Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> ><<Only wimps hang their M5s normally.>>>>> When going for walks around Eureka, I usually carry my CL over my right shoulder (ala M5 two lug), with the body hanging just above the elbow behind my arm. For me it's the perfect compromise for comfort and availability when carrying one camera. The longer length of the baseplate against the back of your arm is more comfortable than the short side of an M body. Admittedly, getting the camera to your eye isn't as quick as hanging it around your neck. But because of the comfort, I usually have it with me, which has always resulted in a faster shot than if I had to jog home to get a camera I didn't bring in the first place. An example of more serious shooting took place a couple weeks ago when the Promise Keepers ministry asked me to document their meeting in Redwood Bowl at Humboldt State University. I put a 21mm Elmarit with finder on the CL, hanging in the customary "2-lug" position over my right shoulder. My M6 was front and center around my neck. I mostly used the 35mm Summicron and 90mm Elmarit. Two shots indoors were accomplished in low light with the 50mm Summilux wide open (Tri-X). For fun I strapped on an SL with the Telyt 280mm f4.8 over my left shoulder. With visions of David Douglas Duncan's "Self-Portrait USA" book, I added the shortest R body extension tube, which allowed me to shoot from about 15 feet away and get incredibly sharp portraits of the men who spoke. At infinity focus, their heads filled the frame from the collar up, and the Telyt did indeed capture detail just like in Duncan's portraits of 1968 presidential candidates. The whole shoot was great fun, as well as making the B&W enlargements on the V35. Three pictures appeared in a local monthly newspaper, and about 15 photos will go into an event report and portfolio that will be sent to Promise Keepers headquarters. Later a friend with army experience and I were mixing stories and metaphors. We decided that if you compared my cameras to his W.W.II rifles, then the CL with 21mm was like an M1 carbine - small and great for close in shooting; the M6 had to be the venerable all-purpose M1 Garand; and the SL with big lens could only be compared to a BAR (and weighed almost as much). In any case, it turned out to be a superb combination of Leica's to capture the people and spirit of an event. Gary Todoroff