Scanned pics taken with my dad's Leica M5

LaFoto · Feb 1, 2006

OK. After months and more months of being undecided whether to show you my very first attempts at testing my dad's Leica M5 with Ilford HP5 film, here I am with 9 of the pictures.

When I got the film back, I wasn't too thrilled. Actually I was pretty disappointed. All the photos lacked in contrast, looked kind of milky and had a faint green tint.

I scanned some portrait pics of my kids before (can't find the thread any more, though, for I forgot what I called it), and JonK said that apparently they were printed on colour paper. It is either that, or my scanner just cannot scan any other than RGB-formats. But the scans were all "colour pics". So all you are getting to see now is "converted into b+w b+w photos" :roll: ... Can it get any more complicated? (I upped the lost contrasts, too, quite a bit, here and there).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

:blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing: :blushing:

LaFoto · Feb 1, 2006

Could I have posted these at the wrong time of the day, and it has already moved too far down to be noted by all those who have only just got up and only see what is much newer than this?

In other, shorter words:

SHAMELESS BUMP!

(I mean, I had to be so brave in the first place to finally post these...)

digital flower · Feb 1, 2006

I definitely think the camera is worth exploring and experimenting with more. I like the country building scenes. How old is the camera?

errant_star · Feb 1, 2006

Wow, what a bit of a hassle to get these up here!!

but, now that they are ... my faves are #5 and 8 :mrgreen:

Have you had a chance to use the Leica since then? I'd love to see something recent with it .. you're improving all the time and I think you'd definately much more pleased with the results you got the next time around :hug::

LaFoto · Feb 1, 2006

DFP, I was told in another thread that the M5 was built between 1971 and 1975. Never knew my dad got himself yet another Leica when I was about 11 or 12, but that must have been the time ... so a little over 30 years.

And I sure need to explore more - and have, Jen. I hope to be able to collect the second film tomorrow, and again the prints will be made on colour paper, I feel it! There is only ONE commercial lab in the entire north of Germany, and from each and EVERY photo store or drugstore with a desk where you can leave your photos, the rolls of film go to that ONE bit lab. Since the film on which there are these pics came back with faintly greenish prints, I am sure the next will be the same. It is yet to be seen whether I was able to improve. I haven't got a clue. It took me ever so much longer to fill that film than it does to take over 80 digital pics in a one-hour photo excursion, I no longer know what the first frames were :shock:

So tomorrow is surprise day, surprise day, surprise day :boogie:

I am now WELL INTO the third film, though.

All I would really wish to have now would be access to a private darkroom - but I don't know anybody who has one.

aprilraven · Feb 1, 2006

i love the very first shot....that looks like where i should live...and i love the building....the brick small shed is great...

i like these a bunch...

LaFoto · Feb 2, 2006

Do they suck big time???

What will I have to observe in the future???
And what kind of motif really presses itself on rangefinder photography?
Any hints? Any help?

I hope I can collect the second set of prints today ... let's see what will have come out of those ...................thrilling!!!!!

puzzle · Feb 2, 2006

LaFoto, I don't have nearly enough experiance to critique properly, but I'll give you my thoughts for what they're worth

#1, I like the steps, and the water (?) at the bottom. The tones on the steps are good, but I find the railings and cars at the top are distracting and a little over-bright

#2, I really like the contrasts in the detail of the building - it is a little squint

I wonder if it would be better in a landscape format to include the rest of the building on the right - or maybe crop even tighter so we don't see it at all.

I was going to comment on each of them, but I'm runnning out of time at the moment! I like #7, and #8 is good too, but maybe the leaves are too bright.

Rob · Feb 2, 2006

Despite your disclaimers, I think they've come out really well! There's lovely detail there and excellent mid-range tones. It sounds like your lab can't print B&W very often - colour casts are common on C41 B&W, but shouldn't be present in "proper" B&W. Good job! You'll have to get it out more often!

Rob

LaFoto · Feb 2, 2006

Well, let me proudly give you the good news: the second b+w film "shot" with the Leica is processed. Prints are at home with me now, and upon collecting them, I could hand in my third roll, only to buy the fourth along with it.

I'm becoming friendlier with the Leica.
Examples later.

jocose · Feb 2, 2006

Corinna,

first of all, I need to apologize...I was one of the folks who told you to post, and here I am late in responding.

Second of all, #6--is that Big Foot lurking in the foilage?

Third of all, I think your "first attempt" is WAY SO BETTER than mine were. I don't know what your doing pretending these are crap. For a first attempt they rock!

I think 3 and 4 are my favs! Keep it up. I, too, have decided NOT to dump my experiments with the film. Actually, my bro-in-law was talking about maybe setting up a darkroom in the basement...I think I need to talk him into that!!

JonK · Feb 2, 2006

nice to see your dad's camera being put back into action. nice contrasty images. good choice of film.
I think 1 and 7 are my faves.

Chiller · Feb 2, 2006

These are some cool black and whites. 1 and 5 are my faves.

PlasticSpanner · Feb 2, 2006

B&W Photography is a little bit different from colour and you'll soon find your mind converting the colour scene in front of your eyes into a B&W image in your head.

Greens are very similar to reds, foliage doesn't contrast with itself very well and textures and shadows can be exaggerated to great effect!

I like #5 the best though I think it needed a little more in composition to put the centre front of the building in the bottom right 1/3rd intersection?

Try using some colour filters to bring out more contrast. Different colours work for different "materials" There is a big advantage to having your own darkroom for B&W film in that you're printing on true monochrome paper and with filters on the enlarger you can still adjust the contrast of the image. This can all be done to your own taste & not left to a lab techie or even worse, a processing computer!:meh:

It's a very good first roll though and one that you'll find you'll learn a lot from. Remember to take notes on basic settings and observations though so that when you get your prints back you can accurately evaluate what you've got right (or wrong) for each one. :thumbup:

mysteryscribe · Feb 3, 2006

Very high contrast shots.. Part im sure is the film but the Leica is an amazing camera as well. I have the russian knock off which is a nice little 35mm rangerfinder but I shot a Leica once and its no leica, (Lloyd Benson)...

The choices will differ I expect as you get more familiar with the camera but I find them interesting. I'm deep into retro so I would. Also they are Leica sharp even after scanning. You have an amazing camera you should shoot it and then shoot it some more. If it is fully manual, there is nothing like the slowness of shooting manual everything cameras to make you stop and ask yourself, is this worth the effort. I usually come up with the wrong answer.