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Re: [OM] Leica wedding questions, was: E-P1 review

Subject: Re: [OM] Leica wedding questions, was: E-P1 review
From: Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 20:07:10 -0500
>
> An OM(3Ti) is far more compact than the M9 with, @ your choice:
> 35f2.8, 40f2, 50f1.8, 28f2, 21f2, 18f3.5,...
>

The OM-3Ti is definitely a camera that has air-traffic-control clear its
flight-level. There are few cameras in the world anywhere like it.

I attended a wedding Saturday of a nephew of my wife. I took the 3Ti with 35
F2.8 with me and had it loaded with Delta 400 pushed to 1600.  Knowing more
about Leica shooting techniques, I've been working on adapting some of those
techniques to the OM system. It actually does work!  There are obviously a
few things that can't be carried over though.  For example, the tabbed Leica
lenses make prefocusing a dream. No other commonly available camera allows
you to do that.  Secondly, the shutter-delay of an SLR isn't much, but it
actually is just enough to change the timing of the "decisive moment" a
little.

>From the winter of 1977 to 1986 (ten years), I owned Yashica Electro-35
GS/GSN cameras. In fact, at one point I actually owned three.  Sold all but
one. Haven't used it in years.  My memories of the cameras were both
positive and negative.  The shutter-delay was non-existant. The sound of the
leaf-shutter nearly silent. The auto-exposure actually worked halfway
decently--unfortunately, it didn't have manual-exposure, so you learned how
to exposure-compensate quite extensively.  Focusing the camera was quite
easy as the yellow dot was bright enough and just long-based enough to be
usable.  Most importantly, the focus ring was dual-tabbed and I COULD focus
by feel and my dad taught me the fine art of zone-focusing.  As I was one of
the school's official photographers, I shot many thousands of pictures with
these cameras. Alas, I hated the cameras for one reason and really only one
reason.  They weren't SLRs.  Only the poor kids had rangefinder cameras.

Anyway, to the results of this weekend's wedding.  The pictures are
flawless--except for obvious human error--errors which occur at a frequent
rate, no matter what method or camera I'm using.  I ain't perfect.  But of
the shots that weren't in error, they are right there with a very classic
and non-digital look. The 35 F2.8 lens remains as one of the two favorite
lenses I've ever owned.  Forget it, neither are for sale or will ever be for
sale. They go only after I go.  I realized that between these two lenses on
two different film bodies, I could comfortably shoot nearly any wedding
without hesitation.  I like the 24/2.8 for just a couple of shots--for
instance, the wide-angle church shot from the back during the ceremony, but
could live without it if I needed to.  The 35mm lens is my wide-normal
lens.  If I was travelling light at a wedding and shooting only one film
format, it would be two bodies, one with the 35mm and the other with the
100mm.  The bokeh of both lenses is classic to the point of reference
material. However,

The 35-80 is THE lens to use when one camera is the primary or when you are
shooting dual format (BW and Color, or Film and Digital). It is an amazing
lens, for sure, and has the advantage of really covering both the
wide-normal and the long-normal/near-telephoto in a single lens.  When the
camera is combined with a flash, I'd much prefer the zoom.

But when shooting ambient light AND in the "Leica Way", a simple camera with
a simple 35mm lens is an unbeatable combination--especially for B&W.  But
I'm learning and have a ways to go.  This is MUCH harder to learn a new
(old) style than it looks.  Anybody can get one or two shots to look a
certain way, but to consistantly get it is a challenge.  I've only been at
this less than a year and I'm really struggling to break bad habits which
shooting digital has allowed.  I didn't realize just how bad (lazy) I was
getting with digital and frankly the results were showing it. I look back at
the past year's weddings and cringe.

AG
-- 
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