Purchasing a Leica

[devermb]

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I am interested in buying a Leica M9 and have several questions:

 

-- Rangefinder cameras historically, as I understand it, have separate rangefinders and viewers, yet on the M9 that work directly together. Is the problem of having them sepearate therefore solved in the M9?

 

-- I've seen a few photos taken with the M9 but no fashion photos. Are there fashion photos of the M9 and if so where can I find them.

 

-- Can anyone recommend a zoom lens for an M9?

[stuny]

This will be relatively short, and I’m sure other Forum members will add to it and possibly correct it.

Modern rangefinder cameras have two windows on the front of the camera, but only one on the back. The two windows provide the ability to focus accurately by a process I would not do justice to, but users look through the viewfinder and adjust the focus control on the lens so that small rectangle image from the one front window is exactly superimposed over that section of the full image from the other window.

There are some fashion photographers who use Leica rangefinder cameras, but most do not.

Rangefinder cameras are different from Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras primarily in the viewing mechanism. With SLRs users, via a mirror and a reflective prism see the image through the actual taking lens. With rangefinders, users see the image separately from the taking lens. Consequently, rangefinder cameras do not operate with zoom lenses.

[tobey bilek]

RF and Viewing windows were combined first on the M3 in 1954, 56 years ago. Been that way ever since.

 

You want the front windows as far apart as possible to have a long RF base for accuracy. Cheapo RF cameras have a base half that of Leica and focus accuracy with fast lenses, teles, and close up suffer.

[SJP]

(1) Separate viewer and rangefinder was solved since 1954 when the M3 emerged, the M9 is the same (M = Messsucher = measurement-finder)

 

(2) I have seen some fashion shots on Flickr I believe, you could try searching there.

 

(3) No, the name of the game is fixed focal length primes, with the notable exception of the "tri-elmars":

WATE = wide angle tri-elmar 18-21-24/4

MATE = medium angle tri-elmar 28-50-35/4

 

These are not zoom lenses but have three preset focal lengths, the MATE is out of production but still available on the black market(). I have one and it is very useful as a daytime lens, not evening unless you use a flash.

 

Anyway the best Leica M9 experience is to get a 35/1.4 summilux or 35/2 summicron and learn to deal with a fixed focal length. It clears the mind, and the results wil blow you away.

[marknorton]

The WATE is actually 16-18-21, a rather modest "zoom" ratio. I agree with Stephen's comment about starting with a single focal length and about the results.

[elansprint72]

Nikon is what you need.

 

Zoom? Get out of here, Leica are not planning a zoom lens until 2017. Or later.

[Ed_K]

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Welcome to the forum, devermb, here are 2 links regarding M-photographers in fashion work :-

 

1) One of our forum members, Thorsten Overgaard, covering the Copenhagen Fashion week here,

leica.overgaard.dk - Thorsten Overgaard's Leica Pages - Leica M9 Digital Rangefinder Camera - Page 10: Copenhagen Fashion Week from the viewpoint of Leica M9

 

2) Another photographer Chris Weeks using the M for some fashion shots here,

Chris Weeks Photography

 

Hope it helps with your query

[devermb]

Anyway the best Leica M9 experience is to get a 35/1.4 summilux or 35/2 summicron and learn to deal with a fixed focal length. It clears the mind, and the results wil blow you away.

 

Question in response: what about a 50mm? Or is that too narrow to be flexible?

[bill]

Question in response: what about a 50mm? Or is that too narrow to be flexible?

 

No. This is a matter of taste, not "law". I love the 50mm FOV, and find the 35mm too wide for general use.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[SJP]

50 mm is fine as well.

 

For me 35mm and Leica (full frame) are "the classic combination", I am pretty much married to my 28/2 ASPH on the M8 which is roughly the same in terms of field of view, and M2 with 35/2.8 summaron is also a favorite.

 

When I am using my MATE, not too frequently, if prefer to use it as 50mm (about 70% of the time I guess) so in conclusion you need to decide for yourself.

[wilfredo]

Anyway the best Leica M9 experience is to get a 35/1.4 summilux or 35/2 summicron and learn to deal with a fixed focal length. It clears the mind, and the results wil blow you away.

 

Question in response: what about a 50mm? Or is that too narrow to be flexible?

 

Unless money is not an issue for you, you might consider renting an M8 with a 35mm Summicron and trying that out for a couple of days before you take the plunge. Rangefiders are not for everyone and focusing takes practice.

[lars_bergquist]

What you must consider is the fact that rangefinder photography is a completely different game from SLR photography. It is a different workflow, but above all a different mindset. You are not looking at an image of the subject, projected on a matte finder screen or drawn by a monitor. You are looking at the subject itself, directly. A projected bright frame tells you about composition while the brighter rangefinder patch, center, lets you focus the lens with the aid of a triangulating rangefinder. When you have learned the ropes, this is extremelly fast and reliable. A Leica M photographer pre-visualises the picture, composition and all, already before he raises the camera to his eye. He does not search for it in the finder. It is essentially action photography.

 

The M finder accommodates focal lengths of 28, 35, 50, 75, 90 and 135mm. Wider lenses are handled by way of accessory bright-frame finders, longer lenses not at all. The Leica M is, if I may say so, a specialised camera for general photography. No long teles, no macro, but superior for everything else.

 

A M photographer walks out with one, two or at most three lenses. He/she selects the one that fits the situation. We are minimalists; the SLR 'everything plus the kitchen sink and the garbage pail' attitude is not our attitude. We are using stick shift cameras, making our own decisions. It is a kind of Zen. If all this sets bells ringing, well ...

 

The old man from the Age of the M3

[devermb]

I have access to a Leica M6 TTL (0.85), a Summicron-M 1:2/50mm and Leica APO-TELYT-M 1:3.4/135mm that I will practice with as suggested above. Any tips on theese are appreciated, even as I crack open the boxes now.

[SJP]

tip 1: enjoy

[lars_bergquist]

Tip 2: Learn basic operation with the 50mm first, as this is more forgiving than the 135. Then graduate.

 

Using the M6 ttl is no different from using any M camera with an internal meter (M6, M7, MP, M8, M9) on manual exposure. And learning manual M exposure first is THE way to go. The difference is in the film: Negative film, colour or bw, has overexposure latitude, which slide film and digital has not. So with neg film, you expose for the midtones and the shadows, letting the highlights care about themselves. with slide films or digital, you have to get the highlights right (no overexposue 'blowout') and take what you get in the shadows.

 

The old man from the Age of the M3

[devermb]

Are these lenses -- a Summicron-M 1:2/50mm and Leica APO-TELYT-M 1:3.4/135mm -- worthy of putting on a Leica M9?

[bill]

"...worthy..."?

 

Ok, on the grounds that you might not be taking the piss, yes, they are "worthy" - they are Leica.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[AlanG]

I am interested in buying a Leica M9 and have several questions:

 

-- Rangefinder cameras historically, as I understand it, have separate rangefinders and viewers, yet on the M9 that work directly together. Is the problem of having them sepearate therefore solved in the M9?

 

-- I've seen a few photos taken with the M9 but no fashion photos. Are there fashion photos of the M9 and if so where can I find them.

 

-- Can anyone recommend a zoom lens for an M9?

 

I think the Kodak Retina IIa from 1939 was the first camera with a combined rangefinder/viewfinder, so it is not a very recent development that was "solved" by the M9 or M3 for that matter.

 

I think the frame rate and buffer limitations would make the M9 too slow for fashion shooters, but maybe some could live with that. And a lot of studio fashion work is shot tethered... often on MF (where they accept the slower frame to frame rates.)

[SJP]

Are these lenses -- a Summicron-M 1:2/50mm and Leica APO-TELYT-M 1:3.4/135mm -- worthy of putting on a Leica M9?

Yes, beyond doubt.

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[andybarton]

Are these lenses -- a Summicron-M 1:2/50mm <snip> -- worthy of putting on a Leica M9?

 

GIven that the 50mm Summicron is probably the best 50 mm lens ever made, what else would you put on a Leica? Apart from maybe a 50mm Summilux?

 

There are no zooms for Leica M cameras, only variable focal length lenses. These are not zooms in the "SLR" sense, but have three distinct focal lengths and none in between.