Thanks and things learned from first major usage

[ALScott]

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Thanks to all who provided advice and answered my questions about lenses to take to out west.  I can say to all that said a wide lens wasn't necessary, you were spot on.  I was worried that my 24-90 wouldn't be wide enough and I don't think I took 5 frames at 24.  Thanks to @jaapv, @LeicaR10, @JTLeica, @FlashGordonPhotography and so many others for answering posts and/or direct messages.  For giving tips specific to my trip and shooting wildlife, which I am new to.  So, I came to Leica last March and had bought fully in by September.  I shot as much as I could before our trip to YNP and GTNP but that's different than shooting for nine days straight all day long every day.  My wife used the Q3 and I had the M11P and SL3 every day.  I came away with one major realization and that is that whatever issue I had with the gear was really caused by me, not the gear.  It was either due to it being so new to me or my lack of knowledge of what it could do or how it would do it.  I have no real complaints especially when I look at the photos I took... and we took.  I was trying to shoot a bear that we finally, barely, got to see and the shutter was not firing.  I could not figure out why, I was losing my mind, I mean losing it, and wanted to beat the camera on a rock.  I calmed down, really looked and I had hit the ISO without knowing and it kicked on the electronic shutter which is silent.  This is my first camera with an electronic shutter.  I missed some shots on the trip, some out of focus, etc but again I will attribute 95% of that to my own fault of not being 100% certain with what the camera can do and how best to use it.  I have never had a "do it all for you" camera in any sense.  I haven't bought new gear before the Leica gear for at least 10 years and none of the gear I had when working at newspapers would even do a fraction of what the SL3 can do.  My old Canon's had profiles and I never thought they were useful and assumed the same about the SL3 but now I see how wrong I am.  Setting up profiles for what you are shooting can be all the difference in enjoying the gear.  I learned it's tough.  Tough enough to go over a huge bump in a road big enough to bounce the SL3 with 150-600 on it out of the seat into the floorboard, it hit something that crushes a corner of the screen protector and the camera is totally fine.  I learned that every Leica I have makes beautiful images, in their color, in their sharpness and their representation of what reality is.   I feel like Leica makes me a better photographer because it makes me want to try harder to wring every bit of ability out of the glass combined with the sensors.  Images from the trip are going in SL3 images.  The editing, if any, is at most "Auto" in LrC and maybe a crop.

[LeicaR10]

AL,  I am glad you found our advice useful for your trip.  Your winter trip to Yellowstone will be amazing and a great venue to create memorable photographs.  As I would tell my student clients before we started any workshop;  You need to know your equipment first, what it can and cannot do before going to the field.  Keep your settings simple, mostly for ease of memory.   Second, take your time when creating the photograph, it will pay off.  Third, for wildlife, its always best to know something about the habits of the animals before venturing out, it will save you a lot of angst.  Like being a hunter, know your game well and it will pay off...same goes for photographers, know your subject, scout out your landscapes the day before, find the most promising positions to capture your vision.  Sorry to hear about your SL3 bounce.  My tip for students, when transporting long lenses and camera any distance, dismount the camera body from the lens to keep from damaging the mounts. Last, I am certain you will have many great trips to create magnificent photographs and enjoy that moment in time.  r/ Mark