Any reason to hold onto the DMR?

[ryee3]

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I have 2 DMR's and 4 batteries all in good working order:D. Currently using it mainly for macro photography. I have been tempted to sell them but have many mixed emotions. I know there are more rationale reasons to sell but does anyone have overwhelming and compelling reasons for holding onto both DMR's:confused:?

 

I have been using Canon digital ID mark4 but still feel the color is better with the DMR. Thinking of trying the Canon 5D mark 2 or 3 but most on the forum feel both cameras output the same image quality. Thanks for your thoughts on selling or holding onto the 2 DMRs.

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[dave_d]

One reason I would hold onto both is for the 4 batteries and 2 chargers. If you sell one DMR and two batteries and you lose one of your remaining batteries your down to one battery which makes your DMR almost useless. Or if your only remaining charger dies you are out of luck. Having a back-up charger and batteries for your DMR is insurance it will be usable for a while.

[sc_rufctr]

Well said Dave... Either sell them both or keep them both.

 

I honestly feel they are a good investment and worth hanging onto because the system is unique in the photographic world.

Put another way. There will never be another film/digital system like it. Well maybe not never by highly unlikely.

 

Fast forward 15, 20 years. What will an R8/9 with a working DMR be worth?

 

I'd be willing to bet a lot $$$$$...

 

Look at anything rare or unique in the Leica world? But the most expensive Leica gear is all about desire.

Meanwhile, the Digilux's is now collectible

[SteveYork]

Just follow your 'gut reaction.' What's your intuition telling you to do? More often then not it's correct. I just sold the last of my modern M lenses, because I wasn't using rangefinders much anymore, and it's a decision I've been going back and forth in my logical mind for two years. The armchair photographer in me kept imagining situations of need, but the guy who actually puts 150 rolls of film through cameras every year was never reaching for the rangefinders. Funny thing though, if I did when my intuition told me to, I would have made lots more $$, and saved a little bit of time.

 

Are you still using the DMR stuff a lot? The answer to this question should also direct your actions.

[robsteve]

I sold my DMR last fall. I felt the time to sell was while it still held its value and while it was still working well.

[topoxforddoc]

I have kept hold of both my DMRs. Have been lucky enough (with a little foresight) to buy 6 extra batteries in addition to the ones with each DMR. So I’m keeping mine. It depends a lot on how you shoot. I use mine a lot with my 180/2 cron shooting bands. Shooting at F2 or F2.8 means I have to be pretty good at focussing, which is why I use the DMRs, as the R8/9 have the best VFs, bar the SL2.

[tobey bilek]

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Color from Leicas comes from camera firmware, not the lenses. Put the lenses on a Canon or Nikon and make a profile using the Adobe Profile Editor to make it match Leica`s colors.

 

On the other hand, will you get enough money to buy the Canon from the sale.

 

Lenses adapted to canon have problems with focus confirmation and exposure metering. Check it out.

[wildlightphoto]

Color from Leicas comes from camera firmware, not the lenses. Put the lenses on a Canon or Nikon and make a profile using the Adobe Profile Editor to make it match Leica`s colors.

 

I have to wonder what your source of this information is as it's counter to my experience.

 

Lenses adapted to canon have problems with focus confirmation and exposure metering. Check it out.

 

as well as manual focus using the viewscreen.

[pgk]

Color from Leicas comes from camera firmware, not the lenses. Put the lenses on a Canon or Nikon and make a profile using the Adobe Profile Editor to make it match Leica`s colors.

The files from my M9 are quite simply different from those out of the Canon 5D2. Trying to match them is, in my experience very difficult indeed, and I have never succeeded in doing so satisfactorily - different noise characteristics differentiate the files in any case. I haven't used the DMR but given its age it probably provides files with pretty unique characteristics too which will be equally difficult to match. If ryee3 likes the DMR files then changing cameras and adjusting the output files is a messy business and won't provide an identical look come what may.

 

That said, there will inevitably come a time when electronic reliability and battery sourcing will end the DMR's effectiveness as a really usable tool.....

[labido]

Hello,

If you consider selling your DMR i'm very interested on it !?!

I'm in film with leica R and digital with nikon and willing to change that...

Fell free to send an e-mail if you want to give a second life to your DMR : yvanjaq@yahoo.fr

Regards

Yvan Jaquemet

[dsapkota]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tobey bilek

Color from Leicas comes from camera firmware, not the lenses.

 

Doug- I have to wonder what your source of this information is as it's counter to my experience.

 

Me too had assumption/misunderstanding that Color from Leicas comes from Lenses but found it is not true, I must agree with tobey bilek.

 

Here is example -

 

Leica DMR+R9+800/5.6 -

 

Canon 5D III+Leica 800/5.6 with Canon Mount (Leitax) -

 

[dsapkota]

I have 2 DMR's and 4 batteries all in good working order:D. Currently using it mainly for macro photography. I have been tempted to sell them but have many mixed emotions. I know there are more rationale reasons to sell but does anyone have overwhelming and compelling reasons for holding onto both DMR's:confused:?

 

I have been using Canon digital ID mark4 but still feel the color is better with the DMR. Thinking of trying the Canon 5D mark 2 or 3 but most on the forum feel both cameras output the same image quality. Thanks for your thoughts on selling or holding onto the 2 DMRs.

 

What you can do is sell one of your DMRs, keep one but get extra batteries and extra charger .

 

Yes, the color saturation is better with the DMR. I use both DMR+R9+R lenses And Canon 1DX, 5D III with R lenses with Canon Mount (Leitax). In terms of sharpness, DOF, both the systems give almost same results but in terms of color saturation, DMR is far better.

[wildlightphoto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tobey bilek

Color from Leicas comes from camera firmware, not the lenses.

 

Doug- I have to wonder what your source of this information is as it's counter to my experience.

 

Me too had assumption/misunderstanding that Color from Leicas comes from Lenses but found it is not true, I must agree with tobey bilek.

 

Here is example -

 

Leica DMR+R9+800/5.6 -

 

Canon 5D III+Leica 800/5.6 with Canon Mount (Leitax) -

 

 

IMHO side-by-side comparisons are much more illustrative than these examples might be.

 

I have found that lenses have a very big influence on color rendition (as do the sensor and processing). It would be foolish to claim that the only lenses with "good" color are Leica lenses but in my experience the Leica APO lenses have produced images that are much easier to get pleasing color from than many other non-APO lenses whether Leica or other brands. The biggest disappointment for me was the Canon 400mm f/2.8 L.

[dsapkota]

IMHO side-by-side comparisons are much more illustrative than these examples might be.

 

I have found that lenses have a very big influence on color rendition (as do the sensor and processing). It would be foolish to claim that the only lenses with "good" color are Leica lenses but in my experience the Leica APO lenses have produced images that are much easier to get pleasing color from than many other non-APO lenses whether Leica or other brands. The biggest disappointment for me was the Canon 400mm f/2.8 L.

 

I may be wrong but as per my experience/test, and knowledge, yes Doug is right on saying that Leica Lenses are the BEST among Nikon, Canon and other brands for color saturation but the color saturation we see/get using Leica Lenses with Leica R9/R8 bodies+DMR is mainly because of DMR and very less due to Leica lenses. If it was due to Leica lenses, we could see almost same, if not exactly same, color saturation while using the Leica Lenses on other bodies which are not DMR+R8/R9 combo, just my thought.

[wildlightphoto]

I may be wrong but as per my experience/test, and knowledge, yes Doug is right on saying that Leica Lenses are the BEST among Nikon, Canon and other brands for color saturation but the color saturation we see/get using Leica Lenses with Leica R9/R8 bodies+DMR is mainly because of DMR and very less due to Leica lenses. If it was due to Leica lenses, we could see almost same, if not exactly same, color saturation while using the Leica Lenses on other bodies which are not DMR+R8/R9 combo, just my thought.

 

I do see very significant differences using Leica and non-Leica lenses on the DMR. An extreme example may be the Novoflex T-Noflexar which produces colors that I have often described on this forum as more 'pastel' than the colors produced by Leica APO lenses. The color values may of course be adjusted such that a photo of a test chart will be identical no matter what lens was used but a test chart does not show differences in gradation that one would find in real-world subjects. It's the gradation along with saturation that stands out for me.

 

The same is true of the Canon 400mm f/2.8 L that I used for about a year on film cameras. No matter what film I used in a wide variety of light conditions the Leica-R lenses particularly the APO lenses consistently produced images with richer color saturation and smoother color gradation.