More Silver Efex Pro 2

I said that I would be taking some pictures with the Leica M-9 and also converting and commenting on Silver Efex Pro 2. All of the pictures in this post were taken with the M-9 fitted with the Elmarit 2.8 90mm lens and post processed in Adobe Lightroom 3.0. Black and white conversion was done using Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2.
The photo to the right is of my 14 month old German Shepherd Monty. Using the new expanded slider controls in Silver Efex Pro 2 I was able to bring out the strong markings on his face.

Color photo that was just re sized for use on the web shows the color rendition and sharpness of the Elmarit 90mm 2.8 lens.

The same picture converted using Silver Efex Pro 2 in the default mode.

Crop of the eyes showing the lovely color rendition and sharpness at the focus point.

Crop of Kong love again clarity of this camera lens combo is highlighted.

Crop that started as a close up of my senior female German Shepherd shows the lovely pattern of her coat.

Color photo of a blooming Camilla and then converted with Silver Efex Pro 2 to show the new ability of being able to colorize specific objects in the photo. Framing is also a new feature and was added to photo.

I used control points to specify the areas of the photo that I wanted to bring out and modify the color of the flower. I could have made the color the same as the original photo but I wanted to show that you can control the saturation and depth of color brought out in your pictures.
I will be exploring more features and commenting on them in future posts. If you are interested in Silver Efex Pro 2 I would suggest that you go to Nik Software and watch their videos on whats new and how to use the software.

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.

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.

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.

Moss Landing

We took a drive down the California coast on Wednesday and here are some of the images I took. All were taken with the Leica M-9 using the Elmarit-M 90mm 2.8 lens. Today's pictures are from a quick stop at the working harbor of Moss Landing. Starting with this interesting view of the smoke stacks of the local cement factory taken from across the Moss Landing harbor.

Processed with Adobe Lightroom 3.0 and Viveza 2.

Working fishing boats sharing the harbor with small sailboats.

Point Lobos a local location and the name of this boat, they do lots of whale watching from this harbor.

This is where the fish are processed and sold. Note the Pelican perched on the processing equipment watching and waiting for a handout.

A working boat docked and ready for tomorrow.

As you may have guessed all of the photos were taken on a dreary overcast morning, not that unusual for this time of year. Next stop is the famous 17 mile drive.

Elmarit 90mm

I recently purchased a used 90 mm Leica Elmarit-M 1:2.8, after reading an article by Steve Huff detailing his experience with this lens. I was so impressed with his positive experience with this lens  that I decided to get one for myself. I contacted Ken Hansen who seems to be able to get his hands on outstanding used Leica lenses and equipment. In short order Ken found me a mint lens with the retractable lens shade but no 6 bit coding.
I thought about the purchase for about 5 seconds before I decided that I could live without the 6 bit coding. Without the coding you just have to go into the M-9's menu and choose the lens manually. It only takes a couple of seconds and the lens works just like one that has the 6 bit coding. Ken shipped it to me on Friday and I got it Monday night. The lens was just as he described it to me or maybe even better, it looks brand new and the glass is perfect. It came with its original documentation, box, caps and leather pouch.
As you may have guessed I immediately put in on my M-9 and took a few shots. The first thing I noticed was that the focus ring has a long but very smooth stroke that helps get the focus right. I always set the focus to infinity and then work my way back which helps me to get the focus right with out having to go back and forth as when you start from the closest focal setting.
The aperture runs from f2.8 to f22 and has a positive click as you move the aperture ring to chose your setting. At f2.8 you have a narrow but very usable depth of field with excellent contrast and smooth bokeh. At f5.6 to f22 you get more depth of field and still excellent edge to edge contrast.
You might ask why I chose this lens over the newer Summicon or Summarit models. The Elmarit is the most compact and what I thought the most bang for my money. Here are some test shots using this lens.

In the shade f2.8.

Note the focus point f2.8 and smooth bokeh.

Even at f16 the smooth bokeh helps frame the subject.

Minimum focal distance and f2.8 gives excellent sharpness.

Clarity and sharpness at f5.6

More of the same at f2.8

This one is just for fun these boys were having a great time jumping their scooters. I took it from a good 30 feet away and this is a crop with Topaz Filter applied for the colorful effect.