Working within the limitations of a fixed lens camera

[Alan Friedman]

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The Leica Q2M is my first journey with a fixed lens camera system for quite some time. I've owned a few, but the only other fixed lens camera I used extensively was the original Olympus XA, which I purchased for a trip overseas 40 years ago. 

I've only shot a few hundred initial exposures with the Q2M and winter weather has me tethered pretty close to home... but I am discovering it to be a very satisfying platform. The limitations of monochrome and fixed focal length are (as I had hoped) in many ways a liberation.

The idea of changing focal length with my feet rather than with a swap of lenses will take some getting used to... but a very sharp 28mm with the ability to perform capably at f1.7 and to focus at 6" with the turn of focuser ring sure is a help. These four shots were taken with auto-focus set to a single spot, aimed at the face of the Japanese doll.

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I'm not sure how I feel about crop zoom as opposed to cropping in post processing, but the 50mm crop zoom shot below retains a good deal of detail, at least with this subject.

The capability of this lens/sensor pairing along with a compact and lightweight form factor and an intuitive Leica interface that I've grown familiar with over the years is a winning combination for me.  Really looking forward to spring!

[jankap]

1 hour ago, Alan Friedman said:

The idea of changing focal length with my feet rather than with a swap of lenses will take some getting used to...

Take you fp-l and do the same thing. Of course the Q is optimized for in camera cropping.

The citation is nonsense naturally (beg pardon). Cropping is equal to using a longer lens only.

[Alan Friedman]

31 minutes ago, jankap said:

Take you fp-l and do the same thing. Of course the Q is optimized for in camera cropping.

The citation is nonsense naturally (beg pardon). Cropping is equal to using a longer lens only.

Yes, crop zoom is an advertised feature on the fp-L too, though here you have the option to change lenses of course.

The crop factor on the fp-L brings with it some complex thinking as the on-board image processing and dynamic range vary in response to the particular crop factor. One review goes into this in great detail. I've mostly avoided using it other than experimenting with nature shots where the VM 50mm apo-lanthar can record like a much longer lens. Fun, but if it were my main interest I would choose another way.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Alan Friedman

[jankap]

1 hour ago, Alan Friedman said:

Yes, crop zoom is an advertised feature on the fp-L too, though here you have the option to change lenses of course.

Cropping is a useful feature nowadays, not only for marketing. For me it makes sense to have one lens each out of the groups: 12-15mm, 21-24mm, 35-75mm and one or two in the exotics group of 135-500mm.

Writing this, I think, I should sell some out of my collection.

 

[Alan Friedman]

32 minutes ago, jankap said:

...Writing this, I think, I should sell some out of my collection.

 

I was just hunting through my collection of camera and lens boxes saved for just such a resolution. The inventory is terrifying. 

[kirkmc]

17 hours ago, Alan Friedman said:

I've only shot a few hundred initial exposures with the Q2M and winter weather has me tethered pretty close to home... but I am discovering it to be a very satisfying platform. The limitations of monochrome and fixed focal length are (as I had hoped) in many ways a liberation.

 

Exactly. I discovered this some years ago with the Fujifim X100F, though I eventually sold the camera because, at the time, I found it too limiting. But the Q2M is not my only camera (I have an X-E4 and a bunch of lenses) so I do have other options.

I wrote the first draft of an article about this yesterday; here's on paragraph from the article:

The limitation of a fixed lens can help spur creativity. When working with a camera like this, you become familiar with how photos shot through that lens will look. When you scan your surroundings searching for subjects to photograph, you automatically scale them with the camera’s lens in mind; you learn to see the world as that lens sees it. Instead of thinking how a different lens or focal length would be appropriate for a photo, you work with this limitation. You can awaken your beginner's mind, freeing yourself from technical concerns. As Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki said, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."
 

[PhotoCruiser]

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Am 3.2.2022 um 10:44 schrieb Alan Friedman:

The idea of changing focal length with my feet rather than with a swap of lenses will take some getting used to.

Yes, THAT is the point!
Old fashioned photographers where used to that and it takes a bit to get used again to foot-zoom abut then it works great!

The advantage of a fixed length lens is that I don't know a zoom lens with a better optical quality over the focal length than a fixed lens.
And that makes it worth to use the feet instead the hand to zoom in or out!

Chris

[Herr Barnack]

The limitations are in our thinking, not in the lens: 

Ernst Haas:  "There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are."

This statement of truth by one of photography's greatest minds drives me, encourages me, haunts me, mocks me, kicks me in the sack, and gives me hope - sometimes on alternating days, sometimes within the same five minutes.

[rpoppes]

For some inspiration check out this channel on YouTube and select his Q2 videos. I found him different, but good different. See for yourself (might want to watch a few)

https://www.youtube.com/c/AdventureArtStaley/videos

 

[Anakronox]

Yeah, Staley is great.  He posts often on the Leicaphotos subreddit and I’ve always enjoyed his style.