Q. Oliver - Photographer

So last night I promised a “digital vs film” post but before we get into that, I want to reiterate that this is not intended to determine which is better than the other but this may help determine which is better for YOU. And of course, I decided to use a model for the test ^_^

In comparing the two mediums, I used three cameras:

Film - Leica M6 TTL with Leica Summicron 50mm f/2 Leica

Digital - Leica M8 with Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit ASPH.

***Film - Rolleiflex 2.8D (Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8)

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Leica M8, the M8 was Leica’s very first digital rangefinder. It uses a 10.3 megapixel CCD sensor from Kodak. The sensor has a crop factor of 1.3 which, to keep things simple, means that on this camera a 28mm lens is equal to a 35mm lens and a 35mm lens is equal to a 50mm on a normal full frame or 35mm camera (which is why I chose to use the lenses that I did). I decided to throw in the Rolleiflex for fun as well. The Rollei uses 120 or medium format film and makes a negative about 3x the size of 35mm film. It’s 80mm lens is equal to that of a 50mm lens on a 35mm or full frame camera.

Alright, so now that we’ve got all of the technical BS out of the way, lets take a look at the photos. The first photo was made with the Rolleiflex. I’m going to go ahead and be bias here- Rollei wins, hands down haha.

As for the rest of the photos, the pictures on the left were made with the M8 and the ones on the right, the M6. Right away, you notice that the M8 gives much more saturated colors and very clean, sharp results. The Leica 28mm Elmarit ASPH. is a phenominally sharp little lens and despite it’s tiny size, renders enormous detail on the M8. If you look closely, you’ll notice an almost 3D look to the photos!

The M6 with 50mm Summicron has a noticeably classic look with slightly muted tones in the Ektar 100 film. To my eye, while the M8 photos are obviously more saturated, the film photographs seem more true to life. I’d also go as far as to say they have much more depth to them. With black and white film (Ilford FP4) The Summicron seems to really shine at f/8 with nice smooth transitions between tones. I’d reach for this combo over digital any day… but that’s just me :-)

What do you all think?

I awoke this morning to an e-mail in my inbox that read simply “I hope she likes”. Naturally, I was a bit skeptical in opening it but when I followed the link, this is what I found- A mixed media drawing of one of my photographs of Niec’ and an incredibly beautiful one at that! The drawing was made by a gentleman in Spain by the name of David who happens to be very talented. Great way to wake up!

You can see more of David’s paintings HERE

Marina (part 1) - I love when I wake up to texts like “Hey, I’m off today. Let’s shoot!” Especially when those texts come from women like Marina… Who just happens to be quite photogenic.

Photographed by Q. Oliver

Photos 1 & 3 - Leica M6 TTL + Leica 50mm Summicron + Ilford SFX 200
Photo 2 - Nikon F100 + Nikon 50mm f/1.8D + Kodak 400 TMax

Starting March 12th and 13th, I will be teaching analogue photography and darkroom classes at The Camera Doctor in Decatur! This is a great class for individuals interested in learning how to use classic cameras, develop their own black and white prints and process their own film. If you’ve got an old camera laying around and have been dying to learn how to use it properly or just want to get your hands dirty in the dark room, come by, check out the store and sign up! Classes are $200 for 5 weeks and will be held on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s (whichever day you sign up for) from 6:30pm - 9:00pm. Classes will cover photography basics, print making/darkroom techniques and film developing. Throughout the duration of the class, you will also be able to use the darkroom any time (during normal business hours) FOR FREE!

For more information, feel free to send me a message or call Steve, the owner of the store @ (404) 634-1252.

Open Tues/Wed 12:00pm-9:00pm
Thurs-Sat 12:00pm-6:00pm

Oh, BTW- We BUY, SELL, and REPAIR cameras, lenses and accessories + we have almost every type of film you could ever possibly hope to use!

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
Photographed by Q. Oliver
Leica M6 TTL + Leica 50mm Summicron + Kodak Ektar 100 

(Source: film-god)

She never disappoints! I absolutely love working with… well we’ve decided to change her name to “Smirky” and despite these photographs lacking her beautiful signature smile, there is no lack of emotion here.

Photographed by Q. Oliver
Leica M6 TTL + Carl Zeiss 35mm C Biogon f/2.8 + Kodak Portra 160

Green Ginger Asian Fusion Restaurant in Decatur, Ga
Can’t wait to go back and try everything else on the menu!

Photographed by Q. Oliver
Nikon F100 + Nikon 50mm f/1.8D + Kodak Ektar 100