Leica E46 UVa Glass Filter with Black Mount (13004)

A Ova filter is available as an accessory for every LEICA M lens. In addition, there is also an orange and a yellow green filter available for some of them.Film, as well as video, often exhibits a greater sensitivity to what is to us invisible, ultraviolet light. This is most often outdoors, especially at high altitudes, where the UV-absorbing atmosphere is thinner; and over long distances, such as marine scenes. It can show up as a bluish color cast with color film, or it can cause a low-contrast haze that diminishes details, especially when viewing far-away objects, in either color or black-and-white. Ultraviolet filters absorb UV light generally without affecting light in the visible region.

This is a dogwood tree in bloom, fresh from a week's worth of rain.

It's been raining since last weekend and the weather forecast predicts more rain through Saturday. I'd very badly wanted to test the latest addition to my camera bag, so yesterday when the rain had let up I dashed outside.

The area of Central Park that I'd wanted to go to was closed off, so I was forced to wander. Luckily I chanced upon some dogwoods. This one in particular is special, as white dogwoods are quite common in my experience but these pink ones are a bit more rare (although you wouldn't know that from a Google Image search).

This image has become my new favorite and instantly replaced my previous desktop background. It almost tempted Janelle to change hers, as well.

Shot with an Olympus E-520 and Leica D Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH lens (lens designed by Leica and manufactured by Panasonic, using glass elements from Olympus Zuiko and Sigma), with lens hood and a Hoya DMC Pro1 UV filter equipped. This was taken hand-held with IS mode 1 enabled. This is an uncropped picture; maximum resolution has been scaled down to 1600x1200 for upload. This is a camera-derived JPEG that has not been subject to further post-processing. The following settings were used on-camera: "vivid" color scheme; saturation, contrast, and sharpness at +1; white balance set to overcast; center-weighted metering.

Thoughts on the lens: My copy seems to front-focus, or at the very least, gives the camera some trouble when it comes to autofocusing (that, or it's proof that Olympus puts mind-reading chips into their Zuiko Digital lenses and this one lacks it, because those lenses autofocus perfectly by comparison). However, the results are quite stunning when the focus is correct.

When it comes to flowers I would not say that it's any better or worse than the Zuiko Digital 50mm f/2.0 Macro lens (although I didn't buy this intending for it to be a flower lens). This and the next few pictures from this lens will be flower/plant shots, but this was intended to be a people lens. But when a nature photographer gets something new, you know what the first order will be...

Performance-wise I find the bokeh to be pleasing. More importantly, the lens is incredibly sharp. Viewing pictures with this lens even at 100% reveals incredibly well-defined lines and sharp images, even when pictures are taken at f/1.4. The only other lens I own that is able to deliver such sharp images wide open is the Zuiko Digital 50mm f/2.0 Macro lens, which is legendary for its sharpness. The size and weight do not feel excessive to me (which is a complaint that's been mentioned by a few), and the lens feels solidly built. I don't know if it can produce results that would please the Leica purists, but I am very impressed with what this lens can do and look forward to taking it through many different scenarios.

This is one of the first shots trialing the Leica D Summilux 25mm f/1.4 for environmental portraiture. This was an impromptu session for Janelle (so there's no makeup!) but she good-naturedly put up with it, and I'm rather pleased with the end results.

Outfit and makeup information is unavailable, as there was no special preparation made for this outing.

No flash info, as only ambient lighting was used.

Shot with an Olympus E-520 and Leica D Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH lens, with a Hoya DMC Pro1 UV lens filter and lens hood equipped. This was shot hand-held with IS mode 1 enabled. This is an uncropped image that has been resized down to 1200x1600 for upload. This is a camera JPEG that has not been subject to any further post-processing. The following settings were used on-camera: "portrait" color scheme; sharpness and contrast at +1; saturation at -1; white balance set to auto; pattern metering mode.

Taken in the Central Park Conservatory Gardens, in the walkway between the English and Italian garden sections.

Polaroid filters continue the brand's long legacy of superior optical solutions. All our filters are carefully formulated to ensure consistent color and accuracy throughout the entire surface of the glass. Why? Consistent color means consistent high quality results. We know that a poorly made filter makes a great lens and camera worthless, that's why the our frame rings are constructed of special alloys that won't expand or contract over time or due to temperature extremes-it's also why we back our filters with an 10 year warranty-because we engineer them to last.

Like all Polaroid optics, Polaroid filters are precision manufactured to the most demanding of tolerances. This ensures consistent high quality results even after years of use.