A desultory gallery. Virtual small town museum. Praise for a camera. Evaluation of a lens. Something for everyone.

 

I shot 1200-1500 images on Saturday, on a job, for a client. All raw. Across three different cameras. All Leica SL series cameras. I have a few thoughts. But I guess a good camera workout over the weekend was not enough to sate my need to go out after lunch today to photograph more things and to take a long walk...

I mentioned praise for a camera. While it's not perfect (what camera is?) I have to say that the original Leica SL, the world's first fully professional, mirrorless camera, is the most beautifully designed camera I have ever had the pleasure to use. It's spare, Spartan and industrial. No design missteps. Nothing bettered in the later models. 

After shooting with the SL2, the SL2-S and the original SL this weekend I was hungry to take the SL out for more, just a few hours ago. I also wanted to see how well the Thypoch 28mm f1.4 lens worked with that camera. I thought 28mm would be a good choice on a camera with no image stabilization. I felt that I could handhold shutter speeds down to 1/25th of a second and as long as there was no subject movement I'd be Okay. Of course that was what I was thinking before I had that powerful cappuccino at Mañana Coffee.... 

All kidding aside I really like the colors coming out of the SL. I know there are other cameras, both in the Leica family and elsewhere that can do a much better job with noise at higher ISOs but if you shoot the SL just right... it can turn out amazing files. Today, I shot everything at ISO 50. Why? Because it's a really ISO 50 and not a pull. Not a fake. And it looks great. It looks...different.

To compensate for the sometimes slower shutter speeds in alleys and shop windows I mostly used the 28mm lens in this way: f4.0 in bright light. f2.8 in lower light (open shade, et al) and, when pressed, I even used the lens wide open. It performed very, very well. I'll keep it and use it. 

It's not quite as brilliant as the lens on the Q2 but it's close. And the lens on the Q2 isn't as fast. though it does gain autofocus. Comparing the 28 Thypoch to my Carl Zeiss ZM 28mm Biogon is a different thing. The ZM 28 was designed for film. It doesn't do as well on full frame digital cameras when it comes to color casts in the corners or on one wide but not the other. I can't really hold that against the lens given that I knew about the design choices embodied. The M cameras; the rangefinders, have sensors that are tweaked to give great results with lenses designed for film and the cameras from Leica that came after the SL have the same micro lenses on the sensors to compensate.

But I can compare the performance of the Zeiss ZM 28 used on an M camera and the Thypoch used on an SL. It's easy to see in the files. The ZM has more contrast. More brilliance than either the Q2 Summilux or the Thypoch. On the right camera it's amazing and visually exciting. But, then again, it's "only" an f2.8 and not a 1.7 or a 1.4.

For daylight work or play I'd use the Zeiss ZM 28mm on a rangefinder camera as my first choice. Almost always. But all choices like these are subjective. After hours or in interior spaces I'd default to the Thypoch for the extra speed. And the Q2 is a Q. You're either bringing that camera along because you don't want to make lens choices or because you just want to travel light while having the benefit of a great sensor coupled to a great fixed lens. So, there it is. No perfect lens. But three nearly perfect 28mm lenses. If you are on a budget the Thypoch definitely wins. If you are looking for what I think is the best performance it would be the Zeiss lens on the front of a current M11 or an M10. Or even an M240. Traveling barebones? Then, the Q2. All great choices and only a devout lens nerd would really see or care about the small differences in performance....

But the SL camera wins hands down as best mirrorless camera (when thinking about design and construction) ever. Ever. Sorry. It's just closer to perfect than any other professional, full frame mirrorless camera. Everything here was photographed with the SL @50 ISO, 28mm lens. Handheld with no I.S. It works fine. It feels fine. And the images look great when you blow them up. You are going to look at them full frame, on a big computer monitor, right? Right? Comment below if for no other reason than my need to know that the comments are working and the blog hasn't been highjacked...

This is a lens test. In this frame I'm testing for chromatic aberrations. Purple fringing. Green fringing. Smear in the corners. Sorry. No complaints. It's all good here. 

Ah. The colors and contrast....

Pre-Shoot Rituals. Going through the steps to make sure everything is up and running.

Bizarre post production flaw. But I liked it enough to keep it.

tomorrow will be interesting for me. An old friend and sometimes video production partner recommended me as a still photographer on a film project he's involved with. The shoot will consist mostly of interviews with teachers and b-roll shots of youngsters who participate in a program and teachers. The majority of the set-ups will be outdoors, in a large, community garden. The priority, of course, is the success of the video footage. The producers would like me to set up photographs between the live interviews to mimic the look and feel of the interviews. They'll provide the lighting and turn the scenes over to me when they've gotten the performances they need. It's a tight schedule and it's going to be chilly but it's nice to be part of a bigger team. And it's almost relaxing just to be a bit player instead of being in charge. 

I'm taking a pared down kit with me. Two camera bodies, three lenses. One speed light. Extra batteries. A warm jacket. Several pairs of gloves (and some extras in case someone on the set forgot theirs...). A big, warm hat and a smaller warm hat. 

At the last minute I thought to bring along a small lighting kit, something to keep in the trunk. Just in case. A couple of people in the loop mentioned that they are "going really light." In my mind, after having done hundreds of these over the years, there's almost always a shot or two that needs just one more light than the crew rented....

I've got a 300 watt LED light, a small octabox, a sturdy light stand and a 50 foot extension cord all packed up and ready to go into the trunk of the car. I won't pull them out unless they are needed but extra stuff always comes in handy. And...I was actually, in real life, a Boy Scout. So..... Be Prepared.

My call time is 8 a.m. and I'm making a scheduling exception for this client in that I'll miss my Saturday morning swim workout. With that in mind I hit the 8 a.m. workout this morning and went back for another hour at the noon practice. I should sleep well tonight... 

The location is about 15 minutes from my house and the producer assured me that there would be craft service on site. Including breakfast tacos and hot coffee. Catered lunch. Civilized. 

My pre-shoot prep process is mostly about making sure each camera body has two formatted cards (the second one as back-up), that the cameras are each set up identically for file format, color profiles, WB, and so on. Each camera has two batteries dedicated to it. All four are relatively new SCL-6 Leica batteries which are about 20% more powerful than the SCL-4 batteries that came with the cameras. I also have stash of four more SCL-4 batteries in the gear case in the event that the cold weather robs the batteries of some potency. Also packed is a power bank since both the cameras can be powered via USB. All the batteries are being topped up as I type this...

My main camera is the SL2-S with the 24-90mm lens. It's probably the one I'll use for everything. The back-up camera is an SL2 and I've packed a 35mm f2.0, an 85mm f1.4 and a 135mm f2.8 for use with that camera and as back-ups for the zoom. The 135mm is a Leica R lens on an R to L adapter. It came via UPS yesterday and was tested all morning today. Nice. Fun. Hefty. 

Just got a note from the director of photography. He suggests wearing my Long Johns because it's gonna be cold, cold, cold. Heading to the closet to find mine.... An unusual wardrobe addition for Central Texas but there it is.

I hate to leave stuff to chance. Every shoot gets a pre-shoot shake down and battery charging session. A good way to prevent anxiety at the location. 

First all day shoot of 2025 for me. Can't wait!!!!

 

Transcending the weather? More like just rolling with it. Wet, cold and delightful.

 I guess I have myself to blame. I should have bought a nice condo in Majorca years ago. I'd be there now with my yacht anchored just up the beach. Sun warming my old, tired bones. My cute house manager rubbing sunscreen on the parts of my back I just can't reach. Getting ready to eat some fresh caught fish expertly prepared by our cook, Gabriella. But no. I wasn't smart enough to escape. So here I am in Austin, Texas taking black and white photographs with a decade+ old camera, in the rain and the cold. I guess I'm Okay with that. 

When I looked into the reflective glass on the side of a too many stories tall residence tower on 3rd St. it finally dawned on me that I am such a photo nerd. Out playing with cameras in the dire elements while all my brilliant friends are sitting in front of environmentally friendly fireplaces stoking the electric elements that are throwing off heat and light thanks to the huge batteries in their Power Walls. Electing to use the solar power held in reserve for no other reason than luxuriating in the hubris of having planned their game out so well. We still use grubby little logs that smoke like burning tires.

I realized how far down the rabbit hole I've gone, as a photographer, when I looked at the reflection of my gloves. They are made by photo supplier, ProMaster and I bought them in our local camera store. These are my second pair. I gave my first pair to a homeless guy who seemed to need them more than I did in the moment. 

The gloves have the requisite little, sticky rubber nubs on the palms and the inside curl of the fingers. All the better to grip even the slimiest, slipperiest cameras. They also have a little zipper pocket on the top of the wrist that's perfect for storing that extra SD card or smaller battery. And the final thing that makes them "photographer" gloves is a construction which allows one to uncover one's index fingers and thumbs in order to better operate tiny controls on cameras and lenses. 

I consider my hat to be, if not a certified photo hat, at least an efficient choice for imaging because it has no front bill to intrude into my upper peripheral vision nor will it block the rangefinder windows. The big question now is....does anyone make really cool photo shoes? If so, what are they and where do I find them? Birkenstocks just don't make the cut in sloshy wet, cold weather...no matter how many pairs of thick, German socks I put on. 

Half way through my walk today I stopped at Torchy's Tacos on 2nd Street, just across from the older Google building. A brief respite from the howling (8 mph...) wind and cutting (38°f) temperatures. The bacon, egg and cheese taco, paired with hot coffee was just the inspiration I needed to continue. 

In the winter I grow more partial to making images in black and white. It's not a bother, really. My mind doesn't require dramatic reconfiguring to make the aesthetic change over. In fact, it's mostly just one menu item on my camera. 

After I shot enough I headed home to wait by the door like a restless golden retriever ready to wag my tail when the rushed and beleaguered UPS guy comes up the driveway with my new ancient used happy lens from one of the Leica Stores. Something to look forward to in a gray and forbidding afternoon. Not quite held captive by the elements. At least the car still starts...

I hope I spelled every word correctly because I'm almost never in the mood to make revisions.

I'd rather look at lonely fire hydrants. Mysteriously located in fields far from buildings or houses.

Random Urbanism.

A smaller part of that curved building I've shot so many times that the owners are considering naming it after me. Or suing me. I can't remember which.

I consider metallic gray mannequins to be zombie mannequins. They are a bit off-putting. 

But perhaps more interesting than the headless ones.

couldn't help it. These were just down the street from Torchy's Tacos. 

I guess it was the caffeine boost that motivated this round...

visual cacophony. 

Yes. Yes. But install what exactly?

Alternate view for the back of the album cover. 

My readers from the vast wastelands of the north will laugh when I write that I've

really, really enjoyed the heated seats, heated steering wheel and side mirror defrosters on the new studio squad car. I might only get to use them for a couple weeks out of any given year but

it's still cool to have them. Or warm. Or, well, whatever. You know.

Lucy Lumen more or less nails it in her YouTube video about: "Are photographers too serious?" And I agree 100%

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NwN3CfpjL8

my all time, personal favorite photograph.

Technique? Sharpness? Dynamic Range? What's that?

It was a cold and gloomy evening.

 

But it sure was fun to be out photographing. And to wear the winter clothes we seldom get to pull out of the closet.