Hi there from Portugal

[proenca]

Hi there,

My name is Proenca and I just re-discovered film ;

I started with Film, quite a while ago but never mastered it - with a Canon T70 from my father's.

So when the digital SLR bandwagon started, I jumped in : Nikon D100, Fuji S2, Nikon D1x, Nikon D2h, Nikon D2x and even went to the Canon camp because in digital the grass is greener on the other side : Canon 1D, 1Ds, 1Ds2

But one day I got fedup having to carry two tons of equipment, laptps and the mule rental fee to carry all this was getting high

So I went to a shop and the owner said : hey , hold this : its a small rangefinder camera, take it for the weekend and let me know how you get on with it.

Tricky people, those guys from Aperture in London.

The camera was a Leica M7 and on middle of next week I was coming to swap my Canon gear for a M7 + full set of leica lens.

And I was happy for a while, until I got my house robbed.

I was getting fedup with the slide film scanning so I got the insurance money and that was 1 day before going on my trip to Asia : the M8 had been launch a couple of months before and I stop at Singapore... well got one

Almost three years with the M8 which gave me lot of joy but six months ago, on my aniversary, I decided that I wanted to buy a camera to pass on to my future generation.

A digital camera ? You kidding me ? A M8 in 15 years will be as updated as a 15 year old computer is today and you need a truck to lug around that.

So I decided : I miss the discipline of film. I miss the "oh man, this wait for the developing is killing me". I miss the joy of viewing the negatives ( or positives ) on a light table and watching one that I nailed the focus , the exposure, everything - and the joy it gives. The proud.

So I decided, 6 months ago, that I would buy a film Leica to pass on.

But wait a second, should I buy a "special" one ? Well, was my birthday so I was allowed to splurge a bit, even the wife gave the ok.

I was calling one of my favorite camera stores ( FFORDES ) and Steve said "got the camera here for you".

And he did.

A Leica MP Anthracite, made specially and exclusively for the Japanese market, bit rare ( only 600 units made ). And to me, one of my all time favorites.

So I paid the deposit, got the money together in a couple of months and exactly on my birthday date, she arrived.

She's gorgeous, and I did have a bit of mental breakdown when she had the first scratch : although bit of a collectors camera, cameras that sit on a shelf are for pansies.

So I regularly take my MP for a walk and the joy is back. To be honest, my M8 is jealous now. I hardly shot with it.

Due to work comitments, these days I dont have time to shoot much. And its fun to shoot film.

So I decided that for my next birthday I would treat myself with another camera : a 6x17 film camera. Actually was my wife that insisted, the place where I work has some enormous 6x17 pictures of Lisbon ( gorgeous actually ) on the walls and she loves the format : and she asked me to buy that camera.

So here I am, trying to learn as much as I can with film - I've been doing the digital short cut - take a few exposures and hoping that one will be ok. But with film you need to know what you are doing.

And while I'm a decent photographer ( modesty apart ) I want to be better.

No M9 will make me a better photographer. Film will.

Sorry for the long introduction but at least you know everything ehehehe, hoped you enjoy reading and for the end, here's a picture of my baby :

 

[Robert Hall]

Welcome to APUG. I think you will find yourself making some great images with the Leica.

Cheers,

 

[Chazzy]

Welcome to APUG, Proenca.

 

[KWhitmore]

Looks like you're off to a great start...welcome!

 

[vitor]

Boa sorte com a procura da nova camera

 

[André E.C.]

Ora seja muito bem-vindo meu caro Proença, acaba de chegar ao sitio certo e a sua decisão de seguir pela via analógica é sem dúvida sapiente, disfrute do fórum, existe muita gente que o ajudará no seu caminho com todo o gosto, sabem muito e gostam de partilhar conhecimento.

Divirta-se e disfrute dessa(s) maravilha(s) mecânica(s) que adquiriu, são sem dúvida alguma, duas grandes escolhas.


Abraço desde o gelado norte europeu.

 

[papagene]

Proenca - hello and welcome to APUG from western Massachusetts.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Welcome to the forum, Proenca.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Welcome from Washington, DC! You are one of the extreme fortunate few to have a spouse who understands and ENCOURAGES the gear thing. Just don't let it get out of control yourself, shoot the MP, and enjoy yourself! Make pictures, not bills

 

[proenca]

Thank you all for the warm welcome .)\

Welcome from Washington, DC! You are one of the extreme fortunate few to have a spouse who understands and ENCOURAGES the gear thing. Just don't let it get out of control yourself, shoot the MP, and enjoy yourself! Make pictures, not bills

Dont get all jealous of me : she doesnt encourage the gear thing AT all ! She's a normal wife ranting about the photographic prices and why I have so many.

I got some Leica lenses and to buy each one I had to convice her that I really need that lens, pretty much like trying to sell sand to a guy who lives in a desert.

But in two rare occasions, when buying the MP she agreed on buying something bit more special and now she encouraged me to buy the 6x17, she asked : "why you dont buy new, too expensive?". I said " I'm buying used, a new Linhof costs 6.000 pounds / 8.000 euros / 11.000 usd ".

She doesnt want to know the used price.

So a normal wife indeed

 

[fotch]

Hello Proenca, welcome aboard. Interesting read, your post.

 

[paulo.maxim]

Welcome Proença

haven't i seen you somewhere else?

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Hello Proenca, and a warm welcome to APUG. I hope you enjoy it here.

Jeff