Exiting Leica M: what did you go for instead

[RezaLoghme]

I am thinking about getting rid of my Ms. I still have a R and related lenses which I like. I wonder if anyone here went the same route, what was your choice for a new system?
I also thought about modding my M6 (like some of the Japanese guys).

 

[mshchem]

I am thinking about getting rid of my Ms. I still have a R and related lenses which I like. I wonder if anyone here went the same route, what was your choice for a new system?
I also thought about modding my M6 (like some of the Japanese guys).

Modify? Do what? Sell everything and buy a new M6 or MP.

 

[Don_ih]

went the same route, what was your choice for a new system

W. Eugene Smith sold his M cameras and lenses to get money for booze and cigarettes (and an occasional sandwich). He ended up with a Minolta camera when he went to Minamata - took great photos. Maybe you should get an SRT200.

 

[Nitroplait]

W. Eugene Smith sold his M cameras and lenses to get money for booze and ...

Exactly, My M cameras also function as a piggybank in case I run out of booze money. Great to hear others also had their priorities straight.

 

[Klaus Mähring]

Voigtländer Bessa R2. R2M would have been even better, but also more costly.....

 

[RezaLoghme]

Ah no, I want to exit the whole rangefinder thing. But I am thinking about keeping one M and re-leatheretting it and also make some other mods.

But the question is: after rangefinders,where did you end up? I am considering to stay in SLR land. It works well for me.

 

[Don_ih]

I hear the Fotron is a nice camera.

 

[isaac7]

Ah no, I want to exit the whole rangefinder thing. But I am thinking about keeping one M and re-leatheretting it and also make some other mods.

But the question is: after rangefinders,where did you end up? I am considering to stay in SLR land. It works well for me.

I sold my Leica kit when I moved out of the country. As much as I loved shooting with my m6 and various lenses I had more pressing uses for the money tied up in them. It should be noted that while my M6hm, 50mm summicron, 35mm ASPH Summicron, and 75mm Summilux were very costly to buy they were also in the end the least expensive system I ever owned once I sold them. I think it cost me around $300 net to use that system for 4 years.

I had originally thought I would use a Horseman VHR setup for my trip to Yemen but it was just too bulky. I ended up shooting images with a Seagull 203 folding camera and a zero image pinhole. Going Lo-Fi really freed me up creatively. I used a digital point and shoot for “accurate” shots and film for more expressive ones.

As I plot getting back into film photography I have already indulged in buying some nice toys. Still love rangefinders so I now have a Konica IIIM and a Topcon 35-s. My Seagull’s shutter has self destructed as they are wont to do as has my Fujica 645s. I’m hoping my Moscva 5 (with the 6x6 insert) will scratch my medium format folder itch.

Saw a Spotmatic with one of my favorite lenses on it for cheap so I bought that as an impulse buy. Of course the deal wasn’t as good once I paid for the overhaul lol. Right now these are just toys and trinkets. If I actually do start using them regularly I might also indulge in LF again but I need to prove to myself that I am more than a collector before I jump into that world again.

 

[cyoungnashville]

I own a ridiculous amount of camera gear. it's a real problem. barnacks, m3, m4, m6, ma, mp, m11, sl3... etc. I also have a large collection of vintage Leica lenses, all in dry cabinets looking over at me in disapproval. the one camera I actually use..... an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic sp, 50mm f1.4 7-element. I have no idea why.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Yeah, so I want to exit rangefinders, and probably stay with SLRs. thoughts?
The whole M stuff will net a nice sum, but thats not really the point.

 

[Paul Howell]

I left rangefinders in the mid 80s, my IIIG and Canon 7s were my second body for many years, but when I moved to Nikon F3P I wanted a FA or FE, long story but got a FG. The FG along with the Pentax ME, Canon A1, Minolta X series bodies are light, have good meters, motor winders or drives. If you want all mechanical a CLAed Pentax MX might be worth looking into. BTW, I had intended to trade the FG in for a FA but it worked really well, not the best build quaility, as a second body with the motor drive I used it quite often with a 28 or 35 to 70. Then again spend the money on a Nikon FM3.

 

[RezaLoghme]

I own Leica R and maybe thats good enough. not sure I want to enter a parallel universe of 35mm SLRs.
Just curious if someone after leaving M system behind went for something more leftfield like 6x6 TLR or Large Format.

 

[4season]

Limiting myself to just 35 mm film SLRs, I might choose Canon EF-mount. IMO, Canon and Luigi Colani basically cracked the code for modern camera design in the 1980s. And towards the end of the film era, Canon had mastered the craft to the extent that even their plastic, entry-level models were quiet and refined. I have a Canon Rebel G fitted with a modern 40/2.8 pancake lens, and the combination makes for an excellent picture-taking appliance.

 

[4season]

Other film formats:

I am fond of 4x5 and field cameras, but have never accomplished anything of note in this format.

Love Fujifilm 6x9 rangefinder cameras, but in order to squeeze all the goodness out of the big negative, need to hold the cameras extra steady. But when it works, wow.

6x4.5 was a favorite compromise, and my favorite 6x4.5 camera was Fujifilm's GA645zi. Towards the end of film's golden era, I was also becoming very interested in Bronica's RF645.

 

[RLangham]

Nikon F2. Get you a pre-AI finder and an AI finder and you can use almost any Nikon lens worth using, for less than the cost of just an M series body. Just avoid the DP-1, it has rheostat ring issues like the old F finders. And get you a Nikkormat as a backup, they made them for both lens types.

The old Auto Nikkor-S 5cm/2.0 with the flat front element is one of the greatest normal lenses ever and they go for like $300. And F mount has adapters available that will let you use almost any m42 lenses that have a manual aperture control, which opens you up to a lot of great historic lenses if you don’t mind stopped-down metering.

 

[agentlossing]

Yeah, so I want to exit rangefinders, and probably stay with SLRs. thoughts?
The whole M stuff will net a nice sum, but thats not really the point.

I'll tell you what, Pentax autofocus K-mount film cameras are underrated. The Z-1p is probably the best/most underrated. It's even higher-rated than the MZ-S on PentaxForums.com. The SMC-F series of lenses is also underrated and underpriced.

 

[brian steinberger]

We’re not going to be able to help you. Only you ultimately know what direction you want to go. How many camera types have you tried? You never know until you try. Choose from SLR, view camera, TLR, pinhole…. Or maybe just take a break from photography for a while?

 

[RezaLoghme]

Limiting myself to just 35 mm film SLRs, I might choose Canon EF-mount. IMO, Canon and Luigi Colani basically cracked the code for modern camera design in the 1980s. And towards the end of the film era, Canon had mastered the craft to the extent that even their plastic, entry-level models were quiet and refined. I have a Canon Rebel G fitted with a modern 40/2.8 pancake lens, and the combination makes for an excellent picture-taking appliance.

Yeah I already own 35mm SLRs. No need to buy new ones.

 

[RezaLoghme]

We’re not going to be able to help you. Only you ultimately know what direction you want to go. How many camera types have you tried? You never know until you try. Choose from SLR, view camera, TLR, pinhole…. Or maybe just take a break from photography for a while?

Well I had 6x6 SLRs, Leica M and R.
Just curious if someone went from 35mm M to something entirely differnt.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Nikon F2. Get you a pre-AI finder and an AI finder and you can use almost any Nikon lens worth using, for less than the cost of just an M series body. Just avoid the DP-1, it has rheostat ring issues like the old F finders. And get you a Nikkormat as a backup, they made them for both lens types.

The old Auto Nikkor-S 5cm/2.0 with the flat front element is one of the greatest normal lenses ever and they go for like $300. And F mount has adapters available that will let you use almost ant m42 lenses that have a manual aperture control, which opens you up to a lot of great historic lenses if you don’t mind stopped-down metering.

Hi I already own 35mm SLRs (Leica R). Just curious if someone went from 35mm M to something entirely differnt.

 

[Alan Johnson]

Canon EOS 300v - Julian Tanase

Purchased in 2007, as a backup camera (main being an Olympus OM-1n at the time), for a trip I took in Greece, this Canon EOS 300v (also called Rebel Ti ...

juliantanase.com

About the lightest kit and stopped down to f8-11 pretty sharp.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Canon EOS 300v - Julian Tanase

Purchased in 2007, as a backup camera (main being an Olympus OM-1n at the time), for a trip I took in Greece, this Canon EOS 300v (also called Rebel Ti ...

juliantanase.com

About the lightest kit and stopped down to f8-11 pretty sharp.

Hi I already own 35mm SLRs (Leica R). Just curious if someone went from 35mm M to something entirely different, not another 35mm.

 

[agentlossing]

Hi I already own 35mm SLRs (Leica R). Just curious if someone went from 35mm M to something entirely different, not another 35mm.

Oh. Well... that's not what you said.

 

[Don_ih]

This place is loaded with people who routinely use numerous formats. There are generally things they're looking for that are provided by the format or equipment they choose. So, I doubt you'll find many that "gave up" a Leica to switch to medium format or large format - and if they did, it was likely due to a change in what they were doing.

The reasons to prefer a format tend to be based on what you need it to do. What do you want or need a camera to do?

 

[chuckroast]

I am thinking about getting rid of my Ms. I still have a R and related lenses which I like. I wonder if anyone here went the same route, what was your choice for a new system?
I also thought about modding my M6 (like some of the Japanese guys).

Get a IIIf or IIIg, a few clean Color-Skopars and finders and you'll still enjoy 35mm Leica RF fully.