ewanc

September 14, 2007

Hi John: thanks for your interest. The carpenters told me the train still goes through there

every day but I didn't see it during the brief time I was there. (Actually I have been thinking

about going back there to shoot the train passing by, for it would be a great and essential

addition to the presentation. Will let you know if I do succeed.)

September 13, 2007

Regarding Capa: Many years ago I saw Capa's exhibition in Tokyo. Looking at every picture, I shook my head in amazement and thought, "How come he always managed to be in the right place at the right time?" Considering that he was covering wars where his mobility was further limited by the circumstances, that made his pictures all the more amazing, not to mention his courage as well.

His work speaks volume of one very important quality in being a good photographer: that getting out there by itself is half (if not more) the ingredient of a good picture. The cruel irony is that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time just that once which took his life, camera in hand.

Jeroen: you are right, the manual Nikkors had better DOF markings than their AF counterparts probably because of the reason you mentioned. However, 35'Lux still offer finer focus control between 2m and infinity, and all of the 8 35'Lux apertures are represented in DOF markings while the Nikkor only shows just 4. Given this, when one needs to DOF-focus without looking through the viewfinder, the Leica would be more desirable. But for most other purposes all Nikkor 35mm reincarnations are fine lenses in their own right (esp. 35mm f1.4), and they certainly beat the 35'Lux in close focusing!

Arturo: Thanks for your story. Like you I am already contemplating my next lens as well (who doesn't?), but I also agree with you that "Less is More". If we use two lenses with one M body, there will be times when we stop to change lenses and potentially miss some good photo opportunties, even in a duration of seconds. So it will only make sense to get another M lens with another M body...(good justification?) Anyway, to deal effectively with lens temptation, I try to avoid reading "My Next Lens" category postings in the Leica discussion.

Chris: no need to apologize; glad you still enjoyed the writing style at least. :-)

Mark: It's funny how a camera and a lens can inspire me to sit down for hours in front of the computer to spew all this out. And the scary thing is that I am not done yet.

Thanks everyone, and happy shooting!

September 11, 2007

Vivek: you're too kind. I hope my rambling story will be of some use to someone, while I enjoy very much learning from the feedback given by the Leica experts in this forum. You are right about Capa, and here in Bangkok there are no land mines but if I concentrate too much on the camera I could twist my ankle quite easily given the uneven sidewalks.

Bill M: I forgot about that one, the NOCT. If the NOCT has always been a 1.2 lens then I guess it fits perfectly into my JR naming theme as I didn't allot any name for f1.2 yet. :-)

Roland/Paul: I just hope Another Bob's dog won't lay a "land mine" on my story.

Rob F.: thanks for the tip; that's good to know.

September 10, 2007

<h3>Story of a Leica newbie with his M6 and 35'Lux.</h3>

(Part 2 in a series.)

I will talk about my brief experiences so far with the 35'Lux (pre-ASPH). But

before that, a minor diversion:

When I was first learning about Leica before my purchase (as detailed in <a

href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00MTsT">part 1</a>), the

mysterious words "Summicron", "Elmarit", "Noctilux" or even its shorthands "XX

lux" and "YY cron" popped up quite often. Even after I found out soon enough

that Leica uses the terms to describe the maximum aperture of a certain lens

(with a few notable exceptions), something struck me as odd. Sure, they are

just names, but they somehow add personalities to the lenses. So much so that

just google for "Lux vs. Cron" and a non-Leica person may think he's seeing

search results for two dueling boxers.

Call it one of the best naming ideas of Leica Marketing Department. While the

typical Nikon user is proud to own a mouthful such as "AF-S G VR 70-200 f2.8",

name-wise I'll take that 35'Lux please. (With apologies to Japan Railway, I

hearby commission Nikon to name their next 35mm prime lens lineup using

35'Nozomi, 35'Hikari[=Lux], 35'Kodama for f1.0, 1.4, 2.0 respectively. f2.8

lenses should use "Odoriko", and any f4 or slower lens gets the "Yamanote"

designation. Sorry, couldn't resist.)

<h2>Design</h2>

When it comes down to it, you get to do three things before you take a picture

with the M6: set the shutter, decide the aperture, and focus. Two of these

things are done on the lens. And, regarding the focus part, this is where I am

impressed by Leica's lens design; and I am not talking about optical quality,

which, by the way, is excellent when stopped down from f2 onwards. Rather, I am

talking about a certain exterior design of the lens that liberates me from the

need to look into the viewfinder every shot.

Yes, I am talking about the DOF and focus distance markings on my 35'Lux. Some

of you may wonder: who cares about these lens inscriptions?

First of all, the DOF markings for the Leica lens (left photo above) are etched

on the both sides, in tiny but highly legible numbers. f1.4 and f5.6 are

represented without the numbers, but the other f-stops "2 4 8 11 16" are clearly

labeled on either side of the focus triangle under its respective markings. As

for the distance markings on the focus ring, it shows, in meters, 1, 1.2, 1.5,

2, 3, 5, 10 and infinity, with equal rotational distance between 1m and 2m and

2m and infinity when we turn the focus ring. What that means is that for closer

subject distances, more selective focusing can be applied. (Compare that to my

Nikon AF-D 35mm f2 in the right photo above: the Nikon's focusing markers in the

focus distance window shows 2m, and then immediately followed by infinity. DOF

shows only 11, 16, and 22 f-stops. So in street photography situations where the

typical subject distance lies between 1m and 10m and typical aperture between

f1.4 and f8, it's impossible to use the DOF technique to focus with this

particular Nikon lens.)

With the Leica lens, the beauty is that we can easily shoot from the hip or

chest without disrupting our human subjects. Pick an aperture (and appropriate

shutter speed), then turn the focus ring so that the estimated subject distance

(by your brain) lies between the DOF markings of the selected aperture. The

markings are so clearly labeled that it is easy to do it after some practice.

You just need to learn how to estimate subject distances. (For example, I am

about 1.8m/6 ft. tall, so I usually think in terms of how many Ewans lying on

the floor would reach the subject? If about 3, then I set focus to near 5.4m/18 ft.)

In the ensuing month after I bought the M6, I shot 11 rolls of film. Besides

checking whether I had bought a lemon or not, I also wanted to know the

character of my 35'Lux. A few days after the purchase I went on a trip to

northeastern Thailand and Laos. So I packed a few rolls of BW400CN, cheap Kodak

400 cneg, Fuji Superia 400 and Provia 100 in the bag and off I went. (I know, I

know, the film I ought to test with the Leica M is the Tri-X, but I wanted to

use up my old stock first before buying new film.) Poor GX-100, I left it to my

(lucky) wife for kid photos.

So during the trip I snapped whatever subjects I found mildly interesting, and

then some. The objective was to take as many pictures with the M6 as I can under

different conditions to test the lens: quantity, rather than quality.

<h3>Application: Portrait</h3>

When the trip was finished and the rolls were developed, my first reaction is

that the 35'Lux, when used close to a subject, can be an excellent portrait

lens. I bought this lens more for travel and street, but if one knows his

subject and can get close enough to him and her for a shot, the results can be

quite pleasing. The bokeh feels dreamy and silky. (You can click on each

example photo to enlarge it.)

</a>

Example 1: Portrait of K.G. At a noodle shop with my co-workers, I whip out

the M6 and shoot K.G. a few frames before our noodles arrive. The bokeh is like

a silkscreen.

</a>

Example 2: Another portrait of K.G. I see a potentially interesting portrait

of K.G. from inside the car so I frame and shoot immediately. I should note that

the M6 does not have an ON/OFF switch like M7, which is actually a blessing in

disguise because no extra time is needed to turn the camera on. In fact, the M6

is always on, even if batteries fail because of the mechanical shutter.

<h3>Application: Street situations that require "Shoot from the hip or chest"</h3>

As I mentioned the DOF scales of the lens makes it easy to shoot without using

the viewfinder, especially in fairly bright situations when we can use f5.6 or

above to get subject in focus. Very handy for street photography when you don't

want to arouse the subject and ruin the spontaneity of the picture.

</a>

Example 3: A Laotian girl at the border crossing strikes up a friendly

conversation with my co-worker. None of them realized I snapped a picture. I

pre-focused using the DOF technique.

</a>

Example 4: Motorcycles at an intersection, Bangkok. Before I crossed the

road I estimated roughly the focus distance between some riders and the

crosswalk in front. I snapped the pic with the camera hanging off my right

shoulder while I was on the crosswalk. The rider (off center to the left) was

somewhat in focus. This was more difficult to get it right than example 3 as I

was using f1.4 so there is almost no DOF to speak of, but I was somewhat lucky.

<h3>Application: Low Light Street situations</h3>

35'Lux's wide open performance may be so-so with some visible light fall-off and

coma issues, but it opens up so much more opportunities for low light

photography. Some of the examples shown below may not be of stellar picture

quality, but with the choice to do f1.4, the 35'Lux allowed me to get a shot off

at least.

</a>

Example 5: Guy on the cell, Pakxe, Laos.

</a>

Example 6: Fried Chicken Vendor, Bangkok.

</a>

Example 7: Spare Change, Bangkok. A guy just showed up at an intersection,

asking for change.

<h3>Application: Journalism/Documentary Photography</h3>

After coming back from my trip to Laos, I had a chance to go shoot a bunch of

carpenters in Bangkok who do their woodworking on an operational train track.

(Click on the photo below to jump to the presentation and find out why they are

not as reckless as we think.) Needless to say the 35'Lux is perfect for

documentary assignments due to its wide (but not too wide) field of view and

unassuming size.

</a>

Example 8: Train-Track Carpenters <a

href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=356471">Presentation</a>

<h2>Shortcomings</h2>

No lens is perfect, and the 35'Lux is no exception. Here are some limitations

of the lens:

<ul>

<li>The 35'Lux can close-focus down to only 3ft (1m) so don't plan to use it

for taking product or food shots (which I sometimes need to do for my work.) In

comparison, my Nikon AF-D 35mm f2 can focus down to 0.25m, but as mentioned

above, the Nikon lens' DOF and distance markings are scaled in a way that does

not allow one to focus by DOF. </li>

<li>In another thread I wrote about a strange effect from artificial light

sources when f1.4 was used: some photo.net members suggested it was coma and

they are probably right. It seems the lens is very coma-prone when used

wide-open.</li>

</ul>

<h2>Conclusion</h2>

To coax as much beautiful bokeh as possible out of this lens, I would just

modify a quote of Robert Capa's to describe this lens: "If your pictures taken

with the 35'Lux aren't good enough, you're not close enough." The closer you are

to your subject, the more Leica bokeh magic the lens will reveal. Certainly, not

all pictures require bokeh; but the Leica 35'Lux bokeh, as revealed in my

portrait examples, are quite pleasing to the eye and may enhance a photograph

with its presence.

In the next part I hope to switch my focus back to the M6 body and advance my

thesis that the simple yet elegant design philosophy of the Leica M rangefinder

system is its greatest asset. Personally, I have rediscovered the joy of

photography in just one short month and I hope to explore why in the next

episode of my Leica M story.

P.S. Sadly, I saw a picture of Leica's modified DOF markings for the current

35'Lux ASPH and I don't like it. With the long, slanted lines leading the f

numbers away from the markings, it looks a bit confusing.

(End of part 2.)

September 6, 2007

Thanks to all of you for your responses and I enjoyed reading them a lot. I am glad to be among a humorous bunch.

I am working on part 2 now, and it will be more about the 35'lux lens. I don't really know where "My Leica Story" is going to lead eventually but I hope to explore the design philosophy of the M body and lenses and how it affected, in mostly good ways, my own photography, even in just one short month so far.

Here are some specific comments:

Allen:

"...the other blond as yellow ivory..."

Hmm... that's something! Something similar to this?

http://www.cameraleather.com/leica_m/m5_sps.jpg

"...I did not know what way to turn, Erwin. I had to say no to one of them,i'm not a greedy man,Ewan."

Did you just momentarily confuse me with the Leica authority Mr. Puts? :-)

Wendell:

"May I suggest that enlightenment might have come to you earlier had you been shooting with a Nikon F or an F2 (especially an F2)?"

Most likely if I was born a bit earlier. (I started taking pics in early 80s, first with a Nikon FE2 which finally expired in 2003...dead shutter. My F3 was bought used in 1988 for $300; still humming along quite nicely.)

Mark Amos:

I couldn't have put it better myself. In fact, with your permission I'd like to quote it in a future "My Leica Story" posting.

Mitch:

I saw your Bangkok and Tokyo Series, very nice. Very good "shooting from the chest" technique! Phom yuu krungtep khrap! Ta mii oogad ja bai tum ga-feh gan mai?

Another Bob:

This Leica newbie is a slow writer, thanks for being patient.

.[. Z:

"...gear porn..."

Like it or not, the next one will be more technique porn, I promise.

Thanks again to all of your encouragement!

September 5, 2007

(I apologize if this is not in the right category. Should it be in "Vanity...

Pure Vanity" instead?)

2007 July. It kept showing up in my dreams for two nights. This Leica M6. The

black one.

Before I go on, some background: I have been a long time Nikon shooter of F3,

F4 and F5 bodies. On the digital side, I use a D70. I do travel, street and

lately kids.

The first time I had a Leica M in my hands was more than four, five years ago.

It belonged to a friend of mine. It was the first time I tried to focus a Leica

M or a rangefinder for that matter. At the time, I found the M focusing just

plain weird, shook my head and laughed. And what was the deal with all those

lines in the viewfinder?

But over the years, people change. Even with my own Nikon bodies, I have come

to appreciate the F3 more than any other of my F bodies due to its stylish

design, its ergonomics and its size. The camera works with the photographer,

not against it, despite not having auto-focus and many features like its younger

siblings. The reason is probably because there are only so many controls one can

fiddle with on the F3, it somehow lets the photographer to concentrate on taking

the picture because there is less distraction. (The excellent viewfinder also

helps.)

Sometime this past year a used camera store opened around my work and I pass by

it quite often, at first to admire what was their Nikon collection. Gradually I

also noticed that it had a cabinet dedicated to all Leica Ms. Now that I was

more conscious about camera designs I began to admire the various Ms in the

glass case. At first it was just an admiration of the look of the M bodies: the

simple designs, the spartan elegance of the M top plates and the durable metal

casings.

But still, owning one for taking pictures was not at all registered in my brain.

However, by just admiring the M bodies, I may have inadvertently let the M do

something to my subconscious.

Around May this year I had bought a Ricoh GX-100. The GX-100 is a nice little

digital camera with great ergonomics, but tough to coax any bokeh out of the

relatively slow 24-72mm zoom lens. So while I could get a lot of mileage with

the GX-100 for family photos as well as general landscape, the lack of bokeh was

not conducive to my own shooting style of isolating subjects from the

background. However, the diminutive size of the GX-100 meant that I wasn't

being noticed most of the time when I took pictures on a crowded street. And I

liked that feeling!

So I began thinking, what if you had a small and quiet camera and a 35mm lens

with great bokeh? After a few nights of googling, all links point to film Leica

Ms and 35mm luxs and crons.

There was also a cheaper option of getting a Nikkor 35mm f1.4 and use it with my

F3. (I already have a AF-D 35mm f2 but I don't like to use it on the F3.) But

by then I have done enough window-ogling of the Leica Ms, the appeal of Leica's

design philosophy had already seeped into my brain. I was eager to try one. But

which M?

Stephen Gandy of cameraquest.com mentioned on his site that used M6s are good

buys right now. I also liked the fact that it was all mechanical, but included a

light meter. Between the M6 classic and M6 TTL I chose the former, figuring I

won't be doing much flash photography. And my dream M6 Classic would be black,

because it is more stealthy.

That's when the aforementioned dreams of the M6 started. After two nights of the

same dream, I knew I must get a Leica M6 to satisfy my curiosity.

With that in mind, I went to the camera store again to see if my dream

configuration was available. I still wasn't sure I would really get one, but at

least I wanted to hold it in my hands first. And when I got to the store...

There it was sitting in the shelf of used Leica M bodies, a black Leica M6

classic, one of the early Wetzlar production ones. It was the only black M6 in

the store, and it was in mint condition. I held it in my hands. It was... love

at first sight. (Mighty strong words for an object?) And the owner of the store

said, if you are going to get an M6, might as well get one made in Wetzlar

because the production quality there was legendary. BS or not, I decided to buy it.

But with which 35mm lens?

I had told myself the only lens I wanted was a 35 lux because I wanted to take

low light pictures. Ah yes, the lens should be black to match the M6's color.

It so happens that the store had one black 35mm 1.4 (pre-ASPH) on the shelf.

The front element of the lens has two minor scratches on it but didn't bother

me. And I was hooked: how can a 35mm 1.4 be this small? The Nikon AI-S 35mm 1.4

seems like a giant in comparison.

I could not believe my luck; I thought buying used gear, especially Leica gear,

was supposed to be a waiting game. You never knew when things would show up at

a used dealer. But for me, it was too easy: both of the items I wanted was there

on first try. It must have been fate, I thought.

And so it was.

First sticker shock during the deal: Not the body, not the lens, but when I

asked the store to sell me the hood - the 12504 - and they wanted $100 USD for

it, a used one at that with a series VII filter attached. Certainly, I am not in

used Nikon realm anymore. No local ebay in my junta-run country, I bit my lip so

tight that the toothmarks stayed for days and bought the hood from the store.

However, may I just say that the rounded, vented hood design makes the 35 lux

and the dude behind the camera look cool, even if his photos suck.

2007 early August. I was in possession of a black Leica M6 Classic and 35'lux

(pre-ASPH). And an expensive hood.

M6 + 35lux at Pakxe, Laos

(End of Part 1)

September 5, 2007

Hello Lutz, thanks for the link. A fascinating read... it seems everyone has a different opinion regarding the bokeh of those two lenses. (Which, I suppose, is the norm for these kinds of discussions?)

Gabor, I think I have the fifth version. It's black, and has an engraved "35" on barrel. And says "Made in Germany".

September 4, 2007

Thanks to everyone for chiming in.

After Umut suggested it was coma, I did some more info-digging and I am inclined to think both Umut and Lutz are right. I will do some further tests on a tripod and compare both wide open and stopped-down shots, and report my findings at a later date.

Now assuming this is indeed coma, the $2500 dollar question is whether the fancy ASPH 35'lux would handle it better at wide open. Not that I have the means to get such an expensive lens, but doesn't hurt to wonder.

Happy shooting!

September 4, 2007

I just joined the Leica M world a month ago with a purchase of a M6 classic

black and a 35 Summilux.

I have taken quite a few rolls with it; I am very happy with the lens, as it

exhibits a very soft, dreamy bokeh that is not seen with most of my Nikon WA

lenses. However, I did find in some photos that I took with this lens a strange

effect with the way artificial light sources (such as the red traffic light)

gets washed out. (See photo below.) Even though I was using a slow shutter

speed, I am sure the effect was not caused by camera shake as then everything

(the people, the objects) in the photo should appear blurry, but they are not.

My question is:

1) Is this what people mean by chromatic abberation? If not, what is this effect

called and what is it caused by?

2) Is this effect a characteristic of this lens in general or is it just my

sample?

Thanks in advance for any answers.

Photo data:

Fuji Provia 100, exposure probably f1.4, 1/15 sec

p.s. there are 1 or 2 tiny scratch marks on the lens, even though I don't think

it should be the cause of the effect.

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Posts posted by ewanc

My Leica Story (part 2): Show Me the Lux

My Leica Story (part 2): Show Me the Lux

My Leica Story (part 2): Show Me the Lux

My Leica Story (part 2): Show Me the Lux

My Leica Story (part 1): Dreaming about the M6

My Leica Story (part 1): Dreaming about the M6

Strange Effect of my Leica M 35mm Summilux (pre-ASPH)

Strange Effect of my Leica M 35mm Summilux (pre-ASPH)

Strange Effect of my Leica M 35mm Summilux (pre-ASPH)

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