Leica for my sister

[rphenning]

I want to run a theoretical little situation past the other members of this board.

Background:
My sister is being commissioned in the Navy in May and I want to get her a solid camera and lens combination for her commissioning present. When I got my M4 she was pretty stoked on it and ever since I have wanted to get her a camera. I had planned on getting her a little Holga but that is starting to seem a little trite. I ran the idea of getting said Holga past her and she was very much into it but always joked with me about when her Leica was coming. She isn't as much into the technical aspect of photography but in my opinion she has a very good eye for photos.

My Plan:
I want to get her an M6 and some kind of wide angle lens (read 21 or 28) . The M6 because it has a meter she can read from, is small, quiet, unobtrusive, very rugged and reliable, and because the lenses you can stick on it are excellent. I can afford it without gettting into too much financial trouble. The look on her face would be the most classic thing I can imagine. (I want to package it up in a holga box so she won't know until the last second).

My Question:
Do you have any other suggestions for a good camera and lens combination that is carries with it the characteristics I have noted above? It doesn't have to be film though I don't think she would mind a film camera one bit seeing as she already has a little Canon digital.

Thanks for reading my novel.

 

[Honus]

A gift of a M6 would be awesome. I would suggest a 35mm lens to start. If she really likes wide, then a 28mm lens would make sense. No need to start with something wider that would require an external viewfinder.

 

[steverett]

I'd suggest getting the 28mm lens, avoiding the need for any accessory finders. You should look into the Cosina Voigtlander lenses; they are excellent quality and less expensive. As for the body, I think an M6 is hard to beat.

 

[steverett]

p.s. Your sister is lucky to have such a generous brother!

 

[jke]

As a man I have learned that women often have a completely different relationship with their cameras than I do. I guess that I had to learn this rather than knowing it is just another part of being a guy. 🙄 At any rate, I now know several women who might have been interested in photography but not in cameras or taking photographs, but when they got a Leica, took off and quickly became far better photographers than I think I could ever hope to be.

I think if they just had a good camera, they would have been able to produce photos of similar quality. But there was something about getting a professional tool that made a big difference to their interest in photography or their image of themselves as a photographer.

Perhaps it is because women still in many ways tend to be treated like girls and are so frequently given lesser or diminutive versions of the things that men get, that when they finally get The Actual Thing, it makes a big difference.

I don't know if I am making any sense, and surely what the women I know felt when they got a Leica is not exclusive to women, but it did seem to be related to self-confidence rather than gear acquisition. They weren't interested in the camera as a gizmo or an object or as German-engineering or a collectible or whatever. Just that when they got that camera, they felt like a photographer and then they went out and took a lot of photographs, which as you mentioned here about your sister, proved that they had good eye for photography.

So if you can afford it, do it. Get her a Leica with 28mm or 35mm (instead of the 21mm.) If she has an eye and has the reaction I describe above, she'll go nuts and take lots of photos. If not, she'll at least know without a doubt that you are immensely proud of her. But then, if you are considerate enough to think about this sort of present for your sister, she probably already knows that. That's the real gift. 🙂

 

[rphenning]

Honus,
the reason I am thinking wider is because when/if she is deployed to the fleet or a base a wider lens will do well in cramped quarters.
---
Thanks for the feedback everyone, I appreciate it so far.

Jke that was a pretty deep answer, it definitely makes sense though. Thank you guys again.

 

[steverett]

I figured that was the reason, but I think an accessory finder will be harder to learn with, especially as a first manual camera. Also, they're more easily lost, or knocked into.

 

[ZeissFan]

If she's handled your M4 and likes it, then she'll like the M6, as the handling is more or less the same.

I also agree that a 35mm lens is a better choice than the 21 or 28. Those might be too wide, while the 35 is a good all-purpose lens.

I'd probably get her that combo and then add a 10-pack of film.

 

[JohnTF]

I would opt for the 28, a friend talked me in to the 28 over the 35 for my Contax G2, and afterward I thanked him. I normally used the 28 or the 90mm, carrying both.

I have given more than a few cameras to women, one of whom recently graduated with a BA in photography, and she is good. I always have an eye out for good deals in equipment she will use, but she keeps mentioning Leica. ;-)

CV 15 would generate some great views on a ship.

Finding that Holga box is going to be tough.

Regards, John

 

[tbarker13]

35mm all the way for a one lens kit.
Not sure what you want to spend on the lens, but for $700-$800, you could get a CV28/3.5 and a 50mm of some sort. That would cover a wide range of situations and would still be quite compact.

 

[steverett]

When do you plan to get it? I could get you an empty Holga box in a couple weeks.

 

[sanmich]

I would like to advice something else.
If your sister is going to take "relaxed" pictures, the leica is fine.
if she will want to shoot also when things are getting dense, I would pick a konica hexar.
Simply put, when you are at soemthing else, or with lots of stuff on you, it's the best camera you can get. You use it as a P&S, and the results are nothing less than amazing.
I ahve Leicas and the hexar, and used both in military situation, and there is no contest, the hexar is great for it.
That being said, in any other situation, I do prefer the leica for the felling and control.
Good luck!

 

[jbrubaker]

I could sell you my M7 and a Voigtlander 28mm 1.9 if you want! Thanks ---john.

 

[Richbuckle]

I like this thread a lot - what a great present!

I've got a Holga box I'd be prepared to donate right now. I'm in England, but the outer box folds down to nothing at all, so it'd be cheap to send. PM me if you're interested. Airmail takes 3-5 days and costs very little.

 

[Sisyphus]

What a wonderful brother you are, did you know that I was adopted, and I believe that I jsut found my long lost family; brother ;-)

I think that is a great present. If she is not into the technical side of things, I would almost suggest the M7 over the M6, but both are dooable and the M6 is just as easy operate.

As far as a lens, I would recommend either a 28 or 35mm. I used to have a 28mm, and sold it, and I sort of miss it, but I really love the 35mm lens.

So there you have it an M7 with a 35mm summilux!

:s:

 

[rphenning]

Hahaha the comment Ideadog made made me laugh pretty hard haha I hadn't noticed that . Anyways I am going to see if I can rearrange some stuff and I will get back to those of you who have offered their gear or help to me. I REALLY appreciate it.

The commissioning is 15 May so I would like to have it by then.

 

[rphenning]

Ugh I am bumming. I think I am not going to be able to afford a M6, money is just too tight right now for that.

I for sure want to get her an M mount camera though with a meter. Opinions on the Bessa's?

 

[bucks11]

Just wish I had a sibling like you...

Again, another Holga box on the line if you have the need. Its from the Lomo starter kit, so it might be a bit bigger than the actual Holga box, not sure...

 

[elshaneo]

Go and get her a Leica M6 !!! You are her brother, You love your sister, making her happy will make You happy too ;-)

And I like very much the idea of packaging the camera in a Holga box so that she won't know until the last moment. I would like to know her reaction ;-)

As for the lens, the Voigtlander VM 35mm f/2.5 Color-Skopar as the first lens would be awesome ;-)

 

[rphenning]

I am sure I cannot afford the M6 in any way and I can't ask my parents to help out, they have their own things going on. Kind of bummed on that situation but it is what it is. Honestly I have been thinking about this whole scheme all day and it has made me so happy just imagining giving it to her. At the moment my most viable alternative is that I am looking at the Bessa R2a with a 25 f/4 Skopar and a grip of Tri-x.

Elshaneo-
I plan to have my camera ready when she is opening this present so hopefully I can have some photos so everyone can see her reaction.