najibs - that's probably about the same look I'd have with someone photographing me as I wake up.
Nice portraits Michael, I'm surprised you've been able to tear yourself away from the 800!
Charles - excellent expression and feel.
dgenx24 - I particularly like the treatment of the CV12 image. Not sure about the M8 vs. the M9. Vignetting and colour shift is there on the M9, but coding it the 21 Elmarit pre-ASPH helps a lot, as did the latest firmware update. IIRC, Leica also released an M8 firmware update not too long ago. Have you updated to it? Might be worth a try. Funny that you have problems with it because my understanding was the CV15 works pretty well on the 8, and since the CV12 has less vignetting and colour shift than the 15 (on the M9), I would have expected it to be not so bad on the 8. I suspect for Cornerfix to be effective, you need to generate a pretty good profile for it from a good reference image.
Gary - very nice set, particularly the first two for me. The greens look very believable, something I sometimes find challenging with the M9. Not sure if the M8 is any different in that respect.
Finally got around to processing the local Spain fans celebrating Spain's win of the EURO 2012 tournament...
Charles, very nice tone.
dgenx24, All high quality. Enjoy them very much.
Gary, very nice color and light. especially #1 and #4.
Ron, what a nice set. #1 is a killer. Oh, Those red and color...... nice!
Some shots from 50cron rigid. Do you see some classic rendering in back-lit ??
Wanted to take a few shots around my house with the 28elmarit-asph because I haven't had a chance to use it!
From my initial testing, it seems to be in line with what people are saying.. The lens has great resolving power, in this below shot (nothing great, just taken from my balcony) I can see details in the bricks (which is something for infinity focus at 28mm), and I've also noticed that wide open at 2.8 (where I shot this photo) the bottom corner is soft (see the bottom right corner of the building):
All in all, seems like it'll be a decent walk around lens (if you like 28mm for walkaround over say 35mm).
I went a bit overboard and bought a bunch of lenses, but my plan is to test them over the course of the next few months, so I have the perfect 2 or 3 lens kit by the time I travel nearing the end of American summer.
My idea for a "cheap" kit consists of this 28elmarit, and the "expensive" kit includes it's summicron brother.. But I'm still not set in stone as to what I'll be adding/keeping.
So far it seems like this:
If I go Cheap: 28elmarit-asph, 50summicron non-apo, 90tele-elmarit (or 90summarit, most likely summarit for the contrast/sharpness)
Expensive: 28summicron, 50summilux-asph, 90summicron-APO (this will add weight, but coming from a DSLR/MFD kit, it's nothing that would bother me)
Currently still playing with 35mm FL (35zm, 35lux-asph, 35cron-asph) and 75mm FL (summarit so far, but still looking for a 75cron) to see if I'll "miss" them as FL options if I go with one of the above setups. The 75FL I think I can take or leave, since I'm ok with 90FL, but the 35FL seems to be the one giving me heartach, the 28 is a bit to wide, but 35 is a bit to close to 50.. So that's where I'm really trying to iron out my wants/needs..
Anyway, sorry to bore everybody.. Just talking out loud.
Thanks Michael! That was the 50 Lux wide open walking backwards and follow focusing I got lucky that the first shot was actually dead-on. The second and last shot in that sequence was a bit back focused, unfortunately. The reds were and are a big headache because they blow out too easily... not sure I really got them under control.
Your first above with the rigid is excellent. I'm seriously reconsidering my opinion about the 50 Cron family based on what you and Hilmar, Thorsten Overgaard and others have posted with the rigid/DR.
Edit: Since it's a new page, might as well add more photos:
First and last with the 50 Lux, at 1.4 or f/2, second with the 28 Cron wide open, third with the 21 Lux stopped down a bit. I got lucky with a nice set of windows behind me reflecting sunlight back into the crowd.
Adam: one of the first lenses I got was a 75 (Voigtlander) and between it and the 90 Summarit, I find 90mm much more useful for my needs. I absolutely don't miss 75mm between 50 and 90, though I'm sure a nicely calibrated 75 Lux would find some use. I also agree with you about 35mm. There are times where I miss not having one with me, but then I shoot the scene with the 28 and crop. It's not ideal, but works for me. In this respect, given the choice of the 28 Elmarit or Cron, I picked the Cron in part because it really can exhibit decent subject/background separation wide open, where it's very sharp centrally. And it's very easy to focus accurately. Depending on how much you think you will shoot longer than 50mm, it might be worth considering a blend of the two options you outlined, putting your money on the performance lenses you think you'll use most, such as the 28 Cron and/or 50 Lux and opting instead for the 90 Summarit. Another benefit is they all take 46mm filters, if that matters to you.
zhangyue - nice, I like the backlit shot, and the bokeh in the first.
rscheffler - You have the 50lux asph and non asph in that post? All are great captures, love the first shot of the guy.
Gary - the turtle shot is great! I'd buy the 90 non-aa in a heartbeat if it were the tele-emarit size
dgenx24 - jealous of your NY shots, you found so many neat shots!
Charles - Noct is giving you great results now! I actually tried a fellow Leica users Noct the other day, and it focused spot on with my camera, was so tempted to buy it, but am holding strong for now.
zhangyue - You do a better job with the 35/2 then I do.. I like your processing!
Ron, I'm just worried about how much easier it is to use a 75 then 90... I guess however I can always pickup the 1.4x magnifier to help me with focusing/frame lines if I do grab a 90..
Adam, I added more to the post above while you and Michael posted.
I only have the 50 Lux ASPH, just too lazy to type ASPH each time.
Yes, I have the 90 Summarit. When I met up a couple months ago with Andrew Gough (posts here as well, just not much recently), I had a chance to try his 75 Summarit. This won't make your decision any easier because I think the 75 is indeed easier to focus, slightly. And I think it's also sharper, slightly. The catch is my 90 Summarit does not hit infinity with the rangefinder (though the infinity hard stop is actual infinity), and the entire focus range is slightly off as a result, meaning I have to intentionally misfocus it to get perfect wide open focus. The challenge with the Summarit lenses is they have very quick focus throws. But here the 90AA, from my understanding, and maybe Charles can confirm this, also has a quick focus throw. Andrew owns the ZM85 Sonnar, which I shot fairly extensively on our outing, and found it easy to focus, in part because of the longer focus throw.
I have the 1.4x magnifier, but haven't used it recently, in part because the 90 is my least used lens, and it's a pain to unthread the viewfinder diopter to add the magnifier. I guess the magnifier helps somewhat, but as Charles and others have posted before, what helps the most is finding the correct diopter for your eyesight (assuming you need one).
Awesome lux shots. I really want a lux but my fiancé said she needs a wedding gift idea (and the lux was it, since even if I get rid of the M9 it's a great lens for both 1.5x mirror less cameras, and will be great on the future full frame mirror less options).
Yeah I'm actually out now taking random photos with my 75summarit (on iPhone now). It's pretty good, sharp, nice bokeh. What I like about it, is it seems to be contrasty on the subject and not so much on the bokeh. Maybe it's the haze, but that's what I'm seeing anyway.
It's just so close to my 50mm that I'd almost rather be using the 50cron. Hence my lust for a 90summarit.
Question is, would a 90AA be worth the size/price?!
Ron, wow... stunning series of shot!!! Love the colours, and PP'ing. Great stuff. Too many favourites, to pick them out
Michael, beautiful shots with the 50 Cron rigid!!
Adam, your shot is not visible at the moment
Your expensive option of the 28 Cron, 50 Lux and 90 Cron AA is a great choice!!! I also have the 35 Lux FLE, and with the 50 Lux, I usually opt for the 24 Lux when I need to go wider.
The 90 Cron AA, is an amazing lens, and brilliant for portraits! Ron is right, the 90 Cron AA, has a quick focus throw, which does make it harder to nail the focus. But the right dioptor there is no need for the 1.4 magnifier. I have one, but I have only used it once.
I'm with Ron on the 35 Lux FLE is an awkward FL in some respects. I normally end with the 50 Lux first on the M9, and the 24/75 Lux in my bag.
Ron - What a great set! Your colors and PP are spot on as usual. You did a great job at capturing the excitement and spontaneity of the celebrations. It actually looks like you were somewhere in Europe!
Adam - you may have some issues with Flikr. Quite often your images are not appearing properly for some reason. BTW - I love my 28 Elmarit asph. It truly is such a sharp lens and is also superb for B&W I find.
Michael - nice shots! I really like your PP style. Rich colors and nice dark tones throughout.
Jonas - really nice B&W conversion. Good tones and sharpness.
Went to a G.O.D. opening party in Singapore, took a photo of some friends.
My fiance was there, but she was to busy shopping to pose..
Used the 35lux-asph wide open.
Great shots everyone and thanks for some of the earlier comments to my pics
Catching up from p531,
Gary, very nice casual beach shots with the 28 Elmarit. The street graffiti series are excellent! The Roma silhouette shot is beautiful and well composed. Love the tonality on the The smart car B&W shot. I also like the Longview cowboy shot!
Charles, those 50 Nocti shots continue to impress! The picture of your god daughter is beautiful.
hk_mtbr, nice road bike series with the M8
Michael, congrats on your new Zeiss lenses and excellent shots from the SF set. I like the shadows and diagonals on #2. Also, those family pictures posted in the past few pages are wonderful, especially like the B&W shots. I like the look of the 50Cron DR, nice!
ocean2059, very nice shots from Greece. What a beautiful country.
Lovinglive, nice eco-ride!
dgenx24, the taxi shot with the CV 35 II is excellent!
telluridestock, nice set with the 28 Elmarit. The 3rd shot with the portrait and two hands is my favorite. The other 2 B&W shots from AZ are also very nice.
Adam, congrats on your new lenses. I think you have more than 2 lenses now?
Ron, excellent PJ and "documentary style" pics! Really nice series which tells the story well and there are many excellent shots and moments caught throughout. The 2nd shot on the first post (with the boy holding the hood on the stroller) is my absolute favorite, nice moment with his gaze caught! That last post with the 28Cron is also lovely with the rhythm and flow of the flag.
najibs. nice shot with the CV35/1.4
Jonas, nice quiet moment with the ZM35B.
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A few from Kyoto, taken last month.
Finally, a color pic from our Tokyo family vacation album. Gotta to love my 28Cron!
