So here are summer holidays and it is time to pack the camera bag. Where to start ? Minimal or not minimal? When will I finally go in the field with one body one lens? Ok, let me cut it short: not today. But to keep of suspense, let me start with the bag. I have been carrying around the Crumpler 5 Mio dollar home since 2010, and it was a wonderful bag, it can carry one M body with an extra lend or two or you can cramped two M bodies with lens attached or even and M and the Hassie. But you cannot add much more: wallet, sunglasses, specs, flying documents cannot really fit. And after all these years, the hip side has a nice hole, and after 3 trips in the washing machine it is a bit shabby. Kudo’s to Crumpler, but they no longer do these inconspicuous bags nor the bit bigger 6Mio dollar home.
The web is a hell when you look for camera bag, I have been there man times. So this time I picked up a Scout Shoulder bag from Wotancraft at the nice Rice Ball photo shop. (https://www.wotancraft.com/product/scout-charcoal-black) made in Taiwan. More expensive than Crumpler, fits both for town and country. Can fit the ideal combination of two Leica M bodies with lens attached and an extra lens or two. Papers, wallet, specs and sunglasses fit as well.
So I think I betrayed myself, the travel will consist of the Leica M262 and the M6 with my new 50mm Summicron, the 28mm Summicron and the 90mm Elmarit. Some various rolls of films are waiting for me in France for the M6.
BW I’m going to the south of France, both to the sea and the mountain, also to Venice, so I’ll have plenty to shoot. Let me make a guess, the 90mm will get less than 10% usage, the 28mm 40% max, the 50mm will get the rest.
So what is happening to the D700 Kit? I had the pleasure to shoot a couple of events this year and if performed perfectly as usual (of course the high ISO is lacking behind now compared to more modern cameras), and the M262 will not allow me to do this. But frankly I think I am done with it: I no longer carry it for casual street shooting, I did not brought it on holidays for two years now. It is big, bulky, the whole set with my zooms and fixed lenses weight a ton, and frankly nobody will miss the shots that the Leica does not allow me to do. So I think we’ll part our ways, so long my friend, I like your well-worn look and the colors of your sensor, but it is time to move. We traveled Asia together the last 7 years and had a lot of fun.
D700 was introduced in 2008 and the M240 (on which the M262 is built) in 2012; Leica being a bit lagging behind in term of bodies I think they are quite probably comparable; I missed the M10 by a year.
(To be continued)
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