I came across another old friend this afternoon that I have not met in a long while and decided it was time we had a good old chat and thus to grab some CineStill 400 from the fridge so as to resume the conversation.
In this case the one I tripped over, so to speak, was my Zeiss Ikon ZM with my Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 attached.
There is something about the iconic, simple, 35mm film, manual rangefinder cameras that keep bringing me back to them. Photography in its purest form with cameras that are fast, unobtrusive, compact and let you envisage the decisive moment.
They engender the classic watch, wait and "click" style of photography promoting a relaxed, considered and engaging approach to your work that is reflected in the end results.
Also they use the medium of film which, in the case of for example of colour negative stock like Kodak Portra 400, has incredible dynamic range, w-i-d-e exposure latitude, fine grain, exceptional colour saturation and tonality, high sharpness and that unique lovely film look.
With a few fast prime lenses and a selection of film stock there is much fun and indeed sheer joy to be had from making photographs with such a camera. The Zeiss Ikon, an old friend indeed.