Mitch, I rather like the idea of committing fully to your own photographic journey. I think that there's a lot to be learned from imitating others, whether in equipment, technique, or final product, but that those lessons can only help one better express the artistic vision that comes from within. Some argue that even following these forums would be a distraction from that, but I hope you continue to post here so I can see how it goes for you -- and learn from your ability to select and emphasize lines and edges in compositions.
Nico, I love how you work with color. Subdued in the details but a strong element throughout the frame.
Werner, the figure-ground relation in that bird shot on the previous page is fantastic. Birds with light background are dark, with dark background are ... shaded, but distinctly lighter. That image works great for me even before the tension from implied movement and the nicely balanced hard and soft contrasts throughout.
Gary, the decaying barn image with the trees off to the side works great for me. I think the perspective there makes all the difference: the trees read as "large," but they're smaller than the barn, and the then-implied immensity of the barn highlights the openness of the surrounding land. Also, great color, but that's just obvious. :-)
Allen, I find it slightly disturbing that the white headphone cords have become so iconic as to be recognizable in that "poets" image despite the blur. There's a lesson here for me: find one visually interesting subject, figure out how to make the rest of the frame balance it out well ... which might just mean waiting for someone to come walking along.
Personally, I have two goals for this year. One is to become better at articulating what I see, which will involve offering (hopefully) constructive observations here. The other is to develop my eye for tone, both in subject matter and in post processing. First swing at that for this year, despite Flickr sharpening that nearly ruins the effect for me:
This combination -- M9, 35 FLE -- continues to astound me. I need to make some LCC profiles for Capture One before proceeding with color. Still, I've nearly lost interest in the R lenses that I also love. Just need to get through this honeymoon phase before making any long-term decisions.
Was walking around the Presidio in San Francisco on a particularly cloudy day and this gnarled tree had this sort of monstrous personality. I felt like it was writhing, struggling to be free.
Was walking around the Presidio in San Francisco on a particularly cloudy day and this gnarled tree had this sort of monstrous personality. I felt like it was writhing, struggling to be free.
M240 + 35 Summicron ASPH
Super image Abram! Love the gnarled detail and presence.
My Leica S2-P is getting long in the tooth, and I am considering upgrading to the S007, which would be quite a costly upgrade. Is the S007 worth the cost?
While I am delighted with the M240 and SL, medium format sensors - the S series in particular - take images to a different level. It is hard to describe, but there is a richness and depth in the S files that I don't find from any other camera.
I was ready to commit to the upgrade from S2-P to the S007, but I took the old S2-P to the beach this afternoon, and now I am having second thoughts. I would love to hear from any of you who have made the jump from S2 to 007.
relms - The S-007 feels more like a Canon or Nikon DSLR. Think 5D3 (body speed) w/85L II attached (focusing speed). That's the rough speed and feel you'd get.
The issue is I find the colors more to my liking from the S-006 then I do from the S-007. And it does take some work to get the images from the S-007 to be what I want. So if you're smitten over the colors you get from your S2.. I'd just keep it until it dies. And at that point you'll have no choice but to buy an S-007 or S-008, but at least you'll get one at a discount by that point
Also to anyone considering the SL. It along with the A7II are almost identical color wise.. So unless you love the idea of the 24-90 zoom.. I'd wait until more native SL lenses come out before buying the camera body.
adamdewilde wrote:
relms - The S-007 feels more like a Canon or Nikon DSLR. Think 5D3 (body speed) w/85L II attached (focusing speed). That's the rough speed and feel you'd get.
The issue is I find the colors more to my liking from the S-006 then I do from the S-007. And it does take some work to get the images from the S-007 to be what I want. So if you're smitten over the colors you get from your S2.. I'd just keep it until it dies. And at that point you'll have no choice but to buy an S-007 or S-008, but at least you'll get one at a discount by that point
Also to anyone considering the SL. It along with the A7II are almost identical color wise.. So unless you love the idea of the 24-90 zoom.. I'd wait until more native SL lenses come out before buying the camera body....Show more →
Adam:
Thank you for your comments. You are absolutely correct regarding the files produced by the two respective cameras. I had the 007 for a test drive over the weekend, and I took it and the S2 out for some comparison same-scene shots yesterday. What I found is that for my primary use of a MF camera (landscapes) the higher ISO capability and speed of the 007 is of little consequence. The extra stop or two of dynamic range is a nice improvement over the S2, but certainly not worth the cost to upgrade.
But here is the thing that came as a big surprise: When I loaded the S2 files into Lightroom, they needed few, if any, adjustments. The 007 images, on the other hand, were flat, but with considerable tweaking could be made to look similar; however, I still preferred the images from the S2.
Newer is not always better. After the trial I concluded that I would hang onto the S2 and invest in another lens or two for it, including the Super Elmar S 24, which is by far the finest wide lens I have ever used.
