What Leica should I buy?

depends on your needs. Will you be uing a wide angle lens such as a 28mm or not. I got a good deal on my M7 and I just love it. AE is especially useful. Maybe you would prefer a mechanical camera such as an M3 or M4?

Steve
 
Very open-ended question.

What do you want to photograph? Film or Digital? Do you need a built-in meter?
Do you need AE?

And for what money? Do you mean the best low cost entry level rig? Or is money no object and you just want the latest $$$$$$ model?
 
I like to shoot street, my kids and like fast lens like my X100.. but want a Leica to experiment with.. LOL.. I have the 5d2 and such, but they are so big and bulky in todays world..to big and heavy.. I just sold a couple of my DSLR's because they are a hassle to use.. I want the BEST camera with fast lens with 24mm to maybe 50mm for optimum IQ quality..and want to try a Leica.. toss out some ideas.. as far as money goes.. I am not sure..
Doug
 
Oh boy... Well, do you want to shoot film or digital?

FYI, there is no best Leica. What's good for one person may not be good for somebody else.
 
Do you want film or digital?

For digital, plunk down on an M9 and be done with it.

For film, I would get either an M2 or an M4.

Lenses...35 and 50 Summicrons, any version. I've never used it but the 24mm f3.8 Elmar looks pretty sweet.
 
Best possible IQ - Leica m9 with 35mm f1.4 ASPH.

Best film body - MP or M7 if money is no object, m6 if prefer to spend less.

All the lenses are good, the more modern the higher the technical IQ in general.

If you're shooting film buy a nikon coolscan 5000 or 9000 or similar, otherwise with a cheap scanner you're wasting those lovely lenses.
 
Why a Leica?

Maybe if you want a brand but not a specific camera because of what it can do as a tool, it can mean you don't really need any of them, or at least yet you don't know what you want...

Or you can do what I did: I thought for carrying and as tools I preferred Bessas to Leicas, and for IQ I preferred Hasselblads to Leicas, so as yet I wanted to try a Leica of my own, I decided to do it historically: I bought a Barnack instead of buying an M... It was fun, but I like my Bessas and Hasselblad better than the Leica, and every time I have an M in my hands, I miss my Bessas... I guess it has to do with what you enjoy first...

Cheers,

Juan
 
The "best and fastet" 24mm lens out there is the 24mm Summilux-M ASPH. Get yourself one of these, add a 50mm Summilux-M ASPH, a M9 or M7 and you are perfectly equipped for street and your kids. 🙂
 
I'd say dig through the hundreds (thousands) of threads here. Your question is so open ended it means you didn't put a whole lot of thought into it. That wasn't meant to be offensive, but it just means be honest with yourself. You want a leica cause you've heard a lot about them. Asking the community to tell you what's best is telling. I'd highly recommend spending at least a week or so digging through threads, looking at photos and taking it slow. There is no one right answer and thus, you might go through a few cameras and a few lenses before you find what fits you and your shooting style. If you want the best, and can afford it, then MP or M9 + any of the top leica lenses will be quote and quote "the best". But a lot of people will tell you to save some $$ and get an m6, m2 or m4.

That being said, an m6 + (focal length you want) would be a good starting place.
 
As others have said - VERY open ended question, but why not go for something cheap and small with a built in meter first up (any camera you choose will need an external VF for a 24mm) and spend the majority of the money on lenses - you can upgrade bodies later if you feel the need. In this scenario, I would choose a Leica/Minolta CL.
 
 
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