Never Be Afraid to Look Back Down that Stairway - Our Personal Photographic Roots

 

National Portrait Gallery Stairs, by Reed A. George

Pentax K1000, Pentax 50mm f1.7 Lens, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

I was reading a post on the blog EXP entitled "Photography and Self Discovery," which made me happy that I'm pursuing my "Skeletons from the Closet" project, shooting a different old camera each month, beginning with my first real camera - the Pentax K1000 used to make the shot above.

 

(Click Here) to read N. Rosales' post on EXP blog.

 

So, don't forget that my first results from Skeletons from the Closet are coming up soon. I've been shooting the K1000 this month, and have some things to share, but will post them in a few weeks, around mid February. It takes a little while to get film back... By the time you see those, I'll be well into shooting the next month's camera - a Super Ricohmat twin lens reflex medium format camera.

 

And, my first "Whole Lotta Leica" results, using the Leica M9 with a 1938 Elmar 5cm f3.5 lens, will be out before then, around February 1.

 

Stay tuned!

 

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Leica M Digital - No Longer Just a "Dentist's Camera?"

Photographer Sarah Lee from the UK's Guardian has started using a Leica M-E, the camera that's nearly identical to the M9 (missing only the frameline preview lever and USB connection), yet significantly less expensive.

The Leica M-E Digital Rangefinder

Image Source: www.amazon.com

 
(Click Here) to read Sarah's thoughts on the Leica M-E on the Guardian's blog
 
Sarah discusses how the Leica M9 was not well-adopted by professional photojournalists because of price. In fact, she says that the pros refer to it as the "dentist's camera." I suspect a little of this is also involved in her decision to tape over the red dot on her M-E.
 
Like the M9, the useful iso is limited at about 1250, and it shares the slow write speed and small image buffer of the M9. Otherwise, her comments are quite positive, and par for the course as other photographers have reported. For Sarah, it has taken her back to shooting for fun, and to the reasons she became a photographer in the first place. It even has her printing images again.
 

Sarah Lee with her gaffer-taped Leica. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

Image Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/photography-blog/2012/dec/28/leica-m-e-rangefinder-photography

 

Another comment by Sarah is interesting to me - it has to do with her Pentax K1000 (my featured "Skeletons from the Closet" camera for January), and how she still appreciates it. That's cool.
 
You should read the whole article if you're interested in Leica digital rangefinders. But, to sum up, she says that once you can afford this type of camera, "it changes everything."
 
I would venture to add that going back and shooting the K1000 for a while may change everything as well. Don't get me wrong - I'm no dentist, but I do own an M9, so am certainly not a detractor of Leica. I just think that shooting with the basics, whether it be an M9 or a manual film SLR, changes the way you look at photography.
 
Buy your "inexpensive" Leica through my link below :).
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

New Regular Column On DMC-365: "Skeletons from the Closet" - Using and Reviewing Cameras From My Collection

Now that I've officially completed my first year running DMC-365, it's time to freshen it up a bit. I'm still working on a list of ideas, but have one or two that I want to get started right away.
 
This one will be called "Skeletons from the Closet," meaning that I'll pull out some old favorite cameras from my collection (which literally is stored in a closet) over the coming year. In fact, my plan is to feature a different camera each month. I will write at least two posts on each camera - one introducing the camera of the month, and a follow-up, showing some of the images that I captured, and reviewing my thoughts on using the camera. Since these are film cameras, and I like to mail my film to The Darkroom (thedarkroom.com) for processing, the follow-up will normally come out mid month, the month after I use the camera. So, you can expect the first results around February 15.
 
To kick it off, for the month of January, I'm going back to where it all started. The Pentax K1000. Not just any K1000, this specific one. My parents bought it for me when I was in sixth grade, which must have been 1977. The K1000 came out in 1976. This camera moved across the country with me multiple times, and finally ended up with an old friend of mine during my 20 year hiatus from serious photography.
 
A couple of years back, my daughter asked about my first camera. The K1000 was my first serious camera, after a Kodak 126 Instamatic. On a whim, I called up my friend to see if he still had it. Not only did he have it, he was still using it. The meter was not working, but otherwise it was fully functional. I had him send it to me, and sent him an old Ricoh to use instead.
 
As soon as I got it back, I sent it off to Eric Hendrickson, Pentax Guru, for a CLA. Now it works as well as new. By the way, Eric is a great guy, and if you need a Pentax SLR serviced, you should contact him at pentax27@aol.com
 
Anyway, here's my first skeleton from the closet for 2013:
 

My normal lens back in the day was a 50mm f1.7 like that one shown above. I had to buy this one to replace the cheapo zoom that had made its way onto the camera over the years. The 50/1.7 is an amazingly good lens.
 
I may also shoot with another lens or two, most likely the 135mm f2.5 that I recently picked up for next to nothing.
 
So, wish me luck on this project! I have some real old beauties in store for the coming months.
 
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Pentax Spotmatic - A Nice Review and a Few of My Pics

Well, my photographic interest started out with a Pentax K1000. I still have it. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I just bought a second one in nearly-new condition for $48 shipped, including a 50mm f2 lens. The awesome 50mm f1.7 is my favorite normal lens for the K1000.
 
I remember a best friend's Dad had a gorgeous Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic. He also had the 50mm f1.4 Super Takumar, and 200mm f4. I was in awe of it, especially that telephoto. He only let us handle it very carefully.
 
A couple of years ago, I bought a truly beautiful black Spotmatic, and sent it off to Pentax wizard Eric Hendrickson. He does amazing work. It works like new.
 
You can contact Eric at Pentaxrepairs@aol.com
 
Next, I had to find a nice 200mm f4. It took some searching, but now I've got one. Anyway, here's a sample shot from the Spotmatic and 200mm f4 Takumar lens.
 

What the Duck Are YOU Looking At?, by Reed A. George

Pentax Spotmatic, 200mm f4 Takumar Lens, exposure unrecorded

 
And here's another, using a cheaper Vivitar 200mm f3.5:
 

Dwayne Brook of the Woodshedders, by Reed A. George

Pentax Spotmatic, Vivitar 200mm f3.5, exposure unrecorded

 
So what got me thinking of the Spotmatic? A very upbeat review on filmphotographyproject.com.
 
(Click Here) to read that review.
 
So, grab an old Spottie and get outside! They're a blast to use.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com