The Switch Continues

Tripod mounted, .6s exposure, OSS off 90 Macro

It has been a little more than a month now that I decided to make the switch to a full blown Sony professional kit based off of the Sony A7rii.  During this time period I have had the chance to put this camera through its paces, primarily with the Sony/Zeiss 55/1.8 and the Sony 90 Macro. To say that I am pleased so far is an understatement.  I am now convinced that this was truly the right move for me to make.

Morning Fog Sony/Zeiss 55/1.4 hand held

This past week I was able to add the Sony Grip, which I must say greatly enhances the feel of the camera with the 90 Macro attached.  I will be adding both the 70-200/f4 and the Sony 85/1.4 GM lenses, both of which slightly off balance the standard body, but will feel very nice with the vertical grip attached.

I am also permanently wedded to Really Right Stuff tripods, ball heads and other assorted gadgets so adding an L bracket was required.  As always, the RRS fit and finish is simply beautiful.  They have really done a terrific job with this new L bracket design.

I have created a running story on my Stories site, highlighting some of my initial captures from the A7Rii.  

Paddlequest 1500 Passes Through

I had the privilege of meeting up with John Connelly as he transitioned out of the Canadian Maritimes and into the beautiful waters of Down East Maine.  John is on an amazing trip, covering more than 1500 miles by Canoe and Kayak.  It is worth checking out his site and his IG feed.  Best of luck John and hopefully our paths will cross again.

Land Run 100

Looking for a little daily inspiration.  Spend 2:56 seconds of your day today and watch this little speech.  For all you 2016 DK riders, here you go!!

The Sony A7rii - A new piece of adventure kit

There are plenty of reviews out there regarding the A7rii and all of its pros and cons.  So for me, I will simply use some images to showcase what this little camera can do.  After a week or so of usage, I am definitely impressed.  It still has the normal 'Sony' issues, but I must say, all in all it seems to be a solid package.  

This series was shot using the 55/f1.8 Zeiss lens at sunset.  Exposures range from .8 seconds to 6 seconds.

Coconino 250

I have finally gotten my photo essay online of my bikepacking trip on the Coconino 250 loop.  A stunning and somewhat challenging loop in Northern Arizona that takes you through forested pines, high alpine trails, dessert sand, and beautiful slick rocks.  This is a must do loop and one that I look forward to revisiting in the future.  

My bike of choice for this trip was the amazing Salsa Cycles spearfish.  Fast and nimble, it was absolutely the perfect rig for this trip.  Everything was photographed on my Leica Monochrome and a single 50mm Summilux.  Forcing myself to shoot with a single lens and in black and white was definitely one of my most rewarding photo expeditions.

Enjoy

Goals and Objectives

One of my new year resolutions was to work on my daily writing skills.  Day 6 and I am on a roll.  I am not only writing, but working on my Focus and also absolutely loving the Leica Q.  It has dramatically changed my ability to capture small moments throughout the day.  Something that I always struggled with before. Being a bit of an imaging snob, I was never comfortable with what my Fuji X100T produced, and without good light, I disliked the iPhone images.  Now, finally, in a small package I have a brilliant imaging machine.  The Leica Q is definitely the real deal.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you all.  May 2016 bring you much joy and happiness.  For me, today represents a renewed commitment to chase my dreams and live my life to the fullest.  Stay tuned, it is gonna be a great ride!!

Garmin Fenix 3

I am and always have been a huge fan of Watches.  From the time I got my first Casio  or my first Tag Heuer to when I purchased my last Panerai and everything in between, there is just something soulful about the Watch. Like Anthony Bourdain and his Raw Craft series, I simply love what goes into the watch. I appreciate the simple to the complex, the inexpensive, to the astronomical.  Watches just speak to my soul.

Over the last year I have been on the quest for a sports watch. Something that was quasi smart, could track my rides or my runs and all at the same time provide me with something that I could wear in multiple environments and even dress up with simple band changes to meet my moods.

Leather and all Black compliment the Red. Garmin has a nice selection of bands for the Fenix 3

Enter the Garmin Fenix 3 with the crystal display.  It is definitely on the big side, which I like, and has a bit of character to it through band changes, but also provides me with exactly the functionality I was looking for in this type of watch.

With normal use I get 3-4 days of battery life out of it, something that is perfectly fine for me.  It tracks my runs and my rides, allowing me to skip the super expensive Bike GPS and go with something that follows me all the time. If need be, it pairs nicely with a Heart Rate monitor or other Bluetooth 'Ant' accessories.

There are tons of great reviews out there for this watch, so I will save that for others. I simply wanted to throw my .02 cents in to the ring and let you adventurous types that this is a really solid offering from Garmin.  Definitely a keeper in my books.

Next up to look at is the Casio G Shock Mudmaster, a beast of a watch and the Hanhart Primus Pilot (If I can find one).

Quick Q Update

After two weeks with the Q I can say without a doubt it is the real deal; all the reviews were correct; it is the best single lens compact camera I have ever shot.  Amazing build quality, stunning IQ and lightning fast AF all in a small compact body.  For the most part, I have put down my M240 and have only been shooting with either the Q or the Monochrom.  With the release and now readily available set of reviews on the SL, I am beginning to re-think my overall kit strategy.  More on that at another time.

I had previously mentioned that one of the only negative things I had to say about the Q was the way it was held in the hand.  Leica's little thumb indent helps, but the body still has just a bit too much heft to make that a stable platform for holding the camera.  There are a couple of options for remedying this including buying Leica's own grip; buying one of the JB Camera Design grips; and adding the new Thumbs Up adapter.  

I currently have these Thumbs Up adapters on my M240 and my Monochrom, so going that route was a natural first step.  The adapter arrived yesterday in the standard beautiful packaging. The adapter itself is meticulously machined and fits the Q like a glove, giving the hand a rock solid hold on the camera.  While I will still add a JB grip, this is a great first step and enhancing the feel and ergonomics of the mighty Q.  

The Streets Of Philly

A selection of images captured while walking the streets of Philadelphia.

Signs like this resonate with me

The Leica Q

My search for high quality, full frame, fixed lens 'grab' camera has now ended.  While the Sony RX1 came close, it was a Sony, with all the issues that come with that...  After reviewing everything there was on the Q and spending a weekend with my good friend Brady and his trusty little beast, I made the plunge.  

Selling off my Nikon gear I am now officially 'All In' with Leica.  The advent of the Q and now the SL gives me the opportunity to have  a single system ranging from a small compact (Q), to traditional rangefinders (MM & M240), film(tbd), and state of the art interchangeable mirrorless bodies (SL), all capable of using the magnificent line of Leica Glass.

What follows is a visual tour of my first weekend shooting the camera.  I had the chance to shoot this in every possible way including from the hip on a bike to night time street shots all the way to more contemplative image making.  I can say without a doubt that this is the real deal and is no way a product of the Red Dot hype. 

Stunning image rendering from the fixed Leica lens

THE WINTER FROM HELL

I captured this shortly after the latest blizzard hit.  The wind is still howling; the drifts of snow reach the kitchen window; our spirits are bent; the whiskey is all gone.  I thought this image captured the darkness that winter has brought to my spirit.  Time to exodus and heal in time for the warm spring sun and the smell of flowers blooming.

A bit of a circle

About 18 months ago I decided to give really small cameras a try.  I bought a Fuji X100s and rented the Fuji XE-1 along with two lenses.  I used that kit to photograph the Lost Coast, a story that has been one of my most popular ever and will be featured in a magazine this spring.  

While I enjoyed the size and weight of this kit, and felt the images were good, they still did not give me what I was personally looking for when my goal is to tell a story via the web and have the ability to print large.  At that time, I felt that the Fuji kit was nice, but just not up to the task, so I divested myself of the little X100s and moved on.

Fast forward to 2015, and one could argue that Fuji is on a roll, with big names jumping on their bandwagon and a host of my good friends signing up as well.  Since that Lost Coast trip I have seen one of my X100s images printed wall size by the wizards at Dugall which again reminded me that today's cameras have plenty of oomph to do just about anything we want of them.  

Still, I believe it is important to feel a connection to your gear, something that transcends simply taking photographs.  At least for me, this is an important element to my photography. So here we are, and I have now picked up a little Fuji X100T to be my 'grab' camera for my next two trips.  I have 3 weeks biking through Ireland, an environment full of spring time color and great old textures.  This will be a wonderful palette to play with the little Fuji.  Of course, it will not be my primary tool -- that task will belong to the Leica M240 and a 35/50 Summilux combination.  

Next, 2 days after returning from Ireland, I head to Alaska for 3 weeks of deep winter cycling through the barren AK interior.  A region known for white and shadows, dancing night lights and temperatures that will reach -30F at night.  An environment that is hostile towards people and electronics.  For that trip, I will again rely on the little X100T as a grab camera alongside my trusty Nikon D810.  

My last trip to Alaska I used a D800E for two months with much success.  I came back with images that to this day blow me away.  They have graced the covers of Salsa's catalogs; are all over their website; and are blown up life size in their traveling display.  The quality and image size of the D800 along with the large lithium batteries will be key to dealing with the environment of Alaska winter.  

This is not too say that a Fuji couldn't, but I am not prepared to make to big a jump as of yet.  So I consider these two trips as my attempt at dipping one of my toes back into the land of Fuji to see if the X series can appeal to my photographic needs.  Follow along as the X100T and its wireless capabilities should get a tremendous amount of action on my Instagram and Twitter feeds.  I will follow up after the trip with some of my thoughts on how this gear selection worked out and where I see myself going in the future.