30years with SLR's to an M8???

[jbk2470]

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Is this the right thing to do. I really need to talk to someone about the wisdom of this move. Could someone please give me a chance to visit about their experience with this and what I can expect. Thank you!!

[carstenw]

You really need to visit a dealer and handle one. This kind of purchase should not be done on a whim, given the high cost, and tendency to buy a series of lenses afterwards.

[M6J]

Is this the right thing to do. I really need to talk to someone about the wisdom of this move. Could someone please give me a chance to visit about their experience with this and what I can expect. Thank you!!

 

You mean you never used a rangefinder before and now you will only have a rangefinder?

No DSLRs at all?

Are you a pro or a hobbyist?

[grober]

Carsten has nailed it. I'll only add this: it takes considerable practice to be able to quickly and intuitively bring the viewfinder to your eye and accurately focus any rangefinder camera. One outstanding hallmark of any Leica has been a brilliant viewfinder which does aid the shooter in focusing but YOU still need to manually manipulate the focus ring on the lens to bring the image into the desired focus.

 

SLR folks who have handled my M8 are initially impressed but then always dismayed when they learn that the camera doesn't focus for them. I have one good friend who still doesn't "get it" after several resolute attempts to shoot with my Leica.

 

-g

[trs]

I did jump from d/SLR to M8 as well. I did try M8 at demo, pre-release. But, I was leaning toward doing so since Epson RD1 came about anyway. There are only few things to get used to as far as camera operation goes. But, kind of photography you do has a lot to do with whether it is right for you or not.

 

1) Focusing: Of course, manual focus only which is not a big deal.

 

2) Framing. I think it is one of the biggest difference and bites you once in a while if you are using long lens. For example, I forget to frame it with 75mm frameline since frameline is not so obvous. But, I really like being able to see the seen outside the frame.

 

3) Shooting with lens cap on: you will get used to soon enough. But, I found clicking the shutter with lens cap on often for couple of months.

 

 

 

-tanka

[jbk2470]

I really appreciate the replys!! Thank you.

Yes, it would be my only camera. No, I am not a professional. My pictures range from requisite family shots to serious attempts at good photography worth framing, selling etc.

I lean more toward outdoor work and away from still life and portraits. Any further thoughts?

Again, thank all of you for your time.

[Riccis]

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I moved from DSLRs into M8s and M7s for all my professional wedding work. As others have stated, I slowly transitioned over a four month period and have not looked back since early April.

 

Please feel free to reach out to me if there is anything you need help with. I travel a lot, but will definitely get back to you at my earliest convenience.

 

Hope this info helps.

 

Best regards,

 

Riccis

[Jamie Roberts]

Almost like Riccis, I'm transitioning from (d)slrs to rangefinders and specifically the M8.

 

I used a rangefinder many years ago (though not a Leica)--when I picked up the M8 for the first time I actually really liked it and didn't find the switch difficult at all (focusing was easier for me).

[Hacker]

I moved from DSLR to the Leica M8 recently. I'm just a hobbyist and my preference for portraits, landscapes and everyday moments makes the M8 very ideal. I have never used an RF before (been shooting SLRs for more than 20 years) and it took me only a few tries to get the hang of it.

 

With the M8, somehow, GAS will creep in after.

[jaapv]

I've been shooting SLR's since the EXA II ,Leica M since 1976, side by side with the R series and since 2004 Canon DSLR's and the M6 TTL. One of the first M8 users, and I cannot tell you how much of a pleasure the pureness of this camera is, transported into the digital age. Read this forum, and take advantage of the experience of many expert photographers here. You can hardly go wrong - but anticipate a steep learning curve, a lot of frustration, and in the end, a great photographic experience.

[GarethC]

My photography interests include the obligatory kids' photos, landscapes, city and travel. I used to travel alot more than I do now. I had been shooting with slr's and dslr's for about 25 years and ended up with a 5D, I jumped all over it when full frame digital became affordable.

 

Over the last few years I acquired a whole slew of manual focus lenses for my 5D and prior to that, 20D. They included a Zuiko 18/3.5 (an absolute delight), a Nikon 15/3.5 (since sold), Zuiko 21/3.5 and a Canon 24 TSE; all for shooting landscapes.

 

The M8 is an absolute delight for city and travel but I still prefer the 5D for landscapes as I like the experience of setting up the tripod and seeing exactly what I'm shooting, nothing else.

 

I'm used to manual focus due to the non-Canon lens acquisitions but I am in the process of learing how to amnual focus quickly to get those grab shots.I use the M8 for the kids and as they are fast moving objects the need to pre-focus and/or focus quickly is a big thing. I still prefer it over the 5D even though I do have a Canon 24-105, which of course is AF.

 

I will say that even the kids photos have a more reportage feel about them, seeing outside of the shot facilitates the situational type shot for me. I bought a wireless transmitter to see how that translates to more posed studio type shots.

 

My advice?

 

1. Buy a cheapie film rangefinder first and run a few rolls through it. It's quite restrictive after shooting digital but you'll get an idea of whether you like it or not.

 

2. If/when you do get an M8, commit to memory to keep the focus ring at it's nearest setting and remember that anti clockwise rotation focusses further away. After about 500 shots you'll start getting it

 

I'm not sure I'd recommend getting rid of the dslr until you try a rangefinder though, it's a big financial commitment dn potentially can put you off enjoying shooting, rather than getting you to enjoy it more.

 

But then again, I've been wrong before..............

[fotografr]

I really appreciate the replys!! Thank you.

Yes, it would be my only camera. No, I am not a professional. My pictures range from requisite family shots to serious attempts at good photography worth framing, selling etc.

I lean more toward outdoor work and away from still life and portraits. Any further thoughts?

Again, thank all of you for your time.

 

You might be better off with something like the Digilux 3.

[jrc]

I shoot both, but I guess I wouldn't recommend an M8 unless you've got a specific reason to go to it, especially if you're interested in a wide range of photography. Without awkward attachments, the M8 tops out at 135mm (~200mm FF equivalent), but its real hot spot is shorter lenses, 15-75mm. If you think you might want to use zooms, shoot the kids in sports, experiment with macro or wildlife, you're probably better off spending the money on a front-line Nikon or Canon. There are people on this forum who have spent $30,000 getting geared up for the M8, and that's with only one body. For two-thirds of that, you could get two Nikon D3s when they come out in November, plus an excellent selection of lenses and flash gear.

 

There are good reasons for going with a Leica (I hope.) They are smaller, lighter, and often faster to use than a DSLR, and the image quality is excellent. But they are more specialized.

 

In some sense, Leica users are the people who insist on a Porsche Turbo instead of a Mercedes SL550; great car, as long as your luggage isn't any bigger than a sandwich.

 

JC

[ken_tanaka]

You really need to visit a dealer and handle one. This kind of purchase should not be done on a whim, given the high cost, and tendency to buy a series of lenses afterwards.

 

Carsten's initial reply was the best and most appropriate response. Nobody here can tell you if this is "right" for you. Rent or borrow a rangefinder (any kind) to see if this style of camera appeals to you. Don't just run with a buying itch. Rangefinder-style photography flirted with extinction for a reason: it is far more limited than slr photography.

[lars_bergquist]

The RF Leica is a superb instrument for what I would call "general photography": Not the very far away or the very small, but the range where we human beings live our lives.

 

It is a minimalist tool. You make the decisions, you do the work. A modern RF Leica helps you only with the things you really need help with, for physiological reasons: Judging exact distances, and exposure. Nowadays people think that it is a human right not to have to learn anything, or make any kind of effort. They expect gadgets to do all that for them. It was after all an American, George Eastman, who coined the slogan: "You press the button, we do the rest." Leica M is the antithesis of that attitude. It presumes you to be an intelligent and educable organism.

 

But because of this minimalism, it gives you something else than the easy point-and-shoot: Self-respect, and, when you have done it right, quality.

 

Practical things: Learning rangefinder focusing is a mental thing, a matter of attitude. You have got to be half-blind in order to be incapable of using a rangefinder quickly and correctly. I have presbyopia so strong that even the far horizon is fuzzy, but the ordinary progressive specs I wear for daily use take me right into the sharp and clear viewfinder. Then the speed and immediacy of the camera – does the rest!

 

Try to rent an M8, preferably with a 35mm Summicron, for a few hours. Focus and click away like mad, checking the outcome in the monitor. If you like the experience, very well. But beware – it is addictive, this feeling that you are on top of the visual world.

 

The old man from the Age of the M3

[jbk2470]

All of you have been VERY helpful, and I really appreciate the time you took to give me your thoughts. I hope I will be able to return the favor in the future.

 

Thanks again!

[grober]

". . . you could get two Nikon D3s when they come out in November, plus an excellent selection of lenses and flash gear."

 

JC

 

Reminds me of the Willie Nelson saloon song, "Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys!"

 

I'd rather die having used only my first camera, a Kodak Browine Hawkeye w/127 Verichrome film, than to have ever used any Nikon SLR.

 

(Joe Bob, see what you're getting yourself into here?)

 

-g

[guy]

Reminds me of the Willie Nelson saloon song, "Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys!"

 

I'd rather die having used only my first camera, a Kodak Browine Hawkeye w/127 Verichrome film, than to have ever used any Nikon SLR.

 

(Joe Bob, see what you're getting yourself into here?)

 

-g

 

Really? Why? They're very good!

[Skippy Sanchez]

the way i see it, rangefinders and slrs (and medium/large format, etc.) are just different tools better suited to different jobs. while many of the same things can be photographed by different cameras, each has 'specialty' areas where they outshine the others.

 

my fix-it-up tool box at home has a small variety of screwdrivers and wrenches that will do most odd jobs around the house, but the toolbox a mechanic uses on the job has varities of screwdrivers and wrenches for very specific jobs.

 

i switch between SLRs and rangefinders all the time, depending on the assignment.

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Hallo,

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[Guest m.w.]

I just got my M8 2 days ago, great camera, after having seen the new Morrocco series by Stefan Rohner I've ordered it immediately.