If you were to buy your first Leica...

SolaresLarrave

SolaresLarrave

My M5s need red dots!
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What exactly would you get? A metered body like the M5-M7, or a meterless one? Would you go for the LTM kind or the M type?

How about lens? A 50mm? A wide-angle?

I'm curious about what you guys would do. Why? Well, I want one, but I don't know what to look for. Besides, I'm not adept at the Sunny 16 rule, but I do have a handheld meter.

Input? Thanks a lot!! :)
 
Although I started doing photography in 1954 and am well accustomed to hand-held metering, I would advise looking for an M6. The M5 was too bulky and mechanically complex. While screw mount Leicas are great, they only work well with the 50 mm lens and if you want interchangeable lens capability, they are clumsy to use.

Leica got it right with the M 3/2/P etc. size and shape. All their other attempts were off in one way or another, IMHO. Even though the M6 does not have the ultimate mechanical finesse of the earlier Ms, it is the best of them for street photography because of the built-in meter. Yes, separate and no meter has worked for lots and lots of photogs, but it is a handicap to not have one inboard all the same.

My first Ms were a 4 and a 2. I, too, used them with an accessory meter. The M4 came with an outfit that included an MR4 clip-on meter, which speeded things up a bit but added bulk. I preferred my hand-held Sekonic to it. In 1968 I added a Pentax Spotmatic to the kit for long lens use and immediately learned the value of being able to set the exposure as I composed the photograph. For a long time I used SLRs in place of Leicas for most of my photography on that account. Even today, I consider the built in meter the most significant technical development in the evolution in camera design and all the rest merely incremental improvements. This, of course, is based on my preferred subject matter and way of working.

At first I considered the 50 mm lens as just about perfect. After years, I thought the 35 mm was the bee's knees. I think the M6 works best with these two, although it's entirely your call. Nothing is more subjective than how you view things.

The M6 with its meter represents the best 35 mm "candid camera" available because it is fast (er) and focusses more accurately than an SLR. I believe its reputation among "slice of lifers" is well earned.
 
I have to echo
znapschatz's advice. I'm new to the rangefinder world and am enjoying it more and more. I have two rf's: a Konica Hexar RF and a Leica M6. I use the 35mm a bit more than the 50mm but never leave without both of them.

BTW....do yourslf a favor and shoot some B&W with the Leica. I'm sure you will come away with a renewed appreciation for black and white.

FWIW....the lsm lenses are less expensive and seem to be more plentiful than the m's. I picked up some adaptors for lsm-to-m on the CameraQuest site. I have no complaints with the results from these lenses.

Bob
 
Thanks a lot! You confirmed my initial choices... I am planning on getting myself a Leica next year (yes, must save a bunch) and even though I was aiming for a M3, suddenly I realized that if I have to meter the scene, or try to reach an EV to fit a number of shots, I'd lose valuable time.

A while ago I got myself a Contax G1 to do this kind of work... and only found out that the shutterlag and AF are the kiss of death. While the lenses are a marvel, the camera's bells-and-whistles don't help much here. Hence that longing for a Leica.

BTW rpsawin, I have done B&W with my Canonet, a Yashica and my Konica S2 rangefinders... and I decided to stock up lots of T-Max 100 and Scala rolls. For some reason, the SLRs don't cut it the same to me in B&W, but then, if Zaks's shots in the websites he quotes in another thread are done with an SLR, they will prove me wrong on this account.

I wish I could lay my hands on a Leica for a couple of hours... I have a friend who lent me his medium format gear for months as a favor, and to get me hooked into it. Too bad he doesn't have Leicas! :(
 
The b&ws were done with a Kodak Retina IIa RF camera, which I considered ideal for this situation, but that doesn't mean they could not have been taken with something else. Just about anything from lowly P&S to 4X5 Speed Graphic have been used to take great photos of life on the fly. It's just that easy portability, quiet operation, precise focusing and more useable depth of field at any given aperture than larger format equipment makes RF 35 mm best tool for that job, IMHO.

The color pix were a selection from a 35 print exhibit, most of which taken with 35 mm SLR, the rest with a Mamiya 6 and a Rolleiflex TLR. I regret not being able to get something better on the pages at this time. The print quality is much better than the posted ones convey (store bought). These days I am using the 6 a lot. Think of it as a Texas Leica.
 
I'd get a IIIg and a 50 Summicron and spend the rest on film.
 
Rsilfverger,

Your advice sounds easy except for a couple of details:

The Leica IIIg is a relatively rare body, compared to others, and it's usually more expensive.

Did it take a Summicron or a Summarit? I tend to associate Summicron with the M mount, but then, I'm possibly wrong.

I forgot to mention that I would like to use the camera for street photography. Sure, Cartier-Bresson used the early Leicas, but I'm nothing like him, so I'd prefer an M6 instead (after Znap's convincing reply) and, in an ideal world, a Summicron 35mm (Garry Winogrand's tool of choice).

In any case, thanks for your reply! :)
 
I would personally not even buy a leica because of the slow flash sync, but that is me and that won't really matter in street photography. I would buy a more modern body and a lense well know for good optics.
 
But, manynames, the flash criteria is moot in this case. Who wants to use flash in street photography? And what else can be better for it? I'm departing from a universally accepted premise: that Leica is the best camera for this purpose. What gear would you suggest that can be easily pocketed in a coat, unobtrusive and silent? What lens brand is know for their superb optics? Can you provide any useful answers?
 
Solares, Read my post again, I noted that. I'm not an expert on leicas so I kno moot about the lenses. Thus I stated buy a lense known for great optics.
 
Re-read post and understood what you said. Now... what lens would you recommend if you were to buy a Leica?

I have to plan for a loooong time of lean photographic cows... :(
 
i once had a leica m4p.
lovely camera but i sold it. i could not get used to not having an on board meter.
i guess i'd rather have a bad meter than no meter.

i would go for an m6 and start with a 35 mm lens and then a 90 mm. or visa versa depending on your picture preferences.
these 2 lenses could likely account for 80% of all your shooting. 100% if you don't care to go longer or shorter.
 
The choice of lenses is driven by "style". Personally, I bought a 50 f/2 Summicron followed by a 28 f/2.8 Hexanon. I like street shooting and these have been excellent choices.

I just picked up a 35 f/2.8 Canon Seranar and I think this is now my normal lens. I like the 35mm view best for street shooting.

Bob
 
So, gipsy, you basically have the set up ready for insertion, right?

But, isn't that's more applicable for old M-mount Leicas? From what I've read, the M6 has a built-in spool and you put the film a bit easier than in the screwmounts and other M-mount bodies... Am I right?
 
Wow! Thanks for the confirmation, gipsy. I'm slowly becoming a Leica connoisseur. Now, if I only had one to play with... :(

Anyway, I'm planning on getting one sometime, but not too soon. And a 35mm Summicron as well!
 
Gipsy, you're definitely right. Let's see for how long (and how much!) I can hold the moulah in my savings account. Fast lenses can become an addiction... I remember when I started toying with my Canonet: finding out I could shoot without a flash was a real thrill! :)

But yes, the 'Cron f1.4 does warrant a lot more wiggle room. Now, I've thought of using Tri-X film for this kind of shots. It seems the favorite of a lot of streeters because of its grain structure and apparent ease to develop. I have no clue about the latter, but I'm decided to learn how to do it... as soon as my Comm. college advertises its extension courses! :D
 
i prefer ilford delta 3200 for fast shooting, hell i like it for most everything. and with my slower mamiya lenses it works out well.

joe
 
Isn't ISO 3200 way out of the Leica M6 meter range? I'm not sure about your being able to use that one, unless pulling it (which wouldn't make much sense in street photography, for instance).
 
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