Photographer Danny Bar is on the road again, and this time is checking in from Paris with some wonderful black & white photos. (Click on the images for larger versions.)
Danny used his Leica M9 with the new Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens to capture these beautiful B&W images.
I’m a big fan of the Leica M9 camera myself, and I’ve been thinking that for travel photography my Leica M9 with a fast single lens would be the way to go. I’ve tried carrying multiple lenses with me while I travel, but honestly, I prefer just a single lens for its simplicity of use when traveling.
I’ve found f/2.0 lenses to be a little slow for my needs, they just don’t quite get me the low light shots that I want when traveling. So when I tried the Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH during the Leica Road Show in Seattle, Washington, I fell in love with its extreme low light capability and its dreamy, beautifully rendered images. I checked in with my favorite Leica dealer – Ken Hansen (khpny19@aol.com) – but he was out of Noctilux stock at the time.
I have to say that Danny’s photos with his M9 and Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens have really, really, impressed me. Danny has told me that he has found the 35mm to be his favorite focal length because you can get close to your subject. The 50mm often makes you step back to get your photo, and when going wider than 35mm I see too much distortion in my shots to feel comfortable. I like the fact that it is a fast lens, and I think it might just get me those low light shots that I had been wanting the Nocti 0.95 for as well, making it a real win-win.
Danny’s photos with his Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH have impressed me so much that I think I would rather have the Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens than the Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH lens for my M9. So once again I contacted my favorite Leica dealer, Ken Hansen, to buy a Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens of my own. Bad luck would have it that the Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens was out of stock, but the Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH was now in stock! Though sorely tempted to satisfy my Nocti-lust I decided to hold out for the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens! I’m sure it will be back in stock one of these days – right? Right!?
Danny Bar is a 65 year old dentist living Herzlyia (a town not far from Tel Aviv) with his wife and two children, and photography is his passion!
Thanks for sharing your photos with us Danny – they are wonderful!
Thank you Jeff for your kind words
Lovely pics again Danny!
Jeff, i just made a short overnight trip to an indonesian island with my wife for a spa, and had a chance to use my much neglected 35mm summicron. what i realised was that the extra stop in my favourite 35 lux was so very significant in shooting in the evenings that i began to miss it alot.
You wont regret holding out for the 35 Lux!
Thanks Dave
I think so too. The 35 Cron is a great lense and i often had this dillema weather to shoot with the Cron which is lighter than the Lux or use the heavier Lux
Leica M9 is a fantastic camera but when it comes to low light you definitly need the Lux
So abit heavier but with this huge advantage
It’s the Lux for me
Ken Hansen is a frend of mine for the past 35 years. He provided me a lens ( rare item,277 where made ) Summicron #11661 which blend perfectlly with my Leica M9. Ken is my photo adviser and support, of best Leica gear, for many years.
Hi Livio,
Ken is a great guy. I’ve bought all of my Leica purchases from Ken since I got my M9 – he is a treasure.
Thanks for stopping by!
Kind regards,
Jeff