Graybeard
Longtime IIIf User
I do quite a bit of shooting B&W (Neopan 400 or HP5 in D76) in available light, hand-holding both Barnack Leicas or an M6. I've had a IIIc or a IIIF since 1963 (and a IIc since 1965), and, given the opportunity, will still reach for the screw mount Leica if I feel that I can use it for whatever I might be doing.
I've never been able to reliably hand-hold below 1/30th second unless I'm sitting (or worse) on the floor or have myself pressed against a wall or column. I'm past 60 now but couldn't hand-hold below 1/30th even in my teens.
What works best for me is 1/30th as a personal slowest limit, a fast lens (an f1.8 or 1.4 - I've used Serenars and/or Nikkors since the beginning, never could afford fast Leitz glass), and push-processing in the darkroom to increase the effective film speed if I find that the ambient conditions so require (I carry a felt-tip pen to mark those cassettes what needs TLC in the darkroom, an essential photographic accessory).
Given these restrictions, a II-series Barnack Leica (IIc or IIf) is generally all that I've ever needed. I don't think that I've used the slow speed dial on my III-series LTM Leicas, or the speeds below 1/30th on the M-series, twice in the past three years.
This includes a couple of recent trips to Italy where roughly one-third of my shots were inside the not well lit, awe-inspiring architecture. The Italian custodians in the churches and cathedrals have, to a man, proven to be a sympathetic lot regarding my choice of camera shooting positions - but after all, it was Italy and that is why I go there) .
I concede that the flash synchronization on the IIf can be handy when the dim light is so poor that even a properly exposed, available light image will be nothing but shadows. This is most often the case with family holidays where one is the photographer designate. Everyone complains at the time, of course, but after the fact, no one opines that there are to many photographs, especially the ladies.
I offer these rambling comments intending to start a discussion. How often do forum members actually use the slow speeds on a Barnack (or other) Leica? I invite your comments.
I've never been able to reliably hand-hold below 1/30th second unless I'm sitting (or worse) on the floor or have myself pressed against a wall or column. I'm past 60 now but couldn't hand-hold below 1/30th even in my teens.
What works best for me is 1/30th as a personal slowest limit, a fast lens (an f1.8 or 1.4 - I've used Serenars and/or Nikkors since the beginning, never could afford fast Leitz glass), and push-processing in the darkroom to increase the effective film speed if I find that the ambient conditions so require (I carry a felt-tip pen to mark those cassettes what needs TLC in the darkroom, an essential photographic accessory).
Given these restrictions, a II-series Barnack Leica (IIc or IIf) is generally all that I've ever needed. I don't think that I've used the slow speed dial on my III-series LTM Leicas, or the speeds below 1/30th on the M-series, twice in the past three years.
This includes a couple of recent trips to Italy where roughly one-third of my shots were inside the not well lit, awe-inspiring architecture. The Italian custodians in the churches and cathedrals have, to a man, proven to be a sympathetic lot regarding my choice of camera shooting positions - but after all, it was Italy and that is why I go there) .
I concede that the flash synchronization on the IIf can be handy when the dim light is so poor that even a properly exposed, available light image will be nothing but shadows. This is most often the case with family holidays where one is the photographer designate. Everyone complains at the time, of course, but after the fact, no one opines that there are to many photographs, especially the ladies.
I offer these rambling comments intending to start a discussion. How often do forum members actually use the slow speeds on a Barnack (or other) Leica? I invite your comments.
