This review is a little different than my other reviews because I took all the pictures in Japan.  I hope you all enjoy it!  I’d also like to give a HUGE thanks to Bob Gramegna over at the Leica Boutique at Bergen County Camera for loaning me the 21mm Summilux ASPH for my trip, so I can write up this review!  

Leica 21mm Summilux-M F1.4 ASPH Review:

A decent wide angle lens can be an essential part of any photographer’s kit.  Knowing this, Leica has created several different wide angle lenses ranging from a focal length of 24mm to an ultra wide 16mm.  There are even lenses of the same focal length with different wide open apertures to better suit each photographer’s needs.  For instance, Leica currently produces 2 different 21mm lenses: the 21mm Super Elmar F3.4 ASPH and the 21mm Summilux F1.4 ASPH.  The latter is the subject of this review.  For those who work with a wide angle quite frequently, the 21mm Summilux might be the one optic that they have been searching for.  It’s ultra fast aperture makes this lens quite versatile.  However, with a current list price of $7,650, it is definitely one of Leica’s most expensive lenses, and to many, that is reason enough to not even give it a second look.  Plus, for less than half the price, one can purchase the Super Elmar, which is an excellent lens albeit with a smaller wide open aperture.  So what is it that you really get for such a high asking price and is it worth the extra money?  Well, thanks to Bob at the Leica Boutique at Bergen County Camera, I was able to test this lens extensively on my trip to Japan, and I ended up with both expected and surprising results. [continue reading…]

Leica 21mm Summilux ASPH Review Up Very Soon:

I spent last weekend working on my Leica 21mm Summilux review, so that’s why there hasn’t been new content in the past few days on my site.  I should be done soon (maybe even by tomorrow), and I would’ve finished earlier but it turns out that it has become larger than I originally planned.  It will be one of the bigger reviews with plenty of photos to accompany it.  I guess this review is great timing too because there’s a newly announce Leica Monochrom Typ 246 ;).  The 21mm Summilux ASPH would make a great lens for the Monochrom Typ 246.

While I’ve been working hard on my 21mm Summilux review, I did take a couple of breaks to shoot with my recently purchased Hasselblad 503CW and I have to say, it’s been quite fun to use.  To me, film is not better than digital.  I personally love digital photography but I think both mediums are important to photography.  Film is just different but a nice change from the faster pace of digital, and sometimes I feel like I need that.

I definitely haven’t taken any great photos with the Hasselblad yet :).  I’m still testing out the camera to make sure it works properly and to experiment in general, since the last time I shot medium format film was probably 20 years ago.  But even when I don’t take a great photo, I’m super happy with just going through the process of creating that photo.  The slower pace of film is nice.  There’s a lot of satisfaction in just taking that one shot because even a mediocre photo takes some sort of effort and planning, especially since there are only 12 shots per roll.  Plus, the camera does have some unique quirks that let’s just say, take some getting used to ;).  I plan to post some scans up soon but I’m waiting to shoot a few rolls first, so I can send them all out at once for processing.  So, it may take a while before I get any of those scans up on my site but I will definitely keep you all updated.

Anyway, this post was actually to talk about my upcoming Leica 21mm Summilux review but I guess I drifted off into a completely different topic ;).  So, yes my 21mm Lux review will be coming out sometime this week for those who are interested in Leica gear.  Thanks for stopping by!

A Walk Through Harajuku and Omotesando:

If you’re visiting Tokyo, you have to check out Harajuku.  There’s just so much going on here.  There’s kids dressed up in cosplay characters, punk musicians, and even anime characters although for some reason, I didn’t see that much when I went.  However, if any of you have ever played Nintendo’s Mario Kart, I saw a bunch of young people in modified go-karts dressed up as characters from that game driving on the street as the massive crowds cheered them on.  It was definitely fun to see that. [continue reading…]

Meiji Shrine Near Harajuku:

I arrived in Tokyo on Saturday evening, and all I did was pretty much walk around Shibuya, which was where my hotel was located.  With the long plane ride and the lack of sleep, I pretty much went to bed early that night.  However, I woke up very early the next morning and since it was such a nice day, I decided to go to Meiji Shrine near Harajuku.  From where my hotel was located, it was literally only one stop away by train. [continue reading…]