Leica iiif and Rollei RPX 25 on a stormy day.

 It was Dec. 29, the surf forecast was 8'-12' at Huntington Beach. High surf with poor visibility. One would think that choosing my Leica iiif and loading it with a low sensitivity film was a bad choice. However since I was shooting digital as well, to catch the action, I chose Rollei RPX 25 to capture the 'vibe'.

I can count on my Sony a7iv for crisp clean action shots, but I was also looking for more. Chose the Leica iiif over my M3 or M6 for the image quality my 1951 Elmar 5cm f/3.5 lens would give me. In view of the fact that it was early morning, I anticipated shooting the lens wide open. This was also the first time shooting Rollei RPX 25 stock.

For the record. I processed the film in Rodinal 1:25 for 6.5 minutes. 

Here are the images from Huntington Beach on Dec. 29, 2023.

As I arrived, very high tide, poor visibility.

The pier gets lots in the fog.

Surfer waiting to paddle out.

High tide backing me up further under the pier.

The feeling I was looking for!

Large crowd out to see the waves and high surf.

The next day, Dec. 30, also had a promising forecast. I opted this time to shoot at the Manhattan Beach Pier (my old stomping ground). Forecast also called for 8'-12', but visibility was much clearer. Consequently the image quality is slightly different.

Waves pound the pier, which was closed. Unlike like Huntington which is very large and tall. The waves will break over the pier creating a potentially dangerous condition.

Another photographer on the beach, north side of the pier. The skies were starting to clear and the sun breaking through. Volleyball practice getting ready to start on the south side.

As I mentioned, these are all images shot with Rollei RPX 25 on my Leica iiif. The results... better than I expected.

As always: all images are copyrighted ©PeterPolitanoff and may not be reproduced without expressed consent.