I have posted a number of times about this lens but here is the abridged Cliff Notes version:
- I really like the Contax G ZEISS Planar 45mm f/2 lens.
- Funleader makes Contax G to M converted lenses.
- For reasons I instead chose to purchase a ZEISS Planar 50mm f/2 ZM lens. Those reasons mainly being:
- Built for purpose originally.
- Less expensive.
- Leaves existing G lenses un-messed with.
As always, personal preference. You do you. If you go the Funleader route Godspeed. Voices I respect have indicated that the G lenses are optically superior to the ZM variants. I saw no difference in my wildly unscientific film comparison between the two lenses, but hey. It’s possible. And more importantly whatever floats your boat. Anyhoo.
So in the title, I leaned into the therapy part of the equation. This was unexpected honestly and came over me mid roll of film. Here in the US Sunday was Mother’s Day. My Mom is wonderful. My wife is wonderful. And of course we celebrated them both. But my Dad also came to mind. This day was very important to my Father. He was raised by his Grandmother, along with his Grandfather. She passed away when I was an infant not long after he brought me to meet her. He did not meet his own Mother until I was a teenager. His Grandmother was a jewel in his life. When she met me she made my Father promise to do right by me. And I am here to say that he most definitely did. Above and beyond the call. So this day weighed heavy on his brow. As a result he was adamant that I afford my Mother and then my Wife the utmost respect and honor on this day. So he was in the background the entire weekend for me.
I did not want to weigh down the room with my melancholy and interrupt the celebration of two great women so I broke away for a bit of analog therapy after doing some yardwork to finish my current roll so I could develop it. I fought with it, admittedly. The same old conundrum. I did not want to do it because I was feeling down. I also knew that doing so would lift my spirits. After a false start or two, including stopping by to pay my respects,…
…I saw it.
The significance is that my Father’s first car was a ’56 Chevy. He spoke of it often when I was young. Midnight blue, de-chromed, with glass packs. As seemingly all who have owned such a car do he regretted selling it. While I am not a big believer of the hoogity-spookity I tend not to ignore blatantly bright neon signposts in life either. So as I took another pic intending to take many more I was greeted by a young man who seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Him: Can I ask a question?
Me: Go ahead.
Him: Can I have a ride?
Me: No.
Him: Do you have a bike or something?
Me: (Pushing past my puzzlement and struggling to maintain a respectful countenance.) No.
He shook his head disapprovingly and moved on. After which I swiftly jumped in my vehicle and kept it moving. Why did this happen? No idea at all. But I knew I was done taking photos of that car and it was time to move on.
Let me back up and cover a couple of points.
- The film used was Kodak Gold 200 developed with Cinestill CS41. Roll 18 with this batch.
- Had wondered in an Instagram post whether an inexpensive rechargeable battery powered air blower could replace canned air and yes, it can. Of which I am glad to hear because paying a decent coin for a three or four pack of canned air has gotten old. Be warned though. It does sound like a small plane taking off.
Here is the balance of the surviving frames, some overlapping with the dp2 Quattro pics from my last post before this encounter, and the rest of the frames after.
Well, that wraps up another very necessary analog therapy session.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 