Zombie Apocalypse! My weapons of choice? Leica Monochrom, M9 and Olympus OM-D!

October 28, 2012 Crazy Comparisons, Events, follow ups, Leica, News, Olympus, Street Photography 32

Zombie Apocalypse! My weapons of choice? Leica Monochrom, M9 and Olympus OM-D!

Halloween is just about here and what better way to celebrate it than to attend a good old-fashioned Zombie Walk? I went out yesterday in Phoenix AZ strapped with my Leica Monochrom, a borrowed Leica M9 and my Olympus OM-D and a few lenses to see if I could snap any images of the undead without them eating my brains. The images below were all shot with one of those three cameras.  I also had the Panasonic 8mm Fisheye for M4/3 and LOVED using it at this event. I am writing up a review of that lens so will only include a couple of images here from that lens but it is great fun as fisheyes always are, even with their limited use.

This is just a quick Sunday post for fun as well as a quick POLL to see how many of you can spot the Leica M9 image below when mixed with two Monochrom shots. This site is always about the fun and passion in photography over the technical stuff and besides..it’s Sunday so I am not going to get to involved and sit at my desk for 5 hours 🙂

Zombies in Monochrom 

A few of the images in this post are from the Leica Monochrom which made me think of the original “Night of the Living Dead”, which was shot in B&W. Zombies really pop in color but they can also look pretty cool in B&W.

BTW, One of the three images below was shot with the M9 and converted to B&W. Can you spot which one? HINT: The M9 converted to B&W will give off a different look to the Greys/whites than the Monochrom.

#1

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#2

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#3

Can you spot the M9 image? Vote in the poll below and cast your vote: WHICH IMAGE IS FROM THE M9? 1, 2, or 3?

[polldaddy poll=6644440]

10/29 – ANSWER: The M9 shot is #3!

Be sure to click the images for larger versions! In my upcoming part 3 review on the Mono I will have some full size 100% files for you to check out from the Zombie walk. It was loads of fun shooting with the Mono though I have to say..these walking undead zombies POPPED in color!

Zombies in COLOR

While at the walk I was blown away with some of the make up and effects some of the “walkers” did on themselves. There were zombies everywhere! Teenage zombies, old zombies and even kid zombies 🙂 It is amazing how popular the whole Zombie genre is these days. There were entire families showing up as zombies and it was super cool to see and interact with everyone. The cool thing is that everyone there LOVED getting their photos taken. Take a look at just a few of the shots I snapped below using the various cameras and lenses.

The M9 and 35 1.4

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The OM-D and the Panasonic 8mm Fisheye

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OM-D and 12mm f/2

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Leica M9…this guy wanted to eat the camera and then feast on my brains!

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OM-D and Fisheye

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The OM-D and 75 1.8..this lady had the hair but no makeup so she resembled a troll doll 🙂

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Leica M9 and 50 Summitar 

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The OM-D and 75 1.8

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M9 and 50 Summitar

I have to say that if there is a Zombie Walk in your neighborhood  next Halloween then GO! It is loads of fun, there are a gazillion photo opps and everyone is friendly and having a great time, which makes for some great image making possibilities. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Steve  

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32 Comments

  1. I wasn’t going to get the new 75mm f1.8, but now look what you have done, I am going to have to get it for Christmas, the results are awesome!

  3. Hi Steve,

    Great photos! And I really love the colors too! I know that you use Silver Efex for BW conversions, but what you use for color? Or in other words: what’s the secret for these gorgeous colors? 🙂

    And a second question: I’m thinking of buying an OM-D for my personal photography (to accompany my Nikon film SLR), is it a good idea?

    And a third one: The company I’m working for needs event photography next to some industrial images and they considering to buy a camera for that. Previously I thought of the Nikon DSLRs, like D600, but thanks to your site the OM-D size and usability really mesmerized me. Would you recommend the OM-D for this purpose, for event photography?

    Many thanks,
    great site!

    Gabe

  5. Hi Steve, Probably number 3 for M9, the first 2 have just a touch more bite and better skin tone / detail? Then again could be wrong. Often am. Of the colour shots the M9 pics have more of the Leica pop, better colour and more bite, I’m biased cos I am fortunate enough to have an M9 and all the usual culprits for glass, including an 18mm s elmar which you should take a look at, at some point. Makes an awsome travel partner with the latest 35mm 1.4 or f2 for that matter.

    Although most of my shots end up as black and white when printed, not all do. Some are absolutely and definitely colour shots. For this reason I have stayed with M9. Like a lot of M9’ers I am itching to see some real results from the forthcoming M, CMOS Vs CCD. At low (up to and inc 640) the image quality from the M9 is fab’. The M9’s faults are with the frustratingly slow electronics and crap screen, but having learned to live with these failings (the lack of high ISO is less of an issue for me) for 2 years now, in terms of image quality it is by far the best camera I have ever had. I still use an M7 and a clutch of film hasselblads with TriX – I like the square format and the image quality, although M9 beats both for detail and sharpness.

    If the image quality from the M is not significantly better I will keep the M9 and maybee get a second body. Hey, at 61 I could use a second body!

    Keep up the good work. Great fun reading the website.

  7. Hey Steve, geat read & pics. just wondering why you havent used the 25 pana-leica as you seemed to really liked this combo.
    was it because its not wide enough?
    last, do you recomend special filter for BW use on the OM-D (external filter on the lens, like the one you used for the MM in your review)?
    thanks!

    • I did bring the 25 with me but was so busy with the Leica’s and fisheye I only used the 25 for 5 shots, 3 of which missed focus for some reason… As for a filter on the OM-D..I would not use one for B&W as it is a color sensor.

  9. The OM-D and 75 1.8 render beautifully. If I may say, the photos have a crispness that reminds me of Leica.

  10. Steve on the OM-D menu there is MONOCHROME setting with variety of Tone and Digital Filter,.have you ever try to use it ?

      • thx Steve , I would love to see the Mono comparison between those camera,.btw,I’m new to B&W kind of thing but eagerly to learn ,and just so curious about the DIGITAL FILTER on the OM-D menu,

        .is it really difference instead of using a real glass filter Yellow /green / red on the OM-D,..?

        hope somebody can help me to explain this,

    • Steve i went to Photo Plus last weekend,.and tried the E-PL5 and also used my OM-D ,.i found the JPEG file from E-PL5 is little bit more nicer and crispier,.than my OM-D,.is it probably the E-PL5 has no AA Filter or probably Olympus has different way to ” Cook THe RAW files ” with this E-PL5,.it just my opinion,.and look forward for you to review the E-PL5

  11. Wouldn’t a long Bazooka Tele be the best choice capturing those “creatures”? I for sure would stay away from that city! 😀
    Can’t imagine how you can live there, Steve. Aren’t you afraid being infected? Or maybe…? 😉
    That said I also guess number three is from M9 as it looks more different than the first two which show amazing skin detail.

  14. Your zombie images are numbered in order 3, 2, 1. So in the poll is #3 the first image or the last image?

      • Thanks Andy.

        It started at Carlton gardens and then headed off through the cbd. Was heaps of fun, and definitely worth keeping an eye out for it next year. Huge turnout.

  18. People really went crazy with the makeup! Looks like a great way to spend a day! Steve, you didn’t zombify yourself!?!

  21. hi
    nice pics, we don’t have that in Europe
    i wonder:
    why taking pics and not having fun like these Zombies? camera gear passion is eating your life, one day you’ll be bored of it for sure and remember (while looking at your hundreds of thousands of pics) how much time you left dreaming about camera gear instead of living a life of joy
    one camera was not enough? what’s the point of switching cameras to take similar pics? ok i can 1000% zoom to see an extra pixel, i got it, that’s fun
    from the vote , you will understand that you will 33% in image 1, 33% in image 2 and 33% in image 3, or whatever, what’s the point of knowing what gear took a picture? it would have been more appropirate to ask which of the pics was the most scary, no?

    good luck with your passion

    • Hey Abraham, thanks for your message though I can not say I agree with it and I feel you must not know me too well 🙂 My passion IS Photography, Life and Family. All three equally. I had a blast at this Zombie Walk with my son, fiance and interacting with all of the Zombies. It was a hell of a good time and I would have much more fun (as I did) behind the camera capturing these “Zombies” than being one myself (which I have done many many times in past years). You seem to also forget that this is a camera/lens review blog. People come here for comparisons and in case you missed it, I am in the middle of a Leica Monochrom ongoing review. THIS is my JOB. I LOVE my JOB. 🙂

      • Hi,
        sorry if i hurt, was no intention.
        i just had thoughts at the end of the reading when i saw a great party like this one
        i now understand you participated already and now pass on for the younger one and daddy making pics, fair enough
        enjoy your passion though
        thanks for the readings (sometime too much oriented in gear in my opinion and not enough on the artistic side of the pics, i already saw some winning photography pics on this site but people were talking about pixel and gear instead of the scene taken)

        what ever, a single opnion with no value added

        keep going, you making a nice job though

        cheers

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