Thanks for all your kinds words, all of you!
I find it difficult to find subjects to shoot in Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar isn't a very photogenic city and approaching people is dificult because I hardly speak the language.
Beijing was so much easier. The city is always interesting: new and old areas alternate, busy streets and calm courtyards everywhere, people working in the streets, and the people hardly mind being photographed (even market vendors).
I brought 3 cameras: my trusty Bessa R, my lovely Leitz Minolta CL, and my pink Leica M2.
The first few days I shot mainly with the M2, just to get the hang of the camera, but I soon found out that it lacks a light meter. I had brought my handheld light meter but taking it out constantly was no fun; it was windy and already freezing cold in UB, and the contrast between shaded and sunlit areas was enormous, sometimes upto 4-5 stops. I soon started to leave the M2 at home, and after I finished the last roll I didn't pick it up anymore.
The little CL saw most of the action. It was hanging around my neck all day while the Bessa R was in my daypack. It was the only camera I brought to Beijing, where I used it extensively. Also in UB it got used extensively; there was not a day it wasn't out and about.
The Bessa R was my backup for the CL. It didn't see so much action but it performed well. It's bigger and louder than the CL, so I used it mainly for public shooting, not for candid street shooting.
I brought three lenses: the CV 25/4, the Jupiter 8 50/2, and the Rokkor 40/2. They all saw action, though the 40 saw most as it was on the CL most of the time. I switched it for the 25 a few times just so I would have a wider FOV for candid street shots. The 50 was mostly on the Bessa R (and on the M2, but not for long). I like the combo Bessa R + Jupiter 8, and the combo CL + Rokkor or CV 25 is a nice one as well.
I used adapters to stick the LTM lenses onto the M-bayonet cameras, which made changing the lenses a breeze.
I used my handheld light meter for a while but after I had ditched the M2 I didn't bother to bring it anymore. The meters of the R and CL give fine results.
The film I used is what I normally use: Hema iso400 colour neg film. I set the dials on the cameras and light meter for iso320, so I was always over-exposing a bit. I found that it's easier for me to darken a shot in PSP than to lighten it, and as the indicators of the R and CL are not exact, I mostly end up with shots that still have lots of shadow detail while maintaining detail in the highlights as well. This is more difficult than you might think. UB lies at 1200+ meters among the mountains, it has over 300 sunny days per year, and the contrast between shaded and sunlit areas is sometimes extreme. And with the sun being so low all day, shooting backlit was more rule than exception. Anyway, I still have lots of photographic expertise to pick up, especially when it comes to shooting in extreme lighting conditions.
