Took a day off but it was overcast. I wasn't going to shoot but then the sky peeked through a bit in the early afternoon. We're into the short daylight period, so I knew I didn't have a lot of time. I grabbed my film and camera and lenses and headed into town. I've wanted to shoot Downtown Pittsburgh for a while.

I really wasn't sure of the usefulness of just one lobe on the lens, but I found it came in useful a couple of times when I was shooting verticals. It provided a nice little point to push or pull the focusing ring to make a slight adjustment. Still, the two lobes of the Contarex always worked for me.

Today, I shot only black and white. Two rolls of 36-exp. home-spooled Agfapan APX 100. This is a really nice film, especially when combined with Rodinal. The one thing you have to watch with Rodinal and this film is agitation. Don't overagitate.

I was half-expecting to get stopped by the police, after all of the many reports you hear about photographers getting hassled. I guess I must have looked like a student, because no problems. Downtown has a couple of rough areas, but for the most part people ignored me.

Even the police get baffled by calls. On the police scanner one night, the radio dispatcher says that a woman saw an Asian man with black hair, walking down the street and talking into his cell phone. The caller thought it was suspicious because he was talking into his phone.

My route began just near work and took me to some areas that I've been interested in photographing. Like most places, I think a second or third visit would be a good idea. No surprises from the camera, which was good news. I guess I was out and about for maybe two and a half hours before the sun began to set.

The sound of the shutter really wasn't an issue. The noise of activity on city streets coupled with people's focus on getting from A to B meant that no one was really paying any attention to me. There were a couple of guys just hanging out down by the river, but they gave me a glance and then left. Even so, I took a quick look over my shoulder just to make sure they didn't change their mind. The path down there isn't used that much, and because it's below street level, you could quickly get into trouble.

Like all city streets, I adopt the subway code of safety: Never let anyone get behind you. When I was working up in New York City, I always made sure no one stood behind me. A good rule, as some people would stand close to the edge of the platform. A couple of people got pushed onto the tracks in the three years I worked in the city.

The area around Fifth and Forbes – once a booming retail region – is decrepit. Even McDonald's pulled up stakes and left. When McDonald's can't make it, that says a lot about the local economy.

Back to the camera. The placement of the shutter release is a good match for me. Cameras that put the shutter release too far to the right or too far back on the top deck don't feel comfortable. Other cameras that make you reach over other controls, such as the Voigtlander Prominent – also not good ergonomics.

I had been a bit concerned about the lack of foam in the back channels. Was the design good enough to block stray light? Although it wasn't a bright day, three rolls into it – so far, so good. Not a hint of fogging.

The 25mm Biogon became my main shooter for the day. The 50mm Planar is an excellent lens. The Biogon was just about perfect for a good "walking around" lens. It has adequate depth of field, and it's great for quick shots. In today's samples, which were really yesterday, because I'm a day behind. I was so tired yesterday that I just processed and scanned the film but didn't write this until today. I'm rescanning some of the shots. Anyway, in No. 14, I had just changed the film, and I saw a plane overhead, so I quickly raised the camera and snapped a photo. Just in time, it seems. With a 50, I probably would have misframed it.

The 50 is really nice for other shots – and for a rangefinder, you can do some nice closeups. I've been happy with the two lenses that I selected. I wavered between the 28 and 25. I'm glad I went with the 25. Still thinking about the viewfinder. Maybe I'll sell a couple more of my spare classics.

This will be the last post until the weekend. Have to go to work.