Choices... and I need help!

-vin-

-vin-

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I recently bought an m6, and I'm very happy with it (you know, you can expose correctly, and so on...).

But now I have to make a choice: due to the fact that in the near future I'll have to buy a more professional digital camera, probably a nikon d700, to cover some social events for work, and considering that I'm not Rockfeller... I need to thin my rangefinder gear. Sad.

Here's what I have:

-a worn out m2: I own it since 2007, it was my first RF
-a canon 35/2 screw mount
-a summicron 35/2 3rd version: not A+ conditions, but it works well and has its original hood
-a hexanon 50/2, M mount
-the m6. I was talking about it in a previous thread: it has some small bubbles, on the top plate, but the finder is clean and clear, and it has been recently (2006) CLA'd

Now I should collect at least 900€ (but possibly more), and I have to decide what to sell. My heart says "keep the m2!", but it's not funny to sell a camera I always dreamt of (the m6). Brain says to sell the m6 too: I'd probably have to sell the m2 for not much money, and the goal of 900€ would be too far...

So please, help me! Tell me what you'd do (oh, and don't suggest to keep everything!).
 
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You've stated too many competing feelings for me to weigh in on what is the right move here. But one thing that jumps out at me is that you have two 35mm lenses. In your shoes I would probably sell the Canon 35/2. Then it's only a question of which M camera to sell. But I'm the last one who should be giving advice here since I can't seem to thin out my collection one whit.

=Randy
 
If 900Euro is what you need now, just sell off the M6 (plus Canon 35). You can easily get back an M6 later when your d700 (hopefully) helps you to generate income.
 
Perhaps you'd be better off lowering your fuding target:

Why a D700? There are cheaper options, depending on what features of the D700 you need. (Of course, if you really do actually need the feature-set that makes the D700 unique I guess you're out of luck.)

If full-frame is needed then a 2nd-hand Canon 5D might do the job.

If it isn't then a Nikon D300 or D90 would be cheaper.

And so on...

There are lots of good cameras out there, and not all of them cost huge sums.

...Mike
 
mfunnell said:
Perhaps you'd be better off lowering your fuding target:

Why a D700? There are cheaper options, depending on what features of the D700 you need. (Of course, if you really do actually need the feature-set that makes the D700 unique I guess you're out of luck.)

If full-frame is needed then a 2nd-hand Canon 5D might do the job.

If it isn't then a Nikon D300 or D90 would be cheaper.

And so on...

There are lots of good cameras out there, and not all of them cost huge sums.

...Mike
Click to expand...

Hi, Mike, and thank you for your opinion.

I'm considering the d700 for a number of reasons:
-I have some nikon lenses (35/2, 50/1.4, 85/1.8... and a couple of dx zooms, which I couldn't use with the d700)
-I need good high iso performances: it's not me, clients want that kind of sharpness and perfection
-I need a very good af: that's why I didn't consider the 5D, for example

let's see... If I can't find the money, I'll probably buy a d300, which is a bit worse in terms of high iso quality, but would allow me to use all my old lenses.
 
I agree with Mike. The DX crop sensor can hide some of the deficiencies in the zoom lenses that Nikon sells. I had a D200 and a D2x and the lenses worked well, but when switcing to the D3's, there shortcoming were apparent, particularly with the highly regarded 2.8/70-200. I don't govern my shooting style, and therefore equipment in some cases, on what certain people want, I find people that want what I offer. I didn't always do this, but now that I do, I find that I enjoy my work more.
 
You know.. the way i try and look at these things is by estimating the personal value of a piece of equipment and weigh that up against the monetary value of that piece. As you now have an M6 are you really going to give your M2 much exercise? you may feel emotionally attached to the M2 but then look at it like this:

when you get further down the line in your life and you buy your second car, a car that's everything you want in a car do you keep your old beater of a first car hanging around rusting on outside your house or do you pass it on to someone else who is in the same shoes you were when you bought the old beater? you may not get much money for it but hey that's not the point.

then again if you feel that attached to the M2 and feel that it's already everything you ever wanted in a camera then keep it around and release the assets that are sitting in the sparkley new toy that you had a GAS blow out on.

as for the lenses well that entirely depends on what you feel is expendable. are there things that you can do with one of your 35mm that you can't do with the other? if you sold off the Canon for example would you really be out one day with the 35 cron in your hand thinking 'the canon would have been ideal for this and this cron isn't going to do this scene justice'?

the answer to that question is the answer to what lens you should sell if you decide to sell any at all.

Enjoy! and don't sell anything without giving it a fair well outing 😉
 
I recently felt that it was time I got a Leica M system but knew that it would be silly to bring another expensive camera into our house (plus my other half would kill me). At the time I had a Nikon D200 and a Nikon D40 that were both sitting in a camera bag alone while I played with my various rangefinders - mostly cheap FSUs and my Bessa R2A.

The way I looked at it was that the D200 was not being used and because it was digital it’s price was dropping by the second. I knew that I wouldn’t get as much money for it the longer I waited so I came to sell it. I knew that should I want to shoot digital I still had the D40 even if it wasn’t quite as ‘fancy’ as the D200 was. And anyway – if ever I missed the D200 and wanted one again I could buy one in the future for much less than I sold mine for because by then Nikon will surely have brought out many many more generations driving the prices down as they do.

So I sold the D200, and also my speed light flash as I do very very little flash photography and bought it solely to shoot weddings – something that I don’t want to do again.

The difficult decision was selling the Bessa R2A because it had built-in metering but again I came to the conclusion that I would want to shoot mostly with the M anyway and if I thought that I needed a meter that desperately I could pick one up for less than the cost of the Bessa and it would be much lighter to carry around with me than a second camera body.

So after a lot of selling and saving I ended up with a great condition M2 and collapsible Summicron 50/2 and an Ultron 35/1.7 – a set up that will hold it’s value better than a dSLR as long as I treat it right, will do everything I want a camera to do and promises to last my entire lifetime (with an occasional service) with no worries of ‘shutter life spans’ or dead pixels. And here she is:

3487245488_e79e211c30.jpg
 
The D700 is wonderful. It's heavy and a little loud, but it sees in the dark. Whatever you point it at it captures.

Plus, you can mount most of the AI compatible manual lenses known to mankind.

DUMP the M2 and the 35mm Summicron. The Canon is just as good or better. The Konica is very good.
 
Just until recently I was in the situation having four M Leicas (M2, M4-P, M5, and M6) and was more thinking about what camera to use than how to make better photos .... Then there was the M camera I always wanted, the M7. Since the M4-P is my favorite M Leica for different reasons, I sold the other three and bought a used M7 and a used 35mm film-scanner.

If the M6 is the camera you always have dreamed about, keep it and either the Hexanon or the Summicron (depending on your preferred focal length) and sell the rest.
 
keep the M6 (CLA'd, appears to mean more to you), keep the hex, sell the M2, sell either the cron or the canon (you don't need both). buy a D200 or even D70s for your digi stuff. probly then have money left over. when your paid work nets you the funds, then upgrade the dslr.

regarding the choice b/w M-bodies, if you haven't really bonded to the M2 by now, you probly won't in the future. so that seems the one to go.
 
I went through a similar process cutting way back but rather than a focus on funding a different system, it was to fund food and housing (I was out of work). I had tons of stuff that was easy, my Bessas (Ls, Ts, and an R). Then came the question as to do I keep either of the Leica Ms that I purchased new (an M4-P and M6) or a new Nikon S3-2000. While I loved the Leica's, my first interchangeable lens RF body, I really loved the way the S3 feels in my hands. I knew if I ever wanted to get back into M bodies and lenses I could find a good one out there. It took me a long time to save up for and find the S3 and with one exception I could find all of the lenses I ever wanted for her. I ended up selling the M4-P first and then the M6. I have my S3 and could not be happier. I do miss the 15/4.5 CV, but I have everything else. No more duplicates, one system one camera and I'm doing OK.

You need to pick either camera that feels like you. The built in meter is handy, but there is something about the old Ms, perhaps a part of history and all.

I made a decision and the simplification worked. Yes, built in meter is fun and handy but my S3 handles just like my film SLR. I used to like the idea of a walk around system and a system that was somewhat babied. Now, one system does both and I feel great about it.

FYI, the D300 is about to be discontinued. The D700 I think is out there for a while. Great camera from all I've seen. Take a look here for some interesting info on sensors and sensitivity:

http://www.dxomark.com/

Good luck.

B2 (;->
 
If you are ok with the limitation on close focus (1m vs 0.7m) selling the cron may release enough cash while impeding the least your shooting possibilities...
 
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