Take The Shot You Are Given

Using a Leica iiif. Before I get into the review, a little background on this classic camera. The Leica iiif was produced in the 1950’s and featured a shutter speed of 1/1000 and flash synchronization. Not bad for a fully mechanical camera. My father picked his up in 1957 while in the army near the end of his tour of duty. He invested in the full kit: the camera, a 3.5cm f/3.5 lens, a 5.0cm f/1.5 lens, and a 13.5cm f/4.5 lens. He used it for years, then handed it down to me when I became a father. It needed a lot of work, but once CLA’d and repaired (thank you TLC Camera) it really looks like the gorgeous piece of equipment that it is. Now I wanted to see if it would operate as good as it looks. On a recent trip to Arizona, I was feeling nostalgic and in the mood for something different. Going thru my camera collection, I decided to use the “Big Gun” my Dad’s old Leica iiif. It seemed like a good fit for a state with loads of character and personality – yes, I LOVE Arizona! I brought the 3.5cm and the 5.0cm lens along with 2 of my favorite films: Ilford FP4+ for daylight shots and Tri-X pushed to 1600 for indoor and low light photography. I don’t have a filter that fits it, so I brought along a yellow #8 to hold in front of the lens when outdoors and in bright light. The camera is compact so I had no problems carrying it around. While not heavy, it is VERY solid and comfortable in the hand. I made it my constant companion on this trip as I stopped by Tombstone, Bisbee and other cool places. The 3.5cm lens was very compact and well balanced on the camera. The 5.0cm was a bit larger and made it slightly front heavy, but still easy to use. The challenges I had: 1. Loading the film requires practice and dedication. The first time I used it, my roll slipped off the reel. I took much more time getting it right for this trip. First, you remove the bottom plate and the take-up spool. The iiif is loaded from the bottom as there is no film back. That is different and takes a bit of getting used to. Next, you cut the film to give you 4” of lead. The end of the lead is slowly fed into the take-up spool’s clamping spring as far as it can go. The spool and the film casset are then loaded into the camera. Once loaded, you advance the film thru 2 actuations and then use the rewind to remove the slack in the film. You manually set the counter to 1. 2. There is no thumb lever to advance the film. You have to turn a knob. This is not 100% a problem as it slows you down and focuses you on the image capture. Just don’t expect to capture multiple images quickly. Note: You will know if the film has slipped off the spool if the rewind knob does not turn in tandem with the advance knob. 3. Aligning a rangefinder image can be a challenge in tricky light… but a slight rotation and recompose action makes it easier. Zone focusing is your friend. 4. The view finder is small. Tiny in fact. Taking images with glasses made for a real challenge – and not one I enjoyed. Also, the view finder is optimized for 5.0cm, so the 3.5cm lens was capturing more of the image than seen. There is definitely a modern "clip on finder" in my future. Lack of clear framing of my shots cost me a few images. 5. It does not take normal filters and I like to use a filter when shooting outside in daylight. I got used to holding a yellow#8 filter in front of the lens, but it made stability a bit tricky. I really need to get one on e-bay that fits. That said, the images came out great. 6. No light meter. This is kind of expected with older fully mechanical cameras and I have gotten good at using my smart phone and a lumu meter for this. Still, there is a lot going on and this is just one more variable to remember. When in doubt, sunny 16 rules, but it can be tricky at dusk and indoors. The Rewards: 1. The camera feels good in the hand. No, make that GREAT. The rounded ends and the slim design took a little adjustment, but once I got used to it I loved it. 2. The rangefinder focusing in good light was very fast and easy. Also, the lens had great markings to allow for zone focusing when prepping for a shot – speeding things up and useful in lower light. 3. The older un-coated lens have a great look. Very sharp when stopped down. They just create a beautiful image. The low light shots were especially beautiful in the out of focus areas. 4. Using this camera made me feel very connected to my images. The films I used really shone thru and created such an amazing sense of ownership. Hard to describe other than to say I love these shots. 5. This camera was a huge conversation starter. People just naturally want to talk when they see me with it. 6. You get more than 36 exposures. I had 38... Two freebies are nice. In conclusion, this is now my favorite 35mm camera. It is a dream to shoot and I look forward to taking it out. It has challenges... But that is what makes it fun. The fact that it is a family hand-me-down makes it even better.

The best burger in ATL. Grind House Killer Burgers Fun and retro-pulp fiction atmosphere with an amazingly good burger. Captured with a Polaroid 103 Land Camera and Fuji FP100C film. How retro is that?

Pentax Spotmatic Review I took my Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SP with Super-Takumar 1:1.8 55 lens for a walk over lunch and put my first roll of film through it. This was a maiden voyage of sorts, but she’s no maiden! This camera is older than I am and has definitely taken many pictures. Despite her age, she is a refined and gorgeous camera just begging to be taken out. Knowing that she had not been fired in a long time (based on how the shutter speed seemed to improve with exercise), When you shoot a 50 year old camera, especially one that has been too long on a shelf, you get quirks and challenges. This is to be expected. First, the positives: 1. The camera had a nice solid feel to it. Very robust. It felt good in the hand and was very well balanced. 2. The shutter had a nice “click” to it and the shutter speed and Aperture settings were also very crisp with a nice “click” into place. 3. The Lens had half clicks between the aperture settings, except between f11 and f16. Nice when “splitting the difference” in exposure estimates. 4. The self-timer worked very well as long as the arm was positioned at least 90 degrees. 5. The lens is super smooth at close ranges (up to 4’) – soooo much smoother than a modern auto focus lens. 6. The camera screams “classic” and many people came up to me to ask about it. 7. This is a fun camera to shoot. Next, the challenges I had: 1. The shutters seemed a little slow, but after “dry firing” a few dozen times (before I loaded the film), the speeds seemed about right to my ear. 2. The lens focusing got “sticky” at about 5’ and it gets progressively worse as it moves to infinity. At first it was so rough I could barely get it to infinity with high effort. Focusing with 2 fingers beyond 5’ is tight, beyond 7-10’ not really possible without adding a couple fingers to the effort. KEH replaced the lens without question and the new one is perfect. Super smooth. I love working with them. 3. The meter is inoperable and I prefer to shoot manual anyway. I knew this when I bought the camera. 4. The lens has an “auto” and a “manual” setting. As I was not using a light meter, I set it at manual and was cursed with dark images. I had to open the aperture, focus, then stop it down to the desired f-stop. It took me a while to realize that this was actually a depth of field preview. 5. The focus screen also was of the matte-circle type – a split circle would have made focusing easier. 6. The film advance felt ROUGH. I thought it had slipped off the reel at about picture #5 and I actually opened the back (figuring I could lose 5-6 images). It visually appeared to be winding correctly, it was just rough. Apparently, something had gone wrong because around shot number 38… I knew I had lost the film. 7. Back to the drawing board. I practiced loading with an old “test” roll of film and figured out that I did not tighten the film before I closed the back. That kept it from lining up the sprockets and resulting in the film sliding off the bar. I now know how to load it. I loaded a roll of FL4+ and loaded it correctly. When properly loaded it is no longer rough to advance the film. User error. Bottom line: · This is a camera that, really needs to be used! After a few dozen dry fires, the operations definitely improved. I thought it would need a CLA… now I am not so sure. Maybe it just needs more exercise. · Before closing the back, the slack in the film needs to be taken out by lightly rewinding. Pretty basic knowledge for people used to film cameras, but I did not remember. It is worth mentioning to others who have not shot a manual film camera in years. · Focus takes a practice, the matte/prism style focus aid works, but it’s not as fast as a split image. I may price out an upgrade. · This camera, while it takes a while to get used to, is fun to shoot and feels Great in the hand. · With a little TLC and maybe a CLA, this camera could be handed down to my children or grand-children. · Would I recommend it? Yes – if you are familiar with shooting manual mode… · I like the 55mm focal length. Combined with a minimum focusing distance of 1.5’, I can get some good perspectives. But my eye seems to prefer 35mm as I am constantly backing up. I may have to buy a 35mm companion. · Do I plan to keep using? Absolutely!

This last week I took my grandmothers 1964 Canonet S out for a spin. It is a rangefinder camera that is slightly larger than most classic cameras. It has a 45mm f1.7 lens. No battery, so I used my Lumu light meter. I wanted a little “pop”, so I loaded it with Kodak Ektar. Focused to infinity, I had nice shots, but the focus was not accurate with anything close up. I figured out the focus was off early so I picked my targets accordingly. Also, the shutter stuck open with speeds under 1/15. Had me a little nervous. Ektar is a vivid film, but it tends to sacrifice dynamic range for saturation. I don’t see it knocking Portra out of the top spot in my bag for color film… That said, no film I have used does clouds like Ektar. Heavenly. The Canonet is definitely in need of a CLA… But shows promise. Family cameras always get the extra TLC.

Just returned from a trip to North Carolina. Here is a quick picture of my favorite North Carolina breakfast spot - the Midtown Cafe and Dessertery located in Winston-Salem. I took it with my Polaroid 103 land camera using Fuji FP100C film. I miss the black and white film, but the color has its moments too.

So I brought home a new friend. Very classy and refined, something of a traditionalist. She is an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SP. currently sporting a slightly radioactive Super-Takumar 1:1.8/55mm lens. I will give it a good home. Keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Take it for regular walks to give it a little exercise. I plan to feed it a steady diet of Tri-X, Portra, and an occasion bit of Ektar. Lots of love and maybe even a little CLA if needed.

I heard medium format was a different and fun way of expanding my photography. A trusting friend loaned me his Bronica for a weekend and I was hooked. These were 3 of my favorite shots from that weekend. The frozen branch was the final decision maker for my decision to go bigger than 35mm. Ektar is a very interesting film - high contrast and saturation.

I really need to use my Macro lens more. One of my favorite shots ever. Taken with my Minolta Dynax 7 and a 100mm Macro in 2005.

A digital photographer captured on analog. I love the analog look of instant film. This was taken with my Polaroid 103 land camera and Fuji FP3000B instant film. The film has been discontinued, which is quite a shame. Such a timeless look.

I love shooting reflections. The way DOF looks is just stunning. Using a great camera like a Hasselblad just makes it better!

Sometimes you have to go into new places to get good photography. I admit to stopping at the sign though.

A cloudy day meets Kodak Portra inside a Hasselblad 500cm. They are a match made in heaven...

The harsh structure of a winter tree against a soft cloudy day , perfect match for Kodak Portra. The find lab did an excellent job on my roll of Portra 160.