My World: Testing the Leica ME

[fahim mohammed]

I do not do brick walls, or test charts. Just real world pics like I would take.

I took two of my fav lenses..the lux 50 asph and the cron 75 apo asph; to see how they rendered on the new cam.

It was a very dull day, windy. These are jpgs, cam set to b&w.

For me testing Leica lenses at f5.6 onwards is really of little use. Most lenses perform well around that fl.
Even though I believe Leica performs better; but that is just me.

So here are some unscientific tests around the house; at various distances.

First the lux 50 asph and the ME at f1.4. No sharpening. 100% crops.

and the cron 75 asph apo; which I consider to be the best of the best from the Leica stable. My fav for portraits and closeups.

At f2. No sharpening. 100% crop.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I do not do brick walls, or test charts. Just real world pics like I would take.

I took two of my fav lenses..the lux 50 asph and the cron 75 apo asph; to see how they rendered on the new cam.

It was a very dull day, windy. These are jpgs, cam set to b&w.

For me testing Leica lenses at f5.6 onwards is really of little use. Most lenses perform well around that fl.
Even though I believe Leica performs better; but that is just me.

So here are some unscientific tests around the house; at various distances.

First the lux 50 asph and the ME at f1.4. No sharpening. 100% crops.

This is stunning, Fahim! I'd love to see picture of the setup compared to the regular Leica M8 and M9. How much weight is saved?

Asher

 

[fahim mohammed]

Asher, thanks.

But the camera is just a light tight box. For me, it has always been the lenses. Whether with a Nikon, Leica, or Fuji.

This is purely a subjective opinion. As it has to be.

Here is a shot using the cron 75 apo asph on an old M8 body. I am high up in the Alps ( by cable car, of course ). I look down and across. Outside the field of view on the right lies Mt. Blanc.

Down stretches the valley and the beautiful small Alpine villages and a few towns. We are looking Kms in the distance.

The first one with the cron 75, as it saw the scene.

Now, remembering I am using an outdated digital technology 10.3 mp ccd crop sensor, let's do a 100% crop and zoom in to the small town on the left in the valley in the image #1. Hand-held.

If the pics are bad, I have only myself to blame. There is, for me, no excuse to take bad pics except my capabilities as an image maker.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Asher, thanks.

But the camera is just a light tight box. For me, it has always been the lenses. Whether with a Nikon, Leica, or Fuji.

This is purely a subjective opinion. As it has to be.

But why do we keep forgetting about the character of the lens? It's a pity as this is one of the most important parts of getting mood into the picture.

Here is a shot using the cron 75 apo asph on an old M8 body. I am high up in the Alps ( by cable car, of course ). I look down and across. Outside the field of view on the right lies Mt. Blanc.

Down stretches the valley and the beautiful small Alpine villages and a few towns. We are looking Kms in the distance.

The first one with the cron 75, as it saw the scene.[/quote]

Well this is very sharp and outstanding. Nowadays the Leica lens can be attached to so many cameras and at a much lower cost, but without that red dot! But the question then arises, Fahim: what body would you suggest if one was going to choose one instead of a Leica?

Asher

 

[fahim mohammed]

Asher, let me take your second question first: which camera body?
Based on the experiences of my friends and the results I have seen in print:

The Ricoh with the M- module. No question in my mind.

The character of a lens...people get very touchy about this. Very subjective. Some might even call it a
fishy subject to discuss..

It is like seafood. But each fish tastes different. Some say a fish is a fish is a fish.
I beg to differ as regards fish and lenses.

p.s cron 28 asph.

 

[fahim mohammed]

A lens is a lens is a lens. A camera is a camera is a camera. Right?

A look is a look is a look.

 

[fahim mohammed]

A moment in time, is a moment, is a moment.

I use whatever I feel comfortable with. I just wait for the moment.

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

A lens is a lens is a lens. A camera is a camera is a camera. Right?

A look is a look is a look.

Loving this one, a tunnel of light and dark where at the end we find the light and subject. Photo after my own heart!

 

[fahim mohammed]

Loving this one, a tunnel of light and dark where at the end we find the light and subject. Photo after my own heart!

Once more my sincere thanks for your kind comments.

Alleys seem to be right up my ' alley '

With our warmest regards.

 

[fahim mohammed]

I took the ME to Laos.

The right camera for me to take, as it turned out.

The roads in Laos leave much to be desired. I was afraid the rangefinder would become misaligned as I traveled through the roughest parts of the roads..vibration and bumps galore.

The ME survived all this, plus splashes of water from the small river boats I rode, the humidity, and the occasional short exposure to the rain.

I carried with me the 28/50/75 lenses. Most used were the 50 and the 75. For wides, I used the Sony RX 100. And the Sony, for video.
The 28mm was used mainly for some specific wide landscapes.

Based on checking my results from the cam back home, I believed I carried the best lenses in their focal lengths being made. For weight, performance and ease of use and transport.

Would I carry something else? Not really. I could have easily managed with the ME and a 50mm plus my Sony RX 100. However, the Sony is not a rapid and perfect focus cam..it takes a split second to focus and I missed focus quite often. I would not carry the Sony on its own, for the kind of photography I do.

The ME..well I am camera user with a strong bias for a particular make of cam.

Best.