Fun with the Leica M9/90 Summarit and the Olympus E-P2/Panasonic 14 2.5!

NOTE: This is not a review of the two lenses but instead a “just for fun” article about one day shooting with them both. The reviews will come in the next week or two. All photos here have been processed with Alien Skin Exposure 3 using a custom preset, which means the color/yellow cast, the sharpness, and the imperfections were all ADDED to the photos. THIS IS NOT a review! As always, click on any image for a larger and better version. Enjoy!

Wow! What a week last week! The Leica M9 contest really kept me busy so a couple of the photo/review projects I had planned for last week have been pushed to this week. That’s OK though, I will be working on all of the new stuff this week. Today I wanted to write a fun article because it seems like I have not done this in quite a while, so I wanted to write a little bit about HAVING FUN with photography.

It seems that these days so many people take their photography hobby seriously. That is good as it helps us to focus and become better at it. The only problem is that sometimes we can get to caught up with the gear, the tech specs, wether or not our camera has a crisp LCD or performs well at ISO 6400 and up. I have come to learn that even if I am shooting a camera like the incredible Nikon D3s I really do not use anything higher than ISO 5000 anyway! I searched through 30,000 of my photos to see what ISO I shot at and 98% of them were ISO 200 or lower. This tells me I really do not need a high ISO camera. I’d rather have a fast lens 🙂

I was out this weekend at the Renaissance Festival in Phoenix AZ for fun, food, drink and what else? Photography!

Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic 14mm 2.5 lens – Alien Skin Exposure 3 – Custom Settings

I brought along some cash, a Leica M9 and 90 Summarit lens, an Olympus E-P2 with Panasonic 14 2.5 lens and also the SLR Magic Toy lens (though that one never came out of the bag). It was a warm and sunny 81 degrees and the sun was a bit harsh. I knew I would probably have some issues with blown highlights but hey, it was all in fun anyway. I wanted to see the shots I would get with both cameras and lenses. BTW, Ken Hansen, my good friend and superb Leica dealer sent me the 90 Summarit to try out as he noticed I never reviewed it!

I also processed all of the images here using Alien Skin Exposure and a custom made preset. I was in a vintage kind of mood last night when looking over the photos. In case you missed it above…  this is not a review of these lenses! Those will come at a later date. Sometimes I feel it’s nice just to write about the “fun” in photography and not stress about detail, sharpness, contrast or perfection. Besides, it’s Valentines Day and I have a date in a few hours so I am in a fun kind of mood. LOL.

The Leica M9 and 90 Summarit – Alien Skin Exposure 3

As I walked the festival and shelled out $10 here, $10 there, and ate a frozen Banana I tried to spot opportunities for photos but for some reason, it seemed a bit dull this year. I had the M9 and 90 slung around my body to the left, and the E-P2 and 14 slung around to the right. After four hours of walking I can easily say the E-P2 was the lightest load to carry but again, the M9 is just made for this kind of photography. I only shoot with a 90mm for about 3% of my shots total. IN other words, I rarely use that focal length on an M camera but when I do I am always happy with the results.

My 1st impressions with the little Leica 90 Summarit lens was very positive. It really doesn’t give up much to the older and more classic 90 Elmarit in the image quality department and it is also a faster lens with a maximum f/2.5 aperture (this equals even more creamy bokeh). I only shot around 20 frames with this combo and all were spot on focused and I had ZERO complaints! The lens is built nice and just so happens to be Leicas most affordable 90mm lens.

Leica M9 and 90 Summarit at f/2.5 – Wide open! Added the vintage treatment, scratches and all with Alien Skin Exposure 3.

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Olympus E-P2 and 14mm – No complaints and a very fun combo to shoot with. This gives you a 28 2.5 equivalent for your M4/3 camera.

Just two hours after we arrived my cash was dwindling. Just to get in was $22 for each person, then the food, the snacks and the occasional “Dad, can I have $10”  but it was fun to just relax, hang out with those you love, and witness all of the cool costumes and shops. I admit though, I did miss having a 35 or 50mm equivalent lens on the M9 as I am just so not used to shooting with a 90! The little E-P2 with the Olympus viewfinder did great. if anyone owns the E-P2, E-PL1 or E-PL2 I HIGHLY recommend the EVF as it’s still the best on the market in the EVF dept. (IMO).

The next THREE images were all shot with the Olympus E-P2 and 14mm

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I remember that while I walked around I wast thinking that I wasn’t getting many good shots. It seemed like it was  going  to be one of those days but I didn’t even care! I was  there to have fun and that is exactly what I did. I think that when you lift the stress of trying to get out there and find shots to take they seem to start  to find YOU. Funny how that works huh?

The next three shots were all taken with the M9 and 90 Summarit wide open at 2.5. It’s easy to isolate your subject with the 90 🙂

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So which camera/lens combo did I enjoy the most? BOTH! I loved the Olympus combo for its light weight, small size and sleek styling. One guy asked me if the Olympus was an old camera and I always think that is pretty cool. The E-P2 is a classic in the design department and I hope Olympus keeps up with the same design in the rumored “Pro” E-P3. It IS the best looking Micro 4/3 camera, PERIOD!

The M9..what else can I say that hasn’t been said? It is simply the ULTIMATE digital camera. If you have the cash then get one! You only live once but it really is not for everyone. It is the ultimate documentary machine and has the ability to capture feelings, emotion and do it with finesse and style like no other camera I have used. Then again, maybe it is just MY attitude when I use it. It always inspires 🙂

I easily recommend the M9, E-P2 and both the Leica 90 Summarit and Panasonic 14mm 2.5 lens. These days, it is hard for a camera company to make a bad camera or lens it seems but having a 28mm 2.5 lens for your Micro 4/3 for under $400 is fantastic! (at the time of this writing the 14mm is $373 at B&H Photo). The Leica 90 Summarit is the least expensive 90mm you can get for your M9 if you want Leica made glass. It holds up the Leica tradition as does ALL of the Summarit lenses.

You can buy the 14mm lens at B&H here and Ken Hansen has stock of the 90 Summarit at the best price going. He may also have one of those Limited Edition M9 sets in stock as well (The $12,950 chrome/brown ostrich ones with the 35 Summicron). You can e-mail Ken HERE.

Hope you have enjoyed my “just for fun: article today…kind of nice after last weeks over the top excitement! Happy valentines day to all!

Just a few more shots from the day 🙂

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