Jump to content

What would you choose?


appleman

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

In September this year I was unfortunate enough to have my Leica M8.2 + 4 lenses stolen. However my insurance company has coughed up and I have over £9k to spend on new equipment. My choice will be an M9P with the new 35mm Summilux which will eat up most of the money. My question to you is what would you buy for £9k. I would be interested to hear hour comments.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Replies 58
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I like your idea. I have an M9 + 5 lenses and I strive to vary my usage. But when pressed I usually reach for the 35mm Summilux as the one-lens choice. Sometimes I wonder just how things developed from my original setup which was M6 + 35mm. ... Maybe add a 75 or 90 later.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Alternative approach....

 

Buy Ricoh GXR or Sony NEX-5N with EVF and Novoflex M-E adapter, that is about £1K.

No more M9 SD card shenanigans or cracked sensors.

 

Further £7K buys lots of M lenses; for instance

 

£2000 - 35mm f2

£2500 - 50mm f1.4 &

£2500 - 75mm f2

Good glass is for ever, digital cameras are like bubble gum.

 

Still £1k to splash on say MacBook Pro or buy 35mm 1.4 instead of 35f2 above only add few quid from your own pocket.

Link to post
Share on other sites

So many choices here and good suggestions.

 

Personally I would not rebuy M8.2, but get FF M9 if money burning a hole in your pocket.

 

That said, waiting for a new model of bubble gum a wise move also.

 

Getting GMX as a companion camera can work, but hear getting M module way delayed due to Thai flooding.But, then you have spent money on a non Leica bubble gum, where you could always put that money into additional Leica lenses in the future.

 

The answer could lie in your level of patience and your personal financial analysis of the situation, I.e., the bubble gum analogy.

 

So how's that for a non-answer, answer?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well you can buy an excellent used M8 for under 2K USD and have lots of cash for great used Leica glass and new Zeiss and Voigtlander glass. I have a used M8 and will get a Nex 5n for high ISO and video. Seriously, lenses are the best investment you can make, especially used Leica lenses. All of my beloved Leica lenses (used) have doubled if not tripled in value since I bought them. Nice thing is they are an investment you can use and enjoy. Digital cameras are in some cases throw away and in others, not worth what you pay new (an M8 is not throw away, neither will an M9 be, but each are NOT worth the purchase price!).

 

For 9K I would buy: $2000 M8, $599 NEX 5n, and consider used Leica lenses and/or the excellent Zeiss lenses and Voigtlander lenses. I have 2 Voigtlander lenses that I love: the 35mm f1.2 Nokton and the 15mm Super Wide Heliar. I also have an f1.0 Noctilux that I love and bought for 4K but in todays market, I would go for the f1.1 Nokton. The Zeiss f1.4 50mm is a great lens as well and is worth consideration.

Link to post
Share on other sites

You have some interesting choices and I wouldn't rush. We were in a similar position but with speakers, which were destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake and we had an insurance payout. (We went for cheaper bookshelf ones but I miss the floorstanders.)

 

Bodies: Do you still want an M? Various compacts from Ricoh, Panasonic, Olympus accept M lenses -- but these are not rangefinders. Do you mind the 1.5X crop factor of the M8 or M8.2 or the 2X crop factor of a compact?

 

Wait for M10? Or wait for M10 and buy M9 if reduced? That is probably waiting too long.

 

Film M? You can buy a lot of film with savings and get a digi compact. But would you miss a digital M?

 

Buy secondhand and save? Possibly, if you get a good one.

 

Lenses: Do you want the same as before (bearing in mind crop factor)? Do you do more wide/ standard/ long shooting? Do you need fast lenses? IMHO the best value/performance choices would be:

 

Wide: 2.4 or 3.4/24 Elmarit or Zeiss 21 or 25

 

Standard: 2/35 Summicron AND 2/50 Summicron

 

Long: 2.5/75 or 2.8/90 Elmarit

 

OR: You could eliminate the least used and go for a faster 'lux version in one of the other categories. OR: Yo could get the fastest of everything -- but you probably wouldn't get any change.

Link to post
Share on other sites

appleman, welcome back. I remember your lovely landscapes from around your county.

 

Sorry to hear your story, but it does have a happy ending. My advice would be to buy a black M9. Why wait for an unknown replacement; life moves on and we do not get any younger!

 

Why not attend a familiarisation day at Leica Mayfair where you will be able to try a wider choice of lenses than anywhere else in the UK? That would be well worth the rail fare. Brett runs some of these events. Pay for a day and you can try kit of your choice around Mayfair. David Stevens in Manchester also runs similar events. You will get lots of advice on lens choice with a chance to try before you buy. Check his website. As you have waited some time without Leica kit, waiting for the next scheduled Leica M9 day would make sense to me.

Link to post
Share on other sites

You have some interesting choices and I wouldn't rush. We were in a similar position but with speakers, which were destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake and we had an insurance payout. (We went for cheaper bookshelf ones but I miss the floorstanders.)

 

Bodies: Do you still want an M? Various compacts from Ricoh, Panasonic, Olympus accept M lenses -- but these are not rangefinders. Do you mind the 1.5X crop factor of the M8 or M8.2 or the 2X crop factor of a compact?

 

Wait for M10? Or wait for M10 and buy M9 if reduced? That is probably waiting too long.

 

Film M? You can buy a lot of film with savings and get a digi compact. But would you miss a digital M?

 

Buy secondhand and save? Possibly, if you get a good one.

 

Lenses: Do you want the same as before (bearing in mind crop factor)? Do you do more wide/ standard/ long shooting? Do you need fast lenses? IMHO the best value/performance choices would be:

 

Wide: 2.4 or 3.4/24 Elmarit or Zeiss 21 or 25

 

Standard: 2/35 Summicron AND 2/50 Summicron

 

Long: 2.5/75 or 2.8/90 Elmarit

 

OR: You could eliminate the least used and go for a faster 'lux version in one of the other categories. OR: Yo could get the fastest of everything -- but you probably wouldn't get any change.

 

The crop factor of the M8 is 1.33 and the one for the Ricoh GXR m-mount or Sony NEX5N is 1.5. 4/3 format has a crop factor of 2. The GXR is the only one with no AA filter and offsetting microlenses tailored for m-mount lenses and thus produces files closer to the digital M look than the other non leica alternatives.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...