If you had....

[JayC]

a Sony RX1 that you wanted to use for your digital camera and you had a Leica M6TTL Muillennium that you wanted to use for film, what 1 or 2 lenses would you want for the Leica?

I keep buying cameras to replace my M9P (which I still have), but nothing seems to satisfy me. The M9 was to be my do everything camera (landscapes, family, art, etc).The RX1 was bought to replace the M9, then the other day an XPRO1 was bought to replace the RX1. The cycle continues.....:bang:

I bought the RX1 for lower noise than the M9, then I was thinking of getting rid of it all and getting a Sony a7r with a a 28/50 Zeiss set up. Now probably not.... Aye Aye Aye!

I need to settle on something. I look at the m9 photos on here and on other sites and they look great. Mine don't always - they seem mushy without detail sometimes. Maybe I am just pixel peeping too much at 100% crops....

I want the M9 to be the camera. I have a 28 elmarit v4, 35mm summilux asph, 50mm summilux asph. I really just want to use the 35 as a 1 lens/1 camera combo.

End of rambling.

 

[LucemTempore]

Just curious what don't you like about the M9, aside from the lower noise? Why the need to replace it? It sounds like you have an amazing set up already. When I get frustrated or bored with my equipment, I try to experiment stylistically with my work to make things more interesting.

Looking through your Flickr, your photos look great. I didn't notice a 'mushy without detail look'. Where did you take the picture of the Fremont Bridge with the elderly man and grass in the foreground? I've never been able to find a great spot to shoot it from.

-chris

 

[michaelwj]

I was at first thinking 28/50, which as I read I see you have. Then you have an M9? So why the RX1 or Xpro?

Firstly though, if you need to get rid of the millennium, I'll pay for the postage…😀

More seriously, why aren't happy with the M9 output - do the prints look good? It could be slight focus error - have you had it checked? Otherwise, it should be great. Like you say, maybe you're being too analytical though, its easy to do? It could just be you need to apply some sharpening in LR?

If I were in your shoes, I'd get rid of the Xpro, keep the M9/M6 pair, and the RX1 for the pocket autofocus cam. It's probably my dream set up. But if you want the 35 to be the one lens/cam set up, just use the RX1 and keep the 35 on one of the M's.

Off topic, I only have one lens/cam so its not really an issue for me, but I don't understand that way of thinking (I only want one/lens). You can have more than one lens and only take one with you each day if you want. Sometimes I'd love a 50 or a 28 instead of the 35, but I'd never take all 3. You have the options, but you don't have to take them all with you.

Michael

 

[Frank Petronio]

Looking through your photos makes me think that your choice of camera wouldn't matter, you're a fine photographer. You can't tell me that you wouldn't make quality photos even with an inexpensive camera.... Personally I'd simplify to the most basic but it sounds like you enjoy the equipment experimenting almost as much as the photography itself. I'm guilty of that myself but finally settled down and stopped... it can be an addiction or crutch to "need" to buy/swap gear so frequently.

A good way to manage it is to set a hard, fixed number for your equipment investment, whether it is $200 or $20,000. And stay below that number no matter what.

 

[YYV_146]

I have both Summiluxs' and they are just fine on the A7. I won't be too hopeful with the Elmarit...I sold my for a lens with more asymmetry.

The only "true" replacement for an M9 would be a M240, in the sense that it's also a digital RF, just with greatly improved electronics and none of the M9's many quirks...

 

[JayC]

Where did you take the picture of the Fremont Bridge with the elderly man and grass in the foreground? I've never been able to find a great spot to shoot it from.

-chris

Hi Chris. There is a park at 10th/NW Overton.

 

[JayC]

Thanks for all the input. So many of you are so talented and wise. I spend more time than I should on this website just reading posts I have no stake/interest in just to see if there are words of wisdom in the replies. And there usually are.

I use ACDSee instead of LightRoom, but I am trying our LR as well as Capture One over the next while to see if software plays a part in what I like/dislike.

Part of my changing cameras is a money issue. I recently bought a boat and a Wolf stove, and the wife doesn't like the check book to get too low, so I told her I would sell some gear. I like shooting the m9 a lot and yet I like the autofocus of the rx1. If I keep the m9, the other digital cameras would go as well as one or the other of the 35/50 Summilux. At least, that's my thinking tonight....

 

[marcr1230]

Don't try the Olympus E-M1, if you do , it will cost you because you won't want to put it down 🙂

It's really produces good IQ, at a small size with great ergonomics - only caveat, is that it has a lot of possible menu options and configurations, so there is a learning curve

Sorry - but I've had it for 2 weeks now - I'll be evangelizing for a few weeks more at least

 

[Richard G]

I think the M9 makes you more critical of sharpness that might not have been the temptation with Superia or Tri-X. I find for really sharp pictures with the M9 I want 1/500s. Mind you, I have shot a very sharp picture from the hip with the M9 at 1/6s. I do find the Soft shutter trip setting improves stability of the camera for me by a long margin. Finally, it is worth doing a focus test with your 50 Summilux ASPH to be sure the lens and/or the camera are calibrated correctly. I checked my M9 with the 1.5 Sonnar and know exactly how that lens will behave. I checked my new Monochrom with the same lens and same test set up and confirmed that the cameras are the same. Someone who posts here a lot recently described his major disappointment with the M9 until he had Leica NJ check all his lenses and the camera and adjust everything to perfection, for free, after he found a significant misfocus for his preferred lenses.

I can't find that thread now, but found this more sobering one:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135014

 

[jsrockit]

a Sony RX1 that you wanted to use for your digital camera and you had a Leica M6TTL Muillennium that you wanted to use for film, what 1 or 2 lenses would you want for the Leica?

Zeiss 35mm C-Biogon 2.8
Voigtlander 50mm Nokton 1.5 M

 

[JayC]

Zeiss 35mm C-Biogon 2.8
Voigtlander 50mm Nokton 1.5 M

Why those two?