How many just leave the DSLR at Home Now

[tom0511]

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Guy,

I once had a S3pro for some months because reading all the hype about Fujiy colors.

Personally I could not see the advantage. I also have the opinion that packing too much tones/DR in one image makes images look flat and unnatural. Sometimes I rather accept that shaddows get black. More important tome is the shoulder in the highlights. And here the d200 does a very good job IMO.I sold the S3pro and never looked back.

Probably its a matter of taste-I like the saturated colors of the d200.

Cheers, Tom

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Tom it does have a lot of wiz bang stuff that you know me stuff i have no interest in. I'm just a raw shooter, reason i have not jumped on one yet. I may just rent honestly when i need one

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[Shootist]

Tom it does have a lot of wiz bang stuff that you know me stuff i have no interest in. I'm just a raw shooter, reason i have not jumped on one yet. I may just rent honestly when i need one

 

Guy what RAW converter were you using with the Nikon D200? If it was anything other than Nikon Cpature, 4.x or NX, then you were not getting the full image that camera can produce.

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Ed tried Capture and tried C1 , i guess at the time i was shooting the DMR and the DMR just has it going on. Flesh tones are what bothered me

[Jamie Roberts]

Well, I sold my 1d2 and 1ds2; now I have an M8, a DMR and a 5d.

 

They're all very good at what they do, and they all use Leica glass (oh, and one or two very good Canon lenses, too).

 

The M8--we all know its strengths. Stealth, killer files, great glass. But it's hard to compose accurately with longer focal lengths. 70-200 is a prime focal length for me, and the M8 doesn't cut it there, despite the beauty of the 135 glass.

 

The DMR has everything the M8 doesn't in terms of reach. The APO 100 R and the 180s are gorgeous, as is the 80 1.4 Lux (and in a pinch the 50 R Lux is no slouch either!)

 

The 1.3 crop makes using both of these cameras wide open a snap. In bright-ish light, the DMR makes a great file too.

 

But sometimes I want less effective DOF, and that's the 5d (with the Leica glass and occasionally a 35 1.4L, which focuses down to about 8 inches!).

 

Also, at a wedding, or for portraits of fast-moving kids, autofocus is just necessary sometimes, as is extreme low-light capability. Can't beat a 5d there, especially with the 70-200 L IS glass.

 

Again, it doesn't hurt that the R glass is interchangeable. And properly profiled, there is absolutely nothing wrong with 5d output (but it does have less exposure latitude in extremely bright light than the DMR or M8--but the tradeoff there is wayyy less noise at high ISOs).

 

There you go: the right tool for the job. Typically I have the 5d with the 70-200, the DMR with a 50 and the M8 with a 24 / 28 or 35 on it with me. It's hard to carry, but it works!

[Artichoke]

I have a Fujifilm S3 and unlike Tom, I love its colors and wide DR, the last of which still remains a unique Fujifilm advantage, though the M8 does not do badly with DR ...the M8 is no slouch on color, though I think using an ir/cut filter important

the Fujifilm sensor seems to have less blooming as well, which is about the only problem I see with the M8's Kodak sensor, other than the ir sensitivity

that said I have not used the S3 hardly at all since getting my M8 in January ...I also stumbled across a Viso III and find it an excellent tool for doing studio macros, particularly now that I have a good work around for using flash with it ...for a carry around camera there is just no comparison

while not pocketable, the much smaller kit of the M8 makes taking it along much less of a burden ...the color/tonality of the M8 matches that of the S3 & the M8 clearly has more resolution

indeed the resolution from the M8 seems a good deal greater than the 10 + MP on its sensor would seem to deliver ...I suspect the AA/ir filter decisions have something to do with this, as well as the outstanding glass available to the M8

I am now exploring using longer lenses with the Viso ...I love the 135-200 mm focal length (I miss using my Nikkor 135 f2 DC & 200 mm VR which are amazingly fine lenses) ...what is remarkable to me is how inexpensive longer Leica lenses can be on the used market ...maybe Leica should release a Viso IV (with a PC plug!)

[LJL]

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Well, until Leica comes up with a rig that allows shooting a 400mm f2.8 or more with very fast auto-focus and tracking, and can fire 8-10fps bursts in order to capture fast moving polo horses in the evening light, I cannot abandon my Canon DSLR gear.

 

That being said, I do find myself carrying the M8 and lenses everywhere with me, while the two 1DMkIIs and 1DsMkII cameras sit in their bags when I am not shooting the fast action horse stuff the helps pay the bills. I would love to use the smaller, lighter gear with its uncompromising image quality over my DSLRs, but they just are not capable of doing that sort of work. I am moving the M8 into more of my wider angle shooting and even some portrait work, as well as most of my more creative "art" work, so it definitely has been earning its place. But for macro and telephoto and fast action, the Canon DSLRs are not yet replaceable by anything else I have seen or tried. Just my needs and opinions.

 

LJ

[woodyspedden]

I use the M8 and the Leica lenses for about 90% of my shooting now and have since I got the M8 in early November.

 

However I still use the D200 with a number of Nikon lenses for situations requiring autofocus e.g. action photos of children as well as macro work. For the few occasions where I need longer reach again I go for the Nikons.

 

One thing which is a growing problem for me is camera shake. I have early stage Parkinson's disease which is characterized by hand tremors. When I have a bad day I find that shooting with the DMR and the large R glass gives me better results than the M8. I guess all that weight helps to stabilize things.

 

But the bulk of my work is landscape so I shoot mostly on a tripod. In those circumstances the M8 is really hard to beat.

 

Woody

[jaapv]

One thing which is a growing problem for me is camera shake. I have early stage Parkinson's disease which is characterized by hand tremors. When I have a bad day I find that shooting with the DMR and the large R glass gives me better results than the M8. I guess all that weight helps to stabilize things.

 

Woody

 

Woody, Leica would not be Leica if there were no solution for this problem. Note the little tripod. If you flip it backwards by about 75 degrees it makes a perfectly stable chest tripod which eliminates any tremor.

It makes a great pistol grip too when folded.

 

 

[tashley]

Hi Guy, good thread!

 

I lent my 5d and kit to a friend about two months ago and you've just reminded me to ask for it back one day.

 

Does that answer the question?

 

;-)

 

Tim

[bill vann]

I was perfectly happy with my Kodak SLR/c and a full compliment of mostly L glass, 2 leica's thrown in. a 20D, then 5D for backup and a 350D modified for IR

 

After several spinal surgeries a spinal reconstructionand other orthopaedic reconstruction post viet nam i physically could not carry the kit anymore.

 

sold all the L glass, the 5D and kept the SLR/c a 12-24 for the limited architectural work i still do and an inexpensive tamron 28-75 and the IR.

 

Got the M8 and slowly built up the glass and my ability to use the M8.

 

just took possesion of the 12mm Heilar and am selling the Kodak and remaining lenses for it and probably the IR as i love the M8 B&W.

 

life has gotten easier and i'm shooting happily again. did a jaunt through the botanical garden orchid exhibit and lasted more than 20 minutes. the M8 trielmar and 90mm weigh ~40% of the kodak and the 24-70 or 24-105. My entire kit is 1/3 the size and weighs less than the camera and the 3 canon lenses i used to carry. and i've a 12, 15, 21 elmarit asph, 28 ultron, 35 cron, 50 cron, tri-elmar,, 70 lux, 90 cron and 135 tele elmar

 

Thanks for the tiny tripod idea, i also have permanent tremors from accumulated spinal trauma and have trouble hand holding as well!

 

to me the M8 is a blessing, i'm looking at the D-LUX 3 for the really bad days so i can always have something, (want the WATE and am broke so will likely get the panasonic LX2)

 

kindly

 

bill

[parigby]

Woody,

 

I am finding the same problems as your goodself.

 

Unfortunately, unlike a number of others, l had to trade in my M8/DMR combo to be able to afford the M8. What l hadn't realised at the time was my own inability to focus the M8 quickly enough to deal with the street photography subjects that l tend to want to capture, ie: those that are moving. I put this entirely down to myself, but l just cannot focus the M8 at the same rate that l could the R8. As a result l am missing more shots than l am getting. I have now also noticed with the M8 that l do have a stability problem, that was not present with the dampening effect of the R8/DMR combo and it's weight. I have had the M8 for about three months now, and recently used it on a daily basis ( all day each day ) whilst on a three week trip to India. I just didn't get any better.

 

I am now in a quandry as to how to proceed. I really enjoy the M8 for static subjects ; my wife enjoys it solely because l am not lugging tons of gear around with me, which for some reason she finds irritating, but l am just missing so many shots. Again l stress that this is not me having a pop at the M8, more a realisation that l am not as young as l once was, my eyes are not what they were ( they've never been great having worn glasses from the age of two ) and that maybe l have to concede that AF is the only acceptable way forward for me, even though l love Leica glass.

 

regards ...... philip

[hammam]

Since I got it, the M8 is the first camera I take along every single time I go out. Before it I'd alternate between M6, Nikon FM2, F6 and D200. I have sold the M6 and the FM2 quite a while ago, and I sold the D200 just yesterday (to maybe finance part of a CODED 28 Elmarit asph, LOL!). Granted, I keep my D2X, for the studio, and maybe when I go out and really need AF and long lenses, and my F6 because, well, the F6 is the F6. There will never be another one like it. I know I will go back to b&w film sooner or later, if only to shoot with the F6.

 

I'm just an amateur and an ordinary photographer, and a kind of gear freak, and at one point I had a shelf absolutely chock full of cameras. They have almost all disappeared, to be replaced by little big M8.

[hammam]

Woody,

 

I am now in a quandry as to how to proceed. I really enjoy the M8 for static subjects ; my wife enjoys it solely because l am not lugging tons of gear around with me, which for some reason she finds irritating, but l am just missing so many shots. Again l stress that this is not me having a pop at the M8, more a realisation that l am not as young as l once was, my eyes are not what they were ( they've never been great having worn glasses from the age of two ) and that maybe l have to concede that AF is the only acceptable way forward for me, even though l love Leica glass.

 

regards ...... philip

 

You know, Philip, my eyes are ageing (astygmatism and farsightedness), and I have a hard time manually focusing from time to time, but I found that AF gave me almost as many focus errors as focusing an M. So, I just work harder, and use a diopter corrector. Did you try one?

[woodyspedden]

Woody, Leica would not be Leica if there were no solution for this problem. Note the little tripod. If you flip it backwards by about 75 degrees it makes a perfectly stable chest tripod which eliminates any tremor.

It makes a great pistol grip too when folded.

 

 

 

Wow! Thanks Jaap

 

This may be the answer for those occasions when I must hand hold the camera. I just ordered the tripod and leica ball head from B&H Photo in New York. Thankfully my eyesight is great following Lasik surgery about 8 years ago so at least I can focus well.

 

Again, many thanks

 

Woody

[carstenw]

Sold my 5D and almost all the Leica glass I had for it, as well as a 17-40L. I still have the Leica 135/2.8 and 180/2.8 II around, partly since the prices dropped so fast I didn't find it worth it to sell them, partly because I envision the R10 landing in my possession some day, and I do enjoy these two lenses. The M8 is great, and I enjoy it so much!

 

My M6 is now sporting a DR Summicron-M 50mm lens, which I bought partly because it is meant to be so good, partly because I can't put it on the M8 (!), so I expect to leave it on the M6 almost all the time. 50mm is my favorite focal length for general shooting. I even managed to get the goggles and an original worn, metal hood for it, although the hood was a bit pricy. It must be rare or something.

[parigby]

Olivier,

 

No l have not yet tried a diopter. I have read a great many threads on this forum about diopters and which ones to use, but l must admit to still being a little bit confused about which one to use.

 

I have seen the advice about popping into your local drug store and trying on the various reading glasses and when you find the one that suits, checking the diopter number. However, l raher think that in my case that is too simple a process, simply because l am a varifocal lens user.

 

What l have tried is the 1.24x magnifier, and whilst l can see (excuse the pun) some improvement, as l said earlier it's really the time it takes me to effect a focus. What l am finding l have to do is focus, then go beyond the focus by way of confirmation that my original focus was correct, and then adjust back to it.

 

On a slightly off topic note, l have also found that with my Tri Elmar and my 90mm macro that there appears to be an infinity focus, and slightly beyond infinity, ie: if l focus on the infinity mark l sometimes find that the item in question which is clearly in the infinity range is still not in focus, yet if l turn the focus ring just slightly beyond infinity, then the image snaps into focus. It also happens in reverse, so even focusing at infinity can take longer than you would expect. In reality, l appear to have two infinity settings ! Is this normal, or what ?

 

philip

[carstenw]

Philip, I work in a tall building, and can see for kilometres in all directions. Even with the 35/2 Asph I can detect a difference in the focusing between buildings which are a few kilometres away, and those which are many kilometres away. These lenses are really very sensitive, and I would not assume that something which is far away actually hits infinity on the lens.

[parigby]

Thanks for that Carsten. It's nice to know it's me and not the equipment I only raised the point, because l had not come across it (or noticed it ) with my R8/DMR combo.

 

 

regards ..... philip

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[macpaladin]

Woody-

 

I have the Manfrotto 682B Monopod with Detachable Legs and really like the support it gives me with my DMR. There are other lighter monopods that have legs.