leica m8 Archives

The Leica M8 With Elmarit 21mm f/2.8 Pre-ASPH E60

The Leica M8’s Love Affair with the CCD Camera.

When you decide to give up the ccd camera, perhaps unexpectedly, the ccd camera will also quietly leave you. I, on the other hand, am deeply grateful to be able to use the Leica M8 with the Elmarit 21mm f2.8 E60 to take tons of wonderful ccd photos. I can’t wait to tell you that this lens is without a doubt the perfect partner for the Leica M8.

The excellence of the Leica m8.

I firmly believe that the Leica m8 is an exceptional camera. In these challenging times of full-frame ccd technology, Leica’s aps-h format for the m8 shows significant advantages over the aps-c format of common DSLRs. Admittedly, not being full-frame, the camera loses some of the lens’s field of view in use, but the APS-H’s 1.33 equivalent conversion makes a 21 mm lens equivalent to 28 mm and manages to capture the best image quality areas of a 21 mm lens. As a result, film shot with the Leica M8 has a very high degree of sharpness.

The lens is a wonderful match for the m8.

When this lens is combined with the m8, the results are extremely impressive. Not only are the colors vibrant, but the sharpness is excellent. I am in love with its colors, which in my opinion are even more captivating than the Leica Elmarit 21mm asph version .

How the lens performs on the M8 vs. M9.

Half of the time this lens was mounted and used on the m9, the other half of the time it was mounted on the m8. I was actually more impressed with the color performance on the M8. Although it’s hard for me to say exactly why, it always seemed to me that the m8’s ccd was able to show its color appeal more fully.

Street photography is like a solo trip, in this field some people recognize the 35mm lens, while others prefer the 28mm lens. I, on the other hand, don’t get hung up on which lens to use. I have always believed that photographers should be willing to experiment. In fact, this 21mm lens with the Leica M8 is my favorite combination. I love it even more than the 28mm lens on the m9, even though they have the same field of view.

What is the angle of view of the Leica M8 with the Voigtlander 15mm

The Voigtlander 15mm lens has an angle of view of approximately 110° on a full frame camera, but the Leica M8 is an APS-H format (sensor size approximately 27.0 x 18.0mm), in which case the angle of view of the 15mm lens will be slightly less than the full frame 110°.

The Leica M8 sensor has a diagonal length of approx. 32.5 mm, which corresponds to an angle of view of approx. 83°.

Formula for calculating the angle of view.

The formula for calculating the angle of view is: θ = 2 arctan(d / (2f))
In this formula:
θ represents the angle of view.
d stands for the diagonal length of the sensor.
f is the focal length of the lens.

A Beautiful Day With Voigtlander 15mm

Nowadays, it seems that what people lack is not photographic equipment but the comfort of walking alone. I want nothing more than to carry my camera under the sun and enjoy the mere sound of the shutter. With the Leica M8 in my hands and the Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Super Wide – Heliar lens, it was a beautiful day.

My Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f2.8 ASPH lens: A feast for the eyes and to carry around

No need to change, just blossom!

With the Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f2.8 ASPH lens in my hands, I never thought about changing anyone. It is like the sun that hangs high in the sky, quietly radiating light and warmth without seeking a response or asking for a return date. Everyone’s reaction to capturing the world through this lens is different; some marvel at its clarity and sharpness, some are mesmerized by its splashes of color, while others feel alienated by its unique perspective and choose to keep their distance.

It’s like a seed that silently builds up its strength before breaking through the ground, with no sign that it’s about to bloom, because that’s its own rhythm and it’s not yet at the right time. It is the same with my Leica 28mm lens, which is not in a hurry to show all its charms, but with each soft click of the shutter it gradually takes root in my heart, until one day I find myself deeply addicted to the world of images it creates.

I realized that whether it was photography or life, the real savior was always myself. This lens, however, helped me open a window to a better world, so that I could learn to feel everything around me with a more delicate and sensitive heart. It teaches me that there is no need to force myself, but to shine quietly like the sun, allowing each soul to receive this unique light and warmth according to its own rhythm.

Therefore, I am grateful for my Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f2.8 ASPH lens, which is not only a tool for capturing images, but also a partner in exploring myself and realizing life. During this journey, I have come to realize that true beauty is not in changing others, but in reconciling with yourself, discovering and cherishing those unique moments that belong only to you.

I love it.

First, let’s talk about its first impression – it’s compact and lightweight. In this day and age when you can’t leave home without your cell phone, the weight and size of a lens is an important factor in my choice. This Elmarit-M lens is just “portable”. Whether you hang it around your neck or stuff it in your pocket, there is no pressure. Traveling, daily street photography, it is my best partner to enjoy the fun of photography without being weighed down by heavy equipment.

Let’s talk about its appearance. That classic Leica design, simple but not lose style, metal texture of the mirror body, in the sunlight with a charming sheen. Just attaching it to the camera before each shot is a pleasure. It is so well proportioned with the Leica M camera that it can be the golden ratio.

Of course, the most important thing about a lens is its image quality, and the Elmarit-M 28mm f2.8 ASPH certainly didn’t disappoint. Clear and sharp is the first impression it gave me. Whether it’s wide-angle landscapes or portrait close-ups, it handles them all with ease, retaining just the right amount of detail to give you that “knife-edge” clarity right off the bat. Color performance is also excellent, with high saturation without distortion and natural color transitions that make photos look more vibrant and layered.

What surprised me the most was the bokeh effect when shooting outdoors. It’s almost like being smeared with cream, soft and sweet without losing the sense of layering. Every time I see those photos with dreamy background bokeh, I can’t help but silently give this lens a shout-out in my heart. It allows me to easily capture those fleeting human moments while shooting landscapes and capturing every beautiful moment in life.

Under the gaze of this lens, I captured an unspoken story, silent and deep, like a word never uttered, hidden in the softest corners of my heart; I witnessed a ray of light that did not shine directly, that pierced the clouds and gently sprinkled in every corner, but left no traces, like some of the warmth of life, silent; I recorded a unique chaos, which in its disorder I recorded a unique chaos, which in its disorder contains order, and a miracle hidden in the mundane, is the truest representation of life, incomparable; I also walked on a street that seems to have no end, and every frame in the camera is a new beginning and an eternal continuation, leading me to keep exploring and moving forward, searching for my own answer and destination in this journey of light and shadow intertwined.

Street Photography and Portraits

People often think that street photography is an infringement of portrait rights, but they don’t understand the nature and purpose of street photography as an art form. Street photography is a form of art that captures the essence of urban life in a way that tells the story of the city through the language of the camera. It also records people’s emotions and styles. It’s about paying attention, feeling things, and sharing your vision, not about being secretive or invasive. So, it’s clear that linking street photography with violating portrait rights is a big misunderstanding and a devaluation of this art form.

On the other hand, painters who work on the streets, whether they’re painting landscapes or people, work in a way that’s different from street photography but is still an artistic reproduction of the real world. Painters often choose to work on the street because it’s a great source of inspiration. They find the reality and diversity of life there really inspiring, and their paintings are a direct expression of what they see and feel, which is similar to street photography.

They were twins

The street photographer is a skilled artist with a quick hand. The poet is more of a critic behind the photographer. Language can also be a part of photography. It can make a photo more readable. They were twins, and it was clear they didn’t walk at the same pace or have the same expression at the moment.

Leica M8 with Summicron 35mm f2 v4 King of Bokeh (7-element)

Reflections in Photography

The reason why reflection is popular in photography is not because it looks like a mirror, but because if you flip the photo, you will see that this perspective makes the figure look more magnificent, yes, this perspective comes from the horizon.

A good habit

I’ve developed a good habit: when I’m on my phone, I always stop and stand, and I’ve firmly given up the bad habit of walking and looking. This change came from a big wake-up call. I tripped over an iron screw on the road, fell on all fours, and the phone flew out several meters away, which was quite a mess. Luckily, there was no one around at the time, which prevented the situation from becoming a bigger deal. I was lucky that I didn’t bring my camera that day, or it would have been a disaster. I was also lucky that there were no street photographers around, or it would have become another “accidental scenery” photo. It turns out that those missing warning stakes of the barricade screws are hidden in the daily invisible traps, always reminding us to walk when we need to be more vigilant.

Time itself is an artist

Vivian Maier captured a lot of portraits of people with a sense of the times, which made me realize that street photography doesn’t require a lot of compositional skills. Just take a picture of what you see and keep taking pictures of it. That approach will definitely be right. Because over time, even the most ordinary things can become unusual, and every person without expression can become meaningful. Time itself is an artist.