Nikon Coolpix A consideration

Recently I had an offer to exchange some of my film gear and a little cash for a Nikon Coolpix A.  The Coolpix A is a cool camera - excellent 16MP Sony sensor and a fast(ish) 18.5mm f2.8 lens, equivalent to 28mm in full frame.   I especially like that it is very pocketable and has excellent low light capabilities, which is great for shooting around the house and out on the street.

The deal hasn't been done yet, but getting rid of some gear I don't use a lot to buy something I might use more is always enticing.

Nikon D3000 with Sigma 85mm f1.4

My Sony NEX 5n and Fuji X100

One thing about the two cameras above that I have at home is that I feel no need to upgrade.  Yes, the new 16mp sensor in the X100S would be better, and a viewfinder like on the NEX 6 also nice, but neither are going to make a huge improvement to my photography.  I am looking for something that will be substantially better in image quality, usability and give me something that I can't do now.  As an example, a full frame mirrorless, like an E mount RX-1, would be something I would seriously consider worthy.  Until that time, I'll stick with what I've got.

Brown ale - Fuji X100

More interesting shots with the Leica CL

There were some interesting things that happened on, and as a result of the winter shoot that I wrote about in the previous post.

1) That damn filter

I had brought along a yellow filter to add a bit of contrast to some shots on the CL, and after managing to make drop it in the snow and make a mess, I also found out when I got back the photos that it also caused heavy vignetting, despite at 55mm fitment, being quite a bit bigger than the lens.

2) A shot crop

This photo, as a landscape, I quite like.  I cropped the top and bottom, which were just monotone sky and snow, and it turned out  much better.

3) Film scanner - NEX 5n

I ended up using the NEX 5n, and the Sigma 30mm lens perched above a light table with a tripod to scan the film.  The results were good, and the work flow speed reasonable.  A lot of the black and white shots I had to reconvert to black and white on photoshop, as they were shot in colour on the light table, some false colour snuck in.  Here's a none edited example of what I mean.

Leica CL in the park at winter time

         

A while back I wrote about my adventures here in Sunnybrook Park with a Leica CL, a Sony NEX 5n and a pair of snow shoes.  I fitted the cameras with the Voigtlander 21mm f4 and the Sigma 19mm f2.8, loaded some Fuji Neopan into the CL and ventured off.  

The CL is a cool camera.  It's really small, about the same size as a Sony NEX 6/7, and with the compact Voigtlander 21mm lens, it is almost pocketable.  The rangefinder is not even in the ballpark of the excellent Leica M3, but is comparable to cameras like the Fuji GS645S and the Canonet QL17.  With a slow wide angle lens like the Voigtlander, as long as you have focusing approximately right, there won't be an issue as the depth of field is so large.

Like I have written before, the Voigtlander is an excellent lens, and on film offers lovely tonality, commensurate with the Neopan film.  Compared to the shots with the Sony NEX, the contrast is much lower, with many more gradients of gray showing.  I will admit that I had set the NEX contrast artificially high, but I was still surprised to see the difference.

Leica X Vario - the Leica faithful are not the target market.

The new Leica X Vario is an interesting camera.  Basically a Leica X2 with a 28-70mm equivalent lens with a rather slow f3.5-6.4 maximum aperture.  Not a lot for the Leica fan boys to really write how about, but honestly that's not Leica's target market.

This little (fictional and rather stereo typed) story illustrates who I believe Leica is targeting.

A well off woman walks into a Leica boutique store and starts looking around, not really sure where to start.

"Can I help you?" asks the Leica salesperson

"Yes, I was looking for a better camera than this one (pointing to a Canon point and shoot from her handbag), and my photographer friend (who she's having an affair with) says Leica makes the best camera there is.  Can you show me what you have?"

"Of course, but first can you tell me what you need from your camera?"

"I don't want it to be too big, it has to have a zoom lens and it has to be the best camera I can possibly buy."

"I see.  Well, our flagship M 240 only comes with prime lenses (ed: WATE and MATE be damned), our S series is very large and our X2 only has a fixed lens.  Therefore I would like to recommend that you take a look at our newest camera, the Leica X Vario.  It has all the quality of our flagship M , and has the best quality zoom lens of any compact camera that you can buy (quite true)."

"Wow!   Its beautiful!  And it will take great pictures?

"Absolutely!"

"Great!  I'll take it!"

That's right, this camera is for rich people who have to have the best, and/or a high end label like Leica.  The traditional Leica buyers just won't get it, as it is really not meant for them.

Fuji X100