took a walk with leica
took a walk with Leica Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 ASPH.
As September comes to an end and October starts to approach, what I feel most is how difficult it is to decide what to wear. Even if it’s chilly in the morning, when I check social media, I see photos of autumn foliage or snow, and yet by midday, I’m still feeling the summer sunlight on my skin. I thought it was about time to wear 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 almost my first time 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’s now capable of focusing as close as 30cm. I’ve used it a few times and I thought 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.
