[Leica] DXO Mark Leica M10 Score

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Hi Bob,
A couple of my quick change M lens tricks!
In many cases where I was using a photo vest. Lot's of pockets was very
handy. 
Preparing the vest? Or jacket??
1/ Thoroughly vacuum all pockets and pouches. MOST IMPORTANT EFFORT,
absolutely healthy clean! WHY?
Well yeah the Noctilux f1.0 is a tad heavy.:-)
But that was the lens most used when shooting the documentary assignments in
steel mills, automotive plants, mining and any other like locations. As they
were all shot by available light... 
"IF YOU CAN SEE IT??? YOU CAN SHOOT IT!!" My idea! :-) Well of course if one
is using Leica's. And obviously using a Noctilux or shooting near wide open
many times?. :-)
But in those days long ago, I could hand hold my M-Leica's even the Nocti
mounted for 1 second and have on average, a 90% of the time sharp sharp
images!
It's reasonable when you're on assignments day after day, many of them 12 or
more hours a day in a steel mill shooting making steel start to finish.
Building aircraft all kinds. Mining, Lobster fishing and other types both on
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 
Covering the Olympics, summer & winter along with many other internationally
recognized sports events were always tough. Once I had an excellent hand for
available light and shooting what you could see.
All my published medical subject coffee table sized books are all shot
available light and hundreds? Nay! Thousands upon thousands of slow shutter
speeds under all kinds of medical conditions'. Birth to death! 
Many LUG CREW have purchased and can speak on their authenticity of picture
quality. It's learning how to lock your body, holding your breath within a
reasonable length of time.
I very rarely broke 1 sec. exposures, in most cases it was, locking body and
lungs and get a frame off. Oh sure I blew lots of them over the years, but
my capture ratio was pretty well cool. 
Certainly "Nocti. f1 Cool!" :-)
For me it was never an occupation! But year after  
year. Me, my LEICA's, assignments and it was the most fantastic "LOVE
AFFAIR" one could ever have!
Quite seriously, that's what my 60 plus years as an international travelling
photojournalist was like day after day. You rarely knew where the next day
might be? Let alone the next week or month may have your feet on the ground
or sea somewhere on the planet? Or in a plane !
LOADING PHOTO VEST CRUCIAL! or jacket.
Once all pockets have been very thoroughly vacuumed, remove lens caps and
"PLACE ONE LENS ONLY" in each pouch. The easier the better to grab a lens
out and clicked onto camera.
1/ take lens off it goes directly into empty pouch. Reach in next pouch,
grab new lens out of pouch. Then hold the lens to lock into body. That's a
sort of routine where you develop your own switching style.
BUT MOST IMPORTANT? 1 LENS ONLY IN POUCH and absolutely nothing else!
MANDATORY! nothing, nothing and certainly "NO LENS CAPS ON!" 
WHY? Well your lens doesn't have lens caps on! So you wont be fiddling with
caps and trying to hold and remove lens off camera & new lens onto camera!
Now if you have more than two hands??????????
Good on you! 
However? Having checked a couple of photog buddies, they only have two and
when they attempted my no lens cap routine as explained,  they were very
surprised at the quickness of lens to body routine without question. :-)
However it is imperative in keeping your jacket pockets vacuumed, healthy
and spotlessly clean!  If you let crap build? All you'll do is pass tiny
bits of crap into the camera body each time your switching a lens. Or bits
inside the lens mount!
I have used this routine for years under all kinds of conditions.
Today? Well that's a piece of cake whole brand new story as I now live in
the most fantastic elders home where I read e-mails enjoying fantastic
e-mail photos and the good fortune to still have a minor bit of mobility
with my "walker!" As that allows me to scuffle about with my M8 at the sweet
age of 88yrs. and a few lenses still having fun, documenting the lives of
some 200 elders in the last years of our lifetimes.
Yes it was a time for photojournalism by honest to goodness shooters who
could and did make a reasonable wage. Today? That's for another day! 
But life moves on with a smile on yer face and a young ATTITUDE! Yeah I know
it sounds great! :-)Some days it's really cool?
"then?"
"GET REAL OLD MAN!"
cheers,
Dr. Ted O.C. 

-----Original Message-----
From: LUG [mailto:lug-bounces+tedgrant=shaw.ca at leica-users.org] On Behalf 
Of
Robert Adler
Sent: December-17-17 3:08 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] DXO Mark Leica M10 Score

Well said Dr.!
The right camera for that photographer. Whether it's one camera or 4, it
doesn't matter.
For you: the light M8 and a few lenses: perfect! (though that Nocti is no
lightweight!)
For me (I'm not 100 years old yet-sure hope to be some day if I have all my
marbles like you!), so I really only have 2 "systems. A Leica for 35mm and
an Alpa for 4x5ish (like your speed graphic, only too heavy to carry! back
of car shooting, within about 700 meters).
I do have a Sony body for my star pictures, but that's just a body, no Sony
lenses. I use the 21mm f/3.4 (read: tiny) on it and that's it.

Now if I could only change M lenses as fast as you; but you have a few
years more practice than I ;-) Any advice???
___________________________________