Month: January 2013

More Leica M (240) sample images.

Inspiration, Q&A, Teaching point

Prosophos - Leica M

So by now everybody knows Leica released more official photos taken with the upcoming M (240).  I write “more” because they had previously released sample images on their website.

Looking at the new sample images, it seems that what I wrote months ago still applies:

The M9… image quality — again, at base ISO — [is] superior to anything being produced by CMOS-based cameras.  This was true in 2006 (M8) and 2009 (M9), and it is true even today, despite the release of a new generation of CMOS cameras…

I see people are being careful — as I have been up until now — to not draw any premature conclusions about the new M‘s image quality.  Essentially, many are pointing out that the newly-released images, as images, are not very inspiring and this, in turn, may be adversely biasing perceptions of image quality.

Yet when I look at M9 (or M8) images, even at web sizes, they have a crispness and vitality to them that the new sample images from the M (240) seem to lack.

This is undeniable.

—Peter.

The purple hat portrait, revisited.

Inspiration, Pentax 645D, Portrait, Teaching point

Day 2 with the Pentax 645D.

A nice little beam of sunlight provided the illumination for this image.

The previous Purple Hat Portrait, which has a very different vibe, may be found here.

Yesterday, I posted a test shot taken with the new gear.  However, I’m more interested in portraits than in test shots, so I’m curious to find out what people think of the overall rendering in this portrait.

—Peter.

The purple hat portrait, revisited

↑Pentax 645D and Pentax 75mm @ f/2.8.

Fuji X-E1, CMOS vs CCD, and the new Leica “M”.

Inspiration, Teaching point

Fuji X-E1

Strangely, reassurance (at least for me) that Leica’s new CMOS sensor-based “M” may retain the exceptional image quality of the “old” CCD sensor-based M9 (and M8) at base ISO has come from an unlikely source — the Fuji X-E1.

(I write “strangely” because none of the leaked Leica images have been reassuring.)

I’ve been following the Fuji X-E1 for a little while now, and can honestly state that the rendering of this CMOS-based camera is spectacular, even at base ISO.

—Peter.