Re: [Leica] re: first lens?

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

Walter S Delesandri wrote and inquired. ;-)
>>Hi, Ted...I know how you feel about equipment discussion, your a "go out
and shoot" kinda guy....but I have to ask a question that I'd be interested
in and I'm sure others would,,,,You've stated that you used Leica for 30 or
35 years, and have photographed longer that that.  Out of curiosity,
off-topic tho it may be, what OTHER gear do/did you use?....do/did you use
other 'classic' RF gear?--or perhaps Rolleiflex/Graphic/etc in your youth?
Enquiring minds want to know (or maybe they're just bored on Friday morning
with nothing better to do....) <<<<<<

Hi Walt,
By all means here's the 324 page summary! ;-)

First camera..... May 27 1950....Argus A2, gift from my wife and I still
have it.

After that my equipment purchase was influenced by whom my role models were
and their gear. And or what I could afford. Ridiculous concept as we learn
later in life it's the holder of the camera and not the camera!  However,
when we're amateurs we think we can only take great pictures if we have the
same equipment as the "big name folks."  Right? ;-)

I really wanted a Leica then, but became influenced by some of the big names
using Rollieflex, Capa for one.

Rollicord,  I wanted a Rollieflex and they didn't have one in stock and I
was in a hurry to get on with bigger negative picture taking. Owned it for
23 days and because it wasn't a Rollieflex, therefore I couldn't take great
pictures like my idols.

Traded it back to the dealer and he allowed me 50% of the original purchase
price towards the Rollieflex. Now I knew I was away to the races, look out
world here I come. ;-) Aaaaah  youthful dreaming. :-)

4x5 Speed Graphic as a newsphotographer.

2 1/4 Meister Korelle, single lens interchangeable lens camera due to the
influence of Ralph Morse of LIFE mag. His influence was the most dramatic
for me in using equipment for the right shoot...... providing you knew how
to use it. Otherwise a guy with a 50mm lens and knowing how to use it and
make it work would blow you out of the water!

Rollieflex, two of them most shoots due to requiring colour and B&W.

Leica, III g and a couple of lenses.

Contax III and a 50 lens.

Mamyiaflex 2 1/4 2 bodies with interchangeable lenses.

Hasselblad, 2 - 500c's and a Hasselblad SWC... used them like 35mm cameras,
3 at a time with different lenses. Only problem was they kept running out of
film too quickly! ;-)

Nikon F's with motors because Leica didn't have an SLR, then when they did,
it was only good as an anchor on a boat. :-) Besides Nikon had lots of
lenses.

M4, 3 bodies, 21, 35, 50, 50 Noctilux, 90.
M5, 3 bodies, same lenses as above.
M6, 3 bodies, same lenses plus a couple new.

Leicaflex SL MOT, 3 with motors... used an adapted 300 2.8 Nikkor as Leica
didn't have any fast long glass until about 1984.

Leicaflex SL2 MOT, 3 and more glass purchased .

R4, motors 3 and more a glass added.

R7, motors 3 and a couple lenses added

R8, motors 3 and a couple lenses added

During the Commonwealth Games here in Victoria while I was the Photographic
Coordinator on staff,  I was forbidden to use Leica gear due to Canon being
a major sponsor. However that wasn't such a bad deal, as I had every and any
Canon gear I asked for. EOS1's coming out my ears and glass by the bushel!
:-)

I've probably missed a couple, an aerial camera, 9" X 9" negatives. A
Nikonos for underwater stuff. Plus another Argus, the 35mm one like a square
box?

Sometimes the 35mm and 2 1/4 were used at the same time. Or one day I'd
shoot 35, the next day I'd use all 2 1/4.

Today it's all Leica and occasionally I use an old Leica 1932 . Or I
recently took the original Argus A2 camera from 1950 and shot a roll. And
damn if it didn't produce some nice photos, so you see there's some truth to
"equipment makes a difference." ;-)

So there you go my friend I think that's close. :-)
ted

Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant

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