DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Erik, have you made arrangement for your photo archives to eventually go to some foundation or university in time?
I ask - hesitantly as this may be a sensitive topic - as all your work is, to me, exquisite. And richly deserves to be kept for posterity.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
... I was in Utrecht when staying in Linschoten. I enjoyed The Netherlands very much. The Dutch were very nice, very civil and mostly all spoke English. My Dutch is solely, "Kann nit verstan". Dutch modesty is standard. OTOH, all agree with, "We built this nation and if we have to we can build another." That's being tough. ;o)
OK, same old photo. I really like it and it was made possible by that Amotal. Proost.
The Dutch legacy endures in Indonesia, where I've been hanging out since 1970. So much of what those 'Hollanders' left behind after the country's independence in 1950, remains today, and is being rediscovered and restored by a new generation of Indonesians more responsive to the cultural and other heritage left by the Europeans.
Gone are the bad old days of hatred for the Dutch, indeed for the West, fuelled by Soekarno and his anti-everything white rhetoric. A more sensible attitude prevailed when Suharto took over in 1966, but sadly that metamorphosed into If It Makes Money It' Good, and the legacy of wide-ranging corruption that philosophy has left behind, is one the country has to work hard to combat.
To keep all this photographic, many photographers are now discovering the beauty of all of Indonesia. In my own travels I see so many of all ages with cameras, out and about and exploring areas of the country other than Bali, still beautiful with its temples and rice fields and mountains but sadly, filthy beaches, fleshpots and often overpriced facilities and services.
East Java where I stay has so many interesting places to be explored and so much to see, as do Central Java and West Java, not to overlook the many other parts of that country which has 10,000+ islands to be visited and recorded in visual images.
Indonesia is well worth a visit. Go before it all changes.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Yes, I would really love to see, shoot and eat my way across Indonesia. The food is praised. I had an old squeeze who was Dutch on her father's side and Indonesian on her mother's. Golden skin, sparkling dark eyes, saftig. I have known other Dutch/Javanese Eurasian women and they were amazingly attractive. But you know that. I think that while a visit is not impossible it is not probable. We just can't make all the photo trips we wish.
My father-in-law was with The Seaforth Highlanders and was in Indonesia during WW II. There was some ill will then against the Dutch. I am glad that has changed. You know German, Oma sagtet, "Die Suppe ist nie so heiss gegessen wie gekocht ist."
Proost
jaredangle
Photojournalist
Going purely off of what lenses I already own and following the premise of OP’s post, I’d say that the Zeiss 45mm f/2 for Contax G would be my one-and-done lens if I had to choose. With that being said, an MF lens for Leica M would be preferable as an only lens. My Voigtlander 50mm f/1.1 is fantastic but that’s because I have it in addition to other more versatile normal lenses. If I had to pick for M mount, I’d go with the ZM Sonnar or Planar 50mm lenses. I’m planning to get the latter at some point.
Erik van Straten
Veteran
Thanks! I will look into the possibilities. However, there is little interest in photography in the Netherlands lately. For me it is just a hobby.
Retro-Grouch
Veteran
Don't say "just".
ktmrider
Well-known
Either Zeiss 35f2.8 C Biogon or 50f2.8 Elmar M collapseable depending on which way the wind blows which determines my favorite focal length for that day
Bingley
Veteran
Since this is only one lens, that means I can't pick a 50/28 combo, or 50/35. One lens means one lens. Still, it would depend on the camera body. Based on the photos I've made with these lenses, I would pick, for a Leica M mount, the Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f2.0 CLE version. For a Barnack Leica, I would pick the Heliar 40mm f2.8 LTM. Both are exceptional, although they render very differently.
wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
Looks like KevinCamera has two on Eprey for $1450 right now...
(edit - only one is LTM. The other is M42. That's quite tempting too... )
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Looks like KevinCamera has two on Eprey for $1450 right now...
He usually has some. High priced and ratty looking. I got mine from an individual who had a nice clean one. It's a nice lens and I am glad I bought it.
wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
There is a reason for the emoji I chose
But to bet on the glass being good? Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I wouldn't bet at that price point though.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Agree entirely. Me, I would go 28/85, which would see me through just about all I want to photograph. Options at the low end could be 35 or even 24 if one is a panoramic type, at the top end 105 or 135 or even 180, which in the Nikon D range is a superb lens (I have one, trust me on that). So a little flexibility fits in well here.
Come to think of it, why only two lenses? If we have to talk minimalism, as I see it, to me lenses are like bods in a bed. Two are fine, three can be a crowd. Unless the third in the trio is a cat, which given your poster photo I'm sure you entirely understand.
All this said, a sensible compromise (photographically) would be to go three ways. One wide angle, one standard, one longer lens. As I'm not a '50 sort of photographer, I'm happy with my 28/85 combo. Of course YMMV...
But let's do go on disagreeing about all this. It's such fun to disagree.
CMur12
Veteran
My favorite two focal lengths are also 28 and 85. When shooting 135 film, I probably shot 90% with these two, though I have many others.
- Murray
Doug A
Well-known
LTM collapsible 50/2 Summicron, SOOKY, and one of my Barnack bodies and I'm good to go.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Your photographs are well worth preserving. Surely there must be a faculty in Leiden who would be interested in it.
Failing all that, a more 'economic' approach with possibly a bequest if this is financially feasible for you, would surely find an academic agency willing to talk to you.
One has to try to find out. I wish you every success in this, your images are surely worth it.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Metro. 28 and85, the ideal kit for two of us. Good one!
I could happily go on photographing for what remains of my life with only my '28. It fairly lives on my D800. Today I took it out on our ancient D90 which is now showing signs of wanting to shuffle off to digital heaven. The images I took with it were okay, given the limitations of that camera and the wild light conditions of Australia.
For me, two lenses are the be-all end-all. When I want more wide angle I walk back. For telephoto I walk forward. None of this is original to me. I read it in a book in the 1960s. Eternally good advice, I reckon.
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Woody.X
Newbie
Nikkor 35/1.8 LTM came up a lot so I searched it. The crazy thing is that in China it costs $6000 which is higher than the average annual income of Chinese in 2024 which means some people have to work for a whole year to buy it.
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Retro-Grouch
Veteran
Some people. As in America, other people would have to work for an entire ten minutes, poor things. Eat the rich!
chuckroast
Well-known
There is no chance I would ever eat the rich for at least two reasons:
1. They never did anything to me
2. While admittedly slow and easy to catch, they are hard to clean, and I'm told the meat is greasy.
chuckroast
Well-known
I once made the terrible mistake of speaking German in Amsterdam asking for directions. "Do you speak English?" asked the nice lady. I said, "Yes I do, I guess my German is pretty awful." She replied rather firmly, "We speak Dutch or English here, not German."
I know there was a war and it was awful, but German is a whole lot closer to Dutch than English. I'm told that Welsh is also quite comfortable for the Germanically aware ...