GAS hits again!

[Avotius]

Well, I got my M6 TTL body, and shot many rolls of film with my Zeiss 50 planar, Voigtlander 35 2.5 PII, and old Leica 50 3.5 red scale but then the itch hit me. Somehow I succumbed to GAS and now I have a Leica 35mm f2 Summicron version 3 coming to me. Somehow shooting the Leica lens on the Leica camera felt really right, maybe its the lens, maybe its insanity but it feels right, and I really like the way the Elmar renders so I got a 35mm Leica lens too.

Woops.


So now begins the worst part of GAS, after the purchase waiting for it to arrive....I hate waiting for something to show up after I have bought it!

Anyone else out there using a third version summicron? Looking on Flickr a bit showed me that it will be lower contrast then my Planar, which is what I want, with a more vintage look without being dull rendering color. My Planar is a great lens, perfect in so many ways, but its a little too perfect if you know what I mean. It renders sooooo clean.....anyway, whatever, see what happens.

Anyone want to share a picture with their V3 cron? 😉


The lens will be here Friday, I bought it in Norway, with the incredible help of EricFive and feel a little embarrassed by all the attention I must have taken from him as I know these days he is working on some stuff. I will figure out a way to repay him somehow. Anyway, the lens will be brought over with a friend of a friend who is coming here Friday, then this little place called Chongqing will be swarming with Norwegians (does two Norwegians constitute a swarm? 😀) and I get to play tour guide.


Oh the pain of waiting....but soon another practical use post by me, maybe two or three actually, we will see how I decide to group them.

By the way can anyone tell me why the meter lights in my M6TTL are blinking now? They are always blinking, low battery? If so this thing drinks batteries...

Also this lens has the metal round vented hood with it, I thought these came with the plastic retagular ones? Just wondering, the hood says Leitz Wetzlar Germany despite the lens saying canada.

Ok, blabbering over.

 

[like2fiddle]

congratulations on the Summicron. I, too, am expecting a Summicron on Friday, but a v2. Have fun with your new "special delivery" lens. I look forward to seeing your pics with this lens.

 

[ferider]

Congrats to both of you ! Roger, as you probably know, v2 and v3 are optically identical. Very similar signature to the 35/2.5, BTW, just faster.

I do use it and really, really like it. Have only color pictures though (and B+W converted from color negatives) if you are interested.

The round metal hood came stock with that lens (I have box, papers, etc), and is worth quite a bit by itself.
Only the v4 came with a rectangular hood.

Roland.

 

[like2fiddle]

Hi Roland,
I, for one, would really like to see some pics with that lens. Not much posted in the Flickr M lens group.

Nice to connect with you here, we don't seem to be on at the same time very often.

 

[Rafael]

Congratulations! I love my Summicron III (especially since its recent trip to Gerry Smith 😀). Unfortunately, I don't have any scanning capabilities at the moment, so I can't share any photographs. But I doubt that you will be disappointed with the lens. It has, as you say, lower contrast than the Planar. But it is a very flare-resistant lens which, judging from the work of yours that I have seen, is important for you.

The rectangular hood can be made to fit this lens. You just have to file off the two plastic tabs that lock it into place on the Summicron IV and the ASPH. Of course, with the tabs removed, the hood can rotate on your lens. But I find that it fits snugly enough that rotation is not an issue.

 

[ferider]

Hi Roland,
I, for one, would really like to see some pics with that lens. Not much posted in the Flickr M lens group.

Nice to connect with you here, we don't seem to be on at the same time very often.

Roger, you have an open dinner invitation to the Essex Inn next time I come up there, if you don't mind the drive 🙂

OK. Some of my favorites taken with this lens:

On Reala 100 or Superia 400.

You can see that it is basically flare free (the lighthouse picture is in the fog ...)

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[monochromejrnl]

here are a few of mine taken with my v.3 'cron...

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=summicron&w=46197855@N00

and here is a pic of the lens along with the VC21/4 and a Canon 50/1.5 LTM

it's a great lens, small compact, nice sized focus tab, renders lower contrast than the modern VC lenses (probably same is true relative to the ZM lenses as well)...

 

[Avotius]

Ferdier: That shot of the guy on the ice, I saw it on flickr yesterday, you have to explain that one to me, my gf thinks its freaky. I think the colors are great and shows what im looking for, great color fidelity with the older style contrast that you can see in the highlights on his head.


Many thanks for the congrats as usual. I find the 35 2.5 PII a little dull for color work, at leas the way I work with it, im sure it can be played with more but also Leica gas *shrug* we will see what happens!

 

[ferider]

Ferdier: That shot of the guy on the ice, I saw it on flickr yesterday, you have to explain that one to me, my gf thinks its freaky.

Tell her it's me, half drunk, in an Absolute bar in Tokyo. Posed, handed the camera to a friend who took the photo. I have Viking roots, you know ... 🙂

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Your M6TTL meter is blinking? The only time when mine does it is when I leave the lens cap on. And, now that I recall, it also may mean that the battery is low.

The first two or three batteries were like water for one of my M6TTL bodies. Mostly, because I was being careless and storing the camera with the shutter cocked and not turned to OFF but to B. Once I learned not to do that, it all was honky-dory.

Take care and go shoot some more film. It'll keep you away from more GAS attacks! 🙂

 

[Avotius]

Your M6TTL meter is blinking? The only time when mine does it is when I leave the lens cap on. And, now that I recall, it also may mean that the battery is low.

The first two or three batteries were like water for one of my M6TTL bodies. Mostly, because I was being careless and storing the camera with the shutter cocked and not turned to OFF but to B. Once I learned not to do that, it all was honky-dory.

Take care and go shoot some more film. It'll keep you away from more GAS attacks! 🙂

I have a feeling that might be it, I stuck it in the bag and forgot to turn the thing to off, I alway cock the shutter after I take a photo, its a habit I guess. Also I plan to shoot many more photos, I got 6 fresh rolls of XP2 sitting here waiting to be fed to the camera! Time to go play....

 

[like2fiddle]

Great pictures guys. Roland, I thought you might have spent a night in one of those ice hotels. They have one somewhere in scandanavia and another in Quebec City. Funny, you don't look cold, must be the Absolut...
Thanks for the invitation. When are you coming east? Maybe you'll have a little free time for a side trip to southern Vermont?

 

[Avotius]

Tell her it's me, half drunk, in an Absolute bar in Tokyo. Posed, handed the camera to a friend who took the photo. I have Viking roots, you know ... 🙂

Cheers,

Roland.

hehe I told her, she said your nuts. Is that ice you are on? I guess its cold there. A really neat picture none the less, it raises a lot of questions.

 

[ferider]

Thanks guys for your comments on the photos ...

Thanks for the invitation. When are you coming east? Maybe you'll have a little free time for a side trip to southern Vermont?

Not sure yet, Roger. Nothing planned, but I have a key customer there as you know 🙂 I'll warn you before-hand.

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[Avotius]

(snip...)

it's a great lens, small compact, nice sized focus tab, renders lower contrast than the modern VC lenses (probably same is true relative to the ZM lenses as well)...

Fantastic, looks like a good sized lens, larger then the CV pancake 2 which is fine, that lens is a little difficult for my sausage fingers sometimes. I like tabs so its all a plus for me. One of the things I wish my Zeiss planar had was a tab....oh well. I am really looking forward to the lower contrast rendering so I can do some more serious black and white work!

 

[like2fiddle]

Also I plan to shoot many more photos, I got 6 fresh rolls of XP2 sitting here waiting to be fed to the camera! Time to go play....

Looking forward to the results. I hope to be giving my new lens a workout in NYC in a couple of weeks🙂

 

[Avotius]

Looking forward to the results. I hope to be giving my new lens a workout in NYC in a couple of weeks🙂

A little story. I was at a bar in Pingyao with my new girlfriend who has put up with me for the last two and a half years more or less, and I met a photographer named William Bestch. He wrote a book called Hakima, a Tragedy in Fez which is really absolutely stunning and I highly recommend it. He was using a ver 2 summicron too on a M4. He told me about running through a mine field in Morocco with people shooting at him and bombs literally blowing up all around him, yet he was able to run and take images at the same time and amazingly the pictures came out and more importantly so did he. He also introduced me to my favorite whiskey, Jameson, every time I drink it I think about that night in the bar talking till the wee hours in the morning then running into him again the following day and helping him buy a brick of Lucky film.

 

[like2fiddle]

A little story. I was at a bar in Pingyao with my new girlfriend who has put up with me for the last two and a half years more or less, and I met a photographer named William Bestch. He wrote a book called Hakima, a Tragedy in Fez which is really absolutely stunning and I highly recommend it. He was using a ver 2 summicron too on a M4. He told me about running through a mine field in Morocco with people shooting at him and bombs literally blowing up all around him, yet he was able to run and take images at the same time and amazingly the pictures came out and more importantly so did he. He also introduced me to my favorite whiskey, Jameson, every time I drink it I think about that night in the bar talking till the wee hours in the morning then running into him again the following day and helping him buy a brick of Lucky film.

That is a great story! I will try to locate a copy of the book. Thank you. And now, forever more, when I sip on a Jameson, I will think of your story of meeting him. I like mine on the rocks by the way...

 

[Tom A]

There isnot that much difference between the Version IV and III. The IV has a bit more contrast and is marginally sharper across at f2, but otherwise you be hard pressed to tell them apart. It is a bit smaller though.
The plstic hood can be made to fit, but as said before, you have to file off the tabs and then it has a very irritating habit of turning. The round, metal hood works fine and somehow "looks" right too. The Version III is a fraction shorter than the IV and the round hood does not show as much in the finder either. Looking forward to seeing your shots with it. I think that I have some stuff with the Version III on Flickr, by the way. Use tag "Leica Summicron 35mm f2.0 III" and they should pop up.
On your TTL and battery drain! Take out the batteries and check the contacts at the bottom of the battery "well". There are a couple of small, round, silver colored "spots". Run a lead pencil over them and check that they are below the surface of the bottom of the well. These are "service" contacts and serve no purpose for shooting. They are push fitted in and can "creep" up a bit and when they do, they act as a battery drain as they are not connected to the on/off switch. If you can feel them protrude, just gently push them down below the surface. You can also put a piece of electrical tape over them to stop it from happening again.
I had this problem with a couple of my TTL's, a Millenium one that would devour a set of batteries in 4-5 hours and another one that would do this intermittently. Both were cured by the "pencil" push and tape!
Enjoy your 35 Summicron!
Tom

 

[Avotius]

That is a great story! I will try to locate a copy of the book. Thank you. And now, forever more, when I sip on a Jameson, I will think of your story of meeting him. I like mine on the rocks by the way...

I think I picked up my copy for something like 13 dollars on Amazon used, but it was like new in plastic. I take mine straight up, its usualy too hot here for ice since it melts too fast, and unlike those crazy chinese who would dare mix coke into it, or the other night in the bar these chinese college students ordering a bottle of Campo Largo red wine from Chili (one of my favorites) then mixing it in a glass container with coke. Heresy.