[Leica] less equipment

[Christer Almqvist <chris@almqvist.net>]

Martin Howard wrote:

  > But, for me, the main point is that it shows that good photography can
  > be practiced with a single camera body, three lenses, two films, and a
  > single paper.  It's easy to forget that sometimes.  Not least in this
  > forum.

Since my Leica camera bag recently went bust due to constant 
overstuffing,I have been thinking of getting rid of some more of my 
equipment.

I took a first step even before the bag went bust when  I replaced my 
90mm APO-Asph by the 50mm Summicron, first the current version with 
clip on sunshade and then the current version with built in sliding 
sunshade. I am very happy with this move, which was inspired by a 
LUGger who showed a lot of his wedding portraits made with a 50mm 
lens here on the LUG. The sliding lens shade works very well, and 
sves time and space, but as someone said here recently, it is 
probably is not as good a protection as the old one if you drop the 
lens, but that happens very rarely in my case.

Next on the block to go is probably the 21mm Asph. Some time ago I 
was offered a 15mm Super Wide Heliar new in the box for 360 dollars, 
and although I had had one earlier, which I sold because it was a 
lemon, I could not resist the offer as I had read that most LUGgers 
were pleased with their S/W Heliars. This one works just fine, and 
it does not worry me that the paint flakes off here and there, just 
as others have experienced. But I hardly use the 21 mm any more. Add 
to that that the 21 mm is the heaviest, most voluminous and most 
expensive of all my lenses. Will I be a happier man and a better 
photographer once it is gone?

I should add that I also have a 35 mm Summicron, which I find 
sufficiently different from the 50mm to be deaf on both ears, should 
somebody recommend that I change it to 28 or 24 mm and sell the 21 
mm. One additional reason I like the 35 mm compared to the 24 and 28 
mm is that there is adequate space around the frames with a .72 
viewfinder.

Otherwise I use two M7 bodies, two films (Delta 100 and HP5), two 
film developers (Xtol and Rodinal.) and a single paper (Kodak 
Polysomething RC) in one size (9 1/2 by 12"). I generally shoot ...., 
well look at my websites.

It would be a great help to me if persons having reduced their 
equipment would share their experience with me. But do I find such 
persons on the LUG?  ;-)

Chris
- -- 
Christer Almqvist
D 20255 Hamburg and / or
F 50590 Regnéville sur Mer

please look at my NEW  b+w pictures at:    http://www.almqvist.net/chris/dozen/

old pictures still at:     http://www.almqvist.net/chris/new
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