Teaching point

The Leitz (Leica) Tele-Elmar 135mm f/4.

Leica 135mm Tele-Elmar f/4 (1966), Sports, Teaching point

(Photo Source: L Camera LeicaWiki)

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The Leitz (Leica) Tele-Elmar 135mm f/4 is a lens I’ve been seeking for a while.

When I moved away from DSLRs, I sometimes missed having a longish focal length for certain applications, like photographing sports (where shooting from a distance is often a reality).  Telephoto lenses are also surprisingly useful for landscape photography, and for portraiture too.

However, 135mm represents a long focal length for a Leica M camera, because accurate manual focusing in this range can be tricky unless both camera and lens are in perfect calibration.

Knowing this, I nonetheless set out to find the venerable “T-E 135”.

The Tele-Elmar 135mm f/4 was manufactured from 1965 to 1990 before it was updated, first cosmetically, and then to the current Apo-Telyt 135mm f/3.4 form in 1998.

Why was I looking for the older model?

The current Apo-Telyt 135 approaches a cost of US$3300 (as of July, 2011), whereas a T-E 135 can be found for as little as $500, and the performance difference is said to be negligible!  In other words, the older model represents one of the last true bargains of Leica optics.  The other things in favour of the T-E 135 are its small size and light weight  – these are qualities I value dearly.

Well, I finally secured an excellent condition Tele-Elmar 135mm f/4, manufactured near the beginning of its production cycle, in 1966.  This makes my copy a 45 yr old lens!

Fortunately, manual focusing with the T-E 135 has been easy and accurate.   The lens is a little soft at its widest aperture (f/4), but is quite sharp beyond that, with excellent contrast.  Given the apertures involved, this lens will most likely be used in outdoor settings where plenty of light is to be found.

Funny enough, my first use of the T-E 135 occurred at an indoor pool, as I couldn’t wait to try it!  The lack of light necessitated shooting at a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/125 sec and a high ISO of 2000.  Here is the end result:

(please click on the image below)

↑Leica M9 and Leica 1966 Tele-Elmar 135mm f/4 @ f/5.6.

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Flare.

Inspiration, Nikon 58mm f/1.2 NOCT, Teaching point

Lens flare is usually to be avoided.  It happens when you point your camera towards the sun, or any other bright source of light and get starbursts, circles, or blobs of light introduced into the frame.  Sometimes, these light artifacts are desired, for artistic effect.  More often than not, they interfere with a critical portion of the image and prove to be quite distracting.

Other times, when the bright light source is just outside the frame and the light rays are striking the front of the lens tangentially, you end up with a low-contrast and hazy photograph (for more information on lens flare, please read here).

Yet, despite what I’ve written above, I find that bright backlighting can often be dramatic, so I find myself frequently photographing things against the sun.  I do it taking my chances that flare won’t interfere with the image.

In the photo below, the undesirable effects of lens flare are found in abundance:

(please click on image below)

As you can see, the bottom right corner of the frame contains spurious green discs, an orange starburst, and red arcs of light that were not part of the original scene.  The rest of the image is washed out with less than normal contrast.

Is this photo ruined?  Many would say so, but I would disagree.  I find all of the “faults” in this specific example are not interfering with the subject and are, in fact, contributing to the overall emotional appeal of the image.  The stray spangles of light remind me of the brilliant sunlight on the particular day I took this photo and lend an almost magical quality to the portrait.  The image speaks to me of summer, and I am taken there when viewing it.

Often it is through such “mistakes” that our photos become more interesting.  Noise, blurriness, tilted horizons, etc., are often distractions but sometimes they can serve to enhance a photo.

We live in a digital age that allows us to experiment with little loss, so there is little reason not to experiment.

Strong diagonals.

Inspiration, Leica 28mm Summicron ASPH f/2, Leica 35mm Summarit f/2.5, Leica 75mm Summarit f/2.5, Leica 75mm Summilux (Canada 🇨🇦) f/1.4, Teaching point, Voigtländer 35mm f/1.2 Nokton, Zeiss ZM 21mm f/2.8 T* Biogon

If you examine my photos, you’ll notice a dominant diagonal line running through many of them.  I’ve sort of learned to make images this way automatically, after years of photographing.

Why is a strong diagonal important? 

I don’t know the academic answer but I know the simple one:  in many cases, photos look better with it than without it.

A strong diagonal connects a photo from the top to the bottom and, in doing so, serves to visually point (much like an arrow) the viewer’s eye from one end to the other and, at the same time, ties the image together.  It also serves to “fill” the frame.  Finally, it acts as a balance or scale where you can divide the remaining visual elements equally between the two halves on either side of the line.  These last two points are, in actuality, addressing and solving problems related to composition.

But enough talk –  let’s look at some images.

The 3 images below feature simple structures that form an easily identifiable strong diagonal element:

(please click on any of the images below)

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summilux @ f/1.4.

↑Leica M9 and Voigtländer Nokton 35mm @ f/1.2.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 28mm Summicron @ f/2.

In this next image the subject is the beach and the strong diagonal is its shoreline:

(please click on the image below)

↑Leica M9 and Zeiss ZM 21mm @ f/2.8.

In each of the above photos, I could have composed differently, but the result would be less pleasing to the eye.  How strong is the effect?

Well, take a look at this shot:

(please click on the image below)

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

I had originally taken this photo as a portrait with the subject placed a little off to the side (one of the “rules” of taking portraits is to not centre the person, but that’s another discussion).  However, the strong diagonal of the field line kept interfering with my original composition and crop, and the eye kept falling short of the corner of the frame – the look was simply inharmonious.  When I cropped the photo so that the white line was allowed to span the image from one corner to the other, the composition became more pleasing, even though I was now violating one of the rules of portraiture.

Such is the strength of the dominant diagonal that our brains are actually willing to give up reality in favour of a more pleasing composition .  Here’s an example:

(please click on the image below)

↑Leica MP and Leica 35mm Summicron @ f/4.

We all know that a tower doesn’t jut out of the earth sideways like the CN Tower appears to be doing above, but the photo is made more pleasing to the eye because of it.  On a side note, the chosen composition also emphasizes the sheer height of this structure because it somewhat disorients us, and gives us a sense of what it must feel like to stand at the base of the tower.

Here is another example:

(please click on the image below)

↑Leica M9 and Leica 35mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

Once again, the image elements (the buildings) have been tilted so that the window washer platform forms a strong diagonal.  The tilting here is also successful because of the sense of vertigo it adds to the image which, by the way, is named Vertigo.

Finally, here is what I would consider a very successful use of a diagonal:

(please click on the image below)

↑Nikon D3 and Nikon 24mm AF-D @ f/2.8.

In the image above, the diagonal is the barrier separating the (Niagara) Falls from the girl.  What’s more, this division has resulted in a harmonious composition in that the Falls and the face are equally prominent on either side, and the image is therefore “balanced”.  Finally, on an artistic note, the strands of the girl’s hair over her face mirror the linear strands of water behind her, which is immensely pleasing to the eye.  I cannot pretend to have planned it this way, but my choice of composition resulted in a happy accident.

I hope the above discussion on strong diagonals was helpful.

The merry-go-round.

Inspiration, Leica 50mm Summicron f/2, Teaching point

It’s challenging sometimes to photograph something you’ve photographed before and produce something with a fresh perspective.

I often look to change things up by photographing at different times of the day (or night), under different sorts of weather.  It’s mostly about the light and the way it paints everything it touches.  A simple park bench can be boring under flat light but can be absolutely poetic with the red-orange back-lighting of the setting sun behind it.

Sometimes I’ll change my angle or point of view.  There are actually many variables involved, and many opportunities to introduce change.

When I was shooting this Merry-Go-Round, I was doing it at the same time of day, in the same season, and using the same camera and lens I’ve shot previously.  So what to do?

I decided to play with the shutter speed to create a blur effect, shooting at 1/4 sec.  The aperture was set to f/16.  I panned a little bit to follow the action so that some of the elements in the image were recognizable and not just blurred blobs.

I don’t know if I succeeded in making these interesting, but I like the effect, and I enjoyed revisiting a familiar scene in a slightly different way.

(please click on any of the images below to view)

All three photos taken with the Leica M9 and Leica 50mm Summicron @ f/16.

The Leica M9… for sports?

Inspiration, Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2, Leica 75mm Summarit f/2.5, Sports, Teaching point

I wrote this little piece for my good friend Steve Huff over at SteveHuffPhoto.com, and he was kind enough to publish it.  The specific link to it is here.

For the non-photo geek, it’s somewhat unorthodox to use a fully manual camera like the M9 to try and capture action, especially in this world of auto-focus and auto-everything-else.  But, as I write below, I’m able to anticipate better with this camera and – what’s more – there is no auto-focus system on the planet that will allow me to track the moving eye of a player at f/2.5 (or wider) better than my own eye.  The Leica allows me to be in full control, which is what I want.

Anyway, the article is reproduced here for you:

The Leica M9… for Sports? by Peter | Prosophos

Hi Steve,

Sometimes, when I read the commentary on the various fora, I get the sense that many people view the Leica M series cameras as great for “static” scenes like portraits, landscapes, and bowls of fruit.

Yet, as you have demonstrated with your concert photography, Leicas are great tools for capturing dynamic moments, and I know of at least one person who shoots racecars with his M9!

Despite this, Leicas are not often linked to sports images, so I thought this would make an interesting “just for fun” posting for your fine website.

OK, so the “sports” I’m referring to involves kids, but this still qualifies as action, and it’s not typical of the usual photography most people associate with a Leica camera.

Would I recommend a Leica M as a sports camera?

No, not really. The various “pro” DSLR bodies in existence are weather-sealed, have great high ISO performance, lend themselves more naturally to shooting at telephoto distances, and can be machine-gunned for crazy high frame rates.

Yet, what would I choose to photograph sports (or anything else I shoot)?

Hands down, the M9.

My reasons?

That’s a long story, perhaps long enough for somebody else to write an article about it. For now, I’ll just say that an M camera allows me to shoot the way I want, and to anticipate the action better than any other kind of camera I’ve ever used.

Here are the images, and thanks for doing such a great job with this site!

Peter | Prosophos

(please click on any of the images below)


↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

↑Leica M9 and Konica Hexanon 60mm @ f/1.2.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 75mm Summarit @ f/2.5.

This last shot was taken with the Nikon D3S, but I’m including it here because I like it:

Bright, midday light.

Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2, Leica 50mm Summicron f/2, Leica 75mm Summilux (Canada 🇨🇦) f/1.4, LFI Master Shot, Teaching point

Harsh light washes out colours and details, and creates blown highlights and deep shadows.  The latter two are unflattering to faces, so I try to avoid shooting in bright midday light when photographing people.

Sometimes though, the moment inspires and emotion wins over technical perfection.

[Photography Pearl:  An emotionally appealing, but technically flawed, photograph will always trump a boring, but technically perfect one.  If an image connects with the viewer, it has succeeded.]

(please click on the images below)

↑”Springtime” (Leica 50mm Summicron @ f/2).  [This image was chosen as a Leica Fotografie International (LFI) Master Shot].

↑”Mother and daughter” (Leica 75mm Summilux @ f/1.4 with a 3 stop ND filter).

↑”The contortion of play” (Leica 75mm Summilux @ f/1.4 with a 3 stop ND filter).

↑”Not homeless, just tired” (Konica Hexanon 60mm @ f/1.2).

All images taken with a Leica M9.

Bokeh, and the Hexanon 60mm f/1.2.

Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2, Teaching point

Bokeh refers to the out-of-focus elements in an image.

Photographers usually obsess over it because it can enhance – or detract from – an image.  More precisely, it can be smooth or harsh, or anything in between.

Different lenses render bokeh differently, and we often speak of a lens’ character in this respect (lenses can also exhibit other characteristics, but that discussion is outside the scope of today’s post).

The Konica Hexanon tends to have bokeh on the wild side (harsh), which I often prefer to the more marshmallow-y (smooth) look you get with certain more “perfect” lenses, like the Leica 50mm Summilux Aspherical.

The interesting thing is, the quality of the bokeh can be different even when using the same lens at the same aperture, depending on what content is being photographed.

For instance, here are two examples demonstrating some of the different ways the Konica Hexanon 60mm renders bokeh (both shot @ f/1.2):

In this first example, the harshness of the bokeh is apparent in the foliage, where we find rather “hard” edges to the circles; the Leica 50mm Summilux Aspherical would have rendered this in a more smooth manner.  Foliage, by the way, is a bit of a “torture test” for lens bokeh, as it can bring out some rather jarring results, even in lenses that are generally thought to be smooth.

(please click on the image below)

In the second image below, even though the same lens is being used, the background has been rendered more gently.  I would specifically describe it as painterly – a mix of smooth and bold as if painted by an artist’s brush.  This is what I really appreciate about this lens – there’s always a tension present between extremes that I find visually very appealing.

(please click on the image below)

Of course, foreground elements may also be out-of-focus, as is the case with the railing in the second shot as it approaches the bottom right portion of the frame.  It follows that different lenses will handle foreground elements differently.   But I’ll leave that discussion for another day…

The Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2 – it’s got a Hex on me.

Inspiration, Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2, Teaching point

I’ve been looking, and looking for this lens.

I’m not gloating. I’m just happy. So very happy.

This is my dream lens….

I’ve searched, and searched for it, and was finally rewarded this week.  And it arrived today.  Oh, sweet joy.

Here is one of my first test shots.

(please click on the image below)

↑Leica M9 and the Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2, Special Edition.

Never heard of the Konica Hexanon 60/1.2?  It’s understandable, as there were only 800 of these ever made, in 1999.  Most of these are sitting in boxes, on collectors’ shelves.  Occasionally – actually, rarely – one of these is put up for sale.

If you want to read more about this special lens, you may do so here at Yanidel’s photo-blog – it was his artistry with the KH 60/1.2 that first made me aware of its existence (if you’ve never seen Yanidel’s site, do yourself a favour and have a look – his street photography with any lens is brilliant).