First photos from first Leica

[lubitel]

another leica rant - part 2
Here are some photos from my first day with my new Leica M2. I tried to shoot a variety of different things to test the lens, but at the end it all didnt matter, because I kinda screwed up the film anyway. Since it was B&W, and it would have taken a minimum of a week at any photo place, I decided to do it myself (first time in 2 or 3 years). Got some developer, fixer and tips at the local photo store, carefully measured and diluted chemicals, spent about an hour or more in the bathroom doing all this and excitedly pulled my first "leica-negative" out. 😀 It looked really dark. O, damn - I couldn't have overexposed that much. What did I do wrong? So next day - I show it to a friend of mine who develops alot. He said: "well its, not bad ... for the first time, the water was probably warm, since its so hot right now. Did you use a thermometer?" Thermometer? 😕 Nope. I didnt. Damn, I didnt think it was THAT important. Next time I guess I better use one.

So looks like I accidentally pushed my film a few stops? Very grainy photos, which is kind of cool, but its hard to judge the quality of the lens. The lens (elmar 50/2.8) has a little bit of haze around at the edge of the front lens, and I am afraid its going to effect the quality when wide open. Probably doesnt matter that much. So do you think these first shots are worthy of their camera? 🙂

 

[RdEoSg]

Yea looks like you cooked it a bit. It's much easier to bring the chemicals up to temp rather than down, so if its too hot, stick the things in a refrigerator for a while and then if they are really cold, just put them in a bath with hot water and watch it... be sure to pull them out before they get to the right temp because they will continue to go up a little bit. We used to do this all the time at an old lab I worked at when we needed to mix new stuff. The water would be coming out at 78F so we'd just put it in the fridge for a while and then warm it back up if need be.. You can also keep your chemicals sitting on an aircondition vent as well if its set cold enough.

Somewhere about 68-72F would be about right.

EDIT... and now that I notice you are in Germany.. no idea what C that would be!

 

[lubitel]

and some more

 

[lubitel]

I think it is somewhere on the package about 20 C. Thanks for the tip about cooling, I'll try next time. Too bad I dont have AC though, really hot here.

 

[RdEoSg]

Yea I don't have AC either and it was over 38C the other day I believe!

 

[Dave H]

lubitel, your second pic is the best for me. A real moment, she looks like she is almost begging the guy to take her photo, and he's having none of it! Did she even notice you?

 

[lubitel]

lubitel, your second pic is the best for me. A real moment, she looks like she is almost begging the guy to take her photo, and he's having none of it! Did she even notice you?

Thanks, no she didnt notice me, she was too busy admiring his Canon1 and that huge lens. Guys with big SLRs get all the women, I guess. 🙂

 

[steve garza]

68 F = 20 C

 

[steve garza]

I like the imsge of thr guy in the hammock. I also picked up an M2 recently and find it wonderful. The mechanism is so smooth. I actually like it better then my M6TTl right now. Perhaps the M6 could use a CLA to bring it back up to snuff.

 

[payasam]

Your friend is right: never work without a thermometer. As Steve says, 20 C is 68 F, the standard for all but a very few processes. The method of which Chris speaks is good only if you have a refrigerator in or close to your darkroom. Forty years ago, when film was a good bit more sensitive to temperature than it is now, we'd put our three trays on blocks of ice, with an alcohol thermometer resting at the bottom of each. Over-development means negatives too dense and contrasty. The only way you can make passable prints from them, sometimes, is to put your paper -- soft grade -- in dilute developer after giving it a suitably long exposure. Experimenting needed. Grain? Live with it. I speak of the summer in India, not of any old "Indian summer".

 

[MCTuomey]

i like the hammock pic, as is

i'd be happy to have taken it

 

[boarini2003]

I also like the Hammoc Pic!

 

[Magus]

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