Leica SL2 And 75mm Summilux Indoor Shooting: Mono Flora

Leica SL2 And 75mm Summilux Indoor Shooting: Mono Flora:

Like most of you, I’ve been practicing social distancing, and self-isolating/quarantine measures because of the corona virus pandemic.  Shooting, especially doing model shoots have come to a complete halt for me.  I’ve been keeping myself busy with writing some reviews that will be coming out shortly.  I’ve been catching up on a lot of editing (which you can see on my Instagram), and even experimenting a bit by trying new editing techniques.  I’ve also been catching up on some of my Netflix, and Amazon Prime streaming when I get the chance ;).  Still, I love photography, and miss shooting quite a bit.  So, I was trying to find things to photograph that didn’t require me to go out much, and I remember this one photo I took a long time ago when I still had my Leica M9.  It was a bunch of flowers, and I shot it with my 75mm Summilux.  I thought I’d try something like that again.

So, instead of the M9, I used my Leica SL2 with the 75mm Summilux.  Believe it or not, this is actually the first time I’ve even mounted an M lens on my SL2 .  I bough this camera on the first day that it was released, so basically, I’ve had it for almost half a year as of this writing, and I still haven’t used an M lens on it.  I don’t believe it myself.  I love my M lenses but truthfully, I love my L mount lenses a little bit more.  Plus, they have autofocus ;).  Still, I understand that all lenses are characteristically unique, which is why I specifically chose the 75mm Summilux here.

The 75mm Summilux is a beautiful lens.  My copy was originally my dad’s but he doesn’t really shoot these days, so he gave it to me.  I don’t use it as much anymore because over the years, I’ve been finding it more difficult to focus.  In fact, this is my most difficult lens to correctly focus (on a side note, if you’re looking for a fantastic lens that is similar to this one that I find easier to focus, check out my Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 ASPH review).  However, when you do nail the shot, the image just has a look that, quite frankly, is so pleasing to the eyes.  It isn’t as clinical, and perfect as my SL lenses but it just has this painterly effect at f1.4 that I love, especially at closer distances.

This lens, of course, has no macro capabilities, so you’re still rather far away from the subject, especially when your subject is say a flower.  However, the depth of field is ultra thin when you’re close up.  You can focus on say one part of a petal but the remaining areas are completely out of focus.

With all that said, here are the shots that I took with the Leica SL2 and 75mm Summilux combo.  I originally wanted to replicate what I took with my M9 but the conditions (mainly the lighting) were not the same, and of course, even the way that I shoot these days has changed quite a bit.  Plus, all my strobe gear is at my studio space, so I had to change things up a bit.  For one, I decided to play around with harsh light and shadows.  I’ve been actually a huge fan of harsh light and shadows recently, especially in my boudoir work.  You can check my Instagram for examples.  I’ve posted a couple with this type of lighting but will post more when I finish the edits.

I also decided to go the black and white route this time.  These were actually originally processed as color photos but I changed my mind last minute.  I went for a darker, moodier look.  I was just having some fun and messing around while I was shooting; I figured I’d do the same thing while I was editing.  I did post one color photo at the bottom.  I just didn’t like how the black and white version came out.

So, that’s about it.  I definitely plan to use the 75mm Summilux in the future for what it was designed for: portrait.  The 75mm Summilux is such a great lens, and it’s one of those lenses that I’ll never part with.  It truly is special.

As for what to expect next here, my Panasonic Lumix S Pro 16-35mm f4 review is coming very soon.  I also still have the Fuji X-Pro3 review, which will come up afterwards.  If any of you have questions about the 75mm Summilux or are home, and just want to talk shop a bit, you can always message me below in the comments section or DM me on my Instagram.  As always, thanks for stopping by!