I was thinking of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s famous shot when I took this.
(his image is more interesting — for many reasons)
On a related note, I’ve gone back and edited all my soccer-related images and added the category The Beautiful Game to each one, so that I no longer have to type “The Beautiful Game” in the title or in the post.
—Peter.
Why didn’t Sony take the RX1/R and turn it into the Leica Q before Leica did? Sony was so close the first time…
Sony is a behemoth with deep resources and Leica is a tiny company with relatively limited resources, yet Leica out-Sony-ied Sony.
I keep wondering: Why?
(Nikon and Canon haven’t shown an interest in this class of camera — yet. So forget them, as they seem to be sleeping.)
Either way, I’m glad Leica pulled this off first because Sony would have messed up the haptics.
On a related note, every decade people are willing to write Leica off, but Leica manages to re-invent itself. As I stated in point #20 of My Photography Truths:
—Peter.
It’s our May holiday weekend here in Canada and I’ve had some time to relax.
I’ve spent part of the day looking at various fora, blogs, photo-sharing sites, etc. and have seen some genuinely nice images.
To my dismay however, I’ve also seen a lot of something else: the over-processed-HDR look.
Apparently, tone-mapping is alive and well.
At this point, I feel compelled to link back to an article I wrote several years ago:
Please read it, or pass it along to a friend who may need help. Consider it an act of kindness. Or tough love.
In the meantime, if you want to remind yourself of what a proper photograph should look like, have a look at some film images.
Here are a couple of sites I often visit because the photographers there are still shooting film (in addition to digital):
You won’t find anything flashy there, but you will find some very fine photographs.
—Peter.
This marks one of the few times I’ve decided to use a flash.
—Peter.
The news today that Leica has reduced its lens prices by 12% should come as no surprise. Leica has been quietly discounting new lenses and cameras and selling them as “demos” for many months, and those same lenses and cameras have been languishing on dealers’ shelves for at least as long.
Why has Leica, who had trouble meeting demand for its products several years ago, experienced this reversal of fortune?
Simply put, the M240 did not ignite the passion of photographers (or at least camera purchasers) and it didn’t become the blockbuster Leica had hoped. And since camera sales drive lens sales, the lenses are now – figuratively and literally – collecting dust.
People who follow this blog know of my passion for the M9 and of my distaste for the M240 (see my Open Letter to Leica). The reasons for this have been well documented, so I won’t rehash them here.
Even if you put my personal bias aside, the M240 was made obsolete by other CMOS-based cameras (I’m thinking specifically about Sony’s cameras) the moment it hit the streets. The M9 at least offered something different, while remaining true to the Leica ethos.
Whatever Leica does with the next M, I would humbly suggest that they focus on the following:
Until then, I’m holding on to my M9P and M9 Monochrom*.
—Peter.
*Incidentally, my good friend Alex here in Toronto (who sells more Leica gear than anyone else in Canada) tells me that he has trouble selling new or used M240s, while used M9s fly off his shelves, despite the very well known sensor corrosion issue.
This was photographed tonight.
It’s his first game…
2nd time at bat, and…
very first hit…
ever.
—Peter.
Technical: Shot through a chain-link fence @ f/1.4 with focus on his near eye. ISO 640. 1/3000.
This is a second test shot with the Leica 35/2 v1 (8 element), this time on the M3.
Please forgive the repetitive nature of these test images, but it is important for me to observe the behaviour of different equipment under similar circumstances.
On a related note, I’ve pretty much decided to abandon film (again)… there are more and more obstacles making it difficult for me to continue working with it.
—Peter.
Another window light portrait, in front of my “famous” window.
However…
–
…this time I offer a twist on an old theme: this image was taken with a recently acquired (and adjusted, in Japan) Leica 35mm Summicron (8 element) lens, otherwise known as Version 1 of the legendary 35mm Summicron. My lens was made in Germany in the early 60s. It’s an example of the relatively less common screw mount (LTM) version, but mine was subsequently converted to M mount by Leica.
The lens arrived today. I mounted it on my Leica M9P and fired off the above “test” shot, wide open at f/2.
Here’s what the lens looks like:
–
–
It’s tiny, light, and another jewel in the Leica crown.
—Peter.
I’ve re-instated the gear categories beside each post.
Don’t say I never gave you anything for Easter.
—Peter.
And I leave you with one question: Why would you pixel-peep a film photograph?
(we don’t do that for a painting, even though an iPhone can “out-resolve” it)
—Peter.
Technical: f/4.5, 1/30 sec.
—Peter.
These were shot in a very dark restaurant.
(f/1.4, 1/30 sec)
—Peter.
–
–
–
I shot a second roll of Kodak Portra 400 on my Mamiya 7II last week.
Why haven’t I posted any photographs?
The lab accidentally exposed the film to light. Every image was lost.
Today, I dropped off more film. I’d taken some casual shots from a family event this weekend. I was told that the processing machine was down. Apparently this is a rare occurrence.
There’s no time estimate for when I’ll get my film back.
—Peter.
The eternal struggle.
My daughter: “I think you’re more on the devil side.”
My other daughter: “This is probably my favourite post.”
—Peter.
So I made a few decisions today. And then I ate a granola bar.
(if you care to understand, see my previous comments)
—Peter.
My promise to you — as part of your free membership to this site — is that I’ll continue to work hard to stretch your zero dollars.
So from now on, I will not only be doing my best to answer your questions, but I’ll also be sharing my famous home-made pizza dough with you, the viewer, via iPhone images.
That’s right, images of my very own home-made pizza dough shared with you — online.
While other Canadian photo-bloggers claim to provide you with value for your hard-earned zero dollars, I’m the only Canadian photo-blogger sharing authentic home-made pizza dough with you.
And what is better than home made pizza (dough)?
That’s my promise.
—Peter.
I say the silliest things to her…
On another note, the artificial and mixed back-lighting, and the reflections off the red walls, in this scene are very challenging. Yet, with the proper pre-processing (a term I believe I coined) and post-processing, the technical issues are mostly overcome.
I know that there will be a few individuals who will insist that I should have used flash, but I vehemently disagree: the spontaneity and ambiance would have been lost.
I’d feel differently if I was trying to produce a formal portrait — but I wasn’t.
—Peter.
