Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Having Had Near Death Experience on Aug. 11, Dr. Blacktape is looking for some Lugthoughts... A week ago this past Wednesday, while driving up Rt. 85 near Petersburg, Va., with 16-year-old son and 7-year-old dog in RAV4 Dr. Blacktape managed to briefly "nod off" at 4:30 in the afternoon and rolled aforementioned car and contents. Son and Poodle escaped miraculously uscathed. Dr. Btps style will be cramped for some months to come by a broken collar bone, five broken ribs, a crushed thoracic vertebra, and the need for a polysomething and what-not chest brace and neck collar....No permanent damage, however, again, miraculously.... Laptop computer, M6, Nikon F, and lenses were in car when it did it's Maytag spin cycle...a number 0f the Leica lenses were totally trashed, which, given the circumstances, was to be expected....but...this is really weird...the 35 Summilux Titanium ASPH looks perfect - now that it's cleaned up, but for surface splotches on the front element that look like nothing so much as areas where the coating was removed...Could this have been caused by battery acid? The body looks pretty good, although the bottom plate has an area where the finish was lifted...Battery acid?...I'll be sending both the M6 and the Summilux to New Jersey for passport service, so we'll see what really is and isn't covered... As to the Nikon F---it's a bit muddy and bloody, but looks surprisingly good...but the shade on the 105 2.5 is mashed beyond repair.... The lesson in all this is, of course, "Friends Don't Let Sleeping Friends Drive!" Meanwhile...two days before this disaster Dr.Blacktape's altered shot his first job using a new Sekonic 508...Mortgage the house! Sell the children! And get one. This was all Ilford XP2 Super shot under some pretty awful lighting conditions - bright afternoon son / harsh shadows/out doors...indoor stuff with dark rooms and bright window lighting....and everything is right on... Although...the one thing learned from this job is that I am no longer steady enough to shoot the Nikon with a 105 or longer at under a 125th and rely on getting a sharp neg...Not true, however, with the M... Forgive the ramblings, spellings, etc., but at this point I'm very overloaded on painkillers..... Best to all...and I look forward to next Friday, as I may be in the market for several lenses and a body..