Upgrade to film or digital

[leica dream]

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Hi Everyone.

I am new to this forum and have a problem which I am sure some of you guys (and gals) will have a view about.

On a recent holiday with a group of 30 or so Americans I was something of a curiosity because I was the only person who used a film camera! All others used digital.

My camera is a Leica (of course) but a lowly and meagre C1 compact. It takes super pictures which I get processed here in the UK by Peak Processing.

My quandry is this.....

I like film, but although I can understand the big drive to digital versus associated cost of film and processing, I do not want to get drawn into a technology vortex which will inevitably make whatever digital facilities are available to-day (camera or PC) out dated very soon.

On the other hand I feel that I need to upgrade from my C1 so should it be film or digital, and for either.......which one? Also, I do not want to trudge around with a very bulky camera around my neck BUT PICTURE QUALITY IS PARAMOUNT which I know Leica will produce. Zoom facilities, say 35 - 120mm would be useful.

Added to this, I am retired so do not have unlimited funds and feel uneasy considering anything secondhand - unless anyone can recomend a reliable source. An R8 has been suggested.

Any input from you more experienced people would be very welcome.

Richard:

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[Guest malland]

No one can really advise you on this; people only express what they prefer. You can make good pictures with either digital or film; you can express anything you want to photographically either using digital

 

 

 

 

or using film.

 

 

 

 

I've posted these pictures in another thread but thought they are appropriate here. And here are a couple of pictures shot with the Leica D-Lux 3 that have film-like tones:

 

 

 

 

 

 

—Mitch/Potomac, MD

Mitch Alland's slideshow on Flickr

[S. Wong]

If you project slides, you will find digital projection slightly lacking on the detail (and expensive to get into)

 

If you are looking for a point-and-shoot upgrade, I feel that digital is the way to go, as the size and costs have dropped a lot.

Based on the description of the 35mm-120mm lens request: I think the D-Lux 3 or the Digilux 2 would be good for you. The V-Lux is good for long shots, but looks like an SLR. The only advantage for the V-Lux is the OIS lens and the 12x zoom. Personally, I would go for a full DSLR instead (the V-Lux is bigger than the Nikon D40 w/ kit lens).

 

D-Lux 3: new pocketcam without viewfinder, brand-new is US $600, 10MP, 16:9 ratio

Digilux 2: older, 5MP, looks like a rangefinder. Still selling for US $800 on ebay

Designed as Leicasonics, there is a panasonic variant of all.

 

If you are looking for a rangefinder, film is the way to go, as the only digital rangefinders are the Epson RD-1 & Leica M8. The RD-1 is discontinued, and the M8 is really, really expensive

 

If you are looking for an SLR, you have to weigh the various costs:

A Nikon D40 is the best digital for the cash (US $400 w/ lens brand new)

A film SLR such as the R4-7's are small, reasonably priced, and very light with some primes. I prefer my R4 to my Mom's D40x (10MP, US $600), but horses for courses.

 

Above all else, go and try these various things

The R8: its a love/hate relationship, and only you can tell which. The design is not like other SLR's

 

I hope this helps. Be warned, I got bit by the Leica film bug, and am resisting all attempts to go digital

 

-Steven

[luigi bertolotti]

1) You have a Leica, stay on the brand

2) You fear the switch to digital, stay on film

3) A zoom would be welcome, go for SLR

4) You are price conscious, find a not too costly one

5) You don't like much used, but say you can consider reliable sources: in the Leica world, this is almost a standard, good dealers of Leica equipment can give you good level of warranty, and repair shops are often trustable. Of course, I have not adresses to give you in your Country, but others here surely have.

 

Based on these considerations... I'd suggest a R4/R5/R6 with a pair of zooms (for ex. 28-70 and 80-200): not expensive, good, expandable with other lenses as you like it.

[leica dream]

Very many thanks for the input. It is all the sorts of comments which you gave which I am looking for but realise that it is all to do with preference and my choice. Your experienced input is great. Fabulous photos, Mitch, and great input Steven and Luigi.

[zapp]

Hi Everyone.

I like film, but although I can understand the big drive to digital versus associated cost of film and processing, I do not want to get drawn into a technology vortex which will inevitably make whatever digital facilities are available to-day (camera or PC) out dated very soon.

Richard:

 

Cost of film for a normal user is still less than for the same digital user as you would need software, hardware to go along with your digicam - half life of a digital camera is maybe 3 years unless you really take a lot of images or really need the advantages of digital, film is less expensive and a very good alternative.

[earleygallery]

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Hi,

 

If you already have a good pc (with large memory etc) then I'd consider the digital route, probably a D Lux 3 as suggested above. Add a good photo printer and you have your own digital darkroom.

 

Sticking with film, you could consider the CM Zoom which has 35-70 but is a much better lens and a better made camera than your C1, allows you far more control over your images. Its a discontinued camera now but you might find a dealer with new/old stock.

 

The Leica M might be a bit too much 'back to basics' for you if you're used to program exposure and auto focus, flash etc., and an M7 with a couple of lenses might be over your budget, but you could look at an R5, 7, 8 and a couple of lenses. You will have to focus but you can have program exposure and dedicated flash so it shouldn't be too much of a learning curve.

[ruiespanhol]

Hi Everyone.

I am new to this forum and have a problem which I am sure some of you guys (and gals) will have a view about.

On a recent holiday with a group of 30 or so Americans I was something of a curiosity because I was the only person who used a film camera! All others used digital.

My camera is a Leica (of course) but a lowly and meagre C1 compact. It takes super pictures which I get processed here in the UK by Peak Processing.

My quandry is this.....

I like film, but although I can understand the big drive to digital versus associated cost of film and processing, I do not want to get drawn into a technology vortex which will inevitably make whatever digital facilities are available to-day (camera or PC) out dated very soon.

On the other hand I feel that I need to upgrade from my C1 so should it be film or digital, and for either.......which one? Also, I do not want to trudge around with a very bulky camera around my neck BUT PICTURE QUALITY IS PARAMOUNT which I know Leica will produce. Zoom facilities, say 35 - 120mm would be useful.

Added to this, I am retired so do not have unlimited funds and feel uneasy considering anything secondhand - unless anyone can recomend a reliable source. An R8 has been suggested.

Any input from you more experienced people would be very welcome.

Richard:

 

I have the same problem but my film camera is the R8.

Whit the R8 I can obtain very good pictures so for this reason I stay whit film for many time.

However the digital photo is around the corner and many peole switch to then.

Because I love so much my R8 and for buy quality similar digital camera I nead to spend lot of money I decide to keep the R8 for film and buy one C-lux2 for digital.

This small camera give me good pictures and fits inside my pocket.It was less expensive when compares to the D-lux3 and the money I spend less is reserved for the next R digital.

So I decide to keep the digital tech. whit one small and more afordable camera because I stay spare money for buy the new R digital as son the stay on the market.

If you like film sell your C1 and kepp the R8 whit one zoom like the 28-70 or the even better 35-70/f4.

Actually this camera is near bargain at Ebay and the lenses are inexpensive too.

If you fell the digital is the way go to the D3.

 

Best,

 

Rui

[spylaw4]

If you feel you would like to go digital, then, as you don't seem to want "to trudge around with a very bulky camera around my neck BUT PICTURE QUALITY IS PARAMOUNT" and bearing in mind cost restraints, then perhaps a Digilux 2 might suit, the Digilux 3 being somewhat bulkier and heavier. There's plenty of examples of its sterling capabilities posted here for you to look at, and the cost is reasonable, albeit only available 2nd hand.

Others are better qualified than I to comment on possible film choices.

[wda]

Very many thanks for the input. It is all the sorts of comments which you gave which I am looking for but realise that it is all to do with preference and my choice. Your experienced input is great. Fabulous photos, Mitch, and great input Steven and Luigi.

 

Richard, welcome to the forum. You will find very good company here.

 

Have you considered a very small upgrade to the C3? That has an excellent lens, but essentially is a point and shoot. The other alternative is a CM, if you could live with the discipline of a fixed but superb fast lens.

 

If going digital, do consider the D2 which many photographers regard a classic in its genre.

 

David

[NZDavid]

If your present camera produces good results, why change?

 

I've got pleasing pics from Leica's tiny mini 3 film camera, though I also use Leica M.

 

I thnk you would find SLRs and The Digilux 2 and 3 too bulky. By all acounts the C-Lux and D-Lux mini digital cameras are excellent. Drawbacks are lack of optical viewfinder (very hard to see in bright light) and fiddly menus and modes, so you will need to be adept with computers to get the best out of it.

[topoxforddoc]

Richard,

 

You mention bulk as an issue. As you are retired, you will also want your new purchases to be reliable and not too expensive. You also want the ability to use zoom lenses.

 

If you want a long lasting camera that will give service for 10-20 years, then a digi-compact or digital slr of whatever brand is unlikely to give you that. If size is an issue, then a R6.2 would probably be your best bet. All mechanical, well built and likely to last the rest of your lifetime. R lenses are at firesale prices at the moment. The R8/9 is a lovely camera (I use one with a DMR), but is bigger and heavier.

 

If money were tight initially, then something like a R4 would be cheaper, but the 6.2 would be a better long term bet.

 

A CM zoom will only give you a limited zoom capability.The M series is great with M2 and M3s currently at reasonable prices. Prices for lenses for M cameras have firmed up recently due to the release of the M8.

 

Good luck

 

Charlie

[leica dream]

Thank you all so much. This input is exactly what I needed to help me along the decision route. I have printed and shall study every response very carefully to get a balance, before deciding a course in the next few weeks. Either way, I shall doubtless be back with more questions as things progress. I am so smitten with the overall quality of Leica (equipment as well as results) so that part of the decision may be academic, the problem will be "which one for my needs?".

Meanwhile I'll enjoy reading your further more general exchanges through the Forum.

Grateful thanks to everyone for taking time to give me ideas, many of which I had not considered.....Long live Leica User Forum!

Regards

Richard

[stunsworth]

One other thing Richard, Classic Camera Exchange - CLASSIC CAMERA EXCHANGE - are selling new stock Minilux Zooms film cameras for £249.

[Italocam]

Hi Everyone.

I am new to this forum and have a problem which I am sure some of you guys (and gals) will have a view about.

On a recent holiday with a group of 30 or so Americans I was something of a curiosity because I was the only person who used a film camera! All others used digital.

My camera is a Leica (of course) but a lowly and meagre C1 compact. It takes super pictures which I get processed here in the UK by Peak Processing.

My quandry is this.....

I like film, but although I can understand the big drive to digital versus associated cost of film and processing, I do not want to get drawn into a technology vortex which will inevitably make whatever digital facilities are available to-day (camera or PC) out dated very soon.

On the other hand I feel that I need to upgrade from my C1 so should it be film or digital, and for either.......which one? Also, I do not want to trudge around with a very bulky camera around my neck BUT PICTURE QUALITY IS PARAMOUNT which I know Leica will produce. Zoom facilities, say 35 - 120mm would be useful.

Added to this, I am retired so do not have unlimited funds and feel uneasy considering anything secondhand - unless anyone can recomend a reliable source. An R8 has been suggested.

Any input from you more experienced people would be very welcome.

Richard:

You are having the same dilemna as thousands of other film users. I say don't get sucked in to the digital spiral of trying to keep up with the technology. Your photos are fantastic keep with film until no longer available. I simply use C-41 B&W and get negatives only developed and scanned onto a CD Rom.I just recently bought the new aperture priority Voigtlander R4 film camera as a second body to my Leica lenses. It's really a pleasure to use.Italo,Montreal,Canada.

[leicapages]

Hi Richard, only you can decide for yourself what suits best. It is a very personal decision. I intentionally continue to use film since I like the medium and way of picture taking most. It fits my style more than digital. I have an extensive M + R equipment, and recently even added an M7 to the kit. For digital, I only have a compact D-Lux which suits my needs adequately and which I use when prime quality is not the decisive factor. If you have always been content with film, stay with it. The digital workflow is an entirely different beast, it will force you to change your working methods both in picture taking and in post-processing.

[leica dream]

Thank you, Pascal.

I have been really agonising over this and would dearly like to go R9 but I fear that I just cannot justify the cost within the amount I use my camera. I have a severe trust issue with pre-used equipment so am reluctant to take that route. After very much thought, research and terrific input from this forum I have decided to go V-LUX. The balance of forum comment was like yours - if you like film stick with it, and I know film produces superior results but £2500 GBP is well outside my budget. So very reluctantly, "technology vortex here I come"!

I have been so grateful for everyone's very supportive and candid input.

Richard

[Guest malland]

...and I know film produces superior results...

How do you "know" that? To me, the results depend more on the photographer than on whether you shoot film or digital, which is what I tried to show with the film and digital shots posted above. Just be happy with what you get and try to see what you can do with it. Here are a couple of V-Lux 1 shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

—Mitch/Potomac, MD

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[leica dream]

Mitch,

Looks to me as though you have made your point. The detail of these shots is incredible as were your originals at the start of this debate. Your latest are certainly a good advert for VLUX, and the depth of field on the second shot is superb. Thanks for your encouragement.

Richard

[Guest tummydoc]

Hi Everyone.

I am new to this forum and have a problem which I am sure some of you guys (and gals) will have a view about.

On a recent holiday with a group of 30 or so Americans I was something of a curiosity because I was the only person who used a film camera! All others used digital.

 

I've been an enthusiastic collector of Leica for nearly a decade, but I have not shot a roll of film during the preceding three years, since I was gifted with a Nikon D70 (since replaced with a D200). I don't care what other people are using, I have simply discovered that digital has every advantage over film and despite my enormous investment in Leica kit I don't feel obligated, compelled, or the slightest bit excited to shoot film merely in order to make use of my possessions.

 

 

My camera is a Leica (of course) but a lowly and meagre C1 compact. It takes super pictures which I get processed here in the UK by Peak Processing.

 

I know not of that processor, but if you are satisfied with what someone else delivers in terms of print quality, and satisfied by a pedestrian Japanese compact camera wearing a Leica badge, then your choices in terms of either a digital or a new film camera are wide open.

 

I do not want to get drawn into a technology vortex which will inevitably make whatever digital facilities are available to-day (camera or PC) out dated very soon.

 

So far it's been possible to withdraw from that vortex at any time whilst technology marches on. Digital cameras that are technologically outmoded and monetarily worthless nonetheless continue to produce images of the same quality they always did, right up until they cease functioning. That happens as a result of electronic or mechanical failure, not obsolescence.

 

Also, I do not want to trudge around with a very bulky camera around my neck ... Zoom facilities, say 35 - 120mm would be useful....

.feel uneasy considering anything secondhand ...

 

An R8 has been suggested.

 

A poor choice in view of your forestated criteria. In fact, given you are retired and funds are an issue, much as I hate to say it, you aren't well served buying any Leica product other than secondhand, or one of the re-badged Panasonic compacts.

 

I can make a few suggestions for you but they are only that. 1) If you are happy to remain with film, a Leicaflex SL in good order with several lenses spanning 35-135mm should not tax your budget, will give splendid picture quality, and are simple enough that buying secondhand shouldn't be a fear-filled undertaking. 2) If you wish to "go digital", Leica currently offers only one semi-home-grown digital, the M8, which commands a serious commitment on the part of the owner not only economically but in terms of dealing with its myriad peculiarities. Other than that, all "Leica" digitals are merely rebranded Panasonics, and Panasonic is well behind Nikon and Canon in digital technology.