which film M for pro-use?

[frogfish]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

vor 35 Minuten schrieb Steve Ricoh:

I think we've strayed off topic. Back to the original question I would say either a new MP, or an MA if you can live without the light meter, or a recently serviced M6, or one of the previous M models without a LM. Either way you'll need two, one for B&W and one for colour, plus you'll have as a backup.

Of course back-up. But that could be something cheaper as I would rate a manual, serviced M very reliable.

my second camera will be the Nikon FM 2. I'll need the through-the-lens for free-lensing with the 50.

 

heiko

[dkmoore]

6 hours ago, earleygallery said:

As for style of wedding photography, it's personal, much the same as the type of wedding people choose to have - some want formal/traditional, some want the complete opposite.

There is demand and a place for both. I don't think the "my style is better than your style" arguments here are necessary.

Agreed.

I wanted both for my wedding photos and I agree that this argument is unnecessary. I don’t think the OP meant it that way, it was perpetuated by Nowhereman with the narrow minded view that people that want “ non artsy” photos are less human. Absurd. 

I celebrate differing opinions and personalities rather than writing people off. 

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Michiel Fokkema]

I've done a few weddings with Leica M and think the M7 is most appropriate because of the AE. It' s just faster. Adding a winder makes it perfect for me.

[ynp]

13 hours ago, frogfish said:

good question...

I feel that digitalising the images lead the whole thing ad absurdum. 

...

We have an employee who also shoots her own weddings and do part of our post-processing. She would love to do darkroom work.

That all is a huge amount of work and I do not know a bleep if I can ever manage to sell something like that. But that is the "dream". 

And what is the purpose of reachable dreams? Then you have plans, but no dreams, right?

 

Heiko

Hello Heko,

There still a market , obviously, and we may be interested to buy a couple of your prints from your new darkroom for our personal collection. We avoid buying digital prints for some reason. 

Yevgeny

[frogfish]

vor einer Stunde schrieb ynp:

Hello Heko,

There still a market , obviously, and we may be interested to buy a couple of your prints from your new darkroom for our personal collection. We avoid buying digital prints for some reason. 

Yevgeny

I would feel  honored.

Heiko

[ynp]

25 minutes ago, frogfish said:

I would feel  honored.

Heiko

Please contact me by personal message when you have printed something of your personal work. My wife said that she lobs how you work with the light. I am of the same opinion. 

 

Thank you and and good luck  !👍 

Yevgeny. 

[Guest Nowhereman]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

6 hours ago, dkmoore said:

...I don’t think the OP meant it that way, it was perpetuated by Nowhereman with the narrow minded view that people that want “ non artsy” photos are less human. Absurd. 

I celebrate differing opinions and personalities rather than writing people off. 

dkmoore - Great but, come now, I explained clearly and carefully that 'When I say, blithely, that I'm more likely to be friends with someone who is a client of Heiko's, it's only musing on a perceived probability that could easily be wrong, for people who "like art" don't necessarily make better friends, nor are necessarily more interesting people. Also, I don't mean any reflection on you one way and on Heiko in another way.'

No reason to twist and distort. Tiresome. But I'm glad you think you "celebrate differing opinions and personalities rather than writing people off", despite showing the opposite in what you write here. "Less than human"? 
_______________
Alone in Bangkok essay on BURN Magazine
Nowhereman Instagram

Edited October 19, 2018 by Nowhereman

[A miller]

Before going hole  hog, I would recommend using a film camera to supplement your digital workflow and use it only in natural light for starters.  Under tis approach, the lens is really more important than the M.  You really want a modern fast summilux so that you can shoot wide open and not turn anything other than the eyes into cream pies.  The modern summiluxes do a great job of retain enough detail so as not to lose context around the specific subject that you are shooting, but still give that "Leica glow."  

 

I would suggest that you study the work of Tanya Lippert, who is a wedding and fashion photographer and shoots film.  She is also featured in an online series of episodes on film on the Framed Network.  These are really inspiring!!!

https://framednetwork.com/product-category/video/film/

 

Anything you will do on film will be infinitely better than what you can do on digital.

Enjoy!

Adam 

[dkmoore]

11 hours ago, Nowhereman said:

dkmoore - Great but, come now, I explained clearly and carefully that 'When I say, blithely, that I'm more likely to be friends with someone who is a client of Heiko's, it's only musing on a perceived probability that could easily be wrong, for people who "like art" don't necessarily make better friends, nor are necessarily more interesting people. Also, I don't mean any reflection on you one way and on Heiko in another way.'

No reason to twist and distort. Tiresome. But I'm glad you think you "celebrate differing opinions and personalities rather than writing people off", despite showing the opposite in what you write here. "Less than human"? 
_______________
Alone in Bangkok essay on BURN Magazine
Nowhereman Instagram

You realized you made a mistake and walked it back, which was the right thing to do.  

And, a bit over sensitive on my part, I agree. Certainly no twisting and distorting though.

if we are all being honest, the twisting and distorting was your response to your own comment. 

Anyway, who cares. On with the camera talk. 

[minh0204]

Heiko, honestly the most suitable camera for your workflow is the Hexar RF. Extremely accurate, sensible meter, with Aperture priority mode. Motorized film advance and rewind. Continuous 'burst' mode if you need to run&gun. Extremely fast reload time - just swing the back open and pop in a new film, no baseplate nonsense. You can rummage for a fresh roll while the camera rewinds for you.  Get two for the price of any M body that people are recommending here. Ignore the BS about incompatibility with M lenses - if you are not a brick wall & test chart photographer it won't matter.

That is, unless you want a Leica M. Then disregard all I just said and follow your heart.

[frogfish]

vor 4 Stunden schrieb minh0204:

Heiko, honestly the most suitable camera for your workflow is the Hexar RF. Extremely accurate, sensible meter, with Aperture priority mode. Motorized film advance and rewind. Continuous 'burst' mode if you need to run&gun. Extremely fast reload time - just swing the back open and pop in a new film, no baseplate nonsense. You can rummage for a fresh roll while the camera rewinds for you.  Get two for the price of any M body that people are recommending here. Ignore the BS about incompatibility with M lenses - if you are not a brick wall & test chart photographer it won't matter.

That is, unless you want a Leica M. Then disregard all I just said and follow your heart.

Thank you for your tip. However, it needs to be a Leica I am afraid.

Of course there might be more convenient options, or maybe even comfortable ones.  

But I want to fail with style...

 

heiko

[Paul Verrips]

Like michiel_fokkema said,  the M7 is most appropriate because of the AE. If you don't need a film M with lightmeter, 
then i can recommend you the M-A. I shoot both (but no weddings).
I did shot weddings in the nineties but with Nikon F801.

[Frase]

If it has to be a Leica then either-

M2, M3, M4, M4-2, M4p, M5, M6, M6ttl, M7, MP or MA. If you want a meter M5 (except MA) or later 28mm frame lines then M4p onwards. Except for that they all do the same thing.

[sblitz]

whether hand held or in TTL, I would think you want a good spot meter. I would trust a handheld, personally, although it can be slower, and then go with anything you like. I personally would stay away from the M6, to much flare in the focusing and that can occur indoors as well (experienced it shooting jazz sets). That would leave me with the M4 or M7, pre-M4 the loading is tooooo slow, in between is essentially the M6 (see above) and the MP and MA are great (I have the MA) but the rewinding is much too slow for a wedding when speed is of the essence (if you have someone with you to handle the mundane but importance of film handling, then this is less of an issue). Lastly, I know you want a rangefinder and that's find, I love them too, but the Leica R6 and R6.2 are mechanical tanks, so no worries about never being able to have them repaired and sometimes an SLR is the right instrument when you are focusing in and out as opposed to whats in and whats out left and right.

[adan]

Late to this party, - but I would also say that if you are already used to the digital M's, then the M7 is the no-brainer (M6ttl as a close second).

On every film Leica except the M7 and M6ttl, the shutter dial turns "the wrong way around," both from the point of view of "muscle memory," and in terms of matching what the manual meter pointers tell you. On the M6 classic and MP, a right-pointing meter arrow > means turn the shutter dial left <<<<<. =:-o

(and - therefore the M7/M6ttl also have the same mm or two of extra height as the digitals, to accomodate the "reverse gearing")

And the "A" mode and the flash system operate closer to how the digitals handle.

I've never used the Leicavit, except to try out - but it is very smooth (and very useful if one is left-eyed - saves sticking one's thumb into one's right eye when winding film ). And much less clunky than the Leica motors, which even in the most recent iterations are still Rube-Goldberg devices.

[frogfish]

vor einer Stunde schrieb adan:

 

On every film Leica except the M7 and M6ttl, the shutter dial turns "the wrong way around," both from the point of view of "muscle memory," and in terms of matching what the manual meter pointers tell you. On the M6 classic and MP, a right-pointing meter arrow > means turn the shutter dial left <<<<<. =:-o

 

Oh, that one is an important one. So just to make clear I did understand you right:

The M6ttl and The M7 are the only ones, where the speed dial turns the SAME way as in the digital ones?

That is a biggy! Thank you.

 

Heiko

[adan]

Yes.

[jmahto]

On 10/18/2018 at 7:50 AM, frogfish said:

Of course back-up. But that could be something cheaper as I would rate a manual, serviced M very reliable.

my second camera will be the Nikon FM 2. I'll need the through-the-lens for free-lensing with the 50.

 

heiko

I have M2 and FM2 both and I can tell you that to me FM2 doesn't act like a backup. It is just another camera. For me backup means I can share the lens between main and backup body. For digital teh bodies can be from two different makes (of course with different haptics but it is backup after all) but on film it has to be same make. 

[jmahto]

On 10/19/2018 at 11:17 PM, frogfish said:

Oh, that one is an important one. So just to make clear I did understand you right:

The M6ttl and The M7 are the only ones, where the speed dial turns the SAME way as in the digital ones?

That is a biggy! Thank you.

 

Heiko

I wondered about it when I first got my M2 (I have M240 for digital). Although the shutter dial runs "wrong way"  in M2, the way I shoot both is very different. On M240, I am mostly on A and when I go full manual, I move the shutter dial by looking at the LED arrow direction of the internal light meter, while looking through VF (not from the top plate). M2 is totally different since I am looking at it from the top and translating meter reading (or guess) to the setting. 

I started a thread about it some time ago asking opinion on what feels natural to folks and most response was that it is not an issue. After four months I don't find it an issue either. However, I don't shoot in professional capacity and everybody has their preferred way of using the camera. 

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[A miller]

10 minutes ago, jmahto said:

After four months I don't find it an issue either. 

yeah, I can also walk and chew gum at the same time. 😉  I have 4 Leica Ms and never had a nanoseconds thought about that.