LEICA Barnack Berek Blog: LEICA Barnack Berek Blog GALLERY 2-20-2013

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

LEICA Barnack Berek Blog GALLERY 2-20-2013

One of the advantages of the Leica M series cameras is that they are able to utilize the older Leica screw mount lenses with an adapter. Not only does this greatly increase the choice of Leica lenses that are at the photographer’s disposal, it also allows the use of a large variety of lenses made by other manufacturers like Zeiss, Nikon and Canon for instance.

Today’s gallery is dedicated exclusively to the use of non-Leica lenses on M cameras. French photographer Solenn Herviouet uses a variety of these lenses for his daily work. All of today’s images were taken by him.

Solenn Hervouet writes about himself:

Some background info (not that much, I'm still a young man):

I'm 30, I live in France and I'm an engineer in scientific computing. I'm currently moving from Paris to Bordeaux, I was born in St Nazaire

(see www.flickr.com/photos/63722156@N04/sets/72157628916422967/). I worked for the automotive industry (Renault) and currently in the aerospace industry. I discovered photography at 25, with my dad's old Nikon F. Mostly by accident: I gave it for repairs as my father had problems with it, and when it came back working I tried it with an old Kodak Gold film. It was in May in Paris, the weather was nice, and I was instantly hooked. Sometime after, it ceased working again.

From there, I began with Nikon gear, and quickly went to Leica as I like its design, feeling and simplicity. I also began to love old classic German cameras : Contax, Exakta, Rolleiflex, ... I like the feeling of the chrome, engraved metal and leather. I'm not really a collector as I like to use my cameras (even if, the more I have, the less I can find time to use them all). I like typical cameras of the 30s/40s/50s : rangefinders, TLRs, SLRs. Their workmanship is impressive, and cannot be matched today. I even have a pair of Speed/Crown Graphic that I should use more. I'm always surprised of the quality of the pictures, as I often do not like the "clinical" sharpness of the more modern cameras.

I do use in parallel digital and classic cameras, as I have not learned the wet print process. I scan my films; it does not bother me as I'm used to work with computers. I don't oppose digital/film, they can work nicely together.

I still have a lot to learn in the technical part of the photography process. And I do not have a good photographic culture either. I just do what I like, walking around with some nice cameras. I'm still wondering what I can do with a camera, what "style" really means...