Bill Smith's Photography

 A one camera and one lens exercise, in this case my new to me Leica M5 and the Voigtlander 50 F1.5 Nokton Mk1 on an M mount adapter. I used Fomapan 100 for this wander down to the Davisville Subway Yard and ultimately down to St. Clair.  The only thing I could do while recovering from a hip Flexor sprain, is walk, with all the snow we're getting, its cruel to see this ski season be a write off. I'm not hitting the slopes this year because I haven't been to the gym since before Christmas and I really don't want to risk things. Once I'm a 100% I'll be back lifting and moving heavy things. In the meantime photo walks do the trick.  While a segment of the Leica community look down on the M5 for purely asthetic reasons, the serious M mount Leica shooter should seriously consider adding one to their fleet because this is a camea meant to be used, the oversized shutter dail that slightly overhangs is a brilliant design feature derided by purists. The Nokton lens, whil...

 A tale of two modern "Nifty Fifties" from Voigtlander, both Leica Screwmount, which means you can use both lenses, on Barnack Leicas, Canon Rangefinders, and other copies. The Color Skopar is a 50 F2.5 lens, with compact dimensions and would be at home on any Barnack Leica, love shooting with it on my IIIG and will live on that body. While slightly "slower" than F2, the Color Skopar is very sharp lens, and at the time of release had a mixed reputation, over time has been rehabilitated with several users including myself. I shot a roll of black and white with the Color Skopar on my IIIG almost a month ago and loved the results and wondered why people were dumping on this lens. Look, the real proof is how does the negative print either from a darkroom print or scanned and printed via inkjet or some other media. At say 11x14 that's where the true performance lies.  Now, the 50 F1.5 Nokton is a different beast, it's a big lens, with a 52mm filter thread, yet do...