I like using vintage cameras that are known to be eccentrically
engineered or have original lenses that are average, at best. And the reason is
simple – I believe that such cameras bring the best in a photographer in
thinking about how to bypass these limiting factors and plan for a shot that
sometimes can envy the most celebrated photographic tools of the 1940's and
1950's.
Of course, the ultimate result, or at least the final one, is
decided in the darkroom, first in experimenting with the development time of
the negative strip, then under a vintage enlarger that is just a lens,
enlarging glass and a 40 watt light bulb.
… So, this weekend I decided to take my 1954 Canon rangefinder
Model L3 to a gathering on the city square of Prescott, AZ where artists and
territorial days’ cowboy reenactors allowed the public to know more about the
past and present characters of Prescott.
First, about the camera which I have owned and used for
decades.
The Model L3 is a simplified version of Canon rangefinders of
the 1940's and 1950's. These were the golden years of rangefinder cameras and
Leica was the undisputed favorite of professional and advanced amateurs of the
days. And for all the good reasons, pushing Soviet, Japanese and to a lesser
extend American companies try to get a slice of the market. It was all
rangefinder then, till Nikon, in the misd-1960s, came out with the venerable
Nikon F and established the dominant superiority of the SLR as the most
versatile professional camera.
Yet, in the 1950s, Canon had introduced many advanced
features to its rangefinders that Leica did not have. These included
incorporating selectable viewfinders thus minimizing the need to use various
external viewfinders for the most commonly used focal length lenses; loading
the film by opening the back of the camera rather than struggling with the “bottom
feeding” of Leicas, and having a single viewing viewfinder instead of the two
step viewing-focusing and framing of the Leica models.
But, no competitor of Leica was able to “design” that poetry
of holding a rangefinder that worked like a Swiss watch, sounded like the first
morning breeze of a July day, and had the ergonometric of a heirloom piece of
jewelry.
To make the point, here are my Canon Model L3 and Leica IIIF
Red Dial, both from 1954. I sometimes called the Leica around my neck akin to a
“male necklace”, and the Canon an unassuming and totally reliable photo maker.
Ok, so my experiment this week end was to use the magnificent Canon 50mm f1.8 lens at wide aperture, hence as high speeds during the high noon sun of the desert. This, I had never done before since I favor using the Sunny 16(1) rule for quick shots – leave the speed at 1/125th of a second for ASA 100 film, and shoot either at f11 or f16 for rapid follow ups. My experiment was to shoot at 1/250th and 1/500th second in bright sun by opening the lens diaphragm wider and exploring what effect the lens would have on the background. And to try f4 at those speeds if I could find shady spots.
To do this, I needed to rely on a light meter. So, I took a
1940's Kodalux (by Kodak, of course) cold shoe mounting selenium light meter out
of retirement to see if it was still able to react to light appropriately. Here is that vintage light meter:
Pictures
The
Nordic vessel
The photo atop the page is about an art kiosk where the
artist had displayed his woodwork using fallen wood in the desert. Branches from
indigenous Arizona desert trees made most of what was displayed. The main work
was in oiling, polishing the natural shape of the wood as the artist found them.
As I worked around the kiosk, at a certain angle, I could see
a Medieval, almost Nordic sea faring vessel. To blur or minimize the background
and enhance my vision of the “vessel”, I decided upon a shutter speed of 1/500th
second and a lens aperture of f4.
As I was about to press the shutter, the artist came out of
the kiosk, leaned against the tree trunk, and spoke to a visitor.
I took one photo before he moved, and I like the result – he looks
like the captain at the bow, cutting through the water!
Yavapai
county Fallen Officers memorial
This is a memorial that depicts an 1890’s law officer looking down at the empty boots of his partner who lost his life in the line of duty. It is a solemn corner of the courthouse front where many stop and hang their heads.
I saw two reenactors walk toward the memorial and I wanted to
make this photo an o\”old fashion” one. I took it at 1/500th shutter
speed and f8. The Canon lens captured the transition of shades perfectly, and I
was able to get the man and woman holding the white umbrella think respectfully
about the memorial and what it represents.
The cowboy
bar without cowboys
During the art show, there was a reconstruction of the 1890’s cowboy bar to be
used as a setting for visitors to dress in the period’s clothing and pose for
old time photos. No one was there yet and the tall tree provided plenty of
shade for me to try the maximum aperture of the lens.
So, I finally tested the f1.8 under the high noon dessert!
Well, it was really shady actually, but for the decades I have owned this lens,
I always used the f1.8 indoors, with minimum light, at 1/30th speed.
I will try to find more moments like this as the atmosphere
given by this 1954 lens is delightful.
… When I took these photos out of the fixer bath tray and hung
them to dry, I was thinking:
“after decades of using
the Canon rangefinder, it sure was time to test the camera beyond the Sunny 16
rule framework!”
Reference
link
(1)
https://liveingray.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-sunny-16-rule-in-b-street.html
