M4 vs M4-2 and lens thoughts.

[waileong]

Seriously? This is the route to missing the point if you ask me.

Buy a Leica, enjoy it. Try some lenses, sell the ones you don't like and keep the one's you do. You don't need to be an experienced Leica anything to know that your eyes tell you and acknowledge what you like. I would recommend to go for a FL you like (I personally am a great fan of 35mm as a flexible single FL) and buy something that is popular and meets your speed/size requirements. Experiment from there if you are not too busy taking pictures that you like just fine as they are!

Can you appreciate the difference in handling between a Ferrari and a Porsche if you're not an experienced sports car driver?

Too many newbies worry about whether this lens has the Leica "glow" or that lens has the Zeiss "look" that they are paralysed with indecision.

To me, newbies should worry more about composition, exposure and other basic parameters of photography. Whether the lens projects a Leica look is really unimportant when starting out.

Once they have the basics nailed, then they can move on to the higher order variables, like the Planar look or the Tessar look or the Leica glow.

 

[MCTuomey]

so totifoto, have you made a purchase yet? curious to see which direction you take, whether the discussion has swayed you from your M4 preference.

 

[shadowfox]

The whole budget I have now is about 1700$.

I would say you're amply-budgeted 🙂

You could go straight to an M6 or M7 with that budget but to me, it's more fun to build your kit as you get to know them.

My budget is far lower when I decided to get into the M-system. I got started with an M4-P and have not yet find a reason to "upgrade" it 🙂

Now lenses, I find that one of the most significant decision I had to make is to use 50mm or 35mm lens. Why not both? because I personally think an RF camera is meant to be used with only one lens. Sssh, it'll ruffle some feathers around here if said too loudly 😉

I am a 35mm guy, so with that in mind, you can get the Nokton classic 35/1.4 and still have a lot of your remaining budget for film, scanner, processing, software (or darkroom).

Now, MC or SC... hmmm.... 😛

 

[totifoto]

Thanx for all the answers guys 😉

All this discussion has made me more excited about getting the M4 🙂

I forgot to mention that I live in Iceland and buying a camera from another country gives me a little lower budget that 1700$ for the camera + lens. I also have to pay shipping and 24.5% taxes when it arrives.

I found a Leica M6 ttl here in Iceland with a 50mm cron. he wants 1574$ for it, that is 200000 icelandic kronas. I´m also gonna give that camera a look.

 

[Graham Line]

Thanx for all the answers guys 😉

All this discussion has made me more excited about getting the M4 🙂

I forgot to mention that I live in Iceland and buying a camera from another country gives me a little lower budget that 1700$ for the camera + lens. I also have to pay shipping and 24.5% taxes when it arrives.

I found a Leica M6 ttl here in Iceland with a 50mm cron. he wants 1574$ for it, that is 200000 icelandic kronas. I´m also gonna give that camera a look.

M6ttl sounds like a deal if you're facing that big an excise bite on an import. I use an M4-P with mostly a 35/2.5 Voigtlander, and get the results I want. Except in real low light . . .

 

[MCTuomey]

in that case, i'd take the "home-based" M6ttl in a heartbeat, assuming it's in reasonable shape. the 24.5% is a large bite from your budget, too large to ignore if you can avoid it by buying locally.

 

[HuubL]

I second the home brew! That's a good price for a M6ttl + a 50 cron. if they're clean and don't need a CLA, it would be a great deal even. It would disturb me very much having to pay so much tax and then to discover the M4 needed a €200 CLA.

 

[totifoto]

I´m gonna call the guy tomorrow and check that M6 out.

2 questions though:

Can I still shoot at all speeds without the battery in the M6 ttl?

Do all "crons" have focusing tab?

I have a Canonett and it has a focusing tab and like it alot, thought it was kindaa of a hazzle at first but got used to it very fast and now I want tab on all my manual lenses 🙄

 

[Al Kaplan]

No, not all 50mm Summicrons have a focusing tab. My second version from the late sixties or there abouts doen't have one.

 

[WoolenMammoth]

you can shoot at all speeds with the M6TTL, the battery is just for the light meter (which isnt that great). If you tend to frame your subjects at frame edge, you might despise the finder, its not *nearly* as accurate as the finder in an M4, 3, or 2. Review the M8 discussions on the accuracy of the finder, the M6 finder behaves the same, most people just dont notice it.

The v3 black cron doesnt have a tab and has a longer throw than the tabbed version.

 

[calexg]

I have the 50/2 v3 and it does not have a tab. Doesn't really affect me personally. I easily figured out how to focus without one. =P