Choosing gear by results.

[Ko.Fe.]

My family and I have tried some different cameras for sometime now.
Our first daughter was great for video (clip making) with Canon 500D and she takes still pictures with Canon 5D MKII, zoom lens and flash as her job now.
I like photos taken by my wife with film Canon EOS 300 and advanced Fuji digital P&S.
Their photos of our family.

My highest score for same type of pictures was with Canon 500D and kit lens, also with Canon 5D and 50mm prime or standard zoom.
I also like how Bessa R and Jupiter-8 did family pictures for me on bw film. I was trusting camera light meter and it was not quick AF snapshots, but on the portrait side.
For street photography I have M4-2 with Summarit-M 35 in leading position, with M-E to make it easier on the image delivery process and for documentary. With same lens or with 40mm and 28mm lens.

I sold Canon 500D kit lens years ago because it was not so great on colors. And I sold Canon 5D because it became too heavy even for home. Canon has better kit lens for 500D by now and I think I should try it for family AF quick snapshots.

Film part is more difficult to decide. Don't know why, but family pictures with meter in hand are not so easy to get comparing to family pictures with meter in camera.
I also tried all kinds of MF, LF cameras and 135 film format SLRs, well... not my cap of tea at all for all. For some reasons I can't get something which leads to satisfying darkroom print with this gear.

It looks like I'm still RF film guy 🙂.

I don't like 35mm lens for family pictures, 50mm is slightly tight. But now I have great 40mm Rokkor CLE version and it is very good lens, yet, not on M3. I still like more less accurate frames for framing. 🙂 40mm works good on M-E with its not so 35mm frames.

So, I wonder which Leica M camera(s) with meter have 35mm frames, which are close to 40mm? Would it be M6 and M7?

Here is also R3 Bessa cameras. But where to send them for service, if needed?... 😕

 

[taemo]

You have an M4-2 already, frameline should be very similar to the M6/M7 (0.72x)
Perhaps consider a M6 0.58x version which will be lesser than the M-E 0.68x

I thought most people wearing glasses loved the M3 for 40mm.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

At least my M4-2 still have real 35mm frames. 🙂 I think, it became 40 on M4-P with addling of 28mm frames.

M3 has most accurate 50mm frames for 50mm lens, I ever tried so far. With 40mm on M3 I'm getting too much of the after frames gap. It works for some with 8x10 prints, but I often like to print how I framed it in the camera (no crop).

 

[pagpow]

M3 has most accurate 50mm frames for 50mm lens, I ever tried so far. With 40mm on M3 I'm getting too much of the after frames gap. It works for some with 8x10 prints, but I often like to print how I framed it in the camera (no crop).

Are you using the 50mm frame lines with the 40 or the whole viewfinder?

 

[ptpdprinter]

Don't we all choose our gear by results? If we like the results, we keep the camera. If we don't, we move on. The bright ones also know when the camera is what is responsible for not liking the results, and not themselves. The not so bright ones don't face the truth, and head off on wild goose chases, instead of working on their craft.

 

[f16sunshine]

Kostya

Do you think maybe it was the moment in time more so than the gear?
I have had similar experiences where the gear seems to have contributed to the outcome.
On further reflection, it was the subject and it's significance that really was the greater factor 😉

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Andy, I took too wide approach at beginning , but narrowed it to the current time. 🙂

Bessa R and Jupiter-8 was photographing for me same family, in the same house and within same town, trails, parks. I used FED-2, Olymups XA, Leica IIf, M4-2, M4-P, M3 as well. But RF camera like Bessa R with meter seems to give best results for family pictures on bw film.

 

[robbeiflex]

...But RF camera like Bessa R with meter seems to give best results for family pictures on bw film.

Echo that, in my case M6 with 0.72 finder. My M4-P has done well but only with Voigt VC II meter and stationary kids (which are rare !).

 

[back alley]

bessa service is provided by stephen and his techs...

 

[Ko.Fe.]

bessa service is provided by stephen and his techs...

Thanks! I just went through "repairs" page.

 

[pro_velo_mori]

Are you using the 50mm frame lines with the 40 or the whole viewfinder?

This. I tape out my M3's frame line window and use the whole viewfinder with good results. Yes, parallax correction is lost, but for street use it suits me perfectly. Love that lens.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Are you using the 50mm frame lines with the 40 or the whole viewfinder?

Sorry, I missed it. I don't like to use whole viewfinder. This is the reason why I switched from FED-2 to much more expensive RF cameras with frames and mechanisms to correct parallax.
I also prefer to print how it was framed, no crop.