The 13 time World Champion Green Bay Packers NFL American football team had their opening home game today. They established a new attendance record due to building an extra 7000 seats in the south end zone. Part of that new structure included a new roof level, that I realized would give a photographer a better view of the place than a plane.
The cloud formations helped in capturing a dramatic shot of the field, and while I was at it, I captured a touchdown pass with a 24mm lens. Ever wonder what the resolution on an S will give you? You can identify the football in the air. I also captured the catch and the celebration, which can be seen in the cropped close up. Sure the sports photographers on the field have a best shots of the action, but there are other images to capture from other locations.
JackVery nice images. I hadn’t realized the Packers had won that many titles. I’m a big fan of Vince Lombardi, and had the deluxe glass-and-wood-framed speech on winning on my desk for years. But, I have a fondness for the Steelers, being an Easterner as it were.
Looking at those clouds, I’d hope somebody remembered an umbrella, especially when carrying the ‘S’ camera. The players on the field seem tiny from up in the seats, which has me wondering – do the fans typically watch a screen, or are they able to follow the plays closely from up in the stands? If I were far enough from the field, I’d want binoculars at least.
Leica X2 Paul Smith edition, Leica X-E, Panasonic ZS-100.Dale,
In answer to your questions and comments:
1.In the rain, the S shines, as it is a very water resistant system. No umbrellas are allowed in the stands as they would restrict the view of fans behind the umbrella. The rain stopped by the start of the game, but I had a rain parka with hood in case I needed it. Tripods are not allowed either, so for the shot I braced the camera on the railing.2. You don’t need binoculars, you are able to see all the action from anywhere. Great sight lines, no columns, and seats are closer to the field than most stadiums. However, to follow the action, I recommend not looking through the viewfinder of a super-wide lens. Although amazingly enough, the S viewfinder is so big and bright, I could follow that touchdown play. The new video screens do aid in watching replays, and even though they are huge and HD, I watch the field.
3. One of the shots I posted may look a bit off color, but that was a view of the south end zone taken through tinted glass. I added it to give a reference for where I was when I took the key shot. I was positioned just below the bottom edge of the huge video board, which is well above the rest of the stadium.
4. I specialize in landscape and architecture, not sports, but this was all three.
Jack
JackThe key image has been linked to from TOP:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2013/09/leica-on-high.html
It allowed viewers world wide to pixel-peep at the detail. Some have suggested that the lens is not as good as they expected from a Leica, so I blew up a segment at the edge of the shot after downloading it from red dot. i compared it to the image straight from LR5 to see if we had jpeg or web issues. We don’t seem to in this case. Although, I would never print from a jpeg, only a tiff.
The viewer is evaluating a photo that could be printed 30″x20″ at 240 res, or 60″x40″ at 120 res. and then viewing the image from a few inches away.I think what is happening to viewers is they get to pixel-peep very closely and want to imagine a sensor that is 100 MP. The attached image is a blow up of what would be 2 inches x 2.5 inches at 270 res. But you are looking at it as if it were much larger here. Yes it would be nice to be able to see a person’s eye color, but this is only 37.5 MP, not 120 MP. Net the lens is very good. The photo might have been technically improved if shot on a tripod, but none were allowed.
Jack
JackThat gave me a good chuckle. Imagine what some of these guys have to do when they’re pixel-peeping those gigapixel images that Google and others put together. I don’t have the S, but having the MM and X Vario and seeing the detail as well as the integrity from edge to edge, I wouldn’t second-guess the S or any of the lenses. I can’t imagine anyone accepting a so-so lens at the prices they demand anyway, and if someone did think their lens wasn’t reasonably sharp wide open at all points, the Leica dealer would fall all over themself inspecting it to make sure.
Edit: I pixel-peeped the big picture – plenty of detail in the stadium, but looking at the foliage *outside* of the stadium at the upper right, detail in the foliage at that distance is still visible. Pretty amazing.
Leica X2 Paul Smith edition, Leica X-E, Panasonic ZS-100.Just an aside – I think this image is going to “go viral” as it’s said. I already linked to it on Stereophile’s review of a very fine $17k loudspeaker pair – it makes the point that there are great choices of gear in the marketplace for people who are willing to invest in them.
Leica X2 Paul Smith edition, Leica X-E, Panasonic ZS-100.Lambeau Field is the wonderful stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It is good for playing & enjoying.
Great shots Jack. It’s a treat to see the stadium and the crowd from those vantage points
OK, I realize this is not from the roof, it is from behind the bench and the temp is a cool 22 degrees, but fortunately little wind down on the field.
The bench is heated, and the capes they wear on the bench are very warm.
Frankly, I over dressed for this assignment. I was too warm at times, as moving around keeps you pretty warm.
The shot is f4.8 at 1/1500 second. 640 ISO 24mm.
I wanted the crowd to be sharp and they are. These are shot for use in huge enlargements in the stadium entrance areas.
While the S is not designed for sports, it can work very well for crowd shots. With a 350mm lens, it would work well for football action too, But then one would want a bit higher ISO, not that it would be necessary.Jack
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.