p.8 #1 · Leica M11-P as a Travel Camera: A Love–Hate Experience
I'm convinced that photographic quality isn't determined by sharpness or resistance to direct sunlight. Photographic quality is determined by the subject, composition, novelty, and so on. Sometimes, lens characteristics, optical imperfections, lens flare, and so on must be added to these factors. And 99% of modern optics have forgotten these imperfections and try to compensate for them with sharpness. The legacy of M-system lenses (including LTM) over the past nearly 100 years is the core value of creative and artistic photography.
p.8 #2 · Leica M11-P as a Travel Camera: A Love–Hate Experience
johnvanr wrote:
Sorry…swimming with pigs?
My wife saw the excursion and wanted to try it. There were mainly baby pigs and they would roam around on the beach and get in the ocean. You can feed them and pet them.
p.8 #3 · Leica M11-P as a Travel Camera: A Love–Hate Experience
The field needs a paradigm shift and it is underway in the crucible of cine lens design. Calling any beneficial imaging product of our lenses 'imperfections' elevates technical quality above aesthetic quality. Only a fool would do that IF the goal was beauty and a beautiful portrayal of the chosen subject, which is something humans need for spiritual and emotional nourishment.
Describing excellence in purely and widely accepted technical terms has taken us to a dark place. By contrast, we lack even a good lexicon for the things that really matter in image quality.
We end up using imprecise and overly general language like 'character', 'vintage', 'aesthetic' if we want to be positive. Otherwise, such lenses are described in technical terms: it has curvature, CA correction is not perfect, it is weak at MFD, has poor corners, and so on and so forth.
Modern commercial lenses are the optical counterparts to modern architecture.
Society is at war with good taste.
“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty."
p.8 #4 · Leica M11-P as a Travel Camera: A Love–Hate Experience
The profound Leica (Leitz) legacy is nevertheless overstated, and pales when compared to the monumental contribution of Carl Zeiss AG to lens design and development. There is no Leitz equivalent in the 20th century to Zeiss Super Speed lenses, as an example. Just an opinion.
These things move in long wave frequencies though, and ZEISS (hurts doesn't it, but that is their brand name) is hopefully nearing the end of a long-term bad taste period, one that began at the end of last century, coinciding with the end of the film era and their Contax ranges as well.
They imbibed the technical lens Kool-Aid, now that bottle is almost empty. People want something more nourishing, so expect some craziness in lens releases until it all settles down. 2-3 years should do it.
p.8 #5 · Leica M11-P as a Travel Camera: A Love–Hate Experience
Sir, this is a Wendy's.
philip_pj wrote:
The field needs a paradigm shift and it is underway in the crucible of cine lens design. Calling any beneficial imaging product of our lenses 'imperfections' elevates technical quality above aesthetic quality. Only a fool would do that IF the goal was beauty and a beautiful portrayal of the chosen subject, which is something humans need for spiritual and emotional nourishment.
Describing excellence in purely and widely accepted technical terms has taken us to a dark place. By contrast, we lack even a good lexicon for the things that really matter in image quality.
We end up using imprecise and overly general language like 'character', 'vintage', 'aesthetic' if we want to be positive. Otherwise, such lenses are described in technical terms: it has curvature, CA correction is not perfect, it is weak at MFD, has poor corners, and so on and so forth.
Modern commercial lenses are the optical counterparts to modern architecture.
Society is at war with good taste.
“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty."
p.8 #6 · Leica M11-P as a Travel Camera: A Love–Hate Experience
philip_pj wrote:
They can certainly do so, making an 'EV-1' would be child's play for Sony, for example. We can say that with authority simply because they (in particular Sony, still a relative newcomer and premier innovator) are clearly avoiding doing so.
In 2013 Sony made a camera with 36mp that weighed within 20 grams of an EV-1, then followed it up with the 485g RX1 (lens included). The main M camera at that time was the M240, it weighed 680 grams..so small and light' is easy for Sony, they were ahead of that game 13 years ago.
M cameras as travel options can work, but only within rather tight guardrails, and inside narrow contexts. It's why you see these restricted styles of photography in Leica threads. We then have, and not trying to offend here but to describe reality, what might be called 'dilettante travel photography' - people who just want a few snaps for memories.
So these are philosophically very different uses to more robust and focused travel work, where you need to match your equipment tightly to the needs of the enterprise. I carry three bodies and six lenses most trips, and I don't think I am alone in doing so. I use it all, all the time. It's light thanks to Sony and M lenses, goes carry on.
Again, I don't know what the OP has in mind so the advice is general. Every time you sell-to-buy, it wastes time for photography, and threatens to become a major pastime and often to displace actual photography. I want to help people minimize that cul-de-sac in their travel work....Show more →
Sorry I'm late to the party as I've been traveling and enjoying life but what a load pompous you know what... So I'm not trying to take any offense to what you're saying in your post but it makes me laugh at how narrow minded it comes off. Not sure why you seem to have a thing against M's for travel when others have proven it works for them. No one is saying it's the best or only option, just that it's an option if it fits your style of shooting and traveling. If not then nothing to see here, move on and live your life. But I'm sure the likes of Alan Schaller and others would chuckle at the few snaps for memories comments. Also FM, while a great forum and resource for those of us here, lacks in people sharing their photos compared to the rest of social media where a lot of other very talented photographers who post incredible work with all sorts of camera gear, Leica M included.
Anyways I'm not sure what your criteria for "robust and focused travel work" is but I'm curious at why it seems to come off that your idea of that travel gear is the only option if someone were to be a serious travel photographer. I'm curious as to why you think that buying and selling is a waste of time for photography and why potentially missing shots while traveling is the end of the world (some people love experimenting with new gear and shooting new cameras)? Are you a full time professional being paid to capture those shots while traveling? Will missing out on a single shot ruin your entire trip? If so I can understand but I highly doubt many of the photographers here are being paid to do so.
I used to shoot weddings as a side gig to supplement my income when I first started my flying career as the pay was incredibly low (less than a fast food worker on minimum wage) so I know the pressures of delivering for a client when you need to. But now I fly a Boeing 777 airliner for work and travel quite often for my own leisure due to my flexible schedule and travel benefits that come with the job. I literally spend a large part of my life abroad experiencing new amazing things and I document it all for my own memories but also for my friends, family and the random social media followers I have who have asked that I keep sharing my photos. I've got several photography projects that I'm working on including the printing of several magazines of all my travel adventures for those who have requested it and really the only reason I even started these projects were by request by the people who value my photography. I've traveled with big bulky Canons then Sonys with all the heavy zooms and primes (even Fuji crop and GFX systems) and realized it just wasn't for me. Now I travel relatively light with my M's or Q's or a combo of both and it just works for me. Simple as that and I'll never judge anyone else for doing what works for them.
So as someone had said earlier, do what you do and shoot what you want to shoot. How anyone decides to do that has nothing to do with their actual ability to create amazing photographs. I have no brand loyalty and just shoot what works for me and I suspect a lot of people here on FM are the same way. The OP simply gave his/her opinion and the rest of us chimed in to give our opinions. No need to argue over whose opinion is wrong simply because it doesn't fit your idea of what YOU think is the only way to do things...
