Jump to content

Is it the IQ or the feel for you?


Me Leica!

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Well for me I guess it's because I have been using an M Leica both professionally and for personal work since the mid 60's, the cameras are just "comfortable" in the hand and simplistic so as not to interfere too much with the act of capturing the image you see.

Sure I've happily used other systems, Nikons for the main from the Ftn to the D700 plus medium format cameras too, ( Hassy and Pentax 67's ), but I always gravitate back to the Leica M's. In some ways I found the digital Nikon's easier to produce good results, but the heft and the handling makes me leave them at home unless the job demands them, ( longer lenses for instance, I never use my M's over a 50mm focal length ).

I agree that the M8 was a wonderful first digital Leica, and although the two I had are long traded in I miss the size of the M8 every time I pick up my M240, ( why did the M have to put on weight? ). Thankfully though the MM is still like the M8 / M9 and nicer than the "fatter" M's in the hand. That's why the MM is a "keeper" for me, I wouldn't trade up for the newer version.

Link to post
Share on other sites

For travel purposes, I've switched to the 240 and leave my Canon kit at home (well, the R 80-200 f/4 is a bit of a pain, but you can't have everything). There's something about the..."feel" of the system that appeals to me, and it does make me consider the whole image-making process more carefully.  Although, in the long run, it's the quality that matters, and I'll be carefully following the upcoming discussions on the Sony A7RII. 

 

I hardly ever use it for street photography though. I find the Fuji EX-2 with the 14mm held at waist level, with face recognition on, to be ideal, especially in low light. 

 

Merrill

Link to post
Share on other sites

It's the glass.

I've got a variety of kit and lenses and as

good as some of my other lenses are

all my Leica lenses are in a whole other class.

10Mp from an M8 rendered with any Leica

lens compares favourable with everyone

else's 16Mp of DSLR capture.

 

...So, when I read that again, it does sound

like it's the IQ and well yes, it is a body a love

to run my hands over and around.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

This is a great question and topic.

 

I have been taking digital photographs for some time now. During that time, I have purchased, used, and sold- at a loss- quite a few cameras.....To the extent that I have to wonder if I am a fool. I probably don't pay enough attention to the technical aspects of image quality, but rather, just let the overall emotion of the image control whether or not I like it. Until purchasing and using the M8, I was not aware of how much the "experience" of taking a photograph plays into the emotions attached to the photograph. Being fairly new to the M8, I am not that adept at using the rangefinder; as a result, quite a few of my photos are not as sharp as they would have been, had I used another camera. Strange thing is, had I taken these soft images with another camera, I would not give a second thought to deleting the file; but I have yet to delete a single file I have taken with the M8. For some reason, despite the fact that the M8 photographs may be lacking in some way, they remind me that I was there, and took a photograph. I can't explain it.

Edited by Wayne
Link to post
Share on other sites

For travel purposes, I've switched to the 240 and leave my Canon kit at home (well, the R 80-200 f/4 is a bit of a pain, but you can't have everything). There's something about the..."feel" of the system that appeals to me, and it does make me consider the whole image-making process more carefully.  Although, in the long run, it's the quality that matters, and I'll be carefully following the upcoming discussions on the Sony A7RII. 

 

I hardly ever use it for street photography though. I find the Fuji EX-2 with the 14mm held at waist level, with face recognition on, to be ideal, especially in low light. 

 

Merrill

It is indeed, reason that I picked up an Olympus Zuiko 75-150. Recommended for lightweight travel.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Jaap does that mean that you have a Olympus system in addition to your M system?

No, that is a very long time ago.  However, the ancient Zuiko lenses are excellent performers,small and light. Especially the zoom I refer to is very interesting in the digital age, as its main drawback is considerable pincushion-to-barrel distortion, which is about the easiest lens fault to correct in PP.  For the rest it is rather good., apart from some lateral CA, again a simple PP correction.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

And shape of the plastic.

 

We know nothing about either Leica's or Olympus' quality specification for these viewfinders - they may be identical or they may not. 

 

Selection of electronic components, including displays, according to a number of performance criteria is routine. 

 

Leica may have the pick of the bunch - or they may not.  Whether it matters - or not - is another matter altogether.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Question: Who makes the EVF2?

Stefan Daniel: We buy the EVF2 from Olympus which is the best we can buy. We could see no need to make our own viewfinder.

Question: Does it have the same socket as the PEN?

Jesko v. Oeynhausen: Yes, it’s the same.

Maike Harberts: If you have an Olympus EVF, you can buy a LEICA M or an X2 to use it with. It’s the same EVF as the one used with the X2.

 

source: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-news/2012/10/leica-photokina-qa-session-schopf-daniel/

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...