California Museum of Photography

I visited the California Museum of Photography in Riverside California this weekend to see two of its current exhibitions. On the main floor is a general overview on the state of Fine Art photography and on the lower level is an Andy Warhol photography exhibit.  

The Warhol exhibit was a selection of Polaroids that had been taken for paid commissions. These Polaroids were the basis for some of his screen art that was so popular in the 1960-1980 period. This work has been popular and has been quite influential in the art world since he produced this work at his New York studio. It has been copied by numerous artists since.  

The aspect of his work that I hadn’t read much about was his commissioned work. An info card said that he charged $40,000 for a screened portrait. He would take piles of photos and then select the image to be worked on later after the client left. He averaged from 50-100 of this projects a year. Not bad work if you can get it.  

Warhol used a SX-70 and Bigshot Polaroid camera’s. I enjoyed one of the quotes by Warhol printed above the images.  

All photography is Pop, and all photographers are crazy.... they feel guilty since they don’t have to do very much - just push a button. Andy Warhol

Upstairs at the museum they have a collection of old cameras and vintage prints. Here is the Leica I that is in the collection.  

These are the current exhibits.  

 Andy Warhol

An Instant Sketch

California Museum of Photography

December 8, 2018 - May 26, 2019

In the Sunshine of Neglect

Defining Photographs And Radical Experiments in Inland Southern California, 1950 To The Present

California Museum of Photography

January 19 - April 28, 2019

Mirror Mirror

California Museum of Photography

February 9 - May 12, 2019

Leica Q2

As I said in my last post I was invited to the Leica Store in Las Vegas to check out the new Leica Q2. I was able to spend sometime going over it’s new features and comparing it to the previous version that is remaining on sale for the foreseeable future. The new Q2 is a refinement of Leica’s bestselling camera. At first glance they appear to be the same camera but the few differences makes this camera truly remarkable.  

The headline feature is the upgrade of the sensor to 47.3 million pixels. That’s some big files. The dynamic range is a full 14 stops with 14 bit color which explains the image quantity that the Leica Q has been so famous for. When thecamera digitally crops the image to get the other focal length equivalents the resulting image sizes are as follows: 28mm-47mp, 35mm-30mp, 50mm-15mp, 75mm-7mp. The lens is the same 28mm f1.7ASPH, 11 elements in 9 groups with 3 aspherical elements. The camera is now sealed against dust and water spray so it can almost go anywhere where with the active user. Although it’s not a big video machine it will shoot video up to 4K at 24fps and full hd at 24,30,60,and 120 FPS. Autofocus metering modes are single zone, multi-field, face recognition, and subject tracking. The mechanical shutter is 60 seconds to 1/2000 with an electronic shutter that goes to 1/40000 of a second. Continuous advance is at 3/5/10 frames per second. The on/off switch is more like the M10 switch. The viewfinder is a new OLED design at 3.68MP. Thankfully the diopter has been redesigned and now locks in place after the adjustment. The back buttons now resemble those on the Leica CL. The battery is the same as in the Leica SL giving about 350 shots on a charge. Hopefully that won’t change with this summers revision. The FOTOS app has been updated to work with the new Q2. 

In use the camera feels exactly like the previous version. To me focus seemed a little faster but I didn’t do any scientific tests. The Leica Q is Leica’s best selling camera, yes it outsells the M series. The new Q2 really is an even better camera. I heard that at the Leica flagship store in Los Angeles there were over 150 people at the Q2 release party. I passed on the original camera but my name is on the list for this version. It’s only March but the Leica Q2 is the leading contender for camera of the year.  

Leica Q2 Introduction

I was invited to introduction of the Leica Q2 and I choose to attend the one at the Las Vegas Leica Store. First off it was a good time enjoyed by all. 

The store gave out gift bags for those who were invited. Always nice to get Leica goodies. The highlights were a red dot camera hat, a Leica logo water bottle and a premium lens cleaning cloth. Very nice.  

I will have a separate post about my impressions of the Leica Q2 coming soon.  

Museum Leica Book

If your a big Leica fan the Leica Museum book by Lars Netopil is a must have addition to your library.

This set of books is different than most Leica reference books. It tells the history of Leica through photos of their cameras and is light on technical information. That is both good and bad. The quality of the photos are much better than most camera history books. And then there is the sheer volume of them. The Leica Museum book would make a great coffee table book. Great to pick up from time to time just to browse.  

It’s nice that the books go beyond just a photo or two for each model. There are also lots of rare models and prototypes. These I find of particular interest. I enjoy seeing how designers go through various design choices to end with the models that we end up buying.  

From the authors site.  

 The new Factory Museum at Leitz Park - including items from the Rolf Fricke Collection by Lars Netopil.

Lars Netopil has compiled an exhaustive volume to illustrate what future visitors to the Leica Museum can look forward to discovering. The Leica expert and historian, who also owns a Leica Store for vintage and contemporary cameras in Wetzlar’s Old Town, has published several books within his field in the past. For this endeavour, his well-established team has documented the treasures to be displayed at Leica’s factory museum. The book was designed by David Pitzer, the over 600, mostly large-format photographs were created by Wolfgang Sauer.

In 36 chapters, the essential exhibits from the inventory of the new Leica Factory Museum are described - from the UR-Leica to the red anodized Leica.

- 672 pages with over 600 large size colour images

- Text fully bi-lingual (english/german)

- 21x30 cm, 2 sub-volumes in one slipcase, hardcover in cloth with dust-jacket

There are only 2 negatives that I have to say about the books. First, from a commercial photographers view I wish the shadows had been filled in. Sometimes the light falls off to abruptly. Second, there are a lot of white marks on the pages from paper dust in the printing process. But don’t let these flaws keep you away from these 2 books. There is a lot of information packed into these 2 volumes.  

Leica LFI Magazine- 2.2019

The latest issue of the LFI magazine has arrived. I always look forward to each issue. 

I subscribe to three photography magazines. The Leica LFI which I have subscribed to for over 30 years. APERTURE magazine which comes and goes depending on how I am feeling about the latest issue. And LENSWORK, which I like because it just does portfolios and no equipment news. 

In the pre-internet days the LFI magazine was the only venue for Leica news and reports. The rest of the mainstream magazines ignored Leica products. They only time they were mentioned was when a new camera or lens was introduced and that seemed like it only happened during solar eclipses. 

I enjoy looking at the old magazines from time to time. Before digital there were just 2 lines of cameras. The “R” line which was the SLR. And the “M” line which are the rangefinders. I always kinda felt like the “R” line was treated like a second class citizen. The reporting was more specification based, not opinion based like today. Nowadays camera reviews are more like reading the opinion page of a newspaper and less like just the facts on the front page. 

Limited Edition Leica M Lenses

Leica has released 3 limited edition lenses based on current production models. They are the 28mm 5.6 Summaron in black paint, the 28mm 1.4 Summilux in silver finish and the 50mm 2.0 APO with the scalloped focusing ring. 

Info from the press release is below followed by comments.  

 SUMMARON-M 28 F/5.6, MATTE BLACK PAINT

Available February 28, 2019

The Leica Summaron-M 28 mm f/5., matte black paint bolsters the range of classic Leica lenses with a new and exclusive color option, making for a stealthier variant of such an iconic lens with vintage aesthetic signature.Limited to 500 lenses worldwide

SUMMILUX-M 28 F/1.4 ASPH., SILVER ANODIZED

Available February 28, 2019

For the first time, the Summilux-M 28 mm f/1.4 ASPH. wide-angle lens is available in a silver anodized version. Owners of M-System cameras and lenses in silver now have another matching high-performance lens for their systems in one of the most versatile and fast wide-angles of the Leica portfolio. Limited to only 300 worldwide

APO-SUMMICRON-M 50 F/2 ASPH., BLACK CHROME

Available February 21, 2019

Reminiscent of the vintage Summicron 50 mm f/2 (II) from 1956, the APO-Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 ASPH., black chrome features a scalloped focusing ring with barrel components machined from brass. This special lens has engravings for the focal length and distances measured in feet with red enamel paint, meticulously applied by hand. Limited to 700 lenses worldwide

If you have gone through the reviews on this site you may have noticed that I own the Silver Chrome version of the 28mm 5.6 Summaron. I am very happy with the results that I have been getting with this lens and really enjoy the retro look. It is small and light and takes up practically no room in my bag. I am considering picking up the black paint version just so that I can own both copies. 

Leica Store Bologna

Thanks to the Leica Store in Bologna, Italy, for their help on a recent trip. My daughter stopped in and they were helpful and courteous to her. 

Traveling with a Leica is such a joy. My entire kit weighs less than my studio camera and lens. It is easy to get caught up in gear acquisition that some people forget the reason for getting a camera in the first place. For me it is creating art and making memories. Most of my street photography has been made with either a 50mm or 35mm lens. I have never gone hunting for images with all of me lenses. First I don’t like changing lenses. Like I have said before, I always seem to have the wrong lens on the camera. And I really don’t like carrying a heavy camera bag. I become very focused when shooting so I tend to limit my equipment. Of course when I have a shot list and I know a ultra wide-angle is going to be needed it is added to the bag.  

When doing travel photography I find the researching a location before leaving home is the best insurance for getting quality images. Just walking around looking for images will sometimes pay off but don’t count on getting lucky. Also slow down. Sitting down and waiting for the right clouds or for someone with the right color of dress to walk by can make all of the difference. Photography is not a race to see who can get the most images. A few well composed images are much better that a hundred snapshots.  

Another strategy I have when shooting is to get to know the people of the area. We are all on our best behavior when talking to strangers and I have met some truly fascinating people over the years. Most people are more that happy to help suggest locations to photograph. But besides taking photos it’s just nice to talk to people. Yes, people are divided on opinions more that ever but spend some time getting to know people that are different than yourself. That is a great way to grow as a person.  

So log off from the forums. Stop watching gear reviews. Get out and exercise you shutter.