Ah, !@#$ it, I have GAS.

Melanie and shadowfax have spoken quite wisely here. And others have spoken from experience about how expensive and complicated things are going to get for you soon. I hope you have fully considered this last point -- I'm not a father, so I can't speak from experience, but everyone I know who's a parent says a couple of things 1) "I was definitely not prepared for this!" and 2) "All my priorities changed -- and it was OK!"

I think you and Adam need to work through the anticipated finances and see whether the M2 money might be better employed elsewhere now. If you still jones for an M2 on the baby's first birthday, then maybe that's a nice gift for yourself at that time. The FE will do great in the meantime -- it's easier to focus than a rangefinder on a baby anyway (heresy!).

I'm as guilty of GAS as anyone on this forum, and it has led to some soulsearching on my part. But I think if this life-changing event were staring me in the face, I'd need to declare a moratorium on camera gear purchases.

Sorry for the lecture.
 
MelanieC has said what I would say, but a lot better. Wait to buy another camera. A camera is only a machine and it will never love you back.

When you are further along, please post where you are registered so we might have a shower for you and your child.

Take care,
Michael
 
KoNickon said:
I think you and Adam need to work through the anticipated finances and see whether the M2 money might be better employed elsewhere now. If you still jones for an M2 on the baby's first birthday, then maybe that's a nice gift for yourself at that time. The FE will do great in the meantime -- it's easier to focus than a rangefinder on a baby anyway (heresy!).

Sorry for the lecture.
Click to expand...

yeah, if you have an FE, that will probably be ideal because it will give you a better idea of your focal plane up close, and you can find fast glass for little cost. And if your child should set off a chain of events that might knock the camera onto the ground, you won't cry over it.
 
Another point is that if you can take great pictures with a rangefinder, you can take OK pictures (or even great ones) with those disposable camera you find in every drugstore and supermarket. Not as sexy as a Leica, but they get the job done in a pinch...
 
Hi Steph,

I was lucky enough to have my M3 before I found out my wife was pregnant with our fisrt child a year ago - I stopped buying cameras during the prgenancy - In a dual income home - a single income made things pretty tight for a while. I couldn't have bought it during that period. In the year since then I have taken several thousand pictures of our son with my DSLR - and several dozen with my M3 and Canon VT DL. Some of the best pics have been with the RF's although its much better to tke pics of a wriggly child with an SLR I have found.

We've just found out that we have a little brother or sister for our son on the way - so time to tighten the belts again!

I guess I am saying that, You'll probably find your SLR more useful for baby pics....Have you thought about putting the money for your M2 in a high interest account until bambino is born - after all you'll need to buy yourself something nice in after nine months hard work!
 
Leica rangefinders are lousy for taking pictures of kids anyway. That's right!
Sure when they are weeks old and are stationary so you can get the meter out, meter, focus compose etc. while the little bundle is all wrapped up there in the crib, great..
But one day the kid will roll over! Then you are sunk! You can't use a flash- puke! So you must go full bore with the lens, which will either be a summicron f2 or a cv near that or faster, in any case it's gonna be either paper thin d-o-f or 1/15 shutter indoors in sane light, either way you're toast if the kid is awake. That's if you even get to keep the little tyke in frame, much less get the RF spot aligned.

If I had it to do again, I'd get a used konica hexar af, or contax g1/45 rig use it for a while with 400 speed film indoors with the baby.

Either of those cameras will sell for at or near what you pay for them, so it's not really spending money, just changing it's form.. (the old foolish guy says..)
Then when the kid can speak, and do what you ask, such as 'look this way and stand still'.. then it's time for the leica..

OR
Buy one of my extra CL once I get the speeds calibrated by Youxin Ye. But the CL is way hard to shoot kids with, unless you're outside stopped down to f8 or less.
 
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Stehanie,
You have received some very good input to your question. Follow the route of logic that MelanieC and others have suggested. If you try really hard, you can overcome the GAS attacks. Raising children isn't inexpensive, just the opposite. I raised three and there are many unplanned for expenses. At this point in your life, cameras are just gear. Any will do the job and there will always be many to chose from years from now. Your Nikon will serve you very well. Best of luck to you and yours.
Regards,
Gerry Miller
 
Stephanie,

Despite my earlier encouragement to essentially "follow your bliss", I would strongly encourage you to be very careful about money. If you have a healthy baby, then great. But, what if (heaven forbid) you have a child with problems or a difficult delivery. The costs can be astronomical (especially here in the USA with our dysfunctional medical "insurance" system). Bad stuff we can't predict does happen even to healthy people. Once all is well with the baby and you, then sit back and decide what you'll do about a camera. There is plenty of time to look at the situation later.

Ron
 
My advice, just wait for things to settle....so how things are in 6 months then in a year.... Then maybe see if you can move on a Leica/other. Or better yet have a cookie jar and start putting in some of your change and dollars, and do not look inside to see what the amount is until a year from now. Sometimes it is better in life to take things slow. Life is not a 24 hour drive through window where we fill all our needs/wants immediatey.

Cheers

Mark
Quito, EC
 
Stephanie,

You don't make photos with a camera, you make them with your heart and your mind. If you have a nice tool it can and should be used, but still you have to use your heart. Your Nikon FE combined with your heart and mind will make photos for you and your family.

As a soon to be parent you have some responsibilties looming ahead. Based on your past posts I would venture to guess that money has been an issue for you.

My recommendation is to have an emergency fund available equal to 6 months expenses. Put your tax refund and sales proceeds from unused toys into that fund. Troubles will arise in the future and they will not come singly. The car will need a new water pump and tires at the same time that your child needs medication for ear infection. It will be easier and faster to go to the bank and withdraw the funds from your emergency fund than to sell your M2.

But what do I know? I live in Iowa also, have raised two kids that were photographed with an Olympus OM1 with a 50mm f1.8, and now that they are gone from the nest I have that elusive Leica M2 which I like about as much as my Canon P's. My favorite photos were taken with the Olympus OM 1 and my heart and mind.

Wayne
 
Stephane, I have raised two boys and still have a 23 year old around I seem to have to look after.😱 Anyhow you said you have two jobs now that you work at and you mentioned a few things like diapers, changing table, formula, so forth that you were concerned about. Have you thought of who is going to keep the baby when you finally do go back to work after the baby comes? Child care is expensive. Maybe you have a family member to help out. I hope so. About the m3, unless the person who asked you to pm them offers you an unbelieveable deal I would pass If I were you just for the fact that if it's gonna stress your budget for a camera body, how are you going to afford the lenses. The lenses are the killer! M mount lenses are as much and most of the time more than what you'll pay for the camera body. You know once you get that m3 you'll wan't the best lenses for it and that cost money. Just something to think about.


Greg
 
I came back to catch up on this thread, and just about everyone has had interesting and thoughtful input (which doesn't necessarily fall simply into "baby!" or "camera!", although I think everyone's on the side of choosing carefully). But just now, I came up with a slightly wild idea: taking all your current cameras, loading them all up, and photographing others' kids with them. This could go a long way toward giving you a feel for what it'll be like catching your own bambina on film with what you already have, giving you a little hint about what does and doesn't matter in terms of a camera that might end up being your main camera out of necessity, Leica or no. This little exercise might help sort out more than just priorities for you.

Whatever you do at this point, don't do it on a whim.
 

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Melanie, William Lewis and RObert said it all well and better than anybody.

Besides, Stephanie... have you thought about the things you have to pay upfront? How about YOUR medical expenses? How about any complications that may arise with you or the baby? Getting sick in the U.S. ain't cheap and if you're uninsured (and I may assume so, since you're working two jobs that must be both part-time), just bank the money. As Melanie and others have said, there will be always cameras.

In any event, good luck and just have a nice glass of water instead! 🙂
 
amateriat said:
I came back to catch up on this thread, and just about everyone has had interesting and thoughtful input (which doesn't necessarily fall simply into "baby!" or "camera!", although I think everyone's on the side of choosing carefully). But just now, I came up with a slightly wild idea: taking all your current cameras, loading them all up, and photographing others' kids with them. This could go a long way toward giving you a feel for what it'll be like catching your own bambina on film with what you already have, giving you a little hint about what does and doesn't matter in terms of a camera that might end up being your main camera out of necessity, Leica or no. This little exercise might help sort out more than just priorities for you.

Whatever you do at this point, don't do it on a whim.
Click to expand...


Excellent Idea!!! Charge say $20 per roll, develop the prints yourself at your work and have the parents pay for the processing. Have other people pay for you to practice, put the proceeds into two funds- one for the baby and one for the camera. Then use both funds for the baby🙂

Wayne
 
Okay, after reading all the responses and taking them to heart, here's what I have to say.

Adam and I agree that we could afford me doing this. He agrees that it could be my last chance to do something like this for quite some time. Working two jobs gives me an edge...the tax return money can be made back in a few weeks of working my second job. I can sell the things I mentioned in a later posting and have half the money for the body. I highly doubt that I'll be buying Leica glass right away due to the prices, but the CV stuff would not be out of my grasp as long as it's only an occasional purchase and we have the money.

For the next 7 months (or while I still can) I'm going to be working my tail off. I deserve to have something to show for my hard work and dedication to getting myself ready to take care of my baby. I think that, later on in my life, I'll regret not getting the camera if I don't get one now.

But anyway, medical expenses are taken care of. I'll have $1500 in the bank by the time I have the baby and Adam will also have some. Trust me, we're preparing for this. I wanted to spend my tax return on something that would not only be for my own future, but my child's as well. I can imagine all the good memories I'll have saved with the camera and, eventually, I'll show my son or daughter how to use it so that they can know why Mommy loves it so.

Do I need the Leica? No. Do I need any of the cameras I have? Probably not. I could just take photos of my kids with those cheap one-time-use point and shoots they sell at Wal-Mart. But I'm not one of those kinds of people. Photographs are things to treasure and shouldn't be made light of. They capture a moment in time that could otherwise just be forgotten. Especially when it comes to my baby's first days on earth, I want to use something I know will give me the results that I want. That something is one of two things: my Nikon FE or a Leica M2.

But seriously...Nikon FE + sleeping baby = awake and crying baby. If for nothing else, the Leica would excel at sleeping baby photos. 😉

So...there's a good chance that, in a few weeks, I'll be looking for a user Leica M2. Depending on what I let go of my other less necessary things, I may be looking for glass other than a J-3 as well. I'm still keeping the Bessa R2M in mind, but if I'm going to do something I may as well do it right. We'll see. There will be no hasty decisions on my part. I'm going to really think this through.
 
Oh, and someone brought up an online baby shower idea. I jokingly said that it should be pipelined straight to Stephen Gandy for an R2M. It actually isn't a bad idea, but I wouldn't know how to go about doing something like that.
 
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