Here's What I'm Thinkin...

[dcsang]

At the end of this wedding season (2014).. I think I’m going to “retire” from shooting weddings regularly. I’ll be 50 next year; I have other things I want to do with my time and I would like to do more portraiture, personal work etc. and I find that the long wedding days really “hurt” me the following day (everything is a lot more sore than, perhaps, when I was in my early 30′s *LOL* 😀)

That said, I’m thinking of the following:
1) Selling off all my Nikon gear save for, maybe, the SB-900 flash
2) Selling off my Sony A7 and adapter
3) Selling off my Leica IIIc and Summitar
4) Maybe selling the Ricoh GR
5) Maybe selling the Rolleiflex T
6) Retaining the Leica M7
7) Acquiring the Leica M (240)

I think I’m finally going to cave on the M… selling off that gear still won’t get me a “full” body.. it’ll only likely cover me for about 2/3′s or 3/4′s of the price…. stupid Leica and their “luxury item” pricing. .

No real reason for this post per se... but if you have an idea of what I should keep or give up.. feel free.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[CVickery]

Hey Dave,
My take...good idea. I've been very happy with the M. Nothing else works as well with M lenses. If you want a used M(240) I may know of a local one for sale. PM me for details.
Cal

 

[yossarian123]

Selling the Rolleiflex? Oh noes! Obviously, I can't read your mind but it seems like the Rollei would be perfect for portraits and personal projects.

 

[back alley]

do you need a 240? would an m9 do?
is the 240 really worth that kind if money?

 

[maddoc]

... with the variety of films left over it won`t be the worst idea to switch to the M240. Especially if you like to work in color ...

 

[dcsang]

do you need a 240? would an m9 do?
is the 240 really worth that kind if money?

Hey Joe,

Yes and no.

No I don't "need" it 🙂
Yes, based on what I've seen so far out of the camera and how they've improved stuff I hated in the past - it's worth it.

But that's for now.. like I said.. I don't think I'll move anything till well after the season's over - who knows, by then, everything may be "different"

Cheers,
Dave

 

[CameraQuest]

At the end of this wedding season (2014).. I think I’m going to “retire” from shooting weddings regularly. I’ll be 50 next year; I have other things I want to do with my time and I would like to do more portraiture, personal work etc. and I find that the long wedding days really “hurt” me the following day (everything is a lot more sore than, perhaps, when I was in my early 30′s *LOL* 😀)

That said, I’m thinking of the following:
1) Selling off all my Nikon gear save for, maybe, the SB-900 flash
2) Selling off my Sony A7 and adapter
3) Selling off my Leica IIIc and Summitar
4) Maybe selling the Ricoh GR
5) Maybe selling the Rolleiflex T
6) Retaining the Leica M7
7) Acquiring the Leica M (240)

I think I’m finally going to cave on the M… selling off that gear still won’t get me a “full” body.. it’ll only likely cover me for about 2/3′s or 3/4′s of the price…. stupid Leica and their “luxury item” pricing. .

No real reason for this post per se... but if you have an idea of what I should keep or give up.. feel free.

Cheers,
Dave

There is no right or wrong, just whatever you and your customers are happy with. If a Lomo keeps everyone happy, great, or whatever.

Still, a Nikon DSLR can do things the M240 can not, and vice versa. My choice would be to use both and sell everything else except the M7. Gota keep one film camera!

Stephen

 

[dcsang]

There is no right or wrong, just whatever you and your customers are happy with. If a Lomo keeps everyone happy, great, or whatever.

Still, a Nikon DSLR can do things the M240 can not, and vice versa. My choice would be to use both and sell everything else except the M7. Gota keep one film camera!

Stephen

If I could keep both, that would be ideal - I'll save my sheckles for the summer and see what comes of it.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[mfunnell]

Still, a Nikon DSLR can do things the M240 can not, and vice versa. My choice would be to use both and sell everything else except the M7. Gota keep one film camera!

Stephen

I agree, though personally if I were in the circumstance I might be tempted to sell the M7 and keep the Rolleiflex as the "one film camera". But that's just me.

...Mike

 

[helen.HH]

Yep, Go for it !

Keep Life Simple ....
1) Get your M240 for the 'latest RF experience'
2) keep the Ricoh GR for snap focus, portability & fun crazy shooting
3) and of course One Film body,
that you will have to decide, rolleii versus M7 shootout 😱

Great Set up, lots of Advantages in owning those Lucky Three

 

[YYV_146]

Nice Idea. If it's the M experience you want, it's the M experience you gotta pay for. Everything else is a compromise.

I myself have thought about an M9 or M240 multiple times, and bought a lens every time I had just about enough funds for one...

 

[tuanvinh2000]

Yep, Go for it !

Keep Life Simple ....
1) Get your M240 for the 'latest RF experience'
2) keep the Ricoh GR for snap focus, portability & fun crazy shooting
3) and of course One Film body,
that you will have to decide, rolleii versus M7 shootout 😱

Great Set up, lots of Advantages in owning those Lucky Three

I would do the same as Helen and vote in sell the M7 and keep the Rollei.
M240 is very capable camera and perhaps what you lack is the Medium Format look from once in a while. Sell the M7 got you lot of cash and you can go for a M2/M4 in case you want BW 35mm film. I'm tempted by the M digital as well but atm enjoying my BW 35mm phase so less inclined to jump in. if i have it i will embrace it though 😀

 

[Ansel]

The gear is not important. Its the photographer that counts.

 

[Johann Espiritu]

I'd also sell the M7, unless it has some other sentimental value to you. It would be easy to acquire one later on should the itch arise, or even something simpler, like and M2 or an M4.

I've gone through the digital M's (except the Monochrom), and have to say that the M240 is the most refined one by far. It feels much more solid, and the shutter is reassuringly crisp. I always felt that with my M9, the shutter sounded like it was on the verge of failure with a clackety metallic noise. Once I got over the thickness of the M240 and learned how to adjust my own workflow in processing its DNG files, it became a great tool to work with. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as well.

PS: The "Clarity" slider in ACR is your friend.

 

[jsrockit]

If using the M is the best tool for you, then you have no choice.

 

[furcafe]

Gear preferences are very personal, of course, but I think there are some things that we (or at least I) don't know that could help us help you.

You say you're "retiring" from shooting weddings "regularly." What does that really mean? If you were getting out of that entirely, I'd say getting rid of the Nikon gear is a no brainer unless your personal work involves sports or something where dSLRs are necessary. Otherwise, you can always rent, etc.

Also, what kind of personal work do you do? IMHO, other than your budget, that has the most bearing on what your future equipment path should be.

For example, unless you're planning on medium format work, selling the Rolleiflex makes sense. The Sony & Ricoh are sort of redundant if they're both meant to be digital Leica substitutes (lose 1 or the other) & the IIIc seem to overlap the M7 if you're going to be cutting back on 35mm film bodies. Similarly, how much legacy Leica mount or non-Leica mount glass do you have? I have a lot of non-Leica legacy glass, which is why I recently got an a7. For the vast majority of the Leica mount glass, the M240 is clearly a better solution (assuming the RF experience is important to you).

At the end of this wedding season (2014).. I think I’m going to “retire” from shooting weddings regularly. I’ll be 50 next year; I have other things I want to do with my time and I would like to do more portraiture, personal work etc. and I find that the long wedding days really “hurt” me the following day (everything is a lot more sore than, perhaps, when I was in my early 30′s *LOL* 😀)

That said, I’m thinking of the following:
1) Selling off all my Nikon gear save for, maybe, the SB-900 flash
2) Selling off my Sony A7 and adapter
3) Selling off my Leica IIIc and Summitar
4) Maybe selling the Ricoh GR
5) Maybe selling the Rolleiflex T
6) Retaining the Leica M7
7) Acquiring the Leica M (240)

I think I’m finally going to cave on the M… selling off that gear still won’t get me a “full” body.. it’ll only likely cover me for about 2/3′s or 3/4′s of the price…. stupid Leica and their “luxury item” pricing. .

No real reason for this post per se... but if you have an idea of what I should keep or give up.. feel free.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[dcsang]

Thanks folks... for all your input.

Let me see if I can clarify my thoughts on this.
Chris - I probably would shoot the occasional wedding. That said, I have no problem using an M for that - I've done it in the past and can easily do it in the future. Same goes for any portrait sessions or newborn sessions. Ya, I can't get "super close" or "macro" with it but that's ok.

Ansel - I agree - but, as you can see, I've got a lot of gear.. and I would like to "simplify" things - I've been trying to do this for a long time (simplify or "Feng Shui" the gear) - I believe going this route will help me limit my choices in what to use for my shooting. The French have a saying.. .Trop de choix tue le choix - too much choice kills the choice. I'm aiming to not kill the choice 🙂

Regarding the M7 vs Rollei - I may be able to save both - but then... why should I? I am trying to simplify things right? I like the idea of keeping the rollei but I would like one 35mm film body - Johann's idea seems to be a fair compromise - we'll see.

I've crunched some numbers and based on the body/grip/lenses/strobe I have with Nikon and the Sony A7 (and if I include the IIIc) I can likely get away with only having to "pay out" about $1200 CDN - if I let go the M7 I won't have to pay anything out of pocket.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[sevres_babylone]

I would also suggest that you keep the Ricoh, primarily for the reasons mentioned by Helen.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Dave, my two cents worth. If I was getting the M240, I would keep the M7. Then you can simplify even more because all the glass that fits the M240 will also fit the M7, and vice versa. I'm a nut about falling in love with particular lenses, having a digital option and a film option for any M mount lens I fall in love with would be a very good thing. For Me. YMMV.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Best,
-Tim

 

[dovi]

Agree here

Agree here

the simplest thing to do is to just use a subset and put the rest away for a while. It will clear your head about what you might really want.

Speaking of the Leica, I may be overreaching but I would not like to be one of those who who are kind of incapacitated while the thing does a round trip for repairs. After paring down equipment, that would really suck.

So my advice is to sit tight for a minute.

The gear is not important. Its the photographer that counts.