I love my… I love my MP

[chris_livsey]

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Hmm, what do you mean by "more dissimilar"? I was thinking of the visual perspectives they give, and the f/stops available for each lens.

 

Be very careful how you use the word "perspective". They do have a different angle of view but if cropped the perspective will remain the same. Very difficult concept but see this thread:DoF and Perspective Revisited - Luminous Landscape Forum

which is slightly different as it uses stitching instead of cropping so in effect if you stitched two 50mm frames the perspective would be the same, when matched, to the 35mm lens frame. The difference is how close you can be to the subject.

 

But sod all that, fantastic images

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[batmobile]

Mike,

 

I use mostly 28, 35 and 50. All are very different in use IMHO. My normal two carryabouts have a 28 and 35 respectively and only if must do I bring out a 50mm body (or lens only). If Leica Ms made internal lines for 25 maybe i would choose that, but right now 28 and 35 are in my way of working, well separated. 35 has very little wide look and is my 'normal' (I like to work in close) but the 28 starts to get noticeably wide to me. 21 is for when I want 'very wide'. I am also not a particular fan of 50mm at all, less so on RFs. while perfect on the M3 and near perfect on a 0.85, it still does not have the 'feel' IMO of the same FL on a SLR from the user feel perspective (rather than image output). 85mm and longer is for my SLRs.

Edited September 12, 2009 by batmobile

[ZoomP]

No way alun! I just got rid of my big 'ol Canon DSLR system and traded up for a really nice chrome MP with 0.58x finder and I'm really enjoying shooting again every day. The silly thing just begs to be taken for walks on the street! This is where I should have been all along. A sooper-dooper negative scanner is the next purchase and I'm all set.

 

 

 

ZoomP, I'm kinda curious why you use two lenses that are so close to each other in focal length? I once heard that Salgado uses a 28mm and 35mm on his M cameras, and a 60mm macro on his R series, which I understood because a 60mm macro is special purpose and can't be easily adapted to an M camera. What kinds of things do you shoot mostly? Thanks for your thoughts.

 

~ Mike

 

Mike, no particular reason. I bought the 35 cos' I originally got a M2 and the 35 frameline is perfect for this M. I've got 3 R lens, mainly 35 & 50 crons and a 50 Lux and used them initially on my Canon DSLR. I've more of a 50 guy for prime lens. Mostly protraits, candids and learning street photography now.

[andalus]

Here's my MP, that's been all over the world the past 4 years. Nicely clad in a dark green Luigi case and with the 50 Lux ASPH. Also wears the 24 Elmar and and 135 Telyt APO at times. I am, alas, thinking of adding the M9 now that it's a full sensor camera. Then, I suspect, I shall have the perfect kit. But I will never part with the MP, which mostly shoots Velvia.

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[frko]

No way alun! I just got rid of my big 'ol Canon DSLR system and traded up for a really nice chrome MP with 0.58x finder and I'm really enjoying shooting again every day. The silly thing just begs to be taken for walks on the street! This is where I should have been all along. A sooper-dooper negative scanner is the next purchase and I'm all set.

 

 

 

ZoomP, I'm kinda curious why you use two lenses that are so close to each other in focal length? I once heard that Salgado uses a 28mm and 35mm on his M cameras, and a 60mm macro on his R series, which I understood because a 60mm macro is special purpose and can't be easily adapted to an M camera. What kinds of things do you shoot mostly? Thanks for your thoughts.

 

~ Mike

 

As far as I know, Salgado uses 2 R cameras, one with 28mm and the other one with 60 macro and has a 35mm mounted on M camera. (he shows his equipment in his documentary)

 

Regards, Jost

[mnsato]

okay...my anthracite MP with Frankie

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[chris_livsey]

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okay...my anthracite MP with Frankie

 

And a thumbs up? unusual on a non digital.

[aesop]

And a thumbs up? unusual on a non digital.

 

 

...truly puzzling, ChrisL - then again, perhaps we are missing a trick.

 

 

.

[jpattison]

mnsato,

Is Frankie the 50mm or the dog?

 

John

[spre]

MP and M2... and have to admit my tender preference for the M2...

 

Ciao.

Stefano.

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[kenf]

And a thumbs up? unusual on a non digital.

 

Makes sense to me - I often wish for a thumbrest when I use my Rapidwinder.

[chris_livsey]

Makes sense to me - I often wish for a thumbrest when I use my Rapidwinder.

 

Of course, silly me, not having either a Leicavit or Rapid-winder that hadn't occurred to me.

[mnsato]

mnsato,

Is Frankie the 50mm or the dog?

 

John

 

the 50, of course.

my 35 is Johnnie

[azzo]

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[matt335]

[ptarmigan]

Well idont ownan MP and am just starting my search for a replacement fit the M6 I sold a couple of years ago. I always fancied an MP but was put off by the price. Why do they command such a price premium. Aren't they built to the same standard as the M6 or M7 or are they different - of course I understand they are manual.

 

I do own an Olympus OM 3 which these days seems to command a higher price than on OM 4 ti which I also have. My only Leica is an M8 which I bought this year.

Edited September 14, 2009 by ptarmigan

[nikau]

Love your photo, mnsato!

[NB23]

Well idont ownan MP and am just starting my search for a replacement fit the M6 I sold a couple of years ago. I always fancied an MP but was put off by the price. Why do they command such a price premium. Aren't they built to the same standard as the M6 or M7 or are they different - of course I understand they are manual.

 

I do own an Olympus OM 3 which these days seems to command a higher price than on OM 4 ti which I also have. My only Leica is an M8 which I bought this year.

 

The MP is a M6.2 in my point of view.

I far prefer Manual + AE override the M7 offers, which makes it the Ultimate Leica.

Why the steep price? Just modern times, nothing else.

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[msweeney]

Well idont ownan MP and am just starting my search for a replacement fit the M6 I sold a couple of years ago. I always fancied an MP but was put off by the price. Why do they command such a price premium. Aren't they built to the same standard as the M6 or M7 or are they different - of course I understand they are manual.

 

Hi ptarmigan, no the MP is indeed made a little differently than the M6. Frank Van Riper from the Washington Post had this to say in his review of the MP:

 

When the first buzz about the MP began earlier this year, the only things I heard were: "all manual," and "rugged as hell." I had to wait until I got my hands on one to gauge the rugged part – and when I did I had to admit that it felt like a tank. Leica notes that it has made subtle but significant improvements to the camera's internals, as well as added another lens element to its rangefinder to cure a stray light problem that some had noticed. So confident is the company in the camera's longevity and reliability that it is offering a five year warranty as well as a promise that replacement parts will be available for at least the next 30 years.

 

I think he's right. I've used an M4-P, an M4-2, an M6, and an M6TTL in the past. Now I'm using just an MP. It feels more solid, snug and is quieter to my recollection than any of them.

 

For a bit more reading, check out Erwin Puts' article on the MP where he talks about the internal changes Leica made in the MP. Here's a few key points on the differences:

 

The MP is not the classical M6 with some M3 details added.

 

1. The body is covered with a new very fine grained material offes an excellent grip and is superior to the old Vulcanite and the current material. The material has a faint feeling of softness and seems to breath a bit. When your hands are slippery from warm weather and/or excitement this cover still can be grasped firmly.
   
2. Internally TTL electronics are new. The M6 electronics were a hybrid design and the mechanical/electronical interface was partly done by analogue electrical means. Now the electronics are fully digital (as in the M7) and have improved reliability and a lower battery consumption.
   
3. The shutter curtains are more light tight and the occasional light leaks of the older shutter curtains are now extinct.
   
4. Even more important is the improved mechanical geometry of the shutter. As has been explained in the M7 review the shutter curtains have an acceleration and deceleration moment, when speed is building up and the curtain mass must be braked. Here we have an area of variable geometry and a careful redesign of the rollers and springs and braking elements has resulted in a very even movement over the travel length. Occasionally users have noted very small darker bands at the sides of the frame as a result of the shutter movement being too slow at the start and stop moments. With the new design there should be no problem.
   
5. The rewind knob has a very useful friction now. Every Leica user has experienced the following: you rewind the film and halfway your fingers slip. Then the force of the curled film pulls the rewound part back and you have to start all over. The MP rewind knob has been designed with an inherent friction that is equal to the film force.
   
6. Gears and other moving parts have been improved by a new shape and surface treatment, which will increase the mean time before failure and enhances the smoothness of the operation.
   
7. The current manufacturing procedures and assembly methods allow for a slight tolerance in the selection of matching parts and some users, when comparing the M6 or M7 with a finely tuned M3 will notice a certain roughness when transporting the film or pressing the two way shutter release. With the MP there is no such thing: all operations are extremely smooth and in direct comparison to my M3 even show improvements in smoothness and noise reduction.
   
8. The well-known flaring of the rangefinder patch under adverse light conditions since the M4-2 has been eliminated completely. As I am very sensitive to this phenomenon I compared my M7 in identical situations to the MP and could indeed notice that the MP has not the slightest propensity to flare where the M7 shows stray light in the finder patch.
   

 

I believe it is the best analogue M camera ever made-- we'll wait to see what people think of the M9.

[Guest Bernd Banken]

Mike, you are right - but at the end the pic counts.....