jlancasterd Posted August 22, 2007 Share #41 Posted August 22, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Here's a couple of questions for folks who have both a film Leica (or a Bessa) and an M8 or RD-1: what film do you usually shoot and how do you handle processing? ( I don't have a darkroom anymore, but I do have a couple of decent multi-mode scanners.) What sort of film-to-digital workflow do y'all use? With my Bessa R3A I'm currently shooting Kodak Portra 160NC negative film, which scans well on my Polaroid SprintScan 120 using VueScan. Other times I shoot Ektachrome 100 slide film and scan. However, I've only shot two films since I got my M8 in mid-April (2500 shots - plus several hundred I've done with my R8-DMR) -- Digital rules...! I use Lightroom and CS2 to prepare shots for publication. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Hi jlancasterd, Take a look here Working My Way Up To An M8. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
johnwolf Posted August 22, 2007 Share #42 Posted August 22, 2007 Now, here comes the next big question- what's a good sub-$600.00US lens for the M8? Maggie, Register with reidreviews.com and you'll get the info you need. Good writing, great reviews, and more. For just a littlle more out of the bathroom budget, you could get two lenses. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie_O Posted August 22, 2007 Author Share #43 Posted August 22, 2007 I signed up with Sean a couple of weeks ago and I'll start scouring the lens reviews ASAP! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie_O Posted August 23, 2007 Author Share #44 Posted August 23, 2007 Hey gang, anyone got any thoughts on the 21/4 P Color-Skopar $419 Leica M mount vs. the 25/4 P Color-Skopar $379 Rangefinder Coupled Leica M mount? The first one supposedly brings up the M8's 28mm framelines and the 25 brings up the 35mm framelines. I was thinking one of those and maybe a 35/1.7 Aspherical Ultron (with an M mount adaptor) or a 40/1.4 Nokton $349 MC Version. (The 50/2 Collapsible Heliar looks really cool, too.) Thanks for all the help so far!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSee Posted August 23, 2007 Share #45 Posted August 23, 2007 Hey gang, anyone got any thoughts on the 21/4 P Color-Skopar $419 Leica M mount vs. the 25/4 P Color-Skopar $379 Rangefinder Coupled Leica M mount? The first one supposedly brings up the M8's 28mm framelines and the 25 brings up the 35mm framelines. I was thinking one of those and maybe a 35/1.7 Aspherical Ultron (with an M mount adaptor) or a 40/1.4 Nokton $349 MC Version. (The 50/2 Collapsible Heliar looks really cool, too.) Thanks for all the help so far!!!! You will find many threads on the CV lenses, and reviews elsewhere too. Although "slower", the entire range of CV Skopar lenses are quite good. There are LTM mount versions still available and, when complimented with Mr. Milich's adapters and Leica UV/IR filters, work very well with the M8... and film RF's as well. All of the lenses you mention have their quirks, however. The newer "P"(M-mount) 21 and 25 seem like the 40 wrt focus tab, etc... yet the LTM versions of these two FL are quite different: the 21 LTM is RF coupled, the 25 LTM is not. If you don't mind the difference, the LTM lenses+jlm adapters work very well and the frame lines are as they should be... about the same cost as a newer "P" version when you add the jlm adapter cost. For FL, you may want to start with the 25(like the 35mm film 35 FL), and then decide if you'd go wider, or more tele. hth+rgds, Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted August 23, 2007 Share #46 Posted August 23, 2007 Maggie, I ordered the CV 40mm Nokton f/1.4 (from CameraQuest) in anticipation of my M8 purchase. Sean Reid has given very good reviews of this lens and it is a steal at $349. I sent the flange to John Milich for modification (addition of coding pits and adjusting the flange to bring up 35mm framelines instead of 50mm ones - about $35 of work plus shipping). I am eagerly awaiting my flange in the mail and then it's off to Dale Labs to test! I will be coding it as a 35 Lux. I actually have mixed feelings about the CV 40/1.4 but I hope that you enjoy it. Maggie, It would probably would be wise to decide whether film or digital makes more sense for you right now (cost, time, facilities, etc.). If you decide to go with film then, yes, the Bessas make a lot of sense and will likely be quite usable for years. The R-D1 will not become obsolete but future repairs (if they're needed at all) are a question mark. I used two R-D1 bodies professionally and heavily for two years with only one problem (aside from messing with the RF adjustment). You may want to read my long-term review of the Epson (which includes an owner survey) to get a better sense of the pros and cons. Yes, the R-D1 can have problems but so too can the M8. The M8, however, should be well-supported for a long time. "Intro to Rangefinders" should be useful to you and, yes, I'd recommend reading all the RF lens reviews. Together, those articles may be helpful as you figure this out. Cheers, Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted August 23, 2007 Share #47 Posted August 23, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hey gang, anyone got any thoughts on the 21/4 P Color-Skopar $419 Leica M mount vs. the 25/4 P Color-Skopar $379 Rangefinder Coupled Leica M mount? The first one supposedly brings up the M8's 28mm framelines and the 25 brings up the 35mm framelines. I was thinking one of those and maybe a 35/1.7 Aspherical Ultron (with an M mount adaptor) or a 40/1.4 Nokton $349 MC Version. (The 50/2 Collapsible Heliar looks really cool, too.) Thanks for all the help so far!!!! Maggie I have that lens, the CV Skopar 21mm f/4 M mount, although I bought it for 379 from B&H about 3 months ago. I find it a GREAT lens, at least the copy I have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Mondello Posted August 24, 2007 Share #48 Posted August 24, 2007 Definitely don't discount the Epson R-D1, its a terrific camera and you can always move up to the M8 later on with the same lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordfanjpn Posted August 24, 2007 Share #49 Posted August 24, 2007 Definitely don't discount the Epson R-D1, its a terrific camera and you can always move up to the M8 later on with the same lenses. Just saw this comment regarding the R-D1 from someone on the DPR Leica forum. I hope it's true. Bill "I am currently in Japan for a week, as the guest of Seiko (who, as you may know, are the owners of Epson); yesterday I had a long interview with Shinji Hattori; president of Seiko and during the interview I asked him about the future of the RD-1. In truth, he knew nothing about the camera and was unsure which division of the company made it (it is, after all an $18 billion company, so you can't expect him to keep everything in his head); but he promised to find out & get back to me. True to his word, today whilst I was touring the Suwa factory, I heard from one of my guides that he had the answer; Epson are still unsure if they will re-introduce it, but they are leaning towards doing so. If they do, it will be in the first quarter of next year." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Olof Posted August 24, 2007 Share #50 Posted August 24, 2007 Whats about a used M6 for example ? Ask your dealer for it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie_O Posted August 24, 2007 Author Share #51 Posted August 24, 2007 We've decided to take the M8 plunge- I've got a Nikon F3, a Canon GIII Q17, an original Olympus XA and an original SX-70, along with my dad's Mamiya 645, Konica T3 and Konica A if I really want to start shooting film again. I've been shooting the heck out of my Leica D-Lux 3, and I'm pretty committed to digital and to Leica at this point. That little Leica PnS is like photographic crack. Now I want the hard stuff. M8, here I come. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
etrigan63 Posted August 26, 2007 Share #52 Posted August 26, 2007 Good for you. I hope to be following in your footsteps soon as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted August 26, 2007 Share #53 Posted August 26, 2007 Maggie, Register with reidreviews.com and you'll get the info you need. Good writing, great reviews, and more. For just a littlle more out of the bathroom budget, you could get two lenses. John Thanks John. Cheers, Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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