I took a walk with Leica
Wandering Beppu with My Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 ASPH.
As September comes to an end and October approaches, what strikes me most is how tricky it is to decide what to wear. It may be chilly in the morning, social media is filled with photos of autumn foliage or snow. Yet by midday, I’m still feeling the summer sunlight on my skin. I thought it was finally time for jeans, but as I walked outside, I ended up sweating heavily. I wanted to photograph the spider lilies, but since searching for where they were blooming seemed like too much trouble, I just wandered around Beppu and took some photos instead.
This was one of my first times using a 50mm lens. Until then, I was a die-hard 35mm fan. The Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH, released in April 2023, is a renewal after 19 years, and it now can focuse as close as 30cm. I’ve used it a few times and I found it was quite revolutionary. When I was using the 35mm Summicron, the closest focusing distance was 70cm, so it was a big limitation when I wanted to get closer. When traveling and encountering delicious food, I’d want to take a picture, but it’s a bit awkward to stand up from my seat and take a shot from a 70cm distance. So, I went into a café in Beppu, ordered a coffee float, and tried taking some photos. When the shooting distance is less than 70cm, I have to focus while looking at the back monitor, which proved to be quite difficult. I still need a bit more practice to get used to it.
