17 Mile Drive

More pictures from the Monterey Bay Area featuring the 17 mile drive that winds through Pebble Beach to Carmel. All photos were taken with the Leica M-9 with the 90mm Elmarit 2.8 and processed with Adobe Lightroom 3.0, Nik and Topaz plug-ins.
In this first picture you see one of the world famous Cypress trees at  Cypress Point. The skies where overcast and the ocean calm which is common for early summer.

A lone fisherman on the colorful rocks, Pebble Beach.

Who is watching who? I love this picture with the young lady taking a picture of the chipmunk as another one is checking out her pocket for some goodies.

Looking over the side of the cliff down at the blue water.

On the beach the remains of a seal, just skin and a few bones are left.

Looking south from Cypress Point towards Big Sur.

A rocky beach between Pebble Beach and Carmel.

Looking down through a Cypress tree to the rocks and ocean below.

A last look at a Cypress tree which almost growing out of the rocks.

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.

Contrasting Elements

A few interesting pictures taken with the Leica D-Lux 4.

1940's Chevy truck sitting out in the open air waiting for service. This photo was taken at a local garage that has a interesting client base. On any day you may see everything from a new Bentley to a vintage Ferrari. In this picture the brightness of the chrome grill is what caught my eye and is in complete contrast to the dirty windshield and faded paint.

Close up of the grill converted to black and white using Nik Software Silver Efex Pro. The reflections off the grill really jumps out at you.

Going back to nature a overgrown garden cart with strong filtered light highlighting the leaves and spokes of the wheel. You never know where you may find a interesting photo opportunity. That is one of the reasons I try to carry a camera with me. The D-Lux 4 is great for throwing into your pocket or purse.

I'm not sure who is more interested, looking through the glass a safe way to meet new friends.

Follow Up

Just a few words and pictures to follow up on my experience with Elmarit 90mm.  The first picture is a black and white of a flowering agapanthus in my garden just as the sunlight was filtering through the plants. The photo was processed in Adobe Lightroom 3.0.
This next photo was taken at the minimum focal distance of about 3.0 feet at f4.0. I was sitting on a bench, stuck my foot out, focused on the tied laces. You see the sharpness at the point of focus and the softening of the image as you go away from the focus point.

The other images are indicative of the quality of the lens as you get the focusing down. It seems that I'm now on target with about 70 percent of my shots. Not bad as I have a feeling my eyesight isn't what it used to be.
The horse photo was taken on our walk and she welcomes the attention and carrots that we bring.

Old farming equipment is also a familiar site and makes for interesting photographs. This one was taken from beyond a fence and through some over grown grasses and weeds.

I will finish up with a enhanced photograph of this flower taken through a chain link fence. I processed in Adobe Lightroom 3.0 and then with Topaz Filter Adjust 4 I enhanced the detail of the image.

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.

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Garden Views

A few different garden photos shot with the Leica D-Lux 4. Everything from garden ornaments  to redwood trees are featured today. All photos were post processed with Adobe Lightroom 3.0 and Topaz Filters.
In this first picture I over exposed the image by one full stop to counter act the shadows that fell on the stone ornament. It worked beautifully and exposed the detail that I wanted to see in the photo.

 Close up of a Iris flower with its striking colors. Photo was taken using the macro-focus mode.

Plant shadow on crushed rock makes for a simple but striking picture.

Close up in macro focus-mode.

Sun light pores through the strand of redwood trees, accented by the green foliage.