WARREN CONNECTICUT – I’ve become obsessed with a lens that I bought for a song on eBay, the lens that I wrote about in my December 19 and December 20 posts. Further research indicates that work started on the optical cell (the optical workings of the lens) at the Karl Zeiss works in Jena in December 1945. So it actually is a Zeiss Jena 5cm f1.5 Sonnar. The lens cell was subsequently fitted to a Leica screw mount body by an unknown third party, probably in Germany, the UK or US, for sale in the UK or US. The distance scale is denominated in feet and Zeiss itself didn’t make any lenses in Leica mounts as Leica was a competitor (Zeiss and Leica were the equivalent of Nikon and Canon today). I can see why it would have been worth the trouble to convert this lens to a Leica mount: it is actually the equivalent of an modern lens in most respects at f4 and beyond – its performance is simply breathtaking and it has a lovely signature. I’ll be continuing to shoot with it over the next few weeks. Here are two images from today taken with the Sonnar on my Leica Monochrom.
New old lensRushes
WARREN CONNECTICUT – An unseasonably warm, foggy day. This kind of weather rubs me against the grain. I’m an optimist. My glass is never far from full. I like sunny days with dark blue skies and puffy white clouds. None of that today. Here we are in the fog. Taken with my Leica Monochrom and a vintage 50mm Summicron lens, three frames stitched. By the way I’ve temporarily disabled my star rating system and my Facebook integration because they both play badly with a new version of WordPress that we installed a few days ago. We;ll get it sorted out eventually.
Fog
WARREN CONNECTICUT – A chance to recharge in this rustic corner of Connecticut. Here’s our gate (which is grander than we are) taken with my Leica Monochrom and 35mm Summicron lens on a tripod. Three frames stitched.
WARREN CONNECTICUT – My weekend was packed with non-photo work. I snuck out midday to run some errands. Our neighbor, Luke Tanner, is shifting his farm away from dairy to hay, which he sells. Here are some of his hay bails Taken with my Leica Monchrom and 50mm Summicron lens from 1958.
Luke Tanner’s Hay
WARREN CONNECTICUT – I’m a landscape guy who lives in the Eastern United States. I’ve written in the past about the challenges of Eastern landscape: deciduous forrest presses in on you; there are hills not mountains; dramatic points of view are scarce; there are people and their artifacts everywhere making images of virgin acadian paradise difficult. One approach to this problem is the Robert Adams approach – shoot what there is and the hell with you if you don’t find it interesting. So here are the woods near our house in good winter light.
Woods
Park-like setting near our house. This isn’t the first time that I’ve experimented with these shadows.
Monumental shadow
Residue of the guy who sold us a portion of this property.
Guy’s Treasures
All shot with my Leica Monochrom and 35mm Summilux FLE lens.
On this day one year ago: really close. Taken with a Rikoh GRD camera – one of many compact cameras that I’ve tried and rejected.
WARREN CONNECTICUT – Nice early winter light – I went down the hill from our place and spent some time shooting Terry Tanner’s cornfield. Two frames stitched captured with my Leica Monochrom and 35mm Summilux lens.
Corn stubble
