The Leica CL and the TTArtisan 23mm f1.4 L mount lens are a near perfect combination for photographing while walking around contemplating the universe.

Michael Johnston has me on a black and white kick. I'm playing around with all my cameras to see how they are at delivering nice black and white files without too much fuss. I was out in our downtown area a few days ago with a Leica CL camera (now, sadly, discontinued...) and a very inexpensive lens made by Chinese lensmaker, TTArtisan. The lens is the 23mm f1.4 and it's available in a bunch of different mounts, including the L mount. The lens only covers an APS-C frame so I use it almost exclusively with one of  the two CL bodies I seem to have accumulated over the last year and a half. 

I'm thinking about buying one more CL from a reputable dealer because I've come to like the camera a lot and it would be sad not to have an extra if one of my two units ages out and becomes inoperable. It's kind of an insane idea because, with my luck, the minute I spend the money there will be a collaboration between Leica and Panasonic and, voila! they'll introduce a perfect replacement camera at exactly the price I will have just paid for a used, discontinued model. 

These black and white shots of the Seaholm Center and the surrounding buildings downtown were shot in Jpeg, with a monochrome setting in the camera. They don't exist at all as color files. I use the Monochrome HC setting; the HC means high contrast. I add some sharpening to the profile, also in camera, so that when I sit down to look at or process the photographs there are already very close to what I had in mind. I imagine that Leica engineered the profile with a built-in nod to either a yellow or light orange filter effect since the files straight from the camera render skies very well. Much better than a straight flush of saturation would have done.

The combination of the CL and the small, lightweight 23mm f1.4 TTArtisan lens makes for a near perfect walking around camera. As you can see from the examples though the lens is dirt cheap to purchase it's really quite a good semi-wide-angle contender. Much better than I imagined it would be when I ordered it.

The camera is one half the size and one half the weight of my Leica SL camera body which makes it a pleasure to hang over one shoulder while plodding around town. The camera boasts a really fine 24 megapixel sensor which is unencumbered by an "AA" filter so it makes really sharp files. And the Leica color science is my favorite. Even in Jpeg files. 

CL users who use autofocus lenses with the camera and who also use the auto switching between the EVF and the LCD often complain about miserable battery life and I'd have to agree in that use case. But if one uses the "extended EVF" setting which always sends the image to the EVF unless you push the menu button or the play button, and you use the correct power saving mode, along with a manual focus lens, you can get 500 or 600 files from a single small, cheap battery. An extra battery in one pocket is always a welcome tagalong. 

I am experimenting with a small, light kit for travel and leisure and so far it's looking like the CL with the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 paired with two small primes; the 23mm mentioned above and the 50mm f1.2 TTArtisan lens which I've written about before.Those three lenses and a back-up body would easily fit in my smallest camera bag or my smallest daypack and would cover everything I usually want, in terms of focal length range, for just about any casual photography. Especially on the road. 

I'm very happy with the rendering of the metal tube running vertically near the middle of the frame. Seems just like it did when I looked at it with my eyes. Only with less color here....

The sky was deep blue on this day and my conjecture about Leica pumping in some computational color filtering was triggered by the contrast between the sky and the building and chimney.

The images below were shot in color and stayed that way. 

There are a few self-portraits below, in black and white,  but they are mostly included because several of them were shot at 10,000 ISO and I was pleased by the way the camera handled noise and wanted to show you what I was seeing. 

Above image was taken early in the afternoon as I was heading into the heart of downtown.

The image below was taken a couple hours later as I trudged back to my car.

I enjoy seeing how much prevailing light influences a photograph over time.

Camouflaged as a worker with work boots, nondescript work pants and a bland shirt.

I like the way current Leicas handle reds and flesh tones. 

And I like how sharp the files appear.

Shot in the late evening with very low light. ISO 10,000 with the 23mm lens used at its full f1.4 aperture.

Having big, full frame cameras is great for lots of stuff where absolutely getting the exact shot a client wants is mandatory (or urgently preferred) but having a smaller system that doesn't require a bunch of bandwidth to move around with is nice too. It is possible to have the best of both worlds. Just scrimp a bit on that new car.