Washington, Portland, Budapest Photo Gallery by Helen Betts at pbase.com

Washington, Portland, Budapest

I started this gallery for test pictures taken with the Leica X2 in Washington, D.C., as I wanted a much smaller camera than my D800 for use in Saudi Arabia, where extreme caution and discretion are strongly advised for doing any photography at all.

We have since traveled to Portland, Oregon, for a week to visit family, and I am keeping the Leica but have also picked up another compact, this time with a zoom. (I have a feeling I'm going to end up with several "covert" cameras before we leave the States for Riyadh ;-)). So this is no longer a Washington/Leica X2 gallery, but more of a home leave with a couple of cameras gallery.

Just trying out a possible new camera	Union Station	Union Station	US Capitol, east side
US Supreme Court, under wraps	Library of Congress	US Capitol	On the Capitol grounds
For those who wanted to see some low light images	This is the original	Library of Congress	National Mall, Washington Monument
Union Station	Union Station	National Portrait Gallery	Starbucks bride (Portland, Oregon)
CYA	Benson Bubblers	The Steel Bridge (1912)	Fremont, Broadway bridges from the Steel Bridge
Color on the Steel Bridge	New and old in downtown Portland	The demise of The Bomber	Milwaukie geese
Decorative facade	Camp 18: a bit of Americana (1)	Camp 18: a bit of Americana (2)	Camp 18: a bit of Americana (3)
Camp 18: a bit of Americana (4)	Camp 18: a bit of Americana (5)	Oregon coast	Oregon coast
The official greeter	The bird rock	Heron reflections	Beach at Spanish Head
View from our room	Spirit Mountain casino	The Spruce Goose	Water slide and pool (Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum)
Evergreen International Aviation HQ	Translation of the Sellwood Bridge (1)	Translation of the Sellwood Bridge (2)	Translation of the Sellwood Bridge (3)
Willamette River marina	The posing duck	Looking for a handout	Early evening, Willamette River
Washington windowscape	Metro art	Capitol reflections	A very mini Pbase meet
National Building Museum	Hotel light	Hotel light at night	Irridescent feathers
Late afternoon	US Botanic Garden	Capitol water fountain	Capitol water fountain, closeup
Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillion	Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillion	US Navy Memorial	US Navy Memorial
US National Archives	Half staff at the Archives	US National Archives	Mini Pbase meet-up: Steph, Helen, Jane
The other halves	Mini Pbase meet-up, The George Hotel: Steph, Helen, Jane (and message!)	US Capitol dome	Library of Congress, Main Reading Room (1)
Library of Congress, Main Reading Room (2)	Library of Congress, Great Hall (3)	Library of Congress, Great Hall (4)	Practicing...
Shut down	Under repair	Remembering (after arriving in Saudi Arabia)	Back in Budapest
Poor Sahraa	Skylight at the old Le Meridien	Another skylight at Le Meridien	Chain Bridge
Making friends on Chain Bridge	Four Seasons, Gresham Palace	Parliament from Chain Bridge	Academy of Arts
Afternoon shadows	St. Stephen�s Basilica	Outdoor dining

barbarajoy		08-Feb-2018 09:58
Great collection Helen! Your comments add interest. V

Tom LeRoy		09-Oct-2013 08:04
A terrific compilation of interesting venues. Great real world camera review also! V

Bob Patton		05-Oct-2013 13:53
Wonderful shots, as usual. I have RX100 also and love it. It can do uncannily good exposures, and it fits in my pocket. More and more I travel with it instead of my Canon 5DMII.

Denise J T Lee		04-Oct-2013 00:43
Helen, in most cases, it's the singer not the song. The camera is just a tool in your hand. You're the one who controls it and produces masterpieces. Denise

Kim		01-Oct-2013 19:17
A very fine gallery Helen! BV

woody34		28-Sep-2013 04:51
Wonderful collection, Helen...each shot is a classic...enjoy all your cameras while you can...V

FrankB		27-Sep-2013 08:46
beautiful gallery of images to leave with. I didn't think you'd be able to decide on just one! :-))...V

John Hamers		24-Sep-2013 06:11
Great gallery with beautiful images of Washington V

danad		23-Sep-2013 14:55
Superb captures and compositions all along these gallery. V.

veraferia		19-Sep-2013 18:43
Fantastic images, terrific photographer and an excellent camera.V

Ali Majdfar		15-Sep-2013 14:19
Great captures! ~V

Zeeby		13-Sep-2013 08:09
A superb collection. V

Stephanie		11-Sep-2013 21:15
Seems as though you're getting the hang of your new camera very quickly! Great gallery Helen! V

Jeff Real		10-Sep-2013 22:51
I enjoy your work in this gallery very much ~V~

Paolo Peggi (aka Bracciodiferro)		09-Sep-2013 17:48
Congratulations Helen! My vote. Paolo

Lillian Rodriguez		09-Sep-2013 08:48
Size would be perfect for shooting in Arab countries and Leica quality is definitely a guarantee. Image quality is excellent at low ISOs but a bit grainy at 1600, such as the Starbucks bride. Not that bad for jpegs by the way but difficult to judge how it performs in raw. I checked the website and they do not have any raw downloads so I'd recommend taking a couple of raw shots before deciding. I've looked at the Sony RX100 II and it looks tempting! Enjoy your visit and best of luck with your new camera! Saludos.

janescottcumming		07-Sep-2013 17:29
I think you are getting fabulous photos with this camera. I'm sure it helps that you are a terrific photographer who knows how to shoot a good picture. I think this camera is a winner. (Sounds like you are working too hard!)

Mike		07-Sep-2013 00:30
Fantastic IQ, thanks for sharing these images Helen! Your work here has me considering this updated version. I had a Leica X1 for a while and loved it... exceptional camera and very discrete. The only negative for me was slow auto-focus. X2 is supposed to be much better in that regard.

William Barletta		06-Sep-2013 18:55
An impressive set of images. This looks like an excellent camera in your hands. ~Vhttp://www.pbase.com/helenpb/washington_and_leica_x2&gcmd=add_comment

Zolt�n Balogh		06-Sep-2013 14:53
Great new photos with your "pilot" camera Helen, keep it up! V

Jim Coffman		05-Sep-2013 20:05
I would love to own this camera! It is just to far out of my reach after retiring! The images are outstanding,Helen!

click on thumbnails for full image