Hello,

I use the Hexar RF with Leica lenses. I just love the Leica lenses for color photo's. The Hexar has a simple HX-18 flash that is wonderful for snapshot's and use you to 6meters. Very accurate and good range wide to 28mm lenses. I take better color pictures (more pleasing to me) with the Leica lenses than with my Konica SLR, or Nikon SLR lenses.

I have designated my Nikon F3 and Nikkor lenses (35mm f2.0 and 85mm f1.8) as my B&W camera. Excellent sharp B&W photo's. Easy to use yellow and red filters. (Inexpensive)

DO you have a preference? Color? B&W? or Both? A multi-user survey would help me decide if I "need/want" another M body/Hexar RF for B&W use.

Please contribute your preferences--if any.

Thanks,

-- David Smith (dssmith3@rmci.net), May 13, 2002

Answers

I'm sure you have a good point here and I'm maybe somewhat similar. I shoot b/w today, colour tomorrow (or vice versa). If I (a) took more pictures in the first place, and (b) the ratio was then all-the-more 50:50, I'd get a second body (ya, ya, e.g. M6TTL) too.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), May 13, 2002.

Those Leica lenses that are so wonderful for color are also the greatest for black & white. Only one answer -- get another M body!

-- Dave Jenkins (djphoto@vol.com), May 13, 2002.

I shoot about 90% in B&W, no matter what camera body I'm using, for reasons that have little to do w/what brand lens I have on the camera. I guess I simply like B&W (& also find it easier to develop, scan, print, etc.). In my experience, any lens that gives you a good color photo should be able to give you a good B&W photo, so I don't see why you would "need/want" another Leica/Leica-compatible body just to shoot B&W. If you prefer the Leica glass for color, you might prefer it for B&W, too. Why not just put some B&W in your Hexar?

-- Chris Chen (Wash., DC) (furcafe@NOSPAMcris.com), May 13, 2002.

I like shooting both, but mainly color. People photography in B&W is so cool though!

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), May 13, 2002.

I think it depends on what you are photographing, but for nighttime stuff, I think colour portrays the mood a lot better than B&W.

-- Karl Yik (karl.yik@dk.com), May 13, 2002.

I shoot both, but generally I "see" better in B&W than in color. I think this is evidenced in my Photo-A-Week 2002 project... < b>http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/PAW2/

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), May 13, 2002.

When I shot B&W I used my M cameras for B&W and various SLRs (Nikon, Olympus) for color because I felt that they were slower and more accurate/precise. Now I shoot only color, mostly slide film. Today I have my R4/50 cron with me at work because at lunch I'm going to walk around some alleys south of Market Street in SF and that combination is the best of high quality, expendable/replaceable and small enough to put in my jacket pocket. Good luck.

-- Gil Pruitt (wgpinc@yahoo.com), May 13, 2002.

Godfrey,

I have looked at all your PAW shots. Questions. Did you use a leica for all these shots? While all the shot's are nice, the color pictures are vivid, and very pleasing. Your gallery represents precisely why I prefer color pic's with my leica.

Check out Godfrey's gallery and see what I mean.

Please let us know if other than leica camera/lenses were used for your PAW.

Thanks

-- David Smith (dssmith3@rmci.net), May 13, 2002.

ONLY B & W, but then I also only use screw-mount Leicas, so maybe there's something wrong with me :-).

-- Robert Marvin (marvbej@earthlink.net), May 13, 2002.

Well I arrived at Point Reyes yesterday with B&W in my camera. Of course I had to switch to color- the lupins , irises, and other wildflowers were a-raging. So I finished up my half-spent roll, and switched back to B&W at the end of the day. Hopefully the brillantly yellow lupins will show nicely against the sea coast (strange, only 2 miles south, and all the lupins are violet and purple!).

I would say 80:20 color:B&W. I don't have a scanner or easy access to a darkroom.

-- Tse-Sung (tsesung@yahoo.com), May 13, 2002.

I have looked at all your PAW shots. Questions. Did you use a leica for all these shots? While all the shot's are nice, the color pictures are vivid, and very pleasing. Your gallery represents precisely why I prefer color pic's with my leica.

Thanks for looking into the website, I appreciate your compliment.

The camera, lens (where applicable) and film used are listed on every week's page at the bottom. None of these photos were taken with a Leica ... I supplied the PAW address as an illustration of the fact that I feel I see better in B&W than in color rather than as examples of Leica performance. Leica lenses are uniquely superb and work as well in color as in B&W, but it really comes down to what a photographer can see more than what the lens does in the end.

I found a couple of weeks back that I'd not taken a single photograph with the Leica since last summer which prompted me to trade off my Leica kit for a Hasselblad 903SWC which I'd always wanted. Nothing against the Leica, I love them and have been shooting with Leicas since 1969, but if I'm not using it I would rather the money be put into something which I will use more of the time. In the end, it's all just equipment ...

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), May 13, 2002.

David,

Like you I use an Hexar RF mainly with Leica lens.

I shoot both color (slides) and B&W and I tend to shoot more B&W with my Hexar RF (Like I did with my late M5) than I do with my MF SLR. I think I’m shooting about 60% slides and 40% B&W with a small format rangefinder camera.

You’ll find the Leica lenses exceptional in B&W, much more than you find them exceptional in color.

As for another body, I think, if budget is not a major consideration to you, you can chose both another Hexar RF or a Leica M the rendition of the Leica lens won’t be altered by the choice of body you make. If you need to use the fastest lenses Leica produces for their focal length (Noctilux and 75mm Summilux) or want to frame easier your tele-lenses or need a very silent camera, the M would be a better choice. In any other case, another Hexar RF will probably suits your needs perfectly and the difference of price between the M and the Hexar RF will permit you to complete your lens outfit.

If your budget is tight, go for the Hexar RF. I don’t know well the prices in the US (if you are leaving there) but in France even a second hand so-so in aspect M6 will cost you more than a new Hexar RF.

François P. WEILL

-- François P. WEILL (frpawe@wanadoo.fr), May 13, 2002.

I shoot mostly color but whenever I do shoot B&W I have a preference for the Leica M or Rolleiflex. Since I shoot B&W almost always with a colored filter of some kind (yellow, orange or green), I find it harder to focus an SLR and irritating to compose through the filter.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 13, 2002.

C41 colour film always for all subjects - Fuji Press 800 for indoors/low-light work and Kodak Supra 100 for outdoors/ landscape/ QTVR/ architecture.

-- Andrew Nemeth (azn@nemeng.com), May 13, 2002.

I shoot about 90% color these days, and print about 90% B&W. As everything goes through a scanner that gets printed, color film makes a lot more sense. Although I find the later choice of color or b&w nice, what I really enjoy is the ability to put post-exposure color filters into my desaturation. I don't need to buy (and switch around) a red/green/yellow set of filters in order to get the effect of them. I can also preview what each filter would do. Works great for me.

-- Nick (nicholas_rab@hotmail.com), May 13, 2002.

The finest film I've ever run through a Leica is PolaPan. Truly stunning tonality and it processes in minutes on your desktop. The slides are incredible delicate, however. They get scratched just from looking at them. Great, great stuff. I'll never stop using it.

-- Keith Davis (leica4ever@yahoo.com), May 13, 2002.

Yes you will, Keith. Word on the street is Polapan is discontinued.

-- drew (swordfisher@hotmail.com), May 13, 2002.

David -

What you never explained, nor have the persons who answered your question, is whether the "color" film discussion was over slides, or was over prints. It makes one helluva lot of difference.

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), May 13, 2002.

George,

My results were with Konica Centuria (ISO400) and Kodak Royal Gold (ISO100)print films. Processed at the local grocery store minilab. I have yet to find anybody make 4X6 prints better than Margie and her crew at the Franklin Fred Meyer store here in Boise. Seems odd, but they do a wonderful job. I have used the local pro lab, the Kodak mailers, the Fuji slide mailers, but none do a better job than these people.

They send my black and white's for processing to the bulk lab in Salt Lake city. T-Max 100 and Tri X 400. About every grocery store and minilab in the region sends their stuff to Salt Lake from here. I get good quality black and white prints back from them, though the consistency of results does vary from batch to batch.

For quality enlargements, I use Media specialties here in Boise.

-- David S Smith (dssmith3@rmci.net), May 13, 2002.

PolaPan discontinued? Is this true? Now I'm in a panic. And I'm furious! More fallout from this damned digital "revolution" probably. I'm sick of it. All the challenge and creativity is being flushed down the can to satisfy a bunch of instant-gratification button pushers. Damn!

-- Keith Davis (leica4ever@yahoo.com), May 13, 2002.

I shoot nothing but Provia 400F any more. Given a good scanner and printer, I have the best of all worlds - projection and print, colour and b&w. The downside is cost, but the quality of the results with Leica lenses more than compensates.

If I was still a wet-head I'd still be shooting Tri-X, though...

-- Paul Chefurka (paul@chefurka.com), May 13, 2002.

PolaPan discontinued? Is this true? Now I'm in a panic. And I'm furious! More fallout from this damned digital "revolution" probably. I'm sick of it. All the challenge and creativity is being flushed down the can to satisfy a bunch of instant-gratification button pushers. Damn!

Polaroid has been in trouble financially for many years. While the advent of digital cameras has certainly not helped, they never did sell much of the 35mm films in any volume and with the latest financial crises they are likely a loss center that must go.

Don't blame digital camera users for Polaroid's lack of business acumen.

Godfrey

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), May 13, 2002.

what a stupid question.....who designates a camera for only bw or color....someone either with money or no brains....

-- grant (lotusphotography@yahoo.com), May 13, 2002.

as for preference of film, it depends on the situation...

-- grant (lotusphotography@yahoo.com), May 13, 2002.

I use only Fuji Superia ASA 200 or 400. This is not by preference but here in Indonesia it's hard to find an alternative. B&W processing is rare and expensive. Slide film processing ditto.

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), May 13, 2002.

Golly Grant,

I've met and known a number of working photographers that have multiple camera bodies for different focal length lenses. And others have a different type of film or film speed in each of these bodies.

I do have a lot of money. And I must be stupid--because I haven't figured out how to have both B&W and Color film in my camera at the same time and make good pictures.

How'd you know about me?? You must be pretty smart. And thank's for your helpful insights

-- David S Smith (dssmith3@rmci.net), May 13, 2002.