Some more views at Tsim Sha Tsui.
Leica M3, 50mm Summicron Rigid, Tri-X
Some More Tsim Sha Tsui
Tag: summicron
Beach Meditations
The scenes speak for themselves.
Leica M3, 50mm Summicron Rigid, Tri-X
Ruins and Formations II
Unlike the previous post, these same scenes were all taken with my Leica M3, 50mm Summicron Rigid.
The film used is Tri-X 400.
Everything seems more, er … poetic.
Like something out of a dream.
Perhaps a post-apocalyptic scene…
The Shoot Shadow Master Speaks
Why do you take pictures of the same scenes around the village all the time, asks the wife.
Because the light is different, says the shoot shadow master.
Also because the camera is different. (It’s a Leica M3 this time.)
It’s a different film. It’s Venus 800 of a particular vintage (expired 2016).
The shoot shadow master is wise.
The clouds are luminious – the shoot shadow master looks and looks again.
The shoot shadow master finds different things to look at.
The shoot shadow master frames nature.
The shoot shadow master dreams of people.
All hail the shoot shadow master…
Leica M3 – First Roll
So – I finally bought a 1960 Leica M3 with my wife’s blessings and paired it with a 1957 “feet only” rigid Summicron.
There’re a few places in Tsim Sha Tsui within walking distance you could go to when you’re in search of a film Leica.
There’re generally 2 price ranges. The insane one is for collectors looking for pristine shrink-wrapped Leicas with original boxes and papers. The saner, within-reach price range is for cameras with some signs of use. Let them know you’re a user and you’re sorted.
I bought a clean-looking “user” camera.
My other lens, the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm SC f1.4, now lives with the Leica M6 which I’ve been using for the past 9 years.
Do I need a Leica M3? I don’t need it. Any camera is good enough for street photography.
The Leica M3 is a few steps backward from the M6 (and hence a step forward in terms of the skill required.)
It’s about not having a built-in meter and having to rely on my judgement.
In my writing and work and all that, I need something to push against so as to stay sharp.
Of course, all I have to do is remove the battery from the M6 to disable the meter. The M6 then becomes an M4.
You can see I had this conversation with myself many times, prior to buying the M3.
Taking pictures without a meter is easier than expected, if I keep in mind the Sunny 16 rule.
If in doubt, overexpose by a stop and we’re still fine. From what I’ve read, you can underexpose by a stop and overexpose by 3 stops with film in general, so there’s some leeway.
The Ilford XP2 Super film is very accommodating.
As I wear glasses, I can’t fully see the 50mm view in the M3 viewfinder but that’s fine.
The 50mm focal length allows for comfortable distance from people and it includes their environment.
I’m noticeable but not in their faces.
I thought the texture was nice.
I like to shoot photographers.
At rest.
I looked up.
I looked ahead.
I’m the shoot shadow master. (That’s the Chinese characters for “photographer”.)
Quiet Thoughts II
Nothing to say.
Sometimes we forget and speak.
Like the door is not shut.
Imperfections.
Looking back.
The ground is hard.
Quiet Thoughts I
What a year.
We’re waiting for it to be over but it’s still happening.
Quietly.
We seek consolation.
We wait.
Quietly, quietly.
A broken path is still a path.
There’s a waiting boat.
When will we be children again.
Or do we bend to wisdom of our age.
Leica M6 with 50mm Summicron Rigid
According to the serial numbers, my Leica M6 was made in 1987 and lens in 1957.
The lens has its distance scale in feet only. It’s a bit annoying for me as I think in metres. Oh well. This teaches me to check before buying. But there’s a broad depth of field to work with when zone focusing at f16 so that’s fine.
The lens and camera were a good combined bargain way back in 2011. I remember walking into a shop in Singapore. It’s either at Peninsula Plaza or Peninsula Shopping Centre – my favorite place for vintage cameras and electric guitars. I asked for the lowest-priced Leica M6 and 50mm lens. Didn’t like the first option and so I went with the second. They came with a 6-month shop warranty.
The prices for both the camera and lens had increased over the years. Could you say the same for digital cameras? A digital camera is like a smartphone these days – there’s built-in obsolescence at work.
There’s no such thing as a purely analog process anymore, especially if one is scanning the negatives and displaying the images on the Internet. I can’t help but tweak a little bit for contrast.
Film photography is about slowing down and understanding the light. The Leica M6 has a meter I can check to ascertain the range I can work with.
Zone focus, decide between f8, f11 or f16 depending on whether the scene is in the sun or shade and snap. It’s pure poetry – camera and lens and the mind are one.
We all need to find a sense of calm in a time of Covid-19. (My second-hand Washburn HB35, a semi-hollow guitar, is also getting a regular workout: “Mama take this badge off of me … I can’t use it anymore … it’s getting dark, too dark to see…” )
Zone focusing is actually faster than auto focusing with my digital camera. I missed a few shots with the Canon M50 as the lens hesitates once in a while and takes a little too long to decide.
Neat display.
In the midst of things.
I aimed at the wall and waited for someone to walk past.
Selfie on glass display. This was outside my go-to place for film development, lenses and cameras, where I got the film (Ilford XP2 400) processed right after this shot. It’s sunrisephotohk. You could find it on FB.
There’s a Leica M3 in there for a nice price. The ground rule is you put down the cash and go for a spin with the camera and develop the film right there to check for issues. If you don’t like what you see, you get your cash back.
There’re other pricier places in Hong Kong you could go to in Mongkok and Tsimshatsui and they generally give you a 6-month or 1-year shop warranty. But a Leica M is a simple mechanical thing, relatively speaking, and generally serviceable. They are built to last.
I could pair the current lens with the Leica M3, and the M6 will be a permanent home for my Voigtlander 35mm Nokton Classic. Hmm…
Searching Waiting Thinking
It’s that existential condition, of always searching, waiting and thinking.
We can only have images of ourselves.
The glimmer is often only a few steps away.
Thanks for stopping by today.
Camera: Leica M6
Lens: 50mm Summicron Type II
Film: Ilford XP2
Loosening Up in Street Photography
I’m a bit of a maximizer (as opposed to a satisficer) when it comes to choosing/doing things.
I try to find out all there is to know before making a decision.
When it comes to execution, I try to go through the various steps in my mind in order to get everything right beforehand.
Which is why zone focusing and street photography is such a re-creation for me.
We’re working with a circumference of acceptability.
Is good enough good enough? There’s motion blur here which adds to the sense of movement.
I was close enough, but it doesn’t mean I could see clearly.
And if we don’t always notice everything around us, why should we demand a photography that sees everything accurately and in sharp focus?
On the other hand, how much loosening up can one do before one loses discipline?
There’s a spectrum here, between trying to get everything clinically right and hence losing the moment and operating without some sort of discipline, as if one is holding a camera for the first time.
Sometimes, good enough is good enough in street photography.
Try to get everything right and one might lose the “street”.
There’s that tendency to overthink and hence lose the art.
On the other hand, one must possess discipline in order to lose it.
So my job is to learn everything I can, and then forget all I have learnt.
Imperfection is an art in itself.
And so is perfection.
And perhaps art is about improvising and about knowing how to move back and forth between perfection and imperfection.
Thanks for reading.
Camera: Leica M6
Lens: Summicron 50mm Type II
Film: Ilford XP 2
Hong Kong Lucida 