WATE bashing

[Olsen]

Leica users, potential and actual, seems to be fixed on Full Frame, these days. Fair enough. Let's have a look at what is possible with the M8 and the Tri Elmar 16-18-21 mm 4,0 - the most bashed lense on this forum. It turns out to be a something like 21-24-28 on a M8. That said, it is an excellent wide angle and you don't miss Full Frame for a minute.

Take a look at these examples:

1)
A typical Norwegian family lunch. Note the strategically placed Norwegian Goat Cheese. Americans; be glad that you only have to suffer the low dollar! The first scene with three flashes. One old Vivitar 283 on the camera with the reflector facing the white ceiling and two flashes, one Canon 550EX and another Vivitar 283 standing on sockets w/slaves on top of the fridge. These are also pointing towards the ceiling, but with and angle towards the camera. By this the scene does not look so flat, which is typical when using flash.

2)
The same scene without flash. Only natural light from a low Oslo sun in early February. Both with the WATE in 16 mm - that is 21 on the M8, position with the UV/IR filter duly attached.

3)
The children playing. And me crawling on the floor. Excuse the heywire angles and lines. Using a similar 3-flash set-up, a flash on the camera prohibited use of the excellent 'Frankenfinder' which has a libelle to control that the camera is absolutely right. Same type of lighting with two flashes reflected in the ceiling with an angle towards the camera and a flash on the camera, also reflected.

I am sure others here can show what is possible with the WATE on the M8 too. The M8 and the WATE is a very good digital wide angle combo. Anyone with examples?

 

[cmogi10]

Heh I like how I can see the flashes in the first one.

 

[Tuolumne]

Yeah, I use the original tri-elmar on the R-D1, perfect frame line match. Works great. I don't need FF.

/T

 

[Ben Z]

Leica users, potential and actual, seems to be fixed on Full Frame, these days. Fair enough. Let's have a look at what is possible with the M8 and the Tri Elmar 16-18-21 mm 4,0 - the most bashed lense on this forum. I

Maybe I'm in the minority but I could care less about a so-called full frame M, especially if it comes with a huge price tag and a whole new box of bugs. My only objection (and it's not a bash) to the WATE is the choker price. I'm tickled pink with the way my 15mm Heliar performs on the M8, not to mention the 12mm which Leica still doesn't offer anything that wide. And both of them cost me about what a lens shade and filter adaptor cost for the WATE 😀

 

[Olsen]

SMOGI10,

I left them in there just to show how the flash-light was applied, - since this is a photo site. Right? I have a 25 years old Vivitar 283 and bought one 2.hand mint - far nicer than my old one, complete with these filters and all for 20$. Here I have also used a Canon 550EX put on 'manual' and just spitting out full capacity. Both the auxiliary flashes are triggered by slaves. - I think all Leica glass produce high contrast pictures with flash. Powerful flashes with slaves are things to look for on 2.hand shops & lists.

Vic,

That could well be. I haven't tried it 'in between the click-stops, and I am not sure how it works with the rangefinder coupling. Compared to Voigtländer's 15 mm 4,5 - also an excellent lense, but it is an advantage to have the rangefinder coupled WATE with the correct coding and filters.

Toulomne,

I am sure the WATE works excellent on the RD-1 too. Do you have some examples to show us?

 

[M. Valdemar]

Are you talking about Geitost?

Great stuff, it comes in red aluminum wrapping in New York.

I buy it every few weeks.

 

[crawdiddy]

Are you talking about Geitost?

Yes, it's excellent cheese. Kind of sweet.

...even better than Velveeta....

 

[Olsen]

Valdemar,

This I did not know, that you were eating Norwegian Goat Cheese over there! They say over here that when New York'ers get the taste of 'rakfisk' (specially preserved and very smelly fish - trout) then Norway isn't big enough. There isn't trout lakes enough to feed you all.

Ben Z,

The price of the WATE is out of this world! It is the absolutely most expensive lense I have ever bought, and I have a few. I made a favourable 'deal' - somewhat - on buying the M8 and the WATE together - still very expensive. But my thought was that now I am doing my share to see to that Leica survives and with it the M-system. Now they want 1.200 Euros for an update...(sigh!)

 

[crawdiddy]

Valdemar,

This I did not know, that you were eating Norwegian Goat Cheese over there! They say over here that when New York'ers get the taste of 'rakfisk' (specially preserved and very smelly fish - trout) then Norway isn't big enough. There isn't trout lakes enough to feed you all.

...I like the cheese, but you can keep the preserved trout....

 

[Olsen]

Valdemar,

This I did not know, that you were eating Norwegian Goat Cheese over there! They say over here that when New York'ers get the taste of 'rakfisk' (specially preserved and very smelly fish - trout) then Norway isn't big enough. There isn't trout lakes enough to feed you all.

...I like the cheese, but you can keep the preserved trout....

Ha, Ha!

Don't worry, Crawdiddy, it goes down! Together with the smoked and grilled sheep heads. - With a cold beer and a hefty mouthful of Linie Aquavit! The first to see the sheep head blink with it's eyes has had too much to drink.

 

[Donald Mann]

Heh I like how I can see the flashes in the first one.

and your point is . . . . . . .excluding the one on the top of your head ;-)

 

[POINT OF VIEW]

Wate On Flash

Wate On Flash

What am I missing here? Are you telling us how great the WATE is or how great a flash is on the M8? Or both? One more question, how do you mount the flash on top of the WATE viewfinder? Bill

 

[RussK]

My adopted Chinese daughter's favorite cheese is gjeitost. Come to think of it it is mine too!

 

[cmogi10]

😕

and your point is . . . . . . .excluding the one on the top of your head ;-)

 

[Olsen]

What am I missing here? Are you telling us how great the WATE is or how great a flash is on the M8? Or both? One more question, how do you mount the flash on top of the WATE viewfinder? Bill

I am doing neither. Just showing some pictures taken with M8 and WATE, and explaining how I used flashes. Read what I wrote about the third picture regarding the Frankenfinder and the use of flash.

 

[irq506]

Hey that middle shot, the one without flash -thats astonishingly good shadow detail within that much bright area (even though its diffused), Im blown away at this image...

...I also love that Poltergeist *floating* teapot...

 

[Olsen]

Friends of ours have two adopted chinese daughters. Both very eager goat cheese eaters. At this ocation it was waffles, though.

Irq506,

I think that all Leica glas I have tried have this property that it 'pulls' more light out of marginal situations. You can see this effect clearly on Sean Reids test of lenses on the RD-1 at Luminous Landscapes. Call it the 'Leica glow' or whatever, but I think it is the effect of applying exotic glas sorts that let in more light. Combine this with a lense construction that is highly corrected for high micro contrast & resolution and you have a high performing Leica lense. Of the three Leica lenses I have, particularly the WATE and Summicron 35 mm 2,0 excells in this light pulling property. Amazing!

 

[Roger Hicks]

Is it the most-bashed lens? I'd have thought the Noctilux had that honour.

I was well impressed with the one I had for review, but my wife Frances Schultz was even more impressed and is thinking of buying one if/when she receives a small inheritance from her aunt.

She loves it on film. What I like about it is that I can use it on both film and the M8, and still have a decently wide-angle lens on the M8.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Olsen]

Roger,

I have no statistics on what lense is the most bashed here on the pages, but the Noctilux is among the very top.

Start bashing: I would rather have a WATE than a Noctilux', end of bashing.

Ah, well, on second thaughts, its not that obvious and really a very difficult choice. The Noctilux is a portrait lense with some astonishing features that makes it unique. While the WATE is a excellent all round wide angle. The optimal tourist lense. And an exellent lense for family affairs, like above.

Just to show that the WATE can be used for landscapes. Here an impression of what kind of summer 2007 gave us here in Norway. From the mouth of the Oslo Fjord.

 

[retow]

Are you talking about Geitost?

Great stuff, it comes in red aluminum wrapping in New York.

I buy it every few weeks.

Now I do understand why the Norwegian economy is still prospering. Miracle solved
😀