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Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

denoir
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p.221 #1 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Great shot guys - bonus points for the duck shots of course

Joe, is that you using a lens wide open?

Edward, I did the upgrade today and I would quantify it as "it doesn't feel any faster"

I'm planning on taking out the X1 for a spin tomorrow and then I'll perhaps have a better idea.

Mar 29, 2011 at 04:09 PM

h00ligan
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p.221 #2 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Thanks!

Mar 29, 2011 at 04:15 PM

onaujee
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p.221 #3 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Ryan, lovely set with the 35.. great colors on the tulip shot

Charles, great portraits as always, #2 is my fave

since we are showing the 35 lux asph some love here are some shots from that lens...

-Juano

Mar 29, 2011 at 06:35 PM

charles.K
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p.221 #4 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Ryan, Phil, Joe, Luka and Juano ... thanks guys

Ryan, very nice shots! I am waiting for your shots with the M9, hopefully very soon

Joe, nice shot! I really like your colour shots too

Ron, very nice rendering! The ZM 50/2 Planar is an excellent lens. It is sharp and renders beautifully.

Juano, nice shots!!

rscheffler wrote:
Dan (thrice) posted a number of images here way back towards the beginning that he shot with the Zeiss 18 and grad filters. I think he discussed his technique a bit as well. Unfortunately I think he has abandoned this thread after a couple disagreements with others here...

My solution at the moment, while not necessarily ideal, has been to keep the M9 set at base ISO of 160 and expose for the highlights. In post I'll open the shadows either with the fill slider in LR, selective dodging, or making two or more conversions and masking the layers in Photoshop....Show more →

Lovinglife, I concur with Joe and Ron, that acquiring Zeiss/CV are an excellent avenue, while you wait. This was how, I got started as there were no lenses to be found, and I was so frustrated! I still have the ZM 50/2 Planar, and ZM 25/2.8 as I personally really like their rendering qualities.

Ty, if you have a local service agent, the turnaround would be a lot quicker. In Australia, it is generally 5 days, but Solms can be 6 weeks.

Mar 29, 2011 at 07:23 PM

denoir
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p.221 #5 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Juano, nice set!

Sorry if I bore you with random 50 Lux test shots, but I just can't seem to put that lens down nor can I stop myself shooting random things thinking "hmm, I wonder how that will look rendered with the 50 Lux?"

I saw today that Leica has finished repairing my 75 Cron. I think I'll give the lens one more serious chance when I get it back.

Edited on Mar 29, 2011 at 07:43 PM · View previous versions

Mar 29, 2011 at 07:30 PM

charles.K
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p.221 #6 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Luka, very nice shots! Love the lighting in #3. It is great to embrace the M8/9 system, and just get out and take photos! IMO, your shots are far from boring, as this is the intent of the thread, to share our learning experiences

BTW, the 50 Lux is magic combined with the M9 sensor!

Mar 29, 2011 at 07:41 PM

rsolti13
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p.221 #7 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

charles.K wrote:
BTW, the 50 Lux is magic combined with the M9 sensor!

Quit rubbing it in, Charles

Luka, very nice. I like #1 best

Nice shots with the 35 Lux, Juano. You going to give it a little more time? Your shots with it have been wonderful

Joe - nice shot with the 35 Cron. There is a big difference in my eyes how the IV and ASPH render. Big difference. Both lenses are excellent in their own ways

Mar 29, 2011 at 07:46 PM

NomadicTy
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p.221 #8 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Charles, rsolti, and Ron - I guess I'll have to do that. I can't see any use marks on the lens at all other than very little in the bayonet. I've even tried blue lights and red lights to see any dings--nada. I would hate for someone to open it up, but I guess I'll have to. At least to tighten up the annoying aperture ring.

I did some rudimentary focusing tests today at MFD. At 2.0, it seems to be in focus, but just soft (or it may be focusing in between my enveloop batteries). It gets really sharp from 2.8 and up. Do you guys find your Cron 90 V3 the same way? All my shots yesterday were at f2.

I heard about this DAG person doing CLA's and adding 6bit codings. Have any of you used him for lens and body focusing issues? Or should focusing/lens issues be left for Leica (Solms or NJ) to fix?

Thanks!
Ty

Mar 29, 2011 at 07:51 PM

denoir
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p.221 #9 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Thanks Charles & Ryan.

Ty, in my experience the 90 Cron V3 is OK wide open as far as sharpness goes. It improves stopped down but never reaches the sharpness of the more modern lenses.

Here are a couple of Lofoten shots to offset my 50 Lux onslaught

Mar 29, 2011 at 07:54 PM

NomadicTy
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p.221 #10 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Luka, I just ran my focusing tests with my 50 Sonnar as well. Like # 3 the most. Those shots just made me want a 50 Lux ASPH even more.... Must. Not. Buy. Now.

Juano - I like # 2 the best.

Charles - I can't find a listing of "Local Service Agents" in the Leica website. The only Leica dealer here don't touch them for repairs/service. They recommended a local guy who supposedly have been doing it for 50+ years. I may have to check him out. Thanks!

Mar 29, 2011 at 08:03 PM

AGeoJO
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p.221 #11 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

This more a FYI about Leica lenses in general and the 35mm Summilux II in particular since I was inquiring about that lens. There are currently 170 outstanding orders for that lens at my Leica dealer that I buy my Leica gear on a regular basis. Granted people place orders at several dealers but still that number is unheard of. He couldn't tell me why but for whatever reasons Leica seems to ramp down the production of their lenses. Could that be that they do not anticipate Leica aficionados in Japan, and there are quite a bit of them over there, are not buying any lenses soon due to the recent earthquake? The later is more speculation on my part. Buy whatever you can find now.....

Mar 29, 2011 at 08:06 PM

lovinglife
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p.221 #12 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Denoir -

I just noticed again how beautiful your images are! Amazing

Mar 29, 2011 at 08:08 PM

h00ligan
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p.221 #13 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Luka...since you bought the m9, what's the percentage of 5d2 shots in your library?

I remember way back when (like three months ago) you were still on the fence. Apparently you've taken to it like a DUCK to water

great stuff.

Where were you to get that last shot? Mountain overlooking? Hot air balloon?

Mar 29, 2011 at 08:45 PM

rscheffler
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p.221 #14 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Ty:

http://us.leica-camera.com/service/service_and_repair/worldwide_network/us/photography/index.html

Mar 29, 2011 at 08:50 PM

joe88
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p.221 #15 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Thanks Luka, Charles & Ryan

Luka, I think I could have made a mistake setting the previous 35Cron shot at f/2

Yes, Ryan, they are all different, the 35Cron ASPH is sharp and almost perfect but the 35CronIV hold its own in a different way, softer with a bit of Leica "glow", and a good match to the 50Cron, Noct 1.0 and other older Double Gauss lenses.

----
Juano, nice set!

Luka, nice test shots on the first set, #1, 2 & 3 are excellent. Like the play of contrast on #2. The 4th shot on the 2nd set is also very nice! Don't know if its my monitor but #1 on the 2nd set looks a bit overcooked with the highlights?

Ty- Don at DAG is a very experienced Leica repair person, highly recommended. He's one of the best this side of the pond if you ask around. Give him a call, he (and most other technicians) can fix the aperture ring but as for the focusing, be sure to tell him that you are using the lens with a M9 and confirm that he can calibrate it for digital. If he can't do it, he'll most likely tell you to send it back to Leica NJ.

--------
50CrnV3 @f/8. Lots of lens flare on this older glass.

Mar 29, 2011 at 09:10 PM

charles.K
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p.221 #16 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Luka, wow...stunning shots! No problems with the 50 Lux shots either

IMO there is a level of clarity with the M9, sensor combination with lenses, that I much prefer over the 5DII. It is also very possibly due to the fact that I am biased

Ty, if you find a service centre that also has a lens collimator, any lens decentering, can be fixed quickly too. For, example, there are often variations in the 50 Lux, where wide open at f/1.4, may yield more of the Leica glow, and may also be due to marginal decentering of some of the lens elements.

Joe, great street shot! I love your style

I really think, this is what I love about Leica lenses, as there is a depth of choice in rendering that you can choose from. All the lenses are unique, great designs and have their own personalities.

Edited on Mar 29, 2011 at 09:49 PM · View previous versions

Mar 29, 2011 at 09:22 PM

onaujee
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p.221 #17 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Luka, thanks... love #2 from your set
Ryan, yeah I can't find a trade, I did find an older 90 AA though

so we'll see

nomadic, ty
Charles, thanks...
Joe, thanks and great street work there..

Mar 29, 2011 at 09:36 PM

rscheffler
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p.221 #18 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

AGeoJO wrote:
This more a FYI about Leica lenses in general and the 35mm Summilux II in particular since I was inquiring about that lens. There are currently 170 outstanding orders for that lens at my Leica dealer that I buy my Leica gear on a regular basis. Granted people place orders at several dealers but still that number is unheard of. He couldn't tell me why but for whatever reasons Leica seems to ramp down the production of their lenses. Could that be that they do not anticipate Leica aficionados in Japan, and there are quite a bit of them over...Show more →

My speculation: Where does Leica source it's glass? I seem to recall reading that they no longer make it themselves... if any of the ingredients or actual glass comes from or passes through Japan, there could be a problem continuing production due to shortages.

Unrelated to Japan, it seems that Leica is content to slowly fill orders and maintain a high level of demand. Would it be worth their while to ramp up production, expand facilities, hire more employees? And once backorders are filled, will the current level of demand continue? My feeling is Leica is in a fortunate position at the moment with a high end niche product that doesn't really have any direct competition. But that doesn't mean there won't be any in the future. If any of the major brands decide to build a FF mirrorless (not necessarily rangefinder) camera, it will certainly be well under $7K and will directly impact Leica's sales, especially if it is M mount compatible (though that could still drive some Leica lens sales). Leica is milking the current situation all they can. Why bother releasing an M9.2/P or M10 in the near future if there is no pressing need to do so?

ZM50 f/2 Planar - a lens I had to wait a while to get and it's not a Leica!

charles.K wrote:
Luka, wow...stunning shots! No problems with the 50 Lux shots either

IMO there is a level of clarity with the M9, sensor combination with lenses, that I much prefer over the 5DII. It is also very possibly due to the fact that I am biased

Yes Luka, excellent as usual, also really enjoyed the construction set a couple pages back, particularly the first image (multi triangles).

I agree Charles, looking at my ZM 35 & 50 images at base ISO and the M9 has the right balance of contrast and clarity (not the LR clarity tool) with fine detail. Sometimes it looks like it's almost real. In comparison my Canon files come into LR with much lower contrast and at times have a bit of that digital plasticity to them. Though to be fair I find I can get them to look very good, they just need a different set of adjustments from the M9.

Mar 29, 2011 at 10:53 PM

charles.K
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p.221 #19 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Ron, superb shot in its simplicity! I agree, LR/CS5 can achieve excellent results, and unless you do a side by side comparison you may not notice the difference. I am finding with large prints the colours and details are great with the M9, and just feel there is more depth and detail, than what I was getting with 5DII/ZE's. This also may have to with my focus is more on people/portrait style shots. Just an observation!

Mar 29, 2011 at 11:44 PM

denoir
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p.221 #20 · Leica M/X/T/S/Q/CL/SL Picture Thread

Thanks for the kind words guys!

Joe nice capture, hip shot?
Ron, I really like the swan shot!

h00ligan wrote:
Luka...since you bought the m9, what's the percentage of 5d2 shots in your library?

I remember way back when (like three months ago) you were still on the fence. Apparently you've taken to it like a DUCK to water

great stuff.

I got the M9 in October (that's almost 6 months ago, time flies!). If I look at my lightroom database I can see the following usage since I got it:

M9 66.1%
X1 4.4%
5DII 27.1%
7D 0.3%
Other 1.1%

Other includes the Pentax 67, Pentax 30, iphone etc

Incidentally I think I recall making a bet with Carsten about if I would be still using the M9 six months after getting it. I guess I won

Where were you to get that last shot? Mountain overlooking? Hot air balloon?

From a bridge. This one:

rscheffler wrote:
My speculation: Where does Leica source it's glass? I seem to recall reading that they no longer make it themselves...

All Leica glass comes from Schott which is owned by...wait for it... Zeiss! Their production is in Germany and they are building a plant now in the US. The irony is of course that while Zeiss owns Schott, Cosina almost certainly does not use Schott glass for the Zeiss lenses they produce.

The glass is also the key to why some lenses such as the 50 Lux ASPH and 50/0.95 Noctilux are out of stock. The 50 Lux ASPH has one element that is constructed of glass exclusively made for Leica by Schott and that goes through a slow cooling process that takes six months (!!). The Noctilux is even worse with even more types of exotic glass. The high prices of the Leica lenses largely correspond to the very high production costs due to those materials.

I agree Charles, looking at my ZM 35 & 50 images at base ISO and the M9 has the right balance of contrast and clarity (not the LR clarity tool) with fine detail. Sometimes it looks like it's almost real. In comparison my Canon files come into LR with much lower contrast and at times have a bit of that digital plasticity to them. Though to be fair I find I can get them to look very good, they just need a different set of adjustments from the M9.

Ron, have you ever tried Zeiss ZE glass on your Canon? Unlike Canon glass it requires really zero PP. As much as I've come to like some Leica glass, I still consider the rendering of most Zeiss ZE lenses to be the best I've ever seen. The ZE 21 Distagon is still probably the best lens I've ever used.

The ZM18 and ZM25 are nice, but the ZE21 is in a different league. The images from it look extremely realistic - as if you are looking through a window. You can almost touch the textures of the surface.

Random example (21 Distagon):

I think as Charles said that it depends on what kind of images you shoot. For my type of shooting I prefer ZE over Leica M and Leica M over ZM.

Which lens you use I however only part of the equation. For handheld shooting I enjoy using the M9 much more than the 5DII. And that for me is the deciding factor. As the weather gets warmer, I expect I'll be doing more night time tripod based shooting and then the 5DII will see more use. The M9 will most likely remain the main camera though.

Mar 30, 2011 at 04:05 AM

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