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Leica III - a love affair


Bateleur

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The nickel may be a bit dull, and there is some brassing here and there, but on first sight this lady from 1934 made my heart skip a beat and I was captivated. For if her sensuous curves brought delight the real passion comes from feeling her life in your hands and seeing the fruit of the marriage of glass, metal and material.

 

From timidly trimming the film and fumbling with the loading, to the rise and fall of the exposure settings and tripping between the focus and viewing finder, to finally arrive at the triumph of whirring and plunging as the shutter trips. To sigh as this rollercoaster love affair of fingers and thumbs continues under the winder to the next frame. And to face the world through a small window reducing it to a frozen moment and risking all in an instant when the curtains draw back to a topsy-turvy likeness reduced to hues of silver and etched as a perfect replica, a faithful document of my preferences and prejudices. While I regain my breath she waits demurely and patiently in latent expectation to swish her skirt of silk and material until the roll completes and the jumbled collection of images tumble home to their canister and wait their brew. My gasp is their reward as the latent mystery is clothed by the honest interchange of acid and alkaline.

 

She is the culmination of all my photography, she is considered, she is intimate, she is tangible, she is fragile, she is robust, she is the artist I pretend to be, she is the anticipation of my witness. She is the twinkle in my eye.

 

Why? I told you, it’s a love affair.

 

As she is capable of more than my feeble creativity, she inspires confidence, and only from that boldness some recent images at … http://www.sere-401.nl/00-photographs-Leica-III/index.html … for this is what she does best.

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La pornographie, c'est l'érotisme des autres.

 

The dirty old man who prefers the M9 ...

 

 

......to what :rolleyes:

 

I also love my III, and where will your M9 be in 70 years time :eek:

 

(not a serious question intended to start a debate!)

 

Gerry, the man who is growing old loving things mechanical.

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A fine set of images! A real testament against the 'I need more' lobby of photographers who can't exist without the latest ISO upgrade or similar trick. Really good, and the sentiment you express, thank you.

 

Steve

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Thank you all for your input and comments. Regarding "post processing" there is none, the prints are generally straight prints from the negatives with limited burning and dodging then selected prints are scanned into photoshop, re-sized and saved for "web".

 

Lars - that was an interesting comment, it made me smile too.

 

Regards

Charles

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I also love my III, and where will your M9 be in 70 years time :eek:

 

(not a serious question intended to start a debate!)

 

Gerry, the man who is growing old loving things mechanical.

 

 

I am 75, so where will I be in 70 years time?

 

The old man having fun while he can

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Bataleur, if your Leica 111 is a lover, my 111c of a month is the Nanny with the earphone hairstyle and a stern expression. She is totally unforgiving, constantly demanding, and if I do something foolish as to forget to fully lock the Summitar lens, or lock the base plate properly she makes me feel utterly foolish. However when I do get things right, I am rewarded with a treasured image and a sense of accomplishment.

 

Actually, the camera is great fun and I thoroughly enjoy using it.:)

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Ah yes, like any relationship there are ups and downs, and relationships need attention and nurturing too, but the rewards of forbearance and patience are multi fold and the joy we receive far out weighs the effort.

 

Mike, welcome to the forum and treasure your new IIIc

 

Regards

Charles

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My first Leica was a 111f,,I really cannot remember the lens, maybe a 28mm..the camera was a delight to use, I remember spending a day at The Chelsea Flower Show..3or4 rolls of 36 exposure & oh" that very special loading!

After that the M3 & so on & on...;)

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Charles, thank you for an interesting, enlightening and enjoyable read. I really do think that the Barnacks, and indeed the meterless Ms appeal to a certain type of photographer - one for whom the journey still matters and who takes pleasure in achieving a result as much in spite of as because of the equipment they choose to use. The pleasure I feel when I get an exceptional result from my II is far greater than that from using a more modern, less engaging camera.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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  • 1 month later...

Damn you Bateleur! :)

 

You were so darn persuasive that you made me remember how much did I crave in my youth for a Barnack when what I had was a japanese clone. And now you know what? I ended up buying myself yesterday a III F with an Elmar 50/3.5. As if I didn't have enough cameras around...

True, I'm scheduled for a trip on professional grounds in a part of the world where I don't want to risk the flagship M3 with the PreAsph 'lux 50, but I'm afraid that that was just the excuse.

However said that IMHO the M3 is what comes closest to perfection, I must admit that the Barnack is even less obtrusive, it's really pocketable, it's smaller, lighter and raises a bit less suspicious reactions when it's pointed at someone.

Sure, compared to the M3 operating it is less smooth and immediate and the Elmar is nowhere near the 'lux, but what a charming lady she is!

I'll see in the next days what she's capable of.

 

Cheers,

Bruno

 

P.S. very nice a gallery of yours!

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