My resolution for 2023 is to become better acquainted with the recent gift of a 1959 Leica M3 rangefinder film camera. It’s unknown how long the Leica had been sitting in storage before Phil found it at a local estate sale in October. After shooting a roll of test film the camera was sent in for a thorough cleaning and overhaul to correct issues of a sticky focal plane curtain, loose speed dial, and cracked body finish. Fortunately, Wisconsin has a great Leica repair technician. Many thanks to Don at DAG Camera Repair.
The Polar Bear Plunge images were taken with the Leica M3 metered by a Voigtlander VC Meter II riding on the hotshoe.
The film is Ilford HP 5+ processed normally in Ilford Simplicity chemistry then scanned into digital files.
As I’m still building up muscle memory in regards to metering and rangefinder focus, I concentrated more on participants instead of the actual splash. It has been awhile since I used a lens distance scale and I knew my reaction time would be slower than normal.
The camera came with a partially exposed roll of color film. After processing it in CineStill C-41 chemistry, two faint images emerged.
Cat in Repose Scanned frame of the expired film found in the Leica camera.
This second frame fogged with a green hue. Scanning then converting it into black & white revealed more detail of the Christmas tree.