boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
That he was at times provocative and sometimes not and caused consternation does not set him apart from many on this board. Let
us hope that we do not ever descend into a homogeneous group of "yea sayers" who all get along just fine. This board is supposed to be for discussion and exchange of ideas. If there is no difference there is no exchange.
us hope that we do not ever descend into a homogeneous group of "yea sayers" who all get along just fine. This board is supposed to be for discussion and exchange of ideas. If there is no difference there is no exchange.
kkdanamatt
Well-known
I like manual RF cameras when shooting with lenses up to 35mm focal length.
The Leica M2 is my first choice because of the uncluttered VF.
Using anything greater than the 35mm focal length, I need the AF from an SLR or a mirrorless DSLR.
The Leica M2 is my first choice because of the uncluttered VF.
Using anything greater than the 35mm focal length, I need the AF from an SLR or a mirrorless DSLR.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Discussion has, at its base, the sensibilities of
- articulating your position/understanding of an issue,
- listening to responses,
- and responding thoughtfully with agreement or disagreement based upon your analytic understanding.
It doesn't mean arguing or making non-sequitur questions/responses without thought or reason, or having an indefatigable obstinacy for a position that has no merit.
G
Richard G
Veteran
There was a good discussion in the why do you take pictures thread and some serious philosophical exchanges. He likes sailing close to the wind. And he knows the risks. This is not just another photographic forum. Won’t surprise me if he returns and I’d be pleased to see him back. A few have gone and retuned. Good people too. Very good one of them. Another I worried he had serious demons he was wrestling with, displaced to picking fights. In a club there is only so much you can do.
Dennisoutside
Newbie
Right on about Canon screw mount lenses. They can be amazing.Rangefinder shooting with a Leica M brings its own special rewards and challenges. I have to say that while I was a dedicated Leica M guy in my 40's now that I am in my 60's I do sometimes struggle. I say this for a few reasons. Back then I always shot with a Leica M3 which had the best viewfinder and I found it eminently workable.
-The M3 had a finder magnification of .91. Since then it has all been downhill somewhat - I bought a Leica M8 digital without quite realizing what impact a viewfinder magnification of a paltry .68 would have on my shooting. The M10 has .73 I believe - better than my old M8 but not by a hell of a lot and I do find it restricting. Possibly OK if you shoot 28mm or 35mm where the depth of field is greater and focusing accuracy less critical but if you are like me and like shooting 50mm and 90mm then - bad luck! Shooting with these slightly longer lenses is a bit of a crap shoot. Of course, you could use a top mounted accessory EVF but these are hellish expensive and of course kind of defeat the purpose of using a rangefinder camera. Or you can do as I do a use a screw in accessory magnifier for the viewfinder. But the best ones are Leica and again cost $$$$$$$$$$$.
-My eyes have aged significantly and Leica M cameras do not have any inbuilt diopter adjustments. Of course you can buy a suitable Leica screw in diopter but last time I checked my local camera store these Leica ones are $400 Australian (not sure in USA or Europe but you get the idea.) And if your eyeglass prescription changes over the years as mine did then you must once more buy a new diopter as the Leica ones each only come in a single level of adjustment. You can find some 3rd party adjustable ones and buy one of these, but these tend not to be as good as the Leica ones (of course) through they can work. BTW finding the right diopter is a bit of an art and a science in itself due to the way Leica calibrate their finders. That is to say if your eyeglass prescription is for -2 diopters do not assume the diopter you need to buy will be the same - it is not. (I will leave you to do the research on the intricacies.) I would advise that if you go down the Leica M route and need eye glass correction then consider buying a variable diopter one - it's just easier although it comes with its own issues.
- Success with a Leica M depends on what your shooting habits, expectations and subject types are. You need to be quite slow and deliberate. If this does not describe your style of shooting then maybe a Leica M is not for you. If it si - then have at it!
- You need to budget for a recalibration of your rangefinder - many people do it annually (which also means being without the camera for a time and if you send it to Leica that might be for quite a long time. But it is something a good technician can do if you can find one locally. Again there will be a cost (I would guess around $100+ for the service) BTW I have had mine go out of calibration even though I "baby" the camera. But if your camera takes a bump or sometimes even vibration (as in an overhead storage on a long flight - this happened to mine) then this can do it too. And that can ruin a holiday - believe me, I know.
- I own some modern digital cameras but only have one or two AF lenses for them. My preference is to shoot manual focus in any event as I like trying out old vintage lenses (including Leica M glass and Leica LTM glass) on them. AF comes in handy when I know that the shooting success is likely to depending on me being able to focus and shoot quickly. I have nothing against AF and enjoy using such equipment when the need and opportunity arises. MF does take some getting used to but it's not by any means an insurmountable hurdle. And with Leica M cameras there are relatively few settings to worry about and once the camera is set up for the most part you just need to think about focusing, aperture, shutter speed and that's it (and even then these days shutter speed can be left to the camera - but you still need to be cognizant of what happending with the other two variables.)
- Shooting Leica M cameras are a labor of love. If you fall for it you will willingly tolerate all of the crap that comes with it. (A bit like being married).BTW one good thing is that Leica glass is excellent (of course) but if you are not able to ante up the kind of cash needed then these days there are lots of alternatives (there are some very good Leica vintage lenes some of which are pretty reasonably priced, some vintage glass by other makers which are likewise (e.g. Canon rangefinder lenses in Leica Thread ZZMount which work brilliantly on Leica M with an LTM_M adapter) and modern glass out of Asia some of which is very good. So there are some great options here. Most of my Leica M glass these days are a combo of all 3 of the above including some very good glass by Voigtlander (Cosina).
I know I am sounding far too negative over-all but I just want you to understand the downsides of shooting Leica M cameras as well as the upside. As for me if I were shooting film still, I would probably have kept my M3 and still be more or less happily shooting this Leica M camera but as I now shoot digital exclusively, this is not on the cards. I was a couple of years back seriously tempted to buy a Leica type 240 M but was put off by all of the above considerations drawn from my own prior experience. My next Leica (if indeed there is one in my future) is more likely to be one in the SL mirrorless range. And there is another option that many people have chosen who crave a rangefinder like experience.........buy a Fujifilm X Pro 2 or Xpro 3 which is not a bad compromise when the rangefinder bug bites.