Crazy Weather in Austin. But nice for swimming and photography.

 

Jennifer. Triathlete. 

On the Barton Springs Greenbelt.

Camera: Mamiya 6.

Mamiya 150mm 

When I woke up this morning I knew it was going to be a goofy day. I always take a peek at my Apple Watch before I roll out of bed and I was a bit surprised to see that our projected high temperature this afternoon was going to settle in around 80° (f). The morning started out cloudy but the clouds broke near the end of swim practice. I swam with my favorite lane mate today. He's younger (but only by 15 years) and four inches taller than me and he set a pace I'm still recovering from. We plowed through 3300 yards and then at the end (peer pressure) he decided we had enough time to do four or five "shooters." 

What are shooters? At our pool it means you breathe in as much oxygen as you can and then swim underwater the whole way to the other end of the pool. Then you pop up, get a breath and swim leisurely back to the other end. The first one isn't that rough but we tend to do them on a one minute interval per two lengths and by the fourth one of the set it gets a little hairy. It seems like no big deal to hold one's breath for twenty to twenty-five seconds, and it is pretty easy at the beginning of the workout, but after a couple fast miles it ends up being a lot more challenging. I cheated on the last one and came up for a breathe at the backstroke flags. That's at least 15 feet from the end.... I'll try harder next time. 

Next stop was a visit to my favorite camera store. It was my second trip this week. The first time I hauled up a ton of lighting equipment and traded most of it in for store credit. Now the lighting gear shelves at my office are look a lot less overwhelming and chaotic than before. Everything the store didn't want was donated because....if the store doesn't want it then why try to squeeze a rock?

Today's trip was for a specific purpose. I always wanted a Leica SL2 camera. A squeaky clean, new one.  When I finished swimming this morning I had a moment of quasi-clarity in which I decided that this was a small thing that would bring me no small amount of pleasure. I did my research between the SL2-S and the original SL2 and decided in favor of the higher resolution model; the original. The shocker came when I asked to buy a couple extra batteries. I'd read that the camera can, depending on how you use it, be pretty power hungry. I'm still reeling from having to pay $275 each for fairly small, but Leica branded batteries. I wish they were interchangeable with my Panasonic S series batteries but that would be too easy. 

I don't have much to report about the camera today since it's brand new and just out of its box. I need to wait for the first battery to charge and when it does I'll take it out for a "breaking in" stroll and we'll get to the bottom of this "Leica Mystique." Fact or fiction? We'll see. 

Funny thing, though... I'm planning on doing its maiden voyage with the little Sigma 45mm f2.8 L-mount lens on the front. Probably not the most logical approach but consider the source. 

As almost every reviewer has said, "The camera body itself is a beautiful work of art."

Did I need it? No. Did I want it? Ever since it hit the market.

More follow.