I hit a magic combination this photo, the lighting was just right and I got the perfect tones printing it. I was out a week ago with my Leica M3 and had a Canon 50 f1.4 lens. Yes Canon made Leica thread mount lenses back in the early 1960's and I use mine with an adapter, I really like the contrast this lens renders. The film of choice was Ilford HP5 processed in D-76 1+1 dilution which gets you a nice grain structure and I printed on Kentmere Fineprint glossy fibre paper.
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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