Her-on-Him

Wow!!! That is stunning, the sharpness just jumps right out at you.

"Leica f5.6 800mm...blah blah blah...loaned for use by Leica USA"?!?!

Sweet gig. Obviously you've got the chops to handle such a horn...good on you! We don't see much wildlife photographs around here for some reason. Your patience is appreciated

Murray

Nice color on this one and the anhinga.

Do you suppose anyone out there actually owns these lenses, or do they all just borrow them from Leica? The nature shooters who actually might actually generate enough income to own a new Apo-Telyt all seem to have Nikon or Canon sponsorship.

Robert and Murray thank you for the compliment.

David,

Thank you for the compliment. But, no I do not expect that anyone here on the site owns a lens like this. I wish I could afford it. As I had mentioned in my first postings on-site I have the predecessor to the smallest modular lens (I will contact you for information regarding having it cleaned and thank you for the suggestion).

I am on the list of Pros with Leica. Leica had used my work prior to the borrowing of the lens, so they offered its use to me. These and many other photos particularly of birds were taken with this lens in 1998. I had just gotten my new R8 and was waiting for an R8 winder. The lens had only been available for about a year? I was fortunate, I was going down to Florida to photograph birds, and the use of the lens was not scheduled. I was able to borrow the set-up for both the Leica f2.8 400mm and the f5.6 800mm Modular Apo Telyt for a month. Subsequent to this (time I do not know) the lens was sold to a photographer doing wolf studies I believe in Montana and very possibly Yellowstone. I used the Modular lens and my own lenses along with both Apo extenders (1.4x and 2x). Also, believe it or not all the photos were taken on a Gitzo Studex 320 and an Arca B1 ball. So using tripods and monoballs with such heavy equipment are quite possible.

Unless things have changed, Leica no longer has the Modular Apo Telyt system available as part of their loan equipment for use by pros.

When I was running around with the lens I got some interesting reactions. First people asked if the lens were a 1000mm lens. I told the people that it was probably the only lens like it in all the southeastern US. I did meet the Stoke's at Ding Darling National Wildlife Reserve, Sanibel Island. They did the Bird Watch TV series and also wrote and published the Stoke's guides including the book on birds. We also used the Leica Ocular R that turned this and other Leica R lenses into spotting scopes. Most remarkable spotting scope that any of us or probably anyone had every seen. At the time this was a $16,000 (lowest advertised price in US) for the 800mm lens. I have no idea of the current price.

Needless to say this is a remarkable piece of glass and the only lens system like it in the world. It is probably the best and best performing 35mm telephoto/telephoto system made. Leica has used 2 of my photos taken with this lens, this one and the Anhinga (Looking Toward the Heavens). They may use more. Affordable to most certainly not.

However, I posted this work along with the landscapes that I have already posted in part to show some of the scope of work that I personally do. I use the login of naturephoto1 for a reason. That being that I photograph nature, landscape, wildlife, close-ups, etc. As a result, I am a multiformat photographer using the proper tools for the proper job. However, if I am out taking photos with the wrong tool, I try my best to either rethink what I am doing or use what I have to its best ability.

Rich

Thanks for the info, Rich. I have Stokes' 3-volume bird behavior series. They're great books.

Have you seen Doug Herr's work? He also shoots Leica, but mostly older equipment. He does a lot of handheld work with a shoulder pod, and from the shots he's getting, he seems to be a great stalker. His website is at http://www.wildlightphoto.com/

In any case, it's good to see other bird photographers shooting film and manual focus these days. I attended a couple of workshops in Florida last year, and I was the only one (also had my Gowland 4x5" along for a some landscapes, which interested a few people). Occasionally I run into a photographer named Sean Sime in the birding spots around New York who also shoots film and prints his own Ilfochromes, but there are fewer and fewer of us.

Hi David,

Thanks for the information. You may also be interested that this is a photo that has been used by Bill Nordstrom, Laser Light Photographics. Bill used it at Photo Plus East some years ago in his booth and opposite this image or very near it as I remember was a heron photo by Arthur Morris thought by many to be the top bird photographer in the US. When I visited Bill in his booth, I was very surprised by this, but it was quite an honor. Additionally, in Bill's brochure, and on his website, he uses a cropped version of this image.

Well that's not bad company to be in. Art Morris has one particularly successful Great Blue Heron nest building photo, which appears on the cover of his book, which is called something like _The Art of Bird Photography_, and I wouldn't be surprised if that is the one in Bill Nordstrom's booth. The book is a little more gear-oriented than I like, but he is certainly a fine photographer.