Over christmas, we were visiting the in-laws who live near Cologne. My friend Erik, now living in NYC, was in Germany visiting his family, and we took the opportunity to meet. Here’s a selection of street- and other photographs taken at that opportunity.
First, the street shots:
Hohe Straße | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/60 sec, ISO 320
"Street musician", Hohe Straße | Leica M8 + Nokton 50/1.5 @ f/1.5, 1/90 sec, ISO 160
Chestnut vendor, Hohe Straße | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/45 sec, ISO 160
"The ladies" | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/180 sec, ISO 160
Loving couple and love padlocks, Hohenzollern bridge | Leica M8 + Nokton 50/1.5 @ f/1.5, 1/45 sec, ISO 640
Erik with his 5D2 | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/45 sec, ISO 2500
And now the rest:
At the Rhine promenade | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/30 sec, ISO 640
Musical Dome and equestrian statue | Leica M8 + Nokton 50/1.5 @ f/1.5, 1/30 sec, ISO 640
View along the Hohenzollern bridge, facing Deutz | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/45 sec, ISO 640
Inter City Express train crossing the Hohenzollern bridge | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/15 sec, ISO 640
In the opposite direction: the cathedral | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9 or f/2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 640
Equestrian statue close-up | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/30 sec, ISO 320
The classic: Cathedral and Hohenzollern bridge | Leica M8 + Nokton 50/1.5 @ f/1.5, 1/15 sec, ISO 320
Hohenzollern bridge detail and skyline | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/24 sec, ISO 640
Aside the cathedral | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/30 sec, ISO 160
Cologne central station main entrance | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/45 sec, ISO 160
"Luxury" | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/30 sec, ISO 160
After a day of shooting (Gamblers in a typical colonian tavern) | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/45 sec, ISO 320
Interior detail of that same tavern | Leica M8 + Ultron 28/1.9 @ f/1.9, 1/60 sec, ISO 160
It was a fun day!
February 9th, 2011, 12:58 pm | 
Yeah, sure looks like a fun day. And you’ve got those beautiful Cologne colours as well, and even a bit of atmosphere from that pub.
Nice job,
cheers,
Wolfgang
Thanks!
Wow! These are amazing photos! Love both the color and monochrome images. Suprising how you were able to shoot at such low ISO speeds in what appeared to be near darkness. Speaks volumes for both of these lenses, the M8 camera and the photographer as well. Any time someone has something bad to say about the M8, you can show them these photos. Thanks for posting them. Definitely inspired after seeing these photos! Glad to see you are back and posting again.
Troy, thanks for your kind words! I wasn’t sure at first about the colour pictures, but it seems I got them just right
As for the darkness, well, there was still enough light, obviously. There were some scenes where I had to crank the ISO up to 2500 to get 1/30 of a second, in others there was enough light to stay around 160 or 320. With much concentration I can get blur-free shots at 1/24 or 1/15 sec, but often enough even my pictures at 1/30 turn out blurred … But with a fast lens and a steady hand, it’s possible to achieve great results with the M8. Next time I think I should bring a tripod or gorillapod or something like that, though.