First negatives from new Leica........

[Nicole]

Nicole, I highly recommend a Leica. If there's any way you could get one you will own it for life and never regret buying it.

Jim, the M6 or preferably M7 is the only thing on my Christmas wish-list... I'm just not sure which Christmas Santa can make it.

 

[clay]

Knob, Single-throw or Multiple-throw?

Maybe it's the way I shot when I was growing up, but I just don't get a sense of closure when shooting with my Canon EOS -- No satisfying thumb throw after each shot. Myself, I just can't see shooting with a 35 that has a knob to advance the film. Ideally, I'd like a single-throw lever. I guess that limts the field quite a bit.
​

Don't rule out a Leica IIIf or IIIg with an Abrahamsson rapidwinder attached to it. (www.rapidwinder.com) It makes the knob wind leicas as fast or faster than a lever wind M version. IIIf's are generally cheap and there are a whole lot of interesting lenses out there for the screwmount leicas. And as far as resolving power goes, most lenses will converge in quality at about f/8. If you shoot mostly in daylight, I wouldn't sweat the lens choice too much.

 

[chuck94022]

Nicole,

I highly recommend a Leica. If there's any way you could get one you will own it for life and never regret buying it.

I own two rangefinders, but have never owned a Leica. I have a an Oly 35RD and a Mamiya 6MF. I've been reading all this Leica lust, not believing anything could be *that* much better than either my lowly 35RD or my "texas leica".

This week I happened to stop at the Leica counter at my local camera emporium (Keeble and Schuchat in Palo Alto, CA). I asked to play with the nice new Leica behind the counter.

Oh my God, when I pressed the shutter, it was like... like... like how I imagined Luke Skywalker felt when tempted by the dark side of the force. So seductive, so, so, right...

I never walked out of the a camera store so quickly in my life! Two more seconds and I'd have been in deep, deep trouble!

-chuck

 

[rbarker]

. . . I never walked out of the a camera store so quickly in my life! Two more seconds and I'd have been in deep, deep trouble!

You're lucky, Chuck. They keep tripping me as I try to run out the door.

For any given print size, negs from your "Texas Leica" would likely outshine those from a real Leica, though. The difference is in size and other features that makes a Leica M so seductive. Then again, some people feel the say way about Contax RFs (even with spit balls on the lens ).

 

[Tom Duffy]

Bjorke,
Those admittedly superlative optics are also tied to a noisy, slow, autofocus system, with a not so great viewfinder. (not really the case with the 21mm which uses a separate finder).

I own some sharp lenses for my Leica, but my favorite remains the 50mm f1.4 Summilux which doesn't get very good reviews, but has an image quality which lends itself to people pictures.

It's not about the camera or lens, individually, but the package. The Leica has never been equalled. Consider this a spitball across your bow...
Take care,
Tom

 

[bjorke]

Hee hee... actually my main point was to knock over the silly straw man that any single piece of equipment is "best," though one of these days I'm going to just have to make a wee web page on my site just to educate the world on the correct way to use the G2 autofocus — a method that's quiet and quicker than anything I've managed with a Leica (I've had IIIc and M5 models in years gone by).

Current 45mm Zeiss on ebay: ~$150
Current 50mm Summicron: ~$650
Current 50mm Summilux: ~$1300

So for someone like me shooting HP5, the difference is about 300 rolls of film and processing -- for the Summilux almost 700 rolls or 25,000+ exposures. And that's not even bothering with the cost difference between additional lenses or between a G2 body and a beat-up M4

One wonders if that reasoning played a part in the minds of switchers to Contax like Luc Delahaye, Robert Frank, or William Eggleston...

 

[Jeremy]

Hee hee... actually my main point was to knock over the silly straw man that any single piece of equipment is "best," though one of these days I'm going to just have to make a wee web page on my site just to educate the world on the correct way to use the G2 autofocus — a method that's quiet and quicker than anything I've managed with a Leica (I've had IIIc and M5 models in years gone by).

Do share! I was looking at a G1 or G2 for my bang around 35mm, but after hearing so much bad press I passed. Please make a new post or send me a PM!

 

[AndrewH]

Jeremy, what do you want to know about the G2, I have been shooting one for about 3 or 4 years now.

 

[etriplett]

I've had my G1 for two months and I can say that it is definitely worth the $$. I have had many compliments on how sharp those optics are. I would like to hear about the tips that others have for focus.

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

Got my G1 in 1995 and got a G2 when they first appeared - later got a second G2 body. I have all the lenses - except the zoom. I have taken thousands of pictures with them with zero problems.

BTW, I also have a couple M3 Leicas. The M3s are fine cameras, but when I shoot rangefinder 35 it is with the Contaxes.

 

[bjorke]

Do share! I was looking at a G1 or G2 for my bang around 35mm, but after hearing so much bad press I passed. Please make a new post or send me a PM!

Ask and ye shall receive: my amazing guide to correct Contax G2 focusing

 

[Jim Moore]

Hee hee... actually my main point was to knock over the silly straw man that any single piece of equipment is "best,"

I sure hope that you don't consider me a "silly straw man".

I never said that Leica was the "Best". I only told Nicole that in my opinion she would not regret buying one

Jim

 

[etriplett]

Ask and ye shall receive: my amazing guide to correct Contax G2 focusing

Thank you thank you tank you...

 

[kwmullet]

Ask and ye shall receive: my amazing guide to correct Contax G2 focusing

I really enjoyed reading your Contax AF blog. I had to back up a link and browse around and wow...
http://www.botzilla.com/photo/journal/snowed.html
...I came across one of the best monochrome images to ever grace my display. stunning, man. Stunning.

bravo.

-KwM-

(I return you now to the regularly scheduled topic. Just got wowed by the image.)

 

[TPPhotog]

...http://www.botzilla.com/photo/journal/snowed.html
...I came across one of the best monochrome images to ever grace my display. stunning, man. Stunning.

bravo ...

WOW I agree it is beautiful, just imagin what the print must look like!

 

[Nicole]

Bjorke, that is such a beautiful shot!!!
What limitations does the Contax G2 have? Do you know what the Contax Aria is like?
I saw a G2 recently on EBay for $2,400 AUS including 3 lenses.
Cheers, Nicole

 

[Tom Duffy]

Bjorke,
I use the same roughly the same technique with the back focus button on my Contax 645, the difference being that once it focuses, you take your finger off the button.

Nicely written article with the right amount of humorous irreverence. I do object to the term "Leica collector" rather than "Leica user", perjoratively implying that Leica owners don't "use" their cameras...

Besides, I've discovered a method to get over my depression when ever I get down about emotionally buying my Millennium M6 for far too much money to replace an M4 that cost me $525.00 new, and which I've used enough (the Millennium) to turn into a "user"... I watch the movie "Eurotrip" which stars a Leica M7 with it's "legendary cloth focal plane shutter" that "makes a Nikon look like a disposable".

So keep those slings and arrows coming, I'll just selectively tape Eurotrip, eliminating all the human sex scenes and keeping the scenes involving the ultimate sex symbol, the Leica M7...
Take care,
Tom

 

[zenrhino]

Ask and ye shall receive: my amazing guide to correct Contax G2 focusing

Holy Shatner. That was a fantastic image.

 

[Nicole]

Well, I've decided to put my pennies away and save up for the M7 anyway and just make do for now. The other option for me is the XPan. I'm not being snobby or anything, just the result from a lot of research and trials, and personal preference.

 

[rbarker]

. . . I'm not being snobby or anything . . .

I was taught (by my mother, strangely enough) that a lady always retains the option of being snobby. But, she suggested the use of "selective" or "discerning", instead.

 

[John McCallum]

Nope .... sorry .... can't do that: the M7 is a Man's Camera!

 

[Mark Layne]

Current Leica lenses may be wonderful for those working in color. In B&W they are harsh and lack the tonality of older lenses and I suspect the Bokeh is not as good. Voigtlander just issued a single coated lens because some B&W workers prefer them to multicoated lenses.
Mark

 

[John McCallum]

Could you explain "harsh" Mark? Are you meaning high contrast?

btw poor fishing today :rolleyes:

 

[garryl]

Could you explain "harsh" Mark? Are you meaning high contrast?
btw poor fishing today :rolleyes:

wouldn't this be correctable with a change of development? :confused:

btw just don't spell it phishing.

 

[Nicole]

Nope .... sorry .... can't do that: the M7 is a Man's Camera!

John, that's crap! Just wait till you see what results I can get, once I actually own one!

Why is it I get excited when I see the 'oldies' posts here on APUG? By oldies, lol, I mean those with over 500 posts so far. It seems there are so many new members I can't keep up and the cosy feel has gone, lol.
SEAN, HELP! LMAO!