michael_p2

January 26, 2008

I will test the 28mm lens sometime in the future but for now I will be using an old Zeiss Biogon 21mm/f4.5 lens with my Contax IIa for wide angle pictures.

January 24, 2008

Thanks for your responses. The lens was working fine up until I left to go on my trip, I had used it regularly with no problems. I just can't understand what happened to the lens or camera on the way to Tibet. Maybe I dropped it or banged it against something without realising it - it was the lens on my camera kept in my backpack all the time.

At first I thought I had not screwed the lens in properly but then I noticed that whenever I had switched to the Summaron in mid roll the pictures came out fine. Then switching back to the Color Skopar every single picture without exception was blurred again. It wasn't the focus - some pictures were close ups of my friends, and anyway most of the pictures I took were stopped down to f16 or so, so the wide depth of field would have renederd at least something in focus.

I took the Bessa/Color Skopar because it it a small and light outfit that fits into my jacket pocket.

Next time I will go back to the heavier and bulkier Leica R SLR - but at least I will get an inkling of the results through the viewfinder. That's the one drawback with rangefinders. What you see is not what you get.

January 18, 2008

Just want to vent the considerable anger I feel at the poor results I have

obtained from a Voigtlander/Cosina Color-Skopar 28mm Leica thread mount lens. I

bought it a couple of years ago and until now I have had great images from this

compact lens used on a Bessa R. Based on these experiences I decided to use it

as my main lens while on a trip up the Salween (Nujiang) river in south west

China over Christmas. I was also using up my last stocks of beloved Kodachrome

64. Today I got the slides back from Dwaynes in Kansas and every single image

from the Color Skopar is hopelessly out of focus. At first I thought I had not

screwed the lens on properly, but I had occasionally switched over to a Summaron

35mm lens, which produced superbly clear pictures (see below). There's no way I

could have failed to screw in the 28mm lens properly on several consecutive

occasions while always getting the Summaron just right.

Does anyone have any idea what might have caused this focusing problem?

Fortunately I was also shooting with a Contax IIa as a backup, which produced

some great pictures (see <a href="http://drjosephrock.blogspot.com/">In the

Footsteps of Joseph Rock</a> ). Still, 10 out of my 17 boxes of Kodachrome

slides have gone straight in the bin. I thought I could rely on the Voigtlander

lens. Next time I will stick to the tried and trusted Leitz and Contax lenses.

<a href=" title="Nujiang

river, Yunnan by jiulong, on Flickr"><img

src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2115/2201576560_5faa8beef1.jpg" width="333"

height="500" alt="Nujiang river, Yunnan" /></a>

January 6, 2008

Update: And if you are in Guilin the place to go for film and processing is SanDuo Lu, a side street off the main street Zhongsan Lu, opposite the big town square, on the western side just by the KFC). There are two photo shops there , one of which sells a wide range of film (including Ektachrome).

December 30, 2007

This information may be of help to anyone travelling in scenic SW China. If

you are looking for a photo lab in Kunming, Yunnan's provincial capital, there

are several good places clustered around the Kunming Huitang (Conference Hall,

pronounced Hway Tarng)?) building on Beijing Lu, at the southeast corner of

the intersection with Dongfeng Lu. They are directly to the east of the huge

square with fountains.

One place, Kaida Photo, has lots of [overpriced] gear incluing Leicas and gold

plated Hasselblads, but very reasonably priced film, including slide

(fanzhuanpian) and 120 film.

November 29, 2007

I'm lucky to live in Australia, where we have a national health service for everyone. OK, sometimes it's a bit like sending your Contax to Henry Scherer - you have to wait a while. But it's worth the wait, they do a great job and you probably end up paying less for a CLA of your hip than you would for Henry to do your Contax. [And his charges are very reasonable for the quality work he does, I might say].

It's sad when you can get a 60 year old camera fixed but not a 60-year old body.

November 8, 2007

The Leica III with a 50mm collapsible Elmar is just about pocketable - flat but heavyish. If I want something really small and light I use the Olympus XA, which has the very nice Zuiko 35mm lens.

November 1, 2007

When I was taking this picture in Kangding, (a remote Tibetan town in western China) with my Leica IIIa a local man stood to one side watching me for quite some time. I thought he might be a hotel tout or a beggar. Eventually he approached me shyly and pointed to the camera and said "LAI-KAA ... ting hao!" (very good). He asked to hold the camera for a minute and as he turned it over in his hands he nodded his head and gave me the thumbs up.

To borrow a phrase from Chairman Mao: "[Leica] has friends all over the world!"

October 24, 2007

Like Michael said - use a slower ASA film if shooting outdoors in bright lihgt. I use my Minilux with Kodak Elite Chrome 100 and I am very happy with the results.

October 14, 2007

I'm also a great admirer of Hedda Morrison's pictures - especially those she took with her Rollei in Beijing in the 1930s. I just love the simplicity and elegance of her monochrome pictures. However, I think that much of the atmosphere she captured was unique to the times.

I was so intrigued with her images that I sought out and travelled to one of the beautiful temples she photographed to see how it would look today.

It was remarkably intact, any my efforts with a Contax IIa in colur can be compared to her Rollei original:

September 23, 2007

OK, I bought my Bessa R intending to use it with a certain brand of lenses. But I found that the Color-Skopar 28mm lens I got with it was excellent in its own right and I now use this lens more than any of the others. I like the Bessa R for its light weight, its excellent viewfinder and the handy built in meter. So yes, I love my Bessa R for what it is, not because it is a gateway or poor relation to some other system.

September 12, 2007

Overpriced. I tried "negotiating" on a Biogon 21m they were advertising on ebay, but got no reply. Ended up buying an superb "Bargain" condition lens from KEH at one third of their price they were asking. I guess they must occasionally get someone rich enough who has overwhelming GAS and wants to have that hard-to-find item immediately.

July 28, 2007

Rollei 35SE. Yes I know it has that beautiful Sonnar lens but everything else about this camera I found awkward for such a raved about camera. No rangefinder, so guess focusing. Batteries no longer available so you have to guesstimate the exposure. And despite being a compact camera it is surprisingly bulky and has sharp edges that don't sit well in a pocket. Not to mention the fiddly business of the retractable lens and the winding mechanism. Not exactly ideal for capturing the moment. I can see why the beautifully built Rollei 35 has a cult following but it wasn't for me. I sold it and went back to the Olympus XA as my pocket camera.

July 20, 2007

These were taken in the 1970s or early 1980s? The vehicles and police uniforms look very dated.

July 8, 2007

For wider options there aren't many inexpensive options, but voigtlander-cosina lenses are execllent value for money. I can also recommend the Biogon 21mm/4.5 if you can find one, though they aren't cheap.

May 7, 2007

I just learned that the Biogon doesn't work with the lens hood from my 50mm Sonnar:

May 6, 2007

I paid $645 at KEH. It was given their second worst rating, described as "BGN" (Bargain), but they must be very conservative as it seems in excellent condition to me. Haven't had any pictures developed yet so maybe I will get a nasty surprise tomorrow. Will post some pictures from the Biogon when I get them developed.

May 5, 2007

Having just acquired one of these beauties I am trying to find out a bit more

information about them. The lens [from KEH] is in great condition and I have

slapped a 40.5mm UV filter on it to try keep it that way. I presume this won't

cause any problems. I am also curious to know whether it is possible/advisable

to use a lens hood with the 21mm. I have a hood for my 50mm Sonnar and I was

wondering whther this would interfere with the 90 degree angle of view form the

Biogon.

And finally, I would like to try date the lens - it is serial number 142xxxx.

thanks

Michael

<a href=" title="Photo

Sharing"><img

src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/484869829_76f1012b5f_m.jpg" width="240"

height="180" alt="My new Zeiss Biogon 21mm f4.5 lens for the Contax IIa" /></a>

April 20, 2007

Thanks for all the comments. For the last decade or so I have wandered round with a Contax IIa on a strap round my neck and a Barnack Leica with a 35mm or 28mm lens in my jacket pocket. These have pretty much satisfied my street shooting hobby requirements. As I said, I was recently persuaded to buy a Nikon D80 [by my brother who is a tech geek]. This is partly because most of the local film processing labs have closed down.

I have spent the last couple of weeks playing in Photoshop adjusting the images I took with the D80. I've had some success after following your advice, but I'm still not thrilled with the digital images. And the fact that the D80 is like a Boeing 747 size-wise compared to the Leica and Contax have convinced me to let it go for the time being. Call me a dinosaur but I've always enjoyed the hit and miss of my film happy snaps. Sometimes I get only two or three happy accidents with my film shots, but they endure. I just don't want to spend ages faffing round on a computer trying to manipulate digital images to get them to look like the pictures I can already get without trying too hard.

When Fuji/Nikon/Ricoh/Canon or Apple produce a pocketable camera that can produce nice digital images that don't look too "digital" then maybe I'll buy one. For now, I'm selling the D80 and investing in my own darkroom beginners kit.

April 19, 2007

Update: I have also received some useful feedback from the Nikon users forum and may try stick with the D80 for a while. In the meantime, here's another set of Contax/Nikon comparison shots:

<A href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/458475884_3d7eafa060_o.jpg">Contax IIa</A>

<A href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/437942981_c531835d34_b.jpg">Nikon D80</A>

(Cross posted from the Nikon forum).

April 19, 2007

By the way, here are another set of Contax/Nikon comparison shots:

<A href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/458475884_3d7eafa060_o.jpg">Contax IIa</A>

<A href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/437942981_c531835d34_b.jpg">Nikon D80</A>

April 19, 2007

Thanks for all the useful advice. I expected to get flamed by Nikon users. Maybe I will give the D80 more time. I've only used a digital P&S so far, so yes, perhaps I need to get my head around the technical side of digital work and post-processing - and get the Nikon equivalent of a Sonnar 50mm lens. Any suggestions? Bear in mind that I am now very poor.

April 19, 2007

The pictures were taken on Houghley Lane in Bramley, Leeds, where I grew up [i now live in Sydney]. I know it's not a fair comparison, pitting a zoom lens against a classic like the Sonnar. Nevertheless, I really did feel let down by the Nikon. I have since tried shooting in manual, underexposing by 0.7 [as some D80 users have recommended] and working on the D80 images in Photoshop. But part of me is asking why I should have to work so hard to get a half decent image when I get pretty good results from my guesstimate exposures with the Contax and developing on the cheap at a local one hour lab.

I know the Contax pictures aren't perfect, but they certainly portray the subject [a soot-stained Yorkshire cottage] much more accurately than the soft, bland image from the DSLR, which cost almost ten times as much.

April 19, 2007

I have just shelled out almost a thousand quid on a Nikon D80 after being

persuaded that a DSLR is the 'way of the future'. I wish I hadn't. The D80 is

now listed on eb*y.

After shooting against my usual camera, a 1955 vintage Contax IIa [with Sonnar

50/2 lens], the D80 came off a very poor second. I used the 18-135 lens and shot

on Auto.

Yes, maybe I could have gained better results with manual exposure etc and some

post processing, but I still expected something special for all the hype I have

heard about Nikon DSLR perfomance.

See what you think:

<A href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/458475880_a42c4d00c5_o.jpg

">Contax IIa</A>

<A href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/437942961_b96c61c244_b.jpg

">Nikon D80</A>.

I think the Contax will continue to be my main user camera for a few more years.

April 19, 2007

I have just shelled out almost a thousand quid on a Nikon D80 after being

persuaded that a DSLR is the 'way of the future'. I wish I hadn't. After

shooting against my usual camera, a 1955 vintage Contax IIa [with Sonnar 50/2

lens], the D80 came off a very poor second. I used the 18-135 lens and shot on

Auto.

Yes, maybe I could have gained better results with manual exposure etc and some

post processing, but I still expected something special for all the hype I have

heard about Nikon DSLR perfomance.

See what you think:

<A href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/458475880_a42c4d00c5_o.jpg

">Contax IIa</A>

<A href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/437942961_b96c61c244_b.jpg

">Nikon D80</A>.

Can anyone suggest how I can achieve that intensity of colour [without

oversaturation] and the sharpness that I routinely get with my Contax? I have

tried playing about in PS, without much success.

The D80 is now listed on eb*y.

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