Enjoying Montblanc Pens — Broad, Oblique, Extra Fine, Le & Bespoke

[Tom Kellie]

Monotone

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[Tom Kellie]

The very next day the boutique called me. They reached out to the USA service center and were informed that my pen had actually never been sent to Germany and was sitting in the USA service center for the past 3 months waiting for nibs FROM Germany. They also said they didn't expect any champagne gold JFK nibs to arrive until the end of October and would not be able to fit my pen with a new nib until November at the earliest! 7 months for a nib exchange!!! Unheard of and quite shocking to hear. Needless to say, the management and boutique staff knew this would not be acceptable. I went to the boutique that evening and they fully refunded me.

 

It's rather unfortunate as I was really looking forward to the OBB nib on the burgundy JFK and now that I have the Homer ... I would like to send it in for an OBBB or OBB exchange, but alas ... I will stick with the Fine nib. For future purchases, I will seriously think about simply purchasing preowned MBs with the nib size I want and may not ever purchase a new pen again for fear of never getting a nib exchanged within a reasonable time-frame.

 

~ 888007888:

 

Thank you for the comprehensive update.

Seven months for a basic nib exchange is unacceptable.

Yes, an OBBB or OBB would be a terrific nib on such a pen.

As both Toll and nishant have posted comments about the exceptionally professional, highly competent service at the McLean, Virginia Montblanc boutique it might be worth contacting them.

From my experience, and that of both Toll and nishant, explaining one's concerns and unfavorable past experience to Tysons Galleria Montblanc boutique manager Robert Marciniszyn is likely to result in a prompt resolution.

For now, I hope that your WE Homer F will be a pleasing writer for you.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Best wishes for a pain-free recovery for Yubi! I fall in love again every time with his soulful gaze ...

 

~ empliau:

 

It's very kind of you to think of Yubi during his convalescence.

He played with his toys for a spell this morning, after returning from his first post-operative check-up.

Yubi does have a remarkably luminous gaze, which reflects his gentle, affectionate nature.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Yes, indeed, Tom, the team at the MB Boutique in Tysons Corner, Virginia, under the leadership of Rob, offers exceptional customer service. I am willing to pay a premium, if you will, that is, no discounts, because of such professional service.

 

All the best to Yubi.

 

~ Toll:

 

What you've eloquently expressed above mirrors my own feelings.

The consistently high level of professionalism at the McLean, Virginia Montblanc boutique at Tysons Galleria represents Montblanc USA at its best.

Like you, I'm unconcerned with financial issues as my focus is on quality of product and quality of service.

Thank you for your kind thoughts for Yubi, who is steadily recovering from his recent surgery.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

I have been dealing with the MB Boutique in Tysons for a few months now since Toms recommendation and I can safely say that they provide the best MB service this side of the Atlantic. You will find them bending over backwards to make sure that no stone is left unturned. All calls are answered and no question is considered unimportant. Needless to say, they are my go-to ..

 

~ nishant:

 

Your strong recommendation above says everything.

Thank you for expressing confidence in the McLean, Virginia Montblanc boutique at Tysons Galleria.

There's nothing to add to your superb comment, which is comparable to my own experience.

Many, many thanks for posting this!

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Thanks, Tom! I need to jot this down against future need. I’ve pretty much decided on a hiatus from future purchases until the Fort Worth nonsense gets straightened out. It’s pitiful when I can send a Visconti to Italy via Coles for a major repair and get back a completely overhauled pen in half the time MB is taking for things as simple as nib swaps.

 

~ Ghost Plane:

 

If you don't mind, please look over nishant's strong recommendation of the exceptional service provided by the McLean, Virginia Montblanc boutique at Tysons Galleria.

Were one to directly contact them, comprehensively explain the full situation concerning any given pen or nib, including any frank concerns about the Ft. Worth Montblanc USA Service Center, they'll handle the situation with dispatch, discretion and competence.

Rather than waiting until 2019, a call to their boutique is likely to achieve positive results in real-time.

Considering that Toll, nishant and I have all had outstanding results when dealing with that boutique, it may be worth a telephone call.

Being blessed with a motivated, well-informed manager, the Tysons Galleria boutique staff performs at the same level as the designers of the pens, nibs and inks which we cherish.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

~ The two un-retouched images above show the Yellow Gold 149 Bespoke Small Signature nib.

They were posted because the telephoto lens used renders fairly accurate color.

The Zeiss Apo-Sonnar T* 135mm f/2 ZE lens is an apochromatic lens which reduces chromatic or spherical aberration.

While lenses are less than ideal, among my lenses this lens most closely approximates what my eye sees.

The images were made at 1/80 sec., f/16, ISO 800, handheld at 3:30 pm, using natural light reflected from a building in a north-facing exposure.

Others typically achieve better results through their digital post-processing skills.

My approach involves as many manual steps as possible without subsequent digital enhancements.

The monotone nib has turned out to be a favorite model for both indoor and outdoor images.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Marigold

[Pravda]

 

 

~ The two un-retouched images above show the Yellow Gold 149 Bespoke Small Signature nib.

They were posted because the telephoto lens used renders fairly accurate color.

The Zeiss Apo-Sonnar T* 135mm f/2 ZE lens is an apochromatic lens which reduces chromatic or spherical aberration.

While lenses are less than ideal, among my lenses this lens most closely approximates what my eye sees.

The images were made at 1/80 sec., f/16, ISO 800, handheld at 3:30 pm, using natural light reflected from a building in a north-facing exposure.

Others typically achieve better results through their digital post-processing skills.

My approach involves as many manual steps as possible without subsequent digital enhancements.

The monotone nib has turned out to be a favorite model for both indoor and outdoor images.

Tom K.

Actually the prevalent culture around nowadays is also against excessive post-processing of images and amateurs are known to cook the image too much. So it is as you said it should.

 

However, two caveats to keep in mind:

 

1. My understanding is that you shoot in JPEG which processing wouldnt improve much on it anyway. It is also the reason that not every lens gives you what your eye sees. Not the lens fault but the interpretation of your software to come up with what it thinks is a good JPEG file.

 

2. A raw file on the other hand contains a wealth of metadata for you to bring out hidden detail without over doing it. When you open, it appears slightly washed because it disallows both your computer or lens to interpret anything.

 

Lightroom is recommended to correct lens abberation and it has installed profiles for all manufactured lenses to correct for vingetting or soft corners etc and oppprtunity to view the histogram for clippings/ proper exposure. More importantly, itll deal with the color issues as the manufacturers are aware

[Tom Kellie]

Actually the prevalent culture around nowadays is also against excessive post-processing of images and amateurs are known to cook the image too much. So it is as you said it should.

 

However, two caveats to keep in mind:

 

1. My understanding is that you shoot in JPEG which processing wouldnt improve much on it anyway. It is also the reason that not every lens gives you what your eye sees. Not the lens fault but the interpretation of your software to come up with what it thinks is a good JPEG file.

 

2. A raw file on the other hand contains a wealth of metadata for you to bring out hidden detail without over doing it. When you open, it appears slightly washed because it disallows both your computer or lens to interpret anything.

 

Lightroom is recommended to correct lens abberation and it has installed profiles for all manufactured lenses to correct for vingetting or soft corners etc and oppprtunity to view the histogram for clippings/ proper exposure. More importantly, itll deal with the color issues as the manufacturers are aware

 

~ Pravda:

 

You know best!

Your caveats are certainly true.

For those interested in higher quality fountain pen images what you've kindly explained is most helpful.

I'm more or less satisfied with my current camera gear and shooting style.

What I'm on the lookout for are overlooked or less appreciated examples of beauty.

Others find improved ways of sharing their vision of fountain pens, which is fun to see.

Thank you for your realistic wisdom on fine photography.

Tom K.

[Pravda]

 

~ Pravda:

 

 

You know best!

Your caveats are certainly true.

For those interested in higher quality fountain pen images what you've kindly explained is most helpful.

I'm more or less satisfied with my current camera gear and shooting style.

What I'm on the lookout for are overlooked or less appreciated examples of beauty.

Others find improved ways of sharing their vision of fountain pens, which is fun to see.

Thank you for your realistic wisdom on fine photography.

Tom K.

Your philosophy echoes what the Leica director told me a few days ago Leica owners dont even have a live view or EVF. Manual focus. Only primes. To own it they say, is to trust yourself and enjoy working out the details in your mind and accepting/loving the natural end result. Too much in parallel to people who like fountain pens and ink?

 

Because I am new and currently passionate about the subject, I am open to embrace both the old and new way of doing things. Still need to figure out what works for me.

[thygreyt]

Oh... pens and a merging topic to cameras/photos/processing/lenses...! My favorite thread...

 

Which reminds me to use my DSLR again... its been a while.

[Tom Kellie]

Your philosophy echoes what the Leica director told me a few days ago Leica owners dont even have a live view or EVF. Manual focus. Only primes. To own it they say, is to trust yourself and enjoy working out the details in your mind and accepting/loving the natural end result. Too much in parallel to people who like fountain pens and ink?

 

Because I am new and currently passionate about the subject, I am open to embrace both the old and new way of doing things. Still need to figure out what works for me.

 

~ Pravda:

 

I feel flattered and honored to be included with Leica owners.

Some years ago I started out with Leica, which was how I learned the rudiments of photography.

What caused me to switch to Canon and Zeiss were the specialized requirements for wildlife photography in Africa, which was connected with my career.

There are so many ways to see and appreciate life that no one photographic approach embraces all.

There are photographer friends whose approach to image making is the polar opposite of mine yet I greatly admire their vision and techniques.

I'd never recommend my style to anyone, as it's idiosyncratic for my particular preferences. I'm an amateur who is happy with fairly basic results.

Circumstances were such that I was well-taught by professional nature photographers the essentials of camera and lens operation.

With digital cameras, there's much which is governed by pre-set algorithms, e.g. JPEG settings and more. All of that was systematically explained to me.

My approach, learned from Leica, African wildlife photography, and highly skilled field photographers has been to minimize the automatic and maximize the manual.

That in no way results in superior images. Rather, it keeps me on my toes in my older age, requiring me to truly think about a variety of factors while shooting.

Doing so is an incentive to compose my shots, even when photographing a subject like a stalking leopard in high grass.

In both the Canon EOS 1D X and the EOS 1D Mark IV I use, I've turned off nearly all automatic settings, such as ISO.

The Sony RX1 R camera is mostly for action shots indoors of visiting student groups or of Yubi, so it's generally set on all automatic.

I shoot using the M (Manual) setting, which encourages me to think faster and more comprehensively. By nature I'm on the slow side, so it helps to be prodded to speed up a bit.

There's no tripod in my gear as I aspire to steady hand technique, which being a Leica shooter taught me.

There's a batch of manual focus Zeiss and Canon L fixed focal length/prime lenses on the camera desk, as they have worked best for me.

Therefore I'm one of those manual focus, prime lens photographers who never uses burst shooting, live view or shoots in RAW.

All of them are outstanding means of achieving great photos. They just aren't what fits my pokey, stumble along approach to life.

As you develop and strengthen your own style, no doubt your innate fine taste will guide you into directions far from what I might undertake.

That's great! After all, what would it be like if every artist were an oil painter? We'd miss out on watercolors, pastels, pencil sketches and pen and ink.

My passion for photography continues week by week, never having abated. As much as anything I experiment with differing composition elements.

It's a joy to read your comments, as the highest quality fountain pens in your collection will benefit from being portrayed through your camera artistry.

Thank you so much for your insightful comments, which may inspire others to make and post images of their writing treasures.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Oh... pens and a merging topic to cameras/photos/processing/lenses...! My favorite thread...

 

Which reminds me to use my DSLR again... its been a while.

 

~ Reed_thoughts:

 

Pens and Cameras.

Y E A H !!!!!!!!!!!

That's a pair of topics to keep one's imagination sparkling with fresh possibilities.

DSLRs are capable of bringing out the subtlest details of beautiful fountain pens, nibs and inks.

Whenever you feel so inspired, by all means share your works in progress in this thread.

One of the best ways to “Enjoy Montblanc Pens...” is through photography.

Thank you for your very nice comment.

Tom K.

[Toll]

Well, I will jump in on the camera theme as well. I bought my first Leica last year (the D-Luxe 109) but I have had precious little time to play and experiment with its features. I recently bought a simple, but recommended, book on composition and related matters and I hope it is not too late for me to yet take better photos. Tom, I appreciate your photographic contributions and there is a contributor on one of the watch sites (another of my interests) whose landscape and human interest photos I greatly admire.

[Tom Kellie]

Well, I will jump in on the camera theme as well. I bought my first Leica last year (the D-Luxe 109) but I have had precious little time to play and experiment with its features. I recently bought a simple, but recommended, book on composition and related matters and I hope it is not too late for me to yet take better photos. Tom, I appreciate your photographic contributions and there is a contributor on one of the watch sites (another of my interests) whose landscape and human interest photos I greatly admire.

 

 

~ Toll:

 

Wow! That's great!

The Leica D-LUX 109 has a terrific fast lens which facilitates the kind of images I especially love.

If time ever permits, it would be a most welcome surprise to see one of your pens photographed with such a nice camera.

Learning image composition from a quality book will provide a solid foundation for your pen photography.

Thank you for mentioning the gifted photographer on the watch Web site.

Here in Fountain Pen Network, I especially admire and learn from the pen, bird and dog images posted by farmdogfan.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

[kandarp]

Aww he is an adorable little pup and I wish him a speedy recovery. My two dogs are recovering from (hip replacement) surgery as well. It's amazing to see them bounce back from these major (and quite traumatic) events so quickly.

 

 

 

[thygreyt]

Sharing my currently inked, and a few close up details on the Leonardo.

 

 

On the Leonardo, notice the "gear" and its "teeth" on the pen, Notice the logo being backwards and the mirror (not pictured), noticed the wing on the grip, and the flying thing on the nib... The body is made out of aircraft aluminum... Everything about the pen is just Fantastic... I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I do.

 

[Cyrille81]

Sharing my currently inked, and a few close up details on the Leonardo.

 

MVIMG_20180814_070330.jpg

 

On the Leonardo, notice the "gear" and its "teeth" on the pen, Notice the logo being backwards and the mirror (not pictured), noticed the wing on the grip, and the flying thing on the nib... The body is made out of aircraft aluminum... Everything about the pen is just Fantastic... I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I do.

 

00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20180814104140085_COVER.jpg

 

Leonardo is the first limited edition I bought several years after my 149 and some other MB pens not FP (mechanical pencil, ballpoint, document marker all in the Meisterstück collection).

EDIT: I bought also before the special edition JFK ballpoint. So Leonardo wasn't the first limited/special edition but the first pen limited edition yes

Edited August 15, 2018 by Cyrille