Hi from the UK - from a complete Leica novice

[carthurjohn]

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Hi,

 

Pleased to be here. I feel a bit of a fruad at the moment as I'm not a Leica owner, but I am trying to improve the quality of my photography - I seem to have been stuck at the same old level for years.

 

I currently own a Nikon D90 (and before that the D70) and have started to restrict myself to using just a 50mm equivalent prime lens. Before that I used a 18-105 VR zoom, but just couldn't get sharp / contrasty enough pictures. I'm currently working on a b/w photography project to capture old country crafts.

 

As I am retired I am some time away from being able to afford a Leica (if I can ever afford it!), but want to explore what this type of camera can do and whether it would help me to improve my ability to see and take better, sharper shots. If I bought into the brand it would be a secondhand digital M8 or M9.

 

Would be grateful for any pointers to resources to help build my knowledge of Leicas and what they're capable of. Also would love to hear from people who have made the jump from SLRs to Leica and what their experience has been.

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[dcoombs]

Welcome to the forum! As for resources, I think browsing through threads on this forum will give you a world of information and views on Leica based photography. There is no better place to start.

 

Enjoy, Doug

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello carthurjohn,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

You should not consider yourself in any way a "fraud". The only Leitz/Leica requirement in this Forum is that photos submitted for others to look @ be taken w/ either a Leitz/Leica camera body or with a Leitz/Leica lens. All that is needed for participation otherwise is your interest & desire to participate.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[wda]

Welcome to the forum, carthurjohn! (Is that what your friends call you?

 

Taking your quoted application as a guideline to choice, a DSLR is much better generally for close-up shots. Any macro capability adds to the cost and complexity of a Leica digital rangefinder so is a non-starter in your case. But if much of your profiling of country crafts can be handled by a 50mm lens on your current camera, then working with a Leica rangefinder should be perfectly feasible.

 

Secondly, you don't have to buy new equipment. Just read the thread on using old lenses on the M8. However I would advise you to contact your nearest Leica dealer and seek his advice without instant commitment. Handle what stock he has to test your happiness with the feel of a Leica camera. Then you can come back here to discuss the options again. (I see you are in the UK. British members can recommend a good dealer if you can say which is you nearest city).

 

If cost is a serious issue, I suggest you consider looking for a used Leica Digilux 2, a camera dating from 2004 but with a remarkable cult status for practical usability. I bought one new and still use regularly. I also used it professionally before the M8 was launched for projects which included wood-craft and restoration. Good copies are becoming hard to find but occasionally one appears in the members' sales on this forum. Prices vary but you should be able to find a good one for around £500. Its main limitation is the sensor resolution of 5mp, low by today's standard, but not to be derided. If your end product is unlikely to exceed A4 in size, the results will surprise you. That is before you discover the joy of using one.

 

Good luck in your deliberations and do tell us how it works out for you.

[earleygallery]

Welcome to the forum.

 

I don't understand what you mean by 'sharper'. Can you focus correctly? Do you know how to Post Process correctly?

 

You could try a Leica R lens on your Nikon, a Summicron or Elmarit 35mm would be a good start, but you need to focus manually and stop down metering, so if you can't get a sharp photo with your AF Nikon I'm not sure a manual focus camera/lens is for you.

 

Maybe you need to think of other solutions?

[250swb]

It would be terrific if you did buy a Leica carthurjohn and found you loved it, but a Leica is in no way a 'get out of jail' card for making sharp images. Your Nikon should make sharp images, unless the lens is faulty. Post processing fulfills the need for increased contrast and fine tuning the sharpness, plus adding overall impact and refinement, very few good images come out of any camera fully formed.

 

But an M8 or M9 takes no prisoners, there isn't any image stabilisation, there aren't any zoom lenses, and you have to be proficient in fast manual focusing with an entirely different system to the one you are used to. Even metering is going to be a culture shock as the word 'matrix' or 'spot' isn't in the Index, and the super fast lenses can be beasts to master regarding focusing them accurately and overall hit rate for success. On the other hand it is quick to use, technology doesn't get in the way, and the lenses you can buy for it are wide and varied.

 

I would heartily recommend an M9 to anybody who had even the slightest inkling towards the Leica experience. With the caveats above I would add that it is just a camera, and what it can do is to sometimes be the deciding factor in getting a better image, but if you get along with it a Leica can always be a pleasure to use.

 

Steve

[carthurjohn]

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Welcome to the forum, carthurjohn! (Is that what your friends call you?

 

Taking your quoted application as a guideline to choice, a DSLR is much better generally for close-up shots. Any macro capability adds to the cost and complexity of a Leica digital rangefinder so is a non-starter in your case. But if much of your profiling of country crafts can be handled by a 50mm lens on your current camera, then working with a Leica rangefinder should be perfectly feasible.

 

Secondly, you don't have to buy new equipment. Just read the thread on using old lenses on the M8. However I would advise you to contact your nearest Leica dealer and seek his advice without instant commitment. Handle what stock he has to test your happiness with the feel of a Leica camera. Then you can come back here to discuss the options again. (I see you are in the UK. British members can recommend a good dealer if you can say which is you nearest city).

 

If cost is a serious issue, I suggest you consider looking for a used Leica Digilux 2, a camera dating from 2004 but with a remarkable cult status for practical usability. I bought one new and still use regularly. I also used it professionally before the M8 was launched for projects which included wood-craft and restoration. Good copies are becoming hard to find but occasionally one appears in the members' sales on this forum. Prices vary but you should be able to find a good one for around £500. Its main limitation is the sensor resolution of 5mp, low by today's standard, but not to be derided. If your end product is unlikely to exceed A4 in size, the results will surprise you. That is before you discover the joy of using one.

 

Good luck in your deliberations and do tell us how it works out for you.

 

Many thanks to everyone for your warm welcome to the forum.

 

wda: you can call me John! I'm not doing macro shots in this project as I'm mainly interested in showing the craftsman in the context of his craft. My nearest big towns are Bath and Bristol, so I need to do some research to find local dealers. think that would be the best place to start to get a sense of what the camera is like to handle.

 

Unfortunately, cost is a major issue (my mother always said I had expensive tastes!), but thanks for the suggestion of the Digilux 2. I'll have to keep my eyes open for one.

 

I'm keen to learn and in particular how rangefinders differ from digital SLRs.

[carthurjohn]

Welcome to the forum.

 

I don't understand what you mean by 'sharper'. Can you focus correctly? Do you know how to Post Process correctly?

 

You could try a Leica R lens on your Nikon, a Summicron or Elmarit 35mm would be a good start, but you need to focus manually and stop down metering, so if you can't get a sharp photo with your AF Nikon I'm not sure a manual focus camera/lens is for you.

 

Maybe you need to think of other solutions?

 

Hi, the problem is that with my D90 I have been using the 18-105mm f3.5 kit lens and the optics don't give as sharp an image as a prime lens. The images I get are consistently soft even with sharpening in PP. I have recently started using a 35mm f1.8 prime lens which gives me better results. I shoot in manual most of the time anyway

 

Didn't realise that you could get Leica lenses to fit other cameras - presumably you need some form of adapter?

[carthurjohn]

It would be terrific if you did buy a Leica carthurjohn and found you loved it, but a Leica is in no way a 'get out of jail' card for making sharp images. Your Nikon should make sharp images, unless the lens is faulty. Post processing fulfills the need for increased contrast and fine tuning the sharpness, plus adding overall impact and refinement, very few good images come out of any camera fully formed.

 

But an M8 or M9 takes no prisoners, there isn't any image stabilisation, there aren't any zoom lenses, and you have to be proficient in fast manual focusing with an entirely different system to the one you are used to. Even metering is going to be a culture shock as the word 'matrix' or 'spot' isn't in the Index, and the super fast lenses can be beasts to master regarding focusing them accurately and overall hit rate for success. On the other hand it is quick to use, technology doesn't get in the way, and the lenses you can buy for it are wide and varied.

 

I would heartily recommend an M9 to anybody who had even the slightest inkling towards the Leica experience. With the caveats above I would add that it is just a camera, and what it can do is to sometimes be the deciding factor in getting a better image, but if you get along with it a Leica can always be a pleasure to use.

 

Steve

 

Hi Steve, I accept that a Leica may not be the magic bullet, but am interested in exploring this route - otherwise how would I ever know?

 

I shoot in manual and am now restricting myself to using only a prime lens (a 50mm f1.8 equivalent) and am generally getting better results.

 

I think the key is to try one out at a dealer's to see how it handles. After all it may not suit me at all.

 

Do the Brits on this forum ever organise meet ups?

[earleygallery]

Hi, the problem is that with my D90 I have been using the 18-105mm f3.5 kit lens and the optics don't give as sharp an image as a prime lens. The images I get are consistently soft even with sharpening in PP. I have recently started using a 35mm f1.8 prime lens which gives me better results. I shoot in manual most of the time anyway

 

Didn't realise that you could get Leica lenses to fit other cameras - presumably you need some form of adapter?

 

I'm not familiar with that lens but it appears to be the issue. You can fit many R lenses to your Nikon with a Leitax adaptor (it simply replaces the mount on the lens to fit your Nikon).

 

If you are used to an SLR you may not take to the M - see the M9 review thread currently running! Of course you could also love it!

 

The best thing is to spend some time at a dealers trying out a camera, buy an SD card and shoot some test shots you can play around with back at home.

[wda]

Many thanks to everyone for your warm welcome to the forum.....Unfortunately, cost is a major issue (my mother always said I had expensive tastes!), but thanks for the suggestion of the Digilux 2. I'll have to keep my eyes open for one.

 

I'm keen to learn and in particular how rangefinders differ from digital SLRs.

John, go to the top of this forum and click the tab BUY & SELL. It will open another window. Among the Leica digital compact cameras there is for sale a member's D2. It looks to be in good condition but if interested ask if it has had its LCD replaced. (Search this forum for past postings on this issue) Some models, mine included, required this action which was carried out by Leica under warranty. I have no connection with the vendor; just showing you what appears in this forumfrom time to time.

 

Look at the Leica official site and discover the current Leica official dealers near you. I am afraid we in the West Country are not particularly well endowed with Leica dealers of the class of Stephens of Manchester or Harrison of Sheffield, both of which have served me well in the past. But you need hands on experience.

 

I would check with Ace Camera in Bath; LCE (2 branches) in Bristol or Clifton Cameras in Dursley. One should have an M body for you to handle and compare with a DSLR. But don't make a snap judgement; it takes time to master rangefinder operation when switching systems. If you are really keen, be prepared to go to London for a day where there are several respected Leica dealers more likely to have a range of used stock for you to see and handle. Good luck!