Monochrome Ramblings

It has been at least 5 years since I bought a camera.  All this time, I have been content with my RD-1, used almost exclusivelywith the Leica 35mm ASPH Summicron (which gives a 50mm equivalent field of view).  There is something to be said for the pure interface of the RD-1, and the simplicity of using one lens.  You just focus on making the image.

 

Chateau du Chillon, RD1, Leica 35mm ASPH Summicron, Siver Efex Pro2

 

But this is 2012.  In the past five years, digital has progressed in leaps and bounds.  There have been some pretty amazing advances this year that have made me lift my head out of the sand.

First was the introduction of the Fuji X100 - a small magnesium body built with a traditional design, and sporting the world's first OVF/EVF.  It comes with a wonderful fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) F2.0 lens, perfectly matched to its APS sensor.  A compact but solid little package which would easily beat any APS DSLR with kit zoom lens.  This would be perfect, as after these past few years of shooting a 50mm, I could do with something a little wider.  Long story short, I bought one, and it was all it was built up to be.  Soon after buying it, however, the X100's electronics started to act up.  I tried all the internet fixes - faster cards, firmware updates, etc. but still it continued to act up.  Sent it back to Adorama for a refund.

Then came the introduction of the Leica M (or M10).  No, I would not buy one, but it drove the prices of used M9's down to where it would be an even swap for the black paint MP I recently sold (at my outrageous "buy it now" price, no less).  Finally, a full frame to do justice to my Leica glass!  I got one slightly used, but on the first shutter click, the shutter failed!  It is now on the way back for a refund.

What's going on?  All these years, I have been using manual rangefinders - from a 1930's Leica III, to a WWII Nikon S2, cold war era Russian FED's and Zorki's, and Leica M bodies from the 50's and 60's with not a hiccup.  Even my Epson has been trouble-free since I bought it used 5 years ago.

Now the latest rave is the wildly overpriced $8,000 Leica MM (or Monochrome) - a fullframe digital M that takes only B&W pictures.  It is touted as producing files that are not only as good as film (after post-processing), but being better than film, as it can produce usable files up to ISO >12,000.   Hmmm...this from the same reviewer that said, "If you need to shoot in that little light, you don't need higher ISO, you need a flashlight" or something to that effect.

This shot was taken with the RD-1 at ISO 1600, f/2 @1/15 sec.  That is an EV of 2.  Do you really need to shoot anything darker??  BTW, don't you just love how the ASPH Summicron stays sooo sharp wide open?

And if you really need to, here is a sample of TriX shot at ISO 12,800 stand-developed in Rodinal.  Picture taken with a Leica M3 and 50mm Summicron.  Film grain is beautiful, noise is not.  More satisfying as well to be able to make the image, rather than just plunking down $$$.

But hey, this is not a film vs digital rant.  Some people probably need to shoot at such ISO's regularly, and if I shot thousands upon thousands of images yearly, then yes, it may be too tedious to shoot and process film.  But that is the beauty of being an amateur and doing something just for the pure enjoyment of it.

I told myself, maybe it's time to step back a bit.  I took inventory of the films in my freezer - I had stocked up at just the right time, when film was threatening to go away, but before prices went up.  I have 100' rolls mostly of Agfa APX 100 and TriX, my two favorite films.  More importantly, they work well with Agfa Rodinal.  I chose this combination because not only do I like my results with Rodinal, but it also has a very, very long shelf life.  I stocked up on that too.  I figure I have enough to last me probably 10 years.

 

Agfa APX100 in Rodinal, Leica M2, 50mm Rigid Summicron

 



The last step was to make sure my film scanner and printer were still alive.  This weekend, I took the dust cover off my HP 7660 (which is a great B&W printer), and with some software workaround, it works with Windows 7.  The scanner, a Konica Minolta Scan Dual IV, was not as straightforward.  Long since abandoned, the printer driver was no longer compatible with anything newer than Win XP.  Luckily, some smart kind soul wrote an update program and posted it for free on the net.  Now my scanner is back to life!  Here is a photo I thought I had lost forever when my old hard drive crashed years ago.  I found the negative and rescanned it last night.



 

 



I am happy as a clam.  Like a nuclear survivor in my own bomb shelter, I am self sufficient for the next 10 years (assuming my lowly scanner proves to be more reliable that the X100 or Leica M9 - which it is already).  Loaded a roll of APX 100 in my M2, and a new battery in my Gossen lightmeter (although my free iphone Lightmeter app is pretty convenient). 

Am I burying my head in the sand again  Not likely.  I do need to update my digicam.  I may look at the Fuji XPro-1, when it finally manages to have RAW support.  I handled the Olympus OM-D the other week, and was impressed. FF has now also become more affordable with the Nikon D600 and Nikons have been reliable for me in the past. But trends seem to be heading away from DSLRs toward mirrorless, which may be the future of digital.   Well, one thing I know... I'm not in a hurry.