Baker's Dozen: Leica Lenses (Call for Work)

Glad you enjoyed the "Baker's Dozen: Smartphone Photographs" on Saturday.

We're trying for two-week intervals, so the next one would naturally be presented on Friday, November 24th...but that's the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S., AKA "Black Friday," famous as (usually) the 11th- or 12th- or 13th-biggest shopping day (or so) of the year. So I think I'll post the next Baker's Dozen portfolio on the Monday following. That's "Cyber Monday," a day that might not be quite as popular as Boss's Day (a so-called "Hallmark holiday") but is better known than May 13th, International Hummus Day.

But I digress.

For the next Baker's Dozen, we're asking for pictures taken with Leica lenses.

Here are the specs:

• Send 1–3 JPEGs but no more
• 800 pixels wide
• sRGB
• Tell us who and where you are
• Don't forget the techie details

Send them to me at m c j o h n s t o n a t m a c d o t c o m. VERY IMPORTANT: please use the subject line:

bakersdozenleica

...Exactly like that. The last thing I want to do is scold, but near the end of the submission period I will search my oceanic email stack for messages with "bakersdozenleica" in the subject field, and if your email doesn't come up then I probably won't see your picture(s). So it's important to use that exact subject line. I (a sentient human) won't be looking out for your email; my Mac (a heartless machine) will be. So close is not good enough.

It would be great if you could say a few words about your lens. A picture of the lens itself is not required, but can't hurt. I think I am likely to give a little more weight to pictures taken with lenses that are interesting, unusual, exotic or aristocratic in some way, but don't let that stop you if yours isn't. Pictures taken with any Leica (or Leitz) branded lens of any vintage is eligible. A digital snapshot of a physical print is also okay.

Be creative. That should put you ahead of the game.

Don't forget that subject line. Spread the woid!

Mike

[UPDATE: While Panasonic/Leica lenses are certainly valid for the call, I've already got two I'm definitely going to be using and I'm unlikely to select any more than that. Might select one more. But no more than one more. Just thought I'd tell you in case it might influence your selection decision.

If it's any consolation, Panasonic lenses will feature in a future Baker's Dozen. —MJ]

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

John Robison: "This is where the essential honesty of contributors must be assumed. I was quite shocked at myself because for a brief moment I considered sending in some random photo, claiming it to be shot through Leica glass (I own no Leica lenses). I cannot imagine what possessed me to entertain such a thought for even that brief moment."

Mike replies: Yes, no juvenile games, please! With our medium here people will not be in a position to critically examine files and fooling people (or me) by being dishonest would not be a terribly slick trick. We're just having fun here.

Thanks for pointing this out John.

Nigel: "I have a Leitz Wetzlar projection lens...cost £6. Does that count?"

Mike replies: Thanks for pointing this out too. Early on, "Leica" (Leitz camera) referred to the cameras, and some of the lenses were branded Leitz but not Leica. I changed the post to allow Leitz-branded lenses as well.

Steve Smith: "Re 'International Hummus Day': Houmous—another word Americans can't spell!!"

Mike replies: Actually it's spelled حمص بالطحينة, ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna, which means chickpeas with tahini, tahini being a condiment made of roasted sesame seeds. The dish originated in the Levant, which is the region East of the Mediterranean. The Turks use one "m," but the dialectal word transliterated into Roman characters is ḥummuṣ, and it's spelled "hummus" by the Encyclopædia Britannica, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, and Wikipedia, and "hummus" is the preferred spelling of the Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, which is the only one I found that gives "houmous" as a secondary alternative spelling. So I'm comfortable with "hummus."

Never poke an Internet researcher with a stick.  :-)

scott kirkpatrick: "הומוס or hummus only needs one 'm'-like letter in any of its natural languages. The 'mm' is doubled to keep the vowels before and after it short in languages that don't know better, like English.

Mike: Doesn't הומוס mean humus, i.e., organic matter in soil? That what Morfix ("the leading online Hebrew-English and English-Hebrew Dictionary") says. At least, that confusion would constitute another good reason not to spell it with one "m" in English.

scott: "My Oxford English-Hebrew Dictionary includes humus as organic matter, and doesn't say anything in either direction about hummus. It's a curious omission, as Israel could not function without hummus."

Jeff Markus: "הומוס a few bars and we'll fake it."

Mike: Jeff wins the Herman Krieger award for best/worst pun not by Herman! Good one, Jeff.

Comments

[David Dyer-Bennet]

Now that appears to be the model Leica 50mm I had with my M3. Don't still have it now though, so won't be playing this period. (Huh; did shoot a photo with a Leica-branded lens last week actually, but it's a very dull sample photo, just verifying that my LX3 worked on the way to listing it on Ebay. And I've shipped it, so I can't quick shoot something interesting.)

[hugh crawford]

Hoo boy, now you’ve done it , this should be interesting...

[Dave Fultz]

Best trundle over to the local high school and get 20 or so volunteers for the photo-filtering process, Mike.

Dave

[Dan Khong]

Can I contribute a B&W picture?

[Only if it was taken with a Leica- or Leitz-branded lens. --Mike]

[Tom Simonsen]

If I understood it correctly, my Panasonic Leica ME 45mm (micro-4/3) qualifies. I must try to find a photo for you.

Cheers,
Tom

PS. My favourite day is dedicated to the net trolls out there - International CAPS LOCK day (October 22nd)

[scott kirkpatrick]

I looked back in my files for some shots taken with my first digital Leica, the M8 and discovered to my horror that one of my favorites was taken with a Zeiss 21. But I was also using a collapsible Summicron 50, purchased around 1969 when it was already pretty experienced, so I think I can take part in this.

[Patrick J Dodds]

Caramelised onion hummous: is there a nicer food known to humanity?

[scott kirkpatrick]

My Oxford English-Hebrew dictionary includes humus as organic matter, and doesn't say anything in either direction about hummus. It's a curious omission, as Israel could not function without hummus.

[Ed Hawco]

My Panasonic DMC-LX7 has "Leica" written on the lens. Does that count?

[Bill Tyler]

Do the rules include Panasonic/Leica lenses?

[YS]

Uh, if Leica-branded counts, are you opening the door the more smartphone photos, courtesy of the Huawei-Leica tie-up?

Also, now I want some hummus.

[Jeff Markus]

הומוס a few bars and we'll fake it.

[Luis Aribe]

Miriam Webster? I thought her name was Merry Ann...

[Americans can't spell "Merriam".... --Mike]

[Dave in NM]

How about a scan of a print made with a Leitz 100/4.5 V-Elmar enlarging lens? (The only Leitz lens I’ve ever owned.)

[I think that's pushing the boundary a little too far. --Mike]

[Dave in NM]

Shucks.

[John Willard]

I know I am in a good conversation with a group of people when someone stops and says "Why are we talking about hummus?" Long pause. "What started this?" Long pause. "Oh yeah, highly regarded German camera lenses." Of course, that makes perfect sense.
I am heartened when I see it happen in text/email/forum threads.

[Chris]

If the person (Nigel) who uses a Leitz projector lens (presumably not for projecting) can tell use how he uses it, I'd be very grateful! I've just found out that my ancient Leitz Pradovit Color is non-functional, and I'm trying to work how NOT to send it to the tip! I've asked my large format friends if they are interested with no great results so far. Mine is a 90mm 1:2.5.

[Piotr Edelman]

I have a 50mm "Industar 22", a Russian copy of a collapsible Elmar, adopted to work with m43 Olympus. Does it count?