Photos for Friends
Comments: 12
Two Shimokitazawa photographs for friends (who share the same initials: enough said?). As I’m constantly bitching, in Japan infrastructure always seems to get in the way. If it’s not powerlines, it’s PVC piping. Sometimes, perhaps, it works.
This one is for the friend who introduced me to the house. Both shots were taken with the old Contax T2 which I hadn’t used in a long time. Neither of them show off the Zeiss glass terribly well, but trust me, it’s amazing (even in the T series).
I’ve been wanting to move back to film for a while but the trouble is that you get spoiled shooting digital — just click away and throw out the ones you don’t want later. Film is expensive, and once you shoot through Zeiss glass (any Zeiss glass), it’s hard to look at anything else. (Sorry if I sound like a snob, but ask anyone. Hey, crappy photographers need all the help we can get.)
I came across a second-hand Leica M7 the other day with the Elmarit 24mm lens, but for the price you could pick up a Contax G2 and the full range of lenses. No contest. There’s a digital SLR coming to their N series, but I have a feeling it might be out of my price range.
Maybe it’s time for an Amazon wish list. ;-)
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Posted to Photographs • 2003.07.30 (Wed) • 23:50
Comments
Posted by FUD 2003.07.31, 03:55
Rumour has it that Contax have manufactured a sizable batch of Contax digital N SLRs, and that they are waiting for the stock to be sold before initiating a new production run.
The digital N body can be bought today in Japan for about JPY590K, but the price might come significantly down as Contax and the shops try to move their inventory. But then again, all the cameras might also get bought before the price comes down by prudent Contax-equipped photographers who want to continue to use their Zeiss lenses while dabbling with digital.
Posted by Fazal Majid 2003.07.31, 05:33
The Contax N Digital has not only come, but it has also been discontinued. See this article for the details. The only pro grade digital option for Contax users is to use the 645 with a digital back., a very expensive proposition at best.
As for the Leica vs. Contax debate, even though my first camera was a Zeiss, I am afraid there is indeed no contest. While the G2’s lenses are top-notch, the camera body, with its dark narrow viewfinder and unusable manual focus (not a true rangefinder), simply is not in the same class as the Leica M, the Konica Hexar RF or even the lowly Voigtlander-Cosina Bessa for that matter.
If what you want is a wider-angle lens compact, you might want to look for a used Nikon 28Ti or a Ricoh GR1, both excellent cameras as well. I would just stick with the T2, you will be hard pressed to find better quality in 35mm film anyways.
Posted by Gen Kanai 2003.07.31, 10:52
I’m right next to Fazal on the Ricoh GR1. That camera is FANTASTIC. I showed it to Lil a while ago and she didn’t seem that impressed but I didn’t show her the slides I’ve gotten back from it.
The Ricoh GR1 is really an incredible camera that very few appreciate. The lens is as good as the Zeiss equivalent and the metering is spot on. I love the 28mm perspective and the controls and size cannot be better.
I’ll try to remember to bring it to the next Tokyo Bloggers dinner. Seriously, this camera…you have to see it and the results to believe it.
Posted by Gen Kanai 2003.07.31, 10:54
Found it!
My Review on Ricoh GR-1 35mm Point and Shoot Camera at Epinions.com
Posted by lil 2003.07.31, 11:11
Jeremy -
Your photos, as always, are wonderful! Who needs to go all the way across town to Asakusa when we have our own little Shitamachi in Shimokita?! I loved the way the camera (and the photographer, of course) picked up the amazing subtle tonings of green in the painted corrugated iron…just as you predicted!
Gen -
Well, the camera looked nice enough…but how could I judge the quality of the camera without seeing what it produces :-P Looking forward to seeing some work you’ve shot with it (although I won’t be at the next Tokyo Bloggers gathering…travel calls) in the future.
Posted by Bob Baxley 2003.07.31, 12:42
You’re right on the Contax versus Leica no-contest thing but unfortunately, you’re on the wrong side of debate. There is nothing like a Leica M-series camera. The thing is a work of art unlike anything else you’ll ever shoot with. It is the only piece of equipment I’ve ever user that actually made me a better photographer. I know it’s expensive — trust me, I know — but you’ll remember the photographs long after you’ve forgotten the cost.
Posted by Sam 2003.07.31, 13:54
I don’t know much about cameras, but I do use Zeiss optical stereoscopic microscopes at work, which have incredible optics. It almost feels like you are inside of whatever you are viewing. We also have a Zeiss Mark IX Universarium fiber-optic star projection system in our planetarium (I work in a pretty cool science museum) and it is one of the most advanced pieces of optics in the world. We are very impressed! We also have quite a few very large (4 foot by 6 foot or more) prints of photographs taken from space (using camera’s with zeiss optics) and they look amazing, even blown up that far.
Bless your little heart, Carl Zeiss!
Great photos, btw. I love your continual capturing of the little ‘essences’ of Japanese decoration. :)
Posted by jh 2003.07.31, 17:38
Bob —- I was afraid someone would say that! Sigh…
Believe me, I’m looking around here for things to sell to finance that M7.
Posted by jh 2003.07.31, 17:40
Gen —- Thanks for posting the review. I’ll make a point of introducing myself properly to you at the next bloggers meetup. Hope you can bring the camera along as I’ve read some excellent reports of it on various sites.
Posted by Joseph 2003.08.03, 16:53
That photo of the “old house” — I don’t know why, but I love it. Is there any chance you’d post a larger version?
Posted by Kurt 2003.08.05, 01:03
Forget Leica vs. Contax, I think Lil hit on the real debate: Shimokitazawa vs. Asakusa! :) But seriously, I need to find my way down to Shimokitazawa.
Interesting how you’re wanting to move back over to film, I’m starting to get the building sense that you (and I) are part of a bigger movement in this direction, or at least part of a group that haven’t sold all their analog equpment. Still a drop in the ocean compared to those moving the other way, but still nice to see.
JH, it just dawned on my who your friends might be :) I hadn’t realized till now that those two folks do share the same initials! BTW, if it was decreed that corrugated tin could only be used in that verdant green, I’d be a convert! (And the pipes do work.)
Posted by Bob Baxley 2003.08.05, 02:55
JH, you might want to look at the M6 instead of the M7. The M6 is all mechanical and has the advantage of not requiring batteries to function. The reviews of the M7 have been pretty good but I’m not convinced you need the additional electronics. One of the great things about shooting with a manual camera is that it forces you to slow down and really think about the shot and what you’re doing. Once you bring in automation of almost any sort, you start to loose some of that.
As for the film versus digital thing, there’s no doubt that film images still look better, especially B&W. I haven’t seen any digital prints that even came close to the warmth and beauty of TMax or FP4. I’m sure it will get there, but I haven’t seen it yet.
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