Changes

[Godfrey]

"Eternity is too long a time for Humankind to contemplate..."

My life has changed rather dramatically over the past year and some. My interests in photography have not waned, but the kind of photography I want to do begs less and less for large, professionally oriented cameras and more and more for smaller, lighter cameras. The Light L16 is a godsend in this regard, the quality of the camera in the iPhone 8 Plus is just astonishing, and of course the Leica M-D is as close to my forever love as I can actually imagine.

The superb Leica SL and its lenses which answered every desire and hope I had in 2015 sits unused most of the time now. Not for lack of love of it, but simply because other options are more apropos to what I actually do now. I've been reluctant to think about it because I like it so much, but I'm coming around to the idea that it is no longer a good fit for my life and my work. The few edge cases that I have hung onto it for ... tabletop and macro work, very long lens work ... the Olympus E-M1 that I still have is perfectly capable at.

It's a wacky thing when your ultimate, your most wanted Thing finally shows up, you acquire it and you love it, and then Time and Change make it irrelevant.

Look for a Leica SL kit to be announced for sale some time soon...

Onwards, ever onwards!
G

 

[pegelli]

Good for you Godfrey, use what rocks your boat. It's the only way to be inspired to make the pictures you like yourself (which is the one thing that really counts when you're a non-pro)

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Interesting thoughts, Godfrey, and not dissimilar to my own. Technical perfection in photography has reached a point where it doesn't interest me much anymore. My m4/3 kit, GM5 and GX8, is mostly "perfect" enough for my needs also for paid work, but if perfection isn't needed, I mostly resort to film or, most of the time, my mobile phone, a $150 LG.

I want to explore mobile phone photography more, and consider upgrading to one of the new two or three camera solutions. The new three camera Huawei P20 Pro (40 MP (f/1.8, 27mm, 1/1.7") + 20 MP B/W (f/1.6, 27mm) + 8 MP (f/2.4, 80mm), OIS, Leica optics) looks very interesting but is costly a $1,000 (6GB/128GB) or $1,500 (6GB/256GB), so I'm considering the new Xiaomi MI 6x that sports 2 high quality cameras, one wide and one "normal" and also 6GB/128GB for around $400.

LG K10, In-phone b&w conversion

 

[jdphoto]

I totally get it. I have been fortunate and blessed to be able to use several different cameras with all the latest tech one could want. Finally selling most of it and finding that inspiration in a used Leica M9M and a few film cameras (Olympus Pen F- Oh my goodness what a cool 35mm camera!) Stripping away the distractions; Rationalists (such as Descartes and Plato) believed that the foundation of knowledge is within us through ideas.
Imo, the indispensable quality to create determines our character. Enjoy the liberation Godfrey!