THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW

Call For Entries!

Judge: Julian Cox
Curator of Photography and Chief Curator, de Young Museum

Exhibition at the elegant San Diego Art Institute
In beautiful Balboa Park, San Diego, California.

Opening Reception Gala on September 29, 2012.
Exhibit runs through November 11th.

 
Ferit Kuyas - "Restaurant Boats, Jialing river, Chongqing"

 Choose your best images to present to Julian Cox!

 

The Art of Photography Show is an established and critical force in the world of contemporary photography. Now in its 8th year, this presentation of world class photography is truly exquisite. The show provides tangible benefits to artists trying to break into the public eye. This well thought out international exhibition provides value to artists at every turn, from first-rate viewing in the judging process to exhibition and publication opportunities, photo industry connections and monetary awards.

Darryl Baird - "Queen Anne's Lace"

Our Judges:

One of the distinguishing characteristics of this competition and exhibition is that our judge is always a highly acclaimed museum curator. It's our view that getting one's photographs exhibited in a museum is the ultimate goal. Yet, getting exposed to museum curators is normally very difficult. Our project provides that opportunity. Here is a list of our judges so far:

• Anne Lyden - Associate Curator of Photography at the J. Paul Getty Museum
• Arthur Ollman - Director of the Museum of Photographic Arts
• Natasha Egan - Associate Director and Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Photography
• Neal Benezra - Director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
• Charlotte Cotton - Director of Photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• Hugh Davies - Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
• Tim Wride - Director of Photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• Carol McCusker - Curator of Photography at the Museum of Photographic Arts
• (Note: All titles are as of the time of judging)

Our goal is to provide as many tangible benefits as possible for the exhibiting artists. The cash awards, accolades, media coverage and sales revenue that we provide to the artists who are selected are substantial. You can read many testimonials from artists in our previous shows here.

Fabian Scheffold & Istvan Vizner - "Swiss Cheese Maker"

Show Highlights:

• $10,000 in award money will be given to artists in the Art of Photography Show 2012.
• Over 1,500 people will attend the Opening Reception Gala on Saturday September 29th. Our attendees are a mix of art collectors, high net worth residents, advertising executives, architects & designers, executives of major San Diego corporations and government leaders.
• A superb 76 page show catalog will be given to everyone at the Opening Reception Gala and is made available for free at each special event during the exhibition.
• We sell a very large percentage of the work, of which the artists receive most of the revenue.
• We donate 100% of our portion of the art sales revenue to the San Diego Art Institute.

Marketing and Promotion:

• Marketing and promotion for the Art of Photography Show is extensive, with national media coverage, cross-promotions, coverage on television and radio, as well as reaching thousands of fans and friends on social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Invitations and numerous emails are sent to our list of 25,000 luxury consumers and art collectors.
• Tens of thousands of exhibition announcement cards about the Art of Photography Show are distributed to major cities across the US.

Our great love of this art form prompts us to 'pull out all of the stops' in order to showcase a truly excellent presentation of photography, to provide substantial benefits to the exhibiting artists, and to elevate and promote this art form.

     Choose your best images to present to Julian Cox.  The Entry Deadline is June 30th!

WEBSITE: www.artofphotographyshow.com

For more information please contact the producer, Steven Churchill:
        Email: steven@artofphotographyshow.com
        Phone: 619-825-5575

LFI GALLERY

When discussing new Leica models, rumors of possible new models, technical aspects of our cameras etc. we sometimes forget the real purpose of owning a camera -  that of taking pictures.  Leica Fotografie International (LFI) offers to showcase our photographs in their LFI Gallery.  This is open to all photographers and offers a great opportunity to present your photographs to an international audience including competitions with various themes.

Here is a link to some of my photographs as shown at LFI. 

http://gallery.lfi-online.de/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=17609

You can also use it as an introduction to LFI, the LFI Gallery and a means to show off your best work. 

View other Leica Galleries here:

LEICA GALLERY 8-07-2012

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/08/leica-gallery-8-07-2012.html

LEICA Barnack Berek Blog GALLERY  7-11-2012

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/07/leica-barnack-berek-blog-gallery-7-11.html

FRENCH LEICA PHOTOGRAPHER SOLENN HERVOUET

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/french-leica-photographer-solenn.html 

THE DECISIVE MOMENT

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/decisive-moment.html

LÜNEBURG HEATH – A LEICA PICTURE STORY

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/luneburg-heath-leica-picture-story.html

LEICA GALLERY  6-09-2012

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/leica-gallery-6-09-2012.html

LEICA Barnack Berek Blog GALLERY  5-14-2012

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/05/leica-barnack-berek-blog-gallery-5-14.html

  

LEICA Barnack Berek Blog Gallery  3-28-12

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/03/leica-barnack-berek-blog-gallery-3-28.html

FINE ART NUDE PHOTOGRAPHY

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/03/fine-art-nude-photography.html

LEICA Barnack Berek Blog GALLERY

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/03/leica-barnack-berek-blog-gallery.html

DR. ALEXANDER RICHTER

Professor Dr. Alexander Richter

Today please allow me to be nothing more than a very proud dad.  My youngest son Alex defended his dissertation this morning at the University of Indiana.  He now is officially Dr. Alexander William Richter, professor of economics.  At the end of June he will be doing economic research at Auburn University in Alabama.

Where did I go wrong?  As you can see, I tried to get him interested in Leicas already at an early age, but to no avail.  He doesn’t even own a Leica.  He sought my advice a little while ago for a new camera.  Of course Leicas were on the list.  Instead he bought a Sony.  He just didn’t want to spend the money for a Leica.  But there is hope…. 

OLD CHMISTRY FOR THE MODERN DARKROOM

By Heinz Richter

With photography solidly entrenched in the digital world we sometimes forget that not everyone has hopped on that bandwagon.  There is a solid group of photographers who continue to use film for a variety of reasons.  Of course this includes many Leica users.  While most camera manufacturers have left the analog camera world, Leica is one of the few who is still making film cameras.

Unfortunately, manufacturers and suppliers of photo chemicals have dwindled to only a few and many of the chemicals we got used to are no longer available.  That made me think of an incredibly versatile developing system my father used years ago in his studio. 

His objective was to maintain as much control as possible during film development.  He did not like to rely on only one developer where he could only alter developing time or dilution.

His developer consisted of five base solutions, each with its own characteristics, which could be combined in various proportions to achieve a wide variety of negative characteristics.  The system allowed utmost control during development for under or overexposed negatives, or it could be used to raise or lower contrast in normally exposed negatives.  It could also be used as a variably active compensating developer.  Generally speaking, this formula could be used to pull the best possible density and contrast from negatives made in any sort of difficult shooting conditions.

The following charts outline the chemicals, combinations, and developing times. 

Please note that the numbers in the “time” column are only a guide of where to start.  Ultimately you have to experiment based on the films used.

LEICA COPY SHANGHAI 582

It is common knowledge that the Leica has been copied more often than any other camera and many of these copies are relatively well known.  One of the rather rare and little known copies is the Shanghai 582.

The camera was made for less than two years, from 1958 to 1959, at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution when the Chinese government decided to do everything better than the Russians, the Americans and the Germans.  The seven digit serial number was quite misleading since very few of the cameras were made, most of them for government use.

It really wasn’t a bad copy.  It showed an extraordinary amount of hand work.  The f/3.5 collapsible lens was of acceptable quality, and the cloth focal plane shutter still worked smoothly and was reasonably accurate, even years later.

The pictures of the camera were obtained from a member of the Leica Historical Society of America (LHSA) who had the good fortune to see and inspect the camera and to photograph it on a trip to China.

Interesting, to say the least.  But I think I will stick with my Wetzlar and Solms made Leica equipment.

LEICA TO LAUNCH NEW COMPACT CAMERA SYSTEM IN 2012

Below is an article from the British Journal of Photography on what we might expect from Leica this year.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Leica will unveil a new compact camera system at Photokina 2012, the company's chairman and CEO have revealed.  Speaking to BJP and other representatives of the UK press at a Paris-event, Leica's chairman Dr. Andreas Kaufmann and CEO Alfred Schopf have confirmed that the German company is developing a new compact camera system.

Leica's goal is to create a new market in the Electronic Viewfinder, Interchangeable Lens segment.

"It's more than an idea," says Schopf. "You will see something at the next Photokina [trade show in Cologne]." The new system will use an "APS-C sized sensor at least," says Schopf.

But, Leica says that the camera will differ from what other manufacturers, such as Panasonic, Olympus, Samsung and Sony, are doing in the EVIL market. "We will always do things differently," says Kaufmann. "And we always take our time."

Both executives declined to provide more details about the new system, but hinted that the electronic viewfinder used will depend on the sensor selected.

The new camera would become Leica's fourth system of cameras. Currently, the German company offers the M-system, the S-System and the X1 compact, fixed-lens camera.

Leica used to produce the R-system of cameras, and, in fact, had plans to release a R10 digital model two years ago. However, says Kaufmann, Leica was, at that time, also developing the S-system and "it would not have made sense [to split resources on both]." The R10 has since been scrapped.

Now, as Leica is benefiting from renewed success thanks to its M9, S2 and X1 line-up, "we're in a position to do what we want." The company says that its success is the result of the restructuring it went through more than five years ago, which led to the launch, two years ago of Leica's first full-frame rangefinder - the M9. "We still have a backlog," says Schopf. "We have ramped up production significantly, but you can do that only to a certain extent. The demand is still high and we continue [to have] customers complain about delivery time." But, they don't complain about the quality of the final product, Schopf adds. "We won't make any compromises about quality. We want the customer to get what he anticipates. We want it to be worth to wait."

Leica also revealed that it has already sold more than 1500 M9-P cameras, which was announced yesterday. "We have another 1500 being produced now," says Schopf.

Asked whether Leica ever considered outsourcing the production of its cameras to Asia, Schopf says that the German company had been approached several times about this, but had always declined. "We have specialized people [working on our cameras]," he says. "When they look inside a lens, they know what corrections are needed right away. That's the result of 25 years of experience for our people. It's impossible to teach people about that in six months. It would take at least four or five years, and in that time, what products do you release?"

Kaufmann has also revealed that he plans to launch, later this year, a new company that will be tasked with the publication of photobooks. The company, which will act as an intermediary between Leica and photographers, will feature the work of famous, as well as unknow Leica photographers. Kaufmann hinted that the first book could come in the autumn featuring Seal's photography. The English singer is renowned for being a Leica ambassador.

LEICA M9 SENSOR SHORTAGE

Apparently the current difficulties of Kodak have adversely affected Leica as well.  The 18 megapixel sensor on the M9 was made by Kodak.  But their sensor division was sold to Platinum equity in 2011.  That seems to have caused a shortage of these sensors.  Many owners of M9 cameras that were sent to Leica for sensor repairs received delay notices.  To speed things up, cameras sent in for sensor repairs were in some cases replaced with brand new M9s as a result of this shortage.

Let's hope that Platinum Equity will be able to supply sufficient amounts of sensors soon to eliminate this shortage.

ZEISS HOLOGON

A MOST UNUSUAL LENS

By Heinz Richter

Zeiss Hologon 15mm f/8 on Leica M4-P

Modern lens design techniques have presented us with a relatively large number of super wide angle lenses of 15, 13 and even 12mm focal length.  All of them are very complicated, multi element designs in order to avoid visible distortion and lack of sharpness due to under corrected optical aberrations.  These lenses have become actually quite common, and few photographers even remember the super wide lens which started it all.

For many years, 21 and 20mm lenses were the maximum 35mm photography had to offer.  Anything with a wider angle of coverage had to be of a fish eye design with all the draw backs of pronounced barrel distortion.  All of this was changed with the introduction of the Zeiss Hologon 15mm f/8 in the early 1970s.  This was unusual in many respects.  Not only was the Hologon the first lens to achieve the unheard of angle of coverage of 110° without the usual fish eye effect, it was also the first post-war marriage between Leica cameras and Zeiss lenses. 

Cross section of the three lens elements and the lens position inside the camera body.

                  Note the extreme proximity of the rear element to the film plane.                       

The Hologon was initially developed for the Zeiss Hologon camera, which was part of the Zeiss Contarex system.  At the time it was thought impractical to offer the Hologon as an interchangeable lens, even with mirror lock up in the reflex Contarex.  Instead, Zeiss opted for a separate camera body, based on the Contarex with the mirror box removed and with the lens permanently installed.  It was their claim that extremely precise registration and centering was necessary for the lens to perform satisfactorily.

The Leica M cameras also met these criteria and the lens was made available in the Leica M mount also.  It was sold with a special 15mm viewfinder included.  The 15mm Hologon with its undistorted 110° diagonal angle of view is one of the most interesting lens designs in recent years.  Conventional lens design theories would indicate that a lens with such specifications would have to be of a multi-element design.  Computer aided research of wide angle lenses for aerial photography was conducted.  The normal concept of using many thin elements in wide angle lenses was actually revealed as unnecessary.  In fact, only three thick elements proved necessary to assure good performance of the lens.  Subsequently, the Hologon is of a triplet design, although bizarrely shaped.  Thus we have an example of an optical design which would not have been created by using conventional methods.  Furthermore, it is safe to say that manual computations for this design would have literally taken years to complete.

Construction of the lens made the installation of a diaphragm virtually impossible without compromising overall performance.  It was also impossible to offer a speed faster than f/8 for the same reasons, even though some of the modern optical glasses available today might offer the possibility to increase the speed of the Hologon.

It was felt that the restriction of a fixed aperture of f/8 would not pose any great disadvantage.  Besides, a graduated neutral density filter, offering perfectly even illumination across the entire image area, would effectively render a speed equivalent of f/16.  This could also be used in situations where the standard f/8 aperture would lead to overexposure.

Since the Hologon lens renders virtually distortion free images, the camera should be used perfectly level, to avoid excessively converging lines on verticals.  For that reason the 15mm viewfinder had a built-in spirit level, which helped the photographer keep the camera level, especially when shooting hand held.

The ability of an extremely wide angle lens to render virtually distortion free images allow the photographer to shoot many photographs where it is impossible to tell that an extremely wide angle lens was used.  But this is only one of the advantages of such a lens.  The other is that it produces photographs with a rather different perspective.  It is important to pay special attention to the foreground since the extreme angle of coverage will show a considerable amount of foreground when the camera is held level, even when used horizontally.  It is also important to hold a camera with such a lens very carefully.  It is quite easy for the lens to pick up ones knuckles.

The Hologon was designed to render optimum performance at f/8 across the entire image area.  Due to the optical glasses available at the time of its design, the lens did not quite show the high contrast level typically associated with the high quality optics from Zeiss.  In practical terms, this will result in perfectly sharp enlargement up to 8x10 inches.  Bigger enlargements might show a certain lack of crispness when inspected very closely.  Projection of transparencies, on the other hand, will show no adverse effects, because the projected images usually are not inspected very close up.  The same is true with big enlargements when viewed from a more “normal” viewing distance.

The Hologon allowed focusing from 8 inches to infinity.  Considering the great depth of field rendered by such a short focal length, one might initially think focusing to be superfluous.   But it was proven that the overall performance of the Hologon could be improved if the lens was focused properly.

MINNEAPOLIS IDS CENTER

15mm Hologon

15mm field of view

Please note:  The 15mm field of view images are not separately taken photographs; they were cropped from the original Hologon negatives to present the view of a 50mm lens.

Newer, more sophisticated lens designs have improved the speed of super wide angle lenses and even allow for reflex viewing.  Subsequently, the Hologon has long been discontinued.  But it deserves credit for having been the first of the super wides, and its unusual design will always give it a special place in the history of lenses for 35mm cameras.  Those who own a Hologon can consider themselves lucky indeed.

MINNEAPOLIS LUMBER EXCHANGE BUILDING

15mm Hologon
   

50mm field of view                                                            

  

MINNEAPOLIS IDS CENTER

CRYSTAL COURT

15mm Hologon

 

50mm field of view

 









MINNEAPOLIS LUMBER EXCHANGE BUILDING

15mm Hologon
 


















50mm field of view

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Order: info@gmpphoto.com

Please make payment via PayPal to GMP Photography

Click on ad to enlarge

Order: info@gmpphoto.com

Please make payment via PayPal to GMP Photography

MORE TRUE STORIES FROM THE WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Many years ago I worked at a camera store.  These stories are not made up, they actually happened.

Imagine an average camera store.  The scene takes place at the film counter.

“Can I help you sir?”

“Yes, I need some sheet film.”

“What size please?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Well, you certainly must want a certain size.”

“No, I don’t.”

A moment of silence.  Then, what seems to be the problem solving question.

“What kind of camera do you have?”

“I don’t have a camera.”

“But sir, how do you take your pictures?”

“Oh, that’s easy.  I just take the film. Throw it into the air where it will pick up images and then go into my darkroom and develop them.”

“Well, now I understand.”

The guy walked out with the largest sheet film in stock.  A happy customer.

And another one…

“I would like to have these reprints made of my negatives.”

The customer hands over a small slip of paper with a bunch of numbers on it.

“Okay sir, but I do need your negatives.”

“No Ma’am, that is okay.  I wrote down the negative numbers and the number of reprints I wish to get.  This way I won’t have to bother with the negatives.”

“I am sorry sir, but I still need your negatives.”

“Lady, please!  I have gotten my pictures here for a long time this way.  Just check the numbers.”

“But sir, you must understand that without the negatives I cannot help you.”

He mumbled something about business elsewhere and stormed out.

LEICA EASTER GREETING CARD

I was looking for something entirely different.  That I didn't find, but I did come across this Easter greeting card from Leitz.  Even though it is a day late, I thought you might still enjoy it.

In Memory of the LEITZ GLASS LABORATORY

A SOURCE FOR OPTICAL EXCELLENCE

The Leitz Glass Laboratory, which operated until 1989, was the driving force of Dr. Gustav Weissenberg, of the Mineralogical Institute of Marburg, Germany.  The Institute grew crystals, and Weissenberg’s idea was for it to create optical glasses as well as to meet the demand by optical designers for high refraction glasses to correct aberrations.  He wanted to replace the highly radioactive thorium oxide in existing glasses with an oxide free of thorium.  So, in 1949, the Leitz brothers established a glass laboratory within their company to pursue Weissenberg’s research. 

After lengthy experimentation the glass laboratory discovered that lanthanum oxide offered the best chances for success.  They found that glasses could be created with a refractive index of n 1.7.  However, such glasses could not be made in large quantities because their strong propensity for crystallization made it difficult to prevent crystal grooves, or striae.  Other substances, such as zirconium oxide yttrium oxide, and tantalum oxide, had to be incorporated to produce more stable high-refraction glasses in large numbers.  Leitz then granted the German company Schott a license to produce the new LaK 9 glass exclusively for Leitz.

Other Leitz successes

Meanwhile, the Leitz optical designers wanted to design lenses that were even faster than f/2, and the dreamed of doubling the speed to f/1.4.  This required glasses with refractive indices close to n 1.8, and for this they had to find the right technology.  Evaporation at the surface of the molten glass while the high temperature in the crucible is being lowered can easily cause striae, which can only be prevented by stirring to produce constant blending of the molten mass.  In order to accomplish this, technicians had to incorporate interference factors, so that one oxide would prevent another from crystallizing.  Laborious experiments led to three new types of Leitz optical glass, with refractive indices of ne 1.80 and ne 1.82 and a dispersion value of ny 45.  These new types of glass made the design of the 50mm f/1.4 Summilux lens possible

Platinum crucible

Stirring rod

Pouring of molten glass

But for glass types with indices of refraction higher than ne 1.8, it was difficult to obtain enough chemicals with sufficient purity at a reasonable cost.  At the time, one kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of 99.99 percent tantalum oxide cost the equivalent of nearly $200.00.

Still a new type of optical glass

In 1966, Leitz introduced the 50mm f/1.2 Noctilux, which incorporated aspherical surfaces.  Then years later, it was producing the 50mm f/1.0 Noctilux , which did not involve aspherical surfaces.  This was made possible by still another new type of optical glass: one with a higher zirconium oxide content.

The company was seeking a lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.2, for which optical glass with a particularly high index of refraction was necessary.  Ultimately, it wanted to double the maximum aperture of the 50mm f/1.4 Summilux lens to f/1.0.  The higher zirconium oxide content permitted production of Noctilux 900403 glass with a refractive index of ne 1.9005 and a dispersion value of ny 40.

These developments were not without difficulties, however.  The new lenses utilized glass with a very high melting point of nearly 1600 C (2912 F).  That came close to the melting point of the platinum crucibles.  Also, the shape of the stirring tools in relation to the viscosity of the molten glass was important for the homogenization of the glass.  So, the temperature of the melt in the crucible had to be lowered considerably before it was poured out.  Workers then had to cool the slabs at a carefully controlled rate over 10 to 12 days and nights in order to prevent molecular tension.  Furthermore, the glass was still quite susceptible to crystallization.

Creating lenses with apochromatic correction

Another area of investigation at Leitz was correction of chromatic aberrations in apochromatic lenses with long focal lengths.  Fluorite, grown in single crystals, possesses such anomalous partial dispersion for correction of the fourth color in optical glass.  Leitz competitors liked to use these calcium fluorite crystals for lens elements in telephoto lenses, but Leitz did not regard them as suitable for photographic lenses because they have very poor shape retention.  Also, because of their rigid index of refraction of only ne 1.43, the fluorite crystals require strong curvatures, which are disadvantageous.  Leitz preferred to search for a true glass with an amorphous structure.

The company discovered that the fluorites remained stable in metaphosphate suspensions.  By incorporating several fluorites, it was able to optimize the proportions so as to avoid creation of striae during the cooling process.  Eventually it succeeded in developing a true glass with anomalous partial dispersion and a refraction index greater than ne 1.544.  With that, Leitz became the first lens maker to manufacture such lenses.  The 800mm f/6.3 Telyt-S was such a lens [see blog article “Dancing Bear and his Magic Lens”].  It attracted a great deal of attention at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

A few years later, with the addition of titanium oxide, Leitz was able to produce glass with an anomalous partial dispersion value of ny 66.6 and a refraction index of 1.544.  This glass was used in the 180mm f/3.4 APO-Telyt, which ranks as the top lens to this day.  Since then, the company has made a number of lenses with apochromatic correction, and it is creating new ones regularly.

Overall performance of the glass laboratory

Overall, the Leitz Glass Laboratory developed 35 new glasses from 50,000 experimental melts.  For a time, these glasses were used exclusively in Leica lenses.  Without the laboratory, in fact, most of the modern lenses of the period 1949 to 1989 would not have been possible.  Because of its work, the company produced up to 10 metric tons of glass a year, partially because of close communication between glass researchers and lens designers.  Other large glass manufacturers were often behind Leitz/Leica because optical glass is of only minor importance to them.  Phototropic glasses, construction glasses, television tubes, baby bottles and the like are their real moneymakers.  When these companies do undertake to develop optical glasses, it is only for those for which they anticipate a large demand.  It was the exotic wishes of the Leitz Company that permitted it to develop the glasses it did during the 40 years it held sway in this area.

Once it was possible with new technology to derive maximum performance from optical lenses, however, Leica closed the Leitz Glass Laboratory.  The growing number of glass manufacturers and new methods of processing glass an manufacturing lens elements also made this desirable from a financial standpoint.  Still, the company looks back with pride to the breakthroughs of the researchers and designers at the laboratory.

From LEICAVIEW Fall 2001

For more information, see Leica Barnack Berek Blog articles

OPTICAL GLASSES  2-27-2012

MANUFACTURE AND PERFORMANCE OF PHOTOGRAPHIC LENSES  2-29-2012   

DANCING BEAR AND HIS MAGIC LENS  3-19-2012

BIGGEST ENLARGEMENT FROM 35mm

 

I was asked a while ago what the biggest enlargement is that has ever been made from a 35mm negative.  ‘Good question’ I thought and did some research.  Here is what I came up with:

The biggest enlargement ever made of a 35mm photograph was the one for the Kodak Colorama in Grand Central Station in New York in 1977.  The original picture was taken by Ernst Haas with a Leicaflex SL and a 50mm Summicron-R lens on Kodachrome 25.  The finished Colorama consisted of 20 vertical panels of 3 feet width and 18 feet height for a total size of 18 x 60 feet. This was the first time a 35mm picture had been used for this project.  It was a definite testament of the quality of the film and that of the Leica camera and lens.

Enst Haas Kodak Colorama Photograph

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Even though the era of the space shuttle has come to an end, there still is a certain fascination with the achievement of the shuttle program.  Below is an account of one of the launches where the only useable photographs were made with Leica equipment.

From Leica Quarterly October 1982

Several hundred press photographers were present at Cape Canaveral for the fourth flight of the space shuttle Columbia.  At the cape NASA will not permit photographers any nearer than three miles from the launch pad, because of the enormous power generated during the launch.  When the space shuttle takes off, it generates seven million horsepower, a noise level 1,000 times louder than a 747 and a temperature of 6000ᵒF.  However, remotely controlled cameras are allowed within 1,000 yards of the pad.  The area in which the cameras are located is a swampy one.

It was there that David M. Tenenbaum, Photographer for the Associated Press, placed his Leica R4 with APO Telyt-R 180mm lens, along with two other 35mm SLRs.  In the company of all the other press photographers, Tenenbaum set up his cameras the day before the launch.  About an hour after everybody had arranged their remote camera installations, Cape Canaveral was hit by a ferocious thunderstorm with 50 mph winds, hail and torrential rain.

When the storm was over Tenenbaum and his fellow photographers went out to check their cameras.  He recalls, “The water level was about eight inches higher than just three hours before.  And my tripod with the remote control box and three cameras all wrapped up in plastic was blown over and lying in the swamp water.”  After drying off the cameras, only one of them, the Leica R4, still worked and showed no evidence of water in the lens.  Tenenbaum replaced the other two cameras with a Leicaflex SL MOT and another 35mm camera.

It rained again briefly before the launch but all else went well.  When Tenenbaum recovered his cameras all had triggered properly.  Both Leicas were fine; the other camera had condensation in the lens.  The Leica photos were excellent and were widely published.  As Tenenbaum reports, “Of all the cameras AP had access to, my Leicas made the only useable negatives.”  Thirteen of the other camera makes were damaged, some beyond repair.

“Total damage to the press corps cameras had to be beyond $100,000.  And my R4 and Leicaflex had no problems and no lens condensation.”  Every non-Leitz lens he examined experienced condensation between the lens elements.

Tenenbaum sums up his experience: “It was nice to have the occasion to clearly see the advantage of Leitz gear and the edge it gave me over everyone else…

Photo: David Tenenbaum


For more on the theme go to:

LEICA RELIABILITY AND SURVIVABILITY
http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/07/leica-reliability-and-survivability.html

ARE LEICAS TOUGH
http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/03/are-leicas-tough.html

DID YOU KNOW THAT...?
http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/03/did-you-know-that.html

For more info on the Leica-NASA connection got to:

LEICA WITH SPECTOGRAPH USED BY NASA

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/08/leica-with-spectograph-used-by-nasa.html

LEICA M3 ON ENDEAVOUR SHUTTLE MISSION

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/08/leica-m3-on-endeavour-shuttle-mission.html

NASA LEICA Ig

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/08/nasa-leica-ig.html

LUNAR LEICA – UPDATE WITH PICTURES

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/07/lunar-leica-update-with-pictures.html

LUNAR LEICA

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/02/lunar-leica.html