Personal Activities¶
These are notices and updates related to my photography activities. This includes purchases and sales of equipment, as well as repairs and other such activities. It also includes lessons I’ve taken, photo shoots I’ve done, and the like. Some articles, though, may have overlap with the Thoughts section.
Recently, I bought the latest camera from Leica, and M11-P. Pairing that with a Leica 35mm lens gives me a great camera for me to get back to photography.
posted: jul 2024 ✧ words: 1806
To protect my new Leica M11-P, and to further reduce access to the LCD, I bought an Oberwerth half-case.
posted: jul 2024 ✧ words: 1806
More than one camera and more than one lens is too much; it’s a distraction. Taking pictures is smoother when you have only one camera and one lens. Shooting becomes simpler and more natural, making for better photos.
posted: aug 2018 ✧ words: 986
Replacing a Zeiss Ikon with a Leica M3
Although I already have an excellent rangefinder film camera, the lure of classic Leica cameras is great: I want a Leica M3. In this post, I compare the features of the Zeiss Ikon and the Leica M3 and describe my impressions and concerns.
posted: may 2015 ✧ words: 634
I bought a Leica Q compact camera. It has what I want: manual controls for exposure; the ability to deactivate the LCD screen, a full-frame image sensor, and a top of the line Leica 28mm lens. What else do I need?
posted: sep 2018 ✧ words: 984
Although I have enjoyed owning a Sony RX100-III camera, with its pocket size and excellent Zeiss lens, I’m ready to spend a little more to get a compact camera with a larger sensor. I’ve decided to sell the Sony and buy a FujiFilm X100F.
posted: oct 2017 ✧ words: 1393
Lightroom Mobile as a Camera App.
Discovered an excelent mobile phone camera application that I already had and didn’t know it.
posted: feb 2017 ✧ words: 538
A Pocket Camera: Sony RX100-M3
Tired of missing shots, I bought a small camera that I’m more likely to take with me. The Sony RX100 M3 is a nice camera with an excellent image sensor and lens.
posted: apr 2016 ✧ words: 634
After much research and consulting with others, as well as some testing, I’ve agreed on a more than fair price for a Leica M3 camera. But then my friend changed her mind and gave me a much better price.
posted: may 2015 ✧ words: 701
In case anyone is interested in charting my madness and sadness, here’s an update on how far down the path to sell almost all of my cameras and lenses and switch to a new system.
posted: may 2012 ✧ words: 723
I have a crazy plan to sell almost all of my cameras and lenses and buy new ones. Looking through over 25,000 photos I took, I printed my fifty best for a small photo album. I discovered that I take better pictures with film and rangefinder cameras.
posted: may 2012 ✧ words: 1072
An Adventure in Gear Acquisition
When I started researching the two Zeiss ZM 85mm lenses—the expensive f/2 lens ($ 3,350) and the inexpensive f/4 lens ($ 875)—a few people sent me messages leading me instead to decide to buy the Leica Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8 lens.
posted: mar 2012 ✧ words: 1350
Replaced Leica M9 Image Sensor
My Leica M9 had too many spots on images, so I gave it to Leica to clean. They said the image sensor needed replacing.
posted: feb 2017 ✧ words: 735
Problems with a Leica M3 Camera
I’m about to purchase a Leica M3 from a friend. To determine its value, though, I decided to test it first. It looks excellent on the outside, but the inner workings of the camera seem to have some problems.
posted: may 2015 ✧ words: 373
Since I wrote about eliminating my zoom lenses, I’ve used my Canon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM zoom lens only three times. Of those photos, I’ve only used five of the photos I took with it.
posted: sep 2011 ✧ words: 537
As a result of feedback from an article posted here regarding my interest in the two Zeiss 85mm lenses, I’ve instead begun looking for a Leica 90mm lens. However, I have no sense of what lenses should cost, no way to gauge them.
posted: sep 2010 ✧ words: 318
I want to buy an 85mm Zeiss ZM lens for my Zeiss Ikon camera. Zeiss makes two 85mm lens models for M-mount cameras. They make the Sonnar T* f2.0 and the Tele-Tessar T* f/4 lenses. The Sonnar lens costs more than triple that of the Tele-Tessar.
posted: sep 2010 ✧ words: 310
In my collection of Canon EF lenses, I have a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens. It’s an excellent lens. I don’t think there’s any other lens in this range of zoom lenses that’s better than it for Canon EOS cameras.
posted: jul 2010 ✧ words: 309
Espresso and Leica Stores Don’t Mix
I went to an excellent camera store today, Foto Ottica Cavour in Milan. It has an amazing selection of Leica cameras and lenses. It was nice to see cameras that I’ve only seen on the internet. I wish I had had plenty of money with me.
posted: mar 2010 ✧ words: 508
The repair estimate for my Leica M3 film camera arrived today. I knew it would be high, but it’s much higher than I expected. They do good work and I like this camera very much, but I’m wondering if it’s worth having it repaired.
posted: may 2015 ✧ words: 531
Old Leica cameras use M-mount lenses, which are manually controlled. The lens cannot provide data to the camera. This can be a useful feature: most digital cameras will record the lens settings in each image file, which can help to improve your skills.
posted: sep 2013 ✧ words: 1025
I bought a half case for my Leitz Minolta CL (i.e., Leica CL) camera—the bottom half of the camera is wrapped leather. I bought it from a small manufacturer in China. It’s a very nice, but I don’t use it in the way many people do.
posted: mar 2012 ✧ words: 375
Because of the earthquake in Japan, production of Zeiss lenses has stopped for quite a while. So when one Zeiss ZM 50mm lens that I’ve been wanting to buy came up for sale at B&H Photo’’’s site, I pounced on it.
posted: feb 2012 ✧ words: 219
I own a Lumix GF1 camera with the 20mm f/1.7 pancake kit lens. I also have one of the Voigtlander M-mount adapters, so I’m able to use my Zeiss and Leica M-mount lenses. This is a seemingly excellent combination, but many of my images are terrible.
posted: feb 2011 ✧ words: 451
Considering the Leica 90mm Lens
After posting a message about the two Zeiss ZM 85mm lenses, I received several responses. Thanks to everyone who sent me messages and suggestions.
posted: sep 2010 ✧ words: 625
I returned to the Leica store to get a refund for a bad lens I bought. I showed them the lens and the photos I took with it. They were willing to take it back, but, as I feared, I was talked into an upgrade.
posted: mar 2010 ✧ words: 305
Yesterday, I shot a roll of film with my new antique lens. The results were absurdly disappointing. The photos are overexposed in the center. I’m not sure what caused this problem, or if there’s anything I can do to solve it.
posted: mar 2010 ✧ words: 428
Twice a year the canals in Milan are dry because the locks are closed upstream to drain them so the city can clean them. Today, I climbed down into one of the canals and took pictures of the restaurant barges stuck in the mud.
posted: feb 2012 ✧ words: 305
There are quite a few factors involved to make high quality photos from film. Each has to be at its best, or at least above a certain level. I strive for the clarity that I’ve seen in the photographs of many famous photographers during my lifetime.
posted: apr 2010 ✧ words: 747
This post includes a photograph taken with the replacement lens discussed in the previous post.
posted: apr 2010 ✧ words: 309