THUD – “That’s going to be expensive” I said to myself whilst caressing the new indentation on the Leica MP’s housing; the body now so disfigured it was rejected by its own baseplate. After an initial quotation of twelve hundred gold coins and a two/three month lead time, I was very thankful of the insurance policy I had taken out a few months before, especially as I doubt my kidneys would fetch that much on eBay… not when you add in selling fees, postage and PayPal costs, at least!
I needed a new camera for my commercial work – predominantly for portfolio updates, portraits and editorial submissions. I love rangefinders but being strapped for cash after having to pay the repairs costs in advance, anything considered as “camera porn” was definitely off the list – besides the Leica was coming back sometime this century, all being well.
After copious amounts of tea I decided on an SLR. I really wanted another Nikon FM2n – a camera I regretfully sold a few years back – or perhaps a new Canon F1 – but my eyesight has rebelled against me in recent years. I had to procure a diopter for the Leica after a couple of years of focusing with my left eye, and the availability of these for the aforementioned looked harder to come by than a leprechauns pot of shiny stuff. Something with inbuilt dioptric adjustment was therefore preferable. After almost being seduced by a Contax RX, I decided on the Nikon F100 and purchased one for a grand total of £120, plus postage. It’s amazing what you can procure for a tenth of the cost of repairs to a disfigured Leica MP.
So how is the F100…? Well, to kick off, it’s got a lot of buttons; not necessarily laid out in an obvious way, but nothing I couldn’t fathom given enough time staring at in the way you need to for one of those Magic Eye pictures to come to life. I’m sure I’ll get used to it in time, and to be fair, it’s done me pretty darn well so far… just don’t ask me about the custom menu list.
Images herewith are of Marie Louise and Vinette, taken on my first two shoots with the F100 as my primary camera.
All the links to the various models, agencies, and MUAs can be found on my Instagram account including my latest work: www.instagram.com/adamlawsphotography or alternatively my website: www.adamlaws.com
Fabulous! What lens?
Thanks kind sir. Lens was a Nikon 50mm 1.4g
… and, uh, what fillm did you use? Portra 160? Really nice…
Kodak Portra 400 over exposed by one stop.
You dropped your Leica?! I would have puked! These are great shots from the SLR but was there no RF you could have used in the meantime or does nothing even come close?
I may have shouted a few choice words at myself but I guess that’s what you pay insurance for ultimately – I’m still pending an eta on the Leica.
I guess I could of got an RF but nowhere near the price point of the Nikon. As a tool it’s great but not something I’ve personally bonded with.
My personal best Leica Boo Boo was many years back. I was hiking with the family in The Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I was crossing over some large boulders when I slipped and caught myself. My R-7 with the 80mm f/1.4 wasn’t so lucky. That was the very last time that I’ve ever gone out without thr proper lens hood and a UV filter on any lens. The front of the lens element and the Boulder got rather intimately acquainted. The Boulder was none for the wear which is more than I could say for the lens front element. There was a 4mm “chunk” of the glass gouged out and gone. Thank for the wonderful Leitz “passport warranty”. The lens was repaired and adjusted at no cost. Like Forrest Gump said, “stupid is as stupid does”!
Another reminder that the picture is only an output of a much richer story and process that I still believe only film can help to deliver. How many hours would a retoucher have devoted to getting this look? Film is my raw editor. Thank you for sharing