Wide Open Portraits / 50 'ASPH Lux

[PaulN]

I've been enjoying the use of my M9 for portraits. I picked up a 6x ND filter allowing me to shoot wide open under studio lights. The following pics of friends were taken with a medium soft box just outside of the frame. I really appreciate the form factor of the m9 and now prefer it over my DSLR for studio shots.



Saba I by Paul.N, on Flickr



Enrica by Paul.N, on Flickr

 

[35mmdelux]

hmmm, interesting. Thanks for posting -

 

[mugget]

Always a different look when you shoot wide open - great separation guaranteed!
I like it.

I'm just wondering - did you want to go for a bit of a darker look, or was that forced because of the ND filter? Would it be possible to shoot it wide open, but with a bright white background?

 

[250swb]

I really like the second one, a lovely happy portrait, but the OOF eye in the first I find a bit disconcerting.

Steve

 

[stocknowledge]

Nice effect! Leica lenses are wonderful wide open, and you have one of the best lenses!

 

[sleepyhead]

Hi Paul, nice lighting. I really like the second portrait - it's so light and care-free. In the first one, I also find the out-of-focus eye distracting.

Here is one on film with the 50mm Summilux ASPH wide-open:

 

[MCTuomey]

i don't know. yaron nailed focus on the picture of the boy - and the narrow DOF and surrounding blur are attractive - but it's hard to do consistently up close at f1.4. would you consider headshots close in (near MFD) better taken with a longer focal length and a wider aperture than f1.4, especially when shooting on angle to the face?

 

[sepiareverb]

Wonderful OOF rendition on the ASPH, very natural to my eye.

 

[seakayaker1]

M9 with Summilux-M 50mm f1.4 ASPH

 

[sleepyhead]

i don't know. yaron nailed focus on the picture of the boy - and the narrow DOF and surrounding blur are attractive - but it's hard to do consistently up close at f1.4. would you consider headshots close in (near MFD) better taken with a longer focal length and a wider aperture than f1.4, especially when shooting on angle to the face?

In the first portrait posted by PaulN, not only is the DOF very shallow, but there appears to be a slight front-focusing on the near eye (her lips appear sharpest to me). I think if that portrait (i.e., one with the face at an angle) was shot at f/2.8 with the focus on, or a bit behind the near eye, then both eyes would be adequately sharp and appear more balanced.

It's still a nice picture!

 

[ricnak]

This was one of my first focus practice shots with a rangefinder . M9 and 50 lux. Son sitting near a computer and desk lamp. I don't use the 50mm much, but when I do... I like it.

 

[MCTuomey]

ricnak: beautiful feel! i think i see that the nearer shoulder, collar, and tousled hair are in sharper focus than the eyes, which is my point. a 50/1.4 is tough to shoot up close and wide open and consistently focus well, i think.

dan hit the focus on the closer of the two shots he posted, enough to make me think it wasn't made at f1.4.

the blur quality of the 50 lux ASPH is eye-stopping.

 

[rsolti]

You mean I can stop my fast lenses down? Is this a post your wide open portraits thread??? If so, I'm in 🙂. All shots below obviously wide open


50 Lux ASPH

50 Lux ASPH

 

[macmania]

I've been enjoying the use of my M9 for portraits. I picked up a 6x ND filter allowing me to shoot wide open under studio lights. The following pics of friends were taken with a medium soft box just outside of the frame. I really appreciate the form factor of the m9 and now prefer it over my DSLR for studio shots.

I use my M9 for Studioshots too. Now since 2 Years. I like the wideopen shots with studioflash too.

 

[hlockwood]

I use my M9 for Studioshots too. Now since 2 Years. I like the wideopen shots with studioflash too.

Wow! Great shot, great subject.

Harry

 

[armanius]

First portrait with my new 50 Lux-asph on the M9. Wide open. Good thing it was an overcast day!

 

[Michel.Roth]

lux 50mm aspf wide open:

in bw:

 

[mugget]

Wow Michel, very nice.

It seems like that approach would have been easier to work with - placing the subject at a further distance? Looks like you have alot more wiggle-room with the DoF that way? For example there doesn't seem to be any risk of half their face being out of focus, you could probably even have the entire body in focus if you got it just right...

 

[Richard G]

Wow Michel indeed. That black and white shot is a killer.

 

[BobYIL]

lux 50mm aspf wide open:

in bw:

Yuriy,

I went through your pictures taken with the Summitar first, both film and digital, then those on other threads and finally your flickr site.

You are at home with both film and digital, having great talent to turn out well composed, well processed pictures with beautiful tonality.

You deserve all praises. Bravo!

Bob