Bali with the Leica Safari kit and the Noctilux by Aditya Agarwal

July 27, 2015 Guest Post, Leica, Travel, User Reports 26

Bali with the Leica Safari kit and the Noctilux

by Aditya Agarwal

Hi Steve,

This is my third post to your excellent and very useful website. I am submitting todays report not just to show my work but also as a thanks for all the reviews and articles which benefited me a lot. (THANK YOU Aditya! – Steve)

I visited Bali in June 2015 with my family. While packing for the vacation, I came around the idea to carry just my Leica Safari along with the 35/Summicron and 50/Noctilux. I have the Sony A7II on which I use the Leica lenses regularly, but I wanted this trip to be a test. A test for finding out if the Leica can be my only travel camera against the Sony with all its bells and whistles. I feared that I will miss out on the more advanced technical features of the Sony. It was a tough choice, but I kept to it. After 7 days in Bali, the results were nothing short of fantastic and moreover strengthened my faith in the Leica system.

Mount Batur – The active Volcao at Bali – Shot from the flight.
Leica Safari, 50mm Noctilux, f/8, ISO 200, 1/1000

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The Egg painter. Shot at an art gallery at Ubud, Bali
Leica Safari, 50mm Noctilux, f/0.95, ISO 200, 1/500

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Uluwatu, Bali. the other side of the temple. HDR
Leica Safari, 35mm Summicron, f/13, ISO 200, 5 Shot HDR

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I am taking the liberty of including a fourth picture. This was shot at the Uluwatu Temple where a Kecak Dance is held every evening. I was worried that I won’t get any shots in focus as the dance is quite fast paced. Not only did I nail the focus, I took shot at f1.8 with the Nocti. It was a awesome feeling.

Kecak Dance at the Uluwatu Temple
Leica Safari, 50mm Noctilux, f/1.8, ISO 1250, 1/90

4

I am now pretty convinced that this is my go to camera setup for almost every shoot. I do plan to upgrade to the Sony A7RII mainly for landscape photography.

Once again, thank you for igniting my interest in mirrorless cameras through your wonderful site. My work is viewable on www.adityaagarwal.me

Regards

Aditya Agarwal

 

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26 Comments

  3. Excellent articles and magnificent photographs. I am just wondering about your choice of white balance in the Kecak dancers. It seems to have a strong green cast to my eyes. I think if you get the skin tones more naturally, it would be an even more magnificent shot.

  4. I have always wondered about the fuss surrounding Leica. After seeing your photos, I now understand why. Thanks for sharing.

  5. I stayed right on that beach for my honeymoon just a couple months ago. Absolutely beautiful 🙂 Though I didn’t get any shots quite as good as that while I was there (wasn’t really a photo holiday other than some snaps).

    Thank you for the sharing these!

  9. Lovely pictures. Did you try the airplane landscape with the Noctilux at 0.95? You would get a stunning result with it focused at infinity.
    I don’t know why you would feel the need or desire to use a Sony for landscape. The M240 will create stunning landscapes with staggering detail. The lenses deliver. I have shot landscapes , which were printed extremely large (4’x5′), with the M240 and 50 APO Cron. Also with the 35 Cron.
    Nice work.

    • Hey Jack, I agree the Leica does brilliant landscapes. In fact I do not own a single Sony lens even after owing a A7II since March. I will upgrade mainly for getting out large prints and to satisfy my gear syndrome 😀

      • I printed at landscape of a sunrise 9′ x 5′ as a favor to a friend . Taken with the M240 and the APO 50. It is amazing. A bit soft, rather impressionistic, but no pixelization.
        But more standard sized very large prints are unquestionably excellent.
        You don’t need a Sony.

  10. Why do you need an A7RII for landscape photography given that you have a Leica (I assume Safari is an M240)?

  11. Nice pics and a beautiful place. I was there in 2005 when I just got my first digital camera, a Canon 20D. Anyway, I thought your comment about being afraid to go there with ‘just’ the M and leaving the A7 home was kind of funny. For me the M is a dream camera for travelling; I just sold my Canon DSLR setup to shoot an M240.

    • Hi Clint. I had never shot with a Leica until April this year. For someone coming from a Canon 5D system and used to fire the shutter like a machine gun, it was quite an overwhelming change. A change which made me both a better photographer and a more passionate one.

  12. Very nice photos and an excellent demonstration of your Leica equipment. Show us more in the future.

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