tom_finnegan

Another one here from Seattle, Washington State (WA), USA

(or approx. 47.6015529 deg N, 122.31408 deg W)

In the early 90's when I first started to get interested in Leica

gear I jotted down a bunch of new and used prices in the little Hove

Foto Handbook. Here's a small sample,

M6 - $2,495

R7 - $2,495

R6.2 - $2,695

35/1.4 ASPH - $4,500

 

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So, over the last ten or so years the camera prices have actually

dropped. The lens prices have remained very steady with a few

increasing slightly in price and others dropping slightly in price.

Used prices have for the most part dropped over the same time period,

with the exception of collectibles. Once one takes into account

inflation over the time period, Leica gear appears to be getting

cheaper all the time.

A couple more possibilities would include Kenmore Camera, which is

located in Kenmore, and CameraTechs in the University district.

 

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http://www.cameratechs.com/index.htm

http://www.kcamera.com/main/invusd/Usedmenu.htm

For those interested, there is also a book out that has many of

Gedneys pictures. I don't recall the full title off-hand, but a

search on Amazon should turn it up. Highly recommended.

I'll have to try and make it to.

For touring I would probably go with a front handlebar bag. Get a

Domke two-compartment insert and pad around it with say a raincoat.

For just riding around, centuries etc... I've put a Rollei 35se or

IIIf with 50/3.5 in my rear jersey pocket. An M6 is probably a bit

bulky for fitting in a pocket, and you wouldn't want to take a tumble

with it back there.

 

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I regularly bike commute 2-3 days a week and use a Timbuk2 bike

courier bag to carry my spare clothes/lunch/spare tire etc... Often

I'll throw an M in also in a Domke single-compartment insert if I

want to do some shooting at lunch. I prefer the bike courier bag over

a small backpack or fanny-pack, and it would work well for riding

around town.

I have the small Filson field bag and it has in fact become my

Screwmount Leica bag. A Domke two-pocket insert fits nicely inside

and it works great for my small set up. For the gear that you are

wanting to carry you may want to consider the medium size field bag

though. I haven't run the bag through a concrete mixer, but I did

accidently spill a bunch of cement (that grey powdery stuff used to

make concrete) on it and the bag is slowly aquiring a pleasantly

weathered patina. The bag definately doesn't scream 'steal me'

anymore.

 

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In an ironic twist of fate I also happen to have a medium size

Timbuk2 bike messenger bag in the colors of the irish flag. Obviously

great minds think alike! So far this bag has been used exclusively as

my bike commuting bag. However, I was just thinking the other day of

sewing in some velco strips so that I could secure some domke inserts

inside so that I could also use the bag to carry my M gear around.

I think the Filson screams, "Steal Me". Nice bag though. You could

run the Filson through a cement mixer for an hour or so. That would

help :-). Failing that, go to your local army surplus store and get

some thing mean and ugly. I use a bicycle courier bag in the same

colours as the Irish flag which screams, "Steal Me and I Will Find

You!" The whole subject of camera bags is too personal for anyone's

recommendation to help much. I have seven or so and I still have not

found one that suits every occasion. In some situations I do not use

a bag at all just three or four rock climbing chalk bags on a belt.

They give you quick and easy access, plush interior, draw string

closure and a plastic stiffened rim that makes it open all the way.

Cheers,

 

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-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), October 17, 2001.

 

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Josh,

 

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You might want to check with CameraTech on University Ave. If they

can't work on the CL they should know if anybody else local can.

 

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Good luck and have fun.

36-year old civil engineer working on water resources projects.

Married and with a 5.5- year old daughter living in Seattle. Bought

my first Leicas about ten years ago after having my Nikon gear stolen

and haven't looked back since.

While this film isn't officially imported to the U.S. it is available from Badger Graphics. Does anyone have any experience with this film? Any likes or dislikes? Development suggestions? Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Mt. Rainier is what scientists like to call really, really BIG. As a result of this, it is highly visible from all over the Puget Sound basin. There are numerous excellent vantage points, some classic ones right in Seattle such as Kerry Park, the Univ. of Wash. campus, or the morning commute across the 520 bridge. However, because Rainier is so much higher than the surrounding mountains, and is so massive, it tends to create it's own weather. Combine this with the fact that November thru February is storm season in this part of the globe, and it is very likely that you will never even catch a glimpse of the mountain. This is not said to discourage you, only to shed a little light on reality. A clear day in western Washington, in mid-December, on a weekend, would definately be considered a meteorlogical anomaly.

 

If you are lucky eneough to get some clear weather while your here, I have a few additional suggestions. Road closures are highly dependent on weather, so check with the Park service and the dept. of transportation. Roads such as Cayuse/Chinook Pass and the North Cascades Highway are kept open until it gets to be too difficult and dangerous to keep the road open. They are occasionaly kept open thru mid-December, but it is rare. As mentioned by others, the road to Paradise is kept open, but is shut at dusk. However, I believe you stay up at the Paradise Lodge, in which case you could catch sunrise/sunset. Again, check with the park. Another accessible high spot with a good view of Rainier is from the top of Crystal Mtn. ski area. Even if you are not skiing, I believe you can get a special ticket to ride up the lifts to the top where there is a small lodge and a spectacular view. Best of luck.

As the list that Bob pointed to shows, there is now a k-14 lab in the Seattle area. I can now get 24 turn around on Kodachrome processing. In the past any Kodachrome would be sent to A&I in Los Angeles and it would take 5 days or so to get the film back. After sorting through some old slides I realized how much I like the color rendition of K25 and K64. With the new fast turn around it encouraged me to go out and buy a brick of K25.

One thing you may want to consider is renting a few of the lenses for a weekend and trying them out for yourself. Glazer's in Seattle rents several versions of the 85 and 105 Nikons, and other pro shops in other cities probably do too. They don't list the 75-150E lens that people mentioned but they do have several 35-70 and 70-210 range zooms available. Check out all the lens available in the shop, then rent the two that you are most interested in. Take a hike/ski up to Muir or Hazard, and put the lenses through their paces. This will give a good feel for differences in size/weight/ergonomics/focal length etc., and then once you get the film developed you can compare the optical qualities. The shop should let you apply the rental fees towards a purchase if you decide on one you like.

 

Personally I use a 90/2.0 on my SLR and I have been very happy with it, so I would probably tend towards the 85/1.8 for the Nikon. The lens is relatively light and compact, reasonably fast, and is a great all around performer. While most of your pictures during the day will be f5.6-f11, there are always low light times when you are going to want a fairly fast lens.