Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/02/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At Saturday, 2/9/02, Sam Carleton wrote: <<How many of you mount your Leica on a tripod? And how often: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 95%?>> About 75%. Sam's question prompted me to review my collection of Leica manuals. The 15th edition (1973) includes a chapter on available-light photography by Bill Pierce. On page 131 he states: "The tripod is the ultimate slow-speed aid." On page 132, Pierce touts the use of the Leitz table-top tripod and the Leitz ball-and-socket tripod head. I've used that combination as a chest pod for greater stability with an M3 or M5 and a 90mm Summicron or 135 Elmarit for stage and concert photography: on stage, in the wings, or from the audience. The question of tripod use brought to mind a recollection of a student who'd been tapped as Alfred Eisenstaedt's assistant for a day at the University of Michigan in 1950. The student marveled that Eisenstaedt was using a tripod with his Leica, but described the interaction as that of a waltz. One of the well-known pictures from that Life assignment was a drum major followed by several children mimicking his movements. I wish I could remember where I read the student's recollection. And a final thought about tripods: when the Marchioni brothers--creators of the Tiltall tripod--were ready to retire, who took over the manufacturing? Leitz in Rockleigh, New Jersey (source: "The Tiltall Tripod Story," undated Leitz Rockleigh brochure from the mid 1970s). Gordon R. Brown Boulder, Colorado - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html