Camera porn!!

For lack of anything better... some camera porn!

Around May 2010, I was very curious about the Nikon RF system... so much I went and leaped at the chance of getting a "kit." Here it is: Nikon S2 with a 50mm f1.4 lens. It came with a front cap, hood and a leather case in need or some help (especially the strap). I've used it despite the fact that the rangefinder is not aligned and the horizontal lines do not align. Apparently, it is something as easy as any given DIY trick... but I'm not too mechanically inclined, so it must go to Peter Smith in FL.

Here is our best friend, the Leica M4-2 freshly arrived from service at DAG. Despite the fact that I now have one more fast 35mm lens, the Konica is destined to stay on this body. Not long ago I had a couple of rolls of Provia ISO 400 processed and have not scanned any image thereof... But I must do it soon! I really think this combination is next to perfect, at least for my hands. The smaller Leica Summicron 35mm or even the Summilux would look nice on it, but it would be a pain to use. With the Hexanon there simply are no fumbling moments. This lens design is most natural and comfortable... at least in my hands.

Above, the current "queen" of the roost (that is, the latest acquisition): a Leica M5 in black. It's now outfitted with a Cosina Voigtländer 35mm f1.4 Nokton Classic SC lens, of which I still haven't too many photographs. The viewfinder in this camera is huge. The framelines for the 35mm lens occupy most of it, which makes it an ideal camera for this focal length. Also, the meter is quite proficient and sensitive.


Above, a view of the M5 with an Elmarit 28mm f2.8. The soft-release button visible on the camera had to be removed; somehow, the threads got ruined. I went and bought one (the legitimate one) from Tom... but then had problems with the shutter release button getting suddenly stuck on its way down. This camera has a long-way shutter release, not as sensitive as, say, my M4-2's or my M3's. Unless I ship it back to Sherry or send it to Don, I'll have to learn to live with it...

So, that's all, folks! Back soon with some photographs taken with the M5, from the Sycamore Pumpkin Fest and some Chicago street shots (namely, Kristkindle's Market in Daley Plaza). Until then, happy shooting!

More Chicago Images

From the same roll... Need to check out my negs. There must be more stuff done with my M4-2. In the meanwhile, these are not too bad. In fact, I like to think of this one below as a bit in the Winogrand style...

A sign of our times: the talking man in the street. In Frank's photographs, they used to be alone in their thoughts. Now they're not... but do they think?

A very urban view of Chicago and it's open spaces: the Cadillac, the parking lot and the sky.

This photograph of an urban space (a parking lot) makes me feel good as a photographer... for no reason whatsoever. I just like it. It's an unfancy Chicago, a working area, almost a place that has a job: to keep the streets free from (car) clutter. Besides, the intense light takes me back to the moment when I took this photograph... and it was a nice day.

Greetings!

Street shots I didn't remember

Here, some recently "discovered" street shots in Chicago (with a metered Leica body and probably my Elmarit 28mm f2.8), on Agfa APX ISO 400 film.

A lost bicycle ring, still attached to a rack, looking like a distant memory of something that was, and is no longer...
Drummer kids on Michigan Avenue. They animate the streets for the pedestrians, but drive bonkers those who live in the (expensive) condos nearby.

For some reason, the juxtaposition of the bike and the "Vote" sign made me chuckle, probably because I think there's some meaning in their random encounter.

Is there? Is that what street photography is all about? Meaning? Stories that await to be told? The so-called "decisive moment"? Or isn't it just images of the street, records of an era gone by?

You vote, So long... still waiting for that Leica M5 body!

Found negs

While waiting for my M5, I've decided to do some things or else I'll go nuts (BTW, the lens hood, purchased new from Adorama, came in today).

One of the many things I still have to do (besides sweeping the backyard) is developing some film. As a matter of fact, I did it just a few hours ago, and while I was filing my negs (they are too curled up for scanning), lo and behold! I found some very old negs... made with this very old Leica M4-2.

To be quite honest, I didn't remember NOT having burned anything but commercial film in this one... but it seems I did use some of my film stock (Agfa APX, no less), so here it is...

Frequent sights in campus, people (actually, students) walking about, and bicycles, though not in the abundance one would expect... I think this is a spot near the Founders Library.

Bike parking by Graham Hall, where my German class met in the fall 2008.

Classmates in German 202 at NIU

And yes, indeed, all these images were created with my trustworthy M4-2. Nothing more fitting than uploading them here.

The Obsessive Cycle

I started this blog as the result of an obsession of sorts... my anxiety about receiving my very first Leica M4-2. I never thought it would lead to any other type of obsession... But it did.

Now, in this very moment, I'm jonesing for a Leica M5 recently purchased on eBay. Wanna see?

Yes, the lens was borrowed from my M4-2, because after looking through the viewfinder I sensed that the best field of view for it is that of the 35mm.

I ended up with this camera on a lark. There was an auction on eBay, I felt like gambling (do it sometimes too often, not always win) and bid. To my surprise, I got the camera, even though I have never been to excited about the M5. Problem? I ended up liking it... A lot... More than expected.

Since the meter was all wonky, I had to send it to Sherry Kräuter's shop, "The Golden Touch," to get it revived (there may be more issues with it, and in any case, she has a reputation as a Leica M5 devotee). Then, I started salivating about another 35mm (I won't leave my M4-2 with a 50mm lens on... it's just against my religion, even though I have a nice Canon 50mm f1.2 in my inventory). I ended up falling for a Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.4 used, which I got not for a song, but still for a decent price (used but not much).

Wanna see what this camera did with a wonky meter?

This is Ben, our older, gentler cat, on a chair of our porche. I used the camera meter for this one, knowing fully well it was overexposing. All in all, Ben was correctly exposed, doing what he does best: rest.

With family at the office (hers, actually). At this point, I chose to "guesspose" and set the camera and lens at 1/60th, f2.8.

The silly thing now is that I simply cannot wait for the camera to return. I've been trying to get myself busy in different ways and forms so as not to THINK about the camera (or the lens, which will be shipped from Canada tomorrow, Wednesday October 6, 2010). In fact, the camera will not come before Sherry contacts me, and that tends to be over the phone. She'll give me the estimate cost of her repair, I'll have to accept it, and then, it may be a wait of three days or three weeks, depending on the work needed.

What a funk... but I got into it all alone by myself. Fortunately, I still have toys to play with! Keep you posted!

Some household we run

Daily life... with cats.

According to my wife, it's like living in a painting by Jan Steen (Dutch painter from the 17th century).

His paintings were famous because they showed the daily lives of his contemporaries, often with humor. Like this one below, titled "Children Teaching a Cat to Dance"



We're less raucous... we have class... Or rather, Mimi has class, and she rules the roost.

M4-2, Hexanon 35/2, Kodak BW400CN.

How do we compare with the Dutch? Edmund is eating from his bottle, and Mimi from Frances's plate.

More about life later on... hopefully!

Color

Using color film... can be a problem. No, I don't avoid it. In fact, I like it, but it's a problem dealing with one's exposure mistakes, as they translate into weird tones, strange casts, unexpected renderings of skin color. However, I just keep trying. Here are some samples from last summer.

My wife, on a rare moment of peace now that we have a baby (I compensated the exposure one stop and a half, IIRC, exp. 1/1000 at f4)

Potential undergraduate students touring the NIU campus (exp. 1/1000 at f13 or thereabouts)

Cat in a DeKalb store. I offered a print to the cat's owner... and shall deliver soon (exp. 1/60 at f4, IIRC)

Words and images

Singer at a Farmers' Market, DeKalb, June 2009 (M4-2, Hexanon 35mm, Kodak BW400CN)

Browsing through accidental photography blogs, I found one common aspect.

Many of them just post images.

This, to me, isn't that appealing. The whole idea of a blog is to communicate. Images, indeed, do say things, but they work (at least, a mon avis) better when paired with words.

However, just for the sake of posting (which has become somehow difficult), I'll see to make images more relevant than prose, instead of aiming at a balance. Let's see if I like it...

Ben on my chair (M4-2, Hexanon 35mm, Kodak BW400CN, with Leica SF-20 flash in auto mode)

Back from repairs... and feeling frisky!

The M4-2 went to Wisconsin, to get repaired, and receive a new lease on life from Don Goldberg. It's finally back! And of course, I've been using it (with B&W film).

Trees by the NIU library...

Backyard furniture, covered in snow.

Bench near library, with sun peeking in.

The film advance still feels a bit grainy, but the cosmetics in the camera are now unbeatable. Both PC contacts have their own covers and the little rims around them (both were restored). Don also replaced the hot flash element, which had deteriorated when some glue from a clumsy repair in the top axle of the film rewind seeped into it. Later, I added some white to the lettering. The camera is ready for some 25 more years...