Got my dream camera but hasnt impressed me yet

[FrankS]

The Leica is what it is. You however, may not be ready for it. I owned a Leica M in my late thirties but never got on with it, so I traded it away. I just wasn't ready for it. Now, in my fifties, I'm impressed by my M2. The Leica didn't change, I did.

 

[BLKRCAT]

Dave,

thanks for the reply. You are 100% correct. It really isnt up to the camera to impress. In the past though usually I've had excellent luck with the first couple rolls of a new camera. Could have been dumb luck though. I'm definitely not discouraged. I'm bringing the camera everywhere now to get more opportunities to shoot and try new things.

 

[anjoca76]

its almost inevitable where Leica is discussed for Starbucks to be mentioned as well... One of those funny/sad things about the whole Leica fluffdoom.

Huh? I spend a lot of time on RFF, where Leica stuff is often discussed, and I must say that Starbucks rarely comes up. Not sure I follow your logic.

 

[dave lackey]

Dave,

thanks for the reply. You are 100% correct. It really isnt up to the camera to impress. In the past though usually I've had excellent luck with the first couple rolls of a new camera. Could have been dumb luck though. I'm definitely not discouraged. I'm bringing the camera everywhere now to get more opportunities to shoot and try new things.

Cool...a good meter will make life less stressful.:angel: TriX has been my choice of film for the M as well as Delta Pro 100.

Come to think of it, I won't be shooting my M for a few months since I have dedicated myself to the Leica R4 (and lens-on-loan) for my documentaries...I will miss it but I can still look at it and clean it at night.😛 Already looking forward to "M day" when I go back to the M only.

 

[jsrockit]

Sometimes reality just can't live up to dreams...

 

[ferider]

all of these look pretty decent, but i cant get over how in the last shot the two people in the middle have WAY less contrast than the woman on the far right for example. A lot of shots exhibit this effect. Most of which were corrected but end up losing detail.

Not just lack of contrast, there is flare. This is exactly what the coating damage on the front element will give you. Clean early Summicrons will not do this, they are in fact quite contrasty and flare resistant, in particular when stopped down (as in your case).

I don't think you can fix this yourself. I recommend to send it to John at focalpoint for cleaning and front element re-coating. It will make a noticable difference, and push the value of your lens up into the US 1k range or so. These early rigid Summicrons are nowadays quite valuable, because - in contrast to the DR Summicron with the same optics - they will work on digital Leicas, too.

Enjoy your rig !

Roland.

PS: funny how many react to the thread title only and don't read your full posts 🙂

 

[BLKRCAT]

I'll look into the recoating. I know the lens was out for a CLA with the camera and the repairman i suppose couldnt or didnt want to touch the lens. No big deal. Thanks for your input! I knew that these lenses should be a little contrastier than they are. 🙂

 

[raid]

I agree with others who have recommended to you to send out the lens to get professional treatment. I own a very clean rigid Summicron that does not display such flare. At one time, it required a cleaning, as it is an old lens.

Congratulations on the rig. I have never used an M2, and I may never get one, but many people here seem to like it.

 

[sdotkling]

I'll throw in my two cents on the M2 experience. To really appreciate its sublime qualities, you have to ditch the meter, only use one film or at least one film speed (I've had a roll of Tri-X planted in my brain) and start to learn to read light. First you'll guess, and ruin a bunch of shots. Then you'll get better. Soon you're as good as a meter, and the whole thing magically becomes a seamless wonder. The camera disappears.

 

[paradoxbox]

fix up your metering and composition skills first. if you have a digital camera try using it as a polaroid of sorts before taking your m2 photo.

you might throw on a multicoated filter on that summicron to help cut down some of the flare. recoating is expensive but will significantly increase the value of the lens, especially if only the front element's coatings are mangled.

if there are any deep scratches or scratches in the rear element i'd suggest bailing out and selling it or just using it with its quirks.

 

[bigeye]

Foma is pretty 'glowy' and not helping contrast. I'd shoot a box of tri-x and develop at box values for reference. How are you scanning the negs?

.

 

[leicapixie]

In 1967 i bought a new Leica M3. Coming to grips with a Leica, is not a overnight exercise or a month. Using the Leica daily, with a few exceptions, medium format, 35mm SLR for certain pro jobs, i began to appreciate the system. The lenses do flare, not only the Collapsible Summicron. Yet the lenses all seemed to have a special signature. Some have a boxy look(Elmar), Roundness(Summicron) and a lightness often mistaken for over-exposure(Summilux). I've used the Aspherics and find them way too sharp and out of focus backgrounds awful..Others adore them. We are all correct! Your lens needs attention but maybe the better idea is add a modern lens, Voigtlander 28mm or 35mm(matches your wide frame).
Here a really modern, contrasty lens, that fits and balances with the camera.A lens hood is a necessary. A filter to protect the front element a good idea.
Pick one film.. Kodak Tri-X or T-Max(made for scanning, but takes longer to fix) or Ilford HP-5. Slower films are sharper, less grainy but are harder to use in poor light.Use ONE film for at least one year.
i no longer use an exposure meter. A small point and shoot digital as instant "Polaroid". Adjustments have to made to equalize the film to digital. Digital sees way better in the poorer light with same ISO!
Shooting pix! Shoot daily. Maybe one frame, maybe a roll. In a short time the camera will be one with you. Don't worry too much about exact focusing in daylight with small f-stops(f8,11,16) Work with depth of field scales.
Shoot fast. Grab images as you see them.
One morning you will look at a roll and see "your" images. It may take a year, maybe a few months.. Don't get lazy. A Leica is made to be USED.
I use mine in any weather. I live in Toronto. A plastic bag for rain.
No batteries so cold does not kill my shooting.. The heat, well the Leica copes better than me.
Enjoy the Leica. No other camera can make one so hopelessly inadequate, or so simply superb. Give it your all.

 

[BLKRCAT]

Bigeye, Im scanning using a V700 and Silverfast. These were also tweaked in PS after the fact.

I have a lens hood in the mail for the cron and am shooting again with my orange filter with 1 stop of compensation to increase contrast.

I appreciate the general feedback, but I won't bring a digital camera along to shoot with. That just doesn't work into my workflow. I fairly regularly shoot with my unmetered Bronica SQ-A and get outstanding results. Ive been a film shooter for almost 10 years now.

I more or less just need to get into the groove of shooting with this camera. I'm working through that roll of foma 100, once complete I'll look into finishing off my neopan then purchasing some Tmax or moving to color as I have a lot of it in my freezer. I can post up results for what they are worth when they are developed.

 

[BLKRCAT]

Well I havent impressed many of you saying that my M2 hasnt performed up to my expectations. Well I JUST finished scanning my first great roll from this camera. Im VERY happy now. Here are some of the results. Shot on Foma 100 souped in Xtol 1:1 and scanned with a v700.

Funny homage to the german Leica

Untitled by nownownownow, on Flickr


Untitled by nownownownow, on Flickr


Untitled by nownownownow, on Flickr

Still cant wait to get my Lens hood in the mail hope to get it this week! I think it will cut down on subtle flare like at the top of the last picture in the toque. Overall VERY VERY happy!