Zion, Canyonlands and Arches National Park (B&W)

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Steve

It has been ages since I’ve posted –

It has been ages since I’ve had a vacation and

It has been ages since I’ve actually used a camera.

January 2023.

Yes – I am one of those people that still use a real camera instead of taking pictures with a cell phone. This vacation I brought 3 cameras; GoPro, Fuji X-T1 and a Leica M240. Add chargers, extra lenses (14mm Fuji, 8mm Samyang, and 24mm Leica and 19mm Leica)…it all adds up to a ton of gear. Wait, Leica M240 and Leica 19mm ??. Leica M240 is a rangefinder camera and the 19mm Leica lens is for SLR-type cameras !. Who does that ?. The Leica 19mm has a Leitax adapter (to Nikon – and compatible with my D700 and D850) and with a Nikon – Leica L/M adapter. This was supposed to be the final voyage for that Leica lens. It was dropped years ago and bent. No broken glass. Sent to Leica for repair and re-built – sort of. The ring with the serial number was lost when it was dropped, so Leica gave it a new serial number. A unicorn lens !. Since then, fungus has developed in the lens showing up as lens flare on the top of photo. My work-around is to hold the camera upside down. A bit weird – though works !.

Zion National Park

So, on this trip I had 3 cameras. Each night the task of copying the images to a computer and then to an external hard drive for backup. In contrast, my travelling partner had her photos on her phone. With WiFi at the hotel her images were backed up to Google. Her posts to social media were quick and easy. Ugh. For me, copying the photos to the computer took ages and them more time to back them up. I also shoot in RAW format and the images are at least 25Mb. And – with the Leica, it is manual focus too….More delays during the hikes.

All that complaining aside, I really enjoy using the old Leica camera and lenses. There is something very different with those lenses. My Nikon lenses are crystal clear and sharp, auto focus, and light weight (carbon fibre instead of brass). The Leicas, designed in the 1970’s are…Not. That said, the Leica lenses have a certain character, the pictures have a look that is quite distinctive than modern state of the art lenses, and I like the feel of using them. Similarly to a woodworker using hand tools instead of power tools, or a gardener using a shovel instead of a power tiller.

All the photos are in Black & White. Why ?. Although the colours are spectacular, the tone and patterns in B&W are more obvious. And, B&W is more old school, back when everyone had manual focus lenses. ;>

Zion National Park

Virgin River, Zion National Park, Leica M240 + Leica -R 19mm

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park. Leica M240 + Leica -R 19mm

Arches National Park

Petroglyphys. Arches National Park. Leica M240 + Leica -R 19mm

Arches National Park. Leica M240 + Leica -R 19mm

Delicate Arch. Arches National Park. Leica M240 + Leica -R 19mm

Delicate Arch. Arches Nati0nal Park. Leica M240 + Leica -R 19mm

Delicate Arch. Arches National Park. Leica M240 + Leica -R 19mm

48 hours in Toronto, Canada

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Steve

A short, very short visit to Toronto !.

Partially to visit friends from high school days. A visit I seem to make every 4 or 5 few years. We are all a older now, greying, parents, and getting closer to the end of our careers. Our ages are approximately 53-54, and our kids are 25 to 11, and a mix of forever single (artificial insemination), gay (womb for hire), and male-female relationship. These few hours together, sharing our lives and learning of each others lives, sharing the ups and downs of life. I look forward to many more !!.

I digressed.

Other than visiting friends, the short visit gave the opportunity to recharge my wandering spirit, checking out the sights and sounds of a beautiful city.

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If you have any questions about the set up – drop me a comment.

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Fun Friday: Leica-r 19mm on a Leica M240 Icefields Parkway (Jasper National Park)

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Steve

I recently returned from a driving vacation (6,000km in 2 weeks). As usual, there were a few cameras in my bag, including a Leica M240 and my favorite lens – Leica 19mm/2.8 V1. Yes, it is SLR lens on a rangefinder. An unusual combination: a huge and heavy lens on a compact (though still heavy) camera. I use a Leica EVF for focusing and a Nikon-to-Leica M adapter (Leica lens has a Nikon F lens mount). Ok – lots of complicated camera gear.

Before the pictures….one more thing to add.

The Leica 19mm lens has a big blob of fungus and lots of dust (so does the camera sensor).

Icefields Parkway (Jasper National Park, Alberta). Sept 14, 2021.

(Click on the picture to make them Bigger).

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Good – bad, or downright Ugly ?

Leave me a comment.

Six days in Victoria BC

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Steve

Six days in Victoria BC with Jennifer.

Six days of Shopping, Sun, Green grass, Coffee shops and abundant Craft beer !.

Two cameras – Fuji X-T1 (Fujinon 35/1.4 lens) and Leica M 240 (Leitz Canada 28/2.8, Voigtlander 40/1.4 and Leitz Elmar-C 90/4 lenses).

OK – I know what you are thinking !.

Why Both the X-T1 and M 240 ?.
Valid question – Yes, they are similar, But different.

The conversation about camera gear will come in another post. Enjoy the images and drop me a line if you have a comment.

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Leica 400mm f/6.8 Telyt

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Steve

Back in 2009 I was given a box containing a Leica R4 film camera and a couple of Leica-R lenses (24mm f/2.8 Elmarit, 60mm f/2.8 Elmarit and a 400mm f/6.8 Telyt). At first I thought the 400mm lens was a telescope with a Leica-R lens mount. I’ve since learned that my first guess was close.

The lens is 38cm (15 inches) long, and only weights 1830 grams (4 lbs). Focusing is by push-pull and pushing in the focus release button. Since this lens had not been used for a long time, and had not been stored with a lens cap, the interior glass was coated with dust and the grease in the focus slides has dried out. Cost estimates for a CLA (Clean, Lubricate and Adjust) by Leica service centers ranged from $400 to $600. At the time, it didn’t seem worth the cost to repair the lens, and only be able to use it on a Leica-R film camera since it had been announced that there would be no more digital Leica-R cameras beyond the Leica R9 and DMR.

The first spark to use the Leica-R lenses on a digital cameras came with the discovery of Leitax, makers of lens mount adapters. With the adapters in hand, I was quickly (and easily) able to remove the Leica-R lens mount and attach a Leitax lens mount adapter for the Olympus E-330 that I had at the time. The 24mm and 60mm lenses were converted with Leitax (Leica-R to 4/3 lens mount) and performed superbly. For information on the specific Leitax adapter for the Leica 400mm f/6.8 lens – click here. Even though a Leitax adapter was available, using The Leica 400mm f/6.8 was on-hold due to the high cost of the lens CLA. It was the photographs by Sacramento bird photographer Douglas Herr that convinced me to take another look on restoring this lens. The second spark was discovering a post on MF lenses.com written by malchauDK Servicing Leica Telyt-R 400-560mm/f6,8. Following the step-by-step instructions, including complete dis-assembly, the lens was cleaned, lubricated and re-assembled.

By the time I was done cleaning and lubricating, the lens was good as new. Thanks malchauDK. By this time, I had upgraded to a Nikon D700 and Leitax adapters were available to mount Leica-R lenses on Nikon bodies. On the D700, with the large clear viewfinder (especially compared to the tiny viewfinder on the Olympus E-330), focusing the Leica 400mm f/6.8 is a easy, though does take a little bit of practice.

The Leica 400mm f/6.8 lens was designed in 1968 as a handheld “snapshot” lens, and my particular lens was made in 1977. As mentioned, focus is by using a slider (manual focus), and it needs and adapter to work on modern digital cameras. Why – bother use an archaic lens designed 46 years ago when there are there are plenty of more compact and autofocus lenses available. Maybe, I am a sucker for old lenses being born the same year that this lens was designed. Really, it is such a superb lens that delivers incredible quality.

Pros

1) Size and weight. Although it is a relatively long lens (38cm long), it is light and weights only 1830 grams.

2) Portability. The lens unscrews into two pieces that can be stored in a Pelican-type case, or in a PVC-tube.

3) Durable – easy to disassemble, no electronics or moving parts – nothing to break.

4) With adapters, usable on Nikon, Canon, Sony and smaller format cameras (4/3, micro 4/3 and Fuji-X)

5) Price. Used Leica 400mm f/6.8 lenses are available for $400 to $800.

Downsides

6) Manual focus, not always suitable for moving subjects.

7) Slow minimum aperture results in a darkened viewfinder.

8) Lens design. The lens has only 2 glass elements so there is inevitable curvature of the focus plane. Details in the center of the image are in focus, but off-centered objects are noticeably out-of focus. Even with larger apertures this is still noticeable.

Click on the photos below – and decide if this is a lens for you.

I love it.