... blog post:
Going walkabout with my Macro-Elmar-M 90mm f4 on a sunny Autumn morning. Lovely day, lovely light, lovely optic and a lovely place. What more could you ask for?
The discipline of having just one lens of a single focal length, as I have rumbled on about many times before, makes you see the world differently and look for different photographic possibilities.
The thing I love about this time of year is that you can walk round the corner of a familiar place and find some riotous colour that was not there last time you visited. "Surprise", it seems to yell out - visually of course.
Some colours are more subtle, more "crumbly' and richer rather bold and shouty. They're full of tone and texture, highlighting the form and depth of the scene.
Then there are the "flirts". "Look at me:, they scream out, "Arn't I gorgeous?" and indeed they are. Of course that was why they were chosen to be planted there by the garden designer all those years ago. They are exotic species not native, selected for their Autumn display.
Wandering around on crisp, bright Autumn days, camera in hand, brings a joy of its own. The last hurrahs before Winter. The brief flaring reds, yellows, golds and bronzes before that seemingly long, drawn out time of short days and bare trees 'till Spring. So walking about with my 90mm lens and revelling in Autumn whilst I may; yeah man!
Oh, and a very brief word about my new fave 90mm, the f4 Macro-Elmar-M. This tiny optic is ultra sharp, visibly better than any of the previous 90's/85's I have owned, plus it close focuses down to 0.76m whereas most 90's only go 1m or more. With its rangefinder coupled close focus adaptor this comes down to 0.5m giving a 1:3 reproduction ratio, perfect for flowers and such.
The other trick it has up its sleeve is, it is collapsible. You extend it when you are ready to make photos and collapse it back down again for compact storage when you're done. Neat eh? Ah yes the dimensions; diameter 52mm, height collapsed 41mm, height extended 59mm, weight 223g (without lens hood). Yep, truly tiny.