My path to a digital rangefinder

[Alnitak]

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I posted this write up on a few forums, and one of the resident LUF users suggested I post it here. I hadn't thought of it, but here it is. It was written for a crowd on a site that loves alt glass, but doesn't have a lot of digital rangefinder users--although the M9's release has caused a flood of discussion and revived interest in the Leica digital M platform. Keep that perspective in mind as you read it. Enjoy!

 

I thought a little personal story as to how I came to own a Leica M8.2 might be enlightening to those who speculate about this camera/platform purely on technical or financial grounds. In addition, I think it would be useful to those wondering whether they should give the Leica digital M system a try.

 

For background, I am 38 years old and have been a fairly avid photographer for nearly 30 years (yes, I started very young!). While I have had some of my work professionally published in a wide variety of venues, I am still an amateur and will always remain so. Unlike some, I don't have any rangefinder nostalgia. While my brother had a Canonet that I was able to use when I was young, I didn't like the "rangefinder experience" and therefore I started out about 1980 or 1981 with a Pentax K1000 w/ a 50mm f/2.8 kit lens. Since that time, I have never had any urge to use a rangefinder. Instead, I have owned a series of Nikon and Canon film and digital SLRs. In recent years, I have owned and used nearly every Canon DSLR since the 20D, including all the 1-series, the 40D and 50D, and Rebel XTi and XSi.

 

It was the advent of affordable DSLRs that revived my flagging interest in photography. By allowing me get immediate feedback and inexpensive practice, I was able to really improve my skills. In 2002, I bought a Nikon D100 and haven't looked at film since. I have experimented with a wide variety of photography, including wildlife and birds, landscapes, urban and street photography, family portraits, macro, etc. To that end, the extreme flexibility of the DSLR platforms from Canon and Nikon is a plus. However, I have gradually settled on family portraits, and landscape and cityscape photography as my favorites. I also have settled (if you can actually use that term here) on using fast primes, as I mostly shoot in the evenings and I tend to integrate shallow DOF as part of my style.

 

In the last few years, as the quality of the smaller compacts has improved, I have been on a quest to find a lighter, smaller kit for my travel needs, as well as something I can keep on me at all times (or at least nearby at nearly all times). I think many of us would like something like this. I have tried a whole bunch of smaller cameras: Canon G9 and G10, Sigma DP2, and several others. I finally concluded that what I was really looking for was a large-sensor camera with either a fixed fast prime, or better yet, interchangeable lenses. So, I tried the Canon Rebels. While I could use all of my existing lenses, and the image quality was quite good, the whole package was still not very small, especially since the lenses are a major portion of the bulk. So, my saga continued. Recently, the Olympus PEN E-P1 really excited me. However, the sensor is still relatively small, so shallow DOF is a challenge, and the noise at higher ISO settings is less than ideal. The lens selection for the micro-four thirds format is also still very thin, and heavily inclined to slower zooms. Given the consumer market this format is targeted to, that will likely not change much over time. I bought some Voigtlander fast primes in an effort to alleviate this, and it helps, but introduces unique challenges.

 

So, all of this led me to conclude that the best large sensor in a small camera package just might be the Leica M8. Given all of the negative things I heard, I decided I really needed to do my research. I became pretty comfortable that Leica had finally gotten it mostly right with the M8.2 and the latest firmware fixes. I also knew that an M9 was forthcoming, so that the possibility of a compact FF camera was likely, and there would be a good selection of used M8.2's on the market. Since I already had a few M lenses to use on the E-P1 I could test the waters cheaply by picking up a used M8.2 (note that I could have gone even cheaper with a used M8, but I felt that the M8.2 was a better choice). In July I did just that, and got a great deal on a used M8.2 that was for all intents and purposes, brand-new.

 

So, what have I discovered in the last three months? Well, rangefinder shooting is not for everyone and definitely not for every type of shooting--but I knew that before I bought it. Still, you have to experience it to really understand it. That said, it really fits my style just fine, and is well-matched to may favorite types of shooting. With the large sensor and fast lenses, I can get great DOF control. The image quality at low ISO's is superb, and the images are fine up to and including ISO 1250 (although they are best at ISO 640 and below). There is a very large selection of fabulous quality prime lenses available, many of which are extremely cost-effective. The build quality of the cameras and lenses is outstanding. The size, while not super-small, is much smaller than even a Rebel with a small prime. The camera is very inconspicuous in use, and attracts far less attention from the average person on the street than a DLSR (with one exception: Other photographers, who are attracted to it like flies to honey).

 

I am enjoying photography in a way I haven't in years. I don't miss AF much at all, as I have always mainly used central point AF, and I don't really like to shoot moving subjects. There are definitely times when AF would be ideal, but I have kept my 5D Mark II and a broad selection of lenses for just those times. Horses for courses as they say. Ultimately, for me, the pleasure I am getting out of using the Leica is what its all about because after all this is a hobby for me.

 

Are there other issues? Yes. The high-ISO performance is about 1-2 stops behind the current crop of CMOS-based DSLRs from Canon, Nikon and Sony. That said, its about 1-2 stops ahead of the best small cameras, such as the Panasonic LX3. The image quality at low ISOs is substantially better than the current generation of small cameras, and is easily a match for most DSLRs; its definitely better than the current micro four thirds cameras. The IR-leak issue is annoying, although once you get a set of UV/IR cut filters, its not a problem. Still, its an extra expense. The price of Leica glass is ridiculous, even if it is of excellent quality. Compare a 24/1.4 Summilux at $5995 with the Canon 24/1.4L II at $1699. The Summilux is no doubt more difficult to manufacture, but its hard to justify that type of price delta. Luckily, there are excellent options for most lenses from Cosina-Voigtlander, and they are *very* cost effective--even more cost effective than Canon-Nikon glass. As for the price of the camera itself, I think its more justifiable in the case of the M9, given that the price of other FF bodies from Canon and Nikon. Would it be nice if it was cheaper? Yes, but given the complexity and manual labor components, I think it will be difficult to make a cheaper version. The market for this type of camera is pretty small, so I don't think we will ever see the prices drop too much as I doubt Leica will see any real competition.

 

I thought that this story might be useful for those who might be considering the whole M system now that the M9 has been released. I will definitely be getting an M9, as I really want as large a sensor as possible. Given the low availability, I am hoping that any issues with the new body will be mostly sorted out by the time I can get one. To those who are debating the move into the digital rangefinder world, I would suggest that you start out the way I did. I got a used M8.2 (better than the M8 as it fixed many of the issues that plagued the early M8's), and some inexpensive Cosina-Voigtlander glass and really pushed myself to see if I could live within the constraints imposed by an all-manual rangefinder system. I see a long future for me with the digital M's; they won't replace my DSLR systems, but the two make a great complementary pair.

 

'm following up with some of my favorite images of the last three months, all taken with the M8.2 and a variety of lenses.

 

Rainbow Lorikeet (wild), Voigtlander 50mm f/2.5 Color Skopar, Sydney:

 

 

A different view of the Sydney Opera House, Leica 90mm f/2 Summicron-M APO ASPH, f/2:

 

 

Sydney skyline at night, Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 ASPH Nokton, f/1.2:

 

 

California sunset, Leica 90mm f/2 Summicron-M ASPH APO, f/2:

 

 

 

Jeff

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