Why leica M film w/o multiexposure?

D

davidtth

Established
Local time
1:52 AM
Joined
Sep 16, 2007
Messages
62
correct me if i'm wrong... i came across many leica M film bodies from M2,3,4,6,7,MP but it seems none of them have the multiple exposure feature?

out of curious...just wonder any particular reason why not ? :)
 
I wonder myself but at why other cameras do have this useless feature. The only legitimate reason to use such a feature where the effects cannot be duplicated during printing, traditional or digital would be for some sort of time lapse photography.
 
I'm assuming because the camera's intended purpose was portability and that evolved into a preferred user base of journalists. And they had no need for the trick. Just one more thing to go wrong.
 
swoop said:
I'm assuming because the camera's intended purpose was portability and that evolved into a preferred user base of journalists. And they had no need for the trick. Just one more thing to go wrong.
Click to expand...

seconded,rugged mechanics over a not super useful function.
 
Yes, basically a feature against nature of photography...

Thinking of the most relevant images in history, none of them captured more than one amazing single exposure...

Cheers,

Juan
 
It is possible to do multiple exposures on a Leica M.. In fact I have been working on a project of double exposures all done on my M6 some of which can be seen on my Flickr stream http://www.flickr.com/photos/orenrcohen/
Try rewinding at the end of a roll (but not all the way, so that you leave enough outside the casing to rethread) and shoot it twice..

Oren..
 
Well honestly multi exposure is not something I use often but, it is useful. Years ago (many) I read a Les McLean book where I learned to split up a long exposure into many shorter ones exposed on the same frame. If you are taking a landscape for example of a rising tide or running stream. The results can be quite dramatic and beautiful. Google some of his work to find examples. Breaking a 1 sec exposure into 10x 1/100th over a 1/2 hr on a rising tide can give a very haunting and beautiful effect. Same case in a night city scape. Try before you deny tripod must apply ;)
 
Because Leica decided double exposure prevention is more important than double exposure capability. Personally, I agree & am thankful the camera does not have this "feature."
 
hummm, multiple exposure...Quoting from above:
useless feature
no need for the trick
not super useful function
against nature of photography

I wish I would have known this earlier, no one ever told me I guess.
Learn something new everyday.
 
Multiple exposure has its own place in photography... An irrelevant one. It doesn't mean it can't be done. It's a field that's opposite to the brilliant capture of one instant reflecting human emotions. A movie is not a photograph, but more than one...

I did it several times, with Nikon and Hasselblad, changing lenses and also with the same lens for the moon in different places, and the last time I did it was when I was a first year student of photography... It doesn't make me happy anymore in any way, because my photography doesn't want two moments inside an image, but it can be done... Great multiple exposure images? I have never seen them after lots of them, and I have never been moved by any of them, no matter the photographer. Multiple exposure is a technical curiosity more than anything else... Maybe as I already went through it seriously it means nothing to me now.

Cheers,

Juan
 
sonofdanang said:
Wow. Anything else I should know about that is verboten? I mean come on.

1. Multiple exposures are easily made with M-bodies using at least two different methods, one of which has been referenced above.

2. Jay Maisel made incredible images of Stonehenge at night with an immense full moon in the background. One of the few times that he "manipulated" an image, shooting the moon with a rather long lens and then shooting Stonehenge with something rather less long - on the same frame. Yes, he used a Nikon SLR, but that's beside the point.

God forbid we should ever underexpose, overexpose, shoot "too" wide, shoot "too" long, shoot multiple exposures on one frame, "Hamilton-ize" lenses, physically manipulate emulsions, embrace noise, grain, or do anything else with a medium that isn't approved... But, I understand... It is hard to come up with valid lens test data when shooting double exposures.

Amazing.
Click to expand...

Hi there,

It's you and your spirit who are talking about lots of different things I never even mentioned... Just do it and enjoy it now you do... You're amazingly free, more than others, OK... With a multiple exposure you don't make a photograph, but several photographs... It's that simple... One exposure is another thing. Another field... All this shouldn't affect you...

Cheers,

Juan
 
Juan, could you please define 1 moment?

Is it ok for me to use a shutter speed of e.g. 1 second?

thanks
 
well, reason why i came thru this function is because

1. sometime i accidentally fire the shutter with lens cap on, at least with multi exposure button i can save my film *my silly mistake, i know :p

2. i do landscape with my M2, i do multi expose in certain situation like i'm using my xpan in exposure controlling
 
The shot Andreas Feininger did with the navy helicopter - would that be considered multi exposure though it was done with strobes? The OP asked about a button on his camera not whether the genre has merit. I say for time lapse yes and overlapping shots no. Just personal preference. YMMV.
 
The reason for no multi exposure on Ms is probably because Leica does not think it is any need for it. Mechanically (I believe) it is not very difficult to implement it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom