Austerby
Well-known
Over the past few years I have acquired a substantial amount of RF cameras and lenses and now it’s time to reduce my collection to the core elements that I actually use rather than the ones I was curious about but find don’t appeal so much to me any more.
I have decided that I specifically want to use my RF gear for manual monochrome photography – i.e. no electronic metering or battery dependency in the camera. I shall use Sunny 16 or an external meter. This is because I want to concentrate on building my photographic skills in this area. I shall look to reduce the film types and developers I have been experimenting with too.
Colour photography will be digital and electronic using a compact or dSLR. I also have my old Hasselblad kit for further manual monochrome analogue photography.
As I don’t want to carry two RF bodies this leads me to one camera with a selection of lenses that all work specifically well in monochrome imagery. These are not necessarily the absolute best lenses of those that I have, but ones that can bring specific benefits to my black and white photography. I want to have the full range from wide to long.
From my existing kit that would mean keeping my Leica M3 – my first and still my favourite M.
The lenses I would keep are:
a) 15/4.5 VC Heliar – for it’s extraordinary perspective
b) 25/2.8 CZ Biogon – it’s sharp, wide and delivers stunning tonality, works well with external viewfinder on M3.
c) 50/1.5 CZ Sonnar – charismatic drawing
d) 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit – useful, small and handy
e) 135/4 Tele-Elmar – has proven surprisingly useful on an M to me
I would therefore sell:
1) Leica IIIa – great little camera but experiments completed
2) Leica M2 – great but there’s just something about the M3…
3) Leica MP 0.58 – great but I don’t need the metering
4) Leica M7 (0.72) – great but I don’t need the AE or metering
5) Voigtlander R3A – great but I don’t need the AE or metering
a) 25/4 VC Skopar – a great lens but duplicates focal length of CZ 25mm, smaller but slower
b) 28/2.8 Elmarit-Asph – lost out compared to CZ 25mm
c) 35/2.5 VC Skopar – not a fan of 35mm focal length
d) 50/1 Noctilux – interesting to use but experiments completed.
e) 50/1.4 Summilux Asph – prefer b&w look of CZ Sonnar for my photos
f) 50/2 Summicron – lovely look from it but I don’t need this as well as CZ Sonnar
g) 50/3.5 Elmar – interesting to use, great results but limited handling.
h) 50/2 Summar – interesting to use but experiments completed
i) 50/2 Summitar – interesting to use but experiments completed
j) 75/2 Summicron – a great lens but no framelines on the M3 and the 90 will do its job for me.
The lenses I’m not sure about keeping or letting go:
a) 35/2 Summicron v4 – I’m not a natural with the 35mm lenses and the M3 doesn’t have the right framelines but it is a lovely, relatively fast, small & useful lens.
b) 40/1.4 VC Nokton SC – as above – but a useful fast and small lens
c) 50/1.5 Summarit – interesting to use and fits well with the M3 but prone to flare and results can be unpredictable.
I’m aware that many regret selling lenses and cameras they once owned so I’m interested in people’s responses to my selection before I start trying to sell the unwanted items. I’m in no particular hurry to sell, so observations about the state of the market and timing of the selling welcome too.
(Please note that I'm not advertising this equipment for sale at the moment so please no offers or PMs about individual items - I will use the RFF Classifieds and other outlets when my disposal decisions have been finalised )
I have decided that I specifically want to use my RF gear for manual monochrome photography – i.e. no electronic metering or battery dependency in the camera. I shall use Sunny 16 or an external meter. This is because I want to concentrate on building my photographic skills in this area. I shall look to reduce the film types and developers I have been experimenting with too.
Colour photography will be digital and electronic using a compact or dSLR. I also have my old Hasselblad kit for further manual monochrome analogue photography.
As I don’t want to carry two RF bodies this leads me to one camera with a selection of lenses that all work specifically well in monochrome imagery. These are not necessarily the absolute best lenses of those that I have, but ones that can bring specific benefits to my black and white photography. I want to have the full range from wide to long.
From my existing kit that would mean keeping my Leica M3 – my first and still my favourite M.
The lenses I would keep are:
a) 15/4.5 VC Heliar – for it’s extraordinary perspective
b) 25/2.8 CZ Biogon – it’s sharp, wide and delivers stunning tonality, works well with external viewfinder on M3.
c) 50/1.5 CZ Sonnar – charismatic drawing
d) 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit – useful, small and handy
e) 135/4 Tele-Elmar – has proven surprisingly useful on an M to me
I would therefore sell:
1) Leica IIIa – great little camera but experiments completed
2) Leica M2 – great but there’s just something about the M3…
3) Leica MP 0.58 – great but I don’t need the metering
4) Leica M7 (0.72) – great but I don’t need the AE or metering
5) Voigtlander R3A – great but I don’t need the AE or metering
a) 25/4 VC Skopar – a great lens but duplicates focal length of CZ 25mm, smaller but slower
b) 28/2.8 Elmarit-Asph – lost out compared to CZ 25mm
c) 35/2.5 VC Skopar – not a fan of 35mm focal length
d) 50/1 Noctilux – interesting to use but experiments completed.
e) 50/1.4 Summilux Asph – prefer b&w look of CZ Sonnar for my photos
f) 50/2 Summicron – lovely look from it but I don’t need this as well as CZ Sonnar
g) 50/3.5 Elmar – interesting to use, great results but limited handling.
h) 50/2 Summar – interesting to use but experiments completed
i) 50/2 Summitar – interesting to use but experiments completed
j) 75/2 Summicron – a great lens but no framelines on the M3 and the 90 will do its job for me.
The lenses I’m not sure about keeping or letting go:
a) 35/2 Summicron v4 – I’m not a natural with the 35mm lenses and the M3 doesn’t have the right framelines but it is a lovely, relatively fast, small & useful lens.
b) 40/1.4 VC Nokton SC – as above – but a useful fast and small lens
c) 50/1.5 Summarit – interesting to use and fits well with the M3 but prone to flare and results can be unpredictable.
I’m aware that many regret selling lenses and cameras they once owned so I’m interested in people’s responses to my selection before I start trying to sell the unwanted items. I’m in no particular hurry to sell, so observations about the state of the market and timing of the selling welcome too.
(Please note that I'm not advertising this equipment for sale at the moment so please no offers or PMs about individual items - I will use the RFF Classifieds and other outlets when my disposal decisions have been finalised )
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