Sold Everything For A Leica

Ellis666 · Feb 26, 2016

The first thing i posted on apug was my new Canon A1, at the end of 2014. Heres's a quick update.

Since then i have started university to study Engineering and last month sold pretty much all of my equipment and bought a Leica M6 + Voigtlander 35mm 1.4.

I found an old darkroom at my uni, filled with enlargers and old equipment so have started developing/scanning/printing (Actual Printing) my own stuff and it's great.

I had never used a rangefinder before but i got kinda bored of my F3+50 1.2, the F3 is the best slr i have ever used and will buy another when im no longer a poor student.

So yeah dropped a big chunk of my student loan on this and couldn't be happier with it, perfect camera and perfect darkroom setup.

Heres the actual camera, shot on Nikon d3200.

Shooting some ilford FP4 i found in a bulk loader in the darkroom at the minute, labelled as 1976 so i shot it at 50 and seems pretty great to me! example below

The lines are from where i used the bulk loader without opening the light door thing, i've done this to a few rolls but realised what to do now.

Anyway thats that, any interesting stoires on you first leica or first camera you really cared about anyone!?

Theo Sulphate · Feb 26, 2016

A Leica? Luxury.

Back when I was a lad all we had was an old shoebox and a maple leaf for film. We'd expose the leaf for 27 hours a day to get an image. And we were proud of it!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Yorkshiremen_sketch

.

ColColt · Feb 26, 2016

I love the Leica rangefinder...I've had three and still have two, the M2 and M4. You'll want to get some more lens when possible as one is never enough-unless you're Henri Cartier-Bresson. I have the 50 f2 Dr Summicron, 90 f2.8 Tele-Elmarit and the Zeiss 35 f2.8 Biogon. All are superb.

BTW-don't pay attention to "old men" comments. I out rank him by 11 years!!

ColColt · Feb 26, 2016

Oh, my M2, by the way.

_1DF3888a by David Fincher, on Flickr

Ellis666 · Feb 26, 2016

ColColt said:
Oh, my M2, by the way.

_1DF3888a by David Fincher, on Flickr

Jesus that M2 looks like it was made yesterday, the summicron 50 or 35 would have been ideal but for over 1k I can't come close to affording one. The 50 summicron is defiantly a lens I will own one day, maybe a few years down the line. I'm a big fan of wideangles, i had a 24mm on my canon and would love something around 20mm, but again its gonna be a while before im using leica lenses so maybe a voigtlander again? I've never tended to go much above 50 so a longer lens is something i wont be considering for a while, unless i can find a nice ltm lens on the cheap. Glad i got the 35mm, perfect focal length for one lens for me, rarely find myself in situations where i need a different lens. And thanks aha, i pay no attention anyway.

SchwinnParamount · Feb 26, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
Pay attention to your studies. There will be time enough for toys later. I'm 59, so I don't want to hear any back sass. You'll thank me later.

APUGuser19 is right. I second that. Now there are two of us old farts to listen to. No sass to either of us!

SchwinnParamount · Feb 26, 2016

Ellis666 said:
The first thing i posted on apug was my new Canon A1, at the end of 2014. Heres's a quick update.

Since then i have started university to study Engineering and last month sold pretty much all of my equipment and bought a Leica M6 + Voigtlander 35mm 1.4.

I found an old darkroom at my uni, filled with enlargers and old equipment so have started developing/scanning/printing (Actual Printing) my own stuff and it's great.

I had never used a rangefinder before but i got kinda bored of my F3+50 1.2, the F3 is the best slr i have ever used and will buy another when im no longer a poor student.

So yeah dropped a big chunk of my student loan on this and couldn't be happier with it, perfect camera and perfect darkroom setup.

Heres the actual camera, shot on Nikon d3200.
View attachment 151428

Shooting some ilford FP4 i found in a bulk loader in the darkroom at the minute, labelled as 1976 so i shot it at 50 and seems pretty great to me! example below
View attachment 151429

The lines are from where i used the bulk loader without opening the light door thing, i've done this to a few rolls but realised what to do now.

Anyway thats that, any interesting stoires on you first leica or first camera you really cared about anyone!?

The lines could also be from dust in the felt trap of the reusable cartridge. I get them too, and I do operate the loader properly.

Luis-F-S · Feb 26, 2016

I recently bought the Color Skopar 25mm for my M6. Very nice little lens. I already own the 35 & 50 Summicrons, a 90 Tele-Elmarit M and recently bought a vintage 90 Elmar collapsible and a 135 Hektor. I bought the Skopar because I don't use something that wide very often and the price was cheap enough. The vintage lenses were cheap, though I am spending some $$ to have them cleaned. If I want to spend a couple of Grand for a lens, it's going to be a big Artar! L

Jordan.K · Feb 26, 2016

Good for you getting the camera you wanted, getting in and using the darkroom, and all the other things people ,especially on this forum, should be praising you for. Roof barspin.

mooseontheloose · Feb 26, 2016

Gorgeous camera - I'm sure you'll love shooting with it! Wish I had had the foresight when I was younger to have gotten the camera I really wanted back then, rather than going through multiple cheap cameras over the years. (That said, I've enjoyed shooting them too).

Sirius Glass · Feb 26, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
Pay attention to your studies. There will be time enough for toys later. I'm 59, so I don't want to hear any back sass. You'll thank me later.

Wot he dun did said. I did that and after graduation I bought a new slr and a set of lenses over the next few years. Now that I am retired I have the cameras and lenses that I could only dream about, a color and black & white darkroom and can afford to travel with 35mm, MF and LF cameras.

MattKing · Feb 26, 2016

If it comes down to a choice between the two, put the photography on hold and choose the studies.

But photography can enrich your life no matter how long you live, so if you are able to incorporate both into your life without the studies suffering - go for it.

I'm 59 too, but clearly a young 59.

MattKing · Feb 27, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
The boy is studying engineering. Didn't say what kind, but he's got a mind to make something of himself. I was impressed at the boy, not the camera. One day soon he can have umpty-leven of them. And he'll be 59 before the next bolt of lightning.

And when I was a teenager in university studying physics and mathematics I was working incredibly long hours as the chief photographer on my university's student newspaper - three issues a week, and lots and lots and lots of photography.

Got good marks too (but not nearly enough sleep).

Couldn't afford a Leica, but my Olympus OM 1 did fine.

As long as the priorities are given their due, it is certainly possible for many people to combine a love for photography with a heavy course load.

Ken Nadvornick · Feb 27, 2016

Ellis666 said:
I'm averaging a 1st in my degree thank you very much...

Hmm... Let's play that one back real slow...

In order to average any academic level at all, one must have done the work to standard. And one can't do the work to standard unless one is enrolled in the courses. And one can't be enrolled in the courses unless one has paid for them. And one can't pay for them unless one has access to sufficient money. And if one has access to money sufficient to have already paid for the courses, what one then does with any additional money beyond that is up to that individual.

So let's cut the fellow some slack here. It appears he knows exactly what he is doing. And is doing it successfully.

When I was a starving undergraduate university student I purchased a brand new Nikon F2 black body with a 55mm f/1.2 lens. My education and career both turned out fine. And I still own and use both the F2 and the lens.

Nice camera, Ellis666. And congratulations on your academic standing...

Ken

calebarchie · Feb 27, 2016

What an attitude - Don't know if that will get far!

I too sold most of my cameras to source an M6 then traded it for a R3A... its just not that good.

Richard Man · Feb 27, 2016

Bought my first Leica (M7) when I hit the big 4-Oh, couldn't be happier. 10+ years later, now I am mostly shooting 4x5 and Hasselblad (taking a 30 lbs bag to the Death Valley tomorrow...)

There are definitely some bitter-arse comments above. Don't listen to the nay-sayers. If you mess up your schooling, you have no one else to blame. OTOH, taking photos is better than doing drugs, partying etc. Follow your passion. If your enjoyment of life improves because of it, you will probably do better at school anyway.

Ko.Fe. · Feb 27, 2016

Sold Everything For A Leica
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Ellis666 said:
So yeah dropped a big chunk of my student loan on this and couldn't be happier with it, perfect camera and perfect darkroom setup.

My story is simple. My first Leica was cheap IIf. Don't have to sell much for it.
My second Leica was M4-2, sold a lot for it, including IIf, but no loans.
I'm ain't stupid to use loan, credit card to buy any toys for me.

Ellis666 · Feb 27, 2016

Luis-F-S said:
I recently bought the Color Skopar 25mm for my M6. Very nice little lens. I already own the 35 & 50 Summicrons, a 90 Tele-Elmarit M and recently bought a vintage 90 Elmar collapsible and a 135 Hektor. I bought the Skopar because I don't use something that wide very often and the price was cheap enough. The vintage lenses were cheap, though I am spending some $$ to have them cleaned. If I want to spend a couple of Grand for a lens, it's going to be a big Artar! L

That is a nice lens too, i considered the 35mm skopar 2.5 for my lens of choice but the 1.4 came up at a reasonable price first so i grabbed that. not sure on what finders are available for the 25 either, i can barely see the 28mm lines but suppose they would do. think if i go wide it might be around 16mm-20mm, dont wanna go too wide though!

Ellis666 · Feb 27, 2016

Jordan.K said:
Good for you getting the camera you wanted, getting in and using the darkroom, and all the other things people ,especially on this forum, should be praising you for. Roof barspin.

Thankyou very very much, and big up for knowing what was going on in the picture!

Ellis666 · Feb 27, 2016

Ken Nadvornick said:
Hmm... Let's play that one back real slow...

In order to average any academic level at all, one must have done the work to standard. And one can't do the work to standard unless one is enrolled in the courses. And one can't be enrolled in the courses unless one has paid for them. And one can't pay for them unless one has access to sufficient money. And if one has access to money sufficient to have already paid for the courses, what one then does with any additional money beyond that is up to that individual.

So let's cut the fellow some slack here. It appears he knows exactly what he is doing. And is doing it successfully.

When I was a starving undergraduate university student I purchased a brand new Nikon F2 black body with a 55mm f/1.2 lens. My education and career both turned out fine. And I still own and use both the F2 and the lens.

Nice camera, Ellis666. And congratulations on your academic standing...

Ken

Thankyou, in England tuition works out differently i believe, 9k loan every year for studys then around 6k seperate loan is given for living expenses. On top of that i've worked 45 hour weeks (whilst juggling academic work) when im back home so feel i deserve to spend my money how i like without some guy who knows nothing about me talking a load of crap. cheers.

Ellis666 · Feb 27, 2016

Richard Man said:
Bought my first Leica (M7) when I hit the big 4-Oh, couldn't be happier. 10+ years later, now I am mostly shooting 4x5 and Hasselblad (taking a 30 lbs bag to the Death Valley tomorrow...)

There are definitely some bitter-arse comments above. Don't listen to the nay-sayers. If you mess up your schooling, you have no one else to blame. OTOH, taking photos is better than doing drugs, partying etc. Follow your passion. If your enjoyment of life improves because of it, you will probably do better at school anyway.

Yeah i'm looking into going medium format too in some time, as i have all the equipment so processing wont be stupidly expensive (£15+per roll). some nice mamiya setups for a few hundred £'s out there.

And thanks for the kind words, appreciate it!

Patrick Robert James · Feb 27, 2016

Ellis666 said:
Thankyou, in England tuition works out differently i believe, 9k loan every year for studys then around 6k seperate loan is given for living expenses. On top of that i've worked 45 hour weeks (whilst juggling academic work) when im back home so feel i deserve to spend my money how i like without some guy who knows nothing about me talking a load of crap. cheers.

Good for you!

And you are right about the load of crap.

Do what you want with your life and make excuses to no one.

blockend · Feb 27, 2016

My impression was User19 was being ironic, not patronising. I'm surprised when I hear young people able to afford a Leica, I got a new OM1 working full time in a factory for a year before university, and thought all my Christmases had come at once. We live in different times.

I haven't used the M6 (mine's an M5) but I think lenses with a frame line too near the edge of the finder lose a big advantage of rangefinder cameras, namely to see outside the frame.

ColColt · Feb 27, 2016

If you mess up your schooling, you have no one else to blame. OTOH, taking photos is better than doing drugs, partying etc. Follow your passion. If your enjoyment of life improves because of it, you will probably do better at school anyway.

Exactly. Engineering of about any sort is a good living. I was an Electrical Design Engineer before retiring four years ago at the ripe age of 66. It was the wisest move I had ever made going to college...didn't have a lot back then but Uncle Sam helped pay for my education and I got something back from him. Never let anything stand in the way of a good education if you can afford it-do it at all cost if possible. The goodies come later.

Ai Print · Feb 27, 2016

Good for you Ellis, try to not listen to some of the older crowd here, an education comes in many forms, not just the kind that gives you a degree. And compared to many things, a used Leica M6 is relatively cheap. My M6TTL cost a total of $1,500 after I had the MP RF patch put in and a few other mods. The lens you are using too is super cheap for a 35mm 1.4, my Leica 35mm 1.4 FLE cost me $3,600 used.

The American way of thinking is what you are being fed here and I would not buy into it for a minute, that a formal education is the be all end all way to live your life...it is not. My education is not even an associates degree and yet I have been a successful photographer for decades, completely self taught and self made. I also live well, have nice cars, lots of great gear, eat at fine restaurants and travel to wonderful places.

While everyone was so busy trying to fit on the same path as everyone else...I chose my own path and I live a great life because or it. So don't buy into the American way of thinking...because as I look all around me, I see a whole lot of sad Americans.

Sold Everything For A Leica

Ellis666

Theo Sulphate

ColColt

ColColt

Ellis666

SchwinnParamount

SchwinnParamount

Luis-F-S

Jordan.K

mooseontheloose

Sirius Glass

MattKing

Moderator

MattKing

Moderator

Ken Nadvornick

calebarchie

Richard Man

Ko.Fe.

Ellis666

Ellis666

Ellis666

Ellis666

Patrick Robert James

blockend

ColColt

Ai Print

Sold Everything For A Leica

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Moderator

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