Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/10/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>STRAPS: There might be a better strap than the Domke out there, but I >haven't found it. I have two Domke straps and they are very nice. But I have some equally nice straps of all leather construction as well. Very similar, really, and I like the feel of leather. >FOCUSING: With the M's, I like to get a better view by FOCUSING WITH >BOTH EYES OPEN. ... A long time ago, I learned to use virtually all my cameras with both eyes open. This is particularly useful when doing action photography with a long lens on an SLR ... I use the left eye to keep the moving subject in sight and the right eye to track where the lens is point and the focus is. >TRIPODS I have a couple of table top tripods but rarely use them. My only other tripod is a heavy duty Bogen 3022 with Manfrotto ball head ... it services anything up to a 6x6 camera easily (although my Minox B always looked damn silly on it !). >DARKROOM I am of the opinion that if you do not personally develop your >own B/W film to your own tastes and then enlarge on LEICA enlargers >that you will never see the best that you or your cameras can do. The >Focomats are expensive enlargers, but worth every cent. They really are >the best. I didn't believe it would make a difference, until I used >them and compared the results. If I cannot print my images, I feel I cannot really do photography. Whether I can afford a Leitz enlarger is less important ... certainly a Focomat is a superb instrument but I've never been able to afford one. I have a 35mm Durst enlarger and a Beseler 23CII. The only significant difference between a Focomat and either of the above, except for the lens, would be if they did not hold the film, lens and enlarging board in rigid alignment or if they were prone to moving about while making an exposure ... neither of them are faulty in this respect, far as I can tell. I have EL-Nikkor, Rodenstock, Schneider and Leitz lenses for them (35mm-90mm focal lengths), which is where I can really see a difference. The EL-Nikkors are the best for doing color that I've used, somehow it's always easier to dial in the correct color settings and exposure with them, but for black and white work, the Leitz, Rodenstock and Schneider lenses have the edge with slightly different contrast and resolution characteristics: the results with the Leitz are particularly luminous somehow, but the Schneider is a hair sharper. (The Leitz lens is from 1937...) You're making me all misty eyed from when I actually had time/space/etc to do darkroom work. I haven't used any of my darkroom equipment in about 12 years, no time or place to set up, and now I'm doing most of my photography by scanning negs with a 2700 dpi film scanner, balancing and finishing them with PhotoShop, and printing them on a 720dpi printer. The results are very gratifying: I can do photography again, not just take pictures. Godfrey