Shenandoah Riverside Festival - My Photos and Writeup at Cosmic Vibes Live!

I recently wrote another piece for my favorite live music blog, Cosmic Vibes Live.

 

(Click Here) to read it and see all of my pics at cosmicvibeslive.com.

 

I'll use my own blog here to share a little info about the photographic details.

 

First, I decided to take it easy at this show, and shoot what I felt like. That included a Leica IIIC with Summitar 5cm f2 (the lens I've picked to pair up with my M9 for the Whole Lotta Leica series this month). Here's a shot from that combination:

 

The Woodshedders, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Leica Summitar 5cm f2 Lens

 

I also shot my Skeletons From The Closet Camera for June, the Konica Auto S1.6, with color film:

 

Banana Express, by Reed A. George

Konica Auto S1.6

 

When nighttime came, I switched from the fun film cameras to the workhorse - Nikon D700.

 

The Hackensaw Boys, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 85mm f1.4 AF-D Lens

 

Like I mentioned above, click over to Cosmic Vibes Live to read the full story and see a lot more pics.

 

It was great fun shooting the Leica and Konica, especially wandering around backstage. The Nikon came through as always.

 

I am still really enjoying the combination of great live music and my photography hobby!

 

Happy Crowd, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D Lens

 

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Whole Lotta Leica Lens for July - Coated Summitar 5cm f2 Collapsible

 

My Coated Summitar

 

This month, I will shoot the Summitar 5cm f2 on my Leica M9. The Summitar replaced the earlier Leica Summar 5cm f2 in 1939, and was manufactured until 1953. I have two Summitars. This one is a late model (1951) with coated lens elements. The other is an early uncoated model. I love them both, but for different reasons.

 

The Summitar was the penultimate 50mm f2 design, coming directly before the benchmark Summicron. (Click Here) to read about the first version Summicron, which was my Whole Lotta Leica (WLL) lens for April. You can see lens and results posts for all of my WLL selections so far if you (Click Here).

 

Back to the Summitar. This is a collapsible normal length lens, and was used by countless Leica photographers as their fast lens, and many times only lens on their camera. It is a solid performer, and I think rivals the Summicron in many ways. My coated version is great for color or black and white.

 

This particular lens came with a Leica IIIF I both several years ago.

 

On the M9, I will have to be careful not to collapse the lens, as it can interfere with the sensor. Obviously, I'll also have to use an M mount adapter, as this is an LTM lens. Neither of these is a real issue, and I'm sure I can make some nice images with the Summitar.

 

In future months, I'll shoot the earlier Summar (which is one of my all-time favorite Leica lenses), and a more modern Summicron. So, we have plenty more to look forward to.

 

Wish me luck in getting some time to get out and shoot in July!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

A Shot That's Close to My Heart - From Leica IIIC

Intensity, by Reed A. George

Leica IIIC, Leica Summitar 50mm f2 Lens

 

I recently picked up a nice Leica IIIC for an amazing low price. Knowing that it had been purchased from Leica repairman extraordinaire, Youxin Ye, I could be confident that it would work well. It does.

 

Here's a shot from my first roll through the IIIC. I shot it at a music festival, where my daughter did me the pleasure of accompanying me. That's asking a lot of a twelve year old. But, we're still buddies, and always will be.

 

This is the online scan provided by The Darkroom, who processes my film. (Click Here) to visit The Darkroom for excellent, fast, cost-effective processing of your film.

 

I absolutely love shooting the old Barnack screwmount cameras, like this IIIC. Prices on these cameras have dropped, so you can own and shoot a piece of Leica history for a very reasonable price these days. This new IIIC has the special sharkskin covering, which was only used for a short period in Leica production. I'm happy to have it in my collection.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com