Elmarit Examples

I'm sharing a few pictures taken with the Leica M-9 fitted with the Leica Elmarit 90mm 2.8 lens. 
Plenty of people will tell you that long lenses are very hard to focus and to get sharp images. This maybe true depending on your eyesight and your expectations.
I will be the first to admit that it is much easier to get very sharp images with my Nikon D300 and I will and do use that camera when my intent is to focus on sharpness and speed. The advantage of the Leica and 90mm lens is the feel of the photograph. It maybe in the rendering of the color or the smoothness of the bokeh. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining to others what it is that gives these images the qualities I appreciate. I just think of it as a artistic rendition this lens and camera produces. Here are some examples.

This first image was converted from color by using Silver Efex Pro and highlights what I think of as a artistic rendition. Setting where F 2.8, ISO 160 at 1/180 sec.

This image was taken at the opposite extreme of photo number 1. The photo was taken indoors with challenging lighting conditions and was taken at ISO 1250 at 1/45 sec. The color tone highlights the old age of this statue.

Sharpness I'm including this shot to show that you can shoot wide open at F 2.8 1/1500, ISO 160 and still get a very sharp image while rendering the background in a smooth bokeh.

Close up of this fuchsia was taken at a minimal distance from subject at F 5.7, ISO 400 and speed of 1/60. Which highlights the bokeh with a little of graininess.

Stain-glass close-up taken at F 2.8 ISO 160 at 1/350 sec. Again the sharpness of this image is more than adequate for this type of photograph.
If you are looking for a 90 mm lens for your Leica don't be put off by perceived difficulty in focusing this lens. The Elmarit 2.8 90mm in my opinion is a excellent choice.

Some Examples

A few new examples taken with the Leica M-9

 A close-up of a old fire hydrant rendered in black and white using Silver Efex Pro.

A small cat peeking over the fence at my dogs, processed in Adobe Lightroom 3.2.
Now some pictures taken with the Leica D-Lux 4.

A close-up of that demonstrates the clarity you can obtain with this little camera.

A old abandoned shed that has seen better days, processed in Silver Efex Pro and then Color Efex Pro to add a custom vignetting.

I saw this maple tree which is changing color to red while losing its leaves. The contrast with the green in the rest of the garden is highlighted using Color Efex Pros brilliance and glamor glow filters.

Misc

Leica D-Lux 4 pics taken this week. I'm always looking for interesting things that occur naturally to photograph. Sometimes it is people, places or inanimate objects. Here are some miscellaneous subjects taken during my daily excursions.  9/04/2010 Had to add a few more pics from Saturday morning taken on a leafy back road.  

This leaf is naturally framed by light filtering through the trees.

Even though it is still summer this leaf is already sporting its autumn colors.

Straight over the top, looking straight down on the leaf highlighted by the stem casting its shadow across the leaf. Subtle color change is a surefire indicator of fall being just around the corner.

Stuck - a leaf blown in the wind gets caught in the bark of a redwood tree. Nice contrast in color and texture and no this photo was not staged.

Looking up - A old stone gate post with what is left of a light post as the light is filtered through the trees. Converted to black and white with Silver Efex Pro.

Spokes - What is left of this old wooden wagon wheel now posing as a garden ornament.

Rest - Ten year old German Shepherd takes a rest and waits patiently while I take a few more pictures.

Contrast - strong contrast of light, dark and structure in this close up of a stone bridge. Converted to black and white with Silver Efex Pro.

Quick Pics

A few quick pics from this week.

Sunflower with a busy bee - Leica D-Lux 4

Abstract Sculpture - Leica D-Lux 4 - Adobe CS5 and Topaz Labs-Detail-2

Scratching a Itch - Leica D-Lux4 - Nik Software Color Efex Pro

First shot with Pentax Optio W90 that I just purchased to use in the pool. No raw just jpg but a very robust, waterproof to 20 feet and shockproof to boot. Very useful when you have little ones around who want to take pictures too.

Pillar Point Harbor

A gorgeous summer day on the Northern California Coast - A visit to Pillar Point Harbor, Princeton by the Sea. A lovely lunch, good company and some pictures, a perfect day. All photographs were taken with the Leica M-9 and post processed using Adobe Lightroom 3.0.

Looking through the harbor docks towards the breakwater.

The breakwater provides a nice place for visiting boats to anchor.

Here is a video slide show highlighting some of the pictures taken on this day. They were prepared in Adobe Lightroom 3.0 slide show module. If you are using a computer with out flash support or a Apple I-Pad and would like to see the video click here.

Contrasting Light

More Leica D-Lux-4 pictures taken the week of August 8-14th. Starting with these roses taken through some trees as I peered into this hidden garden. The image was captured with a manual exposure setting of -1 and 2/3. I used this setting so that the light coming off the flowers would not be blown out and to enhance the darkness behind the flowers. Processed using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CS5.

A old sink that had been discarded beside the road. The sink is highlighted by the filtered light coming through some trees and rust in contrast to the original color.

A peaceful creek setting taken mid day again I used a manual exposure setting of -1.0.

I located this lizard lounging on the bank of a pond and slowly got close enough to get this shot without disturbing him. I try not to disturb wildlife when taking pictures if at all possible.

Here are a few black and white photographs that were processed using Silver Efex Pro. The highlights in the boys hair where heightened using Color Efex Pro 3 and applying the Glamour Glow Filter.

A pond scene with the dark water contrasted by the sun drenched foliage, make for a interesting picture with reflections highlighting the water.

Dark to light gives depth to this picture as the strong light at the rear of this picture draws ones eyes from the front to the rear. I metered on the subjects face and shirt and it worked out well.

Using Light

Today's pictures were taken with the Leica D-Lux 4 and concentrates on light and how it impacts your pictures.

This flower picture was taken in program mode at minus 2 exposure. The result is that the flower itself that was strongly over exposed compared to the background is now properly exposed and the background is under exposed and the results are what I was visualizing when I took it.

I this picture the available light was bright sunlight that was filtered through the trees and nicely highlighted these leaves. The details in the leaves were brought out with Topaz Labs Detail 2.

This picture was taken in extreme lighting conditions and then processed with Nik Software Color Effects Pro. I used the glamor glow filter to accentuated the warm colors and darken the background for further contrast in the image. The way the light fell on this fern again called for under exposing the photo by -2 1/3 so that I didn't blowout the highlights.

This last picture of a boy and his dog works well in black and white as well as color. The strong contrast of light coming through the trees and reflecting off of the leaves help make this picture work. Photo was processed in Nik Software Silver Efex Pro.