A few days ago I showed a
photo on social media. It was a cropped
version of the original image. A viewer
thought it was quite good, considering the crop, and asked to see the
original. That gave me the idea to write
about it here, with some additional examples.
I have shot film as well
as digital, and I don’t have any preferences for one of the other, with the
exception that digital is substantially easier to work with. At the end, however, it is the results that
count. For that reason I have always been a fan of slow films like Agfapan APX 25 or similar. Obviously, that is too slow in many situations. In those cases I used to shoot occasionally with Agfapan APX 100, but my first choice then was Ilford XP-2 Super. It allows to change film speed in mid-roll without the necessity of any development adjustment. Another advantage is that, when shot at slower speeds, the film displays noticeably finer grain.
Reggi Anderson, Artist
Studio shot with studio flash on camera stand
Leica M6, 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit, Agfapan APX 25
I rarely, if ever, do use
a tripod, on location as well as in studio.
I feel it eliminates some of the advantages of the Leica by adding
considerable bulk. It slows you down and
eliminates the spontaneity the camera offers.
Subsequently some of the
examples in this article are not of an ultimate quality in terms of sharpness
and detail, but they are examples of what one can reasonably expect under real
world shooting conditions. I should also
mention that not all of the shots are necessarily focused with utmost
accuracy. Especially when shooting on
location, I mostly use hyperfocal settings on my lenses. It allows the fastest possible shooting, without
the time necessary for rangefinder focusing or, if it were available, automatic
focusing.
Melanie
Studio shot with studio flash, handheld
Leica M6, 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit, Ilford XP-2 Super @ ISO 400
Especially in situations
where speed is of the essence, we are not always able to frame a photograph to
its best advantage. Later cropping is
often necessary to obtain the best possible result. This is where Leica lenses offer substantial
advantages. Even severely cropped images
often show a wealth of detail. This has
from time to time allowed me to create different photos from one and the same initial
image. Of course this extra performance
also offers the possibility to make rather big enlargements, often with results
that rival those from medium format cameras.
Statue at Chamberlain, South Dakota
handheld
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit
There are a lot of good
cameras and lenses on the market. Shooting
with Leica equipment definitely does away with the worry if another full frame camera
possibly might have given better results.
The old adage still applies; you get what you pay for.
Veronika
Studio shot with studio flash, handheld
Leica M3, 50mm f/2 Dual Range Summicron, Agfapan APX 25
There is some fine detail in this enlargement which is not visible in the full frame example
Cindy
Studio shot with studio flash, handheld
Leica M6, 50mm f/2 Summicron, Agfapan APX 25
Lou Bellami, Founder and Director "Penumbra Theater" St. Paul, Minnesota
Shot with only stage lighting, handheld
Leica M6, 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit, Ilford XP-2 Super @ ISO 800, Stage Lighting
Harbor of Duluth, Minnesota
Handheld
Leica M8, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit
Lea, Landshut, Germany
Handheld
Leica M240, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit
Door lock, Landshut, Germany
Handheld
Leica M240, 50mm f/2 Summicron
Accordion player, Kehlstein Mountain by Berchtesgaden, Germany
Handheld
The extreme crop of the last image clearly shows the limits of the lens
At 300 dpi the full frame would have a width of 170 inch
Leica M240, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit
Handheld
The extreme crop of the last image clearly shows the limits of the lens
At 300 dpi the full frame would have a width of 170 inch
Leica M240, 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit
For other articles on this blog please click on Blog Archive in the column to the right
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For other articles on this blog please click on Blog Archive in the column to the right
To comment or to read comments please scroll past the ads below.
All ads present items of interest to Leica owners.
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