[Leica] back from Germany w/ film loading problems and travel stories....

[George Hartzell <hartzell@corp.webtv.net>]

Hey,

Last you folks heard from me, I had just arrived in Germany w/ my M6
and a passle of lenses (35/2, 75/1.4, 90/2.8, 135/2.8) and was looking
for directions to the Leica factory.  I found time to burn through
eleven rolls (7 rolls of E100S or VS, 2 Delta100, 1 HP5) around
Heidelberg, including some shots during the total eclipse.  The trip
was a bit stressful (I was there for a conference related to my PhD
research) but I really enjoyed the time that I had to explore the
area.

Now that I'm back, I have some observations and questions for the list.

 observation #1)  This is the first time that I've tried to use my M-6
     as my general purpose travel camera.  Historically I've depended
     on some or all of my Nikon N90s w/ 80-200/2.8, 35-70/2.8,
     20-35/2.8, 105/2micro, and an old 20/4AI lens for most of my
     general shooting.  Since I frequently shoot outdoor stuff
     (e.g. kayaking) where I'm perched on a rock by the side of the
     river and can't "zoom with my feet", I find the flexibility of
     the zooms a big win.  I also really like the longer reach, narrow
     field of view, and compressed perspective that the 80-200/2.8
     gives me.  I've learned to deal with the bulk.

     I bought the M6 setup to shoot in the type of situations where it
     excels, low light and places w/ noise constraints (small folk
     music venues), and am learning to shoot with it and love it in
     those settings.

     This was an intentional experiment to see how I felt about the M
     as an only camera.

     I have several images which I'm reasonably happy with (I'm a
     harsh critic of my own work) and some for which I clearly didn't
     have the right tool.

     I'm working on getting a website full of images up, but in the
     meantime:

        (+) The Hauptstrasse in Heidelberg is a pedestrian/tourist
            stroll-way.  There are artists (charcoal, other media) who
            draw quick portraits on easels during the day and evening.
            In the evening they depend on light from storefronts.  I
            have some color (E100S) and B&W (HP5) images that I really
            like, shot w/ the 75/1.4.

        (+/-) Shots of the Schloss (castle) from inside and from
            across town at various times of day.  A longer lens would
            have let me isolate it a bit from the more remote vantage
            points, and a polarizer (which I can acquire, but which
            seems clunky) would have helped when I was constrained to
            shot in the afternoon sun.  Other shots would have
            benefited from a graduated neutral density filter.  When I
            found views that fit w/in my hardware, I was happy with
            the results.

        (+) Wonderful shots of flowers, fruits, veggies, and folks at
            a farmer's market over near the University.  Mostly with
            the 75/1.4, great in the dim light, and with wonderful
            feeling to the images.  Some exposure issues, but that's a
            practice thing.

        (-) The eclipse.  I should've had something longer.  I didn't
            think it would be an issue since I didn't think that I
            would be able to make it into the path of totality.

        (-, but a bit of +) People shots.  I'm just not quick enough
            w/ the focus _and_ the exposure to be catching fleeting
            moments.  It's mostly a practice issue, and maybe trading
            off the unforgiving slide film for something w/ more
            latitude.  When I get them though, they're great.  I do
            find that I like long lens portraits a lot, and the 135
            just doesn't have the flavor that I love from my nikon
            80-200/2.8.

        (-) A great big party on a pedestrian mall in Frankfurt.  As
            I was wondering around Frankfurt (having tried to re-visit
            Foto Hobby but found them closed) I stumbled on a South
            American band entertaining a crowd and a fellow w/ a Nikon
            F5 and a 80-200/2.8 AFS zoom.  I moved around behind him
            and imagined the images he was getting, and really craved
            my N90s w/ the 80-200.  Some shots might have been
            possible w/ shorter lenses and different positioning, but
            some were just beyond the reach of my M.

     At the end of the day, I'm not sure just what I'll carry on my
     next adventure.  It'll probably depend on where/when/why I go,
     and what I've been shooting in the meantime.  I _am_ glad that I
     didn't lug my SLR rig on this _particular_ trip, even if I did
     miss some opportunities.

 problem #1, film loading)
        
	Of the eleven rolls that I shot, I had screwup on 3/3 of the
	B&W and 1/7 color slides.

        I have a borrowed Rapid Winder on my M.  The RapidWinder does
        not have a little basket on it like my baseplate does.

        When I travel, I put all of my film in clear ziplocks and have
        learned to roll the leader most of the way back into the
        cartridge to avoid beating it up (which makes loading my Nikon
        difficult).  This might make it a bit more curly than normal.

        All of the screwed up rolls had overlapping images on the
        first 5-10 frames.  Sometimes the frames were not centered
        between the sprocket holes and were on a diagonal.  In
        retrospect, I noticed that the B&W rolls were harder to
        advance ("Gee", I thought, "Ilford canisters sure are
        'tight'."), which was probably causing/the-result-of the
        problem.

        Fortunately I didn't loose too many great images (seems I
        shoot better towards the end of the roll...), but I'd like to
        keep this from happening again.

        Would adding a basket to the RapidWinder help?  Should there
        already be one there?  Are M's picky about flat leaders?  Has
        anyone else seen anything similar?

 Warm Fuzzy Story #1)

        I had a spare day in Frankfurt, and decided at the last minute
        to brave the great unknown, rent a car, and make the
        pilgrimage up to Solms.  I couldn't get a tour (one person
        told me that they were unavailable while remodeling was
        underway, another told me there were no available guides) but
        did get to wander around the lobby.  Even that was interesting
        (the dismantled cameras, the family tree, the display of
        cameras w/ amazing survival stories).

        They also, w/ no prior notice, fixed a focusing problem on my
        135/2.8 and generally cleaned and gussied it up.  I figure
        that paid for the trip right there.

        I stopped in Wetzlar on my way home and found the store of a
        classic camera buff near Dom Platz, but the owner wasn't in.
        Wandering around the Church and the surrounding neighborhood
        was pretty neat though.

g.