Santa was good to me, a Nikon F3HP considered one of the best 35mm SLR's ever made, a Lloyds bulk film loader and 100' of Kodak Tri-x. I usually shoot Ilford HP5 but Tri-x is my other go to film at 400 ISO because it is widely available and can but abused pushed, pulled, tossed sideways etc and you still get a great image. Tri-x rated at 1600 ISO looks amazing in Diafine, going forward is my combination for interior and party shots.
Barnack Madness, What Was I Thinking?
My last adventures with Scewmount Barnack Leicas didn't end well, on the few occasions I tried my brother's IIIf and IIIg, I botched the loading and got 36 exposures on one frame. I was quite content to just shoot with my M3 and M4-2, even though I wanted to get a IIIg because Alex got dad's from the estate. Logic has no place shooting with a Barnack Leica, if the cliche film photography slows you down, working with a III series body is an exercise in zen. First you have deal with bottom loading, wind the film advance before adjusting shutter speed and be careful where you point your camea as bright sunlight can incinerate a rubberized silk shutter cloth instantly. That said, Joan at Burlington Camera had this red dial Leica IIIf from the mid 1950s with a pre war Elmar 50 F3.5 lens, on the used shelf, I saw it, handled the camera, and put it back. In a fit of camera GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) a few weeks later I came back in and bought the camera. I wonder if Joan...
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