Peter, Merry Christmas to you and your family. These images are wonderful. I always love your images when you have a Leica in your hands. The color is beautiful. What always impresses me with your color portraits is the natural skin tones that you achieve, particularly lips. Interestingly, I still find getting natural skin tones for lips challenging at times with the lips being too red. I have gotten much better in post processing but wonder what you do in capturing the image or in post processing to achieve your skin tones and color of lips if you don’t mind sharing. Also, I have no real experience with Cron lenses, except having owned a 28mm for a short time. But do you think that skin tones are rendered differently by a Lux lens vs. a Cron. Thanks.
Thanks George. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.
I slightly desaturate the native colours out of the camera, though not always. A lot of what I do is guided by eye, because different lighting scenarios will demand different treatments. In fact, I always view every image as a “custom job”. That’s one of the reasons I avoid indiscriminate use of software filters. As time has gone on, in fact, I’ve used such filters less and less.
Also, the rendering of the Kodak CCD sensors makes life easier for me. No matter what people may say, you cannot get these skin tones out of CMOS (and I’ve tried to do it more than most, using many of the latest and greatest CMOS cameras).
This image was taken with a lux lens, not a cron. To answer your question though, when it comes to colour rendering it’s not so much a lux vs cron distinction, as it is a modern vs vintage lens distinction. The modern Leica lenses do a better job of capturing colours (and textures too). My favourites in this respect are the newest 50/35 lux lenses, the 0.95 Noctilux, and the new 50 APO cron (though I have no personal experience with the latter — I base my opinion on sample images).
Hope hat helps,
Peter.
I forgot to include the 75/90 APO crons as well. And my favoured (in this focal length) 75/2.5 comes close, but not quite.
Peter, thank you for the Christmas present in your response. It’s very much appreciated. The only two lenses that I use with the M9 are the 35 and 50 lux. I knew that you used the 35 lux for the images posted today. And I suspected, which you confirmed, that it’s not a cron vs lux issue. You really are a master at rendering color, so I wondered how you approached post processing. I’ll experiment with slightly desaturating. I am guilty of sometimes relying too heavily on software filters and, like you, am trying to be more selective about using them. More and more, I’m appreciating the uniqueness of the CCD sensor, and it excites and energizes my photography. By the way, I also signed your letter and thank you for writing it. And it would be an even better Christmas present if Leica would listen to you.
Yes Merry Christmas Peter and family, thank you to all for your daily posts and tips and sharing your lives with us, at Christmas its great to see some snow. Warmest regards. (also coincidence but I went through some 2014 photo’s yesterday and desaturated some that I had previously been happy with, maybe it’s the light at this time of year, come next summer I wonder if I’ll find them dull!)
Happy Christmas, Peter! They look so cute!! Big warm hug from your friend from Barcelona to your wife, you and the kids!! Teresa.
Thank you for these wonderful shots. The kids with their letters are fresh — for me — treatments with nice, varied points of view. Bless you and your family and i wish you all much joy and love this season.
Thank you Adam, Teresa, and Henry!
I really like the slightly busy bokeh, especially visible in the last shot. It isn’t necessary to achieve that famous three-dimensionality, but I like the way it creates a tension by appearing moving and still at the same time. I hope that makes sense.
Prosophos 
Peter, Merry Christmas to you and your family. These images are wonderful. I always love your images when you have a Leica in your hands. The color is beautiful. What always impresses me with your color portraits is the natural skin tones that you achieve, particularly lips. Interestingly, I still find getting natural skin tones for lips challenging at times with the lips being too red. I have gotten much better in post processing but wonder what you do in capturing the image or in post processing to achieve your skin tones and color of lips if you don’t mind sharing. Also, I have no real experience with Cron lenses, except having owned a 28mm for a short time. But do you think that skin tones are rendered differently by a Lux lens vs. a Cron. Thanks.
Thanks George. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.
I slightly desaturate the native colours out of the camera, though not always. A lot of what I do is guided by eye, because different lighting scenarios will demand different treatments. In fact, I always view every image as a “custom job”. That’s one of the reasons I avoid indiscriminate use of software filters. As time has gone on, in fact, I’ve used such filters less and less.
Also, the rendering of the Kodak CCD sensors makes life easier for me. No matter what people may say, you cannot get these skin tones out of CMOS (and I’ve tried to do it more than most, using many of the latest and greatest CMOS cameras).
This image was taken with a lux lens, not a cron. To answer your question though, when it comes to colour rendering it’s not so much a lux vs cron distinction, as it is a modern vs vintage lens distinction. The modern Leica lenses do a better job of capturing colours (and textures too). My favourites in this respect are the newest 50/35 lux lenses, the 0.95 Noctilux, and the new 50 APO cron (though I have no personal experience with the latter — I base my opinion on sample images).
Hope hat helps,
Peter.
I forgot to include the 75/90 APO crons as well. And my favoured (in this focal length) 75/2.5 comes close, but not quite.
Peter, thank you for the Christmas present in your response. It’s very much appreciated. The only two lenses that I use with the M9 are the 35 and 50 lux. I knew that you used the 35 lux for the images posted today. And I suspected, which you confirmed, that it’s not a cron vs lux issue. You really are a master at rendering color, so I wondered how you approached post processing. I’ll experiment with slightly desaturating. I am guilty of sometimes relying too heavily on software filters and, like you, am trying to be more selective about using them. More and more, I’m appreciating the uniqueness of the CCD sensor, and it excites and energizes my photography. By the way, I also signed your letter and thank you for writing it. And it would be an even better Christmas present if Leica would listen to you.
Yes Merry Christmas Peter and family, thank you to all for your daily posts and tips and sharing your lives with us, at Christmas its great to see some snow. Warmest regards. (also coincidence but I went through some 2014 photo’s yesterday and desaturated some that I had previously been happy with, maybe it’s the light at this time of year, come next summer I wonder if I’ll find them dull!)
Happy Christmas, Peter! They look so cute!! Big warm hug from your friend from Barcelona to your wife, you and the kids!! Teresa.
Thank you for these wonderful shots. The kids with their letters are fresh — for me — treatments with nice, varied points of view. Bless you and your family and i wish you all much joy and love this season.
Thank you Adam, Teresa, and Henry!
I really like the slightly busy bokeh, especially visible in the last shot. It isn’t necessary to achieve that famous three-dimensionality, but I like the way it creates a tension by appearing moving and still at the same time. I hope that makes sense.
I completely understand.