The Leica M3-Photographing in Prescott Valley, McCabe, and Humboldt Arizona

[@richardsimms251]

Nice video

[@ChuckAbles]

Appreciate it. Thank you.

[@Ham-yj1od]

Thanks Chuck, great presentation of the almighty Leica M3. I just ordered one yesterday.

[@ChuckAbles]

Thank you for the comment. I know you're going to enjoy photographing with it.

[@saulcohen5733]

Love your work I wonder if you used stale fixative with silver crystals , causing the white spots .

[@ChuckAbles]

Thank you. I really have no idea what causes the white spots when making my caffenol recipe. Generally, I just figures I didn't stir enough.

[@jsshayes1]

I am going to pick up one of those Leica Collectors Guides. It's huge.

[@ChuckAbles]

I know. Found the book for a reasonable price in a bookstore in Flagstaff, Arizona. And it is heavy! But chalked full info about everything Leica up to 2004.

[@BackFocus11]

Great shots Chuck!! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. See you sooon! Gary

[@ChuckAbles]

Thanks! Christmas is coming fast, and a lot of colorful photo opportunities will be out there next month. SL2-S will be getting a work-out.

[@4351steve]

Chuck, if you are ever up in Flagstaff, check out Hidden Light on San Francisco just North of the NAU campus.

[@ChuckAbles]

Thanks Stephen! Just visited the website and was not aware there was camera shop in Flagstaff. Now, I'll have to make that a part of making my rounds when visiting Flagstaff. Along with Macy's Coffee House and Bookman.

[@GaryIrving-x5o]

If I ever get a Leica it will be an M4.

[@ChuckAbles]

Excellent. Which variant of the M4 would you consider? I know in the past I have considered the M4-P.

[@bolleolympus]

❤❤✌✌👍👍👌👌

[@ChuckAbles]

Thank you.

[@nickfanzo]

The best Leica ever made, period. You don’t need to change lenses for street photography. Put the 50mm on and get close to people and photograph them. Get in there! If you’re 15 feet away, you’re too far away.

[@ChuckAbles]

Thank you and appreciate the comment, and I can't argue the point. A 50mm lens is the choice focal length for street photography. However, my visions field of view is accustomed to wide angle having lived-in wide-open deserts/high deserts of Arizona and southern Cal for many years. 28/35mm is generally my standard lens of choice.

[@Amia67360]

1) - It would be a good idea, if you could give us the references of your Leica book just in case ... 2) - Last week I bought a Leica M3 in Germany, in Freiburg, from hearing in many videos that it is the best Leica camera! And as a gift, the friendly seller put a 200 asa/iso film in the M ! But now I have the M3 in my hands and I don't know how to take photographs (?????) The M3 has no light meter ... grrrhhhgrr ! I didn't know it ! I'm a Nikon fan, last year I bought the Zfc. And I take pictures with the automatic mode and it's magic. But now, with the M3 I went 100 years back! How to match speed and aperture (or aperture and speed) ? How do you do for beautiful pictures with your M3? Mine is from 1956, double stroke, with the f: 5cm, 1: 2,8 ! Or otherwise : 50mm, f:2.8 !

[@ChuckAbles]

Thank for the comments and thoughts. And congratulation on your purchase. The M3 is a great rangefinder camera, but it does require a bit of knowledge to get the best out of it. I'll take a few moments and we'll explore a couple of things. First thing, the book. It's titled Leica Collector's Guide. 2nd Edition. Bought it used at a bookstore in Flagstaff, Arizona and it's a wonderful source of information about Leica's up until I believe 2002. The M3 is an all-mechanical camera; to include, manually focusing, with no bells and whistles. You are doing it all on your own as the photographer and really an artist when composing your vision. We'll start with the basics. So, what is my baseline. For exposure it is the 'Sunny 16 Rule'. And easy with the deserts of Arizona. *ASA of film is the first thing to consider. You mention having 200. So, it starts there. *Adjust your shutter speed as close to 200 (the ASA) as possible. In this case the M3 is 1/250 seconds. *Last adjust your aperture to f/16. What you just did is created the basic 'Exposure Triangle' on your camera. Film speed, shutter speed, and aperture. Depending on how cloudy or in the shadows of buildings, you will need to adjust your aperture to allow more light in to strike the film. Maybe f/11 or f/8. Will they come out perfect all the time? No. But pretty close. Amia, I hope this helps you a little bit. It's basic but it is so much fun to photograph with film. And on a side note, I do develop my own B&W film using caffenol (instant coffee). Below is a link for your review: www.dpreview.com/articles/3624260730/absolute-beginner-s-guide-to-film-photography-the-sunny-16-rule-or-how-to-expose-with-no-meter www.caffenol.org/2012/11/27/the-caffenol-cookbook-bible/ Sincerely, Chuck

[@Amia67360]

@@ChuckAbles Thank you so much for your response, especially for taking the time to answer me so precisely, and dpreview link, Chuck! Ok, it is clear : 200 Asa film, the shutter speed will be 250/s; if 400 Asa film, the shutter speed will be 500/s on my M3, and if by chance my film has 50 Asa, the shutter speed will be 50/s ! The only problem for me (I'm probably not alone) will be to know, when exactly strike the film with aperture f/11 or f/8 or f/5.6 ,especially in situations of ambiguous light, such as shadows mixed with light or the opposite ? Or people with dark clothes on a white wall, or the opposite, and so on ? Last question : If the shutter speed is (in my case: 200 Asa Kodak film in my M3) 250/s for f/16, do I stay on the same shutter speed if -in a new place, new situation- I adjust my aperture on f/11 or f/8 or f/5.6 ? Nobody talks about that ... ! Thanks for your new response

[@ChuckAbles]

@@Amia67360 you're welcome and thank you so much. It looks like you're getting it down. It all boils down to shadows, shade and sunlight. The basics of exposures. Over time you will get the hang of it. f/8, f/11, f/16 are my go-to when outdoors in the street. Every once in a while, giving circumstances and gut feeling I will adjust my shutter speed; otherwise, I let my aperture do the work. I would encourage you to explore the photography sites more on the subject. I know I have learned a lot exploring them.

[@Amia67360]

I've given last Friday my first M3 (color) film to develop! It'll be probably a disaster! Now a new film is in, this time a 100 iso/asa (21°) B&W : I heard, B&W has more flexibility! With the 200 asa color film I had my iso wheel (on the back of the M3) on 160 asa. But now with the new 100 asa B/W I've already taken 12 photos while forgetting to adjust the asa wheel on the new iso value ! ...ggrrhhh ...!!! Is it serious or not for development ? What to do now ??? For the next B&W film (I bought 20 Agfa APX 100 iso/asa-21° films in advance in Germany, the prices were affordable!) how much do I set the asa wheel ? There is -on the M3- only a choice between 60 or 160 iso ... !! Thanks for your response

[@ChuckAbles]

Hi Amia, You're doing well, it's all about learning. So, let's put your mind at ease first. The ASA/DIN wheel on the back of the camera serves no purpose other than to remind you of what ASA/DIN film you are photographing with. The M3 is a mechanical camera with no electronics for exposure metering using different ASA/DIN film. So, if you left your wheel on ASA 160, fired off 12 exposures; but you're photographing using the 'Sunny 16 Rule' and the shutter speed is at 1/125 or maybe even 1/60 of a second. You should be fine. Black and white film is a little bit more forgiving. And the ASA/DIN wheel. It's really easy. I use the DIN scale and set at 21 which is equal to 100 ASA. Below is a link that you can review about ASA/DIN/ISO. www.quora.com/What-do-the-ASA-and-DIN-labels-mean-on-my-Rollei-35-film-camera And one last thing is there a way to see your first batch of color photographs you're having developed? I'm on Instagram @ chuckables58. I think, I'm still learning it. And keep it up, you're learning. Chuck

[@Amia67360]

@@ChuckAbles Thks for answering. I actually didn't think about it anymore that we could resolve according to the Din. I checked, it's so simple and more precise! Excellent advice, thank you. For the development of my first M3 color film I have to wait 10 days! So early next week it should be good. I 've undoubtedly discovered another agency that is faster for development and also less expensive. I'll test with the current B&W film when it's full. Until now I don't have an Instagram account. Not a Facebook account either. I have always taken photos just for myself. For my own pleasure. And over the years I haven't classified much. Total disorder. Not like Henri Cartier Bresson. Like Vivian Maier. 💥🙏👽

[@tompaste387]

sorry... zzzz

[@ChuckAbles]

@@tompaste387 thank you.