Saturday, March 25, 2017

35mm Camera Confusion, What To Do?

Which Leica 35mm to take with me? I want to take 2 cameras and 3 lens. It makes sense to take 2 of the same bodies so if one goes down I still have the other to use. I will be shooting for 6 months, breakdowns are a real possibility.

What combination of 2 cameras and 3 lens should I take?

- Leica M rangefinder camera bodies 3
- 21mm F2.8 M lens
- 28mm F2 M lens
- 35mm F1.4 M lens

- Leica R SLR Camera bodies 3 (2 R6s, 1 R4)
- 60mm F2.8 R lens (macro)
- 35mm F2.8 R lens
- 24mm F2.8 R lens

I will take 1 R camera body and the 60mm macro (Sebastiao Salgado's favorite lens) but am unsure after that. Maybe a second R body and the 24mm and 35mm. Or maybe a rangefinder body with the faster 28mm and 35mm lens. The M lens are much faster, the R lens focus closer!

Update: What about this for a 35mm package?

1 Leica R body
1 Leica M body
28mm f2 M lens
35mm f1.4 M lens
24mm f2.8 R lens
60mm f2.8 R lems
A ton of Tri-x film!

Like this gear set up, I would have fast lens and close focusing lens but no backups with me for the R or M bodies. If they go down, I would lose that 1/2 of my gear bag.

Update* Thinking forward to the photographs I will make during my 6 month trip, the pictures I will make with these cameras, is SO SO EXCITING. It is amazing that after almost 40 years of making pictures I still feel that same happiness, hope and pleasure as the first time I shot and develop film. If anything as the years pass the joy I get from photography continues to grow. Maybe that is because over the last 20 years I finally feel I am doing good work, important work, photographs that matter and can make a difference.

"Ain't Photography Grand!!"

Update**

Been thinking this over all night. I think my best option would be to take 3 cameras and 3 lens.

Leica R with 24mm f2.8
Leica R with 60mm f2.8 (macro)
Leica M with 35mm f1.4

Benefits:
- fast lens included (35mm f1.4)
- close focusing lens (R SLR cameras)
- back up body for the R system
- 3 very different focal lengths that can be shot immediately without changing lens.
- Everything fits securely in my Billingham camera bag, with zipper to keep out the dump dirt.