Leica M to NY or Xpan?

[Efra1]

Hi, in 2 days I´ll be in NY, the main camera will be a M8, I´m sure to carry a Hasselblad Xpan for the panoramic format ( I think NY is Wide Open) but I was thinking to carry another M for film shoots, the problem will be the weight in my bag and all day walking can be a trouble for my shoulder 😉 the main reason to carry another camera is the possibility to use the M lens but:

Did you think the Xpan can make a good job, I only have the 45mm F4.

May I carry a extra weight in a M body for film?


Thanks

 

[Benjamin]

Can't the Xpan take standard 35mm format shots as well?

Personally I've never understood why people ask what cameras they should take to places, unless heavy conditions are going to be the norm.

No one else has any idea what you're going to be doing, how you work or what it is that you're 'looking' for anyway.

It's usually safe to assume that one camera will probably be fine.

 

[Tuolumne]

I give you permission to do whatever you want. However, considering the fact that the Xpan can take both panoramic images and regular 35mm images with the flip of a switch, doesn't the Xpan alone solve all of your problems?

/T

 

[Efra1]

I give you permission to do whatever you want. However, considering the fact that the Xpan can take both panoramic images and regular 35mm images with the flip of a switch, doesn't the Xpan alone solve all of your problems?

/T

I think so, but I ask because in the Xpan I only have the 45mm, well, the change to regular 35mm is a option.

Thanks for the answerd, I need to open my eyes 😉 and maybe I need to hear exactly that, HEY YOU; YOU NON NEED MORE THAN ONE CAMERA... 😛

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Sure, take an extra camera. Hard to take too many pictures in NYC, and there are many places (subway, museums etc.) where an f:4 lens just isn't going to cut it.


I never understood why XPan designers never gave any thought to use of Leica M lenses on their camera. Maybe the timing wasn't right and the mount was still proprietary. But I think their camera would have been an absolute killer if they had allowed easy use of existing lenses on the camera in 35mm-mode. Obviously you'd still need the Hassie-designed lenses for pano, but the AE on this camera worked well and it was a comfortably sized package, even if it was larger and noisier than an M. I owned one for a number of years -- the slow speed of the lenses always frustrated me. IQ was great when you had enough light, but I could never figure out why I would not just crop an image from a Pentax 67 or Mamiya 7, given the speed of the XPan lenses. Once I sold mine, I only missed it at outdoor weddings.

Rant off.

Ben

 

[Zonan]

Having had an Xpan, I think the problem with Leica lenses is the field coverage. With panoramas, you need medium format coverage, and thus the excellent Xpan-only lenses. The Leica would probably work for regular 35mm format frame, but not for pano.

 

[KM-25]

Having had an Xpan, I think the problem with Leica lenses is the field coverage. With panoramas, you need medium format coverage, and thus the excellent Xpan-only lenses. The Leica would probably work for regular 35mm format frame, but not for pano.

Right, so when the camera is in 24x36 mode, it would be nice to use a larger array of lenses like a fast 35 F/2 making the XPan more versatile. I own an XPan with all three lenses and while I will never get rid of it, I think Hasselblad could have put a bit more thought into compatibility of lenses for a standard 35mm format.

 

[Efra1]

Ok, I think the Leica CL can be an excellent option to mount my M lens and I´ll have a great f aperture for film, the f4 of the Xpan is really dark in interiors or the tube for example.
I´ll carry th 21 f2.8 35 f2 and the 50 Summilux.

The CL in small and light, a frien let me the camera for the tryp.

What you think about this option??

 

[figfoto]

I always take both when on vacation. It does get heavy [ with both ], on the shoulder after a few hours. When I am in town [NYC] I find myself bringing the M8 only, or the X Pan only. It forces me to concentrate on the format I am using and the composition. This works for me because I am close to NYC. However in your case since you are on vacation bring both [and some Advil] you will use both. BTW 45mm on the XPan is perfect for NYC.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Right, so when the camera is in 24x36 mode, it would be nice to use a larger array of lenses like a fast 35 F/2 making the XPan more versatile. I own an XPan with all three lenses and while I will never get rid of it, I think Hasselblad could have put a bit more thought into compatibility of lenses for a standard 35mm format.

This is exactly what I was trying to say. I owned both an XPan and an M7 at the same time and the M7 was clearly the more versatile camera, given the way I make pictures: hand-held, available light etc. An f:4 lens just won't do what I need it to in the depths of a Vermont winter. I would not have often used the XPan in pano mode with a lens that didn't cover, but if I could have used my Leica glass on it, I'd probably have never purchased the M7. I have heard rumors of skilled machinists making one-off adapters to allow for use of M lenses on an XPan, but I have never actually seen a photo taken with one or communicated with anyone who had one made.

Ben Marks

 

[Damaso]

Leica M I'd say unless you really want to shoot panoramic images of Manhattan's skyline for instance...

 

[Florian1234]

Hm, I'd take one camera and one or two lenses. But that's up to you. If film, I'd take the M. Not sure if this will help. Panoramic shots are quite nice, too. 😀

 

[jke]

Don't worry about buying film before you get here. Plenty of places to buy it and the prices are good. Shoot 400ISO or higher if you are worried about f4.0 and get the film developed before you leave. Most places here can do B&W in 3-4 hours, color in less than that. And they can always mail it to you if necessary. That way you can shoot 3200 and not worry about getting nuked at the airport.

I like the idea of carrying an XPan, especially for shooting intersections with lots of people crossing and for vertical panoramas of buildings.

Jillions of people come to NYC and take the same photos that the jillion of people before them have taken as shown over and over again on Flickr. Unavoidable and not a bad thing, just the nature of a city with a jillion people in it swarmed by a jillion tourists.

So taking a camera that's a bit out of the ordinary can give you a fresh point of view. Plus an XPan is a lot easier to carry than a Fuji 617.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Resist the temptation to become overburdened by 'stuff'. It will probably bog you down, both physically and - potentially - creatively.

 

[Rob-F]

I think the M8 plus an extra M body would be the most efficient way to go, if weight is a problem. That way you are only carrying one camera system, with two bodies. Depending on your style, the XPAN might be useful in NYC, as you might get some nice street shots; but the wide format might be somewhat of a bother for shooting quickly under crowded conditions. And you won't get much frame height for architecture with the 45mm lens if used horizontally. As an XPAN owner and occasional NYC visitor, my XPAN stays home when going to New York. I take it for photographing out west.

 

[Pablito]

Are you a 98 pound weakling? A 280 pound muscle bound bruiser? How much can you bench press? Will you be taking elevators or walking up the steps at Empire State Building. Have you got a bad shoulder? Only you know how much you can carry, what your physical capabilities are.

(Too sarcastic and snotty)

Take what you can carry comfortably. Think about the images you want to come away with and tailor your equipment to that.

(Too know-it-all-ish)

Oh, I give up.

 

[RdEoSg]

I sold my Xpan and never looked back. I use my M6 MUCH MUCH MUCH more than I ever used the Xpan. One thing I hated about it is that when I travel, I don't carry much in the way of a camera bag, the cameras are either around my neck or shoved in my courier bag with every other thing known to man. The Xpan got destroyed in ONE day doing that. Stupid paint on titanium. It killed the value of it when I sold it because it was ugly to put it nicely.

For me, f4 is also an issue. I shoot 400 almost exclusively in the Leica so that I can shoot almost anywhere with my 35 summicron.

Lastly, I used to carry two or three bodies for a day out shooting. Now I take one, two tops. Usually only one. I decide which camera I am in the mood for that day and run with it. I have been lucky in that when I travel I am usually at someone's home I know so leaving a camera there isn't the same to me as if I was in a random hotel room somewhere though. I just find that my percentage of "keeper" shots goes up dramatically when I am concentrating on one camera, one lens and just shoot as opposed to looking at every situation and going.. Ok. Camera A or Camera B? Now lenses.. Ok 1 2 or 3????

Hope that helps.

 

[Benjamin]

I have heard rumors of skilled machinists making one-off adapters to allow for use of M lenses on an XPan, but I have never actually seen a photo taken with one or communicated with anyone who had one made.

Can you imagine the threads on ridiculous panoramas made with an XPan and Noctilux? Christ..

I swear that when ever anyone gets a 'Leica M-Whatever' adapter, all they want to see anyone do is mount a Noctilux on it.

 

[Efra1]

Hi, at last I carry th xPan and the M8, also a M4 for when I like to shoot whit my Leica lens i film.

Here some of my xPan picts:

 

[Efra1]

😛
I have not age for a skateboard.... 😀