This past week, i bought a new 40mm Summicron F2 for my Leica M8.1 (M8u) and man do i love it. It is considered one of the finest kept secrets in the Leica world, and they are totally right. The 40mm Summicron is one of the sharpest and most well balanced lenses, and it really makes the 35mm Voigtlander Nokton F1.4 feel more primitive and just not as nice to use. Everyone with an M-mount camera needs this lens. It does have a tendency to flare when pointed directly at sunlight, however most Summicrons and Summiluxes have similar tendencies. All in all, a wonderfully compact and tight lens which is excellent to use. Highly recommended!
Here are some of my favourite photos i’ve taken over the past week, taken with the new 40mm Summicron F2:
These are the coolest Avants (Wagons) ever made. If it were my choice, i’d grab the RS2 and the B8 RS4 for maximum satisfaction. Best commercial of the year!
I’m not a fan of Photoshop for photo modification, as i find it cumbersome and overused by people. That being said…there is something more primitively charming about photomanipulation BEFORE the advent of computer software aids. Does it make it any more acceptable? No, not really! But they are interesting to look at. Somewhere in the future…some kid is going to read (absorb?) an article like this about Photoshop and say “oh how primitive they were back then!”
Such a shame, as 2 years ago I used to watch Chris Harris’ reviews on Drivers Republic and thought they were utterly brilliant. Fast forward to his work with the current Drive channel on youtube—-and with each passing review, I find myself more bored, more annoyed, and frankly in view of tedious, self indulgent reviews which frankly go nowhere except gushing praise or annoyed disappointment.
(1) Chris Harris is exceedingly trying to be Jeremy Clarkson, and is failing miserably
(2) He takes 20 minutes (!!) to do this latest comparison. Talk about tedious and overbloated.
(3) Anyone who thinks the M135s engine sound better than the RS3 turbo 5-cylinder is on MASSIVE amounts of something…..or has gone deaf…or is paid to say so.
(4) On the BMW payroll? he used to be…probably still is.
(5) He enjoys the sound of his own voice, far more than I certainly do.
(6) Repetitive luddite nonsense…and yet he still prefers a torque converter Automatic gearbox….utter rubbish!
These days, I think Automotive ‘journalism’ has become very cumbersome and quite frankly past-its-sell-date….then again, motoring culture itself is expired. With every passing week I see new blogs and sites popping up—-all of which are the same stuff regurgitated through a big filter of bland. Several months before dropping the car-centric IEDEI for a more creative version, I had become progressively disenchanted by ‘petrolhead culture’ and its neverending cliches, stereotypes, and superficiality. Unfortunately, Chris Harris represents each one of those problems in a uniform package. Will I watch Top Gear when it comes back? Yes. Will I watch Chris Harris videos each Thursday? No.
Do i still love cars? Yes. Do I want to be an active member of online motoring culture? No.
Barnett Newman is easily one of my all-time favourite painters. Why? Because his work is brilliant, simple, minimalist, and of great taste in colour spectrum choices. His paintings are also very very beautiful in person. The majesty and depth of them does not accurately broadcast in online photos.
I really enjoyed these 2 time lapsed videos done by Mindrelic. The fact that he actually chose interesting music makes it even better. Beautiful! I never get tired of NYC.
I ordered this book a while ago on pre-order, and it arrived this week. $22 from Amazon. An amazing and beautiful book for a very low price. Hardcover, by Alessandro Pasi (2012). Highly recommended beautiful short history of Leica with full page spread profiles of every significant camera produced in their illustrious history. This book does not read like a publicity book—-instead it is full of beautiful and iconic photography throughout their history. This is the 3rd edition of this book, revised to include the digital range through the recent M-Monochrom.
Yes I am a Leica fanboy these days and it is driven by my love of creating fotos. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me!
Being inspired to create is so much nicer than obsessing to appreciate.
Elektro Guzzi are a fantastic band from Austria. The first time I heard them I thought “oh, minimalist electronic music” and then i realised that the were in fact far more than just an electronic outfit. In fact, they use instruments quite creatively. Definitely influenced by 70s Krautrock like Can and Neu, but interpreted to take in the best parts of modern electronica and minimalism to create a very current and very relevant sound. There is much to enjoy in Elektro Guzzi records, and this song “Pentagonia” is from their latest album “Parquet”….which is fantastic, by the way.
Apparently Caterham will also develop their own model alongside the new Alpine. Should be very interesting to see what comes out of this relationship. Here’s hoping for a lightweight, technologically advanced interpretation of what came before.
More news as it comes. Thank you to Michal and CollaVerglas for the tip to this update!
Take old letters from neon signs, swap them for LEDs and place in nice, dark, mysterious locations. That’s what Aleksi Hautamäki has done with this Character series.
I am obsessed with fonts…and in another world, in another time, I would have devoted my life to finding the perfect font. However, in this one I am relegated to simple appreciation.
if you follow the link at the bottom, you can buy one of these light filled giant letters starting at 200 euros.
The greatest car in the world…well, ever….is being re-imagined by students and teachers of the ISAT (Institut Supérieur de l’Automobile et des Transports) of France and being presented at this week’s Paris Motor Show as a concept study! Renault’s recent glory of the A110-50 was a modernized NEW car, whereas this study takes great homage from the original, with mild reinterpretation of details (lights, fenders, etc). The result is difficult to see in this mystery-filled video teaser—–but I am very intrigued by what I see already! Good on ya, kids!
(advance apologies for the rubbish music….please turn the volume down!)
Who is the greatest photographer of all time? I’m certain I will hear many people say Henri Cartier-Bresson. I haven’t finalized my answer yet, however I can certainly see why.
Bentley is coming back to Le Mans! And would you just look at this beauty. The Bentley Continental GT3. Most excellent, sir.
I’m still trying to get over how i’ve posted 2 entries about the Bentley Continental in 1 week. Don’t get the wrong idea….i’m not that into the Continental….or Bentleys for that matter…but both photos are quite interesting I must say.
Is this an Audi R8 in disguise? i’m almost certain it is. Does this mean that Audi will be bringing the R8 to Le Mans after 2013? I would certainly assume so. Domination in different classes is sure to ensue….
The Mercedes-Benz “Concept Coupe” incorporated into an art installation by Paul Cocksedge Studios.
Love the details on it. Next year is really going to be competitive in the small luxury sedan segment of the US market with this new MB A-Class sedan, Audi A3/S3, and rumoured BMW 1-series sedan.
This is a beautiful car, and it’s really great to see modern automotive design picking up steam. This will add a lot of excitement to the more conservative Mercedes lineup. I’m not sure it’s enough to talk me out of a next-generation S3…but it is pretty wicked. I really hope this car reaches production with the design elements intact.
IEDEI 