I think I want to try shoot film...

[jonnyboy]

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As written in the title, I think I want to try shoot film. I'm a bit newbie in the Leica world but I managed to get hold of my first one (M8) just before summer this year. It was a bit harsh in the first week but I start to carry the camera everywhere with me and snap photos and photos and photos...to the point where now I really love it! I had to save for so long to afford the camera but hey it was totally worth it!

Now I have this idea in the back of my mind to try film... everytime I see some nice prints you just feel connected with the picture (surely because is a great photo!) but I have been listening a lot about film and all the process and the engagement around it...I find it really fascinating. We all know the camera is just a 'medium' to takes great photos...you got to be a great photographer to take great photos....but I love experimenting. So I was wondering would it be foolish to jump straight into a quite expensive Leica as I never shot a roll of film in my life?

I was thinking to get one of those Ricoh Gr1...just to start and see where it goes...but then I saw I could get an M4 for a bit more....decision decision....

Would love to hear an opinion from you guys....

[amro]

I have an M4-P with the 40mm summicron c - it's a great combination.

 

I used my smartphone as a lightmeter (there are a number of apps) but in the end I just used the "sunny 16" rule (adjusted for the seemingly perpetual darkness of Northern England).

 

It really made me think more about my photos. Not having a lightmeter is actually a good thing, I've learnt. Most film (apart from slide film) has a large amount of latitude, so you don't actually have to be 100% all the time - but one learns.

 

Then again - the Ricoh has aperture priority and a lightmeter - great for getting a shot quickly.

 

I'm saving up for another Leica lens now … it's proving difficult - they're all so much more expensive than my 40mm!

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[leicaphilia]

Well, of course you should start shooting film!

 

If you've come of age in a digital world, using film will be a completely new experience that certainly will make you a better, more thoughtful practitioner. Its slowness and technical demands may frustrate you at first, but if you stick with it you'll be rewarded in a way digital can't.

 

Why not buy an inexpensive film SLR to get you going? You can pick up a beautiful Pentax MX with prime lens for next to nothing on Ebay. Its small like a leica, well built, excellent optics. Use it to learn, and once you gain competency and confidence, then you can buy a good used M2 or M3. My advice: the M2. A beautiful jewel like camera thats smooth as butter, and relatively inexpensive ro buy and maintain.

[Michael Hiles]

Don't muddy the waters - you like your M8 - find an M2, M4 or M6 (if you feel the need of a meter). They will be more expensive than an old Japanese SLR, but they will fit your hand and eye and your mind's eye without causing a kind of background confusion.

[spydrxx]

You don't state what lens/es you have for your M8, but the nice thing is that they will work just fine on any other M body. If you get a good M2,3 or 4 you'll be just fine, and maybe even get into developing it yourself. The important thing is to enjoy it and learn. If it turns out film isn't for you, well, you can turn around and sell the body without much, if any, loss.

[smb]

If you want to shoot film shoot film. Leica products do not go down in price. You can use the Leica camera and lens and after awhile if you are not satisfied you can sell them and not loose much. The difference would be your training costs.

[jonnyboy]

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Thanks very much for all the replies. I remember when I wanted to buy the M8 I got so many useful informations from the forum....

I shot with Fuji X100s, with the latest digital Ricoh, with various Canon...but the feeling you got with a Leica is just unique...that's the reason why I would stick with it.

 

I was thinking to buy a M4, possibly an M4P if I can get a good price for it.

I was just worried for the missing light meter but I found really helpful your message @amro I'm actually pretty good to expose by eye (I work with videos so I had my learning curve) but yeah it made me a bit worried to guess without the option to have the 'correct' setting...I'm sure it will be fine after wasting a couple of rolls

 

With my M8 I use a Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 I didn't had so much money when i bought it was my only option...but I love it though I'm really happy with the 35mm lens and I dont see the need for another one.

 

I don't have too much space in London to make a darkroom.....BUT.....I got plenty of space in my house in Italy where possibly I will make one and develop some rolls the few times I go back through the year

[}{B]

Bear in mind that a 35mm lens on your M8 gives an angle of view more akin to a 50mm lens on a film M. Used with an M4 or M4P it will give a wider view than you are used to.

[amro]

I think you should go for it. I bought an M4-P "user" condition - it was the only one I could afford - but I'm glad I got one that looked rough (but worked like a dream). I'm not a collector so it's perfect for me. I'm not too worried about it getting marks etc.

 

Good luck with your search. I hope to see your photos online!

[amro]

PS don't overlook the M5 - if you can get it for a good price. It's the odd member of the family but it handles beautifully.

[jonnyboy]

I will keep you guys posted Thanks very much for all suggestions and thoughts. I really hope to get a M4-P.

 

I read many disappointing review about the M5 it makes me feel slightly worried...I dont know did you guys own/owned one?

[bocaburger]

The M5 is an excellent camera, with some nice features like shutter speeds visible in the viewfinder. The biggest issue with the M5 that made it unpopular in the beginning was it was significantly larger and heavier than the M4 it replaced. Nowadays however, compared with the digital M's that point is largely moot

 

The biggest issue facing the M5 today is the meter circuit board is no longer available from Leica, so if it dies you have to hope some indie repairman has the part to fix it with.

[xalo]

I...I read many disappointing review about the M5 it makes me feel slightly worried...I dont know did you guys own/owned one?

 

The M5 simply is is a great camera in use.

There is a dedicated thread here. The only review that had made think twice before trading (well, not literally) my MP against a late production M5 was Tom Abrahamsson reporting how he had not liked the shape of the lightmeter arm in his vacations slides in the 1970s. The issue of the hanging arm seems to have a affected mostly models before serial #136... and it seems highly likely that surviving copies have been cured. Anyway, if you buy one from a dealer this should be covered by guarantee. The precise meter spot is a boon for slides (even if you have to meter exclusively in horizontal position). The M5 is very cleverly designed, a unique combination of specs that is not found in any other M.

Cheers,

Alexander

[leicaphilia]

I will keep you guys posted Thanks very much for all suggestions and thoughts. I really hope to get a M4-P.

 

I read many disappointing review about the M5 it makes me feel slightly worried...I dont know did you guys own/owned one?

 

The M5 is te best metered Leica M. Many who disparage it have never used one but are simply repeating the old tired criticisms of it first heard in the early 70s by diehards who wanted it to look like the m2/m3/m4. Ironically, IMHO it remains a better camera (better handling;better viewfinder; better meter) than the dated m4-2, m4-p and m6 that came after it.

 

It's my favorite Metered M by a large margin:

The M5. Leica’s Misunderstood Masterpiece: A Revisionist History | Leicaphilia

[Herr Barnack]

If you want to give film a try, by all means do it! Any used M camera that is in fairly decent condition will serve you well and will not break the bank. Take a look at the M3, M4, M4-P and M5 cameras that are rated at around 8+ (10 = new). you will get a lot of camera for your money. The M6 is a good choice too, but the real deals are in M cameras that predate the M6.

 

And don't overlook the Leica CL ( https://www.cameraquest.com/leicacl.htm ) - it is different from the M cameras, but is still a viable choice.

[jonnyboy]

wow thanks very much for all the imput guys.... I was focused on an M4 but I think I will start consider an M5 too from now!

[AbbeyFoto]

As written in the title, I think I want to try shoot film. I'm a bit newbie in the Leica world but I managed to get hold of my first one (M8) just before summer this year. It was a bit harsh in the first week but I start to carry the camera everywhere with me and snap photos and photos and photos...to the point where now I really love it! I had to save for so long to afford the camera but hey it was totally worth it!

Now I have this idea in the back of my mind to try film... everytime I see some nice prints you just feel connected with the picture (surely because is a great photo!) but I have been listening a lot about film and all the process and the engagement around it...I find it really fascinating. We all know the camera is just a 'medium' to takes great photos...you got to be a great photographer to take great photos....but I love experimenting. So I was wondering would it be foolish to jump straight into a quite expensive Leica as I never shot a roll of film in my life?

I was thinking to get one of those Ricoh Gr1...just to start and see where it goes...but then I saw I could get an M4 for a bit more....decision decision....

Would love to hear an opinion from you guys....

 

The big decision is whether you can start film photography. Have you thought through what process you will use for your images? Initially get a lab to develop film? Go for prints or have images scanned. Prints can significantly add to price and standard lab scans are not too exciting. Processing your own is fun but needs kit and chemicals. Wet printing is a major project. Scanning you own film is less challenging but not trivial and needs a scanner.

 

I do not wish to put you off your project but I am suggesting choice of camera is the least of your concerns. If you crack film processing then given you have a 35mm lens then anything from M2 up with do well.

[NJH]

Chris is right but as a Londoner you are spoilt for options when it comes to analog processing. I started film again with C-41 both colour and B&W (XP2s), quality of scanning can make a huge difference though to how a film looks scanned which is where most of us doing the cross back over seem to start.

[Jaybob]

A user Leica CL, a Minolta CLE, or a brand new Voigtlander R2M, R3M, R2A, or R3A are all semi affordable entry points as well.

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Hallo,

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[jonnyboy]

Most probably I will process the first rolls somewhere in London, I guess I will pay someone to do it for me as I never done it....

 

Found a really good price M4-P the only thing is a bump on the top plate

 

 

The seller guarantee is in perfect working condition but that bump makes me a bit wonder :S Lovely price though