Why Leica, my view with new technical research

[cliveh]

A Leica is just a nice tactile machine, but the camera doesn't take pictures, you do. A good eye will eclipse any camera.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

A Leica is just a nice tactile machine, but the camera doesn't take pictures, you do. A good eye will eclipse any camera.

I suppose lens choice has greater influence on the final result. No lens-camera = no picture, at least on the physical realm

Regards

 

[Ai Print]

I definitely see a difference in the glass in shooting color film or color digital, an almost hyper-transmissive representation of color nuance without being over the top in saturation.

There is no question in my experience that the biggest difference is the glass....a 1960's 50mm F2 Summicron blows the doors off of a Nikon 50mm 1.8 AIS for example, even in color.

 

[faberryman]

What exactly does "blows the doors off" even mean.

 

[Helinophoto]

What is it with this masturbatory praise and ridiculous claims, really?

I own two Leica's (one more on the way), and even though they are very nice cameras, there is absolutely NOTHING magical about Leica cameras or Leica glass, period!

You simply CANNOT tell the difference between a shot done with Leica/Leica glass and any other camera and QUALITY glass.

Jesus Christ....

 

[removed account4]

its all personal preference.
i don't worship any cameras or lenses or iconic photographs/photographers.
The most important thing isn't the camera or lens, but knowing how to use them.
One can make beautiful photographs that look like they were made with a leica, with a holga or lomo or diana ...

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

ic,

look at the shadowy , darker images under glow light , I mean with glow electric filament light.

 

[bence8810]

I shoot with an M4 and before that I had an M3. Both are fantastic cameras and I enjoy using them. I have Leica glass mounted every day as I like their ergonomics and design. I feel like I need to love the equipment I use in order to enjoy photography. This is why I use Leicas only.

I also have a $20USD Minolta SRT-201 SLR camera that I use on special occassions when I shoot color, with a Rokkor 58mm f1.2 lens. That beast is heavy / bulky and I just don't get that satisfaction from shooting it as i get with the Leicas. However, to say the Leica image quality is better would be an overstatement. I'd even say the Minolta glass produces more pleasing colors and bokeh than the Leica lenses I have.

I wouldn't shoot as much as I shoot now if it wasn't for Leica for sure - but not because of the superior images but the fact I enjoy holding them.

Ben

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

I suppose it boils down to user experience. Some like the user experience X camera (replace X with your favorite camera) provide. When you like what you are doing and how are you doing, you usually get better result than when you are complaining about your equipment, thus that X camera produce better result; its not completly depending on the equipment itself but about your experience and attitude while doing the picture.


I own several Leica (8 in total), and although I use each one from time to time, I do most of my shooting with the M6, Bessa R2 and Rolleiflex sl35e. They provide the "gusto" if you like, that I enjoy while taking the photo. Those 3 cameras provide more or less the same result. They make me all giddy to use them. There is also a sentimental bond to the M6 because my father used one (although he was also a Nikon boy and I dont feel bonded to those).

Leica are robust, reliable and nice to handle cameras. Did they worth what I paid for them? yeah, they do.

They dont come with magic pixie dust though

Regards.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Leica bashers are everywhere . I dont care.

Let me talk about the colors , japanese and zeiss glass makes more intense colors , I did not see at any painting , expressionist painting catalog.
More about think about these lenses , they tend to color like colored city , architecture lights. Lets say plasma colors.
These lenses tend to reveal single character , like a flat glass.

But Leica is different. These lenses are sometimes tends to colder at winter sun or hotter but more control revealing in the intense colors.

Good color is different. It resembles expensive glass , ceramic , porcelain , or an expressionist painting. I am talking about antiques or most expensive oil , pastel , watercolors.

Leica does many things , in subdued light , colder light , bluer light , faces turns to pink and all the skin looks like inflated balloon. Or lets say there is intense stress at the surface of the skin and you look like a baby.

At evenings or summer shadows , faces looks like darker and cheeks been glowed. There is a picture at ic racer list.

At glow light or tungsten light , all muscles becomes visible.

There are too much trick leica does and you have to see , look and see.

Best advise to bashers , no advise. They come and go , nobody will remember them.

ic racer , buy few english expressionist painting catalog , not only ships but the people and match the colors with your catalog.

 

[faberryman]

blah, blah, blah

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

I think this is about class struggle.

 

[Helios 1984]

I've read similar stuff about how Apple products are superior to everything else...

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Helios , I am not talking about the superiority of Leica. I love what how it does. I bought the lens because I loved the results.
May be you are an impressionist and you love the Ektar lenses. Or Aero Ektar.
For me Goerz and Cooke are faraway better than Leica lenses. I love them more.
I love Zeiss Triotar immensely. But all of these lenses either big format or cinema lenses.

 

[removed account4]

But all of these lenses either big format or cinema lenses

life's too short . if that is the case you need to get a b+H eyemo and/or an inexpensive 4x5 camera !
if you don't mind a "project camera" ... i am sure there are plenty of inexpensive 4x5 and larger cameras
of this type near you, and you will be able to put lodima paper in them as well, 2 birds 1 stone

 

[ciniframe]

About lenses for M mount. My only lens up to now is a CV 35mm f2.5 PII. I am checking out a 'outside daytime only' 28mm f11 that should be interesting to play with. I just ordered a FSU I-61 52mm f2.8, that was a $12 splurge. I really do miss the ~50mm focal length and I think that has limited my use of the M4-2 up to this time. I think it will be more comfortable to use with a 50mm angle of view.

 

[chip j]

Leica is a Rolls. Back in the "Day" (1920s-30s), there were lots of cars better than a Rolls. My Zeiss Contax G glass is way more exciting than Leica glass. Leica is "stuffy".

 

[Ai Print]

What exactly does "blows the doors off" even mean.

For me, it means that with either a good slide film or digital, the 50 Summicron I had was better wide open in terms of less aberrations, colors were far more rich, higher contrast from wide open through the entire range and much better micro contrast. The corners were about the same until around F4 or so when the Summicron started to pull away quickly. The only downside to the Summicron was it's propensity to flare vs the Nikon.

In short, the little 1963 Summicron was head and shoulders above the Nikon 50mm 1.8AIS. I still have the Nikon for "rough" work but no longer have the vintage Summicron, it was replaced with a current version which is even better, especially in terms of flare control.

When you make a living at this game, the above constitutes to me at least, a lens "Blowing the Doors off" the other. Finally, if you are not "Seeing the Light"...it probably means you are not shooting in the kind of light that Leica glass truly excels in and that is mixed light sources.

35mm F/2 Summicron version 4 @ F2:

 

[baachitraka]

An another day in life can be better...

 

[Michael Guzzi]

A suggestion: can we get an ignore function, that automatically ignores all threads with a given word in its title?

I'm not 'bashing' Leica. I feel more like the Leicamen are trying to bash my non-Leica gear. "oh, but Leica glows, 3D, yadda yadda" ...

And this whole "with technical research" thing, sorry Mustafa, I don't see anything technical here. Half of what I see written here doesn't seem to even pertain to the realm of reality.

I think this is about class struggle.

Don't bring Karl Marx into this please. This would imply that the class being oppressed here is the lower class. But value of Leica gear and threads like this one ("Leica is magic! Unmatched! OMG the colors!") seem to say otherwise.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

...
I'm not 'bashing' Leica. I feel more like the Leicamen are trying to bash my non-Leica gear. "oh, but Leica glows, 3D, yadda yadda" ....

As someone who owns and uses a plethora of Leicas, along with other camera systems, I defy anyone -- anyone -- to look at a series of ten images and pick with accuracy which images were made with Leica+Leica lens vs. some other system.

I enjoy using my Leicas, but there is no magic. None. Some Leica lenses may exhibit certain characteristics that are seen in some images, but those characteristics are not unique to Leica.

 

[ic-racer]

The comparison shot with the Nikkor lens is not showing up on my screen.

 

[pentaxuser]

To be fair to the OP he has made his feeling about Leica's superiority v everything else very clear on more than one occasion in the past. He is simply telling us that nothing has changed since his previous declaration.

pentaxuser

 

[Ai Print]

Wow...kinda baffled at the pushback, almost nasty in some ways....

For the record, I own and use Leica, Nikon, Hasselblad and a fair bit of 4x5. Like it or not, what I see in Leica glass compared to other lenses is what I said above. There are dozens of Nat Geo shooters and others along that genre who make the same claims....this is simply not fiction.

Leica is not a silver bullet, but as for the lenses, the writing has been on the wall for decades. Reputations are not bought or invented, they are brought to bear by critical acclaim and by time tested and proven use.

I'm not sure why this is even contested or rubs folks the wrong way. By the way, for most of my career, I was somewhat irritated and put off by the reputation Leica had, largely because I could not even afford to try it.

Then in 2006 I bought and M6 / 35 Summicron and was pretty impressed. That was the end of that irritation, the rest is history....

 

[ciniframe]

Lets just stop all this argument right now!
Because everyone really knows the best lenses are Konica lenses!

Just thought the pot needed an extra turn or two.