M3 and Kodachrome?

[dave lackey]

Well, I am doing my homework on the M3 before purchasing and I am wondering if anyone currently uses Kodachrome with the M3 or other Leica?
I found this and thought it was strange that it was specifically for certain cameras such as Leica:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/data/500/thumbs/Kodachrome_Box.jpg

 

[erikhaugsby]

I shoot K64 with my M2, if that counts.

 

[dave lackey]

Now that is cool...!!!

 

[dave lackey]

K64? Great!

I just ordered 6 rolls to shoot with my Nikon S3 2000...Hope Sunny 16 works well...I have not used Kodachrome since the mid to late 1900's (sounds old doesn't it???)!

 

[oscroft]

M3 and Kodachrome?

I use KR64 with my M6 and M2, but with the M2 I use a meter (A Gossen Digisix)

Hope Sunny 16 works well

I think KR64 (all slide films, in fact, but especially KR64) has far too little exposure latitude for the rough approximation of Sunny 16 to be good enough.

 

[shadowfox]

I use KR64 with my M6 and M2, but with the M2 I use a meter (A Gossen Digisix)


I think KR64 (all slide films, in fact, but especially KR64) has far too little exposure latitude for the rough approximation of Sunny 16 to be good enough.

Not at all, Sunny-16 works just fine as long as you use it as an offset system, not hard-coded lookup table.

Get a 36 K64 roll and bracket two shots per subject, you'll finish the roll quicker, and you'll get to learn the power of Sunny 16 😀

 

[mhv]

In the beginning of the still 35mm frame era, most people had to buy bulk rolls and roll their own in cassettes that were often specific to the camera they had. Leica started like that.

At some point, Kodak started to supply 35mm in cassettes, which were then adopted across the board as the standard. The Retina is usually credited as the camera that helped standardize 35mm film rolls, and for that purpose is a more "important" camera than the Leica.

Of course, the Kodak cassettes could also fit the Leica, and were probably designed on the Leitz cassette model. So that's probably why they expressly said it worked in the Leica. Another reason to mention the brand is the because of the specific length of the leader on the film.

 

[sirius]

Leica's creator, Barnak, created the first 35mm camera. That box is probably so old that it refers to the first cameras out there to use the format.

 

[benkelley]

Dave,

Before I got my M8 I shot basically nothing but K64 on my M3. Worked great–never had a problem. I've been told that the shutter speeds aren't always accurate enough to shoot chromes, that the early M4's are best for that, but really I never had a problem with my double-stroke M3.

Actually, one of the reasons I got the M8 is because processing Kodachrome just got to be a pain, and I knew it was on it's way out. I mean, we've all known that for a while, but at some point that was it for me. I still shoot occasionally with my M3, but it's mostly with my M8, and I try like hell to make the dngs look like K64!

Ben

 

[oscroft]

At some point, Kodak started to supply 35mm in cassettes, which were then adopted across the board as the standard. The Retina is usually credited as the camera that helped standardize 35mm film rolls, and for that purpose is a more "important" camera than the Leica

I think there's also a good argument that the Argus C3 made perhaps the biggest contribution to the success of 35mm film - it put an affordable 35mm camera in the hands of millions of Americans, in the most important market in the world.

 

[oscroft]

Get a 36 K64 roll and bracket two shots per subject, you'll finish the roll quicker, and you'll get to learn the power of Sunny 16

Well, if you're going to be bracketing for every shot, that really supports my suggestion that Sunny-16 itself isn't good enough - use a meter and get twice as many well-exposed shots per roll 😛

But seriously, I think the success of Sunny-16 depends a lot on where you shoot and the kind of lighting that you get there. In the generally easily classifiable lighting of N America and much of N Europe (where "direct sunlight" always needs about the same exposure, etc), Sunny-16 works quite well (but even then, I still think your success rate with chromes is going to be quite low - the above quote is suggesting 50%). But in other places, like Thailand, where I mostly shoot myself, and where there can easily be a 4 stop difference between successive shots, it just isn't good enough.

 

[papasnap]

I know historically it's been done & is still done, but personally I wouldn't want to shoot slides on an unmetered body - unlike negative films, there's so little margin for error. you can probably do pretty well in the daytime (sunny 16 style), but in challenging conditions and variable lighting (eg inside bars, streets etc at night) I would expect a frustratingly large number of misses rather than hits.

Of course, if you're eg using a handheld meter for all your shots, then it's not an issue!

 

[papasnap]

But seriously, I think the success of Sunny-16 depends a lot on where you shoot and the kind of lighting that you get there. ..

But in other places, like Thailand, where I mostly shoot myself, and where there can easily be a 4 stop difference between successive shots, it just isn't good enough.

Ain't that the truth! I'm in laos now, when I'm shooting I'm continually checking the light with my incident meter, the clouds might shift a bit and suddenly it's 3 stops darker than it was a few minutes ago!

 

[shadowfox]

Well, if you're going to be bracketing for every shot, that really supports my suggestion that Sunny-16 itself isn't good enough - use a meter and get twice as many well-exposed shots per roll 😛

Sorry, I wasn't being clear 😛

I meant when you *start* to use Sunny-16, you should bracket. That will improve your offsetting skill and you get to learn how to recognize the EV value for the part of the scene that you really care about. Basically training your eyes to be a spot meter.

After you're comfortable enough with it, bracket as necessary in tricky lighting situations, just like you would even with meters.

 

[oscroft]

I meant when you *start* to use Sunny-16, you should bracket. That will improve your offsetting skill and you get to learn how to recognize the EV value for the part of the scene that you really care about. Basically training your eyes to be a spot meter.

Fair enough. But if you are good enough to be able to accurately and consistently estimate exposures for something as critical as Kodachrome, then I think you are in a small minority - I think the great majority of us aren't good enough to achieve that.

 

[sirius]

I hope Madooc doesn't read this thread. He's very passionate about this subject 🙂 The eyes are very adaptable to even out different lighting conditions, I would modify your comment to say that sunny16 is about training your brain. For example, I have shot this particular scene, says a landscape at sunset or florescent lights, a number of times. When this particular situation occurs then I like the results at this particular setting. If you want to emphasis shadow or highlights for creative effect, then adjust for that.

cheers all!

 

[RichardB]

I've shot Kodachrome since I purchased my first camera, a Contaflex in the late 1950's. I now shoot K64 (all that's left) with two M7's and two Nikons Fm's.
Long ago one learned to bracket at a minimum in one stop increments and if the picture was good and important up to 1/4 stop increments. With the meters in the M7's and Nikon Fm's I use, I rarely bracket anymore because no ones paying me but I do use exposure lock and meter that part of the picture that looks right to me unless of course its a sports picture and in that case I have the option of going to manual if I realise that AUTO will not provide a proper exposure.-Dick

 

[35mmdelux]

I don't bracket and I don't guesstimate. If I make the effort to photograph it I want it spot on. I don't see anything inapprop with a hand held meter. I use a Sekonic Master with my Hasselblad and it has become second nature so much I do not even think about it any longer.

 

[pachuco]

Another vote here for a light meter. Why take a chance? It is not all that bad, I promise you that if you use a meter (I use the VCII meter on my M3) your shots will be better looking! I shoot Velvia all the time and it comes out great......if I meter it.

 

[WoolenMammoth]

not for nothing, but there isnt much difference in accuracy between the meter in my M6 classic and sunny 16 if you know what you are doing. horrible meter. Praise the good lord for hand held meters 🙂