Bill Smith's Photography

 Part of getting my gear out of storage was to use it. I became part of a mid week photowalk group and we walked from The Rooster Cafe on Broadview in Riverdale and we walked through Chinatown East and Leslieville/Little India.  My M3 was like revisiting an old family member, that said, it's due for a CLA. the film advance felt nowhere near as silky as my recently serviced M2. The M3 needs a trip up to Halton Camera, the big question is when. The camera is shootable, it just felt it was due for some love, oddly enough the tech who worked my M2 was mentored by the tech who last worked on my M3.  That said it still delivered decent photos.  Camera: Leica M3 Dual Stroke, 50 F2 Collapsible Summircon lens.  Film: Ilford FP4 125, Ilfotec HC 1+31. 

 I really needed a day trip the day after mom's funeral so Jo-Anne and I hopped into the car and drove up to Elora for the day. What usually took an hour became a bit of a challenge with construcion on both Trafalgar Road through Hillsborough and along Highway 6 throuh the north end of Guelph on the return trip to Oakville.  The camera of choice was my dad's Leica M3, haven't used it in a while and I wanted to travel light. I chose Adox CHS 100 II as my film for this day trip, hindsight, I should have ran with something a bit more abusable like Ilford FP4. I had some frame that just came out underexposed, and its classified as user error. Adox CHS 100 II is great film but you have to be very much on the ball when it comes to exposure from personal experience if you want the best results.  Camera: Leica M3 DS, 50 F2 Collapsable Summicron, Voightlander 35 F2.5 Color Skopar Lens.  Film: Adox CHS 100 II, FX-39 1+19.  ...

 I haven't shot with my Leica M3 in a while so it was overdue for a workout. This camera was my dad's and as the current custodian, I shoot it and hope one day to pass it onto either my niece or nephew if one or hopefully both show in interest in photography. The big downside with my M3 is, as an early production example (made in 1954), it had scientific speed as in below 1/250, it was 1/100, 1/50, 1/25 all the way down to bulb. Takes a wee bit of getting used to. The companion lens. the 50 F2 Collapsible Summicron is a dream piece of glass and I understand why Leica fans wax lyrical over the the rendering. Dad also had a 90 F4 Collapsible Elmar lens which in my books is quite underrated.  Everytime I use my M3, I think of dad, while it has become a family heirloom, I have use it more. While a joy to shoot the M3 being a rangefinder, is not as versatile as an SLR.  Camera: Leica M3 DS, 50 F2 Collapsible Summicron and 90 F4 Collapsible Elmar lens.  Film: Kosmo Mono 10...