I’m selling my MP .85.  Details in the L-Camera-Forum classifieds.

We spend far too much time obsessing over equipment.  It’s fun, sure, but worrying endlessly about whether lens A is sharper than lens B is silly if not a sign of a lonely, fetishistic existence.

So when I ran across this thread on the L-Camera-Forum I was thrilled.  Anydm911 started it a couple of weeks ago with a post praising the results of his M8 and a 28/5.6 Summaron from decades ago.  It set off a great series of posts showing off pictures taken with ancient Leica glass, ancient Nikon glass and ancient whoeverheard of it glass.  The point isn’t how the sharpness of these lenses compares with the latest $5,000 ASPH Leica versions.  Some compare well, some look really soft.  The point is this obsession doesn’t matter.  It’s the vision that went into the taking of the picture.

So if you’re obsessing over whether to spend $3695 on a brand new Summilux 50mm or a brand new 50mm Summicron for only $1995, stop.  Think about an old 1.5 Summarit 50mm for about $500 instead.  Or an ugly old screw-mount Summarit and an adapter for $200+.  And spend the time you saved worrying about the glass thinking about how to make better pictures.

(By the way, the square format pictures you see on this blog have been taken with a 50+ year old 120 folder, an Agfa Super Isolette, which cost less than your average used Summicron 50mm in bargain condition.)

British media have been reporting frequently on people taking pictures who’ve been detained and even arrested by British police, usually  under the authority of anti-terrorism laws (Section 44).  The Guardian reports on  one case in which the photographer managed to record video of the confrontation, including the Kafka-esque dialogue he had with the police, who justified the arrest by accusing the man of “anti-social behaviour” because he was taking pictures of a Christmas festival.  First they said he was behaving suspiciously by photographing the festival and when that didn’t work they brought out the anti-social line.  The weapon he apparently used to execute this act of anti-social behavior:  a Leica M9.  Here’s a link to the Guardian’s video story.

Image from Westlicht

Will your latest digicam last 171 years?  Westlicht, the auction house, is promoting its May 29 sale which features the oldest-known commercially-produced camera, a wooden, Daguerreotype Giroux made in 1839.  Westlicht says this model was the first commercially-produced camera. When Louis Daguerre perfected his photographic process the French government bought the patent rights from him and made the secret of photography a gift to the world (would anyone be so generous now?).  Daguerre got a fat pension but also went into business making camera equipment – the maker’s mark on the side of the camera being auctioned includes Daguerre’s autograph.  In 1839 if you wanted to buy the camera, including all the equipment needed to make your plates and process them, it would have cost you 400 Francs.  According to Westlicht that was a working man’s annual salary back then, so I guess it was the $23,000 Leica S2 of its day.  Westlicht expects this camera to go for between 500,000 and 700,000 Euros.  An original instruction book, in German, is included.

The British Journal of Photography reports the death of Bob Willoughby, “Hollywood’s most celebrated photographer.”  BJP notes his passing and reruns a 2004 profile but no pictures.  So check out Willoughby’s website — wonderful stuff.   Willoughby was 82 and according to BJP he was a sharp business person on top of making great pictures.  Played the game well enough to escape with his wife and family to an Irish castle in 1972.  Sweet.