The other day I mentioned getting a new film camera, and today I reveal said camera: a Leica M6 TTL with a Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 c-Biogon (c for compact, and that it is). Quite the mouthful and boy did I spend a lot of time on the internet trying to make this decision. Poor charrow could hardly bear the tedium I put her through trying to decide between eBay sellers for the camera body. I've been squirreling away money and Adorama gift cards for a fancy film camera for years. About 5 to be exact. My original intentions were to get a Hasselblad, but lately I've developed a hankering for a Leica, and with our upcoming trip to the world of epic landscapes, why not just go for it? Some day (in like 9 years when I'm done saving for it), I will get back to the Hasselblad.
I had high hopes of getting the film I shot last weekend processed so I could write this post with a picture from the camera. Alas, I did what it seems many people do when loading the Leica M6: failed to properly load the film onto the winding spool. I picked up two rolls of film on Tuesday: one containing hiking and botanic pictures and the other containing absolutely nothing. In my defense, it's really different from my other film camera and a quick search on the internet results in a crap ton of people whining about the film spool. I think I've got the hang of it now, but only time will tell. Should have a couple of rolls shot by Monday and negatives back by Wednesday. I have to make sure I know how to use the darn thing or else I will have an expensive pile of mediocre negatives when we get home. It's the first rangefinder camera I've ever used (explanation of what that means here because I'm terrible at describing it). I didn't think it was possible to be any slower taking photographs, but I have succeeded! Which means between now and March 1, I'm going to be the dummy walking around Brooklyn taking pictures of piles of trash and fence posts in order to master this split-image business. I tried to take pictures in the park this morning, but the light meter went haywire in the cold temperatures (apparently a function of how fresh the batteries are). I can handle manual settings, but I cannot even begin to guess shutter speeds and f stops without a light meter. Anyway, enough geeking out. Here's today's short version:
head craning this way
and that to capture the best
angle for the shot
picture: Leica M6 with Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 c-Biogon, last week, digital
1 comment:
Cool camera! Can't wait to see the shots. :)
I remember taking a week-long photo course when I was in 9th grade or so, and I made the same mistake with the film -- actually I think it was the developing spool where I wound it too tightly, and the chemicals couldn't reach the film well enough to develop it sufficiently. Those damn spools!
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