Just picked up this baby.

I've wanted one since I was in high school, finally did it. I'm loving the results so far, it is a joy to shoot and the lens is just incredible.

Neat looking camera. Can't say I've ever shot with anything like it. always SLR's or an occasional Polaroid land camera like a model 95.

Wow, that's very cool! Can you scan/ post any pics in the Gallery?

Just added a couple.

It's a 1960 Leica M2 rangefinder, very different from an SLR. It requires a much slower approach to photography, but Leica lenses are amongst the best in the world, they are designed to be equally sharp at all apertures, no stopping down for best results.

This photo (also in the gallery) was taken wide open at F2:

Sweet! I know Leica lenses are top drawer!

Outstanding, Mike! Both camera and cat photo.

Leitz/Wetzlar glass was mined glass. Big difference to formulated stuff of the same period. I've even seen bubbles in a few, it didn't seem to have any effect on the lens sharpness at all.

What are you using for film? Doing the processing/printing yourself?

I'm using several different films at the moment trying to find my favourites. This were taken on FP4, I've also used Tri-X, Delta 100 and SFX. I have a 50mm Elmar that renders colour print film beautifully so I have quite a bit of that. I also have several rolls of slide film.

I develop everything myself but I just scan, I don't have a wet darkroom at the moment.

Is T-Max still available? The finest grain I ran across (with reasonable sensitivity) for B&W was the 100 ISO T-Max. It even held reasonable grain and mid-tones when souped in HC-110.

Yes it is. You can get it in 35mm, 120 and 4x5. Tmax 400 is available too. I believe Tech-pan had a finer grain.

With Tech Pan, the issue (for me at least) is it's too slow and would require Technidol for proper processing.

Same with the old Kodachrome 25 vs. Ektachrome 100. No doubt the Kodachrome is a better stock for color rendition and "non-grain" in comparison, but too low in sensitivity for much beyond hot air balloons, still life and studio portraiture. And then there's the processing issue.

It boils down to what the final product needs to be, I guess. And I've mostly been "deadline oriented" with my work.

Hot air balloons, LOL. I've never been much of an action photographer so the 50 ASA hadn't been an issue. I never tried to push the film, wonder what that would have done.

"Push processing" generally makes grain more obvious and builds contrast. B&W stock and Ektachrome could be pushed, Ektachrome could be "hypersensitized" for astral photography using a pressurized tank and nitrogen. Quite a process. I've known a couple guys who did that, they had some amazing results. Both used Questar 'scopes and "clocks" for long exposures, as well.

With Kodachrome you were locked into the ISO/ASA of the emulsion.