it but I wrap the strap around my wrist. Never around my shoulder or neck. Partly for security but mostly so that the camera is always ready. Having the camera ready in my hand gives my more confidence that I will get the shot. As far as performance goes test shots are not given for this lens. It is not very sharp, vignetting is very noticeable wide open and there is that glow. Although sharpness increases and aberrations lessen when stopping down, I don't feel that a Noctilux is a 50mm replacement. I think of it as an extra tool in my bag. I also own a 50mm Summicron for times when a normal field of view is what I want. I don't mind carrying two 50mm lenses.

Leica lens coupler

May 1, 2014

If you carrier 2 extra lenses in your bag this is a very practical and space saving device. It was included with some of the bags for the M series that Leica made and was also available by separately. With the Leica Lens Coupler one slot will be freed up in your bag for a small item like a smartphone or memory card holder. This could be a do it yourself project by gluing two back caps together but this is so much better and safer. No worrying about glue loosing it's grip and the caps separating. Also the coupler is much smaller so the combined lenses will not stick up to far in a shallow bag. The idea of the coupler really only works on Leica lenses because Canon or Nikon lenses are big enough already. Attaching two of these lenses together would be to heavy and awkward. A drop risk just waiting to happen. A word of caution, the Leica Lens Coupler can not be used with certain Leica and non-Leica lenses. The rear elements protrude to far from the rear and would touch the adjoining lens. Unfortunately Leica no longer produces this item but the can be found on ebay or through an internet search. It would be nice if they started producing this sweet little gadget again.

Nikon 40th Anniversary NPS Pin

May 1, 2014

Disappearance of photography mentors

April 30, 2014

With the internet the small pockets of knowledge that enable an individual to excel at a skill have become just a search and a click away. Everyone has acess to the special skills and years of experience that used to separate the experts in a given field. Instant answers to questions are not always the best way to learn, sometimes hands on experience is better. Art is best learned by doing. Having a mentor can help you learn faster and possibly make you more creative. The place where the most reliable help was tradionally found was in the local camera store.

Most were mom and pop stores or sometimes a photo department of a larger store. The salespeople were always up on the latest models and gadgets and the best would have loyal customers. Even something as simple as loading a roll of film was tricky until you ran lots of film through your camera. Nothing beat the excitement of picking up the latest roll back from the developer. Having poorly exposed or out of focus images just seemed to be par for the course.

It was a ritual to go through the images with the salesperson and have them show you what was right and what was wrong with your images. That instant feedback really help you become a better photographer. Going over each one with an expert helped you to learn faster. It wasn't a formal mentorship but it was training the likes that is not seen today.

Amazon has killed the camera store. They sell cameras for little profit and in many states there is no sales tax. Accessories are there for free shipping. Just wait a day or two and it's on the doorstep. Camera stores turned into showrooms for Amazon. An internet search of your area will back up my claim. Not often will a camera store show up in the results.

But what I miss is talking to the salesman. Post a photo on the internet to be critiqued and it is loved or torn apart but seldom do you learn why a photo does or does not work. Having someone stand next to you and go over your images with you is an experience that is fading away. Not many of us wish to take the time to get a formal education in photography and with the cost of said education skyrocketing this is not often the best path to follow. Or is it a good return on an investment. For a long time education through a local camera was the accepted way to learn photography. That has sadly ended.

Decay in the Desert

April 29, 2014

Working on a new series of photos about the Desert. The decay in each building is so different that no two are the same. All were photographed with my Leica M (240) with a 35mm Summicron and converted to B & W with Silver Effects Pro 2.0. B & W and the decay just seems like a natural match, although some photos do look nice in color. The Leica has such nice color saturation that I might post some in color. After shooting the At The Pier series so many times it is kinda of a shock to the system to be in the desert. It is so barren that my only company was pigeons and the occasional rumble of a passing car.

Leica or Minolta

April 28, 2014

Leica and Minolta had a very close partnership at one time. If you took the baseplate off of a Leica R4 and a Minolta XD-11 and put them side by side they looked like brothers. Which is the Leica and which is the Minolta? Hint, the Leica was more expensive.

The answer is at the following post. Leica Or Minolta Part 2

B&W Street Photography

April 28, 2014

Walking around, you never know what you might see.

Leica T hands on review

April 25, 2014

The Leica T is a radical departure from any design that Leica has previously produced. It is a next generation camera that will appeal to both the photographer that requires the utmost in quality, which is their loyal customer base, to the generation that expects new and innovative products. Leica positively delivers on both accounts.

At the heart of the camera is an APS-C sized sensor similar to the Leica Vario but with a new image processor. The body, that was designed by AUDI, is milled from a solid block of aluminum. It is a minimalist design that is very stylish and with few controls on the outside to give it a smooth and appealing appearance. From the top all that is visible is the on-off switch that also activates the pop up flash, the two control wheels, a record button, the outline of the pop up flash and the dual function hot shoe. The camera has a smooth feel to it and is lighter than it appears when you first inspect it. The only control on the front is the lens release button. The camera takes lenses that are designed for the Leica T or with an adapter lenses designed for the Leica M series. The back consists of a large 16 x 9 touchscreen that is bright and easy to read. The bottom has a tripod socket and the release for the battery. The battery removal is a two step process. First the latch is slid to the side and the battery drops down but not completely out. With a slight push up on the battery it the slides out of its compartment. There is a hole on the left side of the body for the attachment of a single screw proprietary strap. The right side has a door that reveals the SD card slot. One interesting fact is the the camera has 16 GB of built in memory so the camera can store images without an external card. A number of plastic face plates can be attached to the camera if you wish your camera to have some fashion. They will be available in orange, yellow, white and black. Of course straps are coming to match the colors of the covers. A wrap around rubberized cover is also available to cover the front and rear of the camera. The back cover then hangs down from the back of the camera when taking photos and is out of the way.

The functions of the camera are controlled by a high-res 3.7 touch screen on the back of the camera. Anyone familiar with a smartphone touch screen interface will be instantly at home controlling the Leica T. There are three icons on the right side of the screen. They are the settings menu, the camera functions and the back button.The controls are grouped together by function and you just scroll up and down on the touch screen to find the settings you wish to change. Changing the individual settings is as easy as tapping on the icon and the various settings toggle to the different available settings. If there are more detailed settings to be found the familiar list appears and you can dig deeper into the menu to make the changes. Press the set button to accept and to exit. The home screen can also be customized similar to the Apple iPhone by pressing and holding an icon the dragging it to the camera icon. Reviewing the photos is done in the most unexpected way. There is no dedicated review button. Just drag your finger from bottom to top on the touch screen to enter review mode. Swipe left or right to review photos. Pinch or double tap to zoom then just scroll around with your finger.

The Leica T display

Shooting with the camera is a joy. The camera is well balanced in the had and is smaller that it may appears in advertisements. It is so light that there will be no issue carrying the camera all day. The autofocus is snappy and seemed to lock quickly on all subjects. The sample photos that were available where presented on an iPad mini. Good color balance and well exposed. The camera handled low light and night time exposures very well. It should be stressed that the cameras I were shown had beta software and will ship with the final optimized version. There is an external EVF, using the name Visoflex, available for the camera for shooters that don’t like the zombie camera experience. It had a good refresh rate and the integration with the camera extends to the point that when you change a focus point on the camera this setting extends to the EVF. The EVF also has a diopter as well as GPS built in it so you can geotag your photos. The standard Leica flashes work on the camera when the EVF is removed and retain full compatibility.

There are two lenses that can be purchased for the camera when it ships in late May. An 18 -56 and a 23mm. On an APS-C that translates to a 28-85 and a 35mm. Leica is also projecting a 55-135 (80-200) and a 11-23 (17-35). Someday there might be a 50mm equivalent with quality that may shock some with the quality. Even some Leica users. I would expect the other lenses to ship at Photokina this fall. As I mentioned you can also use the full range of Leica M lenses with an adapter so I expect the camera will be popular with current Leica shooters as a back up camera.

Leica is providing a free app for iOS users so that they may control the camera. The app makes it so that you can control and transfer photos to your iPhone or iPad so that they can be saved or shared. The app provides a live view and full control of the camera. Android users will not be left out because an app will allow the images to be sent to the Browser Gallery on an Android device. And as with the purchase of most other Leica cameras a copy of Adobe Lightroom will be made available for download.

I am hoping to receive a review unit to test the image making capabilities of the camera when it is ready to ship.

The camera is expected to ship at the end of May for $1850.00. The EVF for $595.00. The T adapter for $395.00. The 18-56 for $1750.00 and the 23mm for $1950.00.