D-Lux 4 Musing

Some thoughts on the Leica D-Lux 4, its usefulness, quality of build and quality of images. In the last year I have taken in excess of 4000 exposures with my D-Lux 4 over 154 days shooting this camera. My first thought is I take this camera with me more than any of my other cameras so size and easy access has played a important factor in its heavy use.
I have tried the camera in all the different modes available and have found that I shoot in aperture priority mode the most. The macro selector switch allows for very acceptable macro focus shots with very close focus distances. Some of the other settings that I have found useful are the burst mode in snapshot mode that I have used to capture continuous action shots. Other scene mode choices that are useful are high dynamic and portrait. The movie or video option allows for limited video capture at acceptable quality levels.
The build quality is excellent, battery life has been more than acceptable and still holds its charge at original levels. Wear and tear, all I can say is that I have dropped the camera several times, it has been in and out of all types of weather and the camera still works and looks great. Plus I still have almost two years left on the three year factory warranty.
I will continue to use this camera for at least this year before I consider upgrading to a newer camera. The Leica D-Lux 5 seems to have upgraded the zoom range and some other minor functions but not enough for me to upgrade at this time. The D-Lux 4 takes excellent photos and is extremely flexible for people want more photographic control than your every day compact cameras.
Pictures for this week taken with the D-Lux 4:

 Winter Skies

 Antique Look

 Trespassing is Frowned Upon

Wild cat that lives creek side.

100

This is my 100th post to this blog something I was not sure I would ever attain. The original focus was to document my experience with the Leica D-Lux 4 compact camera. It later expanded to my experiences with the Leica M-9 and photo editing software. Today I'm also going to comment on a book that I have just got through reading. Hopefully some of my experiences have been either interesting or helpful to my readers.

Understanding Exposure the third edition by Byran Peterson available in paperback and Kindle edition at Amazon. This book is a guide on how to shoot great pictures with any camera. The book highlights in simple to understand terms how to evaluate exposure and to implement some simple steps to get the best exposure possible.
Byran uses DSLR camera as the basis for his instruction but if you are using a range finder camera you will find that he strongly advises the taking photos in manual mode. This transfers to range finder cameras easily and you can work through his model for getting the proper exposure easily.
If you are interested in learning more about exposure, ISO, depth of field and how to use them to get the picture you want then you might consider looking at this book. I read the book on my I-Pad the color photos and the layout of the e-book was very good. I wish more photography books were available in this format. It would make for easier reference and storage.
I had the opportunity to take some photos with the Leica M-9 this week as we searched for some new lamps. Here is a short video highlighting our search it is viewed best in HD full screen.

Close Crops

Sharing some New Years Day photos that benefited with a bit of cropping to get better composition. One can't always get in the right position for the shot you want, a fence or other obstacle may be in your way of getting the picture you want. So a little cropping here  and there helps over come those limitations. All photos taken with the Leica M-9, post processed in Adobe Lightroom and cropped in Adobe Photoshop 5.0.

The dog was on a long lead watching some critter only he could see. Cropped 33 percent to fill frame and lead was removed using Photoshop content aware tool.

Garden display, I was unable to get close enough to get the picture framed the way I wanted to see it. Cropped 25 percent.

Taken with a 35 mm lens cropped to show detail and sharpness.

A wire fence kept me from getting as close as I wanted so again a little cropping did the trick.

A Eucalyptus tree up close.

The cropped version makes for a interesting picture.

Happy New Year

I'm not sure what the New Year will bring but for all of you I hope it is best New Year ever. Lets jump for joy.......!!!!

Street Pics

Some street pics taken this holiday season, highlighting a cafe and Apple Store. Starting with this embroidered Christmas scene. The holiday season seems to bring out the best in folks as they catch a quick respite in the Copenhagen Bakery in Burlingame, California. The pictures in the Apple Store feature youngsters enjoying exploring Apples latest products.
All photos were taken with the Leica M-9 and post processed using Adobe Lightroom 3.3, Silver Efex Pro, Topaz Lab or Adobe CS5.

Children and their wonderment highlight the season.

Stopping in for a quick pick me up.

Enjoying the company and moderate weather.

Reflections, the mirror is a useful prop.

Youngsters are not intimidated by the latest tech toys.

Trying out the Macbook Air

I-Pods and I-Phones are intriguing.

Barely able to see over the table.

Parents can't believe what the kids are capable of.

Sights

Cornucopia of images taken with the Leica D-Lux 4. Everything from lovely skies, trees and landscapes to a interesting building and friends.
First on a quiet lane colorful trees highlighted by the blue sky and clouds. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Labs Adjust 4.

Fallen leaves lead up to the estate gates. I got a little damp while taking this photo as I had to get the camera very close to the ground to get the perspective I was looking for. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Labs Adjust 4.

One of my dogs special friends just waiting for another treat. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Labs Adjust 4.

While wandering down a private road I saw this house under going renovation and just had to have a closer look. What I found was that the exterior had been decorated with artwork etched into the exterior coating. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Labs Adjust 4.

Who ever the artist was they certainly were talented.

Last of the wall etchings, you just never know what you will find when you are out exploring.

A special friend Daisy who just can't wait for her carrots. Rendered with Adobe Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro.

Shopping Center

A visit to our local shopping center  was another opportunity to get a few quick shots of people, animals and places with the Leica M-9. All photos were processed using Adobe Lightroom 3.3 (the latest update). Black and white photos were processed with Silver Efex Pro.

 Interesting window display taken through glass with reflections.

 Women and child enjoying the sunshine and the water fountain.

 The Apple Store shoppers checking out the I-Phone.

 A students mode of transportation.

 Lounging around enjoying the ambiance of this quieter location.

Close up of a fixed gear bike with lots of white to contrast the dark burgundy frame color.

 Santa was there in spirit.

 More reflections are highlighted in this stores mirrored layout.

Shoppers checking out the tree as the Santa ornament pictured above looks on.

 A power shopper looks thrilled to be there.

Oh yes here is the cutest shopper in the mall.