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Hi all, I'm brand new to the leica world and don't know so much about it. I just stepped into Leica these days and thought I'd like to own one. I think it could be much better than my Nikon D700+big lenses for candid street photography shots. But now the question is what body+lens to buy? I have narrowed it down to M4P, M6 or M8 + Elmarit 28mm f2.8. I'm fascinated by film although probably buying a digital would be more practical (though EUR1000 more expensive). Maybe being a Leica beginner I could have a quicker learning curve with digital. Also while familiarising and playing with it I'll throw away more shots(which in film costs more). Also the reason why you see only one lens there is because I want to start with only one to test the system and get familiar with it. Also because of cost issues obviously. I'd like if possible to keep the number of items low(I just have too much nikon equipment, will sell something...:-)). Maybe if I like it I'll keep 2 lenses(28 and 90) after a while. Does this make sense? Any advices from who did this before me? Thanks

Hello everyone. My name is Murat. I am new to the forum. I've been a photographer all my life and they shooting many different brands and always wanted to get into the Leica world. Currently I shoot Sony A7RIII, several Gmasters (70-200, 24-70), and have couple Fuji X mounts with many great primes and 100-400 I use for wildlife, mainly birds. I have an Xpro-2 and XT2. I hate to admit but I also have several OM bodies with some primes. As you can tell I do have GAS and collected too many systems. Each has pros. When I shoot professional work (not my full time job), I use the Sony. Great resolution (although besides cropping, I dont have a need for large resolutions.). For personal day to day shooting, family pets, kids, holidays etc. I use my Fujis. I love the tactile feeling of Fuji and the colors. The Xpro2 with a 28mm prime will be my desert island camera/lens. When I leave home, that’s what I pick everytime. Anyways, I decided to sell all my gear and switch to Leica. I went to a Leica store for the first time and I think I need to get a second mortgage soon. LOL. So here are my thought. I was thinking about getting an SL2-S (low lightr performance is great and I like shooting indoors, no flash) with the 24-70 kit. Order the M11 (I love the format and the feeling of the whole range finder system). Get one prime, may be a 35 or 50 that i can use on the SL2-s with the adaptor while waiting for the M11 to become available. Than I will have best of both worlds (not necessarilty the M11 and SL2-s) meaning a full frame large body with large lenses and a range finder. Thoughts? Suggestions. Comments. Should I be considering the 24-90 lens instead (like the 24-70 size, weight and constant aperture.) Should I be starting with some cheaper alternative M lenses like a Voitlander? I know too much to ask but any feedback appreciated. I am sure there are Sony/Fuji/Other System converts here that can share experiences and lessons learned. Thank you... Murat

By way of introduction, I just took delivery today of a pristine M240. The whole box and contents. And it works! Currently I have an old Pentax SMC 50mm f/1.4 on it along with an Olympus VF-2 to make the lens easier to work with on this camera. My M8.2 uses a nice Canon 28mm f/2.8, a CV 35mm 1.4 MC II and a nice Jupiter 9 85mm f/2. So, two cameras, four lenses and a severely depleted wallet. I am off to Portland tomorrow to get the guys at my camera store to bless the camera and then on Saturday a trip to a lovely village (?) in Washington, Oysterville. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oysterville%2C_Washington) Very photogenic and they have their Halloween pumpkins and decorations out to color up the homes and gardens. I'll use the M 240, the M8.2 and two non-Leicas to see how they compare.

Hello... I have just order a Leica X1, it will be my first Leica and I am very excited! The X1 seemed like the best place to start. It will be replacing my very large and heavy Nikon D700 which I found lacked any kind of freedom. My question is...I love ring flashes but cant find any that are linked to the use of this beautiful little camera. Will I have to make my own???? x

For the last 20 years I have used medium format cameras, starting with a Bronica GS1 but mainly using a Hasselblad 205FCC. I have enjoyed using the 'blad and received years of reliable service, including the transition into digital photography with the CFV back. However, as most of my photography is done while walking around the cities of Asia, I have found that, carrying a backpack with the 'blad, a couple of lenses and a tripod, a bit too heavy. I'd often come home with an aching back. So, a couple of months ago, when reading about the M9, I wondered if it might be the answer. High enough quality to maintain my standards, small enough to carry and not encumbered with lots of pointless options, auto-functions and buttons. Advised by a avid Leica user, also a member of this forum, I decided to buy the M9, the grip, and a 35 and 75 Summicron. I also put together a super-lightweight Gitzo tripod with a small ball-head. The M9 body arrived last weekend and I took it for its first walk around downtown Singapore on Sunday morning. Some of the images can be found at: http://www.peterwalker.com/Galleries/Singapore/index.html I dashed off some "first reaction" thoughts in an email to your fellow Leica aficionado and he suggested that I post it here as others might be interested. I certainly enjoyed my first experiences with the M9, including unpacking it. My primary goal, a smaller, lighter camera without too much loss of quality from the Hasselblad*, appears to have been achieved. I particularly liked: Camera handling, easy to access, set-up and get a shot The shutter release - the best I have ever used The histogram review is useful for exposure analysis The layout of the controls (although I fumbled for the focus ring sometimes - need more practice) The hand-grip: makes it easy to get it out of the camera bag My new, lighter tripod with RRS QR works really well - very quick set up, easy to carry The Leica / Billingham bag is a nice bag - easy to get into, comfortable to carry The simpler Lightroom / Photoshop workflow While I am happy with my first results, I know that I have a way to go to consistently get the results I want: I found myself struggling to get my hands in the right place for vertical shots, sometimes blocking the viewfinder It'll take me a while to know intuitively how the camera will react in a particular lighting situation Need some more practice focusing the 75mm for portrait shots Also need to watch depth-of-field on the 75mm In low light, should shoot the 75mm on a tripod? Soft, bounce flash? Not used to being able to change ISO setting so easily - need to remember what it is set at I need more practice at using the exposure arrows to be able to quickly get to the optimal exposure Haven't used A mode or exposure compensation yet, so need to see if these might be helpful Need to better understand the white balance - slight yellowish cast in some (most? / all?) images - fix in camera, Lightroom or Photoshop * Without doing a side-by-side shoot-out comparison, I'd say that, for my purposes, the M9 is producing images about as good as the Hasselblad. The end result from the M9 is an uncompressed 16 bit 100Mb Tiff file, slightly larger than the 95Mb Tiff files produced by the Hasselblad workflow. I looked closely at 100% sections of two images, one taken Sunday by the M9 (on a tripod) and one taken a few weeks ago in similar early morning light (on a tripod) by the 'blad. The amount of detail available is about the same. The sharpness in the image corners is about the same. Any difference, if there is any, is more than compensated by the increased portability of the Leica. So, in summary, I am happy with my purchase and look forward to getting to know it better. Regards Peter Singapore