frank_nesbitt

Here's another Sefari user on my MacBook Pro laptop. No complaints over several years of

use on other Macs. My wife uses Firefox on her Mac and swears by it. Good luck.

Rob: You're not out of line at all! That's a terrible reason I gave for not doing something

worthwwhile. Actually, it's a bit of an excuse. We have a daughter who lives in Berekley and

don't get up from Santa Barbara to see her nearly as often as we should. And I think she

loved the Alcatraz trip as much as I did.

Next visit she and I should go back to The Rock and leave her mother to shop. Henny

Youngman used to say, "When my wife and I go out we always hold hands. If I let go, she

shops."

I visited Alcatraz a month ago and found it one of the most interesting tours I've ever

taken. The Park Rangers are full of fascinating facts and tales about the place. The clever

escape attempts are true but hard to believe. If you respond to its spooky presence as I

did, you'll be glad you have a Leica in hand. I did not, and regret it a lot. The poster

prints and cards for sale are interesting and many are well done, but there's no substitute

of your personal vision. I'd like to go back tomorrow, but my wife would never indulge me

the trip.

And don't pass up the chance to acturally walk into a cell and into one of the solitary

confinment rooms they have open. Standing there - only for a moment - makes you

wonder how anyone took it without going mad in no time. But then many of the inmates

were mad already, I think.

I went on a morning trip and think the natural light comming in through the barred

openings a great opportunity for photography. At night there may be good light as well,

but certainly not much of it. B & W would be my medium of choice, but chromes could

also be powerful, since what little color there is might be dramatic in its scarcity.

There's a brilliant photo essay book on the ruins of New York's Ellis Island prior to its

restoration, done by a woman whose name escapes me. It would be an excellent

inspiration - if you need any - for photographing the ghosts of Alcatraz.

Let us see some of the work from your trip. And enjoy every minute.

What is about the bond between a pet and the person who cares for him most? Don't

know, but I do know it's real, to be treasured and quite different from the bonds we have

with other humans.

We have had three Labs, beginning in 1960, and are now blessed with a fourth going into

his 12th year. That's old for a Lab and there are signs that he may have a cancer starting.

I have cancer, in remission for now, but I'm far more concerned with his. I've had to

oversee the passing away of our previous dogs and it is painful in a way impossible to

explain to one who hasn't done the same.

May you always treasure the hours spent with Kayla. You and Kayla were lucky beyond

words to have had each other. And those loving photographs may well be the most

important ones in your collection.

Wonderful photography! Reminds me of what a photo teacher told us years ago:

"Remember, you aren't photographing things. You're photographing light."

I agree that it needs to be done. I found myself hesitating about spending time on a site

that, by its title, promised only a view of Leica as somehow out of the mainstream.

How about simply, "Digital Leica"? A big tent, open to personal intrepretation.

I come down on the side that recommends a larger format than 35mm for your landscape

work. I was happiest with a Fuji 690 or my trusty Hasselblad when I was doing lots of this

kind of photography. I tried 4 X 5 for a while but the extra weight and complexity in the field

just didn't seem to be justified by my results. Considering the bargain basement prices now

common for good used medium format gear, the choice for me would be easy. And those

negs are just so much easier to print.

A visit to Central Camera, if you've never been there, is worth the pain of a trip to

downtown Chicago. Painful, at least, if you drive it these days. Central bought all my

darkroom equipment for what I felt were very fair prices when I moved to Santa Barbara.

This was prior to the digital meltdown, I'm happy to say. Even drove a little van out to my

house in Winnetka to pick it up.

The store is a narrow slot in Wabash Avenue real estate a few blocks south of Marshall

Field's. The high tin celing is the sort that inspired the plastic immitations being made up

these days for the home restoration crowd. New and used merchandise climbs the walls

till it's nearly out of sight, making rolling ladders necessary for the sales staff.

They know photography from way back. The store was opened in this same location just

before the 20th century by the grandfather of the present proprieter, Don Fleish. Don't be

put off by the security guard perched on a high stool near the door. He effectively

discourages Chicago's smash and grab artists.

If Don doesn't have the Leica you want, I bet he can find one for you. Call first. You may

be pleasantly surprised.

Meters can be a frustrating puzzle but I think you'll find that a little patience and some

good advice from your Leica friends on this list will flatten the learning curve. And I find

that a proof sheet of negatives made with the help of a good meter has few, if any, images

that are so poorly exposed they defy printing.

I've used a Sekonic meter for years and think they are well designed, easy to use devices.

By coincidence, I'm awaiting delivery of the 308 S model you ask about. But in the past

I've used both their selenium cell meter that evolved out of the old "Norwood

Director" (Boy, does THAT date me!) as well as several battery powered Sekonics. All were

accurate and easy to use for me, at least.

Incident mode readings, with the "Lumisphere," measure light falling on the meter (as well

as the subject) and have been popular in studios for years. They are independent of the

reflectance of your subject and as such, have also been popular with transparency

shooters outdoors. Chromes can't handle over exposure and the incident mode gives you

a solid average reading of the scene, almost always avoiding over exposure. Be careful to

aim the lumisphere directly at your camera position as closely as possible. This is

especially important with backlighted subjects.

If you find youself in ambient light that is different from that falling on your subject - say

you're standing in the shadow of a building but photographing a scene beyond that's in

bright sun - then switch to the reflected light grid and take that reading as your scene

average.

As for comparing your Leica in-camera meter with the Sekonic, try finding a brick wall or

the side of a buliding of uniform reflectance and in an overall wash of ambient light. Take

a reflected reading with the Seconic grid and one with your Leica. There will always be a

difference but my experience with both Nikon and Canon in-camera meters is the the

spread is under half a stop. (My Leica III is not burdened with its own meter.)

Then take an incident reading with the lumisphere. Here, too, my experience has been

that there's little difference, provided the wall has an 18% reflectance. Using a Kodak grey

card instead of a wall for this test will assure you that you're close to 18%. Still, don't

expect the readings to be identical, just pretty close.

I usually use the incident mode whenever possible because I trust it as independent of my

subject and its variations. When doing view camera work some years ago I was taught

Ansel Adams' Zone System and took multiple readings with a fancy Pentax Zone VI spot

meter given me by a close friend. When laziness triumphed and I abandoned large format

work, I reverted to the trusted Sekonic incident meter and have lived happily ever after.

The difference between your Leica reading off the wall (125 at f1) and the incident reading

of 30th tells me that the wall is two stops lighter than middle grey. If you shoot at the

faster shutter speed it will photograph considerably darker than it appears in real life.

Shot at the incident reading you took, the photo will closely aproximate the tonality of the

wall as it appears to your eye. This assumes that both meters are reasonably accurate, of

course.

I'm sure you'll get plenty of good advice on this forum. Use what you like and leave the

rest. Good shooting.

I'll second Stuart's recommendation of Specialty/Color Services in Santa Barbara. For us

locals, it's a convenient service with dependable high quality. Last week they processed a

single roll of HP5 overnight for just over $10, including a proof sheet. With the availability of

good C-41 films that can be developed at Wallgreen's yealding negatives and 4X6 prints

instead of a proof sheet, that's a bit steep but I do use it on occasion.

Manfred, it appeared so to me.

Looking through the lens from the rear element with a bright light source in front, the tiny

scratches were evident on the front element. I was told by a used camera dealer that this

was the method he always used in evaluating a lens. They came, he said, from overly

vigorous cleaning.

The marks never showed up in photos but I've read that they somewhat reduce contrast.

I'm now unable to see any marks, again using this method.

Am I missing something?

Rene, Doctor DAG did a supurb job restoring my 1936 Leica III to glowing health. Had it in

the field last weekend and heard it go "snick" instead of "clunk." The rangefinder and the

viewfinder had serious cataracts removed and both are now 20/20.

Also, somehow and unasked, he removed ancient light cleaning marks from the uncoated

50mm Summicron. Results are wonderful. I predict you'll be astonished at how DAG can

take fifty years off your M3's age. Wish someone could now do the same for me.

Our son and his wife, who is Czech, went through the Camp a couple of years ago and it took

them weeks to get over the grim experience. Your photographs are striking. They capture

the ghostly presence so well and draw us into them as good photos so often do. I'm so glad

you made them. They're the best I've seen of an often photographed subject. It's powerful to

see no people anywhere and, of course, B & W is the medium of choice.

Makes me wish the crazy "Holocaust Deniers" could have walked along with you. As though

reality would penetrate their mania.

I live in Santa Barbara, California for most of the year, though we spend some time in Chicago

to be near three of our four grown kids. I shoot a Leica III with a 50mm Summicron as well as

a small Olympus digital for family gatherings. Am considering moving to an M3 in the

future, but not ready for that quite yet.

Gave my Rollei TLR to daughter Susan a few years ago. I suspect she's using it as a coffee

table conversation piece. I post occasionally but feel that I'm among experts here, and

therefore pick my topics for response carefully. I'm fully up to this one.

No doubt Sherry, DAG and other qualified techs worldwide are toasting their prospects for a

busy New Year after reading this thread.

What a lovely collection! Belongs under your Tree for a day or so - - then into the field

with you both.

Suppose I'd add a very wide angle lens if cost were no object, but wouldn't let it deter me

from exercising the gear now that you've shown us - - and your photographic eye.

The only thing I might suggest is to check the accuracy of the selenium based light meter.

Is it half a century old? The camera surely must be. Those meters have a way of drifting

South with the passage of time. This seems to happen regardless of how much they're

used or left in the dark. It would be easy to compare its readings with those of a borrowed

battery powered spot meter and grey card.

I'm a big fan of incident meters as a result of shooting chromes over the years. They

"protect your heighlights," as my old zone system teacher used to admit grudgingly, after

trashing incident readings generally, especially for large format work. Anything smaller

than an 8 X 10 view camera was suspect for him.

Enjoy your chance to use a fine system. And post some results, if you're so inclined.

For me the year has been good.

However, here in Santa Barbara we are facing the possible demise of our 65 member photo

group, f/nine. This was formed over 15 year ago when nine avid amateurs decdided to

band together for setting up a 5 enlarger group darkroom, small studio with hot lights

and backrounds and a club room, avoiding the cost of each having to equip his/her own

facility. Group shows several times a year at excellent venues.

Fluourished and grew for many years, partly, I think, 'cause the members agreed to toss

out anyone who left the darkroom less than squeeky clean, no review by a higher court

possible. Wonderful for me when I moved here six years ago. I didn't have to set up my

own darkroom to process and print from the Leica and the members were a wonderful

group to meet. Many valuable Saturday workshops led by West Coast photogs, field trips

to remote, obscure sites.

With the digital revolution so much is changing. The darkroom is used ony a few hours a

month now and always by the same three or four film shooters. The digital printer and

computer gear we've invested in is seldom used since most have their own digital set-ups

at home. Now the pro we share space with is opting out of any studio work to concentrate

on weddings and thus will no longer cover half the rent. Monthly meetings attended now

by only a handful of members.

Will the club fold? Will the members agree to a big increase in dues? Big changes in store

and I'm not optimistic. Would hate to start '06 on a sour note.

Stay tuned.

I roomed at Northwestern University in Evanston IL near a Journalism School student in the

spring of 1954. (The last Ice Age had recently retreated.) He was issued a Speed Graphic

4 X 5 with a flash and plenty of film holders. Going out on his class assignments he

reminded me of pictures I'd seen of Wee Gee! The prof told his classes that the Speed

Graphic was the newspaper standard and they better get comfortable with it, including

souping the cut film and making prints pronto for their editors.

How soon that changed, with 35mm becomming the new standard very quickly, I"m told.

Then, last winter I heard a talk by the head photographer of the Santa Barbara News-Press,

our local paper. He had recently converted the entire staff to digital Nikons and shut down

the paper's darkroom to make way for an all-digital workflow. Cost savings from no film

or chemicals soon paid for the Nikons. Even fast-moving college basketball games are well

within the capabilities of their pro level digitals. And the time from pressing the shutter to

seeing a picture on the front page is dramatically reduced.

How things do change.

A while back I discovered a 1936 vintage Leica III on the back of a closet shelf in the home

of my wife's cousin. He is a retired surgeon and med school teacher living then in San

Mateo, CA. He generously gave me the camera, saying he hadn't used it in decades,

preferring an automatic-everything Canon to record his world travels. I found the shutter

frozen open, the Elmar 50mm lens cloudy with fungus and element cement.

I had a new shutter installed and picked up a collapsable Sumicron for a song at a Chicago

camera flea market. Enjoyed using the Leica greatly but knew that much remained to be

looked after. The shutter release was quite sticky, the film advance hard to move and the

visible surfaces hazed over with years of dust and sweat. The cloudy view through the

range finder challenged even my post-lasik 20/20 vision, and its accuracy was always in

question.

The camera has just been returned to me by DAG after a CLA, probably the first such

service the camera has ever received. It looks and performs much as it must have three

quarters of a century ago. I'm taking it into the field directly and am very impressed with

the attention and care DAG has given this beauty. I'm determined to "service" it regularly

by using it, as has been recommended in this form.

Good workmanship has no substitute.

I try to attend the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the companion Concorso

Italiano, as well as assorted weekend auctions ($3.6 mil for a 1937 Talbot Lago this year!)

and antique automobile races on the Monterey Peninsula. I usually shoot both digital and

film with a Leica III using a 50mm collapsable 'cron. Old cameras are much admired by

owners of old cars, I've found. Widest lens I use is 28mm. I enjoy recording the spit-and-

polish cars, super-serious judges and crazy gearhead owners with some literal precision.

Others go for wild distortion and exaggerated angles, often with great results, but that's

not my style. Macro close-ups of long obsolete details can be especiallly rewarding for

me.

If you're attending a serious car gathering, you'll find the owners cooperative, so long as

you don't touch the merchandise. If there are crowds, a tripod only seems to slow things

down. Outdoors there's usually plenty of light, even though the coastal mornings at

Pebble Beach are always heavily overcast. As has been said, in bright sun a polorizer is a

great asset to kill unwanted reflections. It can try your patience to wait for an opening in

the crowd to reveal a particular classic you'd like to shoot. So I try to arrive early, before

several thousand fans are swarming the 18th fairway where the cars are parked.

Don't forget to look for the lonley wives on the sidelines, kids who can't believe their eyes,

older folks reliving their youth and celebs. Jay Leno. Sterling Moss and Ralph Lauren are

regulars at Pebble, for example.

If you're working in a showroom or private collection, most of these thoughts don't apply.

In any event, good luck. It can be a wonderful photographic challenge.

Raised in Toledo, OH. Went to William College, MA, Northwestern University, IL and

Harvard, MA. Still poorly educated, I'm told. Retired, live part of the year in Northbrook,

IL, part in Santa Barbara, CA. Shoot Leica III with 50mm Sumicron and Canon G-1 digital

for B & W infrareds. Closed down wet darkrooom in 1998. Leica currently in DAG's

hospital for a CLA.

I used to use Konica IR film in 120 format for my Hassy with a #72 Hoya filter. In the

States it's become nearly impossible to find. Perhaps it isn't even being imported any

longer. B&H isn't listing it, at any rate. It, like the Ilford, was technically a "near infrared."

But I had great luck with it getting IR effects and, as has been said, near IR film is a whole

lot easier to handle than the Kodak variety.

Classic Pan 200 certainly sounds like it's worth a try for those of us who go in for glowing

tree leaves. I'll be most interested in the results of your tests, Trevor.

I've used a Zone VI modified Pentax spot meter for years. Made it relatively easy to

practice the Zone System when I was doing 4 X 5 work. And I needed all the help I could

get in the view camera arena.

But for all round usefulness, I prefer an incident meter. No need to guess about what in

the scene is middle grey, one stop over it or one stop under. An incident meter is its own

grey card.

It's especially important when shooting chromes. Like digital, they can't handle much over

exposure. You must, "Protect your highlights!" as my long-ago teacher used to put it. An

incident meter does that. Of course, if you're shooting very high contrasts, a meter can't

make your slide film have more latitude. Years of using a Seconic version of the old

Norwood Director selinium cell meter conditioned me. Liked to forget about batteries,

too.

Guess it comes down to what you're used to and comfortable with. Seconic is hard to beat

for good incident meters that can also take a reflected reading when you need to.

For reflected light spot meter readings and work in the Zone System, the Pentax is

accurate, durable, easy to carry and reliable. A battery seems to last forever. If you can

find a Zone VI modified Pentax spot meter, it makes things a good deal easier. Try

Calumet Photo in the States. They bought Zone VI from its founder, Fred Picker.

Good luck on your adventure in Zoneland.

My father-in-law, now deceased, was in the precision optical business with his brothers in

the Burke & James firm of Chicago, now also deceased. They served for many years as the

lens bank for the U. S Air Force, repairing and remounting lenses used in recon aircraft

cameras, then shipping them off to a designated base. He and his Czech craftsmen saw

lenses in all manner of condition. Repairs were often extensive. Remounting was called

for every time the Air Force adopted a new camera type.

But he used to say the most extensive damage usually came from overzealous enlisted

men who cleaned and polished lenses, front and back with vigor, if there was the slightest

trace of dirt. His credo was, "Never clean a lens unless you absolutely must. Then, use

only breath condensation and gentle circular motions with kodak lens tissue. But when in

doubt, leave it dirty. And it's surprising how much can be removed with a few puffs from a

blower bulb."

Ah, Sanford, you remind me painfully once again that due to some elective surgery, poorly

timed by me, I was unable to travel to the Monterey Peninsula for this year's car events.

I've gone the last several years and it has become a highlight for me and my daughter

Susan (who is about to buy a 30 year old Alfa Romeo Spyder). Susan has taken over my

Leica IIIc, by the way and is beginning to show promise.

There isn't anything in the world like the 50 mile classic car drive you attended today, the

Concorso Italiano on Friday with 540 Ferraris last year, all approachable, and dozens of

rare Maseratis, Alfas, Lambos, Lancias, etc., three days of Monterey Historic Automobile

Races nearby wherin the owners charge around the Laguna Seca road race course at the

risk of life, limb and their irreplacable machines. . . and the main event on Sunday, the

world's premier Classic Car Concours d'Elegance on the 18th fairway of the magnificant

seaside Pebble Beach golf course. 240 remarkable machines from the past, each there by

invitation only. Almost forgot the several auctions of other rare cars by such

organizations as Christies and Kruse during the off hours.

For a gearhead like me, this is a rare treat each year. Hope you enjoy as much of it as you

can take in. If you go to the Pebble Beach Concours on Sunday with your Leica, don't miss

photographing the judges who take this thing VERY seriously and are living in their own

world. You can spot them in by their clipboards, blue blazers, pressed slacks and straw

headgear. They also display perhaps the only rep stripe neckties left in the State of

California, other than mine.

And you're right, it only takes money to join this club. But some of us like to press our

noses against the glass of the candy store.

Have fun!

Frank