tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post565710895627692962..comments2024-03-27T11:02:08.037-05:00Comments on LEICA Barnack Berek Blog: SHOOTING A LEICA UNDER VERY EXTREME CONDITIONSLEICA Barnack Berek Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055435560407011075noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-64331278541458795972020-10-06T10:33:19.784-05:002020-10-06T10:33:19.784-05:00I took my old M8 to extremely cold Antarctica seve...I took my old M8 to extremely cold Antarctica several years ago and took no precautions except common sense and never missed a shot. I take my M240 and CL out in inclement weather and aside from wiping them off as needed, I never missed a shot. While they are technically not weather sealed their tight assemblies are sufficient to use under most conditions without ill effect as long as they are frequently wiped down.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-45463675984104838532020-10-06T10:31:55.444-05:002020-10-06T10:31:55.444-05:00What are hyperfocal settings?What are hyperfocal settings?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-3444502466499766832020-10-06T10:30:59.788-05:002020-10-06T10:30:59.788-05:00Of course you want to protect your camera from get...Of course you want to protect your camera from getting wet, but I never hesitate using my Leica equipment in the rain. A bit of moisture has never created any problems for me at all. I usually keep the camera underneath some piece of clothing and only expose it to the elements when actually shooting. In really heavy rain, it helps a lot to keep the camera in a plastic bag with only the front of the lens sticking out. Make sure to use a lens hood. It will protect the front element of the lens to quite a degree. In cases like that I tear or cut an opening in the back for the viewfinder. The bag has to be big enough though to allow for enough flexibility to focus the lens. Hyperfocal settings are very helpful in this case.LEICA Barnack Berek Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09055435560407011075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-31434381384780123072020-10-06T10:30:27.912-05:002020-10-06T10:30:27.912-05:00What about rain?What about rain?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-24102094664308974172020-10-06T10:30:03.794-05:002020-10-06T10:30:03.794-05:00I had my M5 for several years. I used it mostly wi...I had my M5 for several years. I used it mostly with the 50mm f/1 Noctilux. The extra bit of size of the camera never bothered me at all.LEICA Barnack Berek Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09055435560407011075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-24850093944315892882020-10-06T10:29:44.035-05:002020-10-06T10:29:44.035-05:00Good to know. I still own an M5, it is my favorite...Good to know. I still own an M5, it is my favorite camera.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-27779054199695905722020-10-06T10:28:42.581-05:002020-10-06T10:28:42.581-05:00My M4-P, loaded with TRI-X, has endured the harshe...My M4-P, loaded with TRI-X, has endured the harshest of Canadian winters for almost 26 years. I have never had a problem, neither the film has ever broken or jammed...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-71069286644255608862020-10-06T10:28:15.361-05:002020-10-06T10:28:15.361-05:00Yes, instead of a gear train like the Contarex, th...Yes, instead of a gear train like the Contarex, the original Leicaflex, The Leicaflex SL and SL-2 used a cam drive. It initially accelerated the mirror quite rapidly but then brought to a soft halt without any vibration at all.LEICA Barnack Berek Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09055435560407011075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-44418303529316745022020-10-06T10:27:51.612-05:002020-10-06T10:27:51.612-05:00Did Leica use any dampening device on their SLR ca...Did Leica use any dampening device on their SLR cameras at that time?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-6322224350899788382020-10-06T10:27:13.183-05:002020-10-06T10:27:13.183-05:00For the space walk Ed white had been given an expe...For the space walk Ed white had been given an experimental manouvering device. It consisted of a tank with a propellant, about the size of a small fire extinguisher. At one end was a handle, to hold it with one hand and a crossbar with a nozzle at each end. The device was supposed to allow movement in various directions simply by triggering the exhaust nozzles. The Contarex was mounted on top of the device in the center. As it turned out, the camera worked flawlessly, the maneuvering unit proved to be a failureLEICA Barnack Berek Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09055435560407011075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-26346166806070517692020-10-06T10:26:42.546-05:002020-10-06T10:26:42.546-05:00How was that Zeiss camera used during the space wa...How was that Zeiss camera used during the space walk? Was it mounted to the space suit like the Hasselblad cameras later on?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-3320371503475398992020-10-06T10:26:16.067-05:002020-10-06T10:26:16.067-05:00Yes, I did. At the same time I had the Leica M5, I...Yes, I did. At the same time I had the Leica M5, I also owned a Zeiss Contarex, the so called Cyclops model. Unfortunately I sold it when Zeiss discontinued making the Contarex. A follow up model of the Cyclops, the Contarex Electronic, was the first camera to ever be used in space when the US conducted the first space walk with Ed White. I still consider the Contarex one of the all time greatest 35mm SLR cameras and, together with the Alpa, they were the only other commercially available camera made with the same tolerances as the Leica cameras.<br />My Contarex performed just as well as the M5 did, except it operated a lot slower. The shutter worked flawlessly, it was the mirror drive that got rather slow. Unlike most SLR cameras, which simply allow the mirror to flip up under spring tension, the Contarex used a gear drive. This was done to prevent any vibrations from the mirror going up. The mirror was literally moved to its upper position by a gear which, after the exposure reversed and moved the mirror downwards. The cold temperatures stiffened the lubrication of these gears to the extend that it took about three or four seconds for the mirror to reach its upper position. After that the shutter would be released and then the mirror slowly would move back down into the viewing position.LEICA Barnack Berek Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09055435560407011075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-85391458201950102772020-10-06T10:24:45.777-05:002020-10-06T10:24:45.777-05:00Did you test any other cameras under those conditi...Did you test any other cameras under those conditions?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-37102780706097816082020-10-06T10:24:18.854-05:002020-10-06T10:24:18.854-05:00Great advice. When Detroit gets below zero, I forg...Great advice. When Detroit gets below zero, I forget the digitals, and grab the M4. Your advice, especially to take a ziplock, is all very apropos.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-42052554020496188632020-10-06T10:23:08.772-05:002020-10-06T10:23:08.772-05:00I'm a reporter for a paper in Nome, Alaska and...I'm a reporter for a paper in Nome, Alaska and I worked in temperatures as cold as minus 45 F. In my opinion film is almost useless below minus 15. You can work around it but it's a pain. I own Leica film cameras only. With digital cold is not a problem. Just make sure you protect the camera gear from condensation when entering a warm space. In rural Alaska you can leave your gear outside. I've never had a camera problem due to the cold. For me cold begins at minus 40. But if you're dressed properly it's OK. Minus 20 is very comfy. People don't believe me when I say that but it's true. My Siberian husky was always at her best at minus 20.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-91055969540116577482020-10-06T10:22:32.264-05:002020-10-06T10:22:32.264-05:00I didn't consider it torture at all. Leica has...I didn't consider it torture at all. Leica has always stated that their cameras can withstand rather high temperature extremes. After all, Leicas have been used on polar expeditions as well as expeditions to the highest peaks in the Himalayas and elsewhere on earth, where they have been subjected to even colder conditions. I simply wanted to see if my camera was capable to do so. It passed with flying colors.<br />As for myself, I had no problems at all. To withstand such low temperatures is simply a matter of dressing accordingly. As a matter of fact, this wasn't the only time I was out under such conditions and on several occasions I actually opened my jacket slightly because I was getting too hot. It is an interesting thought though, that a freezer or meat locker would appear relatively warm in comparison to 30 below. That, by the way, is less than half of the Minnesota record low temperature of -62 degrees. But I want to assure everyone that Minnesota is far from being the frozen tundra it is considered to be by many. During Summer it can easily reach 100 degrees or more. My cameras have performed equally well under those conditions also.LEICA Barnack Berek Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09055435560407011075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-26451796702095593682020-10-06T10:21:17.471-05:002020-10-06T10:21:17.471-05:00I can't believe you subjected that camera to s...I can't believe you subjected that camera to such torture. Weren't you afraid it might get hurt?<br />For that matter, weren't you afraid to get hurt yourself? 30 below sounds absurd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-9484896776739506082020-10-06T10:20:44.474-05:002020-10-06T10:20:44.474-05:00Film definitely gets stiffer at low temperatures, ...Film definitely gets stiffer at low temperatures, but I have never experienced any problems at all from film getting brittle. Minnesota in Winter is a good testing ground for that.<br /><br />The film I used was Agfachrome 64.LEICA Barnack Berek Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09055435560407011075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-35088300824539555802020-10-06T10:20:23.452-05:002020-10-06T10:20:23.452-05:00Doesn't film get brittle in cold temperatures?...Doesn't film get brittle in cold temperatures?<br />What film did you use?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-67457082570127846992020-10-06T10:19:49.570-05:002020-10-06T10:19:49.570-05:00Must be super cool to be behind the ice. And I mea...Must be super cool to be behind the ice. And I mean cool in two ways here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-83841529775281899122020-10-06T10:19:17.846-05:002020-10-06T10:19:17.846-05:00I climbed up the ice below the large opening at th...I climbed up the ice below the large opening at the upper right. It took several tries, but I made it. The photographs were taken behind the ice where the two small openings are at the top left.LEICA Barnack Berek Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09055435560407011075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320126156594375642.post-72930780971943146262020-10-06T10:18:54.885-05:002020-10-06T10:18:54.885-05:00Amazing. How did you get behind the waterfall?Amazing. How did you get behind the waterfall?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com