This Photo Project Could Work Well in Any City - But Started in San Francisco (Project24)

I absolutely love and miss San Francisco. Though I've lived in many different places, and was not born there, I consider the Bay Area to be home.

 

Check out this cool photography project in San Francisco, "Project24."

 

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149616

 

In this project, each of 24 photographers gets an assignment consisting of two pieces of information: the hour of the day and the neighborhood they are to shoot in. That's it. They shoot with black and white film for one hour. I think this is a great idea.

 

(Click Here) to read more about Project24.

 

I want to do one in DC.

 

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The Old Nikkor 50mm f1.4 Still Shines

 

Irish Dance, by Reed A. George

Nikomat FTN, Nikkor S 50mm f1.4, pre-AI Lens

 

As you may know, I'm continuing to explore shooting Nikon SLR gear that covers a range of more than fifty years. Alongside my new Nikon Df, my original F film body is ready to go, with the Nikkor S 50mm f1.4 lens attached. The lens was a gift from one of my good buddies, Dennis Gallus.

 

I love it when I find someone else using classic old gear. Forum member DNG on Rangefinder Forum has just shared a few images made with his old Nikkor 50.

 

(Click Here) to see DNG's results.

 

I'm not sure what the details are of DNG's statement

"I also used a K25 preset on import from Filmbot. no changes in the color, just Topaz Clarify and Topaz Detail."

but I plan to look up these programs. Always open to new tools that help me continue to enjoy my old film gear and pictures.

 

The coolest thing about carrying my Df and F together is that any lens I can use on the F is just fine and at home on the Df as well. The inverse is true (any lens on the Df can be used on the F), except for "G" lenses, which lack an aperture ring. I may be the only one who feels this way, but that lack of a ring is keeping me from buying some new Nikon (or Sigma with Nikon mount) lenses.

 

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The Leica Thambar - Exclusive, Unique, Beautiful Imperfection

I've heard of the Leica Thambar lens before. That's about all I could say about it before taking a little interest in it this morning.

 

Here's what sparked my interest - a post by awslee on Rangefinder Forum.

 

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143874

(Click Here) to see the post and more images.

 

The Thambar is a screw mount (LTM), 90mm f2.2 lens. Made in the 1930s to respond to the need for a portrait lens that wasn't too sharp, the Thambar certainly delivered. The lens relies on uncorrected optics to render interesting, soft backgrounds. It also uses a reflective spot filter to change the effect near the center of the image.

 

(Click Here) to read the best description I've found of the Thambar, on the Leica Barnack Berek blog.

 

The Thambar is one of those very special lenses, one that you probably wouldn't put in your bag very often. Couple that with the scarcity (only a few thousand were made, and now about 80 years ago), and the likelihood of my ever owning a Thambar is reduced to near zero. But boy, would it be fun to try one out.

 

Hmm. I bet someone in the LHSA (International Leica Society) has one. Any of my friends there want to lend me their Thambar for a few hours?

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Leica M240 in Mexico City - AlejandroI on Rangefinder Forum Shares His Results

 

Image Source: http://ailukewitsch.wordpress.com/

 

 

Rangefinder Forum member AlejandroI has posted a wonderful series of images from Mexico City. He shoots with a Leica M240 rangefinder body, 50mm f1.4 Summilux Pre-Aspheric, and 28mm f2.8 Elmarit.

 

You must (Click Here) and take a look at the rest of AlejandroI's images.

 

(Click Here) to go to his blog.

 

I use the earlier version Leica rangefinder, the M9. The M240 is the first Leica rangefinder to use CMOS sensor technology, which has real advantages in handling high iso noise. I really enjoy the images from my M9, which uses a CCD sensor. Alejandro's images show what the M240 can do in street photography.

 

Alejandro does mention that dust on the sensor seems to be a real issue for the M240. I had not read that, but other commenters agree. I don't know why it would be any worse than other CMOS cameras, especially compared to Micro 4/3 cameras, where the sensor is completely exposed when you remove the lens. Interesting.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Making Street Photography Automatic? Oh, Boy, I Don't Like This

Library, NYC, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, 50mm Lens

iso 400, f8, 1/125 sec.

 

I just read a post by member katrak on Rangefinder Forum, about how you can use the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 camera to record video at 24 frames per second with each frame having 8 megapixels of resolution. The title of the post is "Taking away luck in street photography?"

 

(Click Here) to read the post on Rangefinder Forum.

 

Technology may have finally come too far for an old traditionalist like me. One of the things I really love about photography, and street photography in particular, is the game. The game includes finding the scene, getting close enough to the subjects (who you don't know), and most importantly, capturing just the right moment. I would hate for this to be lost. It's like hunting with a machine gun or a bomb.

 

As you probably know, I'm a fan of Panasonic. The GH4 looks like a wonderful camera. So, it's not the camera that is the problem; they're simply pushing video technology to its limits.

 

However, I think this post could be renamed in multiple ways: "Taking away skill in street photography?" or perhaps "Taking away fun in street photography?"

 

I suppose since photography is a hobby for me, and because very few people make money on street photography, I can continue to shoot my old one-at-a-time cameras as long as I live. I'm only competing with myself to capture the moment. There are plenty of those moments to go around, including to people just recording every 1/24 of a second and selecting their favorite from tens of thousands of images later on.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Analyzing a "This Type of Camera Versus That" Discussion

 

I frequently see posts on various forums, discussing and sometimes arguing the relative merits of different types of cameras. Some people become very defensive about their favorites. It's interesting. It's even more interesting when the discussion stays civil, and some good points are brought out.

 

Even then, these discussions tend to become very long-winded, so I don't read a lot of them. For example, I'm reading a nice one, started by member tom.w.bn on Rangefinder Forum.

 

(Click Here) to read the discussion.

 

Now, my analysis of this particular discussion is that it has remained largely civil, at least in the first two of five pages I've read; I probably won't read the rest. I think the main points that interest me have been made in the first two pages. Here are the most important parts from my perspective:

 

1. When thinking about what type(s) of camera are best for you, it's important to ask where you get the majority of enjoyment from photography. Is it in the act of taking pictures, the satisfaction of seeing a wonderful shot achieved and in print? A combination? Perhaps the more rare satisfaction of seeing a perfectly-achieved image made in more challenging circumstances? This should be a controlling factor in deciding what camera style may be best for you.
2. One response by YYV_146 makes a very interesting point in comparing using a rangefinder camera versus a mirrorless camera with electronic viewfinder (EVF). The point is that looking through an optical rangefinder gives you a very accurate view of the world you're photographing, while looking through an EVF, which is an electronic representation directly from the camera sensor, gives you an accurate view of what the final image will look like. Two very different things.

For me, the act of taking photographs brings much more enjoyment than reviewing them, and especially more than post-processing them. I do love to see a perfect image, and I do value a great image from myself more if I know that it was particularly challenging to achieve. That said, I don't want it to be so challenging that I never get a good shot.

In different situations, different things matter to me. If I'm trying to document something, or have a high chance of getting a shot someone else will care about, I hedge my bets. For example, in shooting a musical act that I don't see often (e.g. rare opportunity) in low light, I'll reach for my Nikon D700. If it's a band I do see often, and I want to have more fun shooting, I'll perhaps grab my Leica M4-2 film rangefinder and load up some high speed film. This is part of the reason that I have not consolidated or focused on only one camera system.

 

So, which part of the photographic process brings you the most enjoyment? How does that affect which camera(s) you choose? I'm interested to hear.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Documenting CycloCross with Film - straightmp on Rangefinder Forum

 

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139673

I read a post from forum member straightmp on Rangefinder Forum, about winter bicycle races called CycloCross (CX), where cyclist race across the winter landscape through mud and cold. Sounds pretty fun to watch.

What really caught my attention though was that straightmp used black and white film (Kodak TriX) to capture the event, using a Nikon F100 and "cheap" 28-80 Nikon zoom. I think the results are very expressive.

(Click Here) to see the post and several more excellent photos on Rangefinder Forum.

The Nikon F100 is an amazing deal these days. When it came out, it was the penultimate Nikon SLR, second only to the contemporary F5. I remember buying one used for $700. It was like the Corvette of film cameras to me, a real high tech machine. Now you can buy one for a song. I just looked and KEH (keh.com) has one in EX condition for $189. Amazing.

I ended up selling mine off, because I prefer more manual cameras, especially when I'm shooting film. But, it was a camera that always impressed. I

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

The 50mm Summarit (The Old, Fast One) - You'll Being Seeing More From This Lens In a Coming Month

One of the lenses that I'll shoot for a month as part of my Whole Lotta Leica series is the original 50mm f1.5 Summarit in LTM. I'm writing about it today because I found a post with some interesting example images.

 

Shot by raytoei on rangefinderforum, the images simultaneously show some of the quirks and strengths of this classic lens.

 

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133603

 

(Click Here) to see other Summarit images from raytoei on rangefinderforum, including some that show where the lens excels (hint: not in direct light coming into the front element). The shots in the post are all shot on a Leica M6.

 

My example of the 50mm Summarit was my very first Leica lens. From the 1950s, mine has exceptionally well-preserved glass surfaces, which is rare for this particular lens. Most of them have "cleaning marks" on the front element. Just in case you're wondering, "cleaning marks" are scratches. I don't care if they got there through someone trying to be nice to their lens or not, they do degrade image quality.

 

Anyway, mine doesn't suffer much from scratches, but it does have some internal haze. I haven't sent it off for cleaning, mainly because I'm afraid of it coming back worse than when it left. For some reason, the glass on these particular lenses tends to scratch very easily. Instead, I purchased an aftermarket hood from Cameraquest, which helps keep internal reflections down. I also don't rely on mine as an everyday lens; I use it when I'm looking for a particular mood in my images. Here are a couple of my own images from the Summarit:

Nature's Code, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summarit 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 200, f2, 1/180 sec

 

Artifacts of Life Past, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summarit 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 200, f2.8, 1/250 sec

I haven't decided when I'll shoot the Summarit for my WLL lens. Probably sometime in the winter.

 

By the way, this lens is not to be confused with the modern Leica Summarit 50mm f2.5. That is a new lens, made with modern materials and manufacturing technologies; it suffers from none of the fragility or age-related flaws (features) of the older, faster Summarits.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

You can buy the modern Summarit 50mm f2.5 (lower cost than a Summicron or Summilux, but yielding excellent Leica image quality) here:

 

 

This Would Make a Great Skeletons From The Closet Camera - Crazy Fedya Shares Some Zeiss Ikon Tenax II Pics on Rangefinder Forum

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131173

 

When I read Crazy Fedya's post on Rangefinder Forum this morning, I was intrigued by a model of Zeiss Ikon camera that I had not seen before, the Tenax II.

 

(Click Here) to see the post on Rangefinder Forum. There's another nice shot there, too.

 

Since my Skeletons From The Closet camera for March was the Zeiss Ikon 120 folding camera with f3.5 Tessar, I thought the Tenax II may be comparable. Crazy Fedya's has a Tessar f2.8 lens, uncoated (made in 1939). By the way, if you haven't tried shooting with an old uncoated lens, you owe it to yourself to try. One of my all-time favorite lenses is a Leica Summitar 5cm f2 lens, which is uncoated. It's tough to explain the look, but I'll be happy to show you in upcoming Whole Lotta Leica posts - I'll definitely be featuring that lens soon.

 

I love square format images, and usually that's an immediate clue that the camera is a medium format camera, usually shooting 2 1/4" square images on 120 film.

 

Then, I did a quick search on the Tenax II and found Mike Elek's post about his:

 

(Click Here) to read Mike Elek's excellent post about the Zeiss Tenax II. You MUST click through the first page to see a great series of Mike's images with his Tenax II, which has a Sonnar f2 lens. Even nicer than the excellent Tessar!

 

But here's the surprise - for me, at least. The Tenax II shoots 35mm film! That's right, it makes 24x24 mm. images on 35mm film. How cool is that? Boy, I'd like to have one of these.

 

And more surprises - this was actually a system camera, with interchangeable lenses. A quick look online tells me they're somewhat uncommon, and can be quite expensive.

 

So, I'll keep the Tenax II in the back of my mind - if I ever find one for a reasonable price, I'll try out square format imaging on 35mm film.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Decisive Challenge on Rangefinder Forum - Winners Posted

 

First Place: Man Centered Square Triangles by Clint Troy

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128570

 

Rangefinder Forum has just completed a photo contest, and the winners have been announced. The winner of the first prize is shown above. Congratulations, Clint Troy!

 

(Click Here) to see all of the winners.

 

There are some really great images here. And the prizes were awesome as well - a vintage Leica camera and lens included! Wow.

 

I need to keep my eyes open for these challenges.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Film Challenge Results - Seven Rolls in Seven Days

 

Oklahoma Irrigation, by Reed A. George
Leica M4-2, 50mm f2 Summicron
Exposure Not Recorded
 
 

American Girl, by Reed A. George
Leica III Model G, Canon 50mm f1.4
Exposure Not Recorded
 
 

Red Rock Canyon, by Reed A. George
Leica CL, 3.5cm Elmar f3.5
Exposure Not Recorded
 
I wrote earlier about the experience of entering the July Seven Rolls in Seven Days Challenge on rangefinderforum.
 
(Click Here) to see all of the results, and comments by the OP on rangefinderforum.com
 
Each entrant was asked to pick three best shots to share; most of us got the message (not all).
 
As I've mentioned before, this was a wonderful experience for me. I got to shoot some of my old Leica cameras, and the drive it took to shoot a full roll per day, even on boring days, was great. In fact, I got very ill during the experience, but pushed through, finishing my roll on a couple of consecutive days between the hours of 11:30PM and midnight. But, I made it.
 
Everyone should try this.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Better Than Halfway Through the July Film Challenge!

 

T. Rex, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, by Reed A. George

Leica M4P, 50mm Summicron f2

 
I am on day five of the seven day film challenge, started on Rangefinder Forum.
 
(Click Here) to read more about the challenge.
 
I have been shooting Leica film cameras exclusively for this one, beginning with a Barnack-designed Leica IIIa(G) from 1937. I am visiting my parents now, shooting with a Leica CL and 3.5cm Elmar f3.5, and a Leica M4-2 with Summicron 50mm f2 and Elmarit 90mm f2.8.
 
I have been thoroughly enjoying the experience of shooting with film for several days in a row. The experience has been different every day. Starting out, on a regular work day, I was challenged to find enough to shoot to finish a roll. Now, that problem has passed. For example, I went to the rifle range with my step-dad this morning, and shot several exposures there.
 
Anyway, part of the challenge is to select three favorites, and write about the experience of using film for seven days. Hopefully, it will be hard to select three favorites. We'll see.
 
So far, so good.
 
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Seven Day Film Challenge - What Film Will You Use?

 

Image Source: http://www.historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium/pm.cgi?action=display&login=kodak_film

 
Keith on RangeFinderForum.com has posted a July film challenge.
 
(Click Here) to read the rules.
 
In order to qualify, you must shoot one roll of film per day (any film format), or two sheets of large format film on seven CONSECUTIVE days, between July 1 and July 28. No excuses are accepted - if you miss a day, you are disqualified. I suppose if you start your seven days early enough in the month, you could always start again in the case of catastrophe.
 
You can use any film and any film camera. On August 1, go back to the post (Here), and Keith will announce where to post your three best pictures from your seven day experience. You can also post about any experiences involved in meeting the seven day challenge.
 
I think I will do this. I am going to visit my parents in Oklahoma in early July, which will give me four of those seven days to kick back and shoot some film. I sure wish I had a Panasonic film camera, to keep in my Lumix theme for this blog. So, what's the closest? Well, I suppose since Panasonic and Leica have a relationship, shooting a film Leica will have to suffice. Gosh, what a burden. :)
 
Anyway, join in the fun! Let's see what you can do with analog for a week!
 
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