Is it weird that....

[rphenning]

I want to sell my M4 and 35 summicron and get an olympus xa and bronica sq-ai? Not finding the quality I want in 35mm color and I kinda feel like going back to MF will solve that....but I don't want to give up 35mm black and white. I am a crook. What to do?

 

[ZeissFan]

Hold on to the Leica. Get the XA. Get the Bronica.

I read a lot of stories -- A LOT -- about people selling their cameras. They usually end with, "I wish that I hadn't sold it."

 

[rangefound]

wow this is my first post here and im talking about gear but o well.

If i had the option i would keep the M4, i have that exact setup of the XA and SQ (i have the SQ-B) and i love the XA but carrying around a big bulky SQ isnt very convenient so thats where the XA comes in. Why dont you just by an XA and a Yashica TLR and get both out your system, im sure if you could look around hard enough you could get an XA for 40 and a Yashica for 80. and then keep your Leica, remember there is no other camera like a leica.

 

[Turtle]

buy the Bronnie etc, sell the M4 and get an olympus or yashica fixed lens RF for your B&W?

 

[amateriat]

I'm with ZeissFan: keep the M4 (seriously...I don't want you coming back here, a year or two from now, whining "What the (expletive deleted) was I thinking!?" (BTW, the expletives get more explicit where the sale of a Leica is concerned...just thought you'd want to know.)

So, here's my idea

1) Go buy that XA. Shouldn't have to sell anything to snag one.

2) Buy a few rolls of Kodak Ektar 100

3) Buy a few rolls of (a) Ilford FP4, (b) Kodak Plus-X, (c) Ilford XP-2 Super.

4) Pretend the cameras you're holding are big, ponderous medium-format numbers. Handle accordingly. Don't rush your way through your shots.

5) Have them developed carefully. Get decent scans from the lab, or scan 'em yourself.

6) Evaluate.

As I see it, the problem people have with 35mm is in the way the format is approached: its principal forté (at least until digital capture came along) has long been speed. Quality can be had, but you had to (and still need to) pay attention to detail, right down to how you handle the thing. Big MF cameras pretty much force you to slow down and pay more attention to minutiae, whether you're in the mood for it or not. 35mm encourages serendipitous, happy-go-lucky behavior on the photographer's part (not that I'd have it any other way, but hopefully you grok my point).

Up to a certain point, format counts, but not always as much as one might think.


- Barrett

 

[rphenning]

To the guy whose first post it is and he is talking about gear, believe me I don't like talking about gear either. It is pointless. It's just that I am in a conundrum. I hate having a lot of cameras, I would rather have just 2 of different formats. If I had an xa I would just use that and not a Leica. I am not really into a camera because of it's brand. I am into what makes stuff the way I saw it. I think I am gonna think about it a bunch before I do anything drastic.

A lot of you have pointed out that I very well could regret it the way I kind of look at it is this: I am 20. I have a good 60 years before I need to worry about ****. That is a lot of time to get another Leica when I want to do stuff now, ya know? Anyways. More thinking.

 

[amateriat]

A lot of you have pointed out that I very well could regret it the way I kind of look at it is this: I am 20. I have a good 60 years before I need to worry about ****. That is a lot of time to get another Leica when I want to do stuff now, ya know? Anyways. More thinking.

Well, then... 😀

You're in the proverbial flower of youth (photographically and, presumably, otherwise), and, yeah, you do have time on your side. (What's that saying about how we regret more the things we didn't do, rather than the things we actually did?) I'm not one to vote for timidity, at least in this case. But, I'd hold onto that M4 anyway, if at all possible. Exploring a lerger format shouldn't cost crazy money at this point in time, unless your tastes lean toward rarified stuff like late-model Hassie and Rollei stuff. Some Mamiya 645 gear is being sold at fire-sale prices. In the end, of course, it's up to you.

Most of all: enjoy the ride.


- Barrett

 

[rphenning]

I actually have a 4x5 view camera and one reason I am keen on MF is because I love the big negatives but don't love the portability of LF. 645 won't cut it I don't think, I am a square format kid. Seriously can't beat 35mm black and white though. Especially faster films.

KEH has XAs for almost 160 bucks. That made me laugh out loud.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Shame you don't go for 645 - an RF645 would complement the SQ-Ai nicely. As for selling the M4... well, I found that I preferred the M2's finder for 35mm work, since it lacks the annoying 135mm framelines, the M3's for everything else, and the M2/M3 removable spool over the M4's set-up for reliable film loading. Kept them, traded away the M4. I also found my Olympus OM-2N to be a great companion to the Leicas - small, fast-handling, and with some lovely lenses.

And as you say, you'll have plenty of time to replace the M4 if you ever find you miss it.

 

[naruto]

xa + TLR (Rolleicord/Autocord/Mamiya Cxxx) for 6x6. That should do it.

BTW, the Mamiya's are selling for very cheap on ebay. You should be able to get a TLR+55+180 lens for 1/3 price of the M4.

Update: keep the M4. 🙂

 

[dazedgonebye]

Nice thread running here about "Long live medium format." You're not alone in liking bigger negatives.
I've never owned a Leica, so I can't comment on how much you'll regret it if you let it go. I will say that having a kit you like in 35mm is something you should probably not give up. I shoot less and less 35mm, but I don't see a time when I won't want to have it as one of my tools.

 

[shadowfox]

To the guy whose first post it is and he is talking about gear, believe me I don't like talking about gear either. It is pointless. It's just that I am in a conundrum. I hate having a lot of cameras, I would rather have just 2 of different formats.

There is *nothing* wrong talking about gear in a photography forum! And no, it's not pointless. You do need to ask questions and get advices in order to go for it.

Don't let the old curmudgeons' or "artists" complaints about gear talk intimidate you. They started just like you do, talking about gears years ago, they just forgot how it feels like to start out.

Rant mode off 🙂

I agree with your assessment about two formats. And someone mentioned XA and a TLR, especially smaller TLR's like the cheap Super Ricohflex (my favorite) will let you have portability and big negatives all at the same time.

I use an XA4 now because it's faster to use for snapshots.

 

[ElectroWNED]

I have an XA, I've been wanting a Leica M... you want to trade?

 

[Al Kaplan]

The 4x5 is a fun format and there are all sorts of things you can do with the swings and tilts that you can't do in P-shop.

 

[ZeissFan]

Search around. You can get a much better deal than that. I was lucky enough (and it was luck) to find one at a church sale last year for $3.

If you have fewer than 10 cameras, then you don't have too many.

For many years, I only had two Nikons, a Rolleiflex Automat, a Rollei 35T and a Spartus folder that my mom gave me.

However, I do regret getting talked out of buying an M4-2 with three lenses (for $400) and a Rolleiflex 2.8F (for $300). I was young and easily swayed.

 

[rphenning]

I have an XA, I've been wanting a Leica M... you want to trade?

haha yeah sure dude that is fair!

Nah, I am loving large format. Beautiful color negs, the exact quality I want. I just want a MF because it is a bigger negative that I can carry with me. I realize it is a big setup but I am not too much into discreet photography as I am just asking if I can take someone's picture then asking that they don't smile if they don't feel it's necessary. If I don't have time to chat I kind of shoot then ask questions later. Not worried about if people see me or not. I'm not doing anything wrong.

Fewer than 10 cameras would still be nuts. I want fewer than 4 that's for sure.

 

[rphenning]

and I want an Xa because it is so small I can literally take it with me everywhere, not like the Leica where I will get worried about it if I take it on a bike ride.

 

[Al Patterson]

xa + TLR (Rolleicord/Autocord/Mamiya Cxxx) for 6x6. That should do it.

BTW, the Mamiya's are selling for very cheap on ebay. You should be able to get a TLR+55+180 lens for 1/3 price of the M4.

Update: keep the M4. 🙂

Some nice ideas here also. I have a Yashicamat 124G TLR, and they can be found fairly cheaply on the auction site.

I'll also vote that you keep the M4 is you can.

 

[rphenning]

gonna have to think about this one.

 

[maddoc]

I would not sell the M4 but try some PanF or Acros100 instead and additionally get an 124G or Ricohflex for MF.

About selling an old Leica ... it is very easy to get another one later but usually you have to go through all the hassle having it serviced, possible light leaks repaired or worn shutter-cloths replaced. If your M4 works well best to keep it and using it. 🙂