The purchase dilemma.

[ulrikft]

So, here is my situation:

I shoot some sport, but not more than 4-5 times a year, and the last sport assignment I did, I did mostly with a 35 1.4 AI-S manual focus lens on my D700, so AF is not that important, I do a lot of concert work, quite a bit of urban/street and lots of portraits in avilable light.

so.. My two options, as I see it are:

a) Sell my D700 and all of my nikon stuff, I'll end up with enough to get a M9, 20/4.5, 50 1.1 and 90 2.0 pre-asph for starters. I'll lack weather sealing, I'll have no alternative for AF/tele/macro. I'll also lose a stop of low light capability. I'll cain low weight, low bulk, low sound, amazing resolution at low iso and great colors.

b) I keep my d700 and some "core" lenses, get a M8, CV15, CV35 1.2 and maybe a 75/2.5 from CV, and use my M8-kit as a day to day kit, my d700 for concerts and rain/sports.


... thoughts? 🙂

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Sell everything and buy the M9. It sounds like that's what you really want to to. 🙂

 

[Al Kaplan]

Seems like you're just itching for a major change in your life. Perhaps the question is less WHAT you should do but WHY you should do it. What you already have appears to be doing the job.

 

[ulrikft]

Well, after walking around with the M9 on my shoulder, out of sight, not noticing it, but still avilable for candid shots, I have started noticing all the shots like that I lose beacause the d700 is a bit cumbersome to have on my shoulder all day. Other than that, when i travel, the 3-4kgs of the d700-kit is a bit over the top for shoulderbag-all-day-long duty.

But true enough I guess, I do manage with the d700, most of the time, for most of the stuff. If I have had a scanner and the patience to shoot film, the choice would have been easier 🙂

 

[Al Kaplan]

"if I", "if I", but you don't! Work with what you have until the GAS subsides. It's amazing what you can do with a single lens on a single body, and how many decent shots you can get on a single roll of film. You don't have THAT constraint with digital.

 

[ampguy]

I guess it comes down to how important your tele/long needs are. If you go the M8 route, can you still get a D40x with 70-300 lens that would meet that need?

 

[35mmdelux]

sell it all and buy M9, 35mm cron, 90mm cron.

Buy a D300 and a Tamron zoom for sports. problem solved.

 

[Merkin]

it sounds like you have a pretty complete d700 kit. my advice would be to think about it for nine months to a year, to wait to see if any issues creep up with the m9 (keep in mind that there still arent a whole lot of them out there), and figure out if you are just having an attack of gassy romance, or if you are really willing to sacrifice so many areas for potential gains in others. remember, with an m9, you have less low light capability (especially if you convert to black and white), no autofocus option, no zoom option other than the tri-elmar, no option for going longer than 135mm without a visoflex (if i ever saw someone with a visoflex on an m9 i would probably slap them 😉), no option for macro, no option (as far as i know) for adding a battery grip for hours and hours and hours and hours of continuous shooting, and probably a few things i am forgetting. don't forget that if you are really keen on leica lenses, you can buy r mount lenses and leitax kits to convert r mount lenses to f mount.

 

[adavis47]

It's difficult to solve an emotional issue logically. If it were possible we would all be happily married 🙂. Wait a month and see what happens. If in a month you still hunger for an M9, get it and don't look back.

 

[Dante_Stella]

I would advise buying into Leica digital as cheaply as possible. Keep your Nikon stuff. I did when I got an M8.

Nothing on earth shoots as well in low light as the D3/D700 (and both are radically better than the Leica digital products), and you are going to be challenged to find many lenses as good as some of the top-end Nikon glass (the 17-35 comes to mind).

The M8 is not the world's most responsive camera, and you will find that as much as you think you would get the "decisive moment" by using it, you will also have many where the power switch gets knocked to self-timer, where a battery dies unexpectedly, where the meter fails to wake up as quickly as the camera, or where the pop-pop of the TTL flash system induces a blink. The M9, from all accounts, is more of the same with a bigger sensor.

D

So, here is my situation:

I shoot some sport, but not more than 4-5 times a year, and the last sport assignment I did, I did mostly with a 35 1.4 AI-S manual focus lens on my D700, so AF is not that important, I do a lot of concert work, quite a bit of urban/street and lots of portraits in avilable light.

so.. My two options, as I see it are:

a) Sell my D700 and all of my nikon stuff, I'll end up with enough to get a M9, 20/4.5, 50 1.1 and 90 2.0 pre-asph for starters. I'll lack weather sealing, I'll have no alternative for AF/tele/macro. I'll also lose a stop of low light capability. I'll cain low weight, low bulk, low sound, amazing resolution at low iso and great colors.

b) I keep my d700 and some "core" lenses, get a M8, CV15, CV35 1.2 and maybe a 75/2.5 from CV, and use my M8-kit as a day to day kit, my d700 for concerts and rain/sports.


... thoughts? 🙂

 

[dimitris]

I would keep the D700 and spend some money on old/cheap Ais glass.

 

[TWoK]

You were loving film a few days ago. Why not get an M6 or an MP? Don't get a M8 no matter what.

 

[BearCatCow]

Since you like low light concert work I think you should hold on to the D700. It's hard to compete with the crazy ISO that the D700 can reach...


How about you get an R-D1, for a little over $2000, you can keep D700, core lenses, a few more, and get an R-D1, CV35/1.2 and CV15. This way you can have most of the advantages you currently enjoy and play around with dRF for a bit.

 

[Jamie123]

How about you get an R-D1, for a little over $2000, you can keep D700, core lenses, a few more, and get an R-D1, CV35/1.2 and CV15. This way you can have most of the advantages you currently enjoy and play around with dRF for a bit.

Isn't an M8 a little over $2k now? Surely, I wouldn't buy an R-D1 for that price now.


Anyways, I say go for (b) sell less of the Nikon stuff and start with only one lens for the Leica.
Also, you're buying the M8 used so the price will not be dropping dramatically over the next 6 months or so. If you then decide you need the M9 you can still sell the M8 and rest of the Nikon stuff.

 

[BearCatCow]

Isn't an M8 a little over $2k now? Surely, I wouldn't buy an R-D1 for that price now.


Anyways, I say go for (b) sell less of the Nikon stuff and start with only one lens for the Leica.
Also, you're buying the M8 used so the price will not be dropping dramatically over the next 6 months or so. If you then decide you need the M9 you can still sell the M8 and rest of the Nikon stuff.

Hi Jamie, I meant that for $2000 he can get the R-D1 and the lenses he wanted. Not body only that would be madness. 🙂 Your idea is a good one as well!

Hmmm but then all the equivalent focal ranges would be different so I guess the exact lenses to get might change...

 

[250swb]

The best thing to do is to admit to GAS, trawl the forums, do research, plan lens collections,....and then have a couple of weeks off. If after you come back to the subject you still like the idea of an M9 then it was a good idea all along.

If however you are simply yearning for an alternative way to make pictures, consider buying another camera that may get them for you and without selling all your Nikon kit. Something like the forthcoming Panasonic GF1, which in itself would be a good backup for an M9, and a productive camera in its own right.

Steve

 

[Jamie123]

Hi Jamie, I meant that for $2000 he can get the R-D1 and the lenses he wanted. Not body only that would be madness. 🙂 Your idea is a good one as well!

Aah, now I understand. 🙂

Hmmm but then all the equivalent focal ranges would be different so I guess the exact lenses to get might change...

That's why I would advise to only get one lens (I'd go with a 35) at first. Maybe he likes it even on FF and wants to keep it and if not he'll at least only have to sell one lens instead of three.

 

[ulrikft]

You were loving film a few days ago. Why not get an M6 or an MP? Don't get a M8 no matter what.

I still love the look from film 🙂 I just end up with (right now 12) rolls of film not getting scanned :/ so I shoot lots of film I just never print/look at it.. 🙂

Thanks for the tips all of you! I think I'll just hold on to my D700 (i mostly shoot AI-glass btw) and see if the feeling subsides.

When it comes to assingments, I do freelance work for money (like sports, portraits etc), but it is not my main source of income, so I'm basically an amateur that gets some money from his hobby!

 

[Richard Marks]

Have a change!
Different viewfinder different pictures. It gives your photography a refresher!
I changed my M8 for a D700 and am watching the M9. I will come back if and when it suits.
If you dont get on you can always change back.
If you have pro gear in good condition you will not loose all that much
I lusted after a Mamiya 7 for years got one did not get on with it sold and life goes on! Life is too short to worry.

I occasionally stop using my hasselblad and have cashed it for something in the heat of the moment but always have returned. (on my 3rd Blad).
If you buy an M9 give that they are in short supply for a while i doubt you would do too badly if you did not like it.

Richard

 

[Ben Z]

I think if I felt I needed to poll a bunch of strangers, no matter how amiable and helpful they might be, to make a personal decision involving a large sum of money, I would have to admit to myself that I need more time to evaluate my priorities.