Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Just yesterday as the storm crowds disappeared or gathered, depending on which storm you picked, I headed out with my Leica CL and Super Graphic 4x5. What a trip! Both the drive and the combination. . . Twenty-five miles south of Eureka, I left highway 101 at Rio Dell, and turned west up Monument Mountain Road. A couple miles later my 4x5 was all set up, composed, and focused with the dark slide pulled on a beautiful scene of forest, meadow, big clouds and snowcapped mountains in the distance. Lo and behold, I cute little mule deer stepped right into the one spot of sunshine in the meadow. My motto has always been, "watch and pray" and this time my prayers were answered as my Rodenstock APO 135mm/5.6 Sironar took in the magical scene. Further up, the road changed to gravel at Bear River Ridge as forest gave way to green alpine meadow. Time for a couple of sheets of Velvia. Then with light changing fast, I traded the Super Graphic for the CL and trekked across the field to see what was over the brow of the next hill. Handholding with Ilford Delta 100 and the 40mm Summicron, I shot half a roll in fast changing light and clouds, some of it with a yellow filter. Coming back to the car, I pulled the 90mm Elmar-C out of my customized CL case - an insulated plastic Aladdin lunch box. I mounted a table top tripod and shutter release, spread out my 4x5 dark cloth on top of the car to prevent scratches, and did some 1/15th exposures looking up the twisting road. New vistas were still around those turns, one with boulders reflected in a flooded field and enough distant forest ridges to make at least five planes of focus for another 4x5 shot at f/32 on an old Ektar 203mm/7.7. By now the light was fading fast, so I just enjoyed the next solitary five miles with no cars save my '88 Supra, only one ranch house and sweeping views of the Pacific. The western most road in the US has a name fitting to the territory - "The Wildcat" - and I turned north and homeward on it at Bunker Hill. Six fast downhill miles later, I was in the little Victorian Village of Ferndale, enjoying the last dinner being served at Curley's. Ted Grant, if you've read this far, need I say more about your trip down the coast? Just name the date. Leica's and 4x5's, need I say more? > At 11:01 PM 98-04-13 -0600, you wrote: > >Just curious to know whether anyone has found that owning a Leica M and a > >4x5 field camera--and nothing else--has proven to be a satisfying experience > >for landscapes/nature (80%) and travel photography (20%) > > > >Jeff > > > Hello Jeff, > > All I own is a 4x5 with a 210 Schneider Apo-Symmar, M4-P, a soon to be > replaced M6, 50mm Summilux and a 90mm Elmarit - M and this has proven to be > a thoroughly satisfying experience for me. The majority of my work is > landscape, local architecture, travel and street photography. Occasional I > do wish that I had a longer lens to capture the Himal from my rooftop but I > find that my photographs are better when I get closer to the subject rather > than using a longer lens. This summer I hope to purchase a 35mm/2.0 ASPH > for the M's and a 120mm Schneider Super Angulon for the 4x5. > > Ian Stanley, > > Kathmandu, Nepal