Should I consolidate to just Leica?

S

snaggs

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I've paid for a M9 and have been waiting around like everyone else. I bought a 2nd hand 35 cron asph and borrowed a M8.2 to play with. Wow, this is the handling that I wanted in a digital. Simple mechanical like my FM3a.

Now the question is, I have a bunch of Nikon stuff, and if I ebayed the lot, I could buy the Hermes MP + 35 cron thats on ebay atm.

28mm AI-S PC-Nikkor (NIB, never got round to using it!)
35mm AI-S f/1.4
85mm AI-S f/1.4
Nikon F6
Nikon FM3a & the rare tiny SB-30
Nikon AI-P 45mm

Its hard to sell things you like, but I would have a film body to accompany my M9 and all one system.

Do you think it would be a dumb move?

Daniel.
 
I can see wanting an MP, but why the Hermes edition? Get the best, cheapest MP you can find, buy some leather from Cameraleather.com and put the rest into glass.
 
This hermes edition on ebay is "used" and *shock horror* there is a mark on the camera.

So the price is really only about $500 more than buying the cheapest MP on ebay and a cron.

Given its looks darn nice and has an all chrome cron, why not?

Daniel.
 
Given your Nikon equipment, it may make sense to simplify to an M mount system for both film and digital, especially since you seem to prefer the handling of an RF. There are situations where it may be advantageous to have an SLR/DSLR (sports, macro, etc...) but it doesn't sound like you shoot those kinds of images (as you stated, you haven't even gotten around to using your PC-Nikkor).
 
Excellent way to use your M mount lenses. However, a digital SLR offers zoom lenses, which at times can be invaluable.
 
Why on earth would you want to limit your photography? :(I use both Nikon and Leica on a daily basis for different tasks.
 
i wouldn't bother, unless the nikon stuff is just lying around. even then, i wouldn't get a hermes mp.

i think the hermes mp body is kind of ugly, but the chrome 35mm summicron asph is nice because it has a chrome focusing tab. the chrome lenses usually have a black anodized focusing tab, which strikes me as pretty lame! it doesn't match at all. the chrome hood, ick. that should be black.

if your 35mm summicron asph is black, i would rather get a black paint mp, or better yet, a black chrome leica mp a la carte.
 
That leica hermes + summicron goes for 7200$. I would never get it.
You say you already have a cron asph - so no need for another one. A used mp body (non-fancy-hermes) goes for ~2500. Get just that.
Additionally I'd keep the fm3a (maybe reducing the number of lenses)- great camera and quite different system from the mp.
my 2 c
 
Agreed. It's good to be prepared for other types of photography than what a rangefinder can do. For myself, in 35mm, Leica glass gives me the quality I want, and only Leica glass. So for small, carry around cameras it's the Leica M bodies (or in my case, the M body). If I am going to shoot a portrait or shoot in low light I much prefer an SLR, and here I can use a Leicaflex SL and R lenses, or a Nikon film body w/ a Leitax adapter and my R glass, so I'm covered. If I needed a long lens I would probably be in trouble w/ the Leica glass, but I don't shoot those anymore. It's only in MF that I have to use non Leica stuff. The Heliar lenses on the Bessas, and the Rokkor lenses on the Minolta Autocords give me Leica-like 3-D looks, but I've decided to shoot a Super Ikonta IV w/ Tessar as it is one heck of a great camera and lens combination. The hard part in all this was going through all the different camera/lens combinations, and then the different film formats until I found what worked for me. Seriously, it has taken years.
 
i have one area of photography that interests me and a rf camera with a few lenses is all i need to shoot it. if you are in a similar position then i say yes, consolidate.
if your needs are diversified then, no.
 
The main reason I keep reflexes is for long lens landscapes and pack shots, and I'm perfectly happy with Nikon Fs for that (I have five). But I'm thinking of getting some more Viso-fit lenses to get around that problem. I don't shoot sports and wildlife, so I don't need fast handling, and I simply don't like zooms very much. A lot depends on what you shoot, and how.

Cheers,

R.
 
Keep what you have and get a Nikon D700. AiS lenses work fine on it in M or A mode.

There wouold be no way I would buy a film camera today unless I already had some and a darkroom.
 
Spent more time with the 8.2, it doesn't shoot like a DX camera, being 1.3 crop makes a difference. Very happy with the results, I might sell the lot and put a deposit on a Noctilux 0.95!

I can't imagine I'll be bothering with the Nikon's anymore. When I shoot my FM3a I'm 90% of the time shooting the 35mm, which is why i thought Leica would suit me.

web.jpg
 
Daniel,

I did something similar but somewhat reverse. I sold my Leicas and went all Nikon. This gave me a Rangefinder and SLR system that focused, adjusted aperture and handled the same way (FTn & S3-2000). For me it's about as perfect as it gets.

Like Roger I really only used the SLR system for longer lenses and macro even though I carried a 28/2.8 for backup incase the RF went south. As you have an M9 the point to take off I switch your SLR kit to a Leica system and cut back to a few lenses (3 or 4 max) lenses.

B2 (;->
 
Jeez the guy has the wherewhitall to earn enough $dough$ to afford all this expensive junk and he leaves the decision-making to a bunch of random forum dudes?

I have some real estate in Uganda....
 
Frank Petronio said:
Jeez the guy has the wherewhitall to earn enough $dough$ to afford all this expensive junk and he leaves the decision-making to a bunch of random forum dudes?

I have some real estate in Uganda....
Click to expand...

Its nice to have people challenge your decisions, they might have gone through a similar process before and have a more informed perspective.
 
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