How much is enough? Which Leica?

[maitani]

I haven't read the full replies yet but a minimalistic way to shoot leica is a plain chrome M4 with a 35 1.4 voigtlander (or any 35 summicron), ev. paired with a vintage hassy SWC.
bests
maitani

 

[dave lackey]

Okay.

But, back to the subject of simplification and whether or not it has anything to do with how much your limited items of equipment cost---

It still doesn't.

From the OED:
Simplify:
1. verb trans. Make into a single form or structure; unify.
2. a verb trans. Make simple or less complex or elaborate; make easy or more understandable. b. verb intrans. Become (more) simple.


That's it, that's all that's in there. That's the definition of simplify. Nothing in there about cost. Simplicity has to do with complexity not cost, that's all I was saying.

Words have meanings. If people want to make up their own meanings, or argue with the OED, I guess that's their business, but it's a slippery slope.
I'll stick with the definition of the word "simplify", personally. I'm just that way.

Dave, good luck with your quest if you choose to embark on it. I wish I had the mental resolve to pare things down myself.

Thank you, Larry... Your posts certainly cleared and validated some of my own thoughts, some of which were doubts of my own sanity. I could not agree with you more! It does seem that the concept of simple living to some folks is related to poverty or lack of money, ambition or goals, or any number of things, but your explanation could not be simpler, seriously.

As an artist, a photographer, or even a gear head, we gain a lot from self expression and if we choose a Leica or a Polaroid, it makes no difference. Our lives are enrichened by the simple release of a shutter. So, the personal choice of a Leica is just that, personal. Choosing a simple life after that is personal yet it appears to be elusive.

For me, it is not where I was heading ten years ago when working in real estate development. No, the Great Recession took care of the employment thing but only to prepare me for the tsunami of life. I am still swimming against the tide.

It is certainly anything but simple and I am weary of the pace. No, I am exhausted. That is what drives me to have a couple of hours of quiet time each morning. And that is why I must go with the flow towards simplification of everything I do... I find peace in that as I reflect on the past and the possibilities of the future, knowing full well that I have little, if any, control.

Peace. The center of it all?

 

[dave lackey]

I haven't read the full replies yet but a minimalistic way to shoot leica is a plain chrome M4 with a 35 1.4 voigtlander (or any 35 summicron), ev. paired with a vintage hassy SWC.
bests
maitani

Now, THAT is as concise and simple as it gets I suppose!😀

 

[Mute-on]

Yet another perspective might be to consider your equipment choices in the context of the era from which they came. So, an M2 and 35 Summaron, M4 and 50 Summilux, etc. If you notionally position yourself in that era, you can dismiss the option of a digital whatever, AF SLR, point and shoot compact camera (except say a Rollei or Minox ...). I imagine that might be somewhat satisfying.

Perhaps this is really an extension of the one camera one lens for a month/ year idea. No other choices, no more excuses. Just go out with what you have and shoot.

I'm feeling more relaxed just contemplating this simplification 🙂

Cheers,

J

 

[robert blu]

During my recent trip in Germany (10 days, not intended as a photo trip but as a relaxing experience to meet friends) I had three cameras in my car/hotel room: two Leica (M7 and x1) and one Impossible.

The idea was to shoot serious photos with the M7 (or the X1 if high iso were required) and the snaps with the Impossible.

I realized that the day I was shooting Impossible my brain, soul, body was "switched" in that mood, being aware of the limitations of the tool and the look of the final result. This made almost impossible (!) to shoot Leica in the same occasion.

I only shot Leica when I left in the hotel room (in the safe!) the Impossible.

This means for me that the concept of simplicity is related to having less choices to make: decided in the morning the "feel of the day" selecting once the appropriate tool and use it trying to get the maximum out of it. Even I selected which lens to use with the M7 and left the other in the safe.

Not sure this can answer or give a contribution to Dave original post but it was my recent experience.

robert

 

[dave lackey]

During my recent trip in Germany (10 days, not intended as a photo trip but as a relaxing experience to meet friends) I had three cameras in my car/hotel room: two Leica (M7 and x1) and one Impossible.

The idea was to shoot serious photos with the M7 (or the X1 if high iso were required) and the snaps with the Impossible.

I realized that the day I was shooting Impossible my brain, soul, body was "switched" in that mood, being aware of the limitations of the tool and the look of the final result. This made almost impossible (!) to shoot Leica in the same occasion.

I only shot Leica when I left in the hotel room (in the safe!) the Impossible.

This means for me that the concept of simplicity is related to having less choices to make: decided in the morning the "feel of the day" selecting once the appropriate tool and use it trying to get the maximum out of it. Even I selected which lens to use with the M7 and left the other in the safe.

Not sure this can answer or give a contribution to Dave original post but it was my recent experience.

robert

Hi, Robert,

Yes, perfect example of why even now I have a Leica bag with the M6 and the X1, both very similar in use. No Nikons ever in the same bag, they have their own bags. I find myself happier with less but I prefer to be quite selective of what I do have. So, I prefer Leica one day, the Nikon the next. Maybe I should do more MF...

I would much prefer a cabin like Keith mentioned or even a beach house but the complexities of actually owning either is too much financially for me. But I can see how a simple life could actually been attained in either case. Living in the 'burbs is a necessary complication at this stage in our lives... dang!

Hmmm... I wonder if anyone has an Imposdible as the one camera solution!

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Yep, did the running thing then after years that evolved to walking 5miles a day and cycling another hour. Great thing to do! But not so much for art...

Aww I dunno, this reminds me of a quote from Laurene Vaughan (who I think may have been paraphrasing Francesco Careri's fantastic Walkscapes):

"By modifying the sense of space that is being crossed, walking becomes humankind’s first aesthetic act..."

I think motion can certainly be art. Perhaps art far more simple and pure than anything that requires a tool to create, including photography. Take for instance the free solo climbs of Dean Potter and Alex Honnold - when they're photographed on a wall, there's art in that, but is it the art of the photographer or the climber?

To be honest I find something unsettling about a discussion that begins with a premise of simplicity, and ends with a question of 'what gear?'...

To answer the question below, I don't think a pure reduction to the basics of life would include a Leica, or any other machine. Walk, observe, and move on. There's simplicity in that.

Pure reduction to the basics of life with just enough?

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

"Aww I dunno, this reminds me of a quote from Laurene Vaughan (who I think may have been paraphrasing Francesco Careri's fantastic Walkscapes):

"By modifying the sense of space that is being crossed, walking becomes humankind’s first aesthetic act..."

Didn't Napoleon say something about marching or walking stops men thinking?

Regards, David

 

[dave lackey]

Aww I dunno, this reminds me of a quote from Laurene Vaughan (who I think may have been paraphrasing Francesco Careri's fantastic Walkscapes):

"By modifying the sense of space that is being crossed, walking becomes humankind’s first aesthetic act..."

I think motion can certainly be art. Perhaps art far more simple and pure than anything that requires a tool to create, including photography. Take for instance the free solo climbs of Dean Potter and Alex Honnold - when they're photographed on a wall, there's art in that, but is it the art of the photographer or the climber?

To be honest I find something unsettling about a discussion that begins with a premise of simplicity, and ends with a question of 'what gear?'...

To answer the question below, I don't think a pure reduction to the basics of life would include a Leica, or any other machine. Walk, observe, and move on. There's simplicity in that.

I agree...

However, my quote excluded the rest of the thinking: "with just enough". That phrase means just enough for one to be a photographer as it is my chosen art and works well with my main choice of self-expression, writing.

On a side note, I am housebound... now for six years. As a 24/7 sole spousal caregiver, I have freedom to leave now but I am limited to three days/week for less than hour to take care of personal things. Photography is quite limited but is good for the soul when the opportunities arise.

There is always reality that must be faced no matter how much intellectual or emotional pontification... so with the complexities of current life, simplification requires changing things while taking care of responsibilities but it requires self maintenance, too, which is what I found out the hard way.

 

[jojoman2]

To answer the question below, I don't think a pure reduction to the basics of life would include a Leica, or any other machine. Walk, observe, and move on. There's simplicity in that.

If I don't have a camera with me when I'm out in the world my anxiety level goes through the roof. I get worried I'll miss something. I'm constantly looking at gestures, the geometry of people before me. The guy isn't looking to join a monastery. We're here because making photographs is an important part of our lives, and this guy wants to express that with a leica.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi Dave,

You get up early; or are you working nights?

Anyway, if a Leica M series and a 35mm Summicron appeals then you could simplify that to an Olympus mju-II but a stop slower at f/2.8 or a Konica A4 at f/3.5 both are versatile and have good lenses on them. Or for the RF experience an Olympus XA at 35mm and f/2.8

Point being all are dirt cheap and you could sell the Leica's ERC for a lifetimes supply of the mju-II or A4; so no worries about repairs.

A lot of people won't think I'm serious but a year or two or more ago I realised the Leica M2 with the 35mm Summaron and the XA had a similar spec. So I opened a pack of three films and put one in each and then wandered about for a day or two taking pictures with the XA, noting the exposure and then repeating with the M2 and Summaron. Looking at the 5" x 7" prints (as I see it, simplicity doesn't mean printing posters) I wondered why I bothered with the M2 but we all know the answer to that...

Seriously and with hindsight, I'd make my outfit two identical SLR's with AF and MF and a 28-90 and a 90 to 200mm zoom. For my pocket an Olympus XA4 would do nicely as the close-up facility is simple and easy to use but fixed at 12" at closest; so useful at a pinch but the SLR might have so called macro in the zoom.

But I'd find it difficult despite being sensible to give up a lot of cameras I own and play with. I figure the fault lies in ourselves and not in our stars so I wonder if I'd ever do it. I might as well enjoy what time I have left. Perhaps I'll give up something else in the interests of simplicity.

Just my 2d worth.

Regards, David

 

[Photog9000]

Simple life starts when you realize that you are no longer in position to have to prove anything to anybody. And that means to yourself also. So after that point life is simple and careless. Before it you will keep searching and satisfying needs that are not really yours. So K.I.S.S. 🙂

Good words, Mike. I am retired, sold all my working gear (Nikon) and have shifted to mirrorless. Leica would be nice as an inspiration but I went with Fuji X-System. I am considering going to just a single Fuji (the X100S), selling my X-E1/35mm setup, and getting the X100-TCL to satisfy all my needs. After all, Cartier-Bresson survived with just a simple Leica and 50mm. For me, having the capabilities of the X100S/TCL might do the trick. I am still having problems seeing with just a couple of primes after decades of zooms. But it is said "patience is a virtue." Maybe it is time I became more virtuous 😛.

 

[Jerevan]

Simplicity equates "fewer but better" to me. As to what is better, that is a personal choice.

As for the question of which Leica: an M4 with a Summaron 35/2.8. And perhaps a 90 for the occasional detail or portrait.

 

[Godfrey]

Conflating the notion of living simply with the decision making process concerned with which of several $5000-$8000 cameras to buy seems a poor juxtaposition of two very different thought processes.

• Living simply can be done whether you're rich or poor, have a lot or a little. It's a philosophical state, a mental perspective, that varies for each individual.
  
• Deciding which of several high-end photographic tools to buy is a complex decision.

I have an M-P and an M4-2. And if all the photography I want to do falls into the notion of one of those two bodies fitted with a 35, 75, or 16-18-21 mm lens, then that's all I'd need. But 'all the photography I want to do' doesn't quite fit so neatly into that little box, so my notion of the right equipment is a bit larger than that kit of two bodies and three lenses.

Separate from that discussion, I like to live pretty simply and think I achieve that in the broad perspective of my life.

G

 

[jsrockit]

A 50mm Leica Q would make me be able to get rid of a lot of gear.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

....
I have an M-P and an M4-2. .... 'all the photography I want to do' doesn't quite fit so neatly into that little box, so my notion of the right equipment is a bit larger than that kit of two bodies and three lenses....

I have exactly same cameras and situation...

Almost all of the valuable pictures I took and have as family possession are popping up as background slide show on family room computer screen. Honestly (100%), most simple way to take them by single camera and three available lenses was with plastic consumer DSLR... and still is 😱

 

[farlymac]

As to which Leica, I've gotten an R3, because I already have other interchangeable lens rangefinders. Now to see if I can keep it to a simple three lens kit. It will be hard to do for an old gearhead like myself.

PF

 

[Vince Lupo]

I'd think if you want the absolute simplicity in a Leica, then a Leica I or Standard C would do the trick. If you must have the luxury(!) of rangefinder focusing, then look no further than a Leica II(D).

For M-series, the obvious choice for me would be an M2 or M3 (why would the simple life require any more than three framelines?).

And digital? That's easy -- the new M-D 🙂

 

[dave lackey]

I'd think if you want the absolute simplicity in a Leica, then a Leica I or Standard C would do the trick. If you must have the luxury(!) of rangefinder focusing, then look no further than a Leica II(D).

For M-series, the obvious choice for me would be an M2 or M3 (why would the simple life require any more than three framelines?).

And digital? That's easy -- the new M-D 🙂

Love it!!! Thanks, Vince!😀

 

[Godfrey]

I'd think if you want the absolute simplicity in a Leica, then a Leica I or Standard C would do the trick. If you must have the luxury(!) of rangefinder focusing, then look no further than a Leica II(D).

For M-series, the obvious choice for me would be an M2 or M3 (why would the simple life require any more than three framelines?).

And digital? That's easy -- the new M-D 🙂

(bolded) Luxury is not at odds with simplicity. Excess is at odds with simplicity.

Be that as it may ... 🙂 ... every time I pick up my M-P now I wish it was the M-D. Because every time I pick up the M-P, I realize that my grip almost without fail puts a finger print on the LCD or viewfinder. The SL is not like that, and neither is the M4-2. It's a matter of handling ease. Sigh.

G