michel_vandeput

Dear Leica friends,

End of this year, I will change my 25 years old wet 35mm darkroom for

a film scanner.

I usually enlarge my slides and BW films on 24cm x 30cm or 30cm x

40cm papers, best scanners performance seems to be required to

conserve the quality of my wet darkroom.

The problem, which scanner to choose (4000DPI, more...)???

On the market today, which one is the best of the best ( if no

consideration for the price), just to see and compare performances...

and the best affordable choice.

I am not a scanner specialist, I can't see any difference between

Nikon, Minolta, Canon... and (sorry) have never seen a 30cm x 40cm

digitally printed with a quality that reaches my old wet prints. Are

there solutions to my problem?

Thanks for your help

Best regards from Belgium

Michel

Dear Leica Friend,

I just had the same problem with my new M7 (after two months). It was not a problem, be sure the three shutter speed dial screws are well tightened. Note there are no assembly marks for the barrel; you have to perfectly ajust it before screwing.

Best regards from Belgium

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

I am an old Leica M photographer now (more than 40 years photos), I

don't know many things about digital photography but I am very

interrested... May I ask you only one (stupid ) question: you are

speaking about high resolution like 10 or 20 megapixels BUT why

aren't the digital sensors size not full frame (I mean 24mm x 36mm)?

Thanks and best regards from Belgium

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

You are right, in Belgium, there are no CM available for weeks. There are electronic troubles with a electronic chip made by... Panasonic. Even the best can fall, Japanese electronic reliability isn't better than german.

Best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

I have the opportunity to buy a just as new M6 Leica motor. Do you

think it's a helpful accessory? If you have one, do you use it often,

sometimes or never?

Thanks for your advice and best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Dear Leica friend,

I will use a Hasselblad Xpan F 35mm. That's his name in Europe...

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

Do you have some experience with the new VELVIA 100 asa? Thanks for

your opinion about the definition, grain, contrast density in

compariison with the VELVIA 50 asa or KODAK ekta64. For information,

it's more and more difficult to find velvia50asa in our camera shops.

I think fuji will not produce that film any more in the future.

Thank you and best regards from Belgium

Michel

Dear Leica friend,

Over two years, I bought a Hexar, very very beautiful camera, very fine Konica lenses (never bought but tested), BUT my camera never focused accurately at wide aperture with Leica tele lenses (75, 90 and 135). WHY ? (1) viewfinder effective shorter base (2) mechanical incompatibility with Leica lenses, my camera was twice adjusted for Leica lenses... no solution for accurate tele focusing . I sold my camera and bought a M7, really outstanding, THE BEST CHOICE. On the other way, prefer Hexar only for wide angle lenses, it could be a good deal.

Best regards from Belgium

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

During world war II, my father was war prisoner in Germany. When he

came back home in 1945, he brought back a camera , a CONTAX II. He

never used this camera since and I forgot it completely. My father

died recently and I discovered that camera. Inside, I found a AGFA

black and white film (red covering) completely exposed (in 1945). Do

you have suggestions for developing the film.

Thanks very much for your advice and best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Emmanuel,

Focus in Brussels is the best place for repair. You can also send your camera directly to Leica Solms or go there and have a superb journey in Wetzlar, a superb country, it is not far from here in Belgium. For direct repair, ask a very helpful person at Solms, Mr. Pilet at Francis.Pilet@leica-camera.com , he will find a solution.

Best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Tony,

IMHO the best of the best 400 asa remains the Kodak TRI X film printed on old traditional photographic paper. The TMAX 400 gives also very good results. Both films give the same "feeling" when printed on polycontrast or traditional photo paper. BUT, IMHO, the T400CN is on its best only on traditional photographic paper. I never got good results on polycontrast RC paper.

Good luck and best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

Yesterday, my local Leica dealer told me about a discussion he had

with the area manager during his last visit to Leica Solms.

What is the Leica opinion about us???

The typical Leica M owner or photographer seems to be at least 40

years old, most of them are over the 60. Very few (close to none)

between 20 and 40.

More than 30% are only collectors or don't take more than 10 rolls a

year. Most of all the M cameras ever made are sleeping in a

collector's showcase.

The price is a minor problem and does not affect commercial success.

The advertising isn't indispensable, a Leica buyer knows exactly what

he needs when he enters the shop.

Slow in innovation, the M (relatively old ! ) owners are not

interrested in up to date electronical technology.

How do you feel about it, I think this semms to be relatively

realistic but disturbing about the Leica M owner's age (It means that

M cameras could disappear in a ten years )...

For me, I am 52 and take about 50 rolls a year. And you?

Best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Dear Leica friend,

In the eighties I bought a second hand Leica M5. Until now, I never had any problems after hundreds rolls of films... and it still remains my preferred camera. Why, better feeling, easier to handle than the other M, outstanding light metering, smooth mechanics... I also used M3, M6 and still may a M7, but I will never sell my M5. If you are looking for that camera, pay attention to the "cell arm", and the mechanical transmission between the speed button and the reading system in the viewfinder, they are the weak points of the camera. For the rest, it is built like a tank.

Best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

A question about your slide film experience . Until now, I used most

of time fuji velvia slide films, with outstanding results when

projected on screen. I printed my best slides on paper with

cibachrome, kodak or tetenal technology with, most of time, very good

results. I tried (not me, but a pro labo) digital technology,

(scanning my slides (4000 dpi) and printing (epson stylus 1200)), I

was said, because of the density of the velvia slides, the results

are just good. The labo suggested me to use provia 100f instead of

velvia, the slides will be much more easier to scan... During my

last holydays to south Marocco and Mauritania, I tested provia 100f

films... Projected on screen, I am very disappionted, if I compare

with velvia, I lost most of the deep bright colors I was used to see

with velvia. The digital printed results are better but not as good

as I hoped to see...

What is your experience, Is there solution for best results at once

on screen and on digital printing... or are there no other ways than

a wet darkroom?

Thanks and best regards from Belgium

Michel

Cher Lucien,

Merci beaucoup pour tes conseils.

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

Over a few weeks I bought a M7... very happy with it. One question,

how do you use the SF20 flash with the camera set on AUTO position?

The camera user's guide tells me the speed is automatically set on

1/50 sec, and what becomes with the previous background light

metering? How could SF20 fill in be possible with M7 on AUTO

position? If I can understand the flash technology, it will be only

possible if the M7 camera is set on manual position (just like the

M6TTL).

Best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

Did you read this

http://www.realgoods.com/renew/shop/product.cfm?

dp=1505&ts=3070300&kw=BC300

It could be a solution for our Leicaflex, leicameter, Leica CL ...

Did you test it?

Best regards from Belgium

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

Twenty years ago, most of BW photos were taken with colour filters as

yellow, green, red... Nowadays, since the last evolution in

photographic paper, that tehnique seems to be forgotten. IMHO, the

actual poly-contrast printing paper can't fill the place of those

filters. Thanks for your opinion.

Best regards from Belgium, Michel

Dear Leica friend,

During my last factory visit at LEICA Solms, I asked the same question. The optical formula is unchanged but the lenses are different, other glass composition and newer coatings. I was said the performances of the best lens you can find is improved.

Best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Dear Leica friend,

I just had the same problem with my first rolls, I posted recently my

problem with VELVIA films. Solutions, you turn the rewind button, so

the cartidge moves lightly in the camera and the contact becomes

better. Definitive solution (I didn' have the problem yet, for 35

films), I cleaned carefully with alcohol the camera DX code contacts

and wipe the film cartridge DX code before usage.

Best regards from Belgium

Michel

Thanks Frank for your answer,

I forgot to give an information, I am sure it is a problem with the

POSITION of the DX coding in front of the readers, because when you

turn the rewind button, the position of the film cartidge moves in

the camera body and everything becomes OK for a time. Maybe another

reason, this problem happened only two times (on the second and third

film taken with the new camera), and it could be possible that, on a

new camera, the electronic contacts are dirty, so I cleaned them. I

don't have the solution, I just hope it is not a more serious problem.

Thanks for your experience and best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

Some interresting informations:

(1) Be careful with the FUJY VELVIA DX code. Until now I have taken about 30 VELVIA films with my new M7 and had problems with two films. The camera seemed not to read correctly, or did not read at all, the DX code, the film was considered as a 100 ASA. Manual setting is, IMHO, the safest solution. I think there must be a real problem with the FUJY DX codings. I never had the problem with another film.

(2) Be sure the speed button of your M7 is correctly screwed and locked (pasted), mine didn't, and I lost it.

Best regards

Michel

Dear Leica friends,

This is my experience of new film loading with my brand new M7. When you are putting a new film in the M7 boby, don't forget to set on manual speed position before taking two fotos until film counter is set on 0 position. I forgot it and, in low light conditions, I winded, in auto position, long exposure, before the shutter was closed. Result: everything locked. Solution, rewind the film and take it out of the camera, put on manual position and let it work manually one or two times, then put your film again in the camera...and pray. For my camera, everything is OK now. I told my photo dealer, he answered that problem was impossible... but it happened. Over a few days we could read on this forum the same kind of shutter problems, our friend wasn't as lucky as me. Be careful.

Best regards from Belgium

Michel

Dear Leica friend,

Over two years, I bought a Hexar RF. Problems, the focus was never

accurate with my Leica lenses, especially at wide aperture. NO

SOLUTION, I tried another body, same problem. Konika's answer... I

just had to buy their lenses!

I sold the camera and will spend my money for a new M7.

IMHO, with your Leica lenses, you should prefer a second hand M6 or

spend your money for a M7.

Best regards from Belgium.

Michel

Dear LEICA friends,

On Erwin Put's LEICA M7 test report, about the light metering, you can read:

<p>

"The measuring spot is often described as (semi) spotmeter. It is however best described as a center-weighted integral metering pattern."

<p>

Until now, I always used, with success my old M6 light metering system as a full spot metering. I can't understand why, with the same system, we have a center weighted integral metering on M7. Does it mean that the light is measured on the entire surface of the photo and not only on the white dot?

Thanks and best regards from Belgium.

Michel