Leica LTM M shooter plays with a iiif

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
visiondr said:
I guess I just don't get what all the fuss is about. Small is very nice, don't get me wrong. But it just sounds like a lot of hassle and fussing around to use a Barnack Leica. Are there REAL PHOTOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGES aside from size. Fun, maybe. Kind of like a saucy redhead. But, not a life partner.
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You're right, there are no tangible advantages to shooting with a Barnack Leica. But for those of us who have a soft spot for certain gear, it can be inspiring to use and get some shots that you normally wouldn't get. I know that I am in an entirely different 'mood' when carrying my IIf or III around and grab entirely different shots than I would with my MF or DSLR.

Life partner? Why not? It's like hanging out with somebody that you really like being with, who might not be the hottest or most successful or coolest person on the world; yet you just like being around them. Nothing wrong with that. :)
 
I love using my M3, but my IIIf RDST is almost as easy, and fun besides. I precut the leaders on what I expect to use, which makes life a bit simpler.

Yes, after just a bit, loading becomes almost as easy as any other camera. I think the M3 is a tad fiddly, as well. Neither spoils my enjoyment of them as picture taking instruments.

I was around when Leica announced the M3, and was considerably taken back, because it was so different. I used a IIIc at the time, because I couldn't afford the "new" stuff. It was fun then, and it's fun now....

Harry
 
I've had a IIIF since Thanksgiving,my first RF camera ever. It is a chore to load film and focus with the little rangefinder and compose through the viewfinder or accessory finder. But every keeper on a roll I put through it makes me feel good. I thinks it's appreciating the work that it takes. I want an M and might pull the trigger on a Bessa R instead (I teach so fewer$$) then I catch myself and say hey, keep working with the Barnack and look upon so many of the images that others made using that same tool.
 
You guys are a bad influence on me.... ;-) A few years ago I got rid of all my LTM gear to concentrate on using the M4's. It took a while, but I finally realized a mistake had been made. When a fairly clean 3f crossed my path last month I had a major nostalgia attack! Now I'm back to using a squinty little finder and trying to remember how to load one of these things. Do the pictures mean more if you shoot them with the photographic equivalent of a flintlock?

"I am Oscar of Borg! .... Resistance is futile you will be assimilated".
 

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These Barnacks are fun to use and whenever I use my IIIf, photos are somehow different compared to what I get with my Ms. One thing I noticed for me is that the design and position of the shutter release button allows me to use slower shutter speeds (1/15s) compared to my M cameras.
 
Like others here, I find my Barnack (a IIIf RD) an absolute joy, despite all its drawbacks. Besides, when I last used it, taking pictures at London's Covent Garden a couple of weeks ago, three different guys came up to me and asked, in wonder, "Is that a LEICA?" They were tickled pink I was still using one. I was too.
 
visiondr said:
Are there REAL PHOTOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGES aside from size. Fun, maybe. Kind of like a saucy redhead. But, not a life partner.
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Girls love them [Barnacks].
 
I'm using only my IIf, trying to get the novelty of it out of my system before returning to my Ms. Only thing is that the 'novelty' is not going away at all, so I'm thinking now that it must be just the pure pleasure of using this little jewel which makes me not want to put it down. It's definitely addictive.

Richard
 
I've been shooting with my M's for ten years, since I inherited my first Leica, and over the past three years or so, I've begun to lust after a little Barnack camera. In my continuing quest to carry less, I'm dreaming of a III to mate with a collapsable 50 and my CV 21 as a kit to make my M3 look big. Damn you all for this thread- I was DONE!
 
Congrats on your new LTM. While there is no real photographic advantage to using a Barnack and some real disadvantages, I think that is what makes them interesting to use. You get a real appreciation of what the old photographers had to go through/put up with and still come away with outstanding photos. I just got an aux finder for my 50 and that really added to the fun of using my Barnacks. Enjoy.

Bob
 
For many years I thought nothing beats my M3 but last week I just get a IIIF RD and I really like it. I fit in my hand much better than M3. I enjoy it because it is totally different than my IIIC thanks to the better contrast RF and different vulcanite texture.
 
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