A cousin of red.
Click the last image for a big version.
Kodak Ektar 100 does a good job with orange. So does the M10 in the last image, the difference being a large jump in resolution thanks to the fine 24mp sensor in the M10. The 35mm f/2 Canon, some 5 decades old, is outstanding.
Leica M3 and M10, 35mm f/2 Canon LTM. Noritsu 1800 TIF film scans (first four images) by The Film Developing Co.
A better mousetrap.
For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.
I wrote about adding EXIF data to scanned images here. While effective that tool is rather clunky in use, even if the price is right, as in free.
But there’s something better to be had for the modest sum of $17 or so, and it’s named Capture Time to EXIF. While originally intended to change capture times in EXIF data it’s a good deal more versatile than that and makes it easy to change lens data, ISO, camera serial # and a host of other variable, thus:
In practice this tool is not restricted to film scans. I use it on Leica M10 files where the lens name, derived from 6-bit coding, is incorrect. The camera only stores Leica lens names (duh!) whereas I use Voigtländer and Canon LTM lenses on my M10 body. Because I tend to remember images by the lens used, having the right lens name in EXIF data helps greatly when retrieving images in Lightroom Classic. After download move the plugin to this directory on a Mac, replacing ‘Tigger’ with your username:
The plugin permits saving of your favorite lens data sets and that’s important because if you mess up on the wording even one tiny bit you will see two lenses where there should be one. For example ’35mm Canon LTM f/2.0′ and ’35mm Canon LTM f/2′ will be shown in the LRc Metadata panel as two different lenses. But if you save your preferred setting then the name used will always be the same. Here are the ones I have saved so far:
Note that in the above example I am leaving the files’ Date and Time unchanged (‘Use the Date Created field’ at the top).
In use you highlight the files where you wish to make changes then invoke the plugin in LRc->Library->Plug-in Extras->Save capture time. A recent outing during which I took 37 pictures on the M10 is instructive. Of my three 6-bit coded lenses, one is made by Leitz, the 90mm Tele-Elmarit, so no changes are necessary. The two Canons, coded as a 35mm Summicron and 50mm Summilux respectively, need the lens’ names changed. Here’s the Metadata panel with the file first loaded in LRc:
After selecting the 35mm Summicron files in the Metadata panel, I invoke the plugin and load my saved Canon 35mm profile in ‘Save capture time’:
The full lens description is ‘Canon LTM 1:2/35′, partly hidden in this screenshot but consistent with the Leica lens naming methodology. When you run the plugin there’s no need to save Metadata to XMP files. It’s automatic. The file write takes around one second per image.
I then repeat the process for the 50mm Canon LTM lens, running the plugin after selecting all the ’50mm Summilux’ images in the metadata panel. And here is the happy result after reloading the Metadata panel:
Simple and effective, the plugin represents a good return on a modest outlay.
Super saturated azure.
The blues from Kodak Ektar 100 are reminiscent of the exaggerated azure produced by the iPhone.
Leica M3, 35mm f/2 Canon LTM and 90mm f/2.8 Tele-Elmarit. Noritsu 1800 TIF scans by The Film Developing Co.
Inexpensive protection.
For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.
These inexpensive leather protectors for the top plate of your camera prevent scratches from your camera’s strap or from the D rings used to attach the strap.
To install you have to remove your strap and D-ring, place these small leather patches over the strap lug using the center hole then install the D-ring (some garage language may be called for) followed by the strap. It takes a while. The hole in the protector is perfectly sized for the Leica’s strap lug – M film or M digital. (If you are unlucky enough to have bought an M5 no rings are needed; the strap material threads through the rectangular lugs on that misbegotten camera).
The D-rings these come with seem too flimsy, so I transplanted those from my Nikon D800 studio camera which are robust. I have yet to find a reliable source for these. One possible source for round rings is Simplr, but I have not used these. They are sized for 3/8″ (10mm) straps which is what the Upstrap uses, and are made in the USA. Hooray! Amazon also lists suitably shaped protectors for round rings. One disadvantage of circular rings is that they will rotate, eventually exposing the strap material to the sharp cut ends. That’s why I prefer triangular rings on a $5,000 camera.
Be sure that your strap is not in contact with the split in the D-ring as that is invariably sharp cut and will eventually wear through the strap. These patches also prevent the D ring from rotating, so the sharp third can no longer come in contact with the strap if correctly installed in the first place.
The instructive images at Amazon are clear and at $7 the pair what is there to complain about?
A flashback.
Kodak Ektar 100 is probably the closest you can get to Kodachrome reds, that film last being sold in 2009.
Both on Kodak Ektar 100 with TIF scans from The Film Developing Co.