steve_bauer2

I SO still have my first Leica. I bought an M6 Classic in 1992 -- there was no TTL yet. I can't

imagine anything other than abject poverty forcing me to part with it.

I saw Meyerowitz lecture with a slide show of his 9-11 work. I thought it was very

powerful, and thought he brought his skill with landscapes to it.

He told us that he did kind of sneak into the site the first time -- but that he was granted

access after that and became friendly with the crew there. I live eight blocks from the WTC

site, and thought the pictures were devastating.

I love my G2 and I'm glad I own it -- I probably wouldn't buy one today, as I use either

Leica M or digital (D70 and Kyocera Finecam), with not much in the middle. (An M7 or MP

will probably be the last film cameras I invest in, at this point.) But my Contax TVS (the

original one) is also a fine camera and is still kicking. My T3 was a slight disappointment,

but is still a first-rate snapshot camera. But I don't think I've ever owned a camera that

saw as much use as my Contax T2 circa 1992. And it's still going strong. All super

cameras. Contax really raised the bar on 35mm snapshot cameras, and I'm sorry they

didn't enter the digital market other than the somewhat blah TVSD. But they were fine,

fine cameras.

Peter, yes I am aware of the direction of the shutter speed dial. I have a tremendous

sentimental attachment to my M6 classic and don't want to part with it. I'm sure you know

how that goes. I'm going to see if the dial really annoys me and deal with it then. Besides,

I'd have to find a used M6 TTL, as they are also discontinued. Plus, I WILL probably

get an MP one of these days, so that problem will also loom anyway. But thanks for

pointing that

out. -- Steve.

So great to hear. With this enthusiastic response on the .58, I'm surprised it's being

discontinued. Anyway, I made the decision thanks to these responses. Thanks a lot. It

really helps to hear, especially with the expense.

John, that's the exact combo I'm going to own as of next week -- a .72 M6 classic and a

.58 M7.

Somebody cut my credit card in half before I get an MP too. LOL.

Thank you. That helped a lot. I'm doing it.

- Steve.

I am leaning towards a .58 viewfinder on a new black M7. Is this a good move? I have a

.72 on my M6 Classic, and the viewfinder is a bit tight at 28mm. I rarely use 50mm

anymore -- I would use an SLR for that and anything longer than that. I understand from

Stephen Gandy's CameraQuest that the .58 viewfinder is being discontinued on all but the

a la carte program, so I was thinking about grabbing one now.

Thanks.

Thanks for the responses.

In terms of re-exposing film, it's never happened to me. I have another camera that

leaves the leader out after rewinding. When I take the cannister out, I simply push the

leftover leader into the cannister. Or, if I want to use it again, I would just jot down (or

remember) what the last frame was. It's such a convenience, especially when you're

travelling and have used half a roll of color and want to switch to b&w quickly.

Can an F100 be sent to Nikon for a modification that would allow the film leader to be left

out upon rewind?

thank you.

"The Today Show" reported that January 24 is targeted as the key date for depression,

suicide, and other rock bottoms. They suggested Christmas bills, lack of UV rays, and

cabin fever as possibilities. Personally, I love winter, but it's true -- my eBay bills and

irrelevant posts on message boards tend to climb. Hmm....

The thing about HC-110 versus D-76 is the variables.

a) HC-110, if you are diligent, can be more consistent. You can measure exactly one

ounce and mix it with water at exactly 68 degrees. But you are basically using it at 1:31,

so obviously it's rocket fuel, and any slight variation will produce different results. (Like,

you HAVE to use exactly one oz.)

b) D-76 on the other hand can be used 1:1, so obviously it matters less if you have a teeny

bit more or a teeny bit less. Also, the development time is longer, leaving you more

wiggle room. But the variables come in the form of things like leaving it out and letting it

go stale, trying to get it at the right temperature, not shaking your mixing bottle

sufficiently, etc.

Personally, I find HC-110 easier to control. You just have to measure out the exact right

amount. I find that easier than finding storage and cooling bottles for D-76.

Well, I only use Tri-X for black and white.

When I was shooting lots of b&w film (like at least three rolls a week), I would rate Tri-X at

200 and use D-76 1:1 (9 mins @ 68 degrees, 8 mins if you want less contrast). I was

always very happy with that.

But I use less b&w film now, and mixing up batches of D-76 started becoming

inconvenient, especially for just one roll. Also, because of the now-prevalent look of

digital images, I LIKED the grain. Rating it at 200 also became inconvenient, just for

occasional use. When developing it in HC-110, it was like rocket fuel.

So now I just leave it at ASA 400 (320, if I think of it) and just use HC-110, mostly because

of the convenience. And, as I said, it provides a nice balance and different look than

digital or even color film or chrome. It's distinctive, easy, and I just don't have the time to

fuss and experiment the way I did when I was in school. So that's that, and I'm happy with

it. But D-76 is a wonderful developer, and if I were just shooting for the pleasure of it, I'd

probably still shoots lots of Tri-X @ 200 and use D-76, but that period of my life is sort of

behind me.

I thought I was the only one!

I love my Leica, but using digital has opened new doors for me and I'm afraid I haven't

been shooting enough film lately. But, hey, I love Polaroids and xeroxing images out of

magazines and all kinds of stuff. My love for images doesn't have to be limited to one

medium.

I was planning on doing some experimenting with developers and films this week, and I'm

looking forward to it. Digital might very well have turned me into a sharper B&W film

photographer. Ideally, I would like to find a balance between using digital and my Leica

(and my Nikon) and using both when appropriate. I also enjoy these forums a lot, even

when I'm exploring other things.

I do not think either of my posts were intended to be critical of Frank. I do believe I said

that everyone's entitled to an off day. And I would not compare him to a sports hero who

can't eat a meal. I was merely reporting an anecdote.

Of course, there's Brad, who thinks I obviously have nothing to say about photography

other than whether the man prefers "black or chrome."

I was a student at the International Center of Photography, where his work is admired very

much. I am also into the moving image, so I had viewed his documentary about the

Rolling Stones. The title contains an expletive (It's called "C---sucker Blues"), and I didn't

actually say the name. I called it "your documentary on the Stones tour."

I basically told him all of the above. He said nothing. I then chatted a bit, told him how

difficult it was to even SEE the documentary nowadays. He said absolutely nothing, made

no facial expressions. I commented that the tour must have been so crazy, and it must

have been really amazing to try to photograph something like that. Zero. I told him that

I'd studied "The Americans" in virtually every photography class I had taken. He may have

smiled and nodded, he really said nothing. He then introduced me to someone sitting

next to him. I said, "Well, it was a thrill meeting you. Best of luck to everything." He kind

of smiled and maybe said Thanks. It was hard to read. I just didn't know what to make of

it, other than the fact that he seemed to stare at me very blankly.

No, I did not ask him abou bokeh and I'm not sure why you feel the need to be rude to me

when I'm only relating an anecdote.

I met Robert Frank about three years ago. While I wouldn't call him "elderly," he is an older

gentleman. He seemed extremely quiet and unresponsive to questions. He seemed to

sort of stare at me intently, as if I were speaking a language he didn't understand very

well. (It was English.) He barely smiled and said as little as possible. I guess everyone's

entitled to an odd day. I was thrilled to have met him, and was left with the impression

that he's extremely eccentric and doesn't quite understand his fame. I guess he's not

obligated to be chatty or pleasant -- but he was very removed.

Well, no, I realize that there were days before auto-everything, and I don't see how this is

auto-anything. I have older cameras that have a slot for the bottom of the film box. I

didn't realize there would be a quarter-sized dial that had no function other than to

remind the photographer what film he was using. Thanks anyway.

I've been researching M4 bodies on the internet and have learned that an M4 does not

have a light meter. What then is the ASA dial on the back for? Sorry if this is a dumb

question -- I researched it on Google and have not found an answer. Is it just to let the

photographer know what kind of film is in the camera? Or does it work with the

separately sold meter that's designed for the shoe? Thanks.

Rudy, what did you decide to do? I'm picking up my D70 today

and can't decide if I should take the 18-70 or get the 18-35

instead. I'm riding the fence -- I could go either way. I've been

told that the 18-70 is lighter and is just a "better" choice for this

digital camera -- but that could mean anything.

Are you talking about Infinity lock for the focus? Or Infinity

"mode"?

I think the answer to the former has been addressed in this

thread. But if you're talking about Infinity MODE... on a lot of

automatic digital cameras, an Infinity mode (or landscape mode)

will not only lock the focus but it will turn off the flash, and choose

a lower ISO (like 50) to perserve color intensity and detail.

But it sounds like you're talking about Infinity Focus Lock. It's

probably flashing because you're attempting to focus on

something that is NOT at infinity.

Well, by setting it at Infinity you have determined what the lens

will eventually lock on when you make the exposure. But the

camera is still going to a "rest" position between shots, and is

popping to Infinity when you press the shutter release button

half-way. The flashing lights are either telling you you have

made the right or wrong decision, but the shot will still be made

at Infinity.

And what about some of the names!

The seller is "Buscemi7"! I guess they get Indie films in

Germany?

Oh, and he got positive feedback from Kraut Killer?

My bet is that he's the anonymous current high bidder of his own

auction.

Ron, Happy to help. :-)

I too used to think that these Scene modes and Auto-everythings

that are on most of today's cameras were for Dummies. Au

contraire. If you read how they work -- the fixed f-stops and focus

distances -- they are the thinking photographer's best friends.

As I said in my "review," the Scene modes are the key to getting

the most from this intensely confusing, anti-intuitive camera.

Happy snapping!

Ron, actually it is possible to use the Self-timer for family

portraits, night landscapes, etc.

You may choose, in the Scene mode menu, "landscape." That

will fix the focus at infinity. Then press AF twice and the timer will

come up. Crazy, I know, but it does work.

Also, you can first choose the nearly-unusable manual focus

BEFORE selecting the timer. If you use a small aperture (or

flash), you can work with the depth of field and estimate the

distance. It does work, although it really highlights the many

poorly designed features of this camera.

On the bright side, I have a semi-pro job tomorrow night -- and

the silent Museum mode will come in handy. This is after

spending thousands on Leicas and Silent Hexars.

I highly advise reading the admittedly very bad manual again and

again -- several features will become illuminated. In the end, I

would advise a buyer to wait a few months -- surely better wide-

angle cameras will be on the market.

Cheers.