Sell everything and get an MP a la carte?

[BillBingham2]

Used body, tweaked to your preferred frame lines and new glass.

New body customized to you might be hard to sell if you need to.

B2 (;->

 

[SaveKodak]

The only reason I'm keeping MF and some other film cameras is because I'm emotionally attached. Two folders were from our relative who wanted to come to Canada, but passed away too early. Plus Canadian Brownie made in Toronto.
Two ELC Leica cameras, both were taken care of by recently passed away good person.
One film camera I won in contest, one like my wife and MiL have then they were on low income. Couple of more like this...
Emotional, cultural if not spiritual ties...

Mamiya 7ii with 80/4 - 2000.
Fujifilm GA645 - 400.
Rollei flex ? iib - 200.
Pentax 67 with 105/2.4 and 135/4 and 200/4 - 1500.
Canon T90 with 50/1.4 - 200.
Nikon FE with 85/2 and 50/1.8 - 300
Contax T2 - 500.
Leica M2 -500.

It is 5600, based on ebay prices, before fee is taken.
MP a la carte is about the same.

Sell, sell it all. If no emotional strings are attached just fire sell it all!

I have no idea, why some are so attached to MF. Same as OP, I do 8x10 and Leica gives it nice and easy with very special character of the Leica lens, which most of MF gear has not. Most boring in the character of lens rendering prints I ever seen are from those Japanese MF cameras. They are sharp and ... nothing else. Yes, I also printed from IIb cord (flex) lens and it is also nowhere near to Leica rendering.

Sell it all! Support Leica!

This is def off topic but if you don't see character in Pentax 67 lenses you are blind as a bat. Bruce Weber and I strongly disagree.

 

[Robert Lai]

There is certainly a very different look to medium format. Typically, the depth of field is much shallower. This is not a look that you can replicate by opening up a Summilux to f/1.4, however.

Don't forget that with the leaf shutter models, you have flash synch all the way to 1/500. With any Leica M, the flash synch speed is 1/50. Try that on a sunny day with ISO 400 film when you want some fill flash.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

This is def off topic but if you don't see character in Pentax 67 lenses you are blind as a bat. Bruce Weber and I strongly disagree.

It is not off-topic since this is big chunk of change for MP and MF is glorified here.

I have seen Pentax 67 and its lenses. I'd rather fly like a bat with M, than slow plow like a pig with this rig.

 

[ktmrider]

Do not sell everything. You will just end up buying it again or something similar. I will give you better then even odds that just about everyone here has done something similar and bought more photo equipment after selling everything at least once. I know I have done it a couple times in 50 years of playing with cameras.

I don't quite get the fascination with the MP a la carte. An M6 will do the same thing for 20% of the cost unless you are thinking MP as wearable jewelry. If you really want an MP, get a used one. They are not that hard to find mint.

 

[brennanphotoguy]

It is not off-topic since this is big chunk of change for MP and MF is glorified here.

I have seen Pentax 67 and its lenses. I'd rather fly like a bat with M, than slow plow like a pig with this rig.

They are different cameras for different uses. I'd rather shoot a portrait session with a P67 than with an M. The whole point was you said that these Japanese MF lenses have no character which is completely wrong. The Mamiya 7 and RZ lenses, yes. They are razor sharp and are made that way for a reason but the P67 lenses have character for days.

 

[______]

So what should I do?

I dunno. Why are you asking? What do you want to do?

But since your asked, I'd sell everything except the M2 and the 35/2. Shoot with them for 6 months and then decide what you want to do. Hopefully you won't need a new transmission in the interim. Sometimes life makes decisions for you.

 

[Godfrey]

Seeing as it is the new year soon, I was interested in your opinion of what I should do:

After ammassing quite a lot of gear and having lots go through my hands I'm thinking of selling everything. I would replace it all with one MP a la carte.

Currently on rotation I have: Mamiya 7ii with 80/4, Fujifilm GA645, Rolleiflex iib, Pentax 67 with 105/2.4 and 135/4 and 200/4, Canon T90 with 50/1.4, Nikon FE with 85/2 and 50/1.8, Contax T2 and Leica M2 with 50/2.8 and 35/2.

I would sell everything except the two Leica lenses and order an MP a la carte in black paint, original vulcanite, 35/50/90 frame lines and original script. It would almost be a straight swap if I do this.

So what should I do?

I can't say what you should do. I've been there and done something like this in the past, however. More than once. And each time it was good.

Nowadays, I consider a similar move but since I already have the cameras that I would like to end up with (Leica SL and Leica M-D, Hasselblad SWC), I plan to sell everything else. 🙂

G

 

[Ko.Fe.]

They are different cameras for different uses. I'd rather shoot a portrait session with a P67 than with an M. The whole point was you said that these Japanese MF lenses have no character which is completely wrong. The Mamiya 7 and RZ lenses, yes. They are razor sharp and are made that way for a reason but the P67 lenses have character for days.

I have Jane Bown book of portraits. Just gave it to our elder daughter. Some portraits in this book are taken with Rolleiflex, but most with Olympus and prime tele lens at f2.8. After studying for several weeks, I realized why she switched to Olympus. It was allowing her to "dance" around object freely.
You know, I just ordered another book to study on portraits, which worth to look at.
It is called: "An Inner Silence: The Portraits Of Henri Cartier-Bresson".

 

[back alley]

i think it's funny how some of these fine folks want to save your money...
i have thought many times how it would be nice to dump all my gear and re-start with one body and one lens...become a purist seeing only from one pov, say like from a 35mm lens...but then i realize that gear makes me happy along with a few good images occasionally...then again, the simplicity of having and carrying one body/lens is so appealing...

 

[Huss]

i think it's funny how some of these fine folks want to save your money...
i have thought many times how it would be nice to dump all my gear and re-start with one body and one lens...become a purist seeing only from one pov, say like from a 35mm lens...but then i realize that gear makes me happy along with a few good images occasionally...then again, the simplicity of having and carrying one body/lens is so appealing...

What if he was talking about camera bags?
😀

 

[sepiareverb]

I'd say go for it, but first see if it would be cheaper to have DAG or Sherry do the work on a new stock body unless you are after one of the a la carte serial numbers. FYI, the new a la carte 'configurator' on the Leica site no longer lists the .58 or .85 VF as an option, nor frame line selections. The M7 isn't included either, tho they say if you want an M7 to write them. I will miss the hours whiled away while prints were in the wash playing with the old configurator.

I currently have a camera in NJ for a "Re-Design". I emailed today to see if they had an updated estimate on a completion date and was told that the techs were gone for the day, at 3:20....

EDIT: It seems you might be able to specify VF magnification and frame lines, as they are listed as '0.72' and 'Standard' in the summary at the end.

 

[back alley]

What if he was talking about camera bags?
😀

i can hold all my gear in 2 really big bags...but i use one smaller bag to carry stuff for the day...
with one camera/lens you might never need a bag again...😱

 

[coogee]

Seems to fit your wish list...
http://www.fotopia.com.hk/#!product/showAjax/62/Leica MP - a la carte
(except chrome not black paint)

FWIW, as an owner of an MP and an M2, I'd just keep the M2 (and all your other cameras) lovely as the MP is.

 

[mdwsta4]

Going to echo other commenters here and say find a used MP, then have the top plate swapped out from Leica. Cost to do this is about $1,000. I looked at doing the same a few years ago with my MP.

Also, keep the medium format. I've often debated about selling my Hassy since I don't use it as much anymore, but whenever I open it up and look through that waist level viewfinder, I can't get myself to get rid of it.

 

[mdwsta4]

That's great! Believe this is the first chrome MP I've come across with the classic script. This is what I was looking for a few years ago when I bought m MP.

Seems to fit your wish list...
http://www.fotopia.com.hk/#!product/showAjax/62/Leica MP - a la carte
(except chrome not black paint)

FWIW, as an owner of an MP and an M2, I'd just keep the M2 (and all your other cameras) lovely as the MP is.

 

[coelacanth]

If I were to sell bunch of stuff to get an a la carte MP, the main reason would be to get 0.58 or 0.85 magnification VF. Re-covering is easy. Masking framelines can be done relatively cheaply by Don or Youxin. VF magnification change from 0.72 mag. camera is not really cost effective.

With that thinking, if I were the OP wanting a 0.72 magnification camera, I'd rather keep the M2. And use this opportunity (that I'm considering a consolidation) to sell some underused stuff and buy film or travel.

 

[tuanvinh2000]

Think about the end results. More format allows you to create different kind of pictures. The leicas are good with fast paced work. But when you have time, mf forces you to slow down interact w your subjects and when the light is right its so much better. Im on the opposite camp thinking of leaving leica and just shoot my mamiya 6/rollei combos. Final results matter use what you need to make them. Dont have to trim your tools too much, there will be time you want a diff kind of pic then switch around your tools. Get an mp though if thats what you like to have. It wears off though i have lot of friends who trade their mp for m6. I like metered leica, i hate overconfidence then have under exposed negs.

 

[Mute-on]

As for the Leicas, keep the M2 for your 50mm, and buy a 0.58 MP for your 35. They both offer a similar eye relief with the viewfinder magnification, and there are no 135 frame lines in a 0.58. I use this as a two body travel combination and love it!
Sell whatever you don't use or want in order to add the MP, but that's entirely your choice.
Good luck!
Cheers
J 🙂



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Nowhereman]

twhittle - I see no problem at all in selling the medium format stuff if you've decided that what you like is the "35mm aesthetic". Must say that I've never been interested in a medium format camera because I prefer the 35mm look.

Also, I've never wanted to buy used cameras, considering all the mechanical stuff that may need a CLA. But a couple of weeks ago, having mused vaguely about ordering a new M-A or MP, I came across a listing for a mint-looking single stroke M3 from a Japanese eBay vendor. I ended up buying it for $350 less than an EX++ listed M3 at Tamarkin, which is probably the correct classification for the M3 I got.

The camera came in three days: it works perfectly and looks great — there is only some scuffing on the top plate that wasn't visible in the eBay pictures; but I can't even see the scuffing unless I put on my reading glasses. The dealer said the camera had a CLA a month earlier: perfect viewfinder, easier and quicker to focus than my M6 (0.85x VF); perfect shutter; the smooth M3 film advance; and new vulcanite. Glad I didn't buy a new M-A, as I prefer the M3 viewfinder.

Incidentally, I don't think vulcanite is still available from Leica — you may want to check.
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Alone in Bangkok essay on BURN Magazine