Whole Lotta Leica - More February Results From the W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 - Musical Benefit for a Friend

 

Furnace Mountain Band - Benefit for a Friend, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5

iso 1250, f2.5, 1/45 sec

 

The Furnace Mountain Band recently played a benefit concert for a friend in need. Held at Barns of Rose Hill in Berryville, Virginia, it was a nice family event for young to old. Unfortunately, fiddler extraordinaire David VanDeventer was at home with a sick child that night, but the show did go on.

 

Furnace Mountain Band - Benefit for a Friend, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5

iso 1250, f2.5, 1/45 sec

 

 

Furnace Mountain Band - Benefit for a Friend, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5

iso 1250, f2.5, 1/45 sec

 

Shooting in the low house lights of this venue without a flash was a stretch for the little f2.5 Nikkor. As you can see, I shot at iso 1250, which barely allowed a fast enough shutter speed for handheld shooting (1/45 sec.) with the lens wide open. Even then, the shots were pretty underexposed and needed a boost in exposure in post-processing. This is a recipe for making digital noise come through, and it did. Converting to black and white helps by eliminating color noise. I also added a little grain in Lightroom, which makes the noise feel a little more like grain from a fast film like TriX. But, again, it was a stretch with this equipment. I wouldn't want to make large prints of these.

 

This reminds me why I love really fast lenses, like March's Whole Lotta Leica selection, the Summilux 35mm f1.4.

 

But, there's nothing wrong with a challenge now and then.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Barcelona's Placa De Sant Felip Neri

 

Placa De Sant Felip Neri, Barcelona, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso 1600, f5, 1/320 sec

 
Placa De Sant Felip Neri, located in the Barri Gotic neighborhood of Barcelona, is a special place with a deep history. Originally the site of a Jewish cemetery, a baroque church was built here in the mid 1700s and still stands.
 
On January 30, 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, a bomb fell on the square, killing 42 civilians, including 20 children who were taking shelter in the basement of the church. In the images below, you can see the significant damage that the bomb did to the stone walls of the square.
 
While the shot above was taken with the Lumix DMC-G3, the remaining pictures in this post were taken at night with my Leica CL, Minolta Rokkor 40mm f2 lens, and Kodak Tmax 400 film. I did not use a tripod, and most were shot at 1/15 second exposure.
 
My goal was to capture the feeling that the place gave me as darkness fell. It is not a sinister place, but certainly has a dark history.
 

 

There is still an elementary school in the square. The children in these pictures were meeting their parents, and playing before walking home. While the pictures look dark and threatening (which was my intention), the kids were quite happily running around the square.
 

 

If the soul exists, many have flown skyward from this place. Remnants of those flights persist. Like a tidepool that stays intact after the tide has receded, this place holds memories for those old enough to remember, only vague shadows and moods for those too young.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed trying to capture the impression Placa De Sant Felip Neri made on me. The Leica CL was the perfect tool for it, even though I had to work carefully with iso 400 film and low light levels.
 

DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Just Go Shoot, by Aaron Hardin on Steve Huff Photo

Photo By Aaaron Hardin

Image Source: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/HARDIN-Ethiopia-2.jpg

I personally need to hear this message, repeatedly, often - "JUST GO SHOOT!" It really helps when it's accompanied by great photos, as it is here on Steve Huff's blog, in a brief, inspiring piece by photographer Aaron Hardin (aaronhardinphoto.com)

(Click Here) to read the post on stevehuffphoto.com

Aaron admits that he also gets his mind diverted by new equipment (the Leica M9, in his case), but is able to pull away and use what he already has to make beautiful pictures. In this case, he photographed in Ethiopia with a single film body (Leica M4-P), 35mm lens, and a bag of film. No back-up equipment.

Personally, I'm hesitant to attend a local event without a back-up camera body on hand. How often do I need a back-up? Very rarely. Especially if I'm restricting myself to a single lens.

I currently find myself strategizing which new lenses to buy for my Lumix Micro 4/3 kit - at the moment I'm fixated on the Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 and the Olympus 75mm f1.8. At the same time, I'm considering whether to broaden the scope of my blog sometime in the future, to regularly include equipment other than Panasonic. I already include other equipment, but try to keep a Panasonic-related theme. If I decide to broaden that focus, Micro 4/3 may not be where I want to add equipment. So, as you can see, I'm preoccupied with equipment. This is nothing new; I'm a self-described gear head.

But, I need to become equally obsessed with shooting great projects. Luckily, I'm persistently pursuing a couple of projects. For example, this weekend will add another piece to my local music project, with a festival on the shores of the Shenandoah River.

Obsession is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a common theme amongst highly successful people. I just need to keep mine focused on the photography, as well as the equipment.

Here's something for me to keep in mind: I have the same Leica M4-P and 35mm lens in my collection. When was the last time I took just that combination out and used it consistently? Well, let's just say it's not my normal mode. I will think about that.

Thanks for reading through my self-counseling!

DMC-365.blogspot.com

And, if you want to spend the same on a single lens that you'd spend on a whole kit:

 

Mike Johnston of The Online Photographer Shares Some Lumix DMC-GF1 Shots of the Abandoned Pabst Brewery

 

Abandoned Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee, by Mike Johnston of the Online Photographer

Image Source: http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/05/the-abandoned-pabst-brewery.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2FZSjz+%28The+Online+Photographer%29

Mike Johnston of the Online Photographer has posted some great images from an abandoned Pabst beer brewery in Milwaukee, WI, USA.

(Click Here) to see Mike's post on the Online Photographer blog.

Mike's images were shot with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 at iso1600 - a real stretch in terms of image quality for that camera. Of course, at the resolution of small online images, they sure look great. Mike reports that the noise would make printing of them pretty tough.

Mike toured the building with photographer Jack MacDonough, and includes a shot of Jack working with his Leica S2 on a tripod in his post. That's Mike's favorite of the bunch; it's my favorite, too.

We have all made the mistake of going to a great location without a tripod. Mike made that mistake (admittedly), but pulled through pretty well with his GF1, if you ask me.

I've written in the past about the photographic allure of abandoned places and things.

(Click Here) to see my last post on the subject.

The subject still intrigues me.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Pairing the Pana-Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro-Elmarit With the Olympus E-M5

 

Image Source: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1041&message=41605970

There has been an enormous amount of buzz about the new Olympus E-M5 Micro 4/3 body. It is a very attractive camera, with retro styling sure to appeal to the Olympus film SLR user, and superb image quality.
 
(Click Here) to see the Olympus E-M5 review on dpreview.com
 
I found the following post by Frank B on dpreview's Micro 4/3 forum, pairing the E-M5 with the Pana-Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro-Elmarit:
 
(Click Here) to see the original post and one more macro image.
 
Right now, I'm planning almost the opposite - pairing my Panasonic body (Lumix DMC-G3) with Olympus lenses. In particular, I'm very much looking forward to the new Olympus 75mm f1.8 becoming available for purchase.
 
(Click Here) to see a preview of the Olympus 75mm f1.8 on dpreview.
 
I think that handful of fast glass will be great for my low light concert photography, giving me a combination of more reach than my Pana-Leica 45mm and faster aperture than my Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6. By the way, the 100-300 works pretty well if the stage lights are bright enough. But, the new Oly lens will do fine in near darkness. C'mon, Olympus, ship those lenses to the US market!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

It's A Good Week For New Micro 4/3 Lens Announcements - If You Can Afford Them

 

Image Source: http://www.mu-43.com/

 
In addition to announcement of the Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f2.8, which I have been anxiously awaiting (priced at $1,299), this week also brings us pricing on another long-awaited Micro 4/3 lens, the Olympus 75mm f1.8 telephoto. According to dpreview, the Olympus lens will retail for $899.
 
(Click Here) to read about the Olympus 75mm f1.8 lens on dpreview.
 
Each of these lenses has a lot of appeal to me. I have tried the Olympus 45mm f1.8, read the reviews, and seen many great example images. It is a great lens. This new 75mm from Olympus give you significantly more reach, with the equivalent field of view of a 150mm full-frame 35mm format lens, and maintains the super fast f-stop of 1.8. That would be a killer combination for my concert photography.
 
As I've already written, the Lumix 12-35 also offers a lot for the travel photograper.
 
Well, I've been saving up, waiting for both of these lenses. Writing this blog has focused me on my existing Lumix equipment, and I haven't really bought a new lens or body since it started. I did buy the Nissin Di466 flash, but nothing else of consequence has made its way into my bag since January. I did have the brief temptation of (and cancelled order for) the Lumix fisheye converter. I'm glad I held off.
 
I think Olympus is better at actually getting new products to the US market soon after announcement. So, my guess is the 75mm will be available before the 12-35mm Lumix.
 
Exciting days for the expanding native lens set for our Micro 4/3 cameras!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com