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 :

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/4323001641_e31a36cd9a.jpg

[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? :D

[Jeff Kubach]

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

Jeff