Leica Summicron-C 40mm f2 {1}

Today it actually brightened for a few minutes, just long enough to take a few kitchen portraits. Finally, a chance to properly try the Summicron-C 40mm. The light appeared only briefly so these were rushed, but nonetheless they give me a better feel for the lens than photographing distant cows at f8!

I would normally shoot these types of images at around f2.8, but these were all taken at f2, just to try the lens at its widest aperture. I tried to make it so that the focus plain includes the left eye {left from the observer’s point of view}, the contours of the arm showing the bit of tattoo, and parts of the hand holding the skillet handle - to create a sense of relationship between the gaze and the raising of the skillet. I think I more or less succeeded. But I do find it difficult to create effective compositions with a depth of field this shallow.

Gary was curious what a backlit photo would look like, so I took one. Not my cup of tea, but I think the lens did well in these conditions. There is a lot of detail in the fabric of the undershirt. On the other hand, there is something strange going on with the outlines of some of the items on the kitchen counter that are silhouetted against the light. I actually went back to the kitchen and looked at what those things are, as I couldn’t tell from the photo. They are crumpled-up packs of coffee beans, in glossy packaging. So the weirdness is probably blown highlights, interspersed with shadows created by the crumple-folds. If taking this sort of photo again, I would make sure to get rid of similar objects from the frame. But this one was taken spontaneously and I didn't notice.

Later in the day, I tried the lens on Gary’s M9. As expected, there is quite a difference in terms of what fits into the frame, standing a similar distance from the subject. The M9 does not have suitable frame lines for the 40mm focal length of this lens, but after taking a few shots I got a sense for how to frame the image in order to get the framing I wanted.

Judging by these photos, I think the rendering is also different {better} when the lens is on the M9 than on the CL. But this could be due to the difference in light between the first set of photos and the later one, so I will try to avoid comparisons for now.

Leica Summicron-C 40mm f2 {2}

Primrose Reflections