This is the edible Leica presented to me at a special birthday I have just celebrated. A Big thank you to all the family, and above all Wendy and Stephanie who went to a lot of trouble to arrange this. The party was held on a wooden Norwegian railway coach at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway after a tour of the Railway where I am a member.(The little hands belong to a grandson!)

A Leica and Film on the Brecon Mountain Railway

Taking on fresh water at the Brecon Mountain Railway in September 2012.A distinct US feel to this line is line due to the Baldwin loco. Taken with a Leica M2 and 50mm Summicron with Leitz yellow filter. Processing was in D76 1:1 on on Kodak T-Max 400.

Overhaul of Cotswold Roof Tiles at Sherston this Winter, on a bright day at the end of last year.
For this photograph I used a lens which has not appeared previously on this Blog. It is a Leitz Telyt 200mm f4.5 lens which dates back to 1958 . I have the tube for direct use on a rangefinder camera but here it was used on a Leitz Visoflex 11 on a Leica 1f . The exposure was 1/500 at f8 on T-Max 400 in D76 1:1.  

Mirror Lens with the second Leicaflex

A Photograph taken in the last few weeks.I used a Leicaflex SL,the second reflex Leica made between 1968-1974.
The lens was a Tamron Mirror 350mm and film was again T-Max 400 in D-76 1:1

Looking back to Technical Pan film

I found this older shot of a local house which was taken by me on Technical Pan film a few years back and it made me think how much we miss that superb emulsion in Vintage Leica circles .Of course Kodak were in it to make money, not as a charity to help Vintage photographers, but I wonder if the end of TP made any real difference in the speed of Kodak running down to todays position. Still, we have T-Max remaining and I am just starting to use a TP substitute in the shape of Adox CMS-20 but supply is erratic and some confusion surrounded the processing for a time. What we had in TP was a proven emulsion and a matched developer which, despite detractors, came to be a very practical film.The razor sharpness and micro contrast just jump out of an original print but may not be obvious in a scan such as this.
The camera was a Leica M2 with f2.0 Summicron,and the print produced on a Focomat Ic with a TTH 50mm lens.

Bejar Valley, Extremadura, with the M2

Early Leica M2 with button rewind was used to make this portrait of a Garlic seller in Bejar,Extremadura,in early Spring.
The light was brilliant at 11.00 am and not the best for photography but the surroundings reflected a lot of light to fill the shadows.Within a few miles we were in deep snow cuttings.Film was Delta 100 in Perceptol 1:3 and the lens was one of the first Summicron f2.0 rigid types from the early 1960's which is in my opinion the sharpest lens I own but has been cleaned and adjusted once in its life.

Cardiff Street 2012

Another Street Scene,this time in Cardiff on a bright day in Autumn of 2012 in St Mary Street
Camera was Leica 111f and the Summitar lens again.

More from the Summar

Bath, Street Entertainment with the Leitz 1936 Summar f2.0 perhaps the most malinged lens in the range-since a better f2.0 became available in the shape of the Summitar in 1939. However, find a good one,perhaps coated, and with a cleanish front element and the results can be quite acceptable.Few appear to be in use at present although I do see some in the work of Circle 39 which exists for users of 39mm screw mount cameras.  I hope to post some results with the uncoated Summitar which does not at this point appear on this Blog.

Summer at the Horse Hospital,Camden Lock

The wall and shadow made this scene interesting but it would have been nothing without the lady who appeared (not posed!) and sat on the wall.
Leica 111 and   f3.5  A36 type Summaron

1936 Leica 111a with original uncoated Elmar f3.5 in Bath,Somerset.

Bath, November 2012
Leica 111a f3.5 Elmar on T-max 400.(uncoated lens) D76 1:1
 On the first roll of film after acquiring this camera and having a service. It appeared to be in original condition and therefore rather dry mechanically.   
The glass facade on the new building at the rear made this for me as it achieved the miracle of two sets of shadows at once. 

Country Garage

A Country Garage of the old sort I happened to pass,Taken with a Leicaflex original with a f2.0

 Summicron-R lens on Adox 25 and processed in Neofin Blue.

Early Morning at Belfast City Hall

Belfast City Hall,Donegall Square N. Main Entrance.
For this shot I used a Leica  M2 with a rather different lens. It is a Elmar but one of the f.3.5 versions in a factory M bayonet mount made between 1954 and 1961. A mechanical gem,and probably the best f3.5 Elmar of all, prior to the modern era. The film is yet again T-Max 400 in Fotospeed FD-10. Perhaps I should have printed this with the blank film rebate showing in black which I can do with a 25 x 37 negative holder on the Focomat. 



Clevedon Pier, Bristol Channel.

Clevedon Victorian Pier taken from the approach to the walkway.

Leica 111f  Sunnicron f2.0

T-Max 400 Fotospeed FD-10 developer

Musical Incident

 Musical Incident at the Mahon Fiesta!
Leica 111f and Summitar f2.0 on Kodak T-Max 400 in Fotospeed FD-10
1/500 at f5.6

Brunel's ss GREAT BRITAIN at Bristol

ss Great Britain at Bristol
Leica 111f and 135mm Hektor lens coated (1946)
This view was obtained from the terrace of a house in Southernhay Ave
on the hill opposite. Ilford Delta 100 in Perceptol

More of the Shard!

The view from  level 69 of the Shard- just imagine what it looks like to the window cleaner!

Taken on Kodak T-Max 400 with a Leica 111f and Mir 20mm lens at f11. 1/500 sec. The film was developed in D-76   dil.1:1  for 10 mins.

Woodcarving at Dulwich with a Leitz Summar

Spotted by the pavement in London this woodcarving was taken with a f2.0 Summar lens, one of the lenses from 1936 later coated and with glass in fairly good condition.

A Vintage Leica at The Shard

Taken at The Shard, London Bridge, on Saturday morning, 26th January 2013 from the Observation Floor.The Windows were being cleaned at the time.The camera was the Leica 111f with a 20mm MIR lens and an exposure of 1/500 and f 11 on Kodak T-Max 400 developed in D-76  1:1 for 10mins. One concern at this site is the use of X-ray screening at the admission level. This appears to be similar to Airport security and I forgot to try and ask for a hand search (the staff are without exception the most friendly and helpful) neither did I take an X-ray protection bag. However there appears to be no fogging but the light was difficult with really brilliant haze clearing into a fine day as the morning went on. For anyone thinking about the effect of screening at this late stage of silver photography I have found the commercial lead screening bags very good. I still try to mail exposed film home to myself from abroad to avoid double radiation in airports of unknown quality, with the package clearly marked. Folklore has it that 400 speed films are risky in a screening situation.More to follow on the Shard.

View from Rochester Castle

From Rochester Castle 1999

Leica 11 and Original Elmar f3.5

Probably influenced, unconsciously or otherwise by 'View from the Berlin Radio Tower' by

Moholy-Nagy 1928 which is about the time this Leica was made!  

Vintage Leica in Europe

Mahon Street Scene 2006
Leicaflex SL Summicron f2.0

Mahon Fiesta 2009
Leica 111f Summaron 35mm

Damme, Flanders,
Leica M2  Summicron f2.0 Taken from the flat roof of the Church tower which will appear in a later posting

Olympic Site, Stratford 2012

 

Olympic site, Stratford 2012

Leica 111f Summitar f2.0 Taken in the break between the two Games when the access area was open to the public

Hurdy-Gurdy Man

Malmesbury Farmers Market  2009

Leica 111f  Summar f2.0 (coated)

 This is a 1936 lens which has been coated after  1945 and is free from the usual front element problems.

 

Mahon Fiesta (Jaleo)

Menorca 2009

Leica 1f  Summaron f3.5

It must be explained that the cloud at the foot

of this is gravel kicked up by the horse.

Street Scene (Bar Navarra) Salamanca

Street Scene, Salamanca, Spain April 1996
Leica M2 Summicron (first type)

Welcome to the Paul Blanchard Vintage Leica Postal Portfolio 06 Blog

Site Meeting, Belfast, November 2011

Leica M3, Elmar f3.5

Giffords Circus, Minchinhampton, Glos. August 2012
Leica M2 Summicron (Type 4)

Menorca Gateway 2009
Leica 111f  Summitar f2.0 (coated)

Country Post Office 2000

Leica 111f  50mm 3.5 Elmar

Flour Mill Menorca 2007

Leica 111f  Summitar f2.0 (Coated)

Miranda del Castanar

Near Bejar,Spain

Leica M2 Summicron (first type)

From Walls of Avila,Spain
Leica M2, Summicron (first type)

Somerset Barn
Leica 111f  Mir 20mm 5.6

Mahon Fiesta 2008
Leica 1f   35mm Summaron f3.5 A36 type

Avila in Spring
Leica M2 50mm Summicron (first type)

Gun Street,City of London
Leica 111f Summitar f2.0

Cavendish Square Swindon
Leica M2  Summicron f2.0

 Plaza Mayor, Salamanca
Leica M2 Summicron f2.0

Salamanca
 Leica M2 Summicron f2.0

Bath,2011
Leica 111f,Coated Summar f2.0

Swindon 1998
 Leica 111f  uncoated Summar f2.0,This is the negative that appears much later printed in a vintage enlarger with an uncoated Varob lens.