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carl2

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Posts posted by carl2

    W/NW: Your desktop

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Leo, Mr. Gibson got it. It's western New York state, with a bit of Pennsylvania at the bottom, Southern Ontario at the top, and Lake Ontario reflecting the sun. I think the view almost extends to Cleveland to the west. But, you can clearly see Toronto, Buffalo, Syracuse, and my home, Rochester. (Kodak town - for now.)

     

    You can really see why they call rivers and lakes "drainage." Beside being remarkable geologic features, the beautiful Finger Lakes create microclimates that give us a few decent varieties of wine grapes.

     

    Thanks for asking!

    W/NW: Your desktop

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <center><img src="http://quazynet.no-ip.org/LOntarioSTSsmalledited.jpg"></center>

     

    This is my current computer desktop image. I think they used a Nikon digital for this shot, but there's usually a Hasselblad on the Space Shuttle, too.

     

    You can find tons of earth images on a NASA Web site. Most are not so visually interesting, and the 'nauts often have trouble with flare, but this one, of my region of the planet, really came alive with a little Photoshop enhancement. Don't remember cropping it at all.

    Any Other Expensive Hobbies?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Some of you guys sound like you have too much money.

     

    I used to, also, and was an audiophile for years.

     

    " . .(bought super cheap after the newer series came out). . "

     

    Oh, yeah, if you've got the needle in deep, hi-fi can suck up money like anything.

     

    But I like, and sometimes need, to turn hobbies into professions, and sometimes back into hobbies again.

     

    I'm selling my high-end gear to buy recording equipment, and growing that business. Years ago I got into cameras and picture making as a avocation, then it was a job for nearly a decade, went to sleep for a spell, and now it's back as a fresh pursuit. No weddings yet - spare me!

     

    Life's funny ...

    35 'cron lens hoods

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Ray wrote:

     

    "I've got a 12538 that's the same as the 12585, only plastic. It's a little harder to get on and off than the others, but not bad. Vented and fits both my 35 and 50 Summicrons. They go pretty cheap if you can find one used."

     

    Not all 35s, maybe. I put a 12538 on my 2nd version 35 Summicron, and got vignetted corners at f/11. I got a 12504, a round, vented, metal thing that works good. Cheap, from a fine Canadian fellow via this forum.

     

    The Leica hoods do seem over-priced for "just a shade," but then you get one of the metal ones, and find out how nice they are. It doesn't seem like such a rip-off to have a little work of mechanical/metalurgical art for your money. The 12538 is less good a deal from that point of view.

     

    Yeah, Ray! Mine doesn't want to come off, either. . .

    M Framing Accuracy

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Folks,

     

    I've been using an M2 for about 15 months - total immersion, haven't touched anything else. Before that, I spent months with only a Retina IIa, which has no frame lines and just a pathetic little peephole finder. Still haven't quite got used to the Leica framelines. But, I've decided: so what?

     

    I "cut my teeth" on Nikons, including the 100%-field-of-view F2. My style of shooting tends to gravitate to stationary objects in a rather "tight" style. That is, the formal aspects of the photo are often concerned with particular spatial relationships between elements in the composition.

     

    After some years of feeling burdened by the precision of the SLR finder, the looseness of the rangefinder has helped me loosen up my style. This really has little to do with were the frame ends on the film. It's what's inside the picture, and how I recognized it, that reflects the real difference in my response to the world using one type of camera vs. another.

     

    In fact, why should it ever come down to precise framing of the edges? Sure, it's nice to minimize the enlargement, but would anyone throw out a fine photo just because there is a stray object along the edge? Is it really artistically invalid, or an insult to the craft, to crop a figgin' frame?

     

    Especially with a camera that cannot use zoom lenses. You can't always stand in the exact perfect spot from which to take a given photo.

     

    So, for all my awe and appreciation of HCB and Erwitt, I can't go along with the cult of full-frame "honesty" that their example has engendered. It is not the litmus test of a good photo or a good photographer. If the composition within the frame is good, but you needed a 60mm rather than a 50mm to accomplish the perfect framing, crop the damn thing.

     

    Or, if upon later inspection, you realize the picture is better from one step back, well the Leica has already done that for you.

     

    If you are surprised by an outcome, don�t be embarrassed that you didn�t pre-visualize it. Be happy if you got a good picture.

     

    $0.02

    Wanted: A Good Summer Read!

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Martin,

     

    One of the best books of photography, and biography, I read this year was Robert Doisneau, a photographer�s life, by Peter Hamilton (1995). He was a masterful explorer of a relatively small region of the planet. Of course, it was Paris and it's suburbs - not a bad compass. It�s one of the most insightful accounts I�ve seen of the challenges and realities of a photographer�s life.

     

    Beside the great work, the story of Doisneau is that of an intelligent, aware, and generous man who feels for his people and place. And, it's the story of a man struggling to make an honest living at a craft that seldom rewards the honest or humble practitioner. Thankfully, before the end, Doisneau found recognition, and some reward.

     

    It's too big a book to stuff in your backpack, maybe, but I can recommend it heartily.

    A fine review of William eggleston's new book & exhibit "los Alamos"

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Steve, go to the NYT site, select Arts from the menu on the left, and the story will be in the next page.

     

    The Master's new book is "Los Alamos," and it is beautiful. It's older work, however, and good as that all is, I am anxious for a new volume of "The Democratic Forest," or something that contains recent work. The few things I've seen that he's produced in recent years have been so promising...

    35 Summicron second and third versions

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Andrew,

     

    I've used a second version (tabbed aperture dial, Wetzlar) for a year now. It's very fast to handle and perfectly small, even with a round hood attached. Mine is, at all apertures, slightly darker in the corners than at the center, but not visibly less sharp in the corners, so I live with the uneven illumination. The character of the image it renders is so much �nicer� (less-hard color and smoother contrast) than the 35 2.8 Nikkor I used for years � noticeable even via a film scanner. Results match pretty well with my early '80s 50mm Summicron, and the 35 is better built. Haven�t tried a later version, but I don�t feel my pictures suffer at all by using the older lens. As a newcomer to rangefinders, it took some practice before lens quality mattered at all!

    No Words: Homage to Street Photography

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    I'll join the chorus. That's a great shot, Travis. The best I've seen by you. Every element is good and compliments subject, which itself is more powerful for being so minimal, so enigmatic. There are often many fine photos posted by the contributors on this forum, but this time, Travis takes the prize.

     

    Are you aware of the LUG's FOM2 project? They'd be very happy to have this photo submitted, I'm sure.

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