Open this one up large to see how three dimensional this image looks.
That old, old 28mm does a wonderful job with depth and separating planes.
who wouldn't want a brilliant, olive green and Kevlar wrapped Leica Q2 faux rangefinder camera to play with out on the streets? But who wants to pay U.S. $6,000+ for the privilege? While I am sure many of my readers have the wherewithal to order one on impulse and not lose any sleep over the expense I am equally sure that for most of us it would be a stretch. And if one is streeeetching one has to wonder if it's all worth it. Or if one can put together an equally good street shooting set up, based on a nice 28mm lens, for a lot less money. And if you cobbled together a substitute could it match the frothy reputation of the Q2 and also deliver the goods; the images?
In my mind, if you disregard the difference in build quality and implied prestige of the Q series Leicas and you are looking for pure performance as your deciding metric I would have to suggest that, if you can deal with a little bit longer fixed lens, you might look instead at a Fuji X100V. I've owned two and they are wonderful cameras. Especially for the money. But if you can't move away from that 28mm focal length and you don't want to sell a kidney you could consider building your own street shooting conglomeration.
A reasonable choice might be something like a Sony A7(x) body coupled with their 28mm f2.0 lens. That might just get you in the same ballpark. You'd have to work on the color science difference with a bit of diligence but eventually you might be able to get close and then make a preset for Lightroom that you could use to automate a bit of the processing. If you really want to stick to using a Leica camera for their killer color science you might consider doing what I did today: Put a Contax Y/C Carl Zeiss 28mm f2.8 (accessible used for around $300 in good shape. Look for the MM version denoted by the f22 number on the aperture ring being green) on an Y/C to L mount adapter and popping the lens onto a "vintage" Leica SL (usually available for around $2200, in good shape).
I was thinking about the Q or the Q2 and it dawned on me that I already had enough of the pieces in my collection to toss together an ersatz combo. I set the camera to raw format, set the white balance to daylight, selected the aperture priority mode, and let the auto-ISO range between 50 and 12,500. All I really needed to do was compose, focus and shoot. Sure, every once in a while I'd tweak the exposure a bit with the exposure compensation dial but other than that I was working mostly by touch. Or camera telepathy.
It was stinky hot outside so I stayed on the shady side of the streets and did my usual walk. When I started to feel the heat I'd duck into one of my favorite taco restaurants and grab an ice tea. There wasn't much going on downtown but that was okay with me because another thing I was playing with was messing around with a circular polarizer on the lens. That more or less ruled out photographing fast moving objects today. So did my compulsion to magnify the center part of the frame on a lot of the shots in order to confirm, or acquire, sharp focus.
I think that older Contax 28mm lens is really good. Especially when you are willing to work stopped down to f5.6 or, even better, f8.0. Since I'm very happy with the overall results I consider that I saved over $6,000 today. The polarizer was free. It's a Minolta polarizer that came attached to a lens I bought and then sold long, long ago. The lens was crap, the filter was really nice. Still is.
When it hit 103° and the heat index parked itself at 107° I decided to pack it in and head home. The sunscreen and bountiful selection of wide brimmed hats are all good and well but no substitute for the comfort of a cool pool or a studio luxuriously awash with air conditioning.
So, the SL+Contax 28mm is a good substitute for the Q in my mind. Not as small and not as compact but with a bigger, better battery. And dual card slots. But no I.S. If you really, really need more megapixels you might consider a used Panasonic S1R (around $1800 on the sporadic used markets) and the same lens. If you are lucky enough to already own a Leica SL2 you can sub that into the mix for a full on, toe to toe, replacement. It's got the same high res sensor and the same color science family/look. With the higher res cameras you have the equivalent of a Q2...at least imaging performance wise...
That's all I've got for today. I sure hope it snows tomorrow. I'd settle for rain. Hell, at this point I'd welcome highs in the mid-90s....
I absolutely love the girl on the gymnastic rings painted around and under the small window unit A/C.
Use a much worse 28mm lens if you want Purple Haze.
Polarizer. Engaged.
It always bugs me when my bodyguard accidentally steps into the frame.
I guess everyone's been there at one time or another. Right?
And sadly, for the absolutely humorless and literal among us:
I don't have a bodyguard. I was making a joke. It's okay.
16 comments:
The top photograph is amazingly good. Just really, really good. Thanks for sharing.
R.A.
You're a better man than I, going out in 103 deg. heat. I'm doing my photography walks at 7:30 am these days, when it's usually in the high 70s. Of course you're swimming then...
Dick
Kirk
If you are building you Q2 competitor and already have the Leica SL2, add the Leica 28mm Summicron SL lens. The cost is a bit less than the Q2 package, and the image quality is vastly superior. Plus, the length of the lens balances well on the body, but the weight is not over whelming. It is a lot to like if you can work with the size.
PaulB
If you want a compact 28mm equivalent street shooter, there is the Ricoh GR. Bonus is that cheaper than the Fuji too.
shakespears pub with a mechanical bull seems like an interesting combination, in stratford upon avon, where he was born, everything is shakespeare themed, the birthplace of william shakespeare coach (bus) park is my favorite
I've completely lost track. In the early days of digital I remember online discussions about film era lenses vs digital era lenses to do with reflective sensors and rear element coatings and the angle that the light emerges from the rear of the lens and probably other things too. I stopped paying attention after a while, haven't thought about the subject in a long time. You seem to be able to take some fine looking photos with older lenses. So what gives? Was it just one of those effects that are real but so small that no one can actually see the difference.
I love my Fuji XE-1 with 18mm f2, fairly compact and light and reasonably unobtrusive. Your pictures are sublime as usual, Kirk - I especially like the B&W rendition of power cables in the leading shot. Also interested and puzzled by the power meters and fixtures in the graffiti shot; are these for real, or just old equipment left in place as a curiosity?
Really surprised Panasonic hasn’t developed a full frame fixed lens compact. They already partner with Leica on their D-Lux series. They could even offer it in two versions - one based on the S1R sensor and a second built around the S5 sensor.
bishopsmead: for real.
Timothy, I would buy a Panasonic fixed lens, full frame compact in a heartbeat. Hoping for a 35 or 30mm lens on the front but would take a 28mm if coupled with the 47 megapixel sensor...
Robert Roaldi,
Earlier cameras with lower sensor count needed to have much thicker, more aggressive AA filters to keep artifacts at bay. I owned a Nikon D2H which was a 4 megapixel camera with a less aggressive filter pack and it moire'd and had aliasing artifacts anytime I pointed it at woven fabric, nylon, anything with a repeating pattern.
A side effect of a thicker AA filter is less optimal optical path of rays headed toward the edges of the frame and, in the day, less good anti-reflection coating resulting in light bouncing back the sensor to the rear element of film era lenses which caused weird spots and flares.
As sensors increased in resolution the need for AA filters of a certain strength was reduced which helped with frame edge sharpness and vignetting. As evidenced by the Panasonic GH5ii camera makers improved sensor pack multicoating which helps eliminate many of the earlier reflection problems. Progress actually can be beneficial...
Stunning images Kirk. I would love to see the same image made with the same lens on both the SL and your Panasonic FF camera.
Eric, Yeah....but then I'd have to carry two cameras around in the heat... maybe we'll do a comparison when the temps drop into the high 80s.
I'm surprised that you haven't mentioned the CL and the 18mm pancake as an alternative too. I was recently in Miami and made the mistake of going into the Leica Miami store since you have praised so highly. I walked out with an SL2 system and a CL system (again because of your experiences). I am positively thrilled with the CL and the 18mm and also have to agree with you that the SL2 finder is a real treat. The only downside to the good finder is that, often, the resulting images don't looks as good on the monitor as they did in the finder!
And, yes, in case you haven't picked up on this yet, I AM blaming you for impoverishing me.
Jon
But Jon! You have the two best camera systems I know of. I don't have the 18mm but will add one when I can. Saving up for an SL2-S......and a Q2 reporter.....and a 28mm Summicron....and a jet.....and a secret undersea lair.....it's all gonna take some time.
Jeez...this can be a pricey hobby.
Waiting for a Q3 (Wx, more like) with 60 MPx and 35mm focal length, so that the 75mm crop still has around 20 MPx (i.e. in the range of a Pany GX8 or a Leica CL). Or an S6 with similar specs Or - THE camera IMHO - an M-EVF without the rangefinder.
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