Leica M(9?) body purchase advice to use Leica R lenses

[a.noctilux]

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16 minutes ago, Shepherdphotographer said:

As premise, I don't want an electronic viewfinder.......

This is why my suggestion for M body plus M lenses.

With R lenses, you will use electronic viewfinder with digital M.

 

Don't sell them though, one day you would (maybe not ! ) want to use them with EVF.

Edited October 28, 2022 by a.noctilux

[Shepherdphotographer]

1 hour ago, a.noctilux said:

My only advice is to forget the R lenses, and built from zero Leica M system with M lenses line

Hi, thanks for your contribution. If I resold Leica R lenses I would not earn a lot of money and to buy a Leica M body and optics you need a lot of them, unfortunately ..... I can't afford it .....

 

[Shepherdphotographer]

4 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

This is why my suggestion for M body plus M lenses.

With R lenses, you will use electronic viewfinder with digital M.

I understand, ok. Two users in this thread named M10, M11 and M240 - so aren't they right either?

[jaapv]

It is very simple: If you want rangefinder focusing with an optical viewfinder you need M lenses, not R lenses. If you want to focus your R lenses you need either an optional EVF on a later M camera (M240 onwards) -and then you are stuck with EVF focusing - or a native EVF camera like one of the SL models or a C~L. The S series has an optical reflex viewfinder and a number of R lenses will have enough coverage for the small medium format sensor, but not all.
Anything else is incompatible.

You say you don't want an EVF. Have you ever looked through an SL series camera?

[Shepherdphotographer]

1 hour ago, a.noctilux said:

Strange thing this total (almost) incompatibility between Leica R and Leica M.

Only long Telyt lenses (400/560 optical cells) can be used with Leica R and Visoflex III (optical device to render M as SLR) that I use with M8/M9/other digital Ms.

 

I suffered with this incompatibility for long but now, my main Leica is M and for decades, it was R+M as two different uses.

 

To the OP,

My only advice is to forget the R lenses, and built from zero Leica M system with M lenses line, b&w only like Monochrom is unequaled.

It would be very expensive though.

...

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[a.noctilux]

I said it would be expensive route, AND don't sell your precious Leica R lenses.

[Shepherdphotographer]

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52 minutes ago, MattiasAndersson said:

Not recommended but the R8 or R9 with DMR digital back would give you digital SLR for R lenses. But with crop factor and 15 year old tech…

Or sell some of your R lenses and buy a M240 and a M lens. Then use it to see if you like rangefinders.

For what type of photography ?

R9 with DMR are too old about tecnology. If I sold Leica R lenses, I would not earn enough to buy an M body and M lenses ...... I can't afford it ......

[Shepherdphotographer]

17 minutes ago, darylgo said:

There is a partial solution for you, perhaps not ideal but workable.  Leica makes a series of optical viewfinders from 18mm to 135mm, separate for each focal length.  If you purchase a Leica SL body, you can adapt your lenses as is with Nikon mount.  You will focus using live view and then you can compose with the optical finder.  There's a few downsides to this but it meets your requirements, the devil is in the details.  

Thank you for taking the time to think, but I don't like the solution, impractical, just for that. Either way, I thank you a lot.

[jaapv]

1 minute ago, Shepherdphotographer said:

R9 with DMR are too old about tecnology.

Maybe, but if you have a good example the results up to ISO 400 are pretty impressive.

[Shepherdphotographer]

15 minutes ago, darylgo said:

One more thing, those R lenses are beautiful.  Don't sell them, you'll regret it.  

It's true!!! They're fantastic!!!

[Shepherdphotographer]

10 minutes ago, jaapv said:

It is very simple: If you want rangefinder focusing with an optical viewfinder you need M lenses, not R lenses. If you want to focus your R lenses you need either an optional EVF on a later M camera (M240 onwards) -and then you are stuck with EVF focusing - or a native EVF camera like one of the SL models or a C~L. The S series has an optical reflex viewfinder and a number of R lenses will have enough coverage for the small medium format sensor, but not all.
Anything else is incompatible.

You say you don't want an EVF. Have you ever looked through an SL series camera?

Thank you very much!!

[Shepherdphotographer]

10 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

I said it would be expensive route, AND don't sell your precious Leica R lenses.

Excuse me, I misunderstood

[a.noctilux]

How Visoflex look like ...

 

[Shepherdphotographer]

7 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Maybe, but if you have a good example the results up to ISO 400 are pretty impressive.

I'll search many examples!

[jaapv]

I would say: stick with your Nikon- there is nothing wrong with Nikon cameras.

[Anbaric]

21 minutes ago, Shepherdphotographer said:

Plastic, I don't care. Modern garbage.

We get it. Only the R lenses are worthy of your Billingham bag! But the only way to focus them sensibly on a digital M camera is with an EVF or LCD live view, which you don't like. Otherwise, you just have the lens focusing scale (or a tape measure, or perhaps an uncoupled rangefinder, 1930s style). And optical framing is also a problem on an M unless you are prepared to jiggle the frameline selector manually and/or buy accessory viewfinders as suggested above. Other mirrorless cameras have electronic finders too. That leaves SLRs. You've already tried Leitax. The DMR is problematic because it's old and you can't get batteries. Your other option would be a Canon EOS body, which wouldn't have needed lens conversions, just an adapter.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Anbaric

[jaapv]

Just now, Shepherdphotographer said:

I'll search many examples!

The batteries can be refurbished by third party, but the camera and DMR cannot be serviced any more.

[a.noctilux]

For now, your Nikon SLR + Leica R "solution" is not that bad, just stick with this untill you are "fit" for Leica M (expensive route).

[Shepherdphotographer]

6 minutes ago, jaapv said:

I would say: stick with your Nikon- there is nothing wrong with Nikon cameras.

True, but there is not the charm of a Leica body and a rangefinder .....

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[a.noctilux]

4 minutes ago, jaapv said:

I would say: stick with your Nikon- there is nothing wrong with Nikon cameras.

For now, your Nikon SLR + Leica R "solution" is not that bad, just stick with this untill you are "fit" or rich for Leica M (expensive route).