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My first month with Leica (M240)


Dario Antonaci

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Although i consider myself to be a nature and wildlife photographer, i got bored of my big tele lens (Canon 300mm 2.8 II). So i rented a Leica M. I fell in love and decided to sell my DSLR lens to get one. I am more than happy with the mojo of the camera and the quality of the results. Here are some photos of the first trip to the swiss alps:

 

With 50mm Summicron (IV i think):

36674062116_2349d4efbd_b.jpg

 

35885641634_ae2c1880e1_b.jpg

 

36325082570_c979239f99_b.jpg

With 90mm Elmarit:

 

36325110100_a387a59602_b.jpg

 

36674107676_1da0380b42_b.jpg

 

36674014726_025f3a0c19_b.jpgI didn't really expect to get sharp wildlife shots using the RF, but it's a lot easier than i thought:

35885641634_b9fce75f69_o.jpg

36674107676_a49efb54da_o.jpg

 

And for the heck of it, the landscape photo in full resolution:

36674014726_6ea07f5b4c_o.jpg

 

The images lost some quality due to the upload to flickr...

 

 

Cheers

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It is worth noting that 50 years ago almost every camera was fixed focus or manual focus. Suddenly in the 1970s everything started to change. From there onward it became more and more normal to let the robot inside one's camera decide the point of focus.

People today who prefer MF have few choices of which digital camera to use. The reason I chose Leica is because I hated the camera deciding for me where I wanted to focus. I can get a cheap AF camera to do that simple task. 

 

Probably what you have discovered, Dario, is that now you have control again. Your lovely pictures show that you alone have chosen the focal point, not some huge piece of kit that weighs like a bag of wet cement and centres focus for you on a distant mountain top rather than a nearby animal.

 

In summary, AF cameras can take pretty pictures. MF cameras can take photographs.

 

You have demonstrated that, and you have my thanks.

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I never carried my Canon with L lens on a hiking trip to mountains (well, I did only once in enthusiasm), whereas my M240 goes in ALL of my outings. With my standard lens (28 cron) it is ready. I feel so much liberated.

 

Very nice pictures. I wish you many years of enjoying photography.

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Although i consider myself to be a nature and wildlife photographer, i got bored of my big tele lens (Canon 300mm 2.8 II). So i rented a Leica M. I fell in love and decided to sell my DSLR lens to get one. I am more than happy with the mojo of the camera and the quality of the results. Here are some photos of the first trip to the swiss alps:

 

With 50mm Summicron (IV i think):

36674062116_2349d4efbd_b.jpg

 

35885641634_ae2c1880e1_b.jpg

 

36325082570_c979239f99_b.jpg

With 90mm Elmarit:

 

36325110100_a387a59602_b.jpg

 

36674107676_1da0380b42_b.jpg

 

36674014726_025f3a0c19_b.jpgI didn't really expect to get sharp wildlife shots using the RF, but it's a lot easier than i thought:

35885641634_b9fce75f69_o.jpg

36674107676_a49efb54da_o.jpg

 

And for the heck of it, the landscape photo in full resolution:

36674014726_6ea07f5b4c_o.jpg

 

The images lost some quality due to the upload to flickr...

 

 

Cheers

Adding to my last reply... I was also surprised how easy it was to shoot my M9 (and later M240). In fact I can argue that it is much easier than AF DSLR. With my lens preset to aperture of my choice, focus set to infinity and in A mode, it behaves like a point and shoot. At the same time, all controls are there on fingertips if I feel like being creative or crossed by a mountain goat. :)
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Adding to my last reply... I was also surprised how easy it was to shoot my M9 (and later M240). In fact I can argue that it is much easier than AF DSLR. With my lens preset to aperture of my choice, focus set to infinity and in A mode, it behaves like a point and shoot. At the same time, all controls are there on fingertips if I feel like being creative or crossed by a mountain goat. :)

This is exactly how I felt when I switch over from an automated camera.. I was tick off by my gf for spending so much money on a camera that doesn't auto focus!

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The somewhat unexpected thing, at least for me, about re-adopting MF is that once you reacquaint yourself to the rhythm and mechanics of it, returning to an AF system winds up feeling extremely awkward and out of balance.

I agree. I got an M safari and loved it. I sold my canon 5d (which is a great camera). Then i thought I should get something more autofocus. I rented the Q. It has amazing IQ and a wonderful interface and is great. But i just didn't love the device. It had no faults, but I realized i really just liked the M a lot. I like my T, though it isn't in the same rank as the Q... I'll live. :)

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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