carl_amick1

I have an Alpa 12SWA with the 6 by 9, Helvetar and an 80mm. I like it a lot. I've had it for

about four years. It's probably worth mentioning that I am not a professional but a

lifelong dedicated amateur; black and white, darkroom, "snapshots", street and landscape.

I find the camera to be a prefect blend of large format and 35mm advantages. The

limitations are self-evident (guess focusing, typically no ground glass viewing) but I have

not found them to be a problem. The Helvetar is a wonderful lens on the camera. It can

be used wide open and makes the camera very hand-holdable. Most of my photographs

are at distances greater than 10 feet so the guess focusing is never a problem with the 48.

I typically use a tripod with the 80mm. My only other camera is a Leica M2 with a 50mm

Summilux. While missing the larger negative, the M2 is a nice compliment to the Alpa

(smaller, more portable, better closer and in lower light). It all boils down to personal

preference. That said, if the specs of the Alpa sound like they would work for you, I

suspect you'll like it.

Carl

I've owned an Apla 12SWA for about five years and it is by far the most verstile camera I have

ever owned for the type of photography I do (personal work, landscape, "snapshots"). I use it

with 6 by 9 Linhof backs and 48mm and 80mm lenses. A very portable setup. I tend to use a

tripod with the 80mm but about 80 or 90% of the 48mm work is handheld. As a

photographer, my head is strangely split between 35mm and large format; this camera

exactly hits that spot. Downside: expensive and not great with longer lenses.

Ron,

I've been using APHS in Pyro for the negative stage and am "getting close"; I'm planning on

spending time today using reduced development times from both the pos and neg. It's

tricky stuff in regard to agitation. I've started doing it in a Jobo drum which limts the size

to 8 by 10.

I use Ilford Ortho for the positive. Pyro seems to work nicely; you get a contrast boost

from the stain.

Aside from the cost, how has the Bergger worked for you? BTW, I've tried the Bergger

paper for Pt printing and, again aside from the cost, it's great stuff. Why they charge as

much for an plain sheet of paper as they do for coated silver paper is beyond me.

Good luck.

Carl

I might be interested in an M3 but am pretty uncomfortable purchasing through the big E. Are there any

reputable used dealers out there? It seems PhotoVillage and PopFlash don't list many used cameras. Oh

ya, I'm in the US. Thanks. Carl

I'm working on an a la carte order, primarily to get a .85 with an isolated 50mm frameline, and am curious

about opinions regarding the various black (!) leather and leatherette options. I imagine the leatherette is

more durable but suspect the darker leathers also age fairly well. Is the grippy-ness of the MP cladding

better than the M7 or standard black leather? I am not a professional so extreme abuse is not an issue.

Thanks.

I'm interested in a Leica a la carte. Does anyone have any a la carte dealers they would recommend?

Thanks.

Thanks folks. I'm heading toward the .85 (but, Andrew, I am thinking about that M3 option.)

Thanks again. Carl

I'm interested in a Leica MP for use primarily with a 50mm. It seems a .85 viewfinder would work best

with the 50 but I'm interested is getting opinions regard the external magnifier. Does it work very well?