[Leica] Four cool things

["M.E.Berube" <MEB@goodphotos.com>]

1) The little 25/4 Cosina Skopar on an M5 is a rocking combination. I got 
my first roll back from the lab this morning and I love it. I do need to do 
much more shooting to get a feel for just how "off" the parallax makes the 
finder. In several shots I placed a tree close in the foreground and a 
sweeping valley in the background. Everything is in tack sharp focus with 
null flare (f/22) but the base of the tree which was clearly in the finder, 
got cut off on the neg.

2) The new early Leitz replica strap made by Seth Levine 
<pepe3@bellatlantic.net> of MClassics is well made and very attractive. 
Once it has been broken in a bit and is no longer stiff it will be one of 
my favourite accessories. I'm impressed with the strap (just $19!) and 
service enough that I'll have to check out his MClassics bag when I go to 
the PHSNE show next weekend in Waltham, MA. (Anyone else going?)

3) Minolta back end lens caps fit Leica M lenses. All of my lenses but one 
are LTM and have been scrounged here an there, so I only had one M cap. In 
desperation of not having to screw the adapters from CameraQuest on and off 
on and off and not wanting to leave the lenses unprotected in the bag or 
pocket, I tried an extra minolta cap on my cheap Russian 50 (which was a 
waste of $30 but worth the try.) While not a proper fit as would be a Leica 
cap, it actually fits pretty snugly and protects the back element. Since 
they are made of soft plastic, they shouldn't cause any damage to the lens 
mounts. I have a lot of extra minolta caps from various lens makers that 
I've picked up here and there over the years for pennies and now all my 
lenses are mounted with locktite on the rings, (I don't have an LTM body 
yet) capped and placed in those little bags made of lens cleaning micro 
fiber that are being sold at sunglass kiosks in malls now. As I find 
affordable M mount caps, I will replace the minolta caps, but these will 
work well in the mean time.

4) The secret to longevity...
I was hired to photograph a Centegenarian's birthday celebration today. As 
I was taking a portrait of this strong and graceful Maine woman, she 
motioned for me to come closer. I did and she said with a twinkle in her 
eye and a thick New England accent; "You know, I got to be this old from 
not taking my life too seriously. I make sure that I have fun every day and 
I love life. I've been thinking about telling that to all the old people I 
meet who are much younger than I and complain too much."

I love my avocation.

Carpe Luminem,
Michael E. Berube
http://www.goodphotos.com