I don't see why OM's can't be as "inspirational" as Leicas. I love my
Screw mount Leicas and have always felt that Maitani must have tried
to duplicate some of the feel and character of them in the OM series.
I have a newer Leica M3 and it is larger and heavier than an OM! While
no SLR can hope to match the silence and focusing accuracy (with Wide
angles) of an M3 - the newer OM lens designs have better edge
definition wide open and much more contrast than the old Leica lenses
I own. However, don't underestimate any coated Leica lens - they are
very sharp on center at all stops and yield beautiful out of focus
patterns where they are not focused. I believe this is because of the
retrofocus design of most SLR lenses - it is easier to design a good
RF lens.
That said, HCB is a great artist who could afford to work with good
miniature equipment during a period when people like Brassai were
using larger proven cameras to get the pictures they needed to sell. I
do not mean to belittle HCB's artistry, he only needed a simple Leica
to capture glorious compositions - but the Leica is a tremendous
advantage when we talk about decisive moment. Most other photographers
work of the 30's, even 40's lack it.
Very interestingly, I read that HCB preferred Zeiss lenses and had his
Leicas fitted with them - an expensive proposition for a working
stiff. When the Leica Summicrons (f2) came out they finally delivered
the flat field corrections which Zeiss already had in the 30's. This
has been Leica's problem - they make such a good product that they are
loathe to change a good thing to keep up with the competition.
My photographic icon is David Douglas Duncan and he was quick to put
Nikon lenses on his Leicas in Korea- they gave him more speed and
contrast in a tough environment. Pity that Maitani was not around
then, or DDD might have used an OM with a 100MM f 2!
Finally, if it works for you - use it. My sharpest normal lens is a
Kodak EKTAR mounted in a Summitar barrel, my best 21 is an OM f3.5
which I have adapted for use on both the OM and my leica ( with an
appropriate extension tube and lots of fiddling).
Ciao!
---Chris Barker <cbarker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Amateur Photographer (8 Aug) has a long article to celebrate the 90
> birthday of Henri Cartier Bresson on 22 Aug. Some of the
photographs in
> the article are quite inspirational, but the one which prompted this
note
> is the magazine cover which show a photograph by Dennis Stock of HCB
poised
> with his Leica and small lens with hood. I have heard that some
> professionals (artists) swear by the usefulness of the little Leica RF
> cameras with a Summicron f2 and I wondered whether the OM1 with the
35/2.8
> or 40/2 could not be just as inspirational (that's balanced
mentioning the
> Leica I hope!).
>
> Certainly, when using my little 40/2 with my OM1N recently, I have
managed
> to use it for all sorts of shots - portrait and landscape. In Italy
and
> Austria I left the Pola filter on with a 28/2.8 solid, screw-on hood
and
> left the ensemble loose in the centre compartment of my bag
(Billingham
> Hadley, a wonderful sack of a bag which looks a bit like an
old-fashioned
> school satchel!) so that I could whip it out for grab shots.
>
> I know, I have not yet seen the results to judge my prowess or the
quality
> of the lens; but leaving the former aside as a permanent
imponderable, and
> taking the latter for granted does anyone else try to stick to one
(prime)
> lens for a day or a subject or whatever. Do you think that we are
past the
> days when the "Decisive Moment" was possible, interesting or a work
of art?
>
> The article. by the way, is well worth reading. There are many
photographs
> and the reproduction is wonderful (normal for AP I suppose).
>
> End of musing/ramble.
>
> "The man who lives in the past is blind in one eye but the man who
forgets
> it is blind in both." Solzhenitsyn.
>
>
>
> < This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
> < For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
> < Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
>
>
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|