Final Whole Lotta Leica Results From 2013 - December's Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM

I have to admit that while the WLL series was a lot of fun in 2013, I kind of lost steam toward the end of the year. Maybe that's because I achieved what I'd hoped to with the series already, and in the last few months it was more a matter of completing a personal challenge I'd assigned myself, and finishing up the full year.

 

In December, I matched the tiny little (almost comically little) Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM lens and LTM-M adapter with my Leica M9.

 

(Click Here) to see and read about the lens, manufactured in 1937.

 

I really only got out with it a little over one weekend in NYC. Here are some results, first from a very early morning walk to Grand Central Station. Keep in mind I was shooting with a maximum aperture of f3.5 in very low light, handheld.

 

Grand Central at the Holidays, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 800, f4, 1/15 sec.

 

Overnighting at Grand Central, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 800, f4, 1/15 sec.

 

Waiting on the First Morning Train, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 800, f4, 1/45 sec.

Zaro's Bakery, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 800, f4, 1/45 sec.

 

Preparing the Deliveries, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 800, f4, 1/45 sec.

Harlem Departures, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 800, f5.7, 1/25 sec.

 

Pershing Square at Daylight, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 800, f4, 1/25 sec.

 

135, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 800, f4, 1/25 sec.

 

The remaining images were made on our various escapades around the city.

 

'Tis the Season, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4, 1/500 sec.

Trying on Hats, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 400, f4, 1/90 sec.

Come Here Little Pigeon!, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4, 1/500 sec.

 

Elvis With His Backpack, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4.8, 1/350 sec.

Inside the NYC Public Library, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4.8, 1/30 sec.

And here's my favorite of this set:

 

The Reading Room, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens

iso 640, f4, 1/45 sec.

 

One of my observations about using this lens, and all of my Elmars, is that because the f-stop is adjusted by a tiny little tab at the front of the lens, and the f-stop numbers are printed very small there, and in this case are not even the modern standard f-stop numbers (e.g. no f5.6, you have to kind of guess between 4.5 and 6.3), I usually don't adjust my f-stop while shooting. For me, it means putting on my glasses, guessing where to set it, and that all takes too long. So, as you can see, I took a lot of images at f4. That's not really a problem, just an observation.

 

Another observation is that this lens is so small, it feels quite strange on an M style body. I would much prefer to use it on a little Barnack body, as was intended when it was designed.

 

I mentioned above that by this point in the year-long monthly WLL series, I had kind of already met my own goals with the project. What did I mean by that? Well, I'd drawn a few conclusions about using a wide range of "normal" focal length lenses, from a wide range of dates (1937-modern) on the M9 body:

 

1. Each and every lens has a strength, somewhere.
2. No lens has it all.
3. I tend to use fast lenses on my M9, but need to keep in mind that some of the slower lenses, like this month's f3.5 Elmar, can make their own unique, nice images.
4. Uncoated lenses can make very special images
5. I have a subjective feeling that the older lenses are more pleasing to me when shooting film, and perhaps even more when shooting black and white film.

So, I didn't really end up with a list of favorites (though there were a few highlights), and I'm certainly not getting rid of any of the lenses I used in the WLL series this year. But, I am more likely to put an old Elmar on a matching Barnack body and shoot film with it than to pair it up with the digital M9.

 

In terms of highlights, the Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f1.5 definitely meets that definition. A modern lens with a classic Sonnar design, this fast lens is really amazing. Also, both of my 1970s era Summicrons (35mm and 50mm f2) did a wonderful job for me. The Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM lens is also a standout from the crowd.

 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing what each of these lovely lenses can do on the Leica M9. I had a blast exploring them.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Results from December's SFTC Camera, the Nikon F2 - in B&W

For my final Skeletons From The Closet selection for 2013, I used the awesome Nikon F2. I purchased this one from KEH for ~$120 in EX condition. It's actually unbelievably close to like new in condition, and I believe an incredible bargain.

 

Here are some of the shots I made with the F2 in December, all on Kodak TMax 400 black and white film. I've noted the lens used where I'm sure I remember it correctly.

 

First, a few from a walk in Washington, DC:

 

 

Made With Nikkor 50mm f1.4 pre-AI Lens

 

Made with the Nikkor 28mm f3.5 pre-AI Lens.

 

 

December was a busy (at work) and cold month here in Virginia, but I did get out for a couple of hikes. The remainder of the images in this post were made on two separate hikes nearby home.

 

 

The preceding four images were made with the 200mm f4 pre-AI lens. I purchased that lens from Camera West for $75 in absolutely beautiful condition.

 

 

 

And finally, a shot I made at a Buddhist temple in Warrenton, Virginia.

Incense, by Reed A. George

Nikon F2, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 pre-AI Lens

 

It is terribly fun to use the F2. I have two of them now, both with the first photomic viewer and meter, the DP-1. I've found that the meter can be a bit unpredictable (and slow to react), so I usually carry a lightmeter along, in my pocket. However, I realized a great improvement in meter performance when I switched to Duracell DL1/3NBPK Ultra Photo Lithium/Manganese Dioxide batteries (see link to purchase them at Amazon below). These batteries are designed for camera systems, and really seem to put out a more consistent voltage than alkalines, especially as they age.

 

The F2 handles like a dream to me. I love using manual focus lenses. Since the F2 is designed for pre-AI lenses, I've gotten to explore several inexpensive yet well-preserved lenses for very low cost. And the results are spectacular in my opinion.

 

I do find myself considering the purchase of the new Nikon Df, which will work with essentially all of the historic Nikon lenses, including Pre-AI. However, similar to my Monochrom(e) experiments using the Leica M4-2 film camera, I have plenty to shoot with the F2. I'll keep using this camera into 2014.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Another Set of Pics From November's SFTC Camera - Ricoh 500G 35mm Rangefinder

We're well into December, and the final month of Skeletons From The Closet (SFTC), a series I ran throughout 2014 where I take out and shoot a different old camera from my collection each month. I will be posting the December camera selection soon.

 

November's SFTC camera was the Ricoh 500G. (Click Here) to read my introductory post on the the camera. And (Click Here) to see the first set of results, some street photographs from NYC.

 

And now for some very different results - not from the city but from a hike in the Virginia hills. These were all shot on a single hike, using iso 400 print film.

 

 

 

The place I hiked, Beverley Mill, has a couple of old rural cemeteries on its trails. I found this one (Dawson cemetery) on this, my first hike in the area:

 

 

It's crazy how the tree grew around the single headstone. It's a pretty lonely place.

 

I love the light on the tree in this shot below:

 

The little Ricoh 500G rangefinder makes a very good hiking camera. It's tiny, and produces decent images. No frills, but it is easy to throw in a backpack, and is extremely light weight.

 

I hope you've enjoyed SFTC and the results from this unsuspecting little camera.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Skeletons From The Closet - July Results - Konica I Rangefinder

July's camera, the Konica I rangefinder, continues to entertain me. Very basic in design, it's just fun to use.

 

(Click Here) to read about the Konica I.

 

I shot a roll of Fuji 400 color print film in the Konica, mostly around the small town of Leesburg, Virginia.

 

Summer Evening Light, by Reed A. George

Konica I Rangefinder, Fuji iso 400 Print Film

 

 

Leesburg Rooftops, by Reed A. George

Konica I Rangefinder, Fuji iso 400 Print Film

 

I took an evening walk around the Rust Nature Sanctuary, and made these images:

 

View From the Porch, by Reed A. George

Konica I Rangefinder, Fuji iso 400 Print Film

 

 

Porch, Nearer to Sunset, by Reed A. George

Konica I Rangefinder, Fuji iso 400 Print Film

 

 

Plank Floor Detail, by Reed A. George

Konica I Rangefinder, Fuji iso 400 Print Film

 

Come On In, by Reed A. George

Konica I Rangefinder, Fuji iso 400 Print Film

 

Barn Roof, by Reed A. George

Konica I Rangefinder, Fuji iso 400 Print Film

 

Decent processing for 35mm film is continually getting harder to come by locally. My past favorite was a brand new CVS drugstore with a brand new system; they've stopped processing film altogether. I understand I'm a dinosaur, and film doesn't make any money. However, now that it's gone, I have zero reason to ever go to that particular store again. Usually, I end up buying other things while I'm there. Not any more.

 

My back-up, a local Walgreens, seems to have lost the touch. With this roll of film, I found a lot of chemical residue and continuous scratches across the top of all of the images. I know the scratch didn't come from the camera. My last roll with them came complete with negatives cut into in the sleeving process (inaccurate cutting), and enough dust and fiber to convince me the technician wore wool gloves while processing. As much as I don't like to wait, The Darkroom (www.thedarkroom.com) is my best bet. They always return my negatives in the best of condition.

 

The Kid, by Reed A. George

Konica I Rangefinder, Fuji iso 400 Print Film

In the shot above, you can see the scratch along the top, and the remaining spots that I couldn't remove after washing the negatives in water and scanning with Digital ICE. Pretty bad. Others were worse.

Here's one more, shot at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC:

National Cathedral Garden View, by Reed A. George

Konica I Rangefinder, Fuji iso 400 Print Film

Processing issues notwithstanding, I am really enjoying the little Konica rangefinder. The more I use Konica cameras, the more I appreciate their lenses. They are really first-class. No wonder the Konica lenses in Leica mount always demand high prices.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

June Results - Whole Lotta Leica - Carl Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5

In the month of June, I shot my Zeiss Sonnar C 50mm f1.5 lens on the Leica M9.

 

(Click Here) to read my post about the lens.

 

In June, I took a great workshop through the Leica Akademie, called "The Truth About Photos." This was a full weekend workshop, with most of Saturday dedicated to shooting in Washington, DC. I used only the Sonnar the whole weekend. I'll be posting a full write-up of the workshop soon, which will have a lot more images from the Sonnar / M9 combination. Stay tuned for that.

 

In the meantime, here are some other images I took with the Sonnar 50mm on the M9 in June.

 

My Favorite Shot From June, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 640, f2.8 1/125 sec

 

The Sonnar renders colors very nicely. The image above is very high contrast, but I'm pleased with the light tonality on the subject's face. It was a tough shot that I think really came out well.

 

 

Leica X-Vario Convert?, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 400, f2.4 1/125 sec

 

Barnack!, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 400, f4 1/350 sec

 

Dramatic Light, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 320, f2.8 1/180 sec

 

Dinner Discussion, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 320, f2 1/180 sec

 

Sharing Earphones, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 320, f16 1/350 sec

 

These ladies were sharing a set of earphones, laughing, and singing at the top of their lungs while walking down the street. Love it.

 

ELAS?, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 640, f1.5 1/60 sec

 

This shot was made wide open with the Sonnar. I love the rendering, and the OOF areas (bokeh).

 

 

Recruiting, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 160, f5.7 1/350 sec

Another high contrast scene. There's plenty of detail in the shadows to pull them up, but this shows what it really looked like.

Sweep, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 200, f13 1/125 sec

 

Forest of Feet, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 Lens

iso 200, f1.5 1/250 sec

 

Another shot showing how the Sonnar performs wide open.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed shooting with the Sonnar for the month. It is a special lens, and really helps to give a certain feeling to the images, especially wide open. Mine (which I bought used) is starting to feel a little friction in the focusing ring, which I gather is not uncommon with these lenses. I think I'll send it off to Zeiss for service.

 

The lens works very well with the Leica M9, in my opinion. I don't have a 50mm Summilux (Leica's f1.4 lens), and would really like to spend some time with one. Until I hit that lottery, the Sonnar is doing a fine job in my opinion. I also want to compare the results with my older Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM lens in a future Whole Lotta Leica month.

 

Stay tuned for more images shot with the Sonnar this month in my upcoming post about the Leica Akademie workshop.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com