Some consideration on a switch, with sample

[Leicaiste]

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Wem:

 

I do not see DSLR and range finder as mutually exclusive.

 

From my experience, they are exclusive if one wants to learn how to use a rangefinder.

 

To use them together will only make the learning curve really flat, or even push to sell the M9.

 

Until you really feel that you can master the M9, don't take the 5DII in your bag.

 

I am still leaving the 5DII at home btw.

 

 

Lucien

[viramati]

Hi Wem

Firstly I love your blog and see that you style has very much what a lot of people call the 'Leica look' which in a way shows you don't need a leica to get the look. About 5 months ago I started using leica's and now find that the D700 hardly ever sees the light of day (occasionally the night). For me it was really a size thing, a nikon with a zoom was just too big for street work and even with a prime still out-sizes and weighs the M9. I also notice that a lot of your shots don't really have people moving at great speed so I think focus wouldn't be that big an issue. On the other hand if you are happy with what you are achieving with you present get up I wouldn't see any great reason to change.

[noah_addis]

I didn't see anything on your blog that couldn't have been shot fairly easily with a rangefinder.

 

On the other hand, you seem happy with what you've got so why switch?

 

It seems like most photographers either love rangefinders or hate them. I love them for a few reasons, primarily the viewing method itself, but also the size of the cameras and lenses, the precise focusing with wide/normal lenses, etc.

 

Some photographers say there is a learning curve with RF cameras, for me it was pretty fast, I felt at home with the viewing/focusing system right away. I used AF systems for years (both Nikon and Canon) and I get more sharp frames with my rangefinders.

 

When I bought my first Leicas it was for a very specific reason. I had just come back from a trip to Africa for a newspaper assignment. I carried three Nikon F5s and a handful of lenses, actually all primes but they were still large (28/1.4, 85/1.4, etc.). After the experience traveling with that large gear as well as shooting with it in sensitive situations, I decided that I never wanted to be so encumbered with equipment. I pretty much made a decision while running through Malpensa airport to make a connection that I would never travel with a huge SLR kit again. That idea was reinforced once I started shooting in Nigeria and I realized how nice it was to have small, discreet cameras.

 

When I got back I bought a few M6s and three lenses and soon realized how well the rangefinder focusing and viewing work for the way I shoot. Soon after that my paper switched to digital and again I was forced to travel with large SLRs, digital this time. But now I'm freelancing and I'm shooting only with M9s.

 

Leica gear is expensive. In some ways it's a bad habit. And not everyone likes rangefinders--like so much else in photography it really is a matter of personal preference.

 

My point is that if you're happy with what you have and don't see a specific reason to switch, why bother? If you think an RF camera would help your work or make your shooting more enjoyable, then give it a try. You could always rent one for a week just to give it a try.

[Jager]

Wow, thanks for all the answers guys! For now, I think I learned the following:

 

 

1. People have shot rangefinders for many years with great success, but
   
2. this was rarely done with very large apertures
   
3. Focusing speed is better on my DSLR, and it allows *me* to take technically better pictures.
   
4. A RF and a DSLR are not mutually exclusive (but due to budget constraints they are for me).
   
5. There are techniques, but they require more anticipation. This means I would have missed the first shot.
   
6. Technical perfection isn't the Holy Grail (but to dismiss it from the start is something I don't want either).However, to capture moments, one needs to be quick sometimes.
   

I take my 5DII with 50L with me - always. It isn't that light, but nothing terrible. And nowadays, people are used to seeing DSLRs and it bothers less than it used to. I might get a M9 and a 50 summilux one day. But not this one. I cannot afford to carry two systems yet. I think the rangefinder style fits me, except the speed. If my style changes somewhat, I will reconsider.

 

Thanks again guys. I can also appreciate that it isn't easy to say an m9 is not the right tool for me on this forum but that this didn't came through in the responses.

 

If you would like to see more of the pictures I like to take, you can visit my blog on My Daily Pictures. I take nature shots too, but these daily pictures are what I enjoy the most.

 

Kind regards,

 

Wim

 

The only thing I would take exception to, Wim, are numbers two and five on your list. Many iconic Leica images were historically and are today taken at maximum aperture. Just take a look at the reviews and web sites of the photographers mentioned in the first post, the sticky, at the top of this forum. You'll quickly see a broad range of the photography for which rangefinders are suited.

 

And your shot of the two women would not have been particularly hard to get with an M camera. There are many subjects which would be challenged by manual focus, but that wasn't one of them.

 

I'm not trying to convince you to ditch your DSLR for an M9. I have a Nikon system and very much appreciate the advantages that a DSLR and AF often bring. But if I have one regret across my years of photography, it is that I waited so long before picking up a rangefinder.

 

You might consider picking up a used film body and a single lens. That would reveal for you what rangefinders are all about and you could sell them six months or a year later for the same price that you bought them at.

[sanyasi]

Wim:

 

After looking at your photos on your blog, I'd say you will do just fine with whatever equipment you are using. Really like the "woman runs past administration building." The sky against the nicely lit building provides a nice set for the runner.

 

Good luck

 

Jack Siegel

[charlesphoto99]

Practice, practice, and practice some more. That's what it takes. And keepin mind some people just never quite get along with it. That's okay too. Use what works best for you.

 

Remember to focus and frame, focus and frame, focus and... Otherwise your subjects will always be middle of the frame (if you use the eyes to focus).

[andybarton]

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Wim:

 

After looking at your photos on your blog, I'd say you will do just fine with whatever equipment you are using.

 

I agree. You could just as easily have taken any of those shots with a rangefinder.

 

My advice would be to buy an M2 with a 35 Summaron f2.8 and see how you get on. You won't lose any (much) money if you don't get on with it.

 

I also agree with Jager's points above. Leica lenses are designed to work properly at full aperture - don't be afraid to do so