December 21, 2020

From Gerald R. Lucas

Riverside and Downtown Macon with the SL covid-19: day 273 | US: GA | info | act

Since our last photo stroll, I received the SL, so we had to do another. Today’s weather was equally nice, so Giles and I began at Riverside Cemetery (and Oak Ridge) this time, before heading downtown.

Today on the Leica SL, I used the Summicron 2/50 for most of my shots, switching it briefly for the Trioplan 2.8/100, since I just got my M42 to L adapter. Since I’m interested in the Voigtlander Heliar 3.5/50, I decided to take many of the same shots at f/2 and f/3.5 to see the differences. For example:


I probably prefer the f/2 rendering, but the bokeh on the f/3.5 is still pleasing and the image subject is noticeably sharper. While the medium-format, three-dimensionality that I love is there with both images, it’s more prevalent on the f/2. I used f/3.5 on some of the images below.



Man, the 50 is a performer, for sure, and though I like the 35mm focal length better, it’s always a joy to use this Summicron. The last image of the flowers was shot with the Trioplan. It’s a bit glowier (what the kids call a “vintage rendering”) than I’d like; I have to be sure the glass is clean.

After some time at Riverside and Oak Ridge, we decided to see what we could capture downtown. Neither of us had been there in a while—really since the start of the pandemic—and many small businesses have gone under, unfortunately. It felt pretty deserted for a Monday afternoon. Still, the Xmas lights were on, and I’m glad there was not much activity.


In all, the SL performed well. I noticed that my battery seemed to discharge pretty quickly, but I did bring it along with less than a full charge. Still, I’ll have to watch that. Additionally, I notice that even though I tell the camera what lens I’m using, that information does not show up on my EXIF data. Other than that, I am enjoying the SL and plan to for years to come.

See Giles’ galleries for his images: Riverside and downtown.

Leica Camera and Lens Information
📷: Leica M8 (09/2022–) • Leica M (Typ 262) (01/2017–12/2020) • Leica SL (Typ 601) (12/2020–). Leica Lenses: Leica Summicron-M 2/50 (Typ IV)Leica Summicron-M 2/35mm ASPH (Typ V). Other Lenses: Asahi Super-Takumar 1.4/50 8-ElementAsahi Super-Takumar 1.8/55Asahi Super-Takumar 2.5/135Canon 1.4/50 LTM Helios 44m-4 2/58Industar 61 2.8/55Jupiter-8 2/50Jupiter-9 2/85Konica Hexinon AR 1.8/40Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 2.8/100Olympus Zuiko 2.8/24Olympus Zuiko 2.8/28Olympus Zuiko 1.8/50Olympus Zuiko 2/85Vivitar 2.8/28 • Voigtländer Nokton Classic 1.4/40 MC • Voigtländer Ultron 1.8/21Voigtländer Ultron 2/28. Processed with Capture One Pro.