[Leica] E. Europe/Leicas

[InfinityDT@aol.com]

I'm back from 2 wks in eastern Europe, happy to report that my 2 M6's and 
lenses functioned perfectly and returned intact.  I had initially opted for 
the 15-28-50-90 combo, but at the last moment substituted the 35 ASPH 
Summicron for the 28 because I wanted another f/2 lens besides the 50.  I 
came to regret that decision, because of having to grind my glasses into the 
eyepiece and twist from side to side to see the 35 frameline (and I have a 
.72 finder!).  Finally I switched to my spare glasses which are smaller, sit 
closer to my eyes and are more flexible, and the problem was slightly 
lessened.  As is always the case with me, with any camera system, the 
"normal" lens was the one I used the most.  I used the "latest" 35-50-90 
lenses because I specifically wanted top performance wide open so that I 
could shoot handheld at lower light levels, but compared to my '70's-vintage 
lenses the new ones are quite a bit larger and heavier which becomes very 
apparent after walking a few km with them.  My Domke F4XB shoulder-belt bag 
was perfect for the kit; low-profile, secure (waist and shoulder straps) and 
small enough to carry on the metro and tour-bus without requiring a seat of 
its own!  It also kept my Leicas bone-dry on a long walk in an unexpected 
downpour in Vienna. (The same downpour prevented me from visiting the Leica 
Shop there...major bummmer!) 
I found myself using the Heliar 15mm extensively in castles, churches and 
museums.  It is a tiny, light lens and the finder is amazingly bright.  The 
DOF is so great that lack of rangefinder coupling is a non-issue.  I was not 
sorry I didn't bring a 21mm lens (I spent all my time in cities, otherwise I 
would have missed a 21).  I used the 90 Elmarit least of all,  but 
nonetheless it was indispensible for detail shots of intricate building 
features, and also at concerts and opera performances.  For the latter I 
switched to Fuji 800.  Incidentally, I opted to shoot negative film (Royal 
Gold 100 and a couple rolls of TCN and XP2) for the trip for a few reasons: 
1) I knew I'd be shooting a lot at mid-day in contrasty situations, 2) 
Wouldn't have much time to fiddle with exposure or bracket shots, 3) Negs 
scan as good or better and retain their greater tonal range when printed, and 
4) everyone I know would rather look at an album than sit through a slideshow 
(my fault there, I'm sure).  Experience I've had with Royal Gold 100 in the 
past has been superb, so I'm looking forward to the results.  
As a somewhat-collector and avowed camera-nut, I of course had my eyes peeled 
on the hordes of tourists.  I did not see even one single M Leica.  But to 
put this in proper perspective, I saw *no* Contaxes at all, and only 2 Leica 
R's (an elderly R3 with an elderly 50 Summilux carried by an equally elderly 
gentleman, and one R8 with a 28-70 3.5-4.5).  I saw one Nikon F5 (again, with 
a slow 24-120 zoom), one pristine black F2 with the DP-12 finder, and one 
Nikkormat FTn.  By contrast, there were hundreds of lower-level AF SLR's and 
(estimating) thousands of AF P&S's.  There were also a few digital P&S's and 
a large number of compact camcorders.  I felt very secure carrying $$$ of 
Leicas around, as it seemed as if no one gave it a second glance.  Only when 
I had both M6's out did tourists stop me...and that was to ask me to take 
their group picture with their P&S (evidently I "looked like a pro" with 2 
cameras around my neck).  
One Leica-user (but not carrying his Leica at the time) stopped me in the 
street in Prague to talk Leicas and give me his website URL where there are 
some very nice images to be seen.  It is worth checking out:  
http://www.kocman.com  

I'm hoping to be able to post some images from my trip to a personal web page 
(if I can figure out how to do it).