Good leica m for leica beginner

[vwillrocku]

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My personal advice is:  not to buy any product from Leica, especially 2nd hand. From your budget, I am afraid new Leica M is out of your budget and you must know Leica repair is not cheap or fast. Also I have to say I have nightmare with their repairing service. Fortunately my camera is still under warranty but even with free repair, dealing with Leica can also cause heart attack. It would be un-imaginable if I need to paid. So pls think twice. You can also read my recent post: 

Just a personal advice, Nikon is going to release Z7 II and Z6 II, the Z6 may within your budget and they could still adapt M lenses. I know the experience is different, but Leica service would make you mad which is also a different experience, worst experience.

On 7/26/2020 at 3:16 AM, reniwqwil5 said:

Hello everybody, I have photographed alot til this day with a sony camera (alot of nature and milkyway photography) and have decided to up my skills and photography to leica cameras, specificly the leica m-body. I have a budget of up to 1,900€, so i'm pretty limited on the budget side of things. I hope you guys can offer me your advice on this topic, thank you beforehand!

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by vwillrocku

[Harvard Kiwi]

Even if OP hasn't returned to the forum, this place is a wealth of knowledge for future potential Leica photographers. I lurked here for a while before I ever posted and learned a lot from advice that was intended for other people. 

There are a lot of myths about Leica and I think OP fell for some of them. I hope they didn't leave after the first few responses feeling like they weren't welcome because I'm sure that isn't what was intended. 

Perhaps we need a new thread specifically for new Leica (and in particular M users) or at least those thinking about getting into rangefinders. This could help peolle decide whether the system really is for them. 

The M works for me now, more than a decade after I first started photography. While I wanted one many years ago, I'm actually glad I didn't get one then, as my understanding of photography wasn't that great (I didn't properly understand the exposure triangle when I first wanted one) and I would not have had a good experience. As such, I may have written Ms off, not because they are bad cameras (my M10 is my favourite) but because it wasn't right for me at the time, or more accurately, I wasn't right for it. 

Purchasing one based on your budget makes sense financially but if it means compromising on its functionality when assessed against your experience, understanding, shooting style, and type of photography is a recipe for disaster. 

If someone new here reads this post, I want you to know that the M system can be great cameras if it is right for you and what you are really looking for. It won't make your photos better, in fact, at first it made my photos worse. If you enjoy the art and process of manual photography, want to slow down, are willing to practice and dedicate time and effort to the craft (it takes time and perseverence but not years), then maybe it is right for you.

If you think making better photos will just be easier due to the bodies and superior Leica glass then you are probably going to be disappointed. 

It's easy to covet the red dot, but it certainly isn't for everyone. If OP comes back, perhaps a Q would be a better option. If they really want an M, then welcome to the community and I hope they enjoy it!

[IkarusJohn]

Lots of shibboleths here (not aimed at anyone in particular).

If you are starting from a Sony digital, you will be coming from a dreadful menu system, poor haptics, and a photo-taking process about as far removed from the essentials of photography as you can get - I sold one Sony camera before I could find the aperture setting …

Will a Leica help you take better photos?  Almost certainly, not because of some inherent or magical quality in the camera or lenses (save by chance), but if you take the time to understand an M camera it will help you to understand what you’re doing.  Looking at the scene; understanding what the subject of your image is going to be; timing; selecting aperture; checking shutter speed; focusing; timing … making you think about these things and actually making consider what photography is about is where the M excels.

Digital or film?  Digital - why make life harder for yourself when starting out in M photography; but then most film M cameras are cheaper than digital.  I just suspect, if you’re coming from a Play Station approach to photography, you might be buying into a whole world of pain with film …

You can’t afford it, buy a XXX?  That rather defeats the point.  Most of us here use Leica (why else be here), so how about sharing some love?  Hunt about, and find an M - any M, and check it out carefully; then find an M mount lens, preferably a Leica or Leitz.  Any LTM or M mount lens will work with an M.  Sort out the focal length you like (I think 50mm is the sweet spot, but many love the 35mm field of view).  Buy the fastest lens you can afford (I bought a 1948 Summitar 50/2 LTM lens some years ago, with a Voigtlander adapter for about USD 500 not so long ago).

Then get out and use it.  A lot.  If you get the M system, you can add to your lenses, and camera bodies with time.  But just get out and take as many photos as you can, thinking about what you’re doing.

This is a very different World from Sony.  The OP has probably gone, but maybe the next person asking the question will get a bit of encouragement here to follow her dreams.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by IkarusJohn

[Harvard Kiwi]

I think there is an additional factor that probably needs consideration with Leica Ms more than any other camera, and that is ongoing potential cost (and I'm not talking about the thousands I have spent on accessories due to GAS).

Some may say rangefinder focusing is outdated but many of us disagree and think it is brilliant! However, the rangefinder mechanism requires accuracy to work properly and from time to time, requires recallibration. Some people go for years without needing this, and for others, it may be months between service intervals. While third parties tend to do this, as always it is better to send it back to Leica if you can. That means potentially not having the camera for months and having to pay additional costs. To save money, you can research people locally who have a reputation for good CLAs, but it's always at your own risk. If you are puchasing an older used body, at least you don't have to worry about voiding the warranty. 

There are also some whose rangefinders require calibration but they have adapated and still manage to use them. It would be unfortunate to sink everything you have into a camera which you can't afford to keep in good repair, a concern that I had with moving to Leica and when I started out with some of my watches. 

Savings you make initially by finding cheap deals can end up costing more in the long-term. This can be due to damage or misalignment (even where care has been taken) or increased peripheral costs such as buying and developing film by saving on later digital models.

Have an idea of a good overall focal length prime lens and be prepared to use your imagination (and feet) and develop your skill to make it more versatile for a while. Personally, I think everyone should spend some time with a single lens even if you have a range to choose from. If on a budget, be prepared for your first lens not to be a Leica as well. Other brands are capable of making fantastic glass (Zeiss and Voigtlander in particular).

Spend time researching and identifying the things you need and would like to have (they are not the same despite me often convincing myself I need things I don't). Then do a hell of a lot of research. It's a big and expensive decision so this shouldn't be skipped. Watch videos on YouTube (I'm a fan of Matt Osborne among many others) read through forums to work out what you need, and ask questions. We all love talking about Leica photography (which is why we are on here), we all need help or other people's opinions from time to time, and we get a sense of additional value by helping others out. Many of us remember what it was like starting out. 

Please note however, everyone will appreciate it if you do your research first, and then come to the forum with specific questions or comparisons. While we are happy to help, we struggle with overly generalised questions and resent having to do all the leg-work for someone else. 

[rramesh]

On 7/26/2020 at 3:16 AM, reniwqwil5 said:

Hello everybody, I have photographed alot til this day with a sony camera (alot of nature and milkyway photography) and have decided to up my skills and photography to leica cameras, specificly the leica m-body. 

Almost all of the cameras in the market these days will allow you to take great photos. Some are more suited to a type of photography than others. The camera is just a tool to a creative user.

I am not sure why you think a Leica will allow you to take better photos. Is there a specific shortcoming in your toolset you are looking to address?