Is There Life After Leica?

[OurManInTangier]

Yes, for me there was. Life after Leica became life with Fuji. Prior to life with either Fuji or Leica I had a Olympus and before that, my first 'proper' camera was a Minolta ( SRT101.) Nikon have seen me through the twenty years (so far) of work though my head was turned by Canon when Nikon were struggling with digital, but nothing happened, honestly😎

Having said all of that I did keep my M6 and a Hexar as my last two remaining film cameras. I only have a Canon 50mm 1.4 for the M6 and don't use them nearly as much as I'd should/could but I doubt they'll ever be moved on...so perhaps I don't have a life after Leica

 

[David Hughes]

That's because most of the "R" line were rebadged and tweaked something elses. And frankly, the R line wasn't really distinguished from anyone else's SLRS. The M cameras are what set Leica apart... Snip1 Snip!

Hi,

Hmmm, well, that's the curse of the joint co-operation agreements they had with others but I wouldn't call all of them tweaked. Some started tweaked and ended up totally different; f'instance the R8 and R9. Others would probably never have existed if it wasn't for Leica's input to the overall and lens design.

Anyway, I liked the prime lenses on the R series and the others and see them as Leica designs tweaked for other makers. And one or two were unique to Leica. As was the after sales service. The handling was pretty good too.

And I can think of one or two cameras I own that I'd love to have had taken to bits by Leica and then re-assembled properly with a mild tweak and a Leica badge.

Judging by the moans about the Minilux problem a lot of people miss the small P&S Leicas when they've gone...

Regards, David

 

[bence8810]

We met 34 years and 4 days ago (May 14th, 1981).

Roger, you met your dear wife on the day mine was born... Small world.

As for Leica - I've only been an owner for some 13 months but I can't imagine ever going back. Photography has never been this much fun.
I only have an M3 and a simple LTM 50 f2 and it will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

I do have other cameras but they mostly collect dust. I also agree that other options (SLR / Medium Format) provide advantages but to me fun is what I am after and somehow I get the most excitement when holding the simple M3.

Ben

 

[CMur12]

I'm still living life before Leica, and I really don't miss it.

When traveling and living in other countries, I carried compact, fixed-lens RFs. The priority at those times was a small, light-weight camera that would take sharp, well exposed slides. A Leica would have been too big and heavy. Having had a couple of cameras stolen during my travels, a Leica would have also caused unwelcome worry.

Back home, when space and weight are lesser considerations, I never shoot RFs. I shoot landscapes and nature; I don't do street, so my old manual-focus SLRs (Minoltas) are ideal for 35mm and I've been shooting ever more medium format with TLRs.

- Murray

 

[Roger Hicks]

Roger, you met your dear wife on the day mine was born... Small world.

As for Leica - I've only been an owner for some 13 months but I can't imagine ever going back. Photography has never been this much fun.
I only have an M3 and a simple LTM 50 f2 and it will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

I do have other cameras but they mostly collect dust. I also agree that other options (SLR / Medium Format) provide advantages but to me fun is what I am after and somehow I get the most excitement when holding the simple M3.

Ben

Dear Ben,

Also my brother's 31st birthday...

Yes, Leicas are fun, aren't they?

Cheers,

R.

 

[maitani]

I came to the conclusion that it's not possible to 'replace' a Leica, whatever you choose will be an excuse and 'workaround' with some compromises, not to dismiss other equally great systems (Nikon RF, Olympus OM, Nikon F, Pentax... etc.) all are great in their own right in some areas superior in some areas inferior. all have pro's and cons, but none of them are a Leica.

 

[maddoc]

I came to the conclusion that it's not possible to 'replace' a Leica, whatever you choose will be an excuse and 'workaround' with some compromises, not to dismiss other equally great systems (Nikon RF, Olympus OM, Nikon F, Pentax... etc.) all are great in their own right in some areas superior in some areas inferior. all have pro's and cons, but none of them are a Leica.

Agreed. Leicas are addictive, somehow. For me the best combination of usability, camera-design, lens design. As long as film will be available (and affordable) in 135 format I will keep and use my Leicas. 🙂

 

[Paul Jenkin]

There is life before, during and after Leica in my experience.

I took up photography at the age of 13 (1974) and couldn't afford a Leica. What you've never had you can't miss. A few years ago, I bought an M6 TTL and a few lenses but came to realise after a while that I am much more an SLR and MF person than an RF person, photographically. I sold the kit and moved on, happily.

A few weeks back, I bought a IIIf RDDA and a couple of cheap(ish) lenses. It's fun to use but, as I don't earn a living from photography and I'm not a "brand junkie" (I'll buy whatever does the job and is within my budget) it's also more about the utility. If and when I get bored, or it breaks, I'll have a re-think.

I know that's probably heresy to some (many?) but what the hell, we're not getting paid by Leica (or anyone) to advertise their kit, so we should choose to use / not use as we see fit.

 

[Roger Hicks]

The REAL question is
Is there Life after Desth... 😛

Dear Helen,

Or indeed before conception.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I came to the conclusion that it's not possible to 'replace' a Leica, whatever you choose will be an excuse and 'workaround' with some compromises, not to dismiss other equally great systems (Nikon RF, Olympus OM, Nikon F, Pentax... etc.) all are great in their own right in some areas superior in some areas inferior. all have pro's and cons, but none of them are a Leica.

Let alone a screw-mount Leica. Which is why I find the present thread strange. As Oskar died in 1936 it's pretty weird to call all screw-mount Leicas, including the ones that appeared after he died (IIIc, IIId/IIIcDA, IIIf, IIIg), "Barnacks". My suspicion is that it's a johnny-come-lately description introduced by those who want to appear clever, or in the know: in which they fail, rather dismally.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Sparrow]

The REAL question is
Is there Life after Desth... 😛

Dear Helen,

Or indeed before conception.

Cheers,

R.

... and if one were unconscious of either how would it differ from death after life?

 

[Godfrey]

Getting' a bit metaphysical here...

G

 

[Roger Hicks]

Getting' a bit metaphysical here...

G

Dear Godfrey,

Well, it is a Leica thread after all.

Cheers,

R.

 

[cz23]

...
Really, I like the photos which I've taken with a simple 35mm camera, taken in a way that people use their phones these days. A more relaxed type of photography, not trying to make that amazing photo, but just recording history.

Nicely said, and exactly how I feel about the GR. Someone called it a sketching camera, which I think is what you're describing. Hard to do with Ms, which feel so formal by comparison.

John

 

[back alley]

i've gotten along with every camera and format that i have ever tried, except for that yashicamat...seeing that reversed image made me dizzy!!
i still love the rf camera the most but i refuse to shoot film again and i cannot afford a new digital rf...i had and used leica...sold leica and don't really miss it much...i think my favourite film rf was the mamiya 6 and i did love that digital rd1!!
i'm quite satidfied with my faux rf camera, the fuji xe1 along with the 23 and 56 lenses...just need to find the money to get me one of them brand new 16mm fuji lenses!

 

[David Hughes]

Let alone a screw-mount Leica. Which is why I find the present thread strange. As Oskar died in 1936 it's pretty weird to call all screw-mount Leicas, including the ones that appeared after he died (IIIc, IIId/IIIcDA, IIIf, IIIg), "Barnacks". My suspicion is that it's a johnny-come-lately description introduced by those who want to appear clever, or in the know: in which they fail, rather dismally.

Cheers,

R.

Hi,

You could doubt the IIIb as being his. It appeared 1938 and he died January 1936 two years before it. And was the close coupled RF and VF eyepiece his or not his? Interesting...

Regards, David

 

[Roger Hicks]

Hi,

You could doubt the IIIb as being his. It appeared 1938 and he died January 1936 two years before it. And was the close coupled RF and VF eyepiece his or not his? Interesting...

Regards, David

Dear David,

You're probably right but I was allowing for (probably unrealistically long) lead times. My guess is that the IIIb was an intermediate model, trying out the (probably not Barnack) RF/VF eyepiece already planned for the IIIc, mechanically a much stronger camera.

Cheers,

R.

 

[farlymac]

Ever since I was a young lad starting out on my own, I've aspired to owning a Leica rf. It didn't matter what model (though it had to be film), I just wanted to have one to use.

But life gets in the way sometimes, and Leica's cost more than I could usually think about. It was always much easier to get what I could afford to use right now, than try and save up for something else. And I was an SLR kind of person for a long time, only owning rf's when the occasional camera would grab my interest.

So when I decided to see if I still had the urge to own a Leica, I bought me a Zorki 1d. I liked it, but unfortunately, it shortly became a basket case. M's were out of the question because of the cost. So I looked for LTM alternatives, starting with the Contax IIa. Then Kuuvy gave me a Leidolf C-35, and I wound up kitting that out. It's not Leica, but it is screw mount, and was made in Wetzlar. But for my LTM wants, I have a Canon P. Don't have to worry about shutter burn with any of the three aforementioned cameras, and I can still enjoy Leica lenses if I want to (I've got an 4/90 Elmar).

So to me, Leica ownership is still something to look forward to, but I have other ways to keep me busy. I still look at the adverts here, and hope for a "boot sale" find on an M. Only problem is, I always find something else that will go with some other camera system I own.

PF

 

[BrooklyNYC]

I still use a film Leica, an M7 on a regular basis and have been using film more and more. I use a Voigtlander Bessa R3A along with my Leica. I don't know why I use film with digital being so much easier to process and with the amazing quality that digital offers. Out of all of my cameras, my Leica M7 is my favorite and I love shooting with it more than any camera I own. For this reason, I never plan on selling it and I plan on shooting with film for a long time.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

I sold all my Leica stuff years ago but now I'm slowly buying it all back. I actually prefer digital photography but man, I missed cranking that lever. I am actually contemplating an R-D1, rather than another M9, as a drf.