Sometimes I go out with a camera just to see what catches my eye. It's hard to plan real life photos in advance. And it mostly never works while sitting in front of a computer. Unless your content is A.I.

 

Phone user walking down second street.

Leica Launches a new camera model. The web bursts with excitement. But what do the "experts" at VSL have to say about all of this?

Academy Award winning movie star hanging out at the studio...

Pentax 645 (the original one). 

Leica launched a new camera. It's the SL3-S. It's pretty much a perfect camera if you are looking for rock solid build quality, perfect menus, access to world class lenses, killer low light performance/high ISO, and state of the art, hybrid video and stills capabilities at a reasonable resolution. The AF is now not only phase detect but phase detect combined with contrast detect AF. It's faster than the AF in last year's Leica SL3; the high resolution model.  The new camera will set you back at the bargain price of $5300. Or thereabouts. 

The big news about this new camera is concentrated in two areas. One is its video capabilities and the other is fast autofocus: which pairs with fast handling. If you are a videographer who needs a high quality camera that can do double duty as an extremely good, medium resolution, photography camera this one might be of interest to you. Especially if you need to operate it in crappy weather (a real ISO IP54 weather resistance rating. Not just the hopes and prayers of brands that are unrated...) or you need to record your high res video to an external SSD (although Sigma beat them to that punch back in 2020 with their original fp camera...). 

There are some changes between the new model and the previous SL2-S. Whether they will be meaningful to you depends on how you work and what you really want from a professional camera. As I mentioned above the new model autofocuses faster by a long shot. It's a better camera for sports and fast moving journalism. The old camera has two SD UHSII card slots while the new one has one SD UHSII slot and one CFExpress B card slot. A nod to the need for faster storage for full gate, 6K, ProRes video. Yes, the camera is capable of shooting full res video to an internal storage card! If that's something you understand then you'll know if you need it or not. If you need it is a "good idea" of a "good idea." 

The processing chip in the new camera is a Maestro IV while the previous camera has a Maestro III chip. The new processing chip means faster throughput and, of course, faster focusing. But that's just about where the differences between the two sit. If you are into the latest thing you will, of course, want the newest camera model. But if you think about it for a while you might consider a different direction. 

When I woke up this morning (and after swim practice) I sat down to go through the reviews of the new camera because, as you know, I like shooting with at least two kinds of Leicas --- and the SL variants are one of my favorite platforms; especially for workaday work. I started rationalizing why I might need the SL3-S. I poked around on my favorite Leica Store site and realized that, if I acted quickly, I might be able to get a camera this month. In the first shipment. But if I hesitated then... maybe not. 

I took a breath and opened up Ted Forbes's YouTube introduction to the new camera. What he said put some stuff in perspective for me. He also shoots with a combination of M and SL Leica cameras and he was very adamant that his biggest concern when he heard about the new model was that it might not have the same image quality for still images as his current SL2-S. A camera he's been using for a while. And a camera which has, according to Forbes, some of the best image quality he's ever seen. And when I sat there listening I thought, "Yeah! That's what I wrote about the SL2-S just a week or so ago."  

Forbes went on to say that he felt the new camera didn't sacrifice in the quality realm. He did not say that the new camera was any better than the old one. In fact, if you listened between the lines what he was really saying was that the cameras, when it comes to photographic output, are pretty much the same. Or maybe exactly the same. 

Both cameras have the best EVF viewfinders on the market. With the best viewfinder optics to go along with the high res of their rendering. Both are IP 54 rated for moisture and dust intrusion resistance. Both can take the SCL-6 (new) batteries. Both have enormous dynamic ranges and equally good high ISO noise performance. In fact, the only reason for a photographer who works as I do to want the new camera is a misguided desire to "keep up". 

The new camera adopts the new, smaller size (not by much) introduced in the 60 megapixel SL3. It also has a flippy screen which tilts up by 90° but does not rotate to a forward facing position. OOOPS. There goes the selfie market.... The new camera will write video to an external SSD. The internal buffer is 8GB while I believe the older camera has a 4GB buffer. 

But, if you are a photographer who works with slow moving subjects (like corporate execs, people at events, found art object documentation and the all important mannequin cohort capture) and values instead a solid platform for good lenses as well as really, really nice, clean, color rich, color accurate files, and you already own an SL2-S, there is really very little practical reason to change. In fact, according to specs the older camera is slightly better (half a stop) at image stabilization. The old camera has a higher sync speed (1/250th versus 1/200) and, if you are also using an SL2 (the previous version of the new SL3 high resolution model) you won't have to get used to the buttons on the back of the camera having shifted from the left side (as you face the back of the camera) to the right side === as on the new cameras. 

I really like the SL2-S but, in fact, I really like all the cameras I currently have on hand. I'm not sure the newer cameras bring me anything new and special that would make any difference in the way I work. But it sure was nice to think about buying one, at least for a couple of hours. 

The real compulsion was the desire to source a lightly used, perfect condition, used SL2-S now that the new model is about to hit the streets. I've seen prices from several Leica stores for clean, used cameras as low as $2200. And that's with the original box and all the packing stuff. Given how great I think the camera is the idea of having a....back-up...is beguiling. But I had to remind myself that this stuff is built to last and, if I need a back up I do have 2 SLs and an SL2 just champing at the bit to go out and shoot stuff. 

It's fun when Leica introduces new stuff. All the big time V-loggers get review copies well in advance and by the time the embargoes are over it's becomes a gush fest. Until you scroll down to the comments and then it's an endless sea of gripes from the unwashed who can't believe anyone would spend a little extra cash to get a hand-built, massively good camera from Germany. The little darlings. I can just imagine the heated discussions dissing the new Leica taking place at Olive Garden Restaurants across the USA. I mean, how can you compete with unlimited breadsticks? Or cheaper cameras? 

But that's all I have for today. If you don't already have an SL2-S then now is the time to pounce. I predict the older product will be discovered for just how good it is and then become ..... scarce.

Memories of just how bad the original X100 camera was. It was so cute to look at 

and such a train wreck to actually use..... But even the most recent ones are far cheaper 

than Leica rangefinders so..... Sandwiches at Arby's? 

 

Shooting in harsh sun? Bring a flash. Preferably one that offers HSS with your chosen camera...

 

Even in ancient times we depended from time to time on flashes.

What a heavy package to carry around...

I almost stumbled hard this past Saturday. I was hired to photograph both behind the scenes (still photographer on a video set) and to also set up and shoot b-roll style still shots of teachers and children in and around an outdoor garden. Photos of teachers showing grade school children all about big flowering broccoli plants, gardening smarts, and environmental stewardship. There were groups of four to five children for each of four teachers who came to Austin specifically to participate in this video and photography project. And we were on site, outdoors, from 8 a.m. till after 5 p.m. The groups, by age, came in scheduled waves throughout the day but the crew, and the photographer, were outside battling the ever changing light, the noise of the city (audio for video) and the need to direct kids who ranged from five or six years old to high schoolers, all day long.

So, how did I nearly screw up my job? I assumed that the film crew would handle lighting for all the set ups and I would be able to waltz right in after they got their master shots and snap away. I brought an LED fixture but we ended up moving too quickly from set-up to set-up and there's no way a 300 watt continuous light source was going to go toe to toe with the direct Texas sun. Especially if I needed/wanted a modifier on it.  I almost didn't pack a flash. I almost came totally unprepared for the harshest light I've seen in the last month or so. 

Cue shoot saving compulsive packing behavior. At the last minute, on Friday, I walked back into the office and put my hands on a Leica SF64 flash. It's more or less a standard hot shoe flash but it's dedicated to the Leica cameras. I grabbed two sets of charged Eneloop rechargeable batteries and stuffed them, along with the flash, into the small backpack, along with the lenses, cameras and camera batteries. And, as it turns out, everything I needed to photograph, beyond the set up shots put together for the four main interview shots, needed to have the picture saving modification of fill flash. Desperately needed it. I burned through one set of flash batteries by noon. After lunch we started again with me on the last set of double A batteries. 

Most of the flash work was done in the HSS mode because I wanted to use wider apertures and faster shutter speeds. To its credit, the SF64 didn't miss a beat. I was trying to keep the fill about a stop and a half or two stops under the ambient light, especially on backlit shots because I thought it would look more natural and I was pretty sure I could compensate a bit with shadow recovery in post production. 

After the project wrapped up I spent the next day converting the files from raw to Jpeg. I used the shadow slider... a lot. And it all worked. I plowed through about 14 Gigabytes of raw files and tried hard to edit down the number I'd be sending along to clients. But I did end up touching nearly every file with one correction or another. 

I got a text from my friend who was the director of photography on the video side. He mostly works in corporate video production during the week which tends to means shorter sessions and longer edits. He was operating the video camera for the entire day. Shooting handheld for the b-roll video. We compared notes. Seems we weren't in as good production shape, physically as we remembered being in during the times in our lives when we were doing daylong, and sometimes ten hour shoots four and five days a week. Cameras can be heavy. Put a big, burly zoom on a Leica SL2-S, along with a large-ish flash and after a few hours you'll really feel the weight. Add a second big camera and longer lens to your left shoulder, on a strap, and the burden gets more obvious. 

With a good flash along for the ride I was able to shoot a bunch of work with fill flash at exposures like f4.0 at 1/1,000th and beyond. I wound up yesterday evening with about 1100 finished shots. I archived that folder and this morning starting trying to put the folder on a crash diet. What I finally sent over to the client via FTP was about 385 images. And I'm sure they will still think that's too many as well....

The second mistake, the one I did make, was not bringing along a second flash to back up the first one. And now I feel kinda dumb because there was a second Leica flash sitting right next to the first in the equipment cabinet. Bright, hard sun? Bring a flash! Need a flash for work? Bring a second one along just in case! Got something that needs batteries? Bring double the number of batteries you think you'll need!

I'm happy for my compulsive, last minute packing behavior. It made Saturday's shoot much less fraught.

Now setting up for another portrait. This one is inside.... ahhhhhh.

silly weather note: On Friday evening the production people looked at the weather and saw that our morning start would be accompanied by sub 30° weather. Being nervous Texans we mostly suited up with our "winter" stuff. For me it was long underwear on top and bottom under thick pants and a thicker sweat shirt, topped off with a down parka and an ever changing selection of gloves and hats. 

But, of course, Texas weather changes quickly. Full sun for the entire day took the temperature from 28° to about 65° by midday. We were peeling off layers like onions. By the end of the day we were all wishing for T-shirts and sandals. But no one started the day shivering on the set. 

Two of our P.A.'s (production assistants = low on the org. chart...) were tasked with setting up propane powered outside heaters. Like the ones restaurants use on outdoor patio dining areas. The heaters were new in their boxes and required assembly. A novel set of devices on a film set. At least in my experience. The final assembly of the heaters was done by about 10 a.m. By then we were in the 40s and no one saw much need for extra heat. Off to the side they went... 

That's about it. Another weekend in the trenches. First full day job of the year. Fun.

Praying that the flash batteries keep working....

My friend Fadya. Just for fun. Because I found this photo and the one

above it right next to each other in the folder....

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.