bad weather & tri-x
some pictures i took yesterday during bad weather. Leica M7/35mm Summicron and Kodak Tri-X
Bad Weather Boredom
Bad Weather Boredom – I just set up a flickr gallery dedicated to umbrellas
M9 Firmware 1.138 released
The improvements in the Firmware Version 1.138 are described on the Leica Blog
Poor man’s Summilux
Since i bought my first Leica M, i have always been torn between using a focal length of 35mm or 50mm for my street photography. I own both, the Leica 50mm Summicron and 35mm Summicron ASPH but have been thinking about upgrading to Summilux lenses (f 1.4) lately. Instead of spending a huge amount of money on two Summilux lenses, i decided to give the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm f 1.4 a try.
This lens only costs a fraction of what a Leica lens would cost. At least on the paper, the Nokton 40mm looks like the perfect lens for me. It was in the mail only this morning so i haven’t had a chance to try it on the streets, but as you can see, it looks nice on the M9. I will post a couple of pictures taken with this lens as soon as i have some time. What i found out so far, is that focussing is a bit stiff (compared to a Leica lens) and that the build quality seems to be ok but not even close to Leica standards.
Leica Elmar 24mm/f 3.8
My M2 with the Leica Elmar 24mm/f 3.8
MYFEST – Berlin Kreuzberg – batch 2
Second (and analog) batch
- Leica R8/50mm Summicron/Tri-X & XTOL -
Interview about Street Photography in Berlin
Paul Sullivan of SLOW TRAVEL BERLIN posted an interview with me about Street Photography in Berlin. Check it out.
Berlin Neukölln
Some random shots from last weekends walk in Berlin Neukölln. I really like the area around Karl-Marx-Strasse a lot. There’s always a lot going on there, and because of the districts (unjustified) bad reputation, it’s very unlikely to stumble across DSLR-carrying-tourists there (which is a good thing).
Leica M9/Summicron 35mm ASPH
Leica M9 with black Leica logo
I got a black Leica logo from a friendly Leica employee last week and put it on my M9. The camera front now is completly black and sure looks better than with all the tape i used before.
Leica M9
The M9 finally arrived. Yes, it’s great.
Below some pictures i took on the first day, nothing special. I seriously need to improve my digital workflow. Currently i need twice as much time for processing RAW files than with my usual (and proven) scan & post-edit workflow.
Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg
I have been taking pictures in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district last weekend. It is very, very rare that i shoot in East-Berlin – Normally i try to avoid going there if possible. This time it actually was pretty cool, maybe because it was the first sunny day after a long winter.
All shots are done with a Leica M2/35mm Summicron ASPH using Tri-X@400 developed in XTOL. My M6 is still not back from CLA and only god knows when the M9 will arrive.
Leica M2 / collapsible Summicron
I shot 1.5 rolls of Tri-X using the M2 and an old 5cm collapsible Summicron last Sunday. Currently i am using the M2 for street photography as my M6 is still being serviced.
There’s no doubt that the M2 is a great camera, but i would always prefer to go with the M6 or MP as they have builtin Lightmeters and guessing the exposure time is always a little bit tricky (even though most of the time my results are ok).
The Leica M9, perfect street camera?
Nick Turpin summarizes his Street Photography experience using the Leica M9 in his latest blog post.
Leica M6 CLA
I am about to send my workhorse, the Leica M6, for a CLA to Fotomechanik Reinhardt in Hannover. The last CLA (clean lube adjust) is almost 8 years ago and i have the feeling that the exposure times are not as accurate as they used to be. The bottom cover is also a little loose, hopefully this can be fixed too.
Photographers protest over UK terror search laws
“Professional and amateur photographers have gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square to protest against terror stop and searches.” (story; photo by Michael Perrin, from the BBC’s website)
Leica Motor M
Saw a low priced Leica Motor in a shop window yesterday and couldn’t resist. Compared to the Leica winder it’s almost inaudible (but still louder than the Hexar). Not sure whether i will keep it or not.
pictures from last weekend
The pictures below are from last weekend. I am still happy with the “old” Tri-X/XTOL look but for what reasons ever, i can’t get the M9 out of my head.
The Digital Journalist reviews Leica M9
Find the review here.
Interview with LeicaPortal
The LeicaPortal posted an interview with me.
Video tour of Leica M9 assembly and testing
Assembling The Leica M9 from Michael Reichmann on Vimeo.
Leica M9 Stephan Daniel Interview from Michael Reichmann on Vimeo.
Leica M9 – hands on
The guys at Leica Meister Berlin have been so kind to let me play with the brand new Leica M9. You will find some sample shots on my flickr stream. There are better folks out there for doing camera reviews, so this is just my personal impression. For comprehensive M9 reviews check my earlier posts.
The M9 feels very nice and the menus/buttons are much intuitive and usefull than with the M8. In terms of picture quality i am not really convinced. At least on my pictures there were some very obvious CA’s and i also wouldn’t recommend to use something beyond ISO 640. What i see in LR is in no way comparable with the 5D mk2 or even the old 5D – but then again the 5D is a clunky DSLR while the M9 as a Rangefinder shares all the advantages of my MP or M6. I don’t think i will buy the M9 any time soon but i’am glad it exists. This time Leica did everything right and i am sure that the M9 will be a good deal for them.