Long trip, what should I add to my leica M6 ?

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Slump

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Hello guys,

It is my first post, but I have spent long hours reading all the information in here, and also have seen some really nice pictures as well, so thank you already for that !

Here is the thing: I'm a student, and, happy me, I'm going to Seoul to study for 4 months. I have also planned various small trips to Beijing, Tokyo, and at the end of my exams there, I will also spend a month in Vietnam ( I have friends in those towns, lucky me ). So I will be moving a lot.

Right now, I am using a leica M6 with my only and beloved 35/2 biogon, which I absolutely love.

I would like to add a little something to my gear. I have spared around 1000€, which took me a long time, so I definitely don't want to go wrong, that's why I need your help so badly 😛

Here are the options:

At first, I was thinking about a dslr, cause it takes memory cards and I can should endlessly. But the bad part is battery, weight/size, and zooms 🙂 But it's definitely a good alternative I think.

Then, I figured maybe a 50mm would be cool. With 1K€ I can find a nice leica summicron or summilux pre-asph. Or even a zeiss plannar or sonnar, as I love my biogon, I can only like the 50mm versions. But the thing is when I had a leica R8 with a 50 and a 35, I didn't use the 50 that much. I used the 35 about 90% of the time. But I don't know, maybe I will love the 50 on the M series. I also thought about a 90 mm but I doubt I will use it that much.

And right now, I have a huge GAS on a mamiya 6 with a 75mm. Because I have always wanted a MF camera, and if it's a RF I guess I'll be in heaven. There is also the option of the mamiya 7, but it's a bit more expansive, and I'm more into squares. But I think the mamiyas are quite big, and I don't know about their reliability.


So what do you guys think is the best ?

What combo do you use ?

What would you guys take with you when you travel for a long time at the other side of the world ?

And by the way, if you have any piece of advice for travelling in asia, or if you know some nice places which are not in the guides, it is welcome of course 🙂


Thanks !

Paul
 
Another M-mount body and a 75 Color-Skopar. (1) backup, (2) much more versatility than 35/50 and (3) quick, easy lens change with two cameras around your neck. You could probably get an M4-P and Color-Skopar, used, for $1000; if not an M4-P, why not an R2?

I really WOULD NOT carry two formats for a trip like this: too much hassle, not enough versatility. Take a look at some of the travel stuff on my site: this is part of what I do for a living...

Cheers,

R.
 
Hi Roger,

Thanks a lot for your advice. I looked at your pictures in China on your website, that's exactly the kind of pictures I'd like to do ( I'll have to work harder tho ).

It's true I didn't think about a second M camera. I never tried a 75mm but it would be indeed a cool alternative to 50 and 90.

Thanks !

Paul
 
I had an MP and M7 for my Asia travels, and of the lenses I took, the 35mm and 75mm got the most use by far. Two bodies definitely useful as the shutter speed dial fell off the MP in Thailand as the retaining screw worked itself loose...

If you can stretch it then I'd also recommend the little Voigtlander 15mm.
 
JSU said:
The M6 should be a relatively dependable camera, if yours hasn't had a CLA then perhaps that should be a consideration.

I would look for a 90 Tele-Elmarit, clean ones go for under $500 (USA $), then perhaps something wider. For my taste, 28mm is too close to a 35mm. So maybe the CV 25/4.0 Skopar, with which you could cheat a bit and use the entire finder of the M6 eschewing an acessory finder for the hot shoe. Otherwise go even wider and consider either the CV 21/4.0, which should still fit your budget but you would need to also acquire a 21mm finder or the CV 15/4.5.

For many years I relied on a kit of the 21, 35 & 90. In a few minutes I will be out the door carrying a M6 (0.72x) and a M6 HM (0.85x) with a 35 Summicron V4 and a 90 Tele-Elmarit (thin) respectively with a 21/3.4 Super Angulon in the bag. This kit is extremely light weight and affords a variety of looks.
Click to expand...

I'll second that; the 35 and 90 combination works well, imo. Perhaps a super-wide as well for vast panoramas and a tripod etc...

Regards, David
 
It depends if you 'see' wide or long. Personally I'd look for the VC 21mm and a small external meter, plus organising film throughout your stay - not necessary in Japan of course, but maybe you could post a couple of dozen rolls to some of your other locations in advance. Possibly developing film as you go might be a bit much, but it certainly removes the x-ray problem on the way back !

EDIT: Actually, I forgot that I usually take a little point-and-shoot too, usually with a flash. That takes care of social photography and trips where you don't want to take the M and also means you can easily have a camera with you all the time.

Ooops, I also forgot to suggest finding the right screwdrivers to keep your cameras tight and working. Then again, maybe a small auto-thyristor flash might help you occasionally too . . .
 
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I second the idea of an extra body! Cameras knows when you are dependent on them and throw fits! With the second body get a short tele and/or a wide lens. The Color Skopar 21 or 25 would work (though the 25 is a bit close to the 35). Pick up a 90/3.5 Apo Lanthar (light weight and very good) and the Color Skopar 21mm f4 and a used Bessa R2 (with some "surfing" you should be able to get all of this within the budget.
The places where you are going would also have stores selling used items and you probably can pick up something "on site" too.
 
35mm is a great normal lens. I'd go with a wide...21 or 24. You can usually get closer, but it's hard to squeeze more into a landscape. With that kind of money, I'd get a good Zeiss wide and a nice external finder for framing.
 
I'll be different and say get a Canon S90 and save the rest of your money. Its lens goes wider and longer than the 35 (28-105 equivalent, I believe), it's tiny and light and you can shoot movies with it if you want. It's good for days when you're out and about and photography isn't the main point and you don't want to carry a lot of stuff.
 
Maybe you just don't need another lens since you used the 35mm 90% of time 😉

-50mm is not too close. It gives another look to pictures and a bit more distance to your subject. If you take mainly street scenes, it will be perfect with your 35mm.

-75mm is a versatile option if you do a bit of everything (landscape, street, portraits). Yet framelines are not so great to use.

-90mm is more a landscape or portrait lens. Difficult to use in street scenes.

Personnally, I'd take 35mm + 60mm on such a trip. One day soon I hope 😉
 
Thanks for the advices to you all !

I already have a small canon digital to take "social" pictures.

The 75mm + 2nd body seems like the best solution for now. But I'll wait for some more input. Anyway I'm going there at the end of augustus, so I still have some time to think about it.
 
You don't need anything else for the trip than what you already have in my opinion. Traveling light is very rewarding. I would spend the extra $ while on your trip going to nice restaurants, etc. If you absolutely MUST spend your money on more gear, I would buy a fast(er) lens-- either a 28mm f/2 or a 50mm f/1.4 (whichever you prefer shooting with more). Another idea is to buy a film scanner so that when you return, you can scan up all your photos.
Personally, I would just save it for the trip.

-S.
 
21/35/75 are my preferred lengths for such a trip and two cameras (one in the bag).

In the old days I carried just the 35mm (cron, type III) and it seemed to suit my shooting well. Then I went to 28/50mms. Nice combo; no lens changes, but it left my fast 35 behind.

EDIT: I'm not beyond 1 camera, one lens (M7/35mm) keeping it totally simple.
 
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When I shot film, on M2 and then M6, my combo was generally - 15/35/50.
I didn't see wide, so I experimented with 85/90/105/135 a few times and never kept any for long. You may be different.
I actually shoot the same combo on an M8.. Which makes all the lenses a little tighter, more akin to a 20/50/65 set.

You may want to try getting a fast 50mm & a 15mm combo.
As others are saying, maybe 35 & 50 are too similar, and you could get a 75mm instead of 50mm.
One reason you may want to go 50mm is you can get a very fast lens, and its slightly longer. You will get a slightly tighter shot without having to crop, and you can take advantage of narrow DOF.

Again 50 vs 75 is going to be a personal choice depending on what you shoot.
Arguably many of the great photos you have seen from street photographers, especially the classics from HCB-era were all shot in the 35-50 range anyway.

for 1000EUR you could get 2 used lenses easily and have a full 3-lens kit:
a 15-21mm voigtlander for 240-320EUR
a 50/1.5 nokton or 50/1.1 nokton or 50/1.5 sonnar for probably 600-900EUR
 
Slump said:
Hi Roger,

Thanks a lot for your advice. I looked at your pictures in China on your website, that's exactly the kind of pictures I'd like to do ( I'll have to work harder tho ).

It's true I didn't think about a second M camera. I never tried a 75mm but it would be indeed a cool alternative to 50 and 90.

Thanks !

Paul
Click to expand...

FYI: The 75mm VC gets pretty good reviews.
 
Get a second M body. An M2 is a dependable camera, and even if it has an awkward loading system if you come from an M6, you can still get a rapid loading kit for about us$ 100. Get also a CV 75/2.5, a CV 21/4, lots of film and you're done. Fit the ZM 35/2 to the M2, so you get a clean VF, and the 75 to the M6, so you get an easier exposure reading for the tele.
 
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