My dad bought a Leica IIIC in 1949 when he worked for the US Navy on Guam. It came with a 5cm f/2.0 Summitar lens. He had owned a Perfex 35mm camera during the war years but had wanted a Leica for a long time, and took the opportunity of low prices at the post exchange. He used this little Leica for many years, using for all the family photos when we lived in Greece and SE Asia in the 1950s and 1960s. A few years ago, Sherry Krauter in New York cleaned and checked the Summitar lens for me. The shutter in the body had been troublesome for over a decade, but Don Goldberg in Wisconsin did a fantastic job overhauling it mid-2017.
For a trip to Nepal in October of this year, I decided to use this little IIIC with black and white film and skip the obligatory digital camera entirely. It was a great success. Many Nepalis were amazed that I was using a mechanical camera almost 70 years old. It was a tension-breaker to let people look through the viewfinder, but I had to explain that there was no LCD screen for them to see the results. Surprisingly, some of the camera stores in the Thamel area (the main tourist zone) in Kathmandu still stock fresh Ilford and Fuji film in 35mm size. But you probably could not find any 120 or large format film. The example that follow are on TMax 100 film, developed by Praus Productions in Rochester, NY. I had only used TMax 100 once before and I'm impressed by the fine grain. Nice stuff. To measure exposure, I used a Gossen Luna Pro Digital. I did not use filters too often, but when needed, I had Leitz Series VI filters and old Tiffen retaining rings. It is a bit clumsy but manageable. The rangefinder is surprisingly precise.
The Summitar lens is a bit quirky. Mine (maybe all of them?) has a lot of field curvature, so the edges of a brick wall will be fuzzy. But a typical scene with the subject in the center has smooth out of focus area around the edges (yes, that bokeh stuff). Sure, the newer type 4 Summicron that I use on my M2 is "better", but I rather like the old Summitar. It feels good to have my dad's camera in operation again. He would be pleased.
Nepal is a fabulous photographic destination. The people are friendly and welcoming. The country is developing and changing quickly. Go soon to see remnants of an earlier era before they are torn up.
For a trip to Nepal in October of this year, I decided to use this little IIIC with black and white film and skip the obligatory digital camera entirely. It was a great success. Many Nepalis were amazed that I was using a mechanical camera almost 70 years old. It was a tension-breaker to let people look through the viewfinder, but I had to explain that there was no LCD screen for them to see the results. Surprisingly, some of the camera stores in the Thamel area (the main tourist zone) in Kathmandu still stock fresh Ilford and Fuji film in 35mm size. But you probably could not find any 120 or large format film. The example that follow are on TMax 100 film, developed by Praus Productions in Rochester, NY. I had only used TMax 100 once before and I'm impressed by the fine grain. Nice stuff. To measure exposure, I used a Gossen Luna Pro Digital. I did not use filters too often, but when needed, I had Leitz Series VI filters and old Tiffen retaining rings. It is a bit clumsy but manageable. The rangefinder is surprisingly precise.
The Summitar lens is a bit quirky. Mine (maybe all of them?) has a lot of field curvature, so the edges of a brick wall will be fuzzy. But a typical scene with the subject in the center has smooth out of focus area around the edges (yes, that bokeh stuff). Sure, the newer type 4 Summicron that I use on my M2 is "better", but I rather like the old Summitar. It feels good to have my dad's camera in operation again. He would be pleased.
Nepal is a fabulous photographic destination. The people are friendly and welcoming. The country is developing and changing quickly. Go soon to see remnants of an earlier era before they are torn up.
