photos: first walk with Bazooka

[Godfrey]

It was a bleak and dull afternoon yesterday, with leaden light and heavy clouds. But I had promised myself to take the new lens (the big zoom, affectionately nick-named "Bazooka") out for a walk so I went anyway. It was a good walk.

All photos with Leica SL + APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90-280mm f/2.8-4 zoom, hand-held:

ISO 800 @ f/5 @ 1/320 @ 180mm


ISO 320 @ f/3.5 @ 1/320 @ 178mm


ISO 400 @ f/3.8 @ 1/320 @ 245mm


ISO 640 @ f/7.1 @ 1/500 @ 242mm


ISO 500 @ f/7.1 @ 1/250 @ 124mm


ISO 1600 @ f/8 @ 1/500 @ 280mm


ISO 640 @ f/4 @ 1/500 @ 280mm


ISO 3200 @ f/6.3 @ 1/400 @ 203mm​

Even after familiarizing myself with it for a few days around the house, the SL90-280 remains a large and heavy lens. I carried only it in my hand, the Tenba Cooper 13DSLR bag (with nothing else in it) slung across my back just in case my wrist needed a rest. I didn't need to use the bag. I took about 30 exposures on a half-hour walk; I think there might be another five or eight worth processing.

For the first half of the walk, I had the focusing set to auto on the half-press of the shutter release; after that, I switched it to MF with AF on demand on the joystick button. I still prefer this latter focusing setup: peaking is set to enable automatically as I turn the focusing ring and the SL's display of peaking with this lens is just about perfect to my eye.

The lens performs very well, to my eye, and is a pleasure to work with even for a walk like this. That said, I'm sure I'll most likely use it more with a tripod setup and more studied shooting endeavors. And yes: I think it's time to have another customized insert made for the Pelican rollaway case. Even a backpack with this large and heavy an equipment load will wear on me too quickly.

enjoy!
G

 

[Larry Cloetta]

30 minute walk, 30 exposures. Aargh.
I'm wondering if that much easy perfection gets boring in a few days. Where's the challenge?
Kidding. Mostly wondering because I can't afford it🙂
(I love the poppies.)

 

[Michael Markey]

Lovely shots ....

 

[Calzone]

Godfrey,

A crazy lens for sure. Wonderful shots.

Cal

 

[charjohncarter]

Great stuff Godfrey.

 

[BillBingham2]

Amazing what you can do with you setup.

WOW!

Thanks for sharing.

B2 (;->

 

[Godfrey]

Thank you all for commenting!

30 minute walk, 30 exposures. Aargh.
I'm wondering if that much easy perfection gets boring in a few days. Where's the challenge?
Kidding. Mostly wondering because I can't afford it🙂
(I love the poppies.)

No. The hard part happens now: I know the equipment is better than I will ever be so buying new equipment, serving the fantasy that my photos will get better because of it, is not an option. Now I have to work hard to see in order to make photographs that satisfy me beyond the technical facets of the equipment.

G

"At the the end of the quest for the right camera, the quest for photography begins."

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Thank you all for commenting!



No. The hard part happens now: I know the equipment is better than I will ever be so buying new equipment, serving the fantasy that my photos will get better because of it, is not an option. Now I have to work hard to see in order to make photographs that satisfy me beyond the technical facets of the equipment.

G

"At the the end of the quest for the right camera, the quest for photography begins."

No, I understand. I was the same way with golf clubs. Buy the best, and there are no excuses left.

The other way to look at it, with outdated equipment, is, "I know my camera/lens has many faults. How can I incorporate/work around those faults to create something which is still interesting photographically, perhaps even more interesting, even if much less technically perfect?" That never gets boring. Frustrating, maybe.

You know what I mean. But, still, I'd rather have your stuff🙂

 

[Calzone]

No, I understand. I was the same way with golf clubs. Buy the best, and there are no excuses left.

The other way to look at it, with outdated equipment, is, "I know my camera/lens has many faults. How can I incorporate/work around those faults to create something which is still interesting photographically, perhaps even more interesting, even if much less technically perfect?" That never gets boring. Frustrating, maybe.

You know what I mean. But, still, I'd rather have your stuff🙂

Larry,

You speak wisdom.

Kinda funny how all the reviews I have read about the SL really did not discover how advanced the IS of the SL zooms are.

I can see doing a lot of remarkable night shooting I never could of done before.

Most people don't know that the Seal team that rescued an American Captain of a cargo ship being held hostage by three Somali pirates were taken out by three guns that fired at the same time that had Gyro stabilization.

While the 24-90 and 90-280 might not have gyros the IS is really remarkable and allows for some crazy possibilities.

BTW the 50 Lux-SL I just acquired does not have IS, but having a 24-90 is on my list because of the possibilities for urban night shooting.

Cal

 

[daveleo]

Those have a nice look and feel.
I imagine that viewing them on a 100ppi (?) uncalibrated monitor is criminal, and that rig really comes to life when you start printing.

 

[Godfrey]

No, I understand. I was the same way with golf clubs. Buy the best, and there are no excuses left.

The other way to look at it, with outdated equipment, is, "I know my camera/lens has many faults. How can I incorporate/work around those faults to create something which is still interesting photographically, perhaps even more interesting, even if much less technically perfect?" That never gets boring. Frustrating, maybe.

You know what I mean. But, still, I'd rather have your stuff🙂

I do indeed. 🙂

I may be a little weird about this point of view, but basically my equipment never becomes 'outdated' at all as long as it did what I expected when I bought it. At the same time, having state of the art stuff is great too.

None of it ever gets boring to me. 😀

Those have a nice look and feel.
I imagine that viewing them on a 100ppi (?) uncalibrated monitor is criminal, and that rig really comes to life when you start printing.

The 100ppi display view with these JPEGs is all right, but can't really compare to looking at them in full resolution on my 27" display or on paper. I'm going to print a couple of them today, and make a post card from one or two of them.

G

 

[robert blu]

Beautiful! For sure state of art equipment but excellent photographer as well!
robert