Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/28

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: The quintessence of Leica photography? - Long response -
From: john <bosjohn@mediaone.net>
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 09:08:50 +0100
References: <20000728044456.3366.qmail@web2002.mail.yahoo.com> <39812046.EAA337DB@rabiner.cncoffice.com>

Mark Rabiner wrote:
> 
> I returned to the color darkroom today for the first time in several years!! At
> the rental lab.
> I used to be a rent by the year member and was in there 2 3 times a week.
> Now there's more elbow room with everyone at home playing with thier Epsons!
> I had specialized in Black and white and got out of commercial work over the
> last 3 or 4 years.
> Now I'm back doing commercial work and a client I had done a black and white
> location job for now wanted color in front of the clean white backdrop.
> After shooting some Polaroids with the Hasselblad ELM I shot a roll of 220 160
> VS Portra with the 80mm 2.8 Zeiss Planar on the camera as I had it out anyway.
> Afterwards I realized the lens needed to be cleaned but the test negs from the
> day before looked sharp enough.
> I had eyelashes with full length shots.
> Then I shot a second roll of film this time 35mm 160 VS Portra with my M6 and
> Leica winder M and the 7 year old 50 Summicron with the detachable hood.
> I used Studio strobes against a white backdrop.
> I decided to show the clients not only contact sheets but 11x14's before they
> even placed their print order.
> And I wanted to see how the 80mm 2.8 Zeiss Planar on the Hasselblad stacked up
> against our 50 Summicron on 35mm film in terms of 11x14 working results.
> And I thought C prints were a much better way of doing this than inkjets which
> is putting it mildly.
> I don't think inkjets would have told me that much.
> I scan my medium format with a 1200x2400 dpi Umax PowerLook III and 35mm stuff
> in the 2,700 dpi Nikon LS-2000.
> How those numbers translate is over my head but the major consideration to me is
> the output. Inkjet spray against a C Print.
> Anyway the Leica 11x14's looks "sharper" and in other ways better then the
> Hasselblad 11x14's,
> The magnifications were different from the two formats favoring of curse medium
> format.
> About 4.4 X for the medium format and 9X for the 35mm.
> But the 35mm looked definitely better anyway!
> Now to do it again with a clean Zeiss lens. (Or a dirty Summicron)
> Then test the 150 Sonnar against the 90 Elmarit. I used a tripod for both by the
> way despite the fast speeds of studio strobes.
> Mark Rabiner
> I had so many flakes inside that Planar lens that I swear I though I saw a sled
> in there with "Rosebud" on it!
Did you also make a silver print from each negative? If so were the results
the same, ie. the prints from the Leica negatives looking better ( sharper)? 
If the results were the same I think you can safely assume the difference is
in the camera. If not than I suspect the different scanners may be the cause
of the seeming inferior performance of the Hassy.
John Shick

Replies: Reply from Mark Rabiner <mark@rabiner.cncoffice.com> (Re: [Leica] Re: The quintessence of Leica photography? - Long response -)
In reply to: Message from Pete Su <psu_13@yahoo.com> (Re: [Leica] Re: The quintessence of Leica photography? - Long response -)
Message from Mark Rabiner <mark@rabiner.cncoffice.com> (Re: [Leica] Re: The quintessence of Leica photography? - Long response -)