philip_woodcock

Hi everyone

This is my first post in years. Over the past few years I've gone over to the

dark side and been shooting digital, yes I'm a total traitor especially to my

old LeicaFlex SL.

However a few weeks ago I bought a film scanner (plustek 7200) and I've

playing around with that. I noticed that I think the reason I stopped shooting

monochrome was that I got bored of my style of processing. Now I'm looking for

a few ideas to get my joy back.

I've always used Kodak Tri-X and I've had my LeicaFlex for 14 years.

In my early days I always used to dev in ID-11 and I quite liked that stuff.

I tried HC-110 for a bit and I didn't really like it. Then it just Rodinol as

I went on a total GRAIN'fest.

Having used digital for a while I'm now used to having the detail BIG GRAIN

denied me. So.... what I suppose I'm looking for is a fine grain developer

that will allow me to shoot Tri-X at 1600. Any suggestions?

I'm with Allen, of all my friends and lovers my Leica is the one

that's never let me down or one I've ever doubted. You can't even get

dogs that are that loyal!

Actually 'Soccer' is an English term. It derived in the late 1800' in

public schools (private to everybody else) and comes the habit to

make silly short names for things

ie. Rugby Football became Rugger and Association Football (the Proper

name) became Soccer. The pupils of these schools went on to rule the

empire and took that stupid name with them. Thats why the world calls

it Soccer and the British don't!

It's worth going if you can make it. I went to a clinic at

the 'Focus' exhibition in the UK and my SL was given a clean bill of

health!!

How dark? I thought all lenses had a bit of fall off anyway at the

edges, you compensate by having the same fall off when you enlarge it

with a conventional enlarger and using the lens wide open should make

the fall off worse too

But Wren did design it, the Church of England didn't like his design,

he altered the design to appease them but went ahead with most of his

original design in secret!

If Wren had been bound by the word and deeds of the religious leaders

of the time St Paul's would have looked pretty ordinary.

Firstly the British Government does not own St. Paul's it belongs to

the Church Of England which is not part of the Government.

<p>

Secondly I believe Sir Christopher Wren WOULD approve of you taking

photos in his greatest of acheivements. I'm not sure if it's the

correct quote but it's close, anyway in London there is no monument

to Wren except a small plaque in St Paul's which reads...

'If you are looking for my monument, look around you'

<p>

A photograph does not diminish one's faith or a church's sanctity, it

enhances it. I am not relgious but I love the churches and cathedrals

here in Britain. They are wonders of man's acheivement and man's

faith and devotion. The first picture I took with my first Leica was

of the interior of Rochester Cathedral, it was on a autumnal sunday

afterboon during evensong, it's beautiful it's spiritual and it's

mine forever. Photography can praise too!

I think the Leica's favourite food is Tri-X, I'm sure mine purrs when

it has some!

Having a Leica is going back to basics. I used to own all brand new

EOS kit with every known feature known to man but as I learn my craft

I used less and less of these until I realised I needed a camera with

a very good lens and a spot meter. This is why I bought an SL nine

years ago.

<p>

I only need my eyes to compose and use the education I've gained to

operate it and when I click the shutter I know I have the picture.

My Leica and my Gibson Les Paul have never let me down or cheated on

me or lied to me or not paid back money they owed or ran off with

another bloke or argued with me....

<p>

Yes i love them both

I remember reading somewhere that Eve Arnold said that the most

dissapointing moment in her life was seeing HCB's & Capa's contact

sheets and seeing badly designed images until HCB pointed out to her

that 'history doesn't design well either'(Magnum - Russell Miller)

<p>

My opinion is that even if you don't stage a photograph you do (if

you have time on your side) perfect it. In this day of instant media

the editing process of history has become less important. At the

height of HCB, Capa, Smith et al the photo story had the benefit of a

long and careful editing process thus ensuring that the message or

story was given precisly.

<p>

Sometimes you get the picture in one shot, sometimes it can take a

bit of work. HCB regards the Leica as a tool not a label, he sketches

by taking photos in the same way he would use pencil and paper and

THROW away sketches he didn't like.

Eisenstadt, Salgado, HCB, Capa, George Rodger (who i met in 93),

Anton Corbijn, Paul Strand, Mapplethorpe, Freddie Young & David Lean

Ebay has them regularly up for auction, I know I bought one last

month!!!

Giles is right, that's why I dug out all my old darkroom kit. I run a

small photo lab and now matter how hard I try colour printing a b&w

neg (silver or chromgenic) it looks crap! darkroom kit is cheap and

it doesn't have to be permanent too.

Thanks for such quick positive response guys!!! cheers

I think my scanner has a bug which seems to slightly alter the aspect

ratio as the image is full frame and I use an oversized mask to give

true full frame.

<p>

I will keep posting now that I'm back up and running, already a queue

of young women are wanting my long lost skills.

<p>

I wanna be like Mike... isn't that a line from 'Bad Boys'?

... well it's not really as I took this photo about 3 years ago. I decided to print it as a test to check my darkroom kit which I put back together again last week. I thought it was a fitting picture to submit to you lot to critique as I've not posted one before.

<p>

It was taken with my SL and f2 'Cron 50 and I used Ilford SFX with an orange filter (stupid me lost my red filter that afternoon).

<p>

Ok guys and gals flame me!!!

<p>

<img src="http://www.pushbar.demon.co.uk/lynda.jpg">

I've just come back from the 'Focus' exhibition in Birmingham and I've had the M7 in my hands... Very nice. It's exactly the same size as the M6 it weighs 10 grams more. It's not very much different at all, lots of people were going 'oooohhh' at it. I can't really say much more about it as I'm R series user, but it is very very nice. I did get the nice brouchure for it, almost a work of art in itself!

<p>

Also saw the new Digilux which is very cool. It has a big LCD screen on the back with a wonderful light shade device around it, much like a waist-level finder, direct prints straight into an Epson printer were quite stunning. Full A4 reproduction with no direct manipulation the print the nice Leica man showed me looked like a proper photo.

<p>

Also had a little play with the R8, didn't really like it mainly because I have small hands. Finally the nice Leica people gave my old 'Flex SL a once over and he declared it in very good health. I did go to the other stands but I won't bore you with that.

<p>

All in all I think you M fans will be reaching for the cheque book/credit card very soon... it almost won me over!

Perhaps we should televise the 'Mike Dixon-athon' and get some

celebraties to host it...

<p>

That said, I'd love to see more of his 'private' stuff

I can't answer the question but I thought I'd just ask you how you're

finding the 308? I bought one a few weeks ago and I've only managed

to use it a couple of times and only as a flash meter and I was just

wondering how it fares as an ambient meter

Giles, are you talking about Ffordes of Southend? Thats where I

bought my LeicaFlex SL 8 years ago. The bloke who served me said 'I

don't need to sell you this camera, do I?', nasty man was right it

was love a first sight

At university I had the pleasure of working with Hassleblad, Mamiya

RB and RZ and also great big Horseman and old MPP field / view

cameras. I found that if i did 5x4 portraits i tended to approach it

in the same way i do with my Leica. View cameras i feel allow you to

make pure images, compositionally and technically as well.

<p>

One day I'll buy one...