Really great pics from everyone! Sorry for not commenting in detail, but lately I do not spend as much on the internet as I used to.
But I want to comment on "airfrogusmc's" collection a couple pages back, killer pictures, loved that set a lot!
A night shot from the Dolomites, not the best point off view, but I had already worn my warm down clothing for the bivouac. Therefore I didn't run up to the shoulder where the view on the mountain to the right would have been better.
Joe, nice speakers My Sonus Faber Minima Amator and Electra Amator are mostly idle on shelf with limited leisure time on hand.
Adam, congratulation on S006, You are so fast to get the set! Thank you for share your images and impression. Your portraits looks very beautiful benefit from beautiful model. About that flower shot, check your histogram, you might have blow up the red channel. A common problem with flower exposure. And adding contrast/clarity globally will kill the Bokeh
S sensor has most pleasing color from any camera I have used. The robustness of post process of color also bar none. It might comes from 16bit raw file internal engine. it is not that necessary we need 16 bit to represent less than 12bit DR it has, but making the editing process much subtle to get target color sensitive area right such as skin tone.
The file is also a lot more neutral than M9, which has strong signature I love though. The per pix sharpness and fidelity is very high with this system because of sensor and lens. Too pity it has no according AF performance it need for such a high quality sensor and lens combo. At least for S2. No wonder they don't offer much Summicron or none of Summilux for the system, as well as stay at 37M I hope they are better now with S007.
Their lenses is highlight for the system I feel. The Bokeh and focus transition is very beautiful to my eyes. They don't have on your face POP WO that I feel it is surreal. but at the same time sharp and fidelity. I saw enough samples before I buy the system. On the other hand, this is not a main camera system for me because of size and lens selection as well as lacking LV implementation. I can bring them out for day trip or driving trip, but not long air trip. I need 14-24 and long focal. I don't mind its electronics slowness or quirk,(no surprise after years with M9) without any reading on manual, I am able to operate it flawlessly in mins, a Leica thing.
Well, not shooting M9 much lately. some old 35cron V1 images
zhangyue - Great images (I think we need to meet for coffee so I can check out your LR process). I was actually tempted to buy the 645Z for the fun of it. I have a few jobs coming up where the extra MP would help (not really, but it's how I justify new toys). The problem is, when testing the 645z, I didn't really like the lenses available (or the colors). And then a couple of weeks later you bought your S-system.
I initially had written it off after last years experience with the system. But seeing your images and how closely you got the S to match your M.. I started thinking maybe I judged it prematurely. Never the less, I wasn't to happy with ISO performance, and thought to myself that if I did buy into the system, I'd do it with the S-007.
So I waited a few weeks and then decided that I'd see how much lenses were. And if I could get a good deal on the lenses, I'd just horde them till I got the S-007. Turns out I got a good deal on a S-006 + lens combo, so I went for it. Either way it's a good idea to play with a system for a while to see if it feels right.
I'm still undecided on how it feels. I think a lot of the issues I have with it, are very similar to the issues I had with the M9. So it's safe to assume that if I don't get sick of the 006 in the next 6-8 months, I might buy a 007.
EDIT: Besides, as I said earlier, I was going to try and use the Contax645 more and more, both with MFDB and Film. But I just found that I was getting sick of the look from the Contax. I think I've been using Leica lenses to much, I've fallen out of love with Zeiss
Bijltje wrote:
I am considering a 24mm lens for my MM and maybe A7 sony.
Right now I have 18 SE, 28 cron, 35 cron, 50 cron and 90 summarit.
There are three options, 25/2.8 zeiss, 24/2.8 elmarit and 24/3.8 elmar.
Does anyone have experience with these? How they differ from eachother.
I have read the 25 zeiss actually is more a 26 or 27 and by that is very close to my 28mm lens. So I would prefer the leica's for that.
To my understanding the 24/3.8 is very similar to the 18 SE. The older review I see from the 24 elmarit its more close to the classic rendering of the 28 and 50 cron. Is this correct?
And does any of the three work nicely with the A7? I know the 24/1.4 lux works great with the A7 but I am not looking for that big a lens.
The 24SEM gets incredible reviews from many users on the M system and seems to be the real jewel if 3.8 is fast enough. But you will need a sensor mod on the A7 for that and any RF 24/25, in my opinion.
I have yet to hear of any RF 24mm really working great on the A7 series---well I should say I have yet to SEE it. You can hear anything, of course. But maybe with the 400USD Kolari mod they will I should have mine back pretty soon and we will see.
Before 2006, when I was shooting with the Leica M6, about 50% of my photographs were in the vertical orientation. Like other people, after changing to digital I almost invariably shoot with a horizontal frame, just because the image that you work in it Lightroom is larger.
On my current project Alone in Bangkok, I feel the need for the second chapter to be mainly vertical shots. Now, I've started to work on vertical shots "sideways" (horizontally) in order to have a large view in Lightroom and Silver Efex.
In the following brief video clip, Ralph Gibson says something interesting about the vertical orientation and states that 99% of his shots are vertical. I also like his statement about liking to make "pictures of nothing": click here for the Ralph Gibson clip. (It's the first clip on the linked web page.)
M-Monochrom | DR Summicron-50 | ISO 320 | f/4.8 | 1/1000 Bangkok
adamdewilde wrote:
Mitch - The MM photo you just posted is REALLY very rich with details and tones. You make me wanna buy a MM
Agreed and I love reading the write-ups that accompany the wonderful photos as well.
Michael (zhangyue), I love your family photos and your editing style. Your colors and tones are always so perfectly crafted, I don't know how you do it.
I guess I should have done something about big sister bullying her little brother instead of taking pictures, but what would have been the fun in that?
Nice speakers! I should do a study of Sonus Faber owners, I bet most of them shoot Leica and have Class A tube amps
To reverse the order just a bit, I shoot leica and own no notable audio equipment. But I do shoot my leica at live music wherever whenever. At 61, I'm too young to take my music in an armchair
Nice speakers! I should do a study of Sonus Faber owners, I bet most of them shoot Leica and have Class A tube amps
Since the kids and photography, many good stuff were gone. Though those two set of speakers are stay as there are almost impossible to get now days. Especially after Franco Serblin pass away, I can never get those sound with those look and craftsmanship, I prefer their sound to any latest Sonus faber speakers, some cost more than 10 times. For Human voice and violin and small scale classical or jazz, there is no better speakers for me.
Well, no new photo. some film shots:
M3 with 35mm Summicron WO TriX400 I think I was at 1/10~15s
I was walking from the back of this frame and turned around upon reaching the position from which this picture is taken to look back at the striking mannequins. When I first looked, the shop owner had gone into the shop briefly; when she came out and started cleaning the pavement I raised the camera to my eye. I pressed the shutter when she moved into the position in which she is pictured. Inexplicably, in that split second, I didn't realize that she obviously had struck a pose — perhaps because other people had photographed these mannequins — nor did I see the sign about the U.S. Army on the window. What does the U.S. Army never let you do? I don’t know what is the last word of this lettering. But the U.S. Army as well as the CIA was active in Thailand during the Viet Nam war and in years after that…
Generally, I tend to look at this type of photograph as a cliché. In my unpublished book project called “Bangkok Hysteria”, I have a picture of a dreary-looking woman carrying a coffee-cup on her way to work passing a huge poster of a glamorous fashion model — and have been thinking of cutting that picture from the book.
Perhaps the conjuncture of the pose, the mannequins and the lettering on the window makes the picture below less of cliché. Not sure. What do you think?
M-Monochrom | DR Summicron-50 | ISO 320 | f/4.8 | 1/350 Bangkok
Olive-backed Sunbird: This is quite an extreme crop (2.5MP square crop, then resized for web). These little birds are quite tame and can be easily approached with enough care and caution. However, as I only had my M240 with 50 lux with me, getting close to MFD isn't even enough without resorting to the extreme crop.
My Sonus Faber Minima Amator and Electra Amator are mostly idle on shelf with limited leisure time on hand. 
You can hear anything, of course. But maybe with the 400USD Kolari mod they will 
