Why use a Barnack?

Mostly for fun. I like very much my IIIF with Elamr 50/3.5 red scale and II(D) with uncoated Elmar.
It's tiny and robust. It fits even my small bags (beside wallet and cell phone).

Despite I have M cameras, Barnacks always give me joy.
 
I enjoy working with my Barnack because it is small and very handy to have with me, particularly with the Elmar attached.

But as the years have passed the M has become easier for me to use strictly because of the viewfinder. I do still prefer the M3 and the M-A for their mechanical simplicity.
 
You have to like a challenge. But I love the way someone's hands have polished the black paint and nickel back to brass in the 82 years this Leica III has been around.
leica_iii_top_800px.jpg
 
It's comfortable to hold and shoot with, pocketable, takes great pictures and I already had compatible lenses from my Bessa L.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Small. Light. Pocketable (with a collapsible lens). Sense of history. Incredible durability (very low cost per year -- I've had my £30 IIIa for over 45 years, under $1 year). Adequate quality. Not really very expensive. Pleasure of handling precision machinery.

You need more?

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...

This^^^^. I enjoy using my IIIc as much as any camera I own. Using it feels very natural to me.
 
They are so nice to fondle, almost as nice as fondling small titties. Also the best size to ouput ratio.
As Bingley says it feels very natural to the hands 😀
 
My post is in referance to my IIIG.

The high magnification VF'er with diopter adjustment where I can focus without my glasses.

I think my LTM is like a piece of jewelry, and it has mucho style.

The obvious: compactness.

A great excuse to acquire small, rare and unusual lenses that are not so mainstream. Black Canon 28/3.5, Nikon 35/1.8 in LTM, 45/2.8 Super Rokkor, and 45/1.9 Pentax-L the onlt LTM Pentax lens ever made.

Tactile feel of knurled knobs just feels right/great. The look of a second shutter speed knob (knurled) for the slow speeds. The quiet shutter.

BTW the 90mm frames are useful when shooting a 28 for the center rectangle for the "rule of thirds."

No camera looks as good with an external VF'er. I happen to always use one. Looks boss.

I bought my IIIG (second one) from KEH from some blow out sale and got a clean camera for no money. What a fun camera to shoot and a lot of fun for the money. Brings out the very basics of photography in an elegant way.

Cal
 
robert blu said:
You are making me desire to look for a Barnack for myself, guys!
robert
Click to expand...

I sold my first IIIG which was a mistake. Now I own my second IIIG.

I still miss my old nickel knobbed brassed in black plaint Leica II. What a pretty camera, lots of character, and mucho old. VF'er not as nice/great as the IIIG though.

A LTM makes for a great conversation piece because it is an interesting camera.

Cal
 
BillBingham2 said:
Cal,

Thank you for this one, I never thought of that.

Most excellent.

Thanks again.

B2 (;->
Click to expand...

Bill,

It seems if you get that center rectangle framed right the rest of the picture ends up being perfect every time. I shoot an unusual amount of verticals and use the center rectangle for the frame the face of my subject. Almost always I get a great shot. Don't tell everone my best kept secrete. LOL.

With a 28 just frame the face with the 90 frames focus and shoot. No need to use the external VF'er unless you are shooting landscapes.

The lenses (LTM) are very interesting. I shoot a lot with a 28 Cron, but with the 28 Cron I seldom stop down below F5.6 due to diffraction which is somewhat lens speed related. There is an advantage of shooting slower lenses: you can stop down more for more DOF without diffraction limiting your sharpness. With my Canon 28/3.5 I can stop down to F8.0, have more DOF, and not get diffraction. Bonus is that these slow lenses are mucho sharp and cost very little. I remember that my very rare black Canon 28/3.5 only cost $450.00 on EBAY although I had it CLA'ed.

Also know that 28 is the easiest FOV to visualize. If you are standing 6 feet away from your subject the length of all that will be framed will be 6 feet, and of course the width in your frame will be 4 feet. Think of an equal-lateral triange as a visual aid.

I can shoot with my Barnack with my Canon 28/3.5 at F 8.0 from the chest with my focus set at 7 feet. For street it is a fast and silent shooter. It seems that no one bothers someone shooting a Barnack thinking: either the guy with the old camera is kinda crazy and I better leave him alone because he looks a bit unstable; or that old camera is definately not digital and I'm not going to get embarrassed by some post on twitter of instagram; or I bet that old camera does not work so who cares. LOL.

Why shoot a Barnack? Because it is a great camera for shooting street with a 28 like a point and shoot.

Cal
 
Whateverist said:
Is that a digital camera? Do they still make film? Does it take colour pictures? How do I zoom in?
Click to expand...

Please read my post above.

Here in NYC I like to think of myself as a tourist attraction: a reason to come to NYC. LOL.

Funny thing is that sometimes I play up like I'm a tourist (a Japanese tourist even though ethnically I'm Chinese) because the locals know that it is not cool to bother tourists in Madhattan. Basically a tourist has a license to be annoying and a new-sense and I exploit it. LOL.

Cal
 
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