Leica lenses are not cheap, nor are they particularly easy to come by with waiting lists for new models and eBay battles for the classics. You can imagine my surprise when a friend at work mentioned he had a couple Leica lenses sitting at home that he'd never used and asked me if I'd like to shoot with them.

Of course it didn't turn out to be a Nokton f1 or a Summilux, but it's always fun to try something new, and I was delighted when a few days later he dropped a 135mm f4.5 and a 35mm f3.5 by my office. Unfortunately, both lenses have fallen prey to the dreaded haze and fungus, but we'll see if they can be rehabilitated by Professional Camera Repair.

The really amazing part of the 35mm f3.5 is the size. It would be a great outdoor lens, and it weighs next to nothing.

While the haze kept me from grabbing anything special with the new lenses, I did stop and snap a crape myrtle with my 135mm Elmarit.

When the crape myrtles bloom, you know it's summer in Houston.