[Leica] Playing with Medium Format

[Don Dory]

Thank you for the suggestion to look at Emmet Gowins images.  I took a
quick look at MoMA and found this image:

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/94495

I think images like this would work very well with the Super Ikonta, it is
not about the sharpness but the image itself and the subject matter
treatment by the photographer.  I am reminded of a comment about Edward
Weston's negatives.  They were intentionally very dense allowing great
control over the tonal scale but difficult to print without having printed
them under his direction: mostly his son prints them.  He was working with
large format so grain wasn't especially a concern.

I do think that traditional silver photography allows a creative approach
very different from digital.  While I have 14-15 stops of information to
deal with and discern silver has a completely different tonal range
natively: you mentioned this in Chicago as to why you preferred your film
M's to the Monochrome.

All the best.

On Tue, Sep 6, 2022 at 1:26 PM Lluis Ripoll via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
wrote:

> Hi Don,
>
> Thanks, very interesting your comments and based on these tests I see that
> there are many possibilities of images depending on the intended purpose. I
> think from this point I need to follow these steps:
>
> - Check in the darkroom the real aspect of the copies.
> - Check again the Super Ikonta with the rangefinder adjusted.
>
> An important fact that I didn't mention. I took the pictures with the
> Rollleiflex with a tripod and placing a 10x magnifying glass on the
> focusing screen, with the Super Ikonta they were taken hand held.
>
> I don't know the F64 movement but now I think I should experiment with the
> tonal range. Two days ago I had the opportunity to visit a photographic
> exhibition in which there was a small and wonderful collection of Emmet
> Gowin's prints, extraordinary prints! I stayed a while examining them and
> remembered that I had already seen some of them. Last year I bought two
> books from the publishing house “Lustrum Press” founded by Ralph Gibson, in
> these books, which I think are essential for anyone who wants to do serious
> work in the darkroom, great masters of photography talk about their
> techniques, it is exciting, although you can not apply their techniques
> exactly, you become aware of the importance of the basis of the tonal range
> and it is to admire the artistic work of these true craftsmen of
> photography, far from what is done today and without the need for giant
> enlargements to large size in which you can count the hairs of the hair. I
> recommend these books if only to get an idea of what photography was like
> 50 or 60 years ago.
>
> Saludos desde Barcelona
> Lluis
>
> ISBN : Darkroom 1:  CLOTH 0-912810-20-3  PAPER 0-912810-19-x
> ISBN:  Darkroom 2:  HARDCOVER 0-912810-22-x  PAPER  0-912810-21-1
>
>
>
> > El 6 set 2022, a les 19:17, Don Dory via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> va
> escriure:
> >
> > The 80 planar is an incredible lens in medium format and you have used it
> > well.  You know I can't resist tree roots and rocks so the Rollei series
> is
> > appealing to me.  Your texture and selective focus is very poleasing.
> >
> > The Super Ikonta seems better suited to images that work better when
> > romance, gradations, and a less crisp view is appropriate: the antithesis
> > of the F64 movement.  I am thinking more in the vein of Geogia O'Keefe's
> > flowers where the gross shape and very rough texture are the important
> > features.  I think someone's suggestion last week to look at some of the
> > Voightlander rangefinder offerings in medium format might give you a
> medium
> > format rangefinder that is possibly less expensive than the Fuji's.
> >
> > Another thought is to use the Super Ikonta in low light with highly
> pushed
> > Tri-x or HP-5 using the grain and softness to effect the feel of night.
> My
> > suggestions are really me working out using some of my less advanced
> gear:
> > I have struggled with the first generation Zeiss 35mm on a Contax II as
> it
> > is not a very good lens at least in my sample.  At least in 35mm I can
> use
> > a 1600 or 3200 speed film.
> >
> > On Tue, Sep 6, 2022 at 6:18 AM Lluis Ripoll via LUG <lug at leica-users.org
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> All the pictures with Ilford FP4 EI 100, D-23 1:1
> >>
> >> The first 5 with the Rolleiflex Planar 80mm f 2.8, the two last with the
> >> Super Ikonta III
> >>
> >> My forest Fairy
> >> <
> >>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Medium+Format/2022F080407.jpg.html
> >>>
> >>
> >> Textures
> >> <
> >>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Medium+Format/2022F080401.jpg.html
> >>>
> >>
> >> Rocks 1
> >> <
> >>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Medium+Format/2022F080403.jpg.html
> >>>
> >>
> >> Rocks 2
> >> <
> >>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Medium+Format/2022F080404.jpg.html
> >>>
> >>
> >> Rocks 3
> >> <
> >>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Medium+Format/2022F080405.jpg.html
> >>>
> >>
> >> With Super Ikonta III,  Yellow medium filter
> >> <
> >>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Medium+Format/2022F080501.jpg.html
> >>>
> >>
> >> With Super Ikonta III, no filter
> >> <
> >>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Medium+Format/2022F080503.jpg.html
> >>>
> >>
> >> Thanks for looking, your c&c are welcome
> >>
> >> Saludos cordiales
> >> Lluis
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Leica Users Group.
> >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Don
> > don.dory at gmail.com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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-- 
Don
don.dory at gmail.com