🔴 Guest Post: Peter Elgar
You might know the YouTube legend, Peter Elgar who still makes videos today. I was keen to invite Peter to share his thoughts on Leica. This is what he said –
Who is Peter?
I discovered the Magic of PHOTOGRAPHY in 1951 at East Ham Grammar School when on a trip to the Festival of Britain a School Mate showed off his Kodak Brownie Reflex camera – we all peered into the Viewfinder – it was all in Colour too! ” You can learn to do your own Processing at the School Photographic Society, Thursdays in the Chemmy Lab” he said, so I went and in a Semi-Dark Room the Chemistry Master ‘Gabby ‘Heyes was handing out small sheets of paper to boys who took it and put a negative onto it in something like a Picture Frame then held it under a Light on a Retort Stand, then across to the sink where they took out the blank Paper and put it into a dish of liquid and LO and BEHOLD !! A Miraculous Event happened — the paper darkened and a photo appeared ! Then into two other liquids then dry onto blotting paper – I was HOOKED !
I rushed home and got my Mum to find her Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Box Camera from the 1930’s and cycled 4 miles to a wonderful Emporium in Leigh Bridge Road Leytonstone called ‘Marston and Heards’ where the Ancient Proprietor sold all manner of ex- WWII Films, Chemicals and Papers — he would blow the Dust off a purchase – I bought some Ferrania ORTHO film 120 size as I was told ‘ORTHO FILM’ could be handled under a Red Light — so I wrapped some Red Paper around a 25 watt bulb in the bathroom and ‘blacked out’ window with an old blanket, then See-Sawed the Film though a dish of Home-Made developer as shown by the Chemistry Master then Fixer — the Greyish Negatives I got I thought were the Bees-Knees !
As School Boys no-one could afford a 35mm Leica or Contax or even a Paxette on our Pocket Money so all prints were done on Kodak ‘VELOX’ Chloride Contact Print Paper . It was a Big Day when the School bought a ‘Gnome’ enlarger so I could do Half Plate size prints! I joined the South Essex Camera Club in 1952 age 16 and entered the ‘Beginners Section’ — there were many Fellows of the Royal Photographic Society there and one, George Crosby FRPS showed me how to do enlargements using ‘Amidol’ home-made print developer and his wife Anne would keep me supplied with Marmalade Toast then I would cycle all the way home with a load of damp prints.
One evening a member showed 20×16″ enlargements done with a 35mm LEICA on Ilford Pan-F film processed in the Beutler Formula — magnificent ! By that time I had got a British ‘Ensign Selfix 16/20 Model II’ but his prints beat my efforts although I was not printing to 20×16 ” only up to 10×8″ — It set the Seeds of LEICA into my brain.
My journey to Leica?
So as I did not go to University the Armed Forces beckoned and I joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Pathological Technician — I kept up membership of the S E C CC as I was stationed in London at the RAMC College then to The Royal Herbert Military Hospital Shooters Hill . Then in 1957 was sent to GERMANY – WoW ! The Camera Shops in my first Posting Munster were full of Rolleis, Leicas, Contaxes which the British Public could not get due to Import Restrictions. I still had my Ensign Selfix though, Then sent to the BMH BERLIN in the British Sector where a Camera Dealer used to come round once a week — he had a LEICA III with 50mm f2 Summitar all scratched but a CONTAX III with 50mm f1.5 Sonnar so I bought THAT one after all for about £38 Sterling.
So I had a 35mm Camera at last – I used it for the early AgfaColor CT18 film and B&W Agfa Isopan, then when I got sent to BMH ISERLOHN in the safety of the British Occupied Zone discovered ADOX films !
In the Town was a Camera Dealers with NEW LEICA M3 and IIIg Cameras for 820 D-Marks when we got 11.50 D-Marks (Deutsche Marks) to £1 Sterling but I was paying off the £38 for the CONTAX still … then in the Canadian Maple Leaf Store I bought a Braun Hobby flash for £14 when they were over £39 in UK IF YOU COULD GET ONE — BUT they also sold NEW LEICA IIIf + 50mm f3.5 Elmar for £45 ! I could not afford on Army Pay to get one.
Many years passed – I joined Barking Photographic Society in 1959 after the S E CC folded and joined the Royal Photographic Society as well – must have been the youngest but KEENEST Member in my 20’s The Legend of LEICA was at the back of my mind but I exchanged the CONTAX for an Asahi Pentax S3 in 1961.
Fast forward to the 90’s — I heard of a Clergyman of St Lawrence Church , Village of Blackmore with LEICAS for sale — he sold me a 1934 Model II + 50mm f2 Leica Summar and a Model III + 50mm f3.5 Leica Elmar for £250 — (Don’t Tell The WIFE! )
The Model II was STOLEN at Thorpe Park in a drive-by theft. Then a Camera Club Mate was going Blind and sold me his 1965 LEICA M2 + 35mm f1.4 Leica Summilux and 1957 90mm f4 Leica Elmar collapsible for £450 – then another Camera Club Mate wanted to sell his 1986 Leica M6 + 35mm f1.4 Canadian Leica Summilux so I lashed out and got it for £1,000 ( DEFINITELY Don’t Tell THE WIFE!! )
Luckily all these Purchases were income Tax Deductible as by that time I was a working Professional with my ‘Letters’ ARPS and ABIPP gained in 1970 by submission of work .
Why Leica?
I wanted to experience the ‘Mystic’ attached to the Leica brand for myself. It has not meant I take any BETTER Snaps though and the 35mm f1.4 Summilux lenses both 1966 Canadian and 1988 German are just too soft at full aperture easily beaten by a Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 I tested from a mate.
You can find my LEICA snaps here on FLICKR: All LEICA photos
What Do You Photograph and Why?
I did Photography for a Studio in Barking where I got introduced to local PRESS Photography and got my Asahi Pentax S3, then after a stint with School Photography got job at University College London Geology Dept where I introduced Asahi Pentax for making slides for lectures, then set up as Freelance in 1970 doing the Dreaded Weddings, PR work, Theatrical Work, Local Press Photography.
I used LEICA for some jobs but the very SLOW FLASH Sync Speed of 1/50th was no good for fill-in outdoors when the opposition had NIKONS with 1/250th Flash Synch Speed – so I also used Rolleicord and later ‘flex and also a Mamiya Press Super 23 — all Tax Deductible.
When I was at UCL Geology Dept in 1969 NASA sent us a slide with Moon Dust that Neil Armstrong had put into his pocket and I had to do Photomicrography of it — I was on about £27 a week by then and all the well-paid Professors looked at the results and said there was a Globule of Glass formed by the action of Sun on the Moon Dust and it was Published half Page in the Sunday Times with my named Credit ( NO CASH ! ) but I was suspicious as I could press down on the slide cover slip and the Globule would change shape — I was RIGHT – it was a minute piece of PLASTIC from the Sieves that NASA used to sieve out all the Best Bits before sending us the remains — but I was only a Lowly £27 a week Snapper — NOT a Professor !
Now I am retired an 88 years old but Still Snapping with Old Cameras I get Given and Outdated Film! I still make up my own Film and Print developers as taught in 1952 at School ! The Magic of LEICA has FADED somewhat now– I find I need autofocus for my Street Candids as trying to follow-focus with the small Rangefinder Patch is so difficult.
Thoughts
I have done the famous 20×16″ size prints from LEICA but now it’s just too Expensive on my Pension. I am Past President of Brentwood & District Photographic Club and teach the Beginners (but they don’t get Marmalade Toast) !!
How Do You Know MrLeica?
I found Matt from his Flickr photos – See Matt’s Flickr
Favorite Leica Camera?
1986 Leica M6 as the Flash Synch Plug is BROKEN on my 1965 Leica M2 and I like the Metering in the Viewfinder.
Favorite Lens?
1957 90mm f4 collapsible Leica ELMAR as I find I use a longer Focal Length most of the time and it is very sharp from f5.6 down.
Favorite Film?
Ilford XP2 400 Super – C41 process and as the image is composed of Dye Clouds very Fine Grained for 400 ASA.
Where can you find Peter?
Follow me at:
- YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@theoldfilmbloke
- Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/25850987@N03/
- Instagram – N/A
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