germinaleke Posted November 15, 2011 Share #1 Posted November 15, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) First off I 'd like to say something about myself. In the end I hope to find some (buying ) advice here. I'm not a pro photographer but I shoot some weddings and I shot some major concerts, festivals and events. Things I get/got payed for, so I'm more like a freelancer. I'm probably not going to shoot anymore concerts and big events besides some weddings. I also love traveling and nature/landscape photography. I used to have a canon 5DII and 1Ds III with a a lot of lenses (16-35, 24-70, 70-200, 300 2.8 and 35 1.4) everything is sold now.. I only used it for 'hired' work and always left it at home because of the weight and size.. Recently I bought an X100 and loved shooting with it. but I only used it for leisure and hated the fact I could not change the lens on the X100 Since I got the X100 I started craving for an M9. The last few weeks I have been reading a lot and I'm not sure anymore I should get an M9. it seems great to have an M9 when you also have a dslr. But I'm not sure the M9 makes sense as your one and only camera.. The greatest fear I have is the limited high iso and the MF. I think an M9 ( I haven't used one) is great as a travel cam and street cam but value for money a dslr system makes a lot more sense, no? Maybe I'm just looking for excuses not to buy an M9 but I guess I'm asking the wrong people l Is there anyone reading this who made a switch from a dslr to an M and does the kind of shooting I do?? thanks for reading! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 15, 2011 Posted November 15, 2011 Hi germinaleke, Take a look here Leica M9 as the only camera?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaques Posted November 15, 2011 Share #2 Posted November 15, 2011 absolutely a DSLR makes more sense from a financial and capability perspective. M9 is just much nicer... perhaps you could get an M8 and a DSLR... another option is an M9 and a cheap (ish) DSLR like the canon 600d. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdriceman Posted November 15, 2011 Share #3 Posted November 15, 2011 I used to have a canon 5DII and 1Ds III with a a lot of lenses (16-35, 24-70, 70-200, 300 2.8 and 35 1.4) everything is sold now.. I only used it for 'hired' work and always left it at home because of the weight and It seems odd that you would have already sold all this equipment if having a DSLR is still an option. At any rate, I only use my DSLR now for sporting events or when I NEED autofocus or a long lens. Almost any landscape, street, portrait, travel photography I use the M9. I am awaiting a Sony NEX7 which will give me a smaller alternative with auto focus and video and will allow me to also use my M lenses. With that I should be able to relegate the DSLR to only long lens sport/wildlife photography. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio58 Posted November 15, 2011 Share #4 Posted November 15, 2011 I had virtually all the same gear as you. Minus the 5D and plus an 85 1.2L. Sold it all (kept a 1D3 and a couple of cheap lenses). Bought an M8 and M9 and could not be happier. Carting that immense bulk around was just ridiculous. Shooting becomes hard work. Back to basics for me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted November 15, 2011 Share #5 Posted November 15, 2011 Recently I bought an X100 and loved shooting with it. but I only used it for leisure and hated the fact I could not change the lens on the X100. Since I got the X100 I started craving for an M9. It seems you had a lot of lenses with your Canon dslr, more specifically a lot of zoom lenses. If you are not happy with the X100 and a 35mm (equivalent) lens, why do you crave an M9? There are no zoom lenses (WATE being an exception) and 1 to 3 prime lenses are the norm. it seems great to have an M9 when you also have a dslr. But I'm not sure the M9 makes sense as your one and only camera.. I no longer use a dslr. My M9 is my main camera, used more than 90% of the time (X1 and X100 for snapshots). I travel the world with my M9. Probably 70% of my shots are with a 35mm lens. Another 20% with a 50mm. Leica is not about zoom and a bag full of lenses (although some of us have more than we want to use or carry). True, dslr guys can get macro and tele shots that I cannot. However, dslr guys do not get to shoot with Leica glass. The greatest fear I have is the limited high iso and the MF. A Canon or Nikon dslr will win both of these categories every time. However, if you've been around a while (like some of us have) the ISO capabilities of the M9 KAF18500 sensor is pretty remarkable compared to film. Most of us feel that combining this amazing sensor, which is not crippled with an anti aliasing filter, combined with the best prime lenses in the world, give us unparalleled image quality. Nuff said. Maybe I'm just looking for excuses not to buy an M9 but I guess I'm asking the wrong people l Yes, you are asking the wrong people. My only advice is if you have any reservations then don't buy. Leica is very expensive, and requires a learning curve that does not reward quickly. If high ISO and AF are things that are necessary for your style of photography then a Leica is not for you. Perhaps Sony. Is there anyone reading this who made a switch from a dslr to an M and does the kind of shooting I do?? I would say a majority of the members here use their Leica cameras for travel. Landscapes is also an area which Leica cameras excel. Nature is a rather broad term, but one of our moderators just returned from Safari with his M9 (and other Leicas). In fact if you search the forum there are stunning images of wildlife taken on safaris by several extremely talented members. Leica is not a "holy grail" and as I have said using a rangefinder requires patience before you are rewarded. Coming from a dslr you will have to learn to "see" with a rangefinder, which is nothing like seeing with a dslr. Learning the specific characteristics of lenses takes months, or longer. Pre-visualizing a shot through the clear, bright window of a Leica rangefinder is a wonderful experience, but there are some who never get it. A dslr is always going to be easier. Good luck. Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andalus Posted November 15, 2011 Share #6 Posted November 15, 2011 I have owned nothing but Leica since 1966, and am 64 now. Never had an interest in any other camera, and have become spoiled by the relatively small size of lenses and camera bodies. As a reporter over many years, the little Leica, whether SLII or M4 or MP or M9, always worked, and I shot transparencies exclusively until I bought the M9. Yes, the only camera I have now is the single M9. And very happy with it, particularly traveling, as to Egypt on assignment last February and to Spain in May. I worry though about taking it to Iran in a month or two? I would certainly not want it confiscated! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted November 15, 2011 Share #7 Posted November 15, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I can't, because I take pictures of kids as well and I don't have enough skill to use the M system for it. Unfortunately that is. Some people can though, obviously. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashGordonPhotography Posted November 15, 2011 Share #8 Posted November 15, 2011 For the landscape and travel stuff the M9 is sensational. As for the weddings. I shoot weddings full time. I dropped my Canon gear about 5 months ago and couldn't be happier. What I did was get a smaller AF system for when I need macro or the odd long lens shot. A m4/3 camera and a couple of lenses is all I need in combination with my two M9 bodies. The transition was obvious for me because... - I shot mostly primes on the Canon gear and was using manual focus much of the time. - I've shot on rangefinders before and I knew what to expect. - I don't tend to shoot over 800 ISO anyway with a very fast 50mm. - I prefer natural light. - 50mm is my preferred focal length. - the files out of an M9 are just spectacular. It's hard to describe. Organic is the word that pops into my head all the time. Compared to clinical for the Japanese DSLRs. You, as a zoom shooter, may have more issues with a switch. Primes are a different way of shooting. Rangefinders are a different way of shooting. M lenses are a different way of shooting. Not better. Not worse. Just different. You need to rent an M9 for a week. Shoot a few hundred frames. Then you'll know. But I will say this. If you go in expecting an M9 to allow you to shoot the same way as a DSLR you will be disappointed. Gordon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted November 15, 2011 Share #9 Posted November 15, 2011 This question has been answered well above. The M9 and rangefinders in general are no good for zoom. You can go to 135mm (without Visioflex system) but most people do not go above 90mm. The M9's high ISO is very good but not FF dslr standard. I shoot mostly at 160 but use up to 1250 with no problem. I have never needed to go above but some people do. The M9 applies effectively zero noise reduction so the raw is a bit of a shock compared to a 5D ii until a few clicks in Lightroom make it quite excellent. I think my 5D ii had a smidgen more detail at 1600 but at 160 the M9 floors the D700 and the 5Dii (both of which I had). It's like carrying around a little hassleblad studio camera in your pocket. As for the MF it was a big block to my original purchase. However 6 months later I like MF more then AF, why ? 1. Virtually never OOF 2. Much more precise. Focus on eyeball or eyelid, or the bars of the cage or the animal behind them AF focus points are far too fat for this precision 3. Have focus at infinity ready fast for landscapes or far objects 4. Use graduations on lens to prefocus for quick or subtle moments 5. Feel in control of the photographic process, which BTW is a key to why one gets better pictures with a Leica M then any other camera. I would without question use 90mm and below with Leica only. Saying that Leica M is not for everyone and some people don't get on with it. My advice (read my blog below) if you are not rich, is to buy a M8 and a 35mm or 50mm summarit and have some fun for a month. You can sell this for pretty much what you paid for it, if you upgrade or not. With a Leica M you get to know each lens in your collection intimately. The lens becomes a tool that is the extension of you. That is the ultimate victory. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
germinaleke Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share #10 Posted November 15, 2011 thanks for all the reply's I just wonder if most who replied shoot just for fun or to make a living? PS I shoot weddings only exclusively with the 35mm lens. I don't like to take out a 70-200 except on concerts. I hate zooms but for concerts it's hard not to shoot with zooms because you can't quite zoom with your feet, although I shot them for a while with only an 85mm lens. I love 35mm but to only have 35mm is a bit limiting.. I need an 21mm or thereabouts and an 90 or 135 for the longer shots. so I would be set with 3 lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 15, 2011 Share #11 Posted November 15, 2011 The nice thing about Leica M is that you do not have to buy Noctiluxes and such. Older lenses and Zeiss and CV lenses are still good enough to surpass any zoom lens. For instance concerts, if you manage the technique ( and that means practise, practise and practise), a user grade Elmarit 135/2.8 (preferably last generation which can be found at prices in the order of 500 to 750 $) will give you better results than the 70-200 you mention. A Summicron-C 40-2.0 is certainly a lovely lens for weddings-not so harsh as an asph - and will cost you a similar sum or even less. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalArts 99 Posted November 15, 2011 Share #12 Posted November 15, 2011 Back in the analog days we owned our Leicas along with other cameras. Hasselblads and Sinars, etc.. Also SLRs. How has this changed in the digital age? These questions (what should I own) were also questions decades ago. I don't see an issue with having multiple tools for multiple purposes back then nor today. It comes down to more of a budget issue (just like it was in the past.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 15, 2011 Share #13 Posted November 15, 2011 You're completely right, nothing has changed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted November 15, 2011 Share #14 Posted November 15, 2011 Welcome to the forum !!! Wrong place if you ask if a Leica is worth to buy, right place to surf when you'll have yours... For setting up a 21+35+90 set (excellent choice, 135 maybe is alittle critical for a newbie to RF) you have lot of possibilities and lot of budgets to fit : is a set that can span from a trio of "cheap" Voigtlanders to a luxury Leica trio 21+35 asph f1,4 + 90 f2 asph... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted November 15, 2011 Share #15 Posted November 15, 2011 PS I shoot weddings only exclusively with the 35mm lens. I don't like to take out a 70-200 except on concerts. I hate zooms but for concerts it's hard not to shoot with zooms because you can't quite zoom with your feet, although I shot them for a while with only an 85mm lens. . fun! google is your friend general, e.g.: leica.overgaard.dk - Thorsten Overgaard's Leica Pages - Leica M9 Digital Rangefinder Camera weddings: Roy Strutt Photography | Wedding & Portrait Photography Asian, Indian, Sikh and Hindu Wedding Photography London, Cambridge and South East Tapas Maiti A 5Dii with a long lens is probably easier for gigs. However the Leica M9 photographers do good things: Seal European Tour Photo Gallery 2010 | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS Jason Paul Roberts: Concert Photography With The Leica M9 Any M9 Concert shooters?: Leica Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review rgds Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted November 15, 2011 Share #16 Posted November 15, 2011 Germineleke, Welcome to the Forum! My advice would be to make the effort to visit a good Leica dealer and spend time handling an M9 with whatever lenses he has available. Better still, make the effort to visit a flagship Leica store and attend one of the M9 familiarisation days. You don't say where you live, so logistically that might be a problem but, with your personal dilemma, it would be worth scheduling a short holiday break to do as I suggest. Contact your Main Leica Distributor in your country/region to find out where these events take place and when. Ideally you might be able to visit an M9 owner near your home. In reality that is a lot easier said than done. Members have given you a lot of good advice based on recent switching from, or adding to their DSLR kit. I am puzzled why you burned your boats by selling your DSLR kit before you resolved your selection problem. However, you are where you are which is why I advocate first hand contact with the camera and lenses before you buy blindly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted November 15, 2011 Share #17 Posted November 15, 2011 My advice would be to make the effort to visit a good Leica dealer and spend time handling an M9 with whatever lenses he has available. Better still, make the effort to visit a flagship Leica store and attend one of the M9 familiarisation days. . My view is that it takes a few weeks to get used to the MF. Playing in a dealer or spending one day would not have helped me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
germinaleke Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share #18 Posted November 15, 2011 I am puzzled why you burned your boats by selling your DSLR kit before you resolved your selection problem. because I actually want to force myself not to shoot concerts anymore Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 15, 2011 Share #19 Posted November 15, 2011 Aren't you unlucky.. An M9 with a Summicron 90 or any 135 lens is a far more discreet tool to shoot concerts than any DSLR with a bazooka lens in front.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Posted November 15, 2011 Share #20 Posted November 15, 2011 For me it was easy to get used with MF (coming from Canon EOS). A half day will be enough to fall in love. Everything on a M9 is easy to learn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.