I woke up and staggered to the kitchen this morning and while I was pouring water to make coffee I turned around and saw a shaft of morning sun shining through two decorative bottles B. had placed on a credenza in the dining room. It looked cool to me so I reached for the closest camera to photograph the scene. I knew in a few minutes the shaft of light would move further to the right and the fun reflections and bright colors would be gone.
The only camera in reach was a Leica M typ 240 that was on the dining room table. It had a 50mm Carl Zeiss ZM Planar on the front. Not exactly a still life camera set up but as Texans say: "You dance with them as brung you." Loosely interpreted to mean that the camera at hand is the one you'll use.
I spent all day yesterday with a big, modern, mirrorless camera and a fat lens and as a result I was looking for something more fun, less intimidating and slower to use. The M240 was just the thing. The M240 that was on the table is my oldest and scruffiest one and since we Americans profess to root for the underdog it's just natural that it's the one I reach for most often. The 50mm Zeiss lens was on the front because it's a nice lens that's small and unobtrusive while having high contrast potential and good optical performance even wide open.
I spent most of the day yesterday in the heat so it was only natural that, after swim practice and a late lunch today that I should lather up with more sunscreen and head over to South Congress Avenue to buy a donut, some iced coffee, and take a walk around the area with that camera and lens.
Today I did something with that camera that I rarely do. When I went to photograph in the afternoon I put the EVF-2 finder in the hot shoe and used it with live view to compose and then to check the results. It's slow going but it's a nice way to be certain you got the shot you wanted. The screen res is nothing to write home about but the framing is exact. And the color is decent. The newer Leicas can use newer EVFs which are multiples better in terms of resolution and color accuracy but, again: "you dance with them as brung you."
I ran into my friend, David so I didn't get a lot of photography done. That's okay because he is so well read and so interesting to talk with. But I did manage to get a few shots and while they show the M240 in the best light (pun intended) they're not that special. Still, I love the process of photographing with rangefinder cameras so I will persevere.
the files do make for beautiful, clean, Texas skies.... (ISO200)
At Jo's, the epicenter of South Congress Ave.
Love the Austin Hotel. Need a pool? Get a day pass. And not at all pricey.
I'm sure it's a fad everywhere to stencil stuff onto sidewalks. I just think it can be funny or sweet.
This is David. We had enough of the heat and we were heading back to our cars.
His was that way. Mine was this way. This is where we parted ways.
blue truck under a blue sky. Skewered by a huge utility pole.
But only as an optical illusion.
I have heard that the M10 is a much better camera. A less noisy sensor. A thinner, lighter body, an improved rangefinder and an improved viewing window with more optical offset/eye relief. But I don't want to look through the finder of an M10. Or an M11 for that matter. It would be like test driving a much better car than you can afford. You'll always want to upgrade. I've convinced myself (ha!) that I'm satisfied with the M240s. We'll see how long that lasts...
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