The introduction of Leica's new M EV-1 clicked something in my brain. The realization that I have two EVFs for the M240 cameras and I don't think I used them except to test them when I first got them. The EV-1 inspired me to take another look at "old" tech.

With bucket hat and SPF, long sleeve shirt as 

UV protection. The camera and lens can fend for themselves. 

(image ghosting caused by shooting into double pane glass window).

Sometimes I overlook stuff that turns out to be pretty great. When I first read all the breathless proto-reviews of the Leica EV-1 I was a bit miffed that Leica didn't pay attention to the article I wrote on Michael Johnston's "TheOnlinePhotographer" way, way back in 2009. It was all about EVFs in modern cameras. And why, one day, most cameras used by pros and ardent amateurs would all sport EVFs. The ridicule from the "expert" gallery was priceless and I learned more than I ever wanted to in the comments about the difference between long bows and crossbows and the battle of Agincourt. Some people are just bad at knowing the future with any kind of certainty. Now here we are and just about every professional camera you can lay your hands on has....an EVF. 

But the introduction of the new camera didn't cause me to instantly crave it. In fact my response was the opposite. Not, "Oh Cool !!!" But more: "Here we go again." The buzz about the "new tech" from Leica jogged my memory and reminded me that I had two of the EVFs (re-badged Olympus finders) that Leica offered for the M240 cameras. They aren't the highest res finders but they do a fine job for composition and basic exposure display with those cameras. 

The problem was that I thought at the time it would be a good idea to buy the finders for future use and then life intruded and that intended use got pushed back further and further until .... well, you know how it goes...

So yesterday evening I dug out the EV-2 finders from their cases and I put one on my favorite M240, the gunmetal finished M-E version. Then I added a Carl Zeiss ZM 50mm Planar to the mix, set the camera to shoot Jpegs in black and white and headed downtown to see what I'd been missing. And, in fact, I was missing something. Those finders are great for subjects that don't move fast. In a black and white mode they are especially good. Mostly because you instantly eliminate the color artifacts, etc. 

I have to be honest. The live view process with an EVF in the hotshoe is a much slower way to shoot with that 2019 rangefinder camera. When you start up the camera there is a lag. When you push "live view" there is a lag, and then you have to remember to push the button on the back of the EVF to have the live view image move from the rear LCD to the finder. Once you are there and you push the shutter button the camera has to close the shutter and then re-open it to capture the image. It's time consuming. But if your goal is to have perfect framing, perfect visualization of the effects of aperture (shallow or deep depth of field) and a good emulation of the image the system works well for all stationary situations and most general photography. You just can't be in a hurry. Which I rarely am these days. 

When I came home and ingested the files into Lightroom and the ventured into the Develop module I was absolutely shocked at the detail the camera and the Zeiss lens working together provided. It's just amazing. And if I trusted the viewfinder image I found I got files that didn't blow out the highlights at all. And that's with the camera set to medium high contrast. 

The camera and EVF do everything I want in a daylight, street shooting camera system. I'm glad I resurfaced the two EVFs, each of which cost me less than $200. And even though the base camera which the M-E is sourced from is from 2012 (generic M240)  the EVF finder (and camera live view) provides focus peaking as well as punch in magnification for fine focusing. 

My belief now is the that Leica EV-1 is a cost cutting product as well as an "open the tent to more average-capable users" sort of product. I can't believe that an M11 or M10 with a dedicated external EVF can be much less practical in day-to-day use... But maybe that's just elitism talking. 

At any rate it was a revealing re-discovery of old tech that works. That's all I've got. 

 

 I always thought of mannequins as being "classy." I was shocked to see one

willing to wear such a raunchy t-shirt. But what was I to expect from

football culture. who would wear this in public?

A photo from the ancient Leica CL. The non-digital one. From about 1980. Maybe 1979. Who took accurate notes back then? Not me.

 

B. and I went camping at Bastrop State Park a long time ago. About 45 years ago. I brought along a camera that I was having fun with back then. Might have been one of only two cameras I owned at the time. It was a Leica CL film camera. I bought it used from Capitol Camera in Austin, Texas. It came with a 40mm f2.0 Summicron C lens. I was relatively new to photography back then but the learning curve on a camera with only three exposure controls and one focus control was pretty darn short. I'd already learned to process Tri-X film, make contact sheets and also make black and white prints. 

B. and I remember that camping trip as the first time I made a hollandaise sauce over a campfire for the poached eggs and steaks I was also cooking. Increasing the level of difficulty was the fact that we forgot to bring a flashlight and by the time I started cooking it was already getting dark.

Two pieces of advice to pass on to a younger generation: If you want to impress a woman you have recently started dating try making a perfect, smooth hollandaise sauce from scratch over a wood campfire. If you pull it off you will find your relationship off to a good start. Second, and this advice comes from decades of life, Always marry someone smarter than yourself. It works out better that way. (At least for you....).

That's the only worthwhile advice I can offer. 

I was being nostalgic about Leica rangefinder cameras today and went looking for this photograph. I think it speaks to the underlying belief we all have that a successful photograph depends about 95% of the time on having a subject you love to photograph and less than 5% of the time on which camera you end up using. 

Two keepers. 

Made it to swim practice today. The coach asked me if I'd be at workout on Tuesday. When I said yes he offered to host a special workout for my 70th birthday where we would swim 70 x 100 yards on 70 second intervals. That's a 100 yard swim every minute and ten seconds. I gracefully declined as I could not cover 7,000 yards in an hour and ten minutes even back in college...  It's good to know your limits. 

Now a bit frightened about going to workout on my birthday... but I'll get over it.

As Predicted, Leica drops a whole new camera (kinda). Let the feeding frenzy begin!!! Will I buy one? Probably not...

 

Leica M EV1

Leica took their basic M series rangefinder camera, took out the optical rangefinder entirely, and replaced it with an EVF. In one fell swoop they've taken what made one of their cameras totally different from just about everything else on the market and presented to the photography universe one more camera that uses an EVF instead of any sort of optical finder. Of course it works with 70 years worth of Leica M series lenses and that's a good thing but it's sure to stir up some temporary angst and controversy amongst the Leica faithful, and provide contentious fuel for the fires of legions of Leica haters. They will contend that you might as well just buy an XXX (cheaper camera) and put Leica lenses on it --- if that floats your boat. 

When I saw the flood of videos about the M EV1 from all the Leica toting influencers I immediately rushed  my favorite Leica store's website and added my name to the wait list to eventually be able to buy one --- but that's kind of a pro forma move since I am under no obligation to buy one when it becomes available. The retailer will just move on to the next person on the list...

Here's what the camera is in a nutshell: It's based on the existing M11 body design but uses an eyepiece that more closely matches that of the EVF enabled Q3. The big, optical viewfinder window has been totally removed and you are now going to compose and focus on a conventional EVF screen. The camera uses what we presume to be the same 60 megapixel sensor seen in the Q3 and SL3 cameras. It features the triple resolution capability that allows for raw files in smaller resolutions. (Nice). It comes with an SD slot and also 64 GB of internal memory. While I think the 64 GB is a bit stingy in this day and age I'm sure they limited it so that when the special edition version ("P") comes to market they can add more memory to that camera to enforce the difference between it and the stock version. Don't worry, you'll be able to tell the difference between models because Leica will remove the red, front logo on the luxe version. I meant "more luxe" version. One exciting feature for Leica lovers !!! No video. Oh boy! (not). 

I was prepared to be really excited about the new camera, after all I have a bunch of cool M mount lenses that would work really well on the camera and it sure will make composing on 28,24,21, and 18mm lenses a lot easier. Not to mention being able to use longer lenses than 90mm with more comfort and precision. But we've always been able to do that since the introduction of the M240 (2012) by attaching a shoe mounted, external EVF. So, hmmm. What's in it for me?

I found it delightfully humorous, and cynically disingenuous, to watch YouTuber after YouTuber get all exciting about the idea of an EVF on an interchangeable lens camera. As though this was brand new tech!!! Groundbreaking. Imagine, you can "PREVIEW" the shot you might want to take. Imagine, you can "REVIEW" the shot you just took, right there in the finder!!! Without even moving your eye away!!!!  You can see how your color temperature settings will impact the image you are about to capture!!!!! You can see focus peaking and, most amazing of all, you can magnify the frame you are considering shooting in order to focus the lens more accurately!!!!!! All things we've been able to do across many systems for many years. For well over a decade!!!!!!!!! 

If you don't need a full frame camera you could buy a Leica CL (the digital version) as well as an M to L Leica lens adapter and instantly be able to use all those cool M mount lenses in exactly the same way right now! No waiting for supply to catch up with demand. And as a bonus you'll save seven or eight thousand dollars into the bargain. As a second, added bonus you can even have video with a CL, if you want it. 

While I was getting all amped up while listening to the well oiled, Chris Nichols camera review machine I happened to reach over on my desk and grab my Leica SL2-S, the one I bought used this year for a little over two thousand dollars... Amazingly it already had an M mount lens attached to it via the Leica M to L adapter. Amazingly I could do things like: use focus peaking! accurately compose any focal length M lens with alarming precision! preview my exposure! check focus by magnifying the preview frame! see how different color temperature settings would affect the image I was about to take! when using Leica M lenses that are coded I could also have the camera automatically set accurate lens profiles! In fact, the only two things spending eight thousand more dollars would buy me would be a lighter camera (less weight) and a 60 megapixel sensor. I'd like the sensor but I am not yet so infirmed that the difference in weight between an M camera and an SL camera is so dramatic. Or that my current M cameras are not up to the task of....taking photographs.

From a marketing point of view I am certain that Leica is doing exactly what they should be doing as a "for profit" company. They are opening up their M "tent" to a much wider audience; one that was never going to buy into the rangefinder mystique. They've goosed up their aspirational product line with one that more firmly aligns with a much bigger target market. At the same time they are lowering the cost of producing more machines for the epic M product line. As we all know, if you can replace a complex mechanical/optical mechanism with an electronic package that is mass produced by Epson (the EVF screen) you cut so many costs while eliminating points of failure from mechanical shock, etc. Less warranty repairs? Greater reliability? Less manufacturing costs? More money in Leica's luxe pockets?

So, a more accessible product, less production costs, same high prices = higher profit margins and more inventory moved out the door. A win-win-win for Leica. 

I stated that I probably will not buy one. But I have been known to change my mind. So, please don't pillory me if you see me out and about with an M EV1 in my hands. I am only human and subject to Veblenistic behaviors like any one else. 

In the long run it's obvious to me that no matter what Leica says (and they have stated that they'll be making real, rangefinder M cameras till the end of time) within five, at the most, ten, years they'll quietly discontinue the optical finder Ms and let everyone know that EVFs have "gotten so good" that they've "eclipsed" the usefulness of the optical rangefinders and so, have discontinued them ---- except for special editions. $$$$

Now heading to the Hermés store on South Congress Ave. to buy a thousand dollar camera strap for my SL2-S. Just trying to feel better after finding out today that all my current camera tech is becoming obsolete. What's next? More complex menus?

Taking a breather to walk around with an ancient M240 and its EVF-2 finder. Who knows? Retro digital might be cool again.

No sweat, they are all just cameras....  As Roland says, it's just the punctum that matters...

Funny though to hear from influencer/people who swore that their optical viewfinder Leicas were the compelling differentiation from all other cameras only to see them swill Italian wines and gush about the potential of EVFs at an all expenses paid "vacation" and have them swoon because the brand (and product line)  they professed to love the most just adapted decades old technology. The surprised looks on their faces about the efficacy of the "new" EVFs seemed....inauthentic. 

My problem, as usual, is not the product but the junket and the flood of day one, "first look" testimonials. Almost like a religion...

The New Lens is a Keeper. Pairs nicely with the existing cameras...

The Leica 35-70mm f4.0 R series ROM lens is very neutral and has good sharpness across the frame from f4.0 onward. I liked working with it this afternoon and was happy to have a high performing zoom lens that didn't weigh as much as a bag of groceries. Some will point out the limited focal length range as a "fault" or a "fail" but for me it's a nice imposition of guard rails. I love that middle ground a lot more than I love the wides and long telephoto lenses....

Nice weather in Austin and very happy that the crowds for Formula One and Austin City Limits Music Festival have now decamped and moved on. More chocolate cake for the rest of us...

Samples from today's quick lens test. Far away, close up and everything in between. Should be especially good for Mannequin Photography. Much Punctum...

See the 100% crop just below..... really. The lens has no problem rendering detail. 

And it looks cute...

New series: Aqua Silhouettes. Bucket hat represented.

Fall means that a few days between now and the end of the year will

be below the 90s...

I am coming to the Halloween party as myself. 

That should be scary enough.

Food photos. New lens arrives. Perfect weather: finally. And...great morning swim.

 

It was 62° here in Austin when I tossed off the covers and started my day. For some that will sound routine but here in central Texas it's become rare enough to celebrate. I opened all the windows in the house to let the breezes flow through. I put on long pants and a long sleeve shirt to stay warm while drinking that first magical cup of coffee. I listened to the birds' songs, clearly, with no window glass in the way to mute their arias. It. Felt. Wonderful. 

Our coach this morning was Dennis. The core of the workout was four sets of three descending 125 yard swims interspersed with five 25 yard sprints. At the end of each 125 yard swim there was a five second gap until the next 125 yard swim. If you stood up in the shallow end so that your chest and shoulders were out of the water you could feel this rare coolness wrap around you from the breeze. Delicious. 

It's fun to be closing in on 70 and still being able to make the intervals and feel good all over. It's probably the best part of every day. The realization that, so far, I have dodged the sore knees, achy hips, painful lower back and all the rest of the maladies that seem prevalent in the general, geriatric population. I credit swimming, diet and general happiness as contributing factors to staving off the ravages of time. That, and my "Maturity Deficit Disorder..." (humor implied..).

I took possession of a "new-to-me" lens yesterday. It's an older lens, but not older tech by much. It's the Leica 35mm to 70mm f4.0 ROM lens that was made for the Leica R system of manual focus cameras. It was the third and last version of the 35-70mm compact zooms for that system and by far the best overall compromise. I say that it's the best compromise because there was also a 35-70mm f2.8 lens (not compact!) that is supposed to be breathtakingly superb in all regards. That lens currently fetches between $8,000 - $10,000 on the used market and is getting rarer by the day. Nope, the f4.0 version is, at least for me, the one to own. It's smaller, lighter and optically almost just as good but the compromise is the slower aperture. The f4.0 lens was designed by Leica and made by Kyocera; the same company that makes the  Carl Zeiss ZM lenses and all the fun and high performing lenses bearing the Voigtlander name.

One of my photographer friends who is far more egregious about impulse buying cool stuff picked up this lens a while back and never really got around to using it. He knew that short range, high performance Leica zooms were something I've always been interested in and offered it to me at a tremendous discount. The perfect self-birthday present!!!

The lens is the final ROM version so one could use it with a Leica branded R to L adapter and be able to transmit aperture data and focus rotation data (good for auto magnification focusing) from the lens to a current SL body but that would be the extent of the data transfer. And the adapter is about $1,000 when purchased new. More than I paid for the lens itself!!! I rummaged through the drawers in the studio and found a Novoflex (dumb) adapter that works just fine to join the lens and body. 

Why this particular zoom? Well, I have the current 24-90mm f2.8-4.0 Elmart SL and I've used it on hundreds of photo assignments. I don't mind carrying that behemoth around if people are willing to pay me for it but it's not a very convenient "street" photography tool. Or travel tool. And it's sure not very discreet. It's big, heavy and big. And heavy. 

While the older 35-70mm f4.0 R lens isn't auto focus, doesn't communicate with my Novoflex adapter, and doesn't automatically stop down it's very high performing, optically, and much less than half the weight and size of the 24-90mm Leica SL zoom. For someone who is perfectly happy adapting M series lenses to L cameras it's just fine.

I'm looking forward to this afternoon's walk to "break in" the lens and see how well it works on an SL2.

On another unrelated, related note, I'm planning a series of images of farmer's markets both locally and in some of my other favorite cities. San Antonio used to have a big farmer's market just to the west of their downtown but sadly that location devolved into a mini-mall for tourist memorabilia and souvenirs. The remaining food service there is mostly cheap pizza, cheaper nachos and beverages. I'm not sure where all the produce markets went but I do aim to find them. I am constantly reminded of how beautiful fresh produce can look, and what it's emotional resonance is on us as humans, when I look through photographs of my three visits to the Marché Jean-Talon produce market in Montreal. I wish we had a resource like that here... 

It's a beautiful day to be out with a camera so I'm signing off and will try to post some images from the new lens tomorrow. Have a great day. 

We're past the middle of October. Things are proceeding as planned.

Things are mellow around here. I'm catching up on lunches with friends and dinners with family. Cameras and lenses come and go. In a short while my son will be 30 years old and a few days later I'll be 70 years old. Still can't believe it. I know I should complain about something physical but with the exception of a dermatologist who never met a small growth on my skin that she didn't want to biopsy I still feel like a kid. No aches or pains. No limping around. Haven't lost my car keys yet. Still know how to set up a custom website. Not yet lonely and isolated. If anything the recession/abandonment of commercial work has caused a surge in socializing. Swimmers, electrical engineers, curators, fellow photographers, writers and family all seem to want to get together for coffees, lunches and dinners. If anything I'm having to be strict with them about carving out time for myself. 

My friend Paul keeps presenting me with photo gear deals that are too good to pass up. Currently considering a Leica 35-70mm f4.0 R lens that was a stellar performer back in the film days. Still is. Last month he let go of a Voigtlander 35mm f2.0 APO for the M mount that I just had to add to the collection... Who knows what will crop up next month?

Last week I deposited the last outstanding check from a client. It was for the last official job. It was odd to experience; like the passing of an era. Next month I'll get my first Social Security payment. Free money. Can't wait. 

I wrote earlier about hitting the wall when it came to the motivation to photograph. I pushed myself out the door every day since then and am happy to report that finding good photos is still exciting, fun and fulfilling. Sometimes thrilling.  But the desire for more cameras seems to be receding day by day. It's either because there's nothing new and exciting out there or it's because I have too many wonderful cameras to play with already. Currently cycling between the CLs and the SLs. 

My latest foray was with two Leica SL2 cameras. One fitted with the VM 50mm APO and the other fitted with the VM 35mm APO. Both lenses are made for the M series cameras but I sourced Leica's M to L adapters for both. I grew tired of trying out third party adapters only to have them fall short in one way or another. And I wanted to carry two cameras so I wouldn't have to stop and change lenses or deal with dust on sensors as a result of changing lenses in a dry and windy environment. The two cameras brought back memories of film day shoots where we might use three cameras with three different prime lenses on them. Back then it was both the reticence to change lenses all the time but also it improved the odds that the cameras would still have un-shot film in them if things came up quickly. 

The SL2 is one of the best cameras I've bought (back in 2019). The sensor has very high resolution, the body is solid and highly weather resistant and the thinner filters on the camera's sensor make using wide angle M series lenses more practical. Providing better results. While it's not the best high ISO performer I find well exposed files are very good to 3200 ISO and very useable up to 6400 ISO. Add in IBIS for the M lenses and it adds up to a really nice package for someone who might vacillates between mirrorless Leicas and M series rangefinder Leicas. And right now you can pick up used bodies for roughly a third (or less) of the original retail purchase print. About $2200 for a body in pretty good cosmetic condition...

Short term plans are to celebrate the two birthdays (Ben's and mine). See if any one of my family or colleagues took my gift "wish list" seriously (M11P - $10K  --- hope they are not that crazy!!) and to eat really, really good chocolate cake. On Saturday the 25th, right between birthdays, I'll head down to Austin's ever interesting downtown to make photographs at the Day of the Dead festivities as I have done for the past four years. Thinking that this time I'll limit myself to an SL2 and that 75mm TTArtisan AF lens I picked up last month. That lens has been a very good performer. A good match up.

In the middle of November I'll go forward with my zany plan to spend another week in Montreal. Not a family vacation but a chance to walk around for five or six days and make photographs at random. Once I have the dates nailed down I'll send along a note to my friends and acquaintances in Montreal and see if anyone is interested in meeting for coffee. I promise, not at Tim Horton's. 

Before the Montreal trip B. and I will have our usual fun evening passing Halloween candy out to the kids in the neighborhood. If the weather works out we'll do what we've done for the last couple of years and that's to set up a table at the top of our driveway and hang out there so the little kids don't have to make it all the way down the driveway to score candy. It also gives us a chance to catch up with the parents who bring them along. We'll keep something fun to drink at the table so the adults can get a treat as well.... We've had a fun time with neighbors on Halloween in past years and, amazingly, 99% of them are great people. 

Still waiting patiently for the big announcements from Leica. The one about the new 11 EV (an M 11 with an EVF instead of a rangefinder window) and the long awaited Q3 Monochrom. I'm also wondering if there are going to be any new lens announcements. Maybe some more stuff for the SL system? A 28mm f2.8 Elmarit would be a nice addition... Something that doesn't dwarf the camera bodies. 

Texas continues to be a weird and interesting place to live. Austin buffers the worst parts. Hope everyone is happy and well. 

 

Got to six swim workouts in a row last week. Thank goodness for a great pool and a great program. Trying to six again this week. Can't see any big obstacles. Those miles don't swim themselves....

Urban Landscapes on a Sunday Afternoon. Austin. Q2. Shot as black and whites in the camera. Jpeg all the way!!

 

Swam.

Read a novel. 

Walked through downtown.

Did the paperwork for state sales tax.

Put images in a blog.

Family dinner just ahead.