wondering about film

[jlindstrom]

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Hi all,

 

Lately I've grown more and more interested in shooting film alongside digital. I have a M9 + 3 lens kit as my main camera. And wife has nex-5 for "autofocus needs".

 

I've thought about this lng and hard. M9 will be the main camera in the future as well, no guestion about that. I absolutely love it and the lenses I have.

 

Now, to get into film the easy choise would be to get M-mount camera and use same lenses. But I worry a bit that I wouldn't use it enough since I like M9 so much. On the other hand I keep dreaming about the Leica mp.

 

The other choice would be a film slr. I've pretty much narrowed out all the autofocus film slr's. Most about those I was thinking about Nikon F100 which would be great and cheap.. but no, I don't want the complexities.

 

So, it's guestion about R-series and maybe Nikon FM3A. I'm leaning more towards the Leicas because of my great experiences with the M. And the R-glass..

 

So, I guess it's almost between Leica mp and Leica R. I have acouple of good possibilities with the R8 & R7. The costs between the two systems would be almost identical, because I have the lenses for M already. And R lenses are haining price almost daily..

 

Has anyone else been in similar situation and what did you decide?

 

I know the usual caveat emptors about only me knowing what I need etc..this is more like a general chit-chat or background info gathering, not you making my choice :-)

 

--Juha

[andym911]

If I want to shoot an SLR I always go with the Nikon F3...

 

A 50/1.4 and the 35/2 and you are set.....shockingly sharp lenses on par with the Leica glass IMO.

 

Alternatively a cheap EOS 33 AF also the 50/1.4 AND 35/1.4 delivers surprisingly excellent films in both BW and color.Total cost about 600 Euro.

 

good luck in your decision

 

andy

[AbbeyFoto]

Hi all,

....

 

So, I guess it's almost between Leica mp and Leica R. I have acouple of good possibilities with the R8 & R7. The costs between the two systems would be almost identical, because I have the lenses for M already. And R lenses are haining price almost daily..

 

--Juha

 

I think there are two questions you need to be clear on. Is the question about using film alongside digital? Is the question about using a SLR alongside a rangefinder? If the focus is combining film with digital and doing the same sort of photography then I think the MP will not disappoint. A SLR opens up options that compliment the M9, for example macro and long lenses. If you wish to open up these extra features then beware two issues: (i) you find you want to do macro or tele work on a digital camera, and (ii) some of the more desirable R lenses are not falling in price and some are hard to find.

 

As I have said before I prefer not to choose and maintain options but that is an expensive stance to take. At the end of the day, you will have to make your own judgement.

[kanzlr]

for a start, you could also try a different film rangefinder.

A Kodak Retina for example, or, if you want an M bajonett, try a Bessa or Hexar.

 

Thats what I did after years with the D700 and M8, I got myself a Hexar RF and almost exclusively shoot it.

[jlindstrom]

It will 100% definitely be shooting film and digital both. And most will be shot with digital.

 

I'm not really feeling the need to get new focals. I'm quite happy with the current 35-50-90 I have. So for possible R (or similar) it would most likely be 35&90 primes or maybe 35-70/4 zoom + some prime.

 

That's why I'm wondering between M & R... R would leave future chances for longer lenses if I should change my mind though.

 

--Juha

[jlindstrom]

for a start, you could also try a different film rangefinder.

A Kodak Retina for example, or, if you want an M bajonett, try a Bessa or Hexar.

 

Thats what I did after years with the D700 and M8, I got myself a Hexar RF and almost exclusively shoot it.

 

Well, funnily enough I shot a few rolls through Bessa R3A + 40mm f1.4 nokton before I got my M8, which was replaced by current M9.

 

I've actually regetted selling it later on.. and now new Bessas fetch almost the same as used M6. But I think now a Leica M with quieter shutter & lack of battery dependecy would be it.

 

My reason for shooting it then was that I didn't have any experience with rangefinders, so I really didn't consider/think about the film side of things. And the develop + scan job I got from local grocery store 1hour photo shop was really crap..

 

These days a friend of mine runs decent system to get the photos printed. I could then scan what I need from the prints..and he does it old school, none of those digital minilabs but a analogue machine to do the job. He got one for free from a closed studio and restored it totally. Brilliant job!

 

--Juha

[jneilt]

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I too went from SLR/P&S back to range with the M9. Love it and use it.

 

3 months after buying an M9 I ran across a clean MP used. Snatched it up. I love both cameras and sometimes tote one vs the other around. For me, going to an MP or M6/7 was a no-brainer...I had already put coin in M-glass. It is nice to be able to carry two bodies and 2 or 3 pieces of glass around vs two bodies with 2 different mounts.

 

I will say the limiting factor is the shutter speed. I generally have a ton of light where I live, and I need to actually think about the limits of the 1/1000 MP shutter before pulling my film from the freezer. Going with an M7 I could have avoided this...sometimes I need more than 1/1000 with a specific aperture.

 

Personally, I love both cameras, they compliment each other well and I can only worry about one glass mount. And for some reason if the love affair of the MP wanes, I could sell it for little loss.

 

There are some decent deals on used film cameras out there. You will enjoy your choice. B&W is much much more fun in film. I did not realize how much I missed film till I both the MP.

[andybarton]

An M7 has the same top speed of 1/1000 as an MP

[Stealth3kpl]

I will say the limiting factor is the shutter speed. I generally have a ton of light where I live, and I need to actually think about the limits of the 1/1000 MP shutter before pulling my film from the freezer. .

 

Your friend

Pete

[jneilt]

An M7 has the same top speed of 1/1000 as an MP

 

I was not aware of that...thanks!!

[earleygallery]

You have 35/50/90 lenses?

 

Just buy an M2, has the frames you need and is much less expensive than an MP.

[Messsucherkamera]

As andym911 noted, the Nikon F3hp is awfully hard to beat - and Nikon makes some great lenses, too. The Nikon FM2n is a really nice SLR, too. I have used both these for years and they have served me very well.

 

Since you already have a selection of M lenses, a film M is something to consider, too. The MP is a beautiful camera, no two ways about it - but as earleygallery rightly observed, they are awfully pricy these days. For $1000 to $1500US, you could acquire a nice M body such as an M6, M4-P, M3 or M2 and have film capability for much less than the cost of a new MP.

 

But if you have the resources, an MP is really sublime.

[sksaito]

I've sold my MP for two M3s, an M2, and an M4-P. M2 is the best.

[jlindstrom]

As andym911 noted, the Nikon F3hp is awfully hard to beat - and Nikon makes some great lenses, too. The Nikon FM2n is a really nice SLR, too. I have used both these for years and they have served me very well.

 

Since you already have a selection of M lenses, a film M is something to consider, too. The MP is a beautiful camera, no two ways about it - but as earleygallery rightly observed, they are awfully pricy these days. For $1000 to $1500US, you could acquire a nice M body such as an M6, M4-P, M3 or M2 and have film capability for much less than the cost of a new MP.

 

But if you have the resources, an MP is really sublime.

 

Nikon does make some nice cameras for sure. I could have a F100 for under 300€, Fm2n & Fm3 at around 300€ and 450€ + lenses of course. Local dealer also quoted me R8 for 500€ and there's a R7 available a little less. Leica lenses naturally more expensive and for Nikon I could convert R-lenses should I want to and there are the Zeisses as well.

 

As for the M's the prices are pretty much 1000€ for M6-ttl, 1800€ for M7 and 2500-2800€ for MP. These naturally used prices. I see no reason to buy new, since any of these can be CLA'd by Solms. And also because both MP and M7 are about 4,000€ brand new.. which is quite prohibitive for me.

 

As for the earlier M-models, they're certainly nice but not for me. I still like to be "hand held" by the internal light meter...

 

-- Juha

[250swb]

Buying a Nikon outfit first makes sense to me, but I do know that Leica lust can take over any of us.

 

Not only would you get a great body and a lot of lenses for the price of an M2 etc, but if you end up liking film the Nikon can take the roll of a telephoto camera when you need longer lenses. Nikon and Leica have always seemed like the yan ying of the film world to me, both compliment each other.

 

Steve

[peter_n]

Think about changing format. The 6x6 square format can make a very nice complement to a 35mm body. The Rolleiflex TLRs are small and very portable just like a Leica and you'll be blown away by the image quality of medium format. Buy a cheap one to begin with to see if you like using them, you can pick up a good user MX or MX-EVS on APUG for <$250. Schneider or Zeiss lens, it makes no difference. They are wonderful cameras.

[jlindstrom]

To add to the existing offerings, I got a couple of more quotes today..

 

A Leica R7 + 35-70/4 for roughly 900€, both in excellent condition. A Bessa R2A body for 490€ (also nice condition) and a nice condition Leica M6 Titanium for 1495€.

 

So, looks like options are plenty..just have to make my mind.

 

As for format, I'll stick with 35mm :-)

 

--Juha

[Mikael Siirilä]

Now, to get into film the easy choise would be to get M-mount camera and use same lenses. But I worry a bit that I wouldn't use it enough since I like M9 so much. On the other hand I keep dreaming about the Leica mp.

 

When I got my M6 alonside the M8.2 I had similar vibes. Now I shoot only film and I cheat on my M6 only for "family parties" that bring about photo sharing requirements...

 

Digital is photographic fastfood.

[jneilt]

well, aside from sticking with 35, what do you want?

 

1-mp, or other leica

2-seperate kit

 

Personally two different kits would bug me for my use.

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Hallo,

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[!Nomad64]

Juha,

 

when I faced a similar choice I finally went for a film RF. As others said, unless you need it for specific purposes the SLR would force you to buy further lenses. With an M2 or an M3 (as in my specific case) you can use the lenses you already have. An added bonus is that by doing so you'd always have a backup body just in case.

You do not specify which lenses you have but in case you had any high speed and tricky ones such as the Noctilux, the Summilux 75/1.4 or the AASPH Summicron 90/2 you'd find them easier to focus on an M3 than on yr M9.

 

Cheers,

Bruno