Switching from Canon to M9

[Guest Holy Moly]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

it's the glass dude, not the body.....

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[jaapv]

it's the glass dude, not the body.....

Try telling that to a girl wearing spectacles...

[Peter H]

Welcome to the forum!

 

I'm interested to know why its the 24-70 you'd consider keeping, since this falls well within the range that the M9 excels in.

 

The 70-200 might be the better bet, no?

[jsrockit]

it's the glass dude, not the body.....

 

Not to me... there are plenty of great lenses out there from many manufactuers. However, there is only one full frame digital rangefinder.

[Jeff S]

Just trying to prevent the common misapprehension that lens and camera must be adjusted as a set.

 

It is true, however, that Leica Service (in NJ, anyway) strongly recommends sending lens and camera in together if there are focusing issues. Several techs have confirmed this.

 

Based on your comment, I suppose this is to ensure both are adjusted properly, even if not 'as one unit', although I didn't specifically ask why.

 

Jeff

[jaapv]

That is correct. It is often not easy for the user to tell which is off, the lens(ses), the camera, or both.

[bsaber]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

If you buy an M9 I would not buy CV lenses at the beginning. Get a 35 or 50mm summicron/summarit.

 

If you have any RF/focusing problems with the Leica CV combo you wont be able to get Leica to check the lenses. With a new Leica lens that work would be done under warranty.

 

Also don't forget that new Leica lenses come 6-bit coded, which the camera reads and applies the corresponding image edge corrections. Not really necessary for 50 mm and up but useful for WA lenses and if you want the lens info included in the exif.

 

Jeff

 

Let's be precise. Leica will adjust the RF whatever lens you may be using, as the camera will not be adjusted with your lens on the camera - never - it will be adjusted against the standard reference.

For lens adjusting on a CV lens you must indeed look elsewhere, and it seems to be problematic to get service from time to time, from what I have heard, unless the lens was purchased through for instance Cameraquest.

 

Thanks for the clarification, Jeff and jaapv.

 

Welcome to the forum. I too came from the Canon world. SLRs and rangefinders are different tools for different jobs. I got a M9 about a year ago.So far I have kept my 5D and 7D and 6 lenses and still use them for sports and macros and super wide (with 16-35mm 2.8L).

I love the M9 for portraits,environmental portraits and as a travel camera. By wanting to keep your 17-40mm you must like wide angle shots. The M9 is very good for wide angle but you need accessory viewfinders which are surprisingly expensive. My most used lens on the 5D was the 24-70mm 2.8. I now have Leica 24mm, 35mm, and a 50mm lenses. On my wish list are the 16-18-21mm WATE and the 75mm cron. I agree with the suggestion to start with a 35mm Summicron. Its a super all purpose lens, is small, and works for environmental portraits and travel. Keeping your 5D2 and 17-40mm until you can get something that wide for the Leica is a good idea. If you use the 70-200/2.8 in the telephoto range you may want to keep that as well. There is nothing to compare with Leica glass and the rangefinder style of shooting.

 

Cheers,

Roy

 

Thanks for the input, Roy. I don't shoot tele much. In fact, the 70-200 is my least used lens of all.

 

it's the glass dude, not the body.....

 

True, but can't really afford the summicron. That's definitely the first lens I get once I can afford it! Maybe the summarit...

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

I'm interested to know why its the 24-70 you'd consider keeping, since this falls well within the range that the M9 excels in.

 

The 70-200 might be the better bet, no?

 

Thanks for the welcome, Peter! I'm keeping the 17-40 not the 24-70. And the only reason I'm keeping that is not because I like super wides but because keeping that will allow my shooting partner and I to have our entire range from 17mm to 200mm covered on the DSLRs. And as I said above, I don't shoot tele. Only when I have no choice

 

Lots of great information from everyone so far. Leaning toward making the change at the moment. Any more input, opinions, comments would be greatly appreciated!

[bentarrow]

This happened to me.

 

I started with

 

5D2, EOS3

16-35L, 24-70L,35L, 50L, 85L, 70-200 f2.8 mkii

 

I now have

 

5D2, EOS3

35L,85L,70-200

 

m8,m6

28mm summicron

35mm 1.4 nokton classic

 

 

Leica cant replace my DSLR. DSLR cant replace Leica.

If you can keep the tele and the Leica cant take care of the rest.

 

 

Dont expect so shoot at high iso on the Leica.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been lurking for the last two days and finally decided to join to ask more experienced Leica users for some thoughts and opinions.

 

Some background first. I started off in photography with an AE-1 and 50mm f/1.4 and loved shooting with it even to this day because of the manual controls. My Canon lenses consist of the following: 17-40L, 24-70L, 70-200 f/2.8 non-IS, 35L, and 50L, you'll see that I have all L lenses, but for the past year the zooms have been mostly gathering a beautiful coat of dust. Even for my photo shoots with models have been shot with only primes. It's just the way I shoot, it feels... right. Perhaps it's due to the fact I started out with a prime and smaller well built camera.

 

Recently I acquired an X100 and now my 5D2 and 7D have started to get that beautiful coat of dust that the zooms have. I've played with rangefinders before and LOVE it. Granted the X100 isn't a rangefinder but it certainly has the "ethos" of one. Ok, maybe not but it reminded me of the rangefinder shooting style. I've spent a good few days thinking and reading about the M8 and M9 and it has planted a seed. If I sell all my Canon gear (minus the flashes, 5D2, and 17-40L), the M9 with voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 and voigtlander 50mm f/1 is within range AND leave me with some money left over for accessories.

 

Am I crazy to even think of this? Just wondering what everyone else thinks... I should also note that the 35L, 50L, and 7D have been put up for sale.

 

I won't be completely without a good DSLR setup, my cousin, sister, and business partner also have a good DSLR setup that I can borrow from at pretty much any time if the need arises. My hope is to shoot portraiture and weddings eventually. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[bsaber]

I know that they won't replace each other. That's why I'm keeping the 5D2.

[dwbell]

Obviously only you can answer your own question.

 

If you want to do portraiture and weddings you need to determine the type and style of those events. At a wedding a 35L on the 5D2 with bounced ETTL flash on the top will get you way more keepers for way less difficulty than a Leica set up. For portraiture a tethered 5D2 with a 70-200 f/2.8 or a 135L, studio flashes (higher sync speed) and higher frame rate will, again, give you more keepers and allow instant feedback to the client.

 

However, you won't get wedding shots like one-lens-Brett

Noctilux Weddings - a set on Flickr

with the 5D2 set up, and you won't get environmental portraits like Aslan Killinger

India with M9 - a set on Flickr

with a dirty great 70-200 in-front of your face.

 

So it really does depend on what you want to do and how you want to do it.

 

I kept my canon DSLR gear, portable strobes and studio lights. It's turned out that I use my M9 for artistic personal projects and my DSLR for booked work. I love to use the M9 after some time in studio conditions and I love to get back to the control of the DSLR, tethered, metered lights etc after flying loose and free with the M9 for a holiday or trip.

 

They compliment each other in my world, they don't really ever compete.

[bsaber]

Obviously only you can answer your own question.

 

If you want to do portraiture and weddings you need to determine the type and style of those events. At a wedding a 35L on the 5D2 with bounced ETTL flash on the top will get you way more keepers for way less difficulty than a Leica set up. For portraiture a tethered 5D2 with a 70-200 f/2.8 or a 135L, studio flashes (higher sync speed) and higher frame rate will, again, give you more keepers and allow instant feedback to the client.

 

However, you won't get wedding shots like one-lens-Brett

Noctilux Weddings - a set on Flickr

with the 5D2 set up, and you won't get environmental portraits like Aslan Killinger

India with M9 - a set on Flickr

with a dirty great 70-200 in-front of your face.

 

So it really does depend on what you want to do and how you want to do it.

 

I kept my canon DSLR gear, portable strobes and studio lights. It's turned out that I use my M9 for artistic personal projects and my DSLR for booked work. I love to use the M9 after some time in studio conditions and I love to get back to the control of the DSLR, tethered, metered lights etc after flying loose and free with the M9 for a holiday or trip.

 

They compliment each other in my world, they don't really ever compete.

 

Thanks for the input. This is my plan at the moment, go with the switch and then rebuild my Canon setup with only primes when I plan to go into weddings. I think they'll compliment each other very well

[mardag]

Hi, welcome to the forum!

 

In my view, since you want to get into doing weddings, sell the 7D, 17-40L, 24-70, 70-200 and X100.

 

Get a second hand 85L(I shoot almost entire weddings with that lens).

INFÖR PATRIK & JULIAS BRÖLLOP UTE PÅ VAXHOLM

Portrait:

BARNPORTRÄTTFOTOGRAFERING I VACKRA BERGSHAMRA

 

M9 portrait with 35 cron

MATILDA – BARNPORTRÄTT/FOTOGRAF

 

Reconsider keeping the 50L my second most used lens! Keep the 35L(or sell and wait for the rumored update)

 

Buy an M9 (wait until M9-P is announced) together with 50Lux, might replace the 50L at weddings if you have the nerve for it (weddings are in my opinion quite stressful events as a photographer:))

 

For wider angles save for the 21Lux for the future:).

 

Basically you´ll be fine with a 35 50 85 combo for weddings!

 

Good luck!!

 

Markus

[bsaber]

Thanks for the input, Markus! I've already decided to make the switch and have begun selling my gear. I'm confident enough to shoot a wedding with the exact combo you mentioned

[shootinglulu]

I had the 5d2 but prefered the M9. The Canon was sold but I kept the 35mm L 1.4.

 

While my M9 is in Solmes I have the lens on my daughters fantastic little EOS 300v which has super speedy af, and some Kodak portra 400..This is a great film solution with this fast lens and more enjoyable than the 5d2/leica combo.

[robert blu]

Mardag, great colore in your Matilda portraits. Just curious if are they due to the m9 or to special PP ?

robert, thinking about an m9

[Peter.S]

Welcome to the club. One thing though I would be picky about the lenses you choose. The 50/1.1: I have never seen pictures taken by it that I like. I would actually consider the Nokton 50/1.5; it comes very close to a pre asph summilux and is also easier to handle. If you want to stick with VC glass I would also suggest to try the VC 35/1.7 instead of the 35/1.4; it is closer to a nice pre asph summicron than the 1.4 to a pre asph summilux. In both cases you will have to find the lenses second hand, but that I have never found a problem. If you don't like them you can usually sell them for what you paid for them.

[leicashooter]

I also used a Canon 5D mark II and I had all the L lenses with it,but sold it because I simply didn't use it any more after first using an M8 , now M9 andI just got an M6 and a X100 and for the occasional long stuff I now have an Olympus e-p2 with old fast FD lenses which are way better build than any of those new plastic L lenses Canon makes these days . With the 2x mag on the 4/3 bodies you can pick up some bargain price fast tele lenses and get some great results .

I think the biggest thing was after using Leica , Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses ,just the feel alone focusing these lenses and then going back using those cheap plastic monster lenses of Canon I decided just to get rid of it. And I don't miss it a bit!

[Hausen17]

I have recently exited my 5D2 +16-35, TS-E24, 50/1.4, TS-E90 and 70-200/4, X100 and M6 and now have M9, Zeiss 21/2.8, Summarit 35/2.5, Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5 and Summicron 90/2 and Elmar 135/4 about to arrive.

 

My thoughts as an enthusiastic amateur with occasional paid work via my own aligned company it is the best decision I ever made. I just love the process again. I just have to work out how to take the shots that my 5D2 would have been better suited for with the M9 and grow with the process. If I can't shoot it with the M9 I shrug my shoulders and realise you can't get every shot.

 

My back loves the smaller camera bag and M9 looks like jewellery when hanging from a sling as I walk around.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[bentarrow]

damn... i really want to drop all of my canon gear now...

 

I have recently exited my 5D2 +16-35, TS-E24, 50/1.4, TS-E90 and 70-200/4, X100 and M6 and now have M9, Zeiss 21/2.8, Summarit 35/2.5, Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5 and Summicron 90/2 and Elmar 135/4 about to arrive.

 

My thoughts as an enthusiastic amateur with occasional paid work via my own aligned company it is the best decision I ever made. I just love the process again. I just have to work out how to take the shots that my 5D2 would have been better suited for with the M9 and grow with the process. If I can't shoot it with the M9 I shrug my shoulders and realise you can't get every shot.

 

My back loves the smaller camera bag and M9 looks like jewellery when hanging from a sling as I walk around.

[bsaber]

Just wanted everyone to know that I've made the decision and have sold off both primes and X100 already. Hopefully, I'll have enough funds by end of the week to get an M9!