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peter_hughes1

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Posts posted by peter_hughes1

    Bokeh - it's origins?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <center>

    <img src="http://www.ravenvision.com/images/melaneeface.jpg">

    </center>

    <p>From my experience, certain lenses produce a particularly

    beautiful rendition of the out-of-focus areas of the shot. Non-ASPH

    Leica lenses have that reputation, as do lenses from Zeiss, such as

    those for the Hasselblad camera. It is especially important at the

    maximum aperture, which is the only "natural" aperture any lens has,

    and which is not influenced by the shape of the iris opening.<p>I

    could post any number of pictures taken with Leitz or Zeiss glass

    that demonstrate beautiful bokeh. I've chosen one that I've posted

    here before but which, I think, sums up the reason why I do consider

    it integral to my art. You may find more on my site.<p><a

    href="http://www.ravenvision.com/peterhughes.htm">Peter Hughes

    Photography</a>

    Happy Thanksgiving

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    At my house we're having an "old fashioned" Thanksgiving: We'll

    prepare a huge feast, invite over a bunch of friends, then we'll kill

    them and steal their land!<p>The old adage that <i>history is written

    by the victors</i> is never more amply demonstrated than when it

    comes to major American "holidays."

    Classis Screwmount Lens for my M6

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    I'm not sure why you want to shoot with one of the classic lenses.

    They are inferior in every respect from the modern lenses, especially

    in the area of microcontrast. I had a 50mm Summitar for a while but

    after a few weeks I dumped it, bit the bullet, and went for the

    latest 50mm Summicron. A world of difference. The Summitar was muddy,

    fuzzy and, compared to the Summicron, lacking in beauty. As for

    shooting with an LTM camera, again, I can't really see why unless you

    are just bored and looking for an exercise to perform. Along with the

    Summitar, I owned a IIIf for a while and it was absurdly inconvenient

    and difficult to use. It took me several minutes just to load the

    damn thing. And every time I fired it I thought it was going to self-

    destruct. I also went through a Serenar 85mm, and a user M3, which I

    finally managed to drop and totally demolish. I now own an M6 TTL and

    two Summicrons and I couldn't be happier.<p>If you go to my <a

    href="http://www.ravenvision.com/peterhughes.htm">Goth Project</a>

    and look around you will have no trouble picking out the Summitars

    and Serenars from the Summicrons. Then you can judge for yourself.

    spots for Leica photography on Big Sur coastline

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Point Lobos, of course. Next go to the "town" of Big Sur (26 miles

    south of the Crossroads) and ask the locals for directions to

    Pfeiffer Beach. You won't be disappointed. Be prepared for wind,

    however. (Time to break out that UV filter!) You also might try Rocky

    Point, Andrew Molera State Park, and the area around Point Sur.

    Garapata Beach is a supreb location; the northern part is a nude

    beach. There are one or two other hidden spots...but I'm going to

    keep them for myself. :)<p>Personally, I'd skip Carmel. It's a

    roadside art show disguised as a town--the center for bad art for the

    entire universe. If you plan of checking out the, er, "galleries",

    bring a barf bag with you. They're that bad.<p>I've always considered

    the aquarium to be a letdown. Cannery Row is basically one giant T-

    shirt store. And the restaurants are strictly ho-hum unless you like

    seafood.<p>The place to stay in Big Sur is Deejent's Big Sur Inn.

    Very pricey, however, even off season.<p>Have fun! And whatever you

    do, be sure to check out Camera West on Calle Principal. Bring money

    and tell Sean Peter Hughes sent you.

    35mm Summicron ASPH vs. non ASPH

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <i>Although I have not tested the Summicrons, I did compare the

    quality of bokeh with the pre ASPH and ASPH Summiluxes. The ASPH has

    a harsher, double image out of focus appearance; the non ASPH is

    smooth. Needless to say, the pre ASPH is quite soft especially wide

    open; despite that, the bokeh is more appealing. My assumption is

    that the Summicrons behave similarly.</i><p>Just as I suspected. I'll

    go with the pre-ASPH, thank you.

    What direction should the next Leica M6a/M7 ought to take?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    This may be heresy buy, honestly, I wouldn't do a thing to the M6 TTL

    to "improve" it. The reason I own the camera is precisely

    <i>because</i> it doesn't have Aperture Priority, multiple metering

    modes, a motor winder (to take the pleasure away from winding the

    camera myself!), auto bracketing, etc. If I want that, I have my EOS

    7. Funny, but the Elan rarely comes out of the bag these days.<p>As

    for those who say that we should be offered an M6 with the build

    quality of an M3 I say, are you willing (and able) to pay $4000 for a

    camera body? I'm sure as hell not!<a

    href="http://www.ravenvision.com/peterhughes.htm">Peter Hughes

    Photography</a>

    How long did you own your first Leica... or Why I am such a dumbass

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    A couple of months ago I was having coffee with an acquaintance. As I

    got up from the table I managed to drop a nice, user M3 and do so

    much damage that it wasn't worth repairing. The new 50mm Summicron-M

    that was on the camera cost $250 and two weeks in the shop to repair.

    I had no insurance and, to make matters worse, I had three shoots

    scheduled for the following week. I somehow managed to scrape

    together enough for a new M6 TTL, partially by selling a beautiful

    Compaq laptop to a friend.<p>BTW, I now have insurance.<p>P.S. These

    things happen.

    Some Leica Legends Are Myths?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    When the Leica M-series was new, in the early 1950's, it <i>was</i>

    the fastest focusing camera around. Autofocus has changed all that. I

    have no doubt that my $450 Elan 7 can focus much faster and with more

    accuracy than my $2000 M6 TTL. But for the type of photography I do,

    it doesn't matter.<p>If I was a working photojournalist, I would

    carry both an EOS and a Leica M. I would use the former with a zoom

    lens when the action was fast, the latter when I could spend more

    time and wanted the magical quality that the Leitz glass has to

    offer.<p>Bottom line: Use the right tool for the job.

    90 M Summicron weights

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Andy -- You're right about chromatic aberration showing up worst

    with dark against light colors. Now, if that's the worst c.a. you can

    show from a 90mm Summicron, well, that's not so bad. You should see

    the c.a. I used to get from Canon USM wides: 20mm f/2.8, 28mm f/1.8

    and even a 14mm f/2.8L. Much worse than that!<p>As for the beautiful

    'bokeh', that's why I own the lens and that's one of the main reasons

    I shoot Leica (and Hassy).<p>Frankly, I'm leary of aspherical elements

    in lenses. Perhaps they do correct for some aberrations, but at what

    cost? This is just a gut feeling, not backed up by any empirical

    evidence, but I think the best lenses, as far as character and 'bokeh'

    are concerned, are no faster than f/2 and w/o ashperical elements.

    Also, micro-contrast is very important! And the late non-ASPH Leitz

    optics seem to have that in spades.

    Focus problem with hasselblad 503cw

    in Medium Format

    Posted

    I routinely shoot the 80mm f/2.8 Planar wide open but it takes some practice to get sharp results. I use the Acute-Matte D screen and rely heavily on the microprism collar. I also use the rigid magnifier, commonly referred to as the 'chimney.' The pop up magnifier on the WL finder has a higher magnification but no diopter correction, which is essential for me. If I don't need the selective focus the f/2.8 aperture gives me, I stop down to at least f/5.6.<p><a href="http://www.ravenvision.com/peterhughes.htm">Peter Hughes Photography</a>

    90 M Summicron weights

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <center>

    <img src="http://www.ravenvision.com/images/lernercomp.jpg">

    </center>

    Here is a photo of photographer Claire Lerner shot with the latest

    (non-ASPH) 90mm Summicron-M @ f/2. The inset is a magnification of

    the eye. It's only a poor JPEG, of course, but even so you can see

    that there is no chromatic aberration and that it is more than

    acceptably sharp, especially given the slow shutter speed (ca. 1/8

    sec. on tripod). You will also note the extremely lifelike character

    of the image, the superb 'bokeh', the natural color rendition�without

    the slightest hint of crossover�and the soft and pleasing highlights,

    all aspects in which Leica lenses excel.<p>I suggest that if you plan

    on actually <i>shooting<i> with the 90mm Summicron-M, you will find

    that it is a portrait lens without peer in the 35mm format, despite

    the supposed "flaws" in its performance, none of which has ever

    bothered me in the slightest.<p>

    <a href="http://www.ravenvision.com/peterhughes.htm">Peter Hughes

    Photography</a>

    Used M camera lenses

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Keeble & Shuchat Leica specialists?! Not! They don't even check out

    (or clean!) their used gear before they put it on the shelf. And they

    have a <i>week</i> guarantee, which is a <i>weak</i> guarantee. But a

    good lens is a good lens, regardless of where you find it. Try Camera

    West in Monterey. <p>Personally, I don't like to mail order,

    especially used Euro stuff, because I want to feel it in my hands and

    check it out with my own eyes before buying.

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