Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/10/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]You ought to see Sam Abel's book, Stay This Moment. I understand these were taken on a tripod with a cable release and many were taken with a Leica. You can use these two tools, along with good film and processing to produce images as good as MF cameras Walter S Delesandri wrote: > Very well put, Bob.....and I too, use the 35mm camera as a "little 4x5", > at times....but if my MAIN subject interests were both readily approachable > and static, I'd opt for at least a MF neg...but I'd still not leave home > without my Ms.....:) :) :) > Walt > > On Mon, 2 Oct 2000 12:23:06 -0500 Bob Stack <ticino@earthlink.net> > wrote: > > Hi Tina, Ted, Guy, Martin, Walter, Doug, et.al. > > On the sound advice of a Lugger of long standing, I have enjoyed reading the > > LUG for several months before venturing a comment or two. For background, I > > use an M-6 with 21, 35, 50 and 90mm lenses, and an R-8 with,24, 50, 100 APO > > Macro and 180 APO lenses. I use B&W film almost exclusively (sad about APX > > 25) and do all my own printing in a wet darkroom. And, I am a zone system > > disciple. > > One of the great attractions to me of Leica is the wonderful versatility of > > the system. If I want to be unobtrusive, the M is often the best solution, > > ala Ted, Tina, etc. If I want to photograph wildlife that can kill me if I > > get as close as Johnny does with people in his Human Traffic photos, there > > is the R ala Doug. Both systems adapt beautifully to zone system work, or > > to any other method you might choose to employ. > > I have also found that on many occasions that the only way to capture a > > particular image was to treat my Leica 35mm as a small 4x5, and that certain > > images could not be readily captured in large format. Example; an > > electrified train emerging out of white-out snow and fog conditions. The > > image required a tripod for the exact composition I wanted, slow speed film > > and N+2 development to acheive acceptabe grain and contrast for printing, > > and a 35mm camera to take multiple exposures to position the fast moving > > train exactly where I wanted it within the complex of electric line towers. > > I have used both the M and the R in ways similar to this, depending on how I > > wanted the final print to feel. > > > > While I find the Leica system to be highly versitle, I have seen in this > > thread is a bit of dogma creeping that suggests the system can be only be > > used successfully in a only a few, restricted ways. Some paraphrased > > examples: "the M is only for hand held photography"; "if you are using a > > tripod, you might as well be photographing with a 4x5, or at least 2 1/4"; > > "photographers who use the zone system lose the impact of the image while > > they fiddle with their techniques"; to pick just a few. I can see many > > different ways to successfully use these cameras, and would hope we would > > encourage the exploration of may different approaches and techniques that > > can help expand the usefullness of the Leica system to the widest range > > possible. > > > > Sorry for the longish reply, but Sheakspear I ain't. > > Bob Stack > >