Jump to content

vuk_vuksanovic

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    854

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by vuk_vuksanovic

    Neopan Acros

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    one of my cutest friends dropped by a couple of weeks ago and we did a few pictures on my very first roll of the agfa 200. to my eye, this film delivers scala-like magic on a far more useful <i>negative</i> emulsion. i also shot a roll of neopan at the same time and i have to say the germans have the edge.

    <br><br>

    <a href="http://www3.sympatico.ca/qstatistic/maya06/maya06agf_v.htm">CLICK HERE FOR AGFA</a>

    <br><br>

    <a href="http://www3.sympatico.ca/qstatistic/maya06/maya06neo_v.htm">CLICK HERE FOR NEOPAN 400</a>

    <br><br>

    <i>all pics through leica</i>

    Leica 'fighting for its life"

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    bill.

     

    one of the miracles of the internet is that you need not meet people to look at their pictures. given the world-class status of leica glass, surely you can forgive me for noticing a discrepancy between equipment and photos presented on this forum.

     

    when i bought my (second-hand) M6/tele-elmarit 90, i understood full well well i was facing ridicule (from myself as well as others) if this expensive purchase yielded nothing worthwhile. the decision wasn't guided by wealth or posturing, but a genuine desire to capture scenes/light in the unique/appealing way i'd seen in countless leica images. it's quite possible i've wasted my time, but at least i've made a serious effort at something more than snapshots.

     

    as a footnote, let me say i'm very suspicious of photographers who can't see well enough to rate certain brands of lenses above others.

    Leica 'fighting for its life"

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <i>"Great to feel superior"</i>--<b>Jeff (www.spirer.com) </b>

    <br><br>

    jeff.

    <br><br>

    it would save you a lot of typing to simply include this as an automated signature.

    <br><br>

    btw--an occasional look at used equipment on a famous internet auction site could eventually land you a nice "user" leica and put an end to all the envy (not to mention offer a bit of enlightenment).

    Leica 'fighting for its life"

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    marc.

    <br><br>

    over the years, i've observed your photographic skill (both capture and mastering), seen some of your non-photographic work and been the recipient your old summicron 50 at a price that qualifies it as a gift.

    <br><br>

    we share many aesthetic sensibilities and the super-mini-lab you describe is as close to photo nirvana as i can imagine. the problem is you're dealing with a market of users who can't quite perceive the quality you aspire to. some of them pretend to by hanging an m7 around their necks, but know full well (i hope) they don't have any exposures worth dipping into an expensive leica processing machine. then there's the angry, anti-leica, street forum crowd who are happy with images that look like 10% crops from a digital MTV video--a long as a few cool teenagers approve of the result. finally, we have all the people who spend $1000(!!!) on a d70 or digi-rebel without realising the most important part of their new toy (hint: <b>viewfinder</b>) is vastly inferior to the one inside a $50 classic SLR.

    <br><br>

    let me end by asking (rhetorically, of course) why we still don't have laser-printers capable of exposing conventional B&W paper.

    Is Leica the Slow Photo Equivalent of Slow Food???

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    claudia.

    <br><br>

    i've had too much too drink to post something coherent, but let me just say for now that i get where you're coming from entirely.

    <br><br>

    even more slow than my leica is a dirt cheap 6x6 TLR made the year i was born--and here's a photo from a couple of weeks ago shot through it:

    <br><br>

    <a href="http://www.avzine.com/vuk/maya06/maya06MFscala.htm">http://www.avzine.com/vuk/maya06/maya06MFscala.htm</a>

    <br><br>

    <i>note: film was agfa scala</i>

    Another Reason Why Digital May Be Better

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    brad.

     

    when you buy a leica or take a good picture, then we might take what you have to say here seriously. sorry to be pedantic, but this is the leica forum: you either need to shoot good pictures or own a leica (as evidence shows, not necessarily both). admittedly, i also have little patience for teenagers. nothing personal: i'll readily admit that, like everyone else, even i was a complete tosser at that age.

    Another Reason Why Digital May Be Better

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <i>"I don't consider myself a "real" photographer (yet). But I define them by their talent, training and experience, not by the tools they use."</i>--<b>Curtis Newport</b>

    <br><br>

    curtis.

    <br><br>

    i suspect that a "real" photographer will know enough to understand how choice of tools is critical to the look of the image he wants to capture. i'm probably not a "real" photographer by your standards, <b>but</b> even i find it necessary to own several 50mm lenses.

    Another Reason Why Digital May Be Better

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    gary.

    <br><br>

    part of what makes art interesting and awe-inspiring is the difficulty of the craft. the more simple and automated photography becomes, the more it will lose its artistic value. i don't mean this simply form an economic perspective (price of pictures) but rather the value of engaging in the effort. i've already come to terms with the fact that photography is now pretty much worthless as a skilled craft and that's why i think the best strategy is to approach the hobby as an entirely personal endeavour and in the most complictaed/antiquated way possible. the joy of shooting something through my 1957, $5 (on ebay) russian lens that surpasses what anyone can do on his $1,000 digital "rebel" (talk about an orwellian name), or even something 10 times the price, is quite amusing.

    Another Reason Why Digital May Be Better

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    jeremy.

    <br><br>

    you are in big trouble if you really think photonet ratings are any sort of indicator of photographic quality. next time you're out on the streets around lunch-time, have a look where most people are going and let us know if it's an indicator of haute cuisine.

    <br><br>

    in spite of the greater effort in processing/scanning, i still choose to shoot film for aesthetic reasons that are very important to me. if, on the other hand, my aim was to gain the approval of photonet masses, i'd be doing glittery water droplets on something like a digital "rebel", applying 5 photoshop filters and setting up a complicated, kitchy border (usually, thick black withthin white inside, followed by a little more black--it evokes the velvet oil painting look very effectively).

    <br><br>

    btw--there is some fun to be had with a digital camera. i've even experienced a bit of my own:<br><a href="http://www.photo.net/equipment/pentax/istds/">http://www.photo.net/equipment/pentax/istds/</a>

    Delta 100 versus TriX, pt. II

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    i've tried the delta films and their t-max counterparts--found all of them to be awful and a nightmare to get proper tonality out of. in may ways, they exhibited traits similar to digital B&W (something i suppose may be appealing to a certain undiscerning crowd).

    <br><br>

    viewing <i>other</i> people's pictures only confirmed my impressions.

    <br><br>

    here are some recent shots of mine on agfa APX:

    <br>

    <a href="http://www3.sympatico.ca/qstatistic/maya06/maya06agf_v.htm">http://www3.sympatico.ca/qstatistic/maya06/maya06agf_v.htm</a>

    <br><br>

    now that is a film! delta 100 has as much chance as producing 1/5th of what's going on there as "going wild" does winning the kentucky derby tomorrow. hey, if you're feeling lucky...

    digital overkill

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    it's an excellent and insightful article. a couple of years ago, i contemplated earning a living from photography and made some struides in that direction (even sold a few things at gallery exhibits), but soon realised that the art form was quickly becoming something worthless and cheap. in the end, it's best to take pictures for oneself; for me it's most satisfying to do so with an old camera.

    Why do you like old Leica lenses?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <i>"I agree with you that the Canon 85mm/1.2L lens is "the best of the best". It's a super portrait lens wide open and closed down."</i><b>--Raid W. Amin</b>

    <br><br>

    sorry to be pedantic (if that term actually qualifies here), but references to a "portrait lens" for me are as meaningful in serious photography as the the sort of auto-exposure dial settings you find on contemporary digital cameras that let you choose between sports, nature, landscape, barbeque, etc. it is one of those clichés that usually flag the writer as someone who's read a lot about photography but probably not taken very many good pictures. not implying this is the case with you but, as a general rule, it works well.

    <br><br>

    one of my favourite portraits was taken with a 40mm lens.

×
×
  • Create New...