Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/20

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Subject: [Leica] 35mm versus 120
From: "Paul Bolam" <Paul@bolam67.freeserve.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 19:44:06 -0000

Ted Grant said...........

> Man I'm glad I don't have the skills some of you have in doing all this
> measuring stuff, be no time left for picture taking.

I agree with you Ted, a very interesting debate on format difference.
However, this theory should not
worry us too much.

I use most formats from 35mm upwards AND the only thing that really counts
is the kit that I have with me at the time! AND you just can't tell what
your gonna need in advance.

In any case, I will still have a go at getting a picture, despite the camera
or format.

For example, whilst on holiday, I visited Arches National Park at dawn and
shot the sunrise. As I turned round to pack up I saw a deer closeby watching
me. Momentarily, I wished I had my R7. However, I only had the Art Panorama
6x17 with 90mm F6.8 lens. I still managed to get a fair shot of the animal
backlit with the sun's rays !. The real problem here was trying to get that
bloody centre filter off the lens in time (otherwise I'd have lost three
stops of light) before the deer shot off like hot sh*t from a shovel !

Obviously, 35mm format would have been the preferred format in this
instance. But, as I did not have a slave at that time of day, I could not
carry more gear (the wife was still asleep at the Moab hotel). She'll call
me a chauvinist and give me a verbal lashing when she reads this!

Anyway, the moral of the story is, don't worry about film size, lens
resolution or whatever, just use the kit available and grab that picture as
best you can.

Perhaps this can start a less technical thread about how to get pictures in
awkward circumstances with less than ideal equipment. I for one would be
interested to read your practical experiences and solutions.

Paul (me-no-tech-no-speak) Bolam.