I am going to Paris in a few weeks(first time to Europe) just for fun not for work(I am a Photographer Profesionally) Now if i were working then i would be shooting medium format tranny but for fun i am only taking my m6 ,24,35cron,50noct and r6,60macro & my widelux.Family presure says i need to shoot colour first ,B&W 2nd but what i am thinking is to shoot 160 NC low contrast neg and then scan the negs to do B&W prints on my epsom 1290.I can dial in grain and contrast when i get home.Sounds like a good idea to me and i do do this at times at the studio but i have never done this on a holiday. Have you and been happy?

-- Tim (timphoto@ihug.com.au), March 05, 2002

Answers

Tim, In my experience you won't have to dial in grain with 160 NC. ( maybe it's because I've been scanning it at 4000dpi that I've experienced a bit more grain than I wanted ). Digital conversions are okay, but it's hard to beat T-Max 400 CN, or Portra 400 B&W (made for scanning ), both of which you can get C-41 developed anywhere along your trip right along with the color stuff. Paris is my favorite B&W city, and you should try to sneak some B&W film into your Leica when the family isn't looking. Especially with the 50/Noct. at dusk! Ahhh, Paris. Tim, you are a lucky guy. --Marc Williams

-- Marc Williams (mwilliams111313MI@comcast.net), March 05, 2002.

Tim, If you plane to come soon in France, and if you'll be lucky, why not a camera with B&W film and the other one with colors film: we impatiently wait spring and, every year, it finishes to arrive ;-) I don't live in Paris, but it seems to me B&W is perfect for steet shooting, old typical district of Paris (Montmartre for instance)but some night shots, Beaubourg, public garden, Champs Elysée ... IMHO need colors. only an amateurish opinion ;-)and welcome! Alain

-- alain.besancon (alain.besancon@chu-dijon.fr), March 05, 2002.

i am only taking my m6 ,24,35cron,50noct and r6,60macro & my widelux.

"Only"? If you're going to be with your family most of the time, I'd just keep it simple and bring a couple of M6s with 24 and 50 max. Like you said, you're on vacation, not working. Be a tourist, not a pack mule, and your family will even appreciate you for it.

-- Anon Terry (anonht@yahoo.com), March 05, 2002.

That certainly is a lot of gear to take for "fun" -- I'd hate to see what you carry for work. Personally, I would take just the M6, plus the 35 (but then again, I'm a minimalist). Regardless, I'd keep the gear to a minimum (the M6, plus a couple lenses should suffice). That way, you can spend more time seeing Paris with your family and less time worry about your equipment. Enjoy Paris. It's a great city.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), March 05, 2002.

I agree: that's a lot of gear. For another take on this much- discussed personal preference, for example, my travel gear consists of a minimum, and even then it's too much to lug around, namely--an M6 Classic w/ 50mm Summicron loaded with Tri-X, a Contax T3 (35mm lens) also loaded with Tri-X or some color slide or neg film, and an Olympic Stylus Epic,loaded with color neg. "Peripherals": Y2, K25, OG 16 filters, "Cripp's DX Recoders", lenshoods, non-descript 'camera bag'. That's it. My wife generally carries the Epic in her purse and I carry the other 2. Even with this minimalist approach, I sometimes venture out with only the T3 with b&w (formerly a Rollei 35SE) and the Epic with color.

-- Cosmo Genovese (cosmo@rome.com), March 05, 2002.

Having been to Paris 12 times I always seem to take too much stuff. I'll pack 3 M bodies (always 1 spare) and 15mm, 21mm, 28mm, 2-35mm, 50mm, and 75mm. 90% of my shots will be with the 35mm and 75mm. If I'm doing specific stuff where I need wide, then I will plan and take the 15mm and 21mm. Most of the time all but 35mm and 75mm will sleep in my hotel room. I also always take my trusty Rollei 2.8 TLR for B&W only. To me Paris is a B&W city for street shooting, but I always seem to shoot a lot of chrome as well. While in Paris be sure to visit the "Maison du Leica" on Blvd. Beaumarchais - Metro - Chemin Vert. This is in the heart of the Paris photo district where there are lots of great shops. Also, this is right across the street from the Paris Harley-Davidson shop where you can buy a $30.00 T-Shirt (ouch!!) to make your friends jealous. If you need E-6 processing while in Paris, I have used the lab "Picto" with great results. If you show them a business card that you are a pro they will either knock off the 21% TVA or give you a 20% discount. It's near the Bastille about 3 blocks. Good Luck and when in Paris, have a Ricard for me.

-- F. William Baker (atelfwb@aol.com), March 05, 2002.

I'll pack 3 M bodies (always 1 spare) and 15mm, 21mm, 28mm, 2-35mm, 50mm, and 75mm...... I also always take my trusty Rollei 2.8 TLR

Wow, you guys really take a lot of equipment when on going on vacation.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), March 05, 2002.

Rather than lug B&W and Color film, if you're going to be scanning and outputting to digital anyway, just shoot color, scan it, and then just desaturate the heck out of it in photoshop (Image--Adjust--Hue/Saturation) if you want B&W prints. That way it's a win/win-- your family has color snaps, and you can have those moody B&W pix of Paris, all on the same roll.

Of course, this'll only work if you keep it all digital after scanning. I've done this before, and I can't really complain about the results.

Have fun in Paris.

-- Rich Fowler (richfowler@mindspring.com), March 05, 2002.

Hi Tim, I lived in Paris for several years and I am coming back soon after 3 years in LA. The less you carry the better you feel. Also be carrefull not to show too much equipment. There are a lot of pick- pockets in Paris and they look particularly for tourists. The streets and the public transportation are safe, even late at night, in most of the places, but be aware of not showing too much (ask for advice directly to your hotel for places to go and not to go at night).

Personaly in Paris I take only one Leica M6 with 2 or 3 lenses in one small and simple bag.

Paris is a wonderfull city for COLOR. Black and white makes me feel I am trying to redo the same pictures as Robert Doisneau, HCB, Capa, Brassai ... - in much less interesting - but this is personal feeling. I try to see the modern France and forget the image given by former great photographers of a France that is completly gone. Anyway, I will use maybe black and white for the suburb, which looks like a vast ocean of concrete. The center of Paris appears to me like a small and lovely island surounded by this grey ocean.

Touristic places are touristic places ... Montmartre is magic in the mist when there is nobody in the streets (there your Noctilux could be of a great help). At sunset you have a wonderfull view of Paris from the Sacre Coeur esplanade, but in general I found the heart of Montmartre just lovely, with no spirit. It is better to step down and walk in the surounding streets and squares.

There is a place you must go : La Place Carree du Louvre (the old square of the Louvre Museum which is inside the palace, close to the Pyramid square), go there at night (it closes at 10PM in winter, maybe at 11PM). Just sit down on the fountain edges which is in the midle of the square . If you are able to take a picture that reflects what you feel you are a great photographer. For many this square is the most beautifull square of Paris, which spirit is best revealed at night due to the lighting of the bilding and the silence of the place. Sometimes you have musicians who practice. It can become unforgottable.

Another and last advice : just walk. Forget the metro as much as you can, you will appreciate the city ten times better. It takes only two hours to cross it from north to south or from west to east. Nothing like LA.

Regards.

-- Alain Maestrini (alain.maestrini@att.net), March 05, 2002.

If you have a scanner - you can get beautiful B&W from ANY film - even Kodachrome. B&W does not HAVE to be grainy to be (aesthetic, good, 'real', pick your adjective) - that's just a canard put out by film manufacturers who can't do any better. You should do fine with one film.

But to me shooting Paris with 160NC would be like eating nothing but wedding cake during the trip, with no wine, sausage, cheese, foie gras. Why use a film whose forte is white dresses and whiter skin tones for dark stone and colorful lights etc.etc. I'd shoot Supra 100 and 400.

Post some results when you get back.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), March 06, 2002.

Thank you all for your advice. I agree it does sound like a lot of gear. The widelux is a must and does slip into any narow spot in my bag,m6 and 35 is my usual camera for travel ,I am still thinking about the 24 and the 50 i normaly would not take on a trip but i thought Paris at dusk and night would be a good subject for that lens and then the R6,well I may be doing a story on coffee later in the year and i thought it may be good to do some shots of coffee cups,tea spoons,etc,but then again this may stay in Sydney also.The reason I thought of 160 NC is because it will give me maximum infomation to then play with latter.I have been unhappy with 160 Vc printed full page in a magazine but then I have had good results also.Today I had a play with a neg on my Mac and i found the grain structure to be nice and crisp in B&W unlike XP2which never looks sharp to me.In a A4 print I actualy gave it a bit more grain.Thanks again for the recomendations on where to go.M6,35,Noct,Widelux,& a bag of Tri-X that sounds tempting!

-- Tim (timphoto@ihug.com.au), March 06, 2002.