LEICA M4-2

I got a little check from Martha Stewart Weddings for some photos that got published in the magazine (fall ’05- page 80). To celebrate I got myself a Leica M4-2 off of Ebay. The M4-2 is the Leica that was assembled in Canada. It’s not so desirable by collectors. This keeps the price low.

Then I found a 40mm 2.0 Summicron – C. This lens also gets overlooked by collectors because it was originally made for the Leica CL, their compact rangefinder from the 70’s. It’s still a Leitz and performs like one.

I meter the camera through a Leica MR-4. People were selling broken ones on Ebay for $250! I searched and searched, then found a guy in Florida selling one that worked. I got into a bidding war with some fool and won it in the end for $80. It meters perfectly.

All the things they say about the Leica are true. When you first hold one you notice the weight and balance. The shutter and film advance are quiet. The lens focuses smoothly and the viewfinder is big and bright.

I'm a shooter, not a collector. i love this camera. I LOVE IT!

Here’s the first roll I shot in SF, CA on a foggy afternoon. Agfa Ultra 100.

MOTHER LOAD

Here's a bunch of street photography from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Most were shot with cheap Japanese rangefinders from the 60's and 70's. I like the Canonette, Olympus XA, Contax T2, Yashica Electro G, and the Konica Auto S3. Some I shot with my Leica M4. Can you tell which ones?

Street photography is it for me. I've been doing it since I was 7. Now it's my proof that I was here. I stop and literally take in my surroundings with my cameras. Cities are beautiful. I wonder what my perception would be like if I was raised in the country or suburbs. Trees and grass are nice, but I prefer brick and steel.

You don't need expensive cameras to do photography on the street. Small quite cameras that don't draw attention are the best. A fast lens is nice too. I don't use anything slower that 2.8.

17 to 35 TEST

I set out for Chinatown, SF to test my new Canon 17-35mm 2.8. It's big, but fast. I like to be low key. I mostly use this lens for work.

17mm is wide enough to engulf an entire city corner or a building. 35mm, in my opinion, is closest to ones normal field of vision.

I shot on Agfa Ultra 100. It's sharp and contrasty, good for testing a new lens.