Nikon FM3a vs Leica M7

Xmas · Jan 9, 2016

Ricardo Miranda said:
Not exactly a zoom, but Leica did a 28-35-50mm all-in-one lens: http://www.reddotcameras.co.uk/m-lenses/8281-leica-tri-elmar-28-35-50mm-f4-asph-m.html

There was a wide version as well.
And they would be usable as zooms on a dcamera with shorter registration or the Ricoh...

cuthbert · Jan 9, 2016

Xmas said:
The F, F2, & F3 were pro system cameras, some pros stayed with F2.

The FM series were semi pro but many pros adopted them, the M is manual.

The FE series similar auto aperture priority or manual

There are quirks FM before 3000000 has a manual meter switch after # auto 1st pressure, some can't abite the difference, cause they moved the shutter lock as well.

The FMs are cheap.

Yes but using an F2 or a Canon F1 for street photography is a pain, these cameras are big, heavy and relatively noisy, that's the reason many pros still used Leicas at that time.

The FM is small, but not as as good as a F2....the ultimate pro SLR is IMO the LX which is the reflex Leica never produced.

ColColt · Jan 9, 2016

I'm not a big dude at 5'-9" and 138 pounds and never found the F, F2 series big and heavy-been using them since 1978. THIS is a big, heavy camera...

P6x7 by David Fincher, on Flickr

Someonenameddavid · Jan 9, 2016

Contax G series rangefinder had zooms

CropDusterMan · Jan 9, 2016

The Leica is a great camera....elegant, well designed, and reliable. I was without one for a long while, and
recently purchased one again. How did I go so long without it?!

cuthbert · Jan 12, 2016

ColColt said:
I'm not a big dude at 5'-9" and 138 pounds and never found the F, F2 series big and heavy-been using them since 1978. THIS is a big, heavy camera...

P6x7 by David Fincher, on Flickr

Come to do street photography in London with me, I'll make you walk six hours through the city and then you'll tell me how light your F2 feels.

ColColt · Jan 12, 2016

I'd love to go but scared of flying!! Don't want to push my luck. I've been over the Atlantic six times...no more. I walked around all day and evening when the 1982 World's Fair was here with either the FTN Photomic or my 6x7 around my neck. Of course, I was in my 40's then, 40 pounds heavier and a lot better looking.

Ricardo Miranda · Jan 12, 2016

cuthbert said:
Come to do street photography in London with me, I'll make you walk six hours through the city and then you'll tell me how light your F2 feels.

Sure. I know someone who takes 3 bodies with lenses attached every weekend. Sometimes they are F2, FM or Leicas M2.
I sometimes have 3 of my OM-1 or -2 and that weights more than a F2 alone.
Why don't you come to East London (Brick Lane) and have a walk with me one of these Sundays?

flavio81 · Jan 12, 2016

Cuthbert wrote:
Yes but using an F2 or a Canon F1 for street photography is a pain, these cameras are big, heavy and relatively noisy, that's the reason many pros still used Leicas at that time.

I've done three-hour walks carrying a Mamiya RB67 with 90mm lens and WLF. Cuthberth, come to do street photography in Lima with me and then you'll find the Nikon F2 and Canon F1 incredibly light. "Pros" have also carried Rolleiflexes around the world and they are heavier than most (all?) manual focus 35mm cameras.

I agree on the noise, though.

ColColt · Jan 12, 2016

It doesn't take the Incredible Hulk to lug around an F2 all day...been there and didn't have any back or neck problems
.

Les Sarile · Jan 12, 2016

ColColt said:
It doesn't take the Incredible Hulk to lug around an F2 all day...been there and didn't have any back or neck problems
.

Dennis didn't complain about it . . .

From [url]https://cinephiliamedia.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/apocalypse-now-the-resurrection-of-movie-saturday/[/URL]

Richard S. (rich815) · Jan 12, 2016

Ricardo Miranda said:
Sure. I know someone who takes 3 bodies with lenses attached every weekend. Sometimes they are F2, FM or Leicas M2.
I sometimes have 3 of my OM-1 or -2 and that weights more than a F2 alone.
Why don't you come to East London (Brick Lane) and have a walk with me one of these Sundays?

Uh oh......IT'S ON!

Theo Sulphate · Jan 12, 2016

Perceived heaviness is all in the manner of carry. As a student, I would carry three or four textbooks home as I walked from UCLA, down Westwood Blvd., down Santa Monica Blvd., down Lincoln Blvd., to Venice - seven miles total, five days a week. An RB67 is lighter.

flavio81 said:
I've done three-hour walks carrying a Mamiya RB67 with 90mm lens and WLF. Cuthberth, come to do street photography in Lima with me and then you'll find the Nikon F2 and Canon F1 incredibly light.

"I am Hans and you are Franz and we are here to pump you up!"

Sirius Glass · Jan 12, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Perceived heaviness is all in the manner of carry. As a student, I would carry three or four textbooks home as I walked from UCLA, down Westwood Blvd., down Santa Monica Blvd., down Lincoln Blvd., to Venice - seven miles total, five days a week. An RB67 is lighter.

At least that was all down hill. How did you get to UCLA in the morning? Did you float like a bee?

Theo Sulphate · Jan 12, 2016

Sirius Glass said:
At least that was all down hill. How did you get to UCLA in the morning? Did you float like a bee?

Westwood was downhill - the rest seemed flat to me. I had to be in class early, so I took the #3 bus from Windward Ave.: 20 cents with a Student Card. I'm sure I have photos of these daily journeys, as I often took my one and only camera with me.

I don't remember any other students ever having a camera with them.

atufte · Jan 13, 2016

My vote is the FM3A, this is a workhorse no matter what people here tell you...mine have been used for years in wartime Irak and Afganistan, and
is still in superb working condition...

narsuitus · Jan 13, 2016

Atufte,

Congratulations on your first post after all these years.

Out of curiosity, how many bodies and which lenses did you use in wartime Iraq and Afghanistan?

Sean Mac · Jan 13, 2016

atufte said:
My vote is the FM3A, this is a workhorse no matter what people here tell you...mine have been used for years in wartime Irak and Afganistan, and
is still in superb working condition...

That looks like a real working tool

Thanks

Sirius Glass · Jan 13, 2016

atufte said:
My vote is the FM3A, this is a workhorse no matter what people here tell you...mine have been used for years in wartime Irak and Afganistan, and
is still in superb working condition...

Welcome to APUG

monkowa · Jan 13, 2016

This is almost as bad as the dead horse known as film vs. digital.

Sirius Glass · Jan 13, 2016

monkowa said:
This is almost as bad as the dead horse known as film vs. digital.

Wait they have not gotten into the rangefinders are quieter, range finders are lighter versus range finders are light weights, SLRs wysiwyg and range finders have parallax spats yet. Let the entertainment continue.

DREW WILEY · Jan 13, 2016

There must be some reason Home on the Rangefinder was such a popular tune. I don't know anything that rhymes with SLR, but prefer
them anyway.

Sirius Glass · Jan 13, 2016

I too prefer slrs. Heck I even have a Graflex Model D.

Ko.Fe. · Jan 13, 2016

Sirius Glass said:
Wait they have not gotten into the rangefinders are quieter, range finders are lighter versus range finders are light weights, SLRs wysiwyg and range finders have parallax spats yet. Let the entertainment continue.

Person you answered is correct.
Same as film vs digital, where is no SLR vs RF, as long as you really know how to use them both. But many on this thread after RF as it is SLR. And it is one sided approach. Same like digital is superior to film.

Parallax is only strongly affecting the alignment of objects. The effect with hand and something in far background "in the hand" is impossible with RF. But if it doesn't have to be extremely precise in terms of positioning it doesn't really matter as long as it is RF camera with correcting framelines.

Wysiwyg isn't so obvious. If you take picture of still apple it is one thing. If you are taking picture of apple going down on new Newton head, wysiwyg is with RF.
RF will not allow you to capture the exact correlation of different objects in space, but it will get you the moment of time calculated in one mirror blackout.

I'm taking pictures of kids jumping onto the swimming pool for sometime now. With AF DSLRs. No shutter lag at all. Yet, hard to get it without going into 10 frs burst mode.
I took film RF couple of times instead. I took one frame always per one jump and it was always perfect. Simply, because of no mirror blackout and availability to see outside of the frame while paning it in VF.

Cheers, Ko

DREW WILEY · Jan 13, 2016

All kinds of logistical issues beyond superficial preferences. For one thing, lens selection is very limited with rangefinder. For people like me
who are addicted to the narrow perspective of long lenses, rangefinders simply aren't realistic. Maybe if you're more a wide-angle addict.

Nikon FM3a vs Leica M7

Attachments

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency