Please allow an off topic post today. My side hobby to photography is Birding. I have enjoyed going out and watching birds for decades now and I just received an email with some sad news. Two of the giants in the birdwatching community passed away recently and I wanted to honor them with a short post. I have subscribed to their magazine and still buy an occasional copy at the newsstand and have learned so much from the Thompson family that I would just like to say thank you.
What I learned from Henri Cartier-Bresson
The second image below is an image that I took recently at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve. My wife was walking around taking photos of the birds while I waited at the bench watching some Egrets. If your into birds at all this is an excellent place to go birding. While I was waiting a family arrived and started watching the birds.
As I stood there waiting for a possible photograph to present itself I recognized a pattern that would make a good photo start to appear. The image “ FRANCE. Sunday on the banks of the River Seine.“ came to mind. It was taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1938.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, Magnum Photos
I was shooting with my Leica Q2 which has a 28mm lens and at the distance that I was standing was perfect for the group photo. I moved the focus point to the bottom of the frame, turned on live-view and held the camera out like I was shooting with an iPhone. I knew exactly what I wanted and only took about 5 frames.
The image is simple but has a lot going on.
The group of 3 at the right forms a triangle. 2 faces looking away and 1 towards the camera. The white cap the girl is wearing contrasts with the seated boys dark hair. The matching patterns on their shirts and dress. The older boy gesturing to the younger.
Another group of 3 to the far left. They form a triangle. Their backs are to the edge of the frame. The middle children form a triangle. The boy and the girl in this group are the only individuals moving in the image and they are going towards each other. An arch is formed by the heads going left to right. Mother, Father, Son, Daughter, Son, and older Son.
The light brown sand contrasts with the deep blue water. Each head is on a different plane, no two perfectly line up.
Will my image ever be considered iconic. Doubtful. But there is a great deal that you can learn about composition by studying the work of the masters. I immediately recognized the potential of the scene and waited for the image that I wanted. I didn’t copy the image by Cartier-Bresson but I definitely used it as inspiration. Look at good work. Figure out why it works. Incorporate those tips into your own work. Don’t copy others but be influenced by what you see.
LFI Magazine 4/2019
The May/June issue of Leica Fotografie International is out and Lenny Kravitz is featured because of his limited edition Leica camera and some of the images that he has taken with Leica cameras. I especially like the work by featured photographer José Luis Carrillo. They are portraits taken with a Leica M240 with a 50mm APO Summicron. The exposures were taken with gelled lights and are moody. I’m not particularly fond of the work by Kravitz. It is mostly professional models and celebrity snaps that get attention only because of the celebrity being photographed or because of the celebrity photographer. Also the North Korea propaganda photos at the beginning look like Stalinist Russia photos. They do nothing for me.
As far as gear goes the the issue covers the Kravitz camera and the limited edition Leica CL Bauhaus edition. Also there is a nice introduction to the Leica FOTOS app that allows transfer of images to smartphones and iPads.
Subscribers of the LFI magazine now get access to digital back issues of the magazine. Not all issues are available but this helps justify the price of the subscription. They are also offering yearly subscriptions to just the digital edition that previously one could only purchase one issue at a time.
I always look forward to seeing what user images are chosen each month. Some are better than the images from the magazines featured photographers and this month is no exception. Like most amateur images I feel that some of the images are over processed.
For many years I felt that the LFI magazine was a glorified travel magazine with little serious coverage of the cameras and lenses of technique. The last few years there is a more technical angle to the magazine which I feel most readers these days appreciate. It seems like every couple of months another magazine prints its last issue. I hope the LFI magazine is published for many more years.
Taking Street Photos with Remote App
Taking portraits without the subject being aware of the camera is one of the challenges of street photography. There are some common ways to attempt this kind of photo. The most used method is called “shooting from the hip” where the camera is held against the hip and the camera is pre-focused. Another variation is wearing the camera strap around the neck and again pre-focusing the camera and raising the hand up and pressing the shutter button when necessary. With practice both styles can get great results.
I have another way to shoot that is more involved and only works in certain situations but gives great results. This system only works if you and the subject are seated. But with patience the subjects come to you.
First find an area with chairs or benches that are not very far apart. The basics for this is a digital camera that has a remote app that shows a live view of what the camera sees. I use a Leica Q2 and the Leica Fotos app. The way this works is that the camera appears to be just resting on you lap so no one thinks that you are taking photos. So that I don’t have to worry about the camera falling on the ground I attach my camera to my Leica Tabletop tripod. I hold onto the tripod with my knees and legs so that the camera appears to be resting on my lap. It is more secure this way.
Next I connect the remote app to my camera. The camera is then pointed toward my subject and from here on I try not to touch the camera so it doesn’t look like I’m taking photos. I might move around a little in the chair to adjust framing. My camera and app combo allows for remote focusing so the image is always in focus.
To most people it looks like I’m using my phone so no one pays attention to me. With the Leica Q2 I have 47mp to crop with so framing and distance is not that important. I also use this technique to photograph owners and their dogs. Give this technique a try next time your out street shooting and you need to rest your feet.
10 Best Leica M Lenses
You’ve decided to try a Leica rangefinder but choosing which Leica lens to buy is both intimidating and confusing. So here is a list of the best lenses that Leica makes and reasons to help you choose which one you should purchase. The lenses are in no particular order. I’m not reviewing non Leica lenses because that would be an entirely different review process. I will say I have used some of the other brands and I always go back to the red dot.
1. Leica 35mm 2.0 Summicron-M ASPH
I have been told by various sources over the years that the 35mm Summicron is the best selling lens that Leica makes. I have owned various versions over the years and it has never failed to impress me with its optical performance. It is so small that combined with a Leica M camera the kit can fit in most men’s jacket pockets. The lens is very sharp wide open and only gets sharper until about f5.6 where it achieves top performance. Low vignetting and excellent color fidelity. Being a wide-angle it is more forgiving for beginning rangefinder users when it comes to focusing. An all around excellent choice.
2. Leica 50mm 2.0 Summicron-M ASPH
Since it’s introduction the 50mm 2.0 Summicron is the standard lens that all others are compared against. Small and fast but exceptionally sharp wide open and obtains it’s highest optical performance at f5.6. This was the first lens that I used when I started with a Leica M4 when I was in the photography program that I attended. The school required everyone to buy a Nikon camera but had Leica’s available to be checked out from the equipment cage. I used the camera so much they stopped having me sign for it and just gave it to me whenever I asked for the kit. I just love this lens.
3. Leica 35mm 1.4 Summilux-M ASPH
In the 1960’s this was the go to lens for a photojournalist. Even if the photographer shot with a SLR most had Leica with this lens around their neck or in the bag to be grabbed when needed. This lens has always great but it really became much better when the current version was redesigned with the addition of a floating element. The close focusing ability was much improved. This lens is a bit heavier than the 2.0 Summicron but that is not that big of a deal because it is still so much smaller that anything that is designed for today’s DSLR cameras. Use it wide open and get that famous Leica “Look”.
4. Leica 50mm 1.4 Summilux-M ASPH
My personal favorite Leica Lens. I could go on all day on how much I love this lens. Sharp. Excellent color. Bokeh. Contrast. It is a little larger and heavier than the 2.0 Summicron but that is a small price to pay when reviewing the results from this lens. Leica says shoot this lens wide open because that is the way it was designed to be used. It is that good. Stopped down one stop and it is hard to tell the difference between this lens and the Summicron. This is my desert island lens.
5. Leica 28mm 2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH
When most people think Leica the 35mm and 50mm lenses are what most people think of first. But this is a very good lens. Great for shooting groups of people when street shooting. Stop down to f8, focus to 8 feet and point and shoot. Everything is in focus. True point and shoot. Leica makes both a f2.0 and a f1.4 lens for 28mm and they are good but the are larger and heavier. Just get the f2.8 version. This lens seems to be popular with people coming to Leica from Smartphones because of the 28mm focal length that they have grown accustomed to using. A 28mm f2.8 and a 75mm f2.0 make a great 2 lens combo if you like the 28mm focal length.
6. Leica 21mm 3.4 Super-Elmar-M
This lens is just so sharp to the edges that it surprises most users when they zoom in in Lightroom. Great lens for museums and large church interiors. The 1.4 version of this lens is impressive to look at but I’m not overwhelmed with the image quality. It is slower than the standard lenses so bump your ISO a little. This lens handles flare very well for a wide-angle so it can handle that beautiful light streaming through stained glass windows. Not the first choice for a Leica lens but when you need it, you NEED it. An optical viewfinder or Visoflex is need to use this lens.
7. Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux-M
A lens like no other. Just shoot wide open with this lens once and you will be hooked. The bokeh is just unreal. Depth of field is very narrow at any distance so be prepared to take more images than normal. I think the Leica Visoflex should come with this lens. It will dramatically increase the amount of keepers you will get because of the focus assist. It is heavy, not my ideal carry all day lens. It is expensive. But you get images that are so unique that they really stand out from your other work. Great portrait lens. Their should be all kinds of lens aberrations with this lens but Leica has done an incredible job with this lens. Stopping down with this lens and most are hard pressed to see the difference between this lens and the Summicron. It is an engineering marvel.
8. Leica 75mm 2.0 Summicron-M ASPH
Most Leica users think that 50mm is the longest focal length that they will use on a Leica M but if you are into portraits the 75mm Summicron is just an incredible lens. It is one of the newer designs and the image is more modern than the 75mm 1.4 most associate with this focal length. The first time I shot with this lens when I reviewed the images I just said one word, Wow. Sharp, Sharp, Sharp. The color rendition is very close to the 50mm APO. 75mm has just enough compression to make portraits look more natural but is still easy enough to focus unlike the 90mm Summicron which is hard to get in focus. Balance on the body is quite natural and the lens is not much larger than a 50mm.
9. Leica 50mm 2.0 Summicron-M APO
When you get to a certain point in lens design in is hard to get just that little bit more of image quality. The 50mm 2.0 Summicron APO is that lens. Leica built this lens just to prove that it could be done. Zoom in on these images in Lightroom and be prepared to be amazed. If you have proper technique the difference between this lens and any other is easy to see. The detail this lens brings out is amazing. Details that are just visible in other lenses are well defined with the APO lens. This lens is twice the price of the outstanding 50mm Summilux and you have to be really dedicated to justifying the price difference but this list is the 10 best Leica Lenses so it has to be on the list.
10. Leica 24mm 3.8 Elmar-M
This is a criminally underrated lens. It is also a very useful focal length. On my Nikon system I have 5 lenses that are 24mm or have 24mm in the zoom range. Some people think that the speed of the lens indicates the quality of the image. There is no correlation to speed and quality. This lens is sharp edge to edge. Nice contrast and micro contrast that is well balanced. When sharpened the images hold up very well. Reasonable price for a Leica lens. Small and lightweight. Another lens that needs either an optical viewfinder or Visoflex to be used.
Leica M Monochrom “Drifter,"
Better act fast if you want the limited edition “Drifter” camera from Leica because they are only making 125 sets. The kit includes a Leica Monchrom camera, a 28mm 2.0 Summicron ASPH, a 75mm 2.0 Summicron ASPH, a special bag and lens cases and strap. It is in stock now for $23,950.
I think this is one of the more interesting limited edition sets that Leica has offered. Clearly Lenny Kravitz had more input on the set that the Leica marketing team did. It is unique and will appeal to a different clientele than normal Leica cameras usually do.
Nothing against Lenny Kravitz but I wish Leica hadn’t chosen him for a special edition because they had already produced one set branded by him. There are a lot of people on the planet and I think they could have honored someone else with a special edition. I understand that celebrity’s sell products now, not experts, but could we honor some of the people that have made their mark in the history of photography. I mean that is what Leica has built their reputation on the over 100 years of making great cameras for photographers. Maybe a Henri Cartier-Bresson special edition. Or maybe an Ernst Leitz II Commemorative Model.
Leica CL “100 jahre bauhaus” Edition
Leica has just announced the Leica CL “100 jahre bauhaus” edition camera. It is a silver CL camera with a 18mm lens. The changes are the Leica logo is in black and the edition name is embossed on the front of the camera. The regular kit is priced at $3195 while the limited edition is $3795. For a special edition it isn’t that much of a premium over the regular camera.
The Leica CL is from the Leica T family tree that was introduced in mid 2014. Is was invited to the unveiling at the Leica West Hollywood Store. The concept for the camera was quite revolutionary for Leica. It was a whole new camera design for the company that I was very happy to see them introduce. I had been saying that for the company to survive that they were going to expand beyond the core audience of M users. I was impressed about everything about the camera except for the lack of viewfinder. I was assured by a company rep that if the camera could find a foothold in the market that it would grow into a more mature camera.
The Leica CL is that camera all grown up. I have always called it the test platform for a M camera that has an EVF that will be produced someday.
Favorite Leica Lens
I was just asked what is my favorite Leica lens. The answer is not as straight forward as it seems. The response that is so often heard is “the one that I have with me”. But that is such a disingenuous response that it should be banned from ever being used. Just like my favorite camera is the one I have with me.
If I go through my portfolio of images taken with my Leica cameras over the years the 35mm Summicron and the 50mm Summicron both are represented pretty evenly. I have owned the 35mm Summicron the longest. It was not my first Leica lens though. That honor would go to a 50mm Dual Range Summicron that was mounted on my first M3. That was a sweet lens. I have always like the B&W images from that lens but never was comfortable with the color images that it produced. Also the combination of M3 and 50mm DR lens made for a heavy little package. And I never bonded with the viewfinder that the M3 has. It is a 0.93x magnification and it never felt correct to me. My Later M6 had a 0.72x viewfinder and it felt more natural to me. I sold this lens before I got a M6 so sadly I never got to use that combination.
I own a 50mm 1.0 Noctilux and I love the images that I get with it. In my opinion the 1.0 Noctilux is a more creative lens than the Noctilux 0.95 version. The newer lens is quite a bit sharper and the image has less vignetting and has a cooler tone than the 1.0 version. In spite of this I like the older 1.0 version. I like the warmer image and the film look that the lens gives. Its not hard to dislike the long focus throw that the lens has. It is not a close-up lens but it seems to cover a lot of barrel rotation from middle distant to long distant subjects. Since purchasing the Leica Visoflex attachment this lens has been getting a lot more use. My amount of in-focus images has gone way up with the use of the Visoflex. All in all the lens is just okay when stopped down, so I only use it wide open mostly with a neutral density filter. It’s true, you only shoot a Noctilux wide open and that is not my preference for all of my photography.
For many years the 35mm Summicron was my go to lens. I really like the colors and contrast with this lens. It is the version IV of the lens. I bought the newer ASPH version but have since gone back to the older version. I just like the look better. It is subtle but I think it has better bokeh also. Being a wide-angle I usually use it stopped down so that there is less need for focusing. I like the photos from the golden age of Leica photography (1950’s to 1960’s) and the images have deeper focus in those days. The reason that this lens is not my favorite is that over the last 10 years my work has shifted more towards isolating a subject in a scene and less towards filling the frame with subject relationships.
The 50mm Summicron is a fantastic lens with no down sides. Great color and sharpness that all other 50mm lenses have been compared to since it was introduced. It’s small size on a Leica makes it a perfect carry around kit. Like I said earlier I prefer to pick my subject out of a scene and the 50mm is the way to do this. With a 35mm sometimes things get cluttered and busy. That is not to say that using a 50mm is the only way to shoot all scenes, use whatever lens is appropriate. it’s just that I like building a scene in the 50mm window. I find it easier to find stronger compositions with a selective eye. Also I find that I am shooting more vertical compositions and with a 35mm turned vertically more unnecessary objects come into the frame be it to much sky or foreground.
Now we come to my favorite lens. That is the Leica 50mm 1.4 Summilux. I have used the Summilux on and off over the years but have never bonded with it until the last couple of years. First I like the built-in lens shade that can be tucked in when not in use. My Summicron shade has to be removed and tucked into the pocket. The fast that the lens barrel is thicker is also a bonus because I feel I have more contact with the lens when focusing. With the Summicron I feel like I am focusing with my finger tips and I feel that I’m not holding the camera as steady is I could. The Summilux also has a floating element that reduces the problem with focus shift that the M cameras sometime have a problem with so I get sharper images. The Summilux seems to balance the camera better when holding it in the hand.
So the Leica 50mm 1.4 Summilux is my favorite lens. But to be fair I do love shooting with all of my 50mm lenses. The Summicron these days tends to stay on my M6 for film shooting. I do like to change up my lenses from time to time. It is like an artist using different brushes to get different effects. Sometimes I go out with one camera and one lens. Sometimes it is multiple cameras and multiple lenses. Getting the image is what counts the most.
LFI Magazine 1988-2018
30 Years of Leica Fotografie International
I have been a subscriber of Leica Fotografie International magazine since issue 5/1988. The above photo shows the evolution of the magazine over the past 30 years. On the far left is the 5/1988 issue from the summer of 1988. The M6 was the hot camera that everyone wanted. It wasn’t the first M camera with a built-in light meter, that was the M5, but it raised the Leica brand to heights that it hadn’t seen in many years. The next issue is the 5/1998 issue. Leica was doing well with the M and R line. Second from the right is the 5/2008 issue. Leica came close to bankruptcy just a few years earlier and the M8 was released 2 years ago. The last issue is the 5/2018 issue. Leica is doing well thanks to some good products and an even stronger management team.
The first issue of Leica Fotografie International was published in 1949. It was only available in the German language. My oldest issue is the 2/1950 issue. I have about 30 assorted issues from before I started subscribing in 1988. Some issue are certainly older than me. It’s interesting how the magazine has changed over the years. Up until the mid 90’s it mostly featured the work of Leica photographers. The last 20 years there have been a lot more emphasis on the gear and less on technique.
Before the internet photography magazines was the most popular way to learn photography. I know a number of people who have been professional photographers and their only schooling was a few night classes at the local college and the rest from photography magazines. It has been a time honored tradition to say that you were self taught.
Vi Vante Strap
I have never had a rope strap before so I decided to give the Vi Vante Luxury Sheetline Black Rope Camera Strap with Leather Napa ends a try. Most rope straps are stiff and brittle and I don’t like the feeling of the rope as it slides through the hand. The Vi Vante Sheetline is soft to the touch and quite pliable which is a bonus because I like to wrap the strap around my wrist while walking around so that the camera is always at the ready for a shot.
Vi Vante has a complete line of straps and camera bags as well as soft release buttons and half cases. Camera straps come in both a soft rope as well as many different leather braided styles. The leather straps come in different color combinations and really add a bit of flash to your camera. The strap is 47 inches long so it can be slung across the chest if you like that style.
Vi Vante has attention to detail that makes their straps better than most mass market straps. In the above and below photos look at how well the camera ends that protect the camera are finished on the front and back side. Most companies leave the back side unfinished, allowing the leather to wear faster. It is workmanship like this that I really appreciate.
The only downside to the soft rope that is used in the strap is that it can fray when rubbed against an abrasive surface. I don’t drag my cameras over rocks so I’m not concerned about that.
I must admit I really like my Vi Vante Sheetline Rope Strap. I was considering trying a wrist strap but decided that it would be to limiting for long days of shooting. Since this strap can be tied into a not it works as a full size strap and as a wrist strap as needed. Current price is $79 which I feel is reasonable for the excellent quality of the strap. Their products are available at Amazon and at the Vi Vante website.
Here is the Vi Vante Luxury Sheetline Blue Rope Camera Strap