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M8 and ZM 35mm would be enough for Japan trip?


rivi1969

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Good evening,

 

I would like to ask for some advice from you guys and as always will be really appreciate.

My dear wife gave me as b'day present a 2-week trip to Japan and we leave in exactly one month.

I am trying to decide between the following combos to bring along:

 

- M8 with its only glass (Zeiss 35mm f2) and my trusty X1 (for the evenings and relative lower light situations).

- M8 body and Hasselblad Lunar (with M-close up adapter for the ZM 35mm) plus the crappy Sony zoom.

- All of the above. 

- Buy a Leica Q -Just joking

 

 

Thanks for your advice!

Ricardo

 

 

 

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I will respectfully disagree with the above user. The big cities of Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, etc) are often even more impressive at night than they are during the day. I live in Japan, so I speak from experience. At night, those places are explosions of neon and lights, and while you might get away with raising the ISO on the M8 and metering the highlights, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you can confidently shoot at very slow shutter speeds or you are willing to accept noise. Assuming that the X1 has better high ISO performance than the M8 (Ming Thein, who I trust implicitly when it comes to camera reviews, states that the X1 is useable at ISO 3200, and that should cover pretty much any situation you find once it gets dark) and given that it is a small camera itself, I'd definitely bring it along. You will definitely want to shoot Japan at night as well as in the day, and while the M8 is a lovely camera despite its quirks (I'm currently giving serious consideration to getting a used one), it is not really equipped to handle low light. Most people won't shoot the M8 above 640 (1250 in a pinch), and with an F2 lens that's definitely borderline for shooting in the dark.

 

 

I can advise you of some great places to go, depending on where you are going to be staying, so please feel free to ask via this thread or by PM.

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I think it depends a lot on your shooting style.  I traveled Japan and Korea with just an M9 and a 35mm f/2 and I had zero regrets in my system choice.

 

The low light issues might present themselves, but if you get creative (say, have a mini tripod) you will be able to get some really interesting shots even in the evening.

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Since this is a vacation trip, as opposed to a photography trip, I feel safe in suggesting that you will enjoy the experience more by reducing the amount of stuff you have to carry.  One body/one lens is a very good policy for trips where the enjoyment of the moment takes precedent over the hobby.

 

Many years ago, I traveled with Nikons and three zoom lenses and a tripod.  I have gradually come to the conclusion that for travel the best policy is one carry on bag, no checked luggage, and I have become a true evangelist for the one body/one lens point of view.  It can also make you a better travel companion for the people with you.

 

Having made similar trips to other countries on a somewhat regular basis over the last 20 years, I suggest that the M8 and 1 lens will be quite sufficient for pretty much anything that presents itself, and a lot more convenient than carrying more stuff.

Edited by Schrödinger's cat
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I would not even take the M8, just the X1.

 

 

Yeah, I agree actually. I often find myself brining only a simple camera for some days of travel. For me that second camera is a phone, though, so I never have to debate if I'll bring it with me.

 

i would bring the m8, but not bring it every day. 

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I would not even take the M8, just the X1.

 

so do I.

 

if at all, i'd think about bringing my M2 as it is said that analogue phototgraphy is quite popular in Japan and i just couldnt stand to be without my M2 as soon as i saw only one person shooting film while i take pixels.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So what did you decide?

 

I think I am going to take the Sony A7 with Zeiss ZM 35mm f2 as its main lens, the kit zoom, plus the Leica X1 that can go everywhere without any additional bulk. Maybe the Sony is not the most inspiring camera but after many many tests and casual comparisons these past days I confirm it delivers beautiful IQ at basically all ISO settings and the focus peaking, magnification and my new helicoid close focus adapter makes using manual lenses a joy. I am attaching a pic so you can see how close it can get with M-mount lenses.

 

I will left the M8 at home for 2 reasons, I use glasses and I struggle focusing in dim light so that would be a problem on the evenings. And the other more important reason is that I forgot about the 2 (or 3) dead pixels on the sensor that provokes some nasty vertical lines visibles in the dng. files even at iso 160, and I cannot see myself fixing hundreds of pictures one by one when I get back. I already talked to NJ and I will send it for remapping and general cleaning.

 

But whatever I decide, I know I will regret leaving one or the other!  -_- 

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Edited by rivi1969
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that nose is nice and sharp. but i would expect the eyes to be sharp - i hope you intended to have the nose in focus. otherwise you might end up with a bunch of defocussed pictures. and you still cannot fix defocus afterwards.

 

so choose wisely, wich camera to bring to japan.

 

(i'd still go for the analogue M2)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Finally I am in the final preparations for Japan, we leave in 36 hours and At the end I am talking the Sony A7 + kit zoom  + M-adapter and my M8. What the heck, I am going to do lots of processing in PS anyway so I can deal with a couple of dead pixels and vertical lines. That camera deserves to see some action! Let's hope the cosmic radiation won't make it worst :))

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Good luck Rivi.

I've just come back from a trip, and like you considered which camera system(s) to take.

I took a Fuji and the 18-55 zoom, Fuji 18mm, a couple of Voigtlander M mount lenses.  And a new Nissin i40 flash.

 

I wanted to take an M8...and while I wished I had...it was wet, low light and I needed flash for some indoor stuff (art exhibitions), so the Fuji handled it all well.

 

I really missed using my M8 though roaming around when the weather was good. It just feels part of me now.  The Fuji does the job, pretty well in fact...except for a couple of critical missed focus. 

 

Just missed the fun and joy of my M8...which probably stopped me going out looking for pictures.

 

all best Dave S

Edited by david strachan
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When I take M cameras on airplanes I keep them on my lap. The high frequency vibrations in s plane can change your rangefinder calibration. I messed up an M3 on a trip to Switzerland years ago and did not know what went wrong until I got home and my pictures were out of focus

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At the end I am talking the Sony A7 + kit zoom  + M-adapter and my M8.

 

that sure is a good decision. if anything - now you need confidencewith your gear and this seems to be your first choice. and a wise choice as well as lenses can be interchanged, the A7 covers lowlight and AF while the M8 serves all your manual needs during daytime.

 

i am a little curious, wich one you will use more. please give us a feedback when you return!

 

(still betting you will fall for analogue while in JP)

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