Heat got you down? MP goes to the edge of the earth

The original article on the Leica blog mentioned the MP going to the edge of the earth. I kind of like Dave's spin on it.
 
nobbylon said:
I hereby apologise to all MP lovers and Leica fanboys. Fondle away, I'll say no more about them as I've obviously touched someones Leica nerve. I wondered how long it would take. Not long :eek:
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No one wants an apology, I don't know much about Leica nerve (huh?), just pointing out that fanboys and detractors are just as annoying, whatever the forum (Leica forum, RFF...).
 
KM-25 said:
Dave: I like you man, was glad to see you on the Kodachrome forums now and then, but my friend, what is up with all the gear centric posts lately? You know for a fact that gear has very little to do with a making a great image. That is why I am always scratching my head when someone posts "M9 does Paris" when it is the photographer who brought the camera to France and to his or her eye in order to make the image.

I shoot over 100 days a year in the dead of Winter in temps ranging from a balmy 40 degrees to -30 plus a massive windchill, usually associated with helicopter downdraft. The range of altitudes are 8,000-19,000 feet. Case in point, last year the temp was -82.

I have used Leica, Hasselblad, XPan, Nikon, Canon all in these conditions without fail due to a professional approach to using them. A good friend of mine who I did a New York Times piece on this year used his 5D-II, 24-105 and 14 2.8 without fail on Everest back in May, again, a professional using professional approaches in out of the ordinary climates...

I used my M6 when doing a very cold vertical ice climb of Mt. Rainier in 2008. I used a Nikon FM3A when doing the last 4 climbs of the 54 Colorado 14,000 foot peaks in 2007. I used a D3 on that day in the helicopter with the door off at 16,000 feet at -82 windchill.

It's not the gear at all man, it is the photographer and only the photographer and the title should read "Heat got you down? Photographer goes to the edge of the of the earth", not a camera....

And I feel bad for the rest of the country, I live and work at 8,000++ feet and have not even seen 90 degrees this year, that climate would kill me like it would a polar bear...
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Ha...what's with the gear talk? Why not is the best answer as it generates an awful lot of discussion! Besides, when one has a lot of time on his hands having to stay at home for my wife now, I can't get out and shoot as much as I would like. I am however, finishing up a photo documentary for printing next week. I hate sitting at a keyboard for a lot of reasons but with our a/c on the blink, when I read this arctic adventure, I felt immediately cooler!:eek: Thought it would be fun to share.:)

Oh, the article was titled that as well, so linking with the same title is about right, I think. I love to see explorers and adventurers so I live vicariously as well.;)

In the meantime, I still dream of a Nikon F6, a Leica MP, and a half dozen other cameras including large format while at the same time trying to get into developing my own film. It's just too freaking hot to go out and do much photographically around here until September.:(

Edit: BTW, you are speaking to the photographic choir.
 
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Dave, thanks for sharing.

Next, I would like to read an article titled "Mr. Solms Takes His Leica to the Peak of Everest." :cool:
 
nobbylon said:
I think the point Dave is that Leica MP's don't have a monopoly on cold weather use as much as some fanboys like to think they do.
I know this is a rangefinder site but at times it starts to sound like Leica forum which I find a little crazy at times so I don't go there.
I remember Chris Bonington swore by Olympus OM1's for his high altitude photography due to being light and the camera's resistance to the cold.
Reinhold Messner used Leica R4's to record his cold weather high altitude expeditions.
I'll bet that plenty of pro Nikon and Canon's have been everywhere on this planet in all the different extremes of temperature and wet or dry weather, Digital as well as film.
I think it's probably the excitement of hearing that an MP actually got used to photograph something rather than being fondled that started this yet again distasteful Leica appreciation :D

Very nice pics on his site.
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I just checked and I did post this on the Leica M forum here on RFF, right?:) I posted an article entitled "MP...." on the Leica M forum. What's wrong with that? The pics you liked are the ones I wanted to share as I had never seen RF photos in the Arctic and it is refreshing to see the photos whilst roasting and basting here in Atlanta in late July. THAT is why I asked about the point being made above.

Like the film v digital battles, it gets tiring hearing people knocking Leica cameras especially on a Leica forum. I am not a fanboy of anything. I like what I like and I buy and use what I like. Period. For the last three years, it has been the M3. I would love an MP. I would also love a large format camera for the experience. I shoot a lot of Nikons and have done so for 40 years.

The fact that I have to explain an innocent post is evidence to me that there are problems around but I am not one of them. I am as bi-cameral and bi-formatal as can be.:D
 
Dave Thanks for posting. Good story, good photos.

Maybe what is being overlooked by some here is that this was originally posted by Leica on a Leica blog. There may be other cameras that could do what this MP did, however, I doubt Leica has any interest in promoting other camera brands. Another thing is that this was a 60 day 777km trek on foot and ski into absolute desolation. I see camera choice here as pretty critical. I think the photographer made the right choice with the MP and the 24.
 
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dave lackey said:
I just checked and I did post this on the Leica M forum here on RFF, right?:) I posted an article entitled "MP...." on the Leica M forum. What's wrong with that? The pics you liked are the ones I wanted to share as I had never seen RF photos in the Arctic and it is refreshing to see the photos whilst roasting and basting here in Atlanta in late July. THAT is why I asked about the point being made above.

Like the film v digital battles, it gets tiring hearing people knocking Leica cameras especially on a Leica forum. I am not a fanboy of anything. I like what I like and I buy and use what I like. Period. For the last three years, it has been the M3. I would love an MP. I would also love a large format camera for the experience. I shoot a lot of Nikons and have done so for 40 years.

The fact that I have to explain an innocent post is evidence to me that there are problems around but I am not one of them. I am as bi-cameral and bi-formatal as can be.:D
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Dave, I'm sorry if my post caused offence. I honestly didn't know you had posted same on the Leica forum.
I will from now on refrain from knocking MP's and M9's as it seems some get offended by it.
MikeL, no chip here. In fact I'm happy they have the following they do as it enabled me to try them and then sell them without loss. Same goes for a lot of lenses I've sold.
Guilty as charged on using the term fanboy a little too lightly. Again I apologise if anyone takes offence.
Moving on.........J
 
nobbylon said:
Dave, I'm sorry if my post caused offence. I honestly didn't know you had posted same on the Leica forum.
I will from now on refrain from knocking MP's and M9's as it seems some get offended by it.
MikeL, no chip here. In fact I'm happy they have the following they do as it enabled me to try them and then sell them without loss. Same goes for a lot of lenses I've sold.
Guilty as charged on using the term fanboy a little too lightly. Again I apologise if anyone takes offence.
Moving on.........J
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No need to apologize. We are all friends here, after all.:)
 
KM-25 said:
Everybody just ummm......chill...;-)
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Ha, ha, chill in this heat? Only those lucky guys living in Colorado can do that these days!

No offense taken here... after a couple of hours sleep, I can see your tongue-in-cheek post (as you meant it), as opposed to something else.

On another topic, can you keep me posted on the Kodachrome book? Looking forward to it.:)
 
I heard that Leicas can make a mess in one's pants with just one stroke of the film advance (or two in the M3's case)...
 
Moriturii said:
....I am sure a lot of mechanical cameras could do that, not to mention Nikon F, and remember, you need to service it and give it special lubricants that don't freeze in -50 degree weather, and that costs a fair bit, it doesn't work like that out of the box.......
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Problem is, you can't buy a new Nikon F anymore, or any other 1970's mechanical camera. They've all been discontinued. You can however, buy a new Leica MP.

Jim B.
 
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