Exiting Leica M: what did you go for instead

[gbroadbridge]

Yeah, so I want to exit rangefinders, and probably stay with SLRs (the ones I own, R). thoughts?
Just curious if someone went from 35mm M to something entirely different, not another 35mm.

The whole M stuff will net a nice sum, but thats not really the point.

Maybe take some photos instead of playing camera guy

 

[koraks]

I am just curiously sourcing other people's experiences and input. Hope thats ok.

Knock yourself out. You've got 1600+ posts to your name with essentially the same question. The answer is just around the corner, I'm sure.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Knock yourself out. You've got 1600+ posts to your name with essentially the same question. The answer is just around the corner, I'm sure.

Sure.

So, happy to hear from members how their life after M/Rangefinders looked like.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Maybe take some photos instead of playing camera guy

Sure. But this section of the forum is certainly not for posting photos.

 

[MattKing]

This section of the forum is about photography and the particular attributes of the cameras referred to as Rangefinders.
If your plan is to look for something other than 35mm rangefinder cameras, and you are already content with your 35mm SLRs, I'm not sure what you are going to gain from talking about non-rangefinders in a rangefinder sub-forum.
While most of us enjoy camera equipment related discussions, camera equipment isn't the reason we are here.
This is taken with a medium format rangefinder that is about ten times the size of a Leica M - a Koni-Omega:

The nature of the camera has little to do with the qualities of the result. In fact, I no longer have that camera, because although the results from it were really satisfying to me, its ergonomics and size and weight made it particularly unsuitable for my use.

 

[tcolgate]

You've not said what kind of photography you do. If all I wanted to do was street photography, I'd go with a TLR. People seem to find them a lot less threatening. But if you want a small SLR, Olympus is a great option. If you want the biggest variety of kit and lenses then Nikon seems to be the way to go.

 

[RezaLoghme]

This section of the forum is about photography and the particular attributes of the cameras referred to as Rangefinders.
If your plan is to look for something other than 35mm rangefinder cameras, and you are already content with your 35mm SLRs, I'm not sure what you are going to gain from talking about non-rangefinders in a rangefinder sub-forum.
While most of us enjoy camera equipment related discussions, camera equipment isn't the reason we are here.
This is taken with a medium format rangefinder that is about ten times the size of a Leica M - a Koni-Omega:
View attachment 426106
The nature of the camera has little to do with the qualities of the result. In fact, I no longer have that camera, because although the results from it were really satisfying to me, its ergonomics and size and weight made it particularly unsuitable for my use.

Sure. Please recommend the most suitable section of the forum for this topic then.

 

[RezaLoghme]

You've not said what kind of photography you do. If all I wanted to do was street photography, I'd go with a TLR. People seem to find them a lot less threatening. But if you want a small SLR, Olympus is a great option. If you want the biggest variety of kit and lenses then Nikon seems to be the way to go.

Yes, mainly street/"reportage".

Maybe TLR is a good idea, althought I am conscious of focussing. WLF proved to be a bit unreliable for me, but maybe with zone focussing it could work.

I am worried that I will have to switch systems altogether and end up in the world of d****.

Let's continue the conversation elsewhere once Matt has recommended a better section of the forum.

 

[logan2z]

The little rangefinder square in the viewfinder is becoming more and more difficult.

Have you tried a viewfinder magnifier? Leica and Light Lens Lab make a 1.4x magnifier that might help you see the rangefinder patch a bit more easily. If you have a Leica dealer nearby I'm sure they'd let you try out one of the Leica magnifiers. Might be worth a shot before giving up on your Leica M...

 

[RezaLoghme]

Have you tried a viewfinder magnifier? Leica and Light Lens Lab make a 1.4x magnifier that might help you see the rangefinder patch a bit more easily. If you have a Leica dealer nearby I'm sure they'd let you try out one of the Leica magnifiers. Might be worth a shot before giving up on your Leica M...

Actually yes. its more the concept of rangefinder focussing in general. So that crap has to go, life it soo short.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

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.

for some reason ,I can't get warm with rangefinders; I need to see what the camera sees. For me, SLRs are the way to go;aftwer switching to Nikon FM, I found my home.

 

[Don_ih]

It seems to me that you really only ask questions to tell people that they're wrong.

If you do "street/reportage" and can't use a rangefinder, but think a TLR might be good, except you don't like waist-level finders ... ah, just use your phone. Better yet, just look around and cherish the memories.

 

[RezaLoghme]

It seems to me that you really only ask questions to tell people that they're wrong.

If you do "street/reportage" and can't use a rangefinder, but think a TLR might be good, except you don't like waist-level finders ... ah, just use your phone. Better yet, just look around and cherish the memories.

Hi its not about liking or people being wrong. I am dealing with my "/&%§(§ eyes, thats all,

 

[Don_ih]

If your eyes are bad, maybe just opt for something autofocus or p&s. In decent light, aligning a rangefinder patch is easier than manually focusing an slr. Also, a rangefinder with a wide-angle lens (21mm), set to f8, set to 2-meters will get decent focus for pretty much any street photo. Good luck doing anything like that with a tlr.

 

[RezaLoghme]

If your eyes are bad, maybe just opt for something autofocus or p&s. In decent light, aligning a rangefinder patch is easier than manually focusing an slr. Also, a rangefinder with a wide-angle lens (21mm), set to f8, set to 2-meters will get decent focus for pretty much any street photo. Good luck doing anything like that with a tlr.

Yeah I am working with AF on a digital camera and the output "hit rate" is great.
But not willing to give up MF entirely.
Maybe a super fast lens for my R is the answer.

 

[Alan Johnson]

How about 645 with autofocus:

Pentax 645N

 

[Dali]

There is no pertinent answer as the original post is not a real question.

 

[Cholentpot]

Not sure whether you read my post properly.

I dont like my Leica Rangefinders anymore, and I am curious and open minded what other people might have switched to, when in the same situation.

Send them to me and I'll trade you for a Nikon of choice with a 35mm lens. If that happens I don't like my Nikon SLRs anymore.

 

[4season]

I never found any rangefinder camera particularly quick to focus, but one of the clearest rangefinder patches that I have encountered is the one on the Minolta Hi Matic F, of all things. I mostly zone-focused my Leica M photos using the distance scale on the lens, and confirmed using the rangefinder only if there was sufficient time.

Today, I shoot digitally 95% of the time, mostly with Sony A7-series, sometimes OM Micro 4/3 or Nikon Z.

For me:

• Sony A7-series has some of the best sensor technology and 3rd party support
• Olympus Pen-F is a legacy purchase, but Olympus gave it their best EVF, IBIS and sensor dust removal. It feels like a luxury product.
• Nikon Zfc is a charming entry-level product. Camera goes into energy saving very quickly, so extra button presses are often needed. But battery life is insane as a result. Kit zoom lens relies heavily on in-camera corrections which can't be switched off. But after thousands of photos, I can generally get the results that I want. The combination of lens + camera is slender and lightweight.
• Pentax 17: I can focus it by feel, by counting the number of clicks. Have gotten satisfying results from it under a variety of lighting conditions.

Other:
I've looked at Sigma's Bf, and it's like no other camera that I've encountered. A bit like Leica's TL, I think of it as an art-object boutique camera. Hardware specifications are nothing special, but it's user interface is something else: UI encourages the photographer to visualize using different filters and aspect ratios. Gimmick or artist's tool? I haven't decided, but think it could be fun to find out.

 

[Arthurwg]

when Quickloads were still available.

Oh how wonderful they were!

 

[Arthurwg]

his is taken with a medium format rangefinder that is about ten times the size of a Leica M - a Koni-Omega:
View attachment 426106

Great picture!

 

[chuckroast]

This section of the forum is about photography and the particular attributes of the cameras referred to as Rangefinders.
If your plan is to look for something other than 35mm rangefinder cameras, and you are already content with your 35mm SLRs, I'm not sure what you are going to gain from talking about non-rangefinders in a rangefinder sub-forum.
While most of us enjoy camera equipment related discussions, camera equipment isn't the reason we are here.
This is taken with a medium format rangefinder that is about ten times the size of a Leica M - a Koni-Omega:
View attachment 426106
The nature of the camera has little to do with the qualities of the result. In fact, I no longer have that camera, because although the results from it were really satisfying to me, its ergonomics and size and weight made it particularly unsuitable for my use.

Really nice image Matt.

I departed the Mamiya Universal 6x9 world for much the same reason. The images were really nice but the camera was unwieldy to use (I owned them twice over the years).

 

[MattKing]

Sure. Please recommend the most suitable section of the forum for this topic then.

I'm not sure there is one. For this sort of need, you probably have more need of a camera collector's forum than a photography forum like Photrio.

 

[skahde]

When sold my M6 I considered I was doing better with my Nikons. But now, twenty years later, I realize it was due to the kind of pictures I was taking, which favored SLRs in 35 mm as well as Medium-Format gear. It was me, not the camera.

 

[brbo]

If focusing is a problem, maybe a fixed focus camera is a sensible upgrade from a clumsy Leica M system.

Olympus XA1, Konica Pop, Horizon 202... Or if you really want to go crazy and burn some money - Kodak Ektar HF35N.


(Otherwise, I would suggest the humble WideluxX, but the first batch is already sold out.)