johnnycake_.1

<p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=4583437">Adrienne Eichner</a> <br>

"Take a deep breath... and relax."<br>

You do have friends in Charlottesville, VA, USA.<br>

Stay in touch.</p>

<p>The Nikkor 85/2 is a Sonnar-type lens. The photograph was shot wide-open, i.e. f/2. I did adjust the contrast, straighten the 'horizon' and crop as necessary but no other manipulations. The image is almost the entire negative. The DOF is narrow. The background contains a pond, with reflections, and many trees with and without winter leaves. There is lots of brown winter grass.<br>

I like the Sonnar-design generated bokeh; it is very indistinct with very little detail of any kind. The bokeh generated by Sonnar-design lenses reminds me of the way water-colors can blend and run into one another. And, this lens is quite sharp in the center.<br>

Johnny</p>

<p>The equipment that captured the image is unusual.<br>

The lens is a "C" version, identified by an engraved "C" on the barrel, of the 'Nikkor-P 1:2 f=8.5cm.' It was manufactured for the post-WW2 Contax by Nikon.<br>

The Contax RF and the Nikon RF lens mounts, and lenses, are 'oooohhh' so close' but they are not quite the same; wide-angle lenses, for practical purposes, are interchangeable because of DOF and the COC.<br>

I used a Leica to take the picture. I used a Nikkor lens designed for a Zeiss Contax using two(2) adapters.<br>

(Can you?)<br>

In one photograph, I used ALL three ICONIC manufacturers of rangefinder cameras/lenses.<br>

And, I even like the photograph.<br>

Johnny</p>

[it's cold here; a propane 'space heater' in a freezing 'sunroom.']

---><div></div>

Well, thank you, Clive.

With the notable exception of its' film advance mechanism, the Lomo SS is a pretty cool piece of junk! It is a perfect

complement to cheap and expired film.

[The film advance/shutter cocking mechanism has been unreliable which leads to inconsistent spacing between negative images, i.e.

some images are properly spaced, some images overlap and sometimes two advances are required to 'cock' the shutter

resulting in 'blank' frames. I haven't yet figured out how to cope with what is probably a manufacturing defect. The Lomo

SS is still fun!]

Johnnycake

Hi, Arthur. The labels "BD" [black dial] and "RD" [red dial] do not refer to the shutter speed dial on the top nor do they

refer to the 1/30 sec setting. The labels BD/RD refer to the color of the infill of the numbers, 0 through 20, of the flash

synchronization dial. The flash synchronization dial is below and surrounds the top-plate shutter speed dial.

Your camera almost certainly started out as a IIc. It most certainly could have been first upgraded to a IIf, adding

electronic flash synchronization, and then to a IIIf, adding slow shutter speeds, or vice versa. Pictures of the back of

the camera might be interesting as the IIc had, in particular, a different configuration of vf/rf windows. The windows were

separate on every IIc/IIIc that I have ever seen; they were combined on the IIf/IIIf. Unless, of course, the top-plate was

replaced with the IIf/IIIf top-plate at some time when it was upgraded.

Leitz could cobbled together new/used parts from new/old stock. However, I don't know what their policy was regarding

the pre-existing serial number. I have read that when Leitz replaced the top-plate, requiring re-engraving, they added an

additional 'symbol' after the serial number to indicate that the top-plate had been replaced. The configuration of your

camera serial number is 'conventional.'

The modular design of the Barnack-Leicas was ahead of it's time. As new features were added to new models, many

older models would be returned to Wetzlar and updated. Contrast the economy of that capacity with the rapid

'obsolescence' of contemporary digital cameras. I have never heard of a Nikon D2X being upgraded to a Nikon D3. It's

just too bad that Leica did not/could not continue that capacity with the M-series thru the M8. [imagine. You send in

your M4-2 and have it upgraded to an M8!]

It's a beautiful camera. It will be a great street camera unless, of course, you and your camera are spotted by a

Leicaphile!

Johnnycake

Arthur, in an honest effort to identify whether your camera was a IIIf BD or a IIIf RD, I searched this site using the visible

serial #447057,

http://www.cameraquest.com/ltmnum.htm

The camera with that serial number began as a IIc in the years 1948-1951 and was 'upgraded' at some point. Was it

upgraded to a IIIf BD (1/30s) or a IIIf RD (w/1/30s)? I have never seen a IIIf RD with 1/30s. It might have been 'upgraded' in stages.

This doesn't really make any difference as your camera is still a beauty.

Johnnycake

Arthur, that is a genuinely "prettty' IIIf. I'm curious, though. I suspect that the camera "is" actually a "black dial" IIIf due to the 1/30 second

shutter speed. It has now become a "white dial" IIIf. Did you consider the loss of "identity" before you had it painted?

It's so beautiful. I have a IIIf RD ST that would look really nice in black enamel, and the synchronization dial would still be red, but I would

worry about damage. Are you going to continue using it?

Johnnycake

It has to be...

an Leica M4-MOT with a...

Elcan 66/2 Summicron for much, much less than $20,000.00.

An amazing lens.

Unfortunately, I'm not the owner.

Johnny