Re: [Leica] less equipment

["Jim Laurel" <jplaurel@nwlink.com>]

Chris,
A compact kit is a wonderfully liberating thing.  You will find that you
will be photographing more actively, because you aren't hindered by your
gear.  Today, it's more important than ever to look like a simple tourist,
so as not to raise suspicion.

I spent a year on the road with a single kit between 1999 and 2000  I
carried the following kit, which was just about perfect.  Only a few times
did I wish for a longer lens:

M6 Classic .72x
M6 Classic .85x
Elmarit 21mm ASPH
Summilux 35mm ASPH
Summicron 50mm
Summicron 90mm APO ASPH

With this kit, I typically had the 21mm finder always mounted to the .85,
and would switch between the 21 and 90mm lenses on this body.  Most of the
time, I am walking around with the 35 mounted on the .72 and the 90 on the
.85.

If the intent is to concentrate on more journalistic-style photographs, I
substitute the Summicron 28 ASPH for the Elmarit 21 ASPH.  If I expect alot
of very low light, I take a Noctilux instead of the Summicron 50.

- --Jim

- ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christer Almqvist" <chris@almqvist.net>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2003 2:11 PM
Subject: [Leica] less equipment


> Since my Leica camera bag recently went bust due to constant
> overstuffing,I have been thinking of getting rid of some more of my
> equipment.
>
> I took a first step even before the bag went bust when  I replaced my
> 90mm APO-Asph by the 50mm Summicron, first the current version with
> clip on sunshade and then the current version with built in sliding
> sunshade. I am very happy with this move, which was inspired by a
> LUGger who showed a lot of his wedding portraits made with a 50mm
> lens here on the LUG. The sliding lens shade works very well, and
> sves time and space, but as someone said here recently, it is
> probably is not as good a protection as the old one if you drop the
> lens, but that happens very rarely in my case.
>
> Next on the block to go is probably the 21mm Asph. Some time ago I
> was offered a 15mm Super Wide Heliar new in the box for 360 dollars,
> and although I had had one earlier, which I sold because it was a
> lemon, I could not resist the offer as I had read that most LUGgers
> were pleased with their S/W Heliars. This one works just fine, and
> it does not worry me that the paint flakes off here and there, just
> as others have experienced. But I hardly use the 21 mm any more. Add
> to that that the 21 mm is the heaviest, most voluminous and most
> expensive of all my lenses. Will I be a happier man and a better
> photographer once it is gone?
>
> I should add that I also have a 35 mm Summicron, which I find
> sufficiently different from the 50mm to be deaf on both ears, should
> somebody recommend that I change it to 28 or 24 mm and sell the 21
> mm. One additional reason I like the 35 mm compared to the 24 and 28
> mm is that there is adequate space around the frames with a .72
> viewfinder.
>
> Otherwise I use two M7 bodies, two films (Delta 100 and HP5), two
> film developers (Xtol and Rodinal.) and a single paper (Kodak
> Polysomething RC) in one size (9 1/2 by 12"). I generally shoot ....,
> well look at my websites.
>
> It would be a great help to me if persons having reduced their
> equipment would share their experience with me. But do I find such
> persons on the LUG?  ;-)
>
> Chris
> -- 
> Christer Almqvist
> D 20255 Hamburg and / or
> F 50590 Regnéville sur Mer
>
> please look at my NEW  b+w pictures at:
http://www.almqvist.net/chris/dozen/
>
> old pictures still at:     http://www.almqvist.net/chris/new
> --
> To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

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