Buying a Leica: How long did you dream about it?

[Stephanie Brim]

I'm still dreaming about it. If I don't get another job, I'll always be dreaming about it. I'm going to school this fall (hopefully) or this winter and I'm going to need a.....digital....ugh. I can't justify the price of the R-D1 so I'm going to have to go with some kind of a digital SLR. While I'm adding it on to the loan I'm taking out for school, I probably won't be able to justify TWO cameras before I start the actual photography program the next fall...at least if I don't have a job to pay for said second camera.

 

[x-ray]

I was introduced to leicas in college by a fellow who was chief photographer of the college paper. When I met him he had an M2, M3 and M4 hanging around his neck. I asked him about them and he gave me the sales pitch. I found out he was moving to Alaska and had an opening on the paper. I told him I did some shooting for rock bands and he told me to come see him with some work. I followed up and became a staff photographer. Within a couple of months I had my first M2 and a few lenses. By the time I cot out of school I had 2 M2's, M3, 21 3.4, 35 1.4, 50 DR, 65, 90 2.8, 135, 200 and Viso II. I've changed bodies and lenses a few times over thirty eight years but still shoot a great deal with my M's.

For the kind of subjects I shoot the M is the best. B&W film is still my choice over digital for my subjects. I probably will continue shooting M's untill film is no longer available or I can't lift the camera to my eye.

Almost all of my commercial work is digital but my personal and a few commercial projects are film. I went through the digital mania a few years ago but came to my senses and have started using more film and purchasing film equipment again. I'm now shooting more film than I have in five or six years.


http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=5045

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I've always been around Leicas, and one day just went and bought one on impulse on my way to lunch. Best impulse buy I ever made.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I dreamt about it for over a year. I saw the Family of Man 2 project, and was inspired to take the plunge. My first Leica was the R4 and a 50 Summicron-R (used, of course). I think that's one of the cheapest ways to get into Leica. That, marrying money or winning the lottery 😉

 

[krimple]

Upgraded from CL to M6 TTL recently...

Upgraded from CL to M6 TTL recently...

I've always been ambivalent (sp?) about buying a camera for its' mystique. A camera is just a tool to me, in some ways, but I mostly value tools that are easy to use and get out of my way... I got hooked on rangefinders a few years ago...

I have a Leica CL that I've shot a bit with since last summer. I went through a fair number of film cameras (EOS 650 -> EOS 7e -> Fuji 645 RF -> Mamiya 6 -> CL)--all the medium format cameras were great, but bulky. I ended up with the CL, but although it takes great pictures (light tight box and all) the viewfinder is just too small for my eyes, and it didn't focus on the close end of two of my lenses.

I have shot with an R-D1 since they came out and won't trade it for anything. I was using the CL as a backup, and then decided that I really wanted a full M camera with wide angle framelines to take advantage of the 15mm and 28mm Voigtlanders, so I took some of my tax return $$$ and bought the M6 TTL.

I have had it for three weeks, and I must say I'm really enjoying it. Turns out the R-D1 has a brighter viewfinder and RF patch, but there is much more snap to confirming the focus on the M6. So, the M6 and the R-D1 are a great pairing, as I can use the same lenses on both cameras and get great results from both. I'm on an XP2 Super kick on the M6.

 

[Honu-Hugger]

"Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go it's one of the best. " -- Woody Allen...(snip)

She poured me another whisky,
Said, "Here's to the best you ever had."
We laughed and made a toast.
It wasn't the best I ever had,
Not even close.

Bruce Springsteen, "Reno"
(other lines from the song such as "$200 straight in, $250 up the ... she smiled and said." also describe the Leica experience, but they wouldn't pass the moderators 😀)​

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[former member]

The only camera that I "dreamed" about getting was a Nikon SP. I waited too long, should have bought one years ago when I first wanted it. I love it.

Buy the MP now. Thank me later.

 

[boarini2003]

Wow, interesting to hear the stories! Maybe I will go to Vegas too then! It's also interesting how a simple material object like a Leica, a Ferrari, or anything else can enthrall an individual, and indication of brilliant industrial design. Of course, I don't even tell people that I would pay that ammount of money for a Leica, they would think I'm a lunatic. But we're all lunatics when it comes to something in our lives. So as soon as I can afford it, I will discreetly go to Leica a la Carte and have it built. The good thing is I have a lot of time do decide on the final configuration! Hahahaha...

 

[boarini2003]

And thanks Leica_Magus for that answer. Very inspiring indeed, and an interesting analysis of how the tool you use changes your behaviour and your picture taking decisions. Even though the tool doesn't define the photographer, it inevitably has an influence, often stronger than we know. All of my heroic photographers: Winogrand, HCB, R. Frank Sebastiao Salgado, etc. used (or use) Leicas. Coincidence? Perhaps. Do I want a Leica in part to feel like them? Of course!

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[principe azul]

Had always thought the Leica a nice camera for its size and looks, but I wasn't seriously hankering after one until I realised I was using my Nikon F4s and 35/1.4 like a rangefinder - take a careful spot meter reading and leave the camera set in manual like that until the light changes, often presetting focus and shooting from the hip or not checking the finder. And no AF, either.

So I had to get a smaller camera. It came to a toss-up between the M4 and the R2. Emotionally I preferred the M4, with the script and everything, and intellectually, I was thinking about the longer RF baselength. Still, I thought the R2 was fantastic, and I would have bought it, but in the UK a used R2 was about the same price as a used F3. When I saw an M4 for just under twice the price of the R2, I got it. My only regret is it's not black... But one day, when I've worn the finish off, I'll get it repainted.

And yes, the SP is very beautiful.

 

[richard_l]

.....So, how long did you guys have to wait like this? Years? Months? Still waiting?

I waited around 50 years before buying a Leica. I reasoned that it would not be a frugal purchase. However, man does not live by frugality alone, and the pleasure of using certain fine products may enrich life in a way which transcends mere monetary value. I.e., I was stupid to wait 50 years before investing in Leica equipment.

 

[principe azul]

Short answer: six months. And once I'd handled one in a shop, I took to the focusing instantly. Much better, IMO, for a 35mm. And a higher mag in the finder than when using a 35mm on an SLR.

One final point - something I really love about RFs is the vented hoods. I think they look really cool, and I've got one for the Ultron (and the J3).

 

[jim0266]

While in high school I first read about Leicas. At that time the M4-2 was the current camera. I thought it was so expensive I would never be able to own one. In college a friend had an M4-P which he let me borrow. That got me hooked.

A year later I was taking a documentary photo class. I purchased an M2 and a new Summicron 35. I think I paid around $700 for that lens. A good chunk of money for a college student in 1986. I cannot remember what I paid for the M2.

Having shot with SLRs up to that time, seeing through a RF camera was a changed my images. As mentioned above once I was liberated from the SLR tunnel I began to shoot more freely. I always thought you see spatial relationships more with a RF since everything is in sharp focus.

Not sure why, but I eventually sold that M2. I may have bought an M4, the memory is not so good here. Eventually bought a pair of M6's. Got out of photography for a few years and came back to it recently. Tried to shoot with a digital P/S but eventually the call returned and I got the M6 back out. When I learned of the .58 M I had to get one of these. Seemed like the ultimate M for a eyeglass-wearing shooter. Then things go worse.... Let's say I've picked up a few other M bodies since then.

I do have an Olympus E-1 for digital needs but I keep coming back to shooting with a RF. DSLRs are too removed from the experience for me.

 

[Ken Ford]

I had a Leica rig for several years back in the '80s, and had always regretted selling it.

A few years back, I decided to get back into Leica in a more affordable way. I bought a Bessa-T and triggerwinder, and found two inexpensive Leica lenses - a 40 Summicron-C and a 90 Elmar-C. I was happy... for a while. I liked the T, but started missing an integrated VF/RF.

So, this past fall I started looking at Leica M bodies again. I was thinking an M2, but ended up instead with a M6 Classic and a Rapidwinder last month. Then I fell into an incredible deal on a new 35 Summicron ASPH, and it's all been downhill from there.

Now I'm questioning my lenses. Before, I had the classic 35-50-90 set, and I've been working with 40-90 for a few years. I've come to the realization I really don't care for 90mm on a .72 RF, so I want to try a 75mm. I also would like to try a 28mm to see if it works for me - I'm traditionally a 24mm kinda guy (I have a C-V 25mm for the moment). I'll probably get a C-V 28 and 75 to try out the concept.

Looking ahead, I see myself getting a second M6 and ending up with three lenses - a 28 Summicron ASPH, my existing 35 Summicron ASPH, and a 75 Summicron ASPH. I guess the dreaming never stops, eh?

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[erikhaugsby]

2 years

2 years

and then I found an M2 at my camera shop.



the thing is wonderful.

 

[Ken Ford]

PS. I, too, think I'll go for the classic M6 again for my second body, though an à la carte MP does exercise a strong pull..

I'd love an MP, too - but oy! the price of admission! I could buy one of the ASPHs new and a very nice M6 and Rapidwinder for the same cost and still have a lot of money left over for film.

50mm is a lens that I just can't visualize with - I had a Noct the first time around and used it a lot, but always found myself wishing it were either wider or longer. As a matter of fact, I never bothered with 50mm in my Nikon system until I went DSLR - it's nice having a 75 f/1.8 equivalent for under $100! (This is actually how I got started thinking about 75mm on the M6 - I've really taken to the 50 on my DSLRs!)

 

[photogdave]

The only camera I ever dreamed of owning was a Nikon F4. When I was starting out as a news photog that was the ultimate machine - if I went to bed thinking about one I'd wake up with wet sheets!
I never did get one but ended up with a used F801 and eventually moved up to the F100, which is a pretty amazing modern electronic SLR despite a couple of structural weaknesses.
I used to razz my collegues who shot with Leica. I couldn't believe how much money they spent on these tiny little things that didn't even let you look through the lens, and at the time I wasn't experienced enough to see the differences in image quality.
But considering all the great images I had seen made with RF cameras, I couldn't write them off completely so a couple of years ago I rented a Bessa and some lenses a few times. The shots turned out horrible - I hated focusing that thing, I hated using external viewers for wide lenses, I hated using tiny framelines - I prnounced RF cameras to be useless.
Then one day my pretty little M4 fell into my lap. One of the last cameras to come out of the Wetlzar factory with its nifty engravings, in near perfect shape but with just enough use on it that I don't feel nervous taking it out to shoot.
The deal was too good to pass up. I stressed out about not having a built-in meter and started thinking that if I really wanted a Leica I should wait until and M6 comes along. Logically, I reasoned, I could hang onto it for a while and if I didn't like it I could resell it at a profit.
Since I got my M4 my Nikon has only seen one roll of film pass by its shutter. I'm selling off my fast long lenses and zooms. (Keeping the 50 1.4 and 20 2.8) The M4 came with a 50 Summicron and until I have the money for the 35 I'm shooting with a CV 35 Ultron which is a very fine lens. I also really enjoy the CV 21!
I guess if I still dream about any camera, it's the Hasselblad XPan with the 30mm! 😎