Whole Lotta Leica - Results From May's Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 LTM

For some reason, I haven't really shot much with my M9 and Summaron 35 this month. I suppose I've been shooting other cameras too much. But, I've got a few results to share.

 

To read about the Summaron (Click Here).

 

Here's a shot I took in DC on my way to a training class. These guys were carrying in chairs for an event. I processed the image in Lightroom, and used Nik SiverefexPro2's Tri-X 400 preset for the black and white conversion.

 

Carrying in the Chairs, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f8, 1/180 sec.

 

The Summaron is tiny. It is difficult to see the f-stop numbers and settings, but otherwise, it's great to have such a compact lens.

 

Springtime Sun and Shade, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 160, f8, 1/125 sec.

I like the way this lens renders colors. While I did remove some contrast in the shot above in Lightroom, the Summaron gives nice colors on its own. This is not a high contrast lens.

 

Church at Harpers Ferry, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 200, f22, 1/125 sec.

 

Closed down, the 35mm lens gives miles of depth of field. I really didn't think I'd get the flowers in the foreground in focus using the hyperfocal setting for f22, but I think it did pretty well. Again, I really like the colors, which are much more saturated in this scene.

 

The Summaron is an older lens, in Leica Thread Mount (LTM), and yields the vintage Leica look. I really enjoy using it, and like the results. However, at f3.5 maximum aperture, it's not really an all-purpose lens for me. I like faster glass, in general. That said, in the right circumstances, the little Summaron can deliver. I like the image quality much more than the comparable W-Nikkor-C 3.5cm f2.5 LTM lens that I featured in February's Whole Lotta Leica posts. (Click Here) to read about that lens.

 

I'm going to try to get out with the Summaron at least one more time in the month of May. Hopefully I'll have more results to share soon.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

AMAZING Photography With New Fuji X100S and X20 - Colin Steel on Steve Huff Photo

Truly Inspired Photography by Colin Steel

Image Source: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2013/04/15/easter-in-sicily-with-the-new-fujis-by-colin-steel/

 

Every once in a while I see a series of photographs that makes me say "I am not worthy." Well, thanks to Steve Huff's website, and Colin Steel's photographs from Sicily, that is how I feel right now.

 

I will summarize a few key points from Colin's write up, but you MUST

 

(Click Here) to see Colin's images on Steve Huff Photo.

 

Colin used the new Fujifilm X100S and X20 on this trip. I really enjoyed Colin's take on cameras and technology. He says that to him, image quality means "how effectively can I crate interesting photographs with these tools?" Colin concludes that there are many great camera options out there today, including the two new Fujifilm models. Instead of focusing on the equipment, he focused on capturing spectacular images, and boy, did he succeed.

 

He focused so little on equipment, the pictures don't even say which of the two cameras they were taken with.

 

Colin likes to shoot in square (1:1) format, in black and white. He reports that the X100S has a very nice square frameline in the optical finder. He also found the new manual focus tools in the X100S very useful. He says the X20 made a good pairing with the X100S, mostly based on the similarity of the controls.

 

Colin post-processes using Nik's Silverefexpro2 software, which I have just recently gotten myself. Interestingly, he likes the Tri-X film emulator in Silverefexpro2, which is my favorite so far. I tried many times to find Lightroom settings to emulate Tri-X; I never came close to what Silverefexpro2 provides.

 

As I wrote some time back, even though I'm very attracted to the Fujifilm X100S, I don't think a fixed 35mm equivalent lens works that well for me. I prefer 50mm field of view. The X20 is a different story. I handled one in Japan, and really, really liked it. For now, I'm still enjoying my new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7, but the X20 still may make its way into my kit.

 

In any case, Colin set a new benchmark for me with these images. I'm so impressed.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com