michphoto Posted February 16, 2011 Share #1 Posted February 16, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, I'm Michael, i'm 19 years old and I'm from Belgium. I have some experience with photography (digital) so far, but I want to go to rangefinders because i don't like being the "voyeur" behind the big SLR (=> not at all handy when doing street photography, which i absolutely love). So I've been thinking about getting an M6 with a 35 summicron f2. Should i get the asph or non-asph. I know the price difference is big, but is it with reason? About film in general... I would use tri-x 400 to start out. at the moment that's the only thing i want: black and white street photography. I noticed a lot of you guys develop your film and then scan it. Is printing that difficult/expensive/that much of a hassle? I'd like your thought on this...i want to develop and print myself, but have NO experience. Where to buy? My film stuff would be bought from macodirect, seems fairly good. But the leica itself: I found a british shop here on the forum which offers them m6's at a reasonable price and would like to go for it. however, they're not CLA'd, but do come with a 12 month warranty and are -according to the seller - in perfect working condition. Should i get them and get them CLA'd or not? That's all for now, i'll keep you posted on new questions (if i can't find them through searching , that is ) thanks in advance! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 Hi michphoto, Take a look here New here and want M6. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wparsonsgisnet Posted February 16, 2011 Share #2 Posted February 16, 2011 ... thinking about getting an M6 with a 35 summicron f2. Should i get the asph or non-asph. I know the price difference is big, but is it with reason? About film in general... I would use tri-x 400 to start out. at the moment that's the only thing i want: black and white street photography. I noticed a lot of you guys develop your film and then scan it. Is printing that difficult/expensive/that much of a hassle? I'd like your thought on this...i want to develop and print myself, but have NO experience. Where to buy? ... the leica itself: I found a british shop here on the forum which offers them m6's at a reasonable price and would like to go for it. however, they're not CLA'd, but do come with a 12 month warranty and are -according to the seller - in perfect working condition. Should i get them and get them CLA'd or not?... II have used both the 35's. If you will not be shooting into light, the non-asph may be just fine. When there is a situation of oncoming light, you will get a lot of flare from the non-a lens. Starting up a darkroom is a pretty big deal. I would say it took me several years to make a print that still pleases me at this point in time. I suggest you get your film processed and proofed somewhere until you can do a darkroom ... or ... scan the file you get developed somewhere. Others may not agree with this advice, BUT setting up and operating a DR is a really big deal. Finally, if you can trust the camera shop, the guarantee should be ok. Can you go and test the camera? And ... there are 2 different M6's. The older one, referred to as the M6 Classic, has a shutter speed dial that turns the "wrong way." That is, all M's thru the first M6 have a shutter speed dial that turns one way. The second version of the M6 has a dial that turns in the opposite direction, and this is also true of the M7 and the MP that are in production. Since I used an M4, the older M6 was what I wanted. If you plan to use an M7 at some time, I would get the newer M6 so that you don't go crazy with the differently oriented dials. G'luck. You're in the right place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted February 16, 2011 Share #3 Posted February 16, 2011 Hi Michael, and welcome! The M6 is a brilliant camera that will last a lifetime. Yes, it takes a little getting used to, but is pretty easy when you get the hang of it. Main advantages are precision and control, compact size, robustness, and excellent lenses. Yes, do make sure it is in top condition or get it CLAed. 35 Summicron ASPH or pre-ASPH are both excellent lenses. You will find f/2 useful in lower light. An alternative to consider might be a 50 Summicron for tighter framing. ISO 400 B+W is a traditional favorite for street photography. Developing B+W films is easy, printing is harder. Scanning requires a quality scanner. All time consuming. You might also like to try color slide later on and either scan yourself or have them scanned professionally -- you can easily desaturate to B+W. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmas Posted February 16, 2011 Share #4 Posted February 16, 2011 Hi If you dont need flash then the M6 classic is cheaper. The Asph has much better MTF with the lens wide open, by /5.6 and smaller you wont notice a difference street shooting. They both need their lens hoods, to contain flare, the non asph is supposed to have a nice boketh, it is called the boketh king. If you can get a summarit cheaper it wont be detectably different, apart from 2/3 of a stop, the Summaron f/2.8 in good condition optically ditto. The only problem with the M6 is the range finder spot can flare occassionally, but you probably wont notice this street shooting. I get (got) most of my darkroom gear for free, from people going to digital, join a photo club. It is very desirable you have a room to dedicate to the dark, you can use a changing bag, but an under stairs cupboard is preferable, especially if you want to wet print. If you are going to use bulk, then an early M6 will be able to operate Leica IXMOO feltless cassettes without any modification a later one will need a replacement bottom latch. Most of the time I use a CV f2.5 35mm LTM when street shooting, cause I use LTM cameras, sometimes I use it on a M with an adapter, cheaper than a Leica lens. For a long time I used a J12, really cheaper, occassional iris images with low sun, when you are street shooting you can not do much to avoid flare. Noel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 16, 2011 Share #5 Posted February 16, 2011 Hi, I would echo the above advice. Re. the M6, if you don't need the built in meter, you can also consider any of the earlier M cameras - I use an M2. The M6 is a newer model of course and has more frame lines (28-135mm). As advised, go for the classic if you don't need the TTL flash metering (the classic has TTL metering for normal light, just not for flash). If you can stretch to a Summicron ASPH you will then have a superb kit. BUT......other lenses are not inferior, just different. I mostly use a 35mm Voigtlander Skopar on my M2. I also have a 35mm Summaron but it's a 'goggled' version intended for the M3 (the M3 had a 50mm widest frame line, and the goggled lens stretches the view to 35mm). I have compared the Skopar to the Summaron and a Summicron ASPH. In 'normal' use there's hardly anything between them, mostly just that the ASPH is more contrasty, and yes it will be sharper at the edges if you look closely, but has anyone ever looked at one of your photos and been upset about the level of sharpness in the corners? I'd say, if you really want a Leica 35mm lens, splash out on the 'cron ASPH or go for the Summarit in preference to an older 'cron. Processing B&W silver film is dead easy. No need to send it off anywhere, it's more hassle. I process and scan, then print, most of the time. The beauty is that you have the option of making 'proper' wet prints too. I used to wet print myself but it is a lot of hard work, unless you have the space for a dedicated darkroom. The printing itself is actually quite easy, but to get quality results takes a lot of practice, and a dust free environment! Setting up and packing up a temporary darkroom is a hassle and creates the dreaded dust! You can't really go wrong buying a secondhand Leica from a Leica dealer, with a warranty. There's absolutely no need for a CLA if the camera is working fine, which you'll find out after you shoot your first roll with it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michphoto Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share #6 Posted February 20, 2011 I hear a lot of different opinions here....some say it's difficult to print (and i mean manually not digital), some say it's fun and not to difficult...what to do? (if i read the instructions of illford on their site, it doens't seem too difficult?) Should I get a scanner and a darkroom? That seems to be a tad too expensive at the moment... Can I use my sleeping room/bureau as a darkroom "on the go"? I also got this guy that wants to get rid of his enlarger, a Durst m 370 BW with Lens Schneider Componon 50 mm f 2,8. Asks about 50 euros for it, seems fine? Comes with ilford multigrade set. Or should I just buy me a scanner, but where is the analog gone then? I might as well keep a compact digital with me, which I don't want :') Hope to get some answers on this one... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 20, 2011 Share #7 Posted February 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) The enlarger is cheap. You only need a few dishes, safelight, timer, chemicals, thermometer and a few other sundry items to give it a go. Go for it, try it for yourself, whether you stick with it or not you'll learn along the way. There's nothing quite like making your first print! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suonio Posted February 20, 2011 Share #8 Posted February 20, 2011 I would echo James - go for it! And yes, you can use any room as a darkroom - if it is dark - just the safe light, no light leaks. Washing the prints can be done in full daylight, so you don´t necessarily need running water in your darkroom. When I was ten it took me probably an hour to learn the basics in my fathers "printing school". Can´t really call it difficult! But after decades of printing I´m still learning. And that´s the fun of it. If you scan your films and print digitally I think you loose a lot. Traditional prints give you a different look, that can´t be duplicated digitally. It's a different world - completely. However printing is time consuming. You can´t get a decent print in a minute or two, like you can from your computer. ------------------- Regards, Suonio Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith (M) Posted February 20, 2011 Share #9 Posted February 20, 2011 Hi, About film in general... I would use tri-x 400 to start out. at the moment that's the only thing i want: black and white street photography. I noticed a lot of you guys develop your film and then scan it. Is printing that difficult/expensive/that much of a hassle? I'd like your thought on this...i want to develop and print myself, but have NO experience. On Friday I developed my first roll of b&w film for mover 20 years. It was not quite as easy as I recalled but nevertheless was a rewarding activity (and yes, there are images on the resulting negatives). All you will need is a changing-bag, daylight tank, chemicals, a thermometer and measuring jugs/beakers etc. Some basic guidelines (courtesy of Ilford). I am using Tri-X, Ilfosol 3 at 1+9 dilution for one-shot development, Ilfostop (stop-bath) and Ilford Rapid Fixer. Unrolling the negatives from the reel after developing, stopping, fixing and washing and seeing the resulting images is very rewarding. I hope you enjoy the process! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 20, 2011 Share #10 Posted February 20, 2011 I recall reading years ago - probably in the Amateur Photographer - the idea of using an old wardrobe as a 'darkroom'. You fit a couple of shelves in the wardrobe, one for the enlarger and paper, timer etc., one below that for the chemical trays, hooks for hanging odds and ends. Black out the room, open the wardrobe and you're ready to go! At the time I had access to a windowless kitchen at my fathers workplace where I could set up a darkroom at the weekends, but I did get tired of all the packing up/lugging stuff about each session. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michphoto Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share #11 Posted February 26, 2011 Alrighty, i got already got my enlarger! paid 50 euros for the enlarger + ilford multigrade + couple of darkroom lamps + timer + pincets for paper + clips to hang drying negatives + kit to convert the enlarger to 6x6. Seems like i've done a good deal... tomorrow there is a considerable photography fair not that far away, where leica's are available, so i'm going to visit it and hope to get some darkroom equipment as well. I'm not going to buy anything immediately, since it's a bit unsafe to bring thousands and thousands with me, but what do I have to look for in a leica m6 classic? and what about the lenses: is about the same as buying and testing a secondhand digital lens? thanks a lot! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michphoto Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share #12 Posted February 26, 2011 I was wondering how you protect your cameras. I thought about getting a strong, yet small case/bag to carry the camera (with lens attached). Anybody some suggestions? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 26, 2011 Share #13 Posted February 26, 2011 The camera is to be used - the deeper you wrap it in bags, the less ready for shooting it is. Don't worry, these cameras are tough and marks of use are a badge of honor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted February 27, 2011 Share #14 Posted February 27, 2011 When examining the M6 classic, check to see that the meter works, that the rangefinder image aligns at infinity with a lens mounted and turned to infinity, that the film winding lever advances the sprockets smoothly, and that the film guide rails are clean and smooth. You can sort of test shutter speeds by opening the back and advancing the speeds while observing the shutter opening and closing. Good luck & enjoy your new camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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