Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/05/25

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Subject: [Leica] M3, KR, and other ancient tools
From: David Rodgers <davrod@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 08:46:59 -0700

I just scanned a difficult old Leica shot Kodachrome. I say difficult, 
because I've tried for a couple of years, using various scanners and 
methods, to get a decent scan. Even had a drum scan made at one point. I 
just acquired a Leafscan 35, built in '93, so it's pretty ancient in 
digital years. End result is a 60MB file that printed superbly on 
Brightcube velvet paper, using my Epson 1200 with MIS archival inks. It 
isn't the most modern of workflows, but I don't know if I could have done 
better with anything newer.

The photograph was shot with my 1954 M3 (first production run complete with 
glass back plate) and a 50/2.8 Elmar collapsible (the '60s version, not the 
latest). Ironically, I sold the lens several years ago because I read 
somewhere that it wasn't very good. That was back when worried about such 
things :-). The film was KR25. Aperture was f4. Don't know the shutter 
speed, but it was slow. The image was underexposed, which is why scanning 
was difficult. Here's the image (not the 60MB version, just a 100K JPEG :-))

http://www.lightcurves.com/agriculture/peaches.htm

Dave

BTW, this image is one of the reasons I've put away my digital camera and 
I'm shooting chrome film again. Had I even used neg film on this image 
would have been lost years ago. Granted, it's not the greatest image, but 
it's important to me.  The image is of my brother and his wife. It was 
taken in my dad's experimental peach orchard. Experimental, because there 
are dozens of different varieties of trees. Some ripen at different times 
through the summer. My dad was a professor of agriculture. He  was always 
breeding and grafting new varieties of fruit. His peaches were the 
greatest. Not the kind you can buy in stores. The best peaches are too 
delicate for shipping. Must eat them right off the tree.

The tree in the photo was one-of-a-kind, some kind of  white peach hy-brid. 
It died a couple of years ago and with it one of the most delicious fruits 
I've ever tasted. Munching on exotic varieties of peaches all summer long 
is one of the things I remember about growing up in the San Joaquin Valley 
of California. I don't miss the weeks of 100 degree plus says in July and 
August. But I miss the fruit, and the smell summer. This image brings that 
all back. It becomes more important with each passing year.







   

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Replies: Reply from "Will" <wlarsen@ocsnet.net> (Re: [Leica] M3, KR, and other ancient tools)