The Egg!
Yes, the egg did have some cracks. But, unlike ol’ Humpty, they were in the process of repairing.
The Egg is a performance space that is part of the State Capitol’s grounds. It has a beautiful overlook of the Hudson River, but the civic campus, with its multi-tower complex, reminds me of something out of a dystopian film like THX 1138. I love photographing buildings and finding unique angles and interesting details. With a space like this, it’s really fun, but in a way, more difficult. The building has probably been photographed a billion times and is the image I’m making unique? Well, I’ve never been to Albany before and I haven’t seen other images of this building so… Just kidding.
This image was taken with my iPhone and processed after the trip using Capture One. I do love working with my Leica, but I’m starting to lean more heavily on cameras that use EVFs. The range finder view is not accurate enough for images like this. I love the Leica lenses, but the viewfinder is starting to become too tough for these old eyes. I’ve tried mounting the lenses on my Canon R5 and they do ok. Focus is more involved and the wider lenses have color issues on the edges and corners. I’ve figured out how to correct this, but what’s the sense? If I take the R5 out with my L glass, the images are just as good with much less fuss, just 5x as heavy and 5x the size.
It’s one of the problems with the new photo gear. It seems that I can choose from something like a phone camera that is difficult to control or I can choose a modern camera that has so much packed into it and the lenses are made to do it all. One is light but not always ready, and the other is very capable, but it demands so much attention that it becomes the center.
So might say, Upgrade your Leica to a new EVF and use your old lenses. No, I do love the M240 I have and I will probably use it till it dies or the battery gives out. As an aside, there are no new batteries to be had for the 240, and used batteries are running close to $350 on eBay. Promises are made, but no solution so far. Maybe a Sony A7c or something small like it. I don’t think I will use the Canon for my personal work and when I last used a Fuji, it sounded like I was shooting with a pair of electric scissors. Yes! I’m very persnickety when it comes to my personal camera. After almost 50 years of photography, I think I have the right.
