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California's Eastern Sierra,
Friday, 23 October 2009
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Dawn, Conway Summit, Bridgeport, California, 7:17 AM.
Snapped with a 2009 LEICA M9 and a 1961 LEICA 135mm f/4 ELMAR, ISO 160, 1/180 at about f/9.5, Kelvin WB.
The 12-bladed diaphragm of the 1961 ELMAR begets the 12 rays emanating from the sun. These symbolize the twelve months of the year, and therefore, eternity.
Volkswagen at Dawn, Conway Summit, Bridgeport, California, 7:19 AM.
Snapped with a 2009 LEICA M9 and a 1961 LEICA 135mm f/4 ELMAR, ISO 160, 1/45 at about f/9.5, Kelvin WB.
Dawn Emanates from the Mountain, Conway Summit, Bridgeport, California, 7:28 AM.
Snapped with a 2009 LEICA M9 with a 1965 LEICA 35mm f/2 SUMMICRON, ISO 160, 1/60 at f/8, Kelvin WB.
Wall, Bodie, California, 9:35 AM. (digital capture.)
Snapped with a hand-held LEICA M9 and a 1998 LEICA 21mm f/2.8 ELMARIT-M ASPH, ISO 160, 1/125 at f/11, 7,000 Kelvin WB.
Wall, Bodie, California, 9:35 AM. (actual photograph.)
Photographed with a hand-held 1955 LEICA M3 and a 1959 LEICA 21mm f/4 SUPER-ANGULON with a 39mm B+W 81A warming filter to set WB, f/9 at 1/50, Fuji Velvia 50 processed and scanned at NCPS.
Oddly, the two look about the same, although I certainly prefer the film results. Hee hee, the digital capture looks pinkish in spots!
The House of Sharpness, Bodie, California, 9:42 AM.
Snapped with a hand-held 2009 LEICA M9 and a 1970 LEICA 50mm f/2 SUMMICRON, ISO 160, 1/125 at f/8, 7,000 Kelvin WB.
Holy guacamole, look at these high-resolution files on a big monitor. This is a sharp photo, and this is with a lens designed back in the late 1960s.
Full-resolution © JPG (10.3 MB) from kamera-original © DNG (18 MB). Kamera-original © JPG (8.6 MB).
It's a boring photo, but at least it's sharp. I wonder how much sharper it might be if I used a modern lens or a tripod.
Inside the House of Clichées, Bodie, California, 10:12 AM.
Snapped with a 2009 LEICA M9 and a 1998 LEICA 21mm f/2.8 ELMARIT-M ASPH braced on a window sill, ISO 160, 1 second exposure, Kelvin WB.
The Bodie Triangle, Downtown Bodie, California, 11:15AM. (actual photograph.)
Photographed with a hand-held 1955 LEICA M3 with a 1959 LEICA 21mm f/4 SUPER-ANGULON and 39mm B+W 81A warming filter to set WB, f/9 at 1/100, 10 foot focus distance, Fuji Velvia 50 processed and scanned at NCPS.
Full-resolution © film scan (9 MB). Corners seem soft because they are not in focus; the lens is sharp but the corners fall away in distance.
Sun in Window, Downtown Bodie, California, 11:18 AM. (Actual photograph.)
Photographed with a hand-held 1955 LEICA M3 with a 1959 LEICA 21mm f/4 SUPER-ANGULON, 39mm B+W 81A warming filter to set WB, f/8 at 1/100, 5 meter focus distance, Fuji Velvia 50 processed and scanned at NCPS.
Darn; I was hoping to get some flare to highlight the blinding sun reflected in the window, but the 1959 LEITZ SUPER-ANGULON is so good that there isn't any.
Full-resolution © film scan (11 MB).
Sun in Window, Downtown Bodie, California, 11:23 AM. (digital capture.)
Snapped with a hand-held 2009 LEICA M9 and a 1998 LEICA 21mm f/2.8 ELMARIT-M ASPH, ISO 160, 1/350 somewhere around f/11, 7,000 Kelvin WB.
Notice how the sun blanks out as a big white circle with digital capture, while it looks more natural on film.
Lundy Lake, Eastern Sierra, California, 2:30PM. (actual photograph.)
Photographed with a hand-held 1955 LEICA M3 with a 1959 LEICA 21mm f/4 SUPER-ANGULON with a 39mm B+W 81A warming filter to set WB, f/9.5 at 1/50, Fuji Velvia 50 processed and scanned at NCPS.
Full-resolution © film scan (11 MB).
Three Yellow Trees, Power Plant Road, Eastern Sierra, California, 3:10 PM. (digital capture.)
Snapped with a hand-held 2009 LEICA M9 with a 1987 LEICA 90mm f/2.8 TELE-ELMARIT-M, ISO 160, f/8 at 1/250.
Full-Resolution © JPG (11.3 MB) from DNG.
Three Yellow Trees, Power Plant Road, Eastern Sierra, California, 3:10 PM. (actual photograph.)
Photographed with a hand-held 1955 LEICA M3 with a 1987 LEICA 90mm f/2.8 TELE-ELMARIT-M, 39mm B+W 81A warming filter to set WB, Fuji Velvia 50 processed and scanned at NCPS, f/4 at 1/250.
Full-Resolution © JPG (9.6 MB) from automated scan at NCPS.
If you're counting pixels, remember the 90mm f/2.8 TELE-ELMARIT-M is less sharp at the sides at f/4, as used for the actual photograph, versus f/8 as used for the digital capture at a higher ISO.
If you want a really sharp lens at f/4 if you're counting pixels, use the LEICA ELMARIT-M 90mm f/2.8 or current LEICA APO SUMMICRON-M ASPH 90mm f/2.
Stripes, US Route 395, Lee Vining, California, 4:15PM.
Snapped with a 2009 LEICA M9 with a 1965 LEICA 35mm f/2 SUMMICRON, ISO 160, manual 1/180 at f/13.5, 7,000 Kelvin WB.
This is straight out of the kamera. I'm astounded at how I can get such level shots by paying attention to my finder. With Oriental SLRs I rarely get this level of perfection because their finders are rarely this well aligned.
Better, the old 1950s-design 35mm f/2 lens has no distortion, so the lines are all straight. If shot with a zoom lens or a fixed 35mm lens on an SLR, the lines would bulge out (barrel distortion) or suck in (pincushion distortion.
Virginia Lake, Eastern Sierra, California, 5:34 PM.
Snapped with a hand-held 2009 LEICA M9 with a 1998 LEICA 21mm f/2.8 ELMARIT-M ASPH and Tiffen HT grad ND 0.6 (2-stop gradated neutral-density filter), ISO 160, 1/60 at about f/5.6.
Walker River Lodge, Bridgeport, California , 6:15 PM.
Snapped with a hand-held 2009 LEICA M9 with a 1961 LEICA 135mm f/4 ELMAR, ISO 1,000, 1/125 at about f/4.
Open Sign, Virginia Creek Settlement, Bridgeport, California, 7:36 PM.
Snapped with a hand-held 2009 LEICA M9 with a 2001 LEICA 35mm f/1.4 SUMMILUX-M ASPH, ISO 160 at 1/30, some large aperture setting I forgot like f/2.8.
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