invest in a "better" camera or lenses?

[tightsqueez]

A well worn but taken care of M6 and a 35 Cron makes for good training wheels. If you happen to make decent images with it... go ahead and add more lenses you most likely will never need.

A lot of people start with this set up; I did and feel to this day I couldn't have done better.

12 years later and three wars behind me - this is the one kit that would remain if all others had to go.

 

[Keith]

Wow, great to be able to hear from everyone. I came from another forum where questions weren't taken by the senior users too kindly. Especially when they revolved around gear swapping. Feels mighty friendly here 🙂

By the way, someone mentioned that there's a general stockout around the world for the 35mm summilux ii and the 50mm summilux. is this true?

I remember that feeling when I joined P.net ... many questions were answered with scathing unhelpfulness and sarcasm. 🙄

Then some kind soul directed me to this place via a PM and it's pretty well the only forum I bother with aside from Purelight. 🙂

I think you should get a Leica to keep us all happy ... but not an MP. I totally agree with Roland here ... the MP is a status symbol that in reality does no more than an M6.

 

[semilog]

I remember that feeling when I joined P.net ...

Internet forums often reflect the personalities of their founders and moderators. That's why I like it so much here, most of the time ;-).

 

[LeicaFan]

Have you considered an M3? An M3 and 35mm or 50mm Summicron would fit your budget (Possibly even a 35mm or 50mm pre-ASPH Lux).

 

[magicianhisoka]

Think i've made a decision after a night of thinking, advice and lots of internet trawling. Will be getting rid of half of my DSLR gear. Keeping my 1ds mk 2 for paid work when its called for and keeping the 35mm 1.4 that i have.

i'll have about 3300 dollars to play with. should be able to grab a decent condition M6 and cron to start me off on this slippery slope 🙂

Thanks for all the feedback so far guys! much appreciated!

 

[Peter S]

Don't think you need to "liberate" USD 3,300. M6 probably USD 1,000 and then an Ultron 35/1.7 adds another 3-400 USD.

I would start with that and then either you find that you are happy you did not take a big hit on the DSLR gear or you have enough time to save for the next RF lens and end up with the best of both worlds.

Welcome to the club

 

[Pikapig]

Aside from TS question, im asking for opinion as well, since M6 has all the framelines and even more compared to a M2, its newer...nicer...why would people still prefer a M2 over a M6? Price difference for a gd condition M2 would be quite near to a user condition M6 classic....

I am asking because i met alot of people owning a M2 and M3 in comparison to M6, and some even went back to a M2 from a M6...

 

[damien.murphy]

Aside from TS question, im asking for opinion as well, since M6 has all the framelines and even more compared to a M2, its newer...nicer...why would people still prefer a M2 over a M6? Price difference for a gd condition M2 would be quite near to a user condition M6 classic....

I am asking because i met alot of people owning a M2 and M3 in comparison to M6, and some even went back to a M2 from a M6...

Simplicity (less frame lines) and better quality body (in certain areas; vulcanite & metal levers). Of course the trade off is the loss of the quick loading mechanism and the meter, but as someone who bought an M3 after an M6, these didn't really bother me. I did miss the black finish of the M6 though, which I found made the lens much less intrusive outdoors than a chrome body.

 

[damien.murphy]

Have you considered an M3? An M3 and 35mm or 50mm Summicron would fit your budget (Possibly even a 35mm or 50mm pre-ASPH Lux).

As much as I love my M3, why would anyone buy one if their main lens was a 35mm?

 

[Pikapig]

Simplicity (less frame lines) and better quality body (in certain areas; vulcanite & metal levers). Of course the trade off is the loss of the quick loading mechanism and the meter, but as someone who bought an M3 after an M6, these didn't really bother me. I did miss the black finish of the M6 though, which I found made the lens much less intrusive outdoors than a chrome body.

For a non leica..or yet a leica user, i always thought that it would be good to have more framelines...now with what you have mentioned, it did make me think twice again!🙂

By the way, one of them actually told me that the reason for him to switch back was that he preferred the old loading mechanism as well as the old winder. No doubt its more troublesome, he felt that it was more exclusively for Leica which makes it different...haha Guess its individual preference 🙂

 

[kxl]

For me, a large part of enjoying the RF experience comes from what you see through the viewfinder -- a bright VF enhances the experiences, while a dim VF diminishes the experience. I personally like AE. Given that, I decided on an a ZI (I have two), and bought lenses depending on what I thought I needed -- first a 35mm, then a 50mm, then WA then tele, then multiple lenses in the same focal length for "character."

I would highly recommend a ZI and possibly a ZM 35/2.0 or 2.8 if you don't need sub f2.0 fast lenses. Or if you want a fast 35mm and don't mind the size (large for an RF lens but comparable to an SLR 50mm lens, then just get the CV 35/1.2 and be done with it -- probably the only lens you'll ever need.

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

Zeiss Ikon.

 

[LeicaFan]

As much as I love my M3, why would anyone buy one if their main lens was a 35mm?

Whoops! My mistake. I wasn't thinking clearly. 🙂

 

[Jockos]

I was in your seat about 1½ month ago, and I went for the Bessa R2M, Heliar 75/2.5 and Skopar 35/2.5 (non pancake).

I really love the camera, it's a joy to work with. Only complaint so far is that the shutter dial is a bit difficult to work with quickly, so I make small exposure adjustments on aperture instead, opposed to my DSLR cameras, where I'd change the shutter speed.

I have no complaints what so ever on the Heliar. Of course an extra stop would be nice, but then I'd loose on size and weight whis was two heavy factors in choosing this particular lens.
If you like to be mobile, this is your 75mm lens for sure.

As for the 35 I'm not all satisfied. I choosed this lens because of the way it draws OOF primarily. Image quality is great, and the OOF is just like I saw online before the purchase.
But the build quality is not very good. it feels flimsy, and the focus wobbles ever so slightly. I'm probably going to swap this one for a Zeiss even tough I love the IQ - the feel is really that bad.

 

[thegman]

Hi Jockos, I have the 35mm Color Skopar, and I really like the build. If it's got significant wobble, it may have a fault, and maybe you could talk about getting a refund or repair.

 

[Jockos]

It's not huge, but it's definitley there.

I bought it used, so it wouldn't fall under warranty repair, don't know if it would be worth the cost of repairing. Maybe I'll unscrew it and have a look myself some day.

 

[magicianhisoka]

Hello again guys, its been roughly a month since i started a post here and got a ton of advice. so i'm just going to update everyone on what has been happening so far.

Instead of keeping a half and half system, i decided to dump all my canon gear and put it towards my rangefinder gear. i figured since i only take the odd commercial job, i should just borrow or rent equipment as and when i needed it. this gives me much more room to play with my gear.

unfortunately (or fortunately to some) i finally went with a leica m8. didn't feel i was ready to give up digital just yet especially since i had no mentors to help me with my film journey. what has been great is the ability to be able to practice my focusing at what i would say to be no cost (sans depreciation). it took a few days to get used to it and i still enjoy seeing my friends' baffled faces when they try to handle the m8. forgive the snobbery 😀

settled on an ultron 28mm f2 to begin with as i wanted something with roughly the same FOV as a cron without having to shell out the cash. i must say it is a decent performer. its very ordinary but it gets the job done. though if i were asked if i were happy with it, id be split between lauding its value for money and critisize what seems to be its uninspiring performance.

many of you mentioned the 35mm 1.2 to be a beast and that put me off a bit. but i got it anyway since i needed a fast lens to complement the mediocre iso performance of the m8. along with the relatively large bulk, i got a lens that painted very nicely. i must say this will help to stave off the summilux lust for awhile. and i hope that voigtlander will quickly release the 35mm 1.2 v2 soon. not because i would buy it, but so that others will be able to enjoy a high quality lens with a relatively lower price tag 🙂

Been hunting for 2 voigtlander gems with little luck, the 50mm 1.5 and 75mm 2.5. sadly for me, they still elude me till this day. but i'm learning to do without them for the time being and be happy with what i got.

at the end of the day, i still do feel a little sad that i haven't had the chance to experiment with film and i'm still looking forward to trying it. i have been surreptitously eyeing m2s without my m8 noticing and hopefully one day will be ready to make the plunge.

other than that, i would like to once again thank everyone for the advice given over the past few weeks, it has been very helpful in making this transition a painless and enjoyable one.

cheers to all!

 

[jsrockit]

Remember - a camera body only has to keep the film flat and advance it to the next frame. The lens is the only important part of the system - hence all the RFFers who use decades old M2s and M3s.

So, why buy a M2 or M3 instead of a cheaper rangefinder then if it doesn't matter? The body completely matters unless you are immune to ergonomics and design.

My advice would be to get a Leica M6 with a 40mm summicron.

 

[shadowfox]

unfortunately (or fortunately to some) i finally went with a leica m8. didn't feel i was ready to give up digital just yet especially since i had no mentors to help me with my film journey.

What mentor?

I was in your place a couple of years ago, being bored stiff with digital.
Picking up a roll of film (and persisting through my mistakes) was all I had to do, the rest is ... well, let's just say another world opened up for me. Also thanks to quite a few here in the forum actually for their encouragements.

🙂

 

[Dr Gaspar]

Bodies come and go - good glass is forever!

+2

And a few more words so I can post.