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

[Shepherdphotographer]

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2 hours ago, hepcat said:

That doesn't mean it still doesn't feel 'plasticky.'   And it does.   As I said, I had one for about four years.

Ok, I think to you, i never tried it. Thanks. However, it is more vintage  and less modern than Dxxx! In substance and in reality, Df still remains a digital camera, but camouflaged and not a real "digital mechanic" (accept the term) such as, for example, an M9, M10 or similar.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Shepherdphotographer

[hepcat]

8 hours ago, Shepherdphotographer said:

Ok, I think to you, i never tried it. Thanks. However, it is more vintage  and less modern than Dxxx! In substance and in reality, Df still remains a digital camera, but camouflaged and not a real "digital mechanic" (accept the term) such as, for example, an M9, M10 or similar.

I bought it for it's film-camera-style  knobs and dials controls and limited menu setting.  The controls are as close to a film Nikon as you'll find.  It vaguely recalls the Nikon FM and FM2, both of which I also had.   There's certainly nothing wrong with the camera at all.  It just has the feel of a digital without necessarily looking and operating like one.

[Shepherdphotographer]

On 10/29/2022 at 2:49 PM, hepcat said:

I bought it for it's film-camera-style  knobs and dials controls and limited menu setting.  The controls are as close to a film Nikon as you'll find.  It vaguely recalls the Nikon FM and FM2, both of which I also had.   There's certainly nothing wrong with the camera at all.  It just has the feel of a digital without necessarily looking and operating like one.

I know it very well!!! It is those shutter speed and sensitivity dials, that display on the "pentaprism side", almost invisible, that resemblance to the old Nikon F bodies that fascinates me and smells of old times ......, I know very well, and how !!!! You understand me very well, judging by your words, by the words you used !! ....., but the Df always has a digital heart, unfortunately ..... You will agree with me that digital Leica M bodies have a mechanical soul, despite the sensor and are the right mental extension, to put it in Bresson's style, not only of the eye of the one who shoots, but also of his soul, especially if the one who shoots does so with totally mechanical lenses (Leica, moreover! ), 50 years ago and more! Good Light!

[hepcat]

39 minutes ago, Shepherdphotographer said:

I know it very well!!! It is those shutter speed and sensitivity dials, that display on the "pentaprism side", almost invisible, that resemblance to the old Nikon F bodies that fascinates me and smells of old times ......, I know very well, and how !!!! You understand me very well, judging by your words, by the words you used !! ....., but the Df always has a digital heart, unfortunately ..... You will agree with me that digital Leica M bodies have a mechanical soul, despite the sensor and are the right mental extension, to put it in Bresson's style, not only of the eye of the one who shoots, but also of his soul, especially if the one who shoots does so with totally mechanical lenses (Leica, moreover! ), 50 years ago and more! Good Light!

What digital (and later battery-driven film) cameras lack is the tactile and audible feedback of manually winding the film through the film gate while simultaneously tensioning the shutter.    This may sound silly to some, but I find that sequence to be contemplative.  There's something about tensioning and releasing the shutter on a mechanical film camera that is an integral part of whether the camera "fits" you.   If that sequence is elegant, it engenders a sense of confidence in the gear and gives the photographer positive feedback that the equipment is functioning as designed.   I find that same sense of tactile and audible satisfaction in other facets of my life as well:  automobiles with less automation, and mechanical self-wind watches.   I drive a Jeep with a six-speed manual transmission and I wear a Seiko diver's watch I bought new in 1978.

The Leica M8 and newer bodies still have some of the features of the mechanical M bodies, but still feel and operate very differently.  Having used an M8, M9P and an M-E I'm not sure that they have actually inherited that "soul" of the film M bodies, despite their similarities.

 

[Shepherdphotographer]

12 minutes ago, hepcat said:

What digital (and later battery-driven film) cameras lack is the tactile and audible feedback of manually winding the film through the film gate while simultaneously tensioning the shutter.    This may sound silly to some, but I find that sequence to be contemplative.  There's something about tensioning and releasing the shutter on a mechanical film camera that is an integral part of whether the camera "fits" you.

You said it in a masterly way, you couldn't have said it better! I take the liberty of adding the shutter noise, the sensation to the touch when touching the shutter button (I still remember with emotion one of my first bodies, a Minolta SR-T 101, perhaps a modest camera, but I was in love with it!) and feel of so much good metal!

Edited November 5, 2022 by Shepherdphotographer

[dpitt]

Why not have both? A digital Leica M with M lens(es) will give you the best digital solution IMO while still feeling like a mechanical camera. But focusing on any rangefinder only works  for anything 135 mm and lower, with the sweet spot 50 and lower lengths. The Leica M typ 240 and up provide solutions for longer R  lenses with the EVF, or live view, but the usage then becomes more digital and less ideal.

The OP did not mention what R lenses he has in the ideal focal length range for the M. Maybe selling one or two of these will buy him a nice first M lens to use with any digital M body? Depending on preference I would suggest a nice Summicron or Elmarit 35 or 50mm. That would bring the M9 back in the picture, and free up some budget towards funding the first nice M lens. Shoot with that combination for a year together with your Nikon. If you are like me, you will find that the Nikon stays in the bag more and more. It will come out for Macro and wild life stuff, but day to day I prefer my M9 and M8 if it can do the job.

The Leica M8 is an option too in this scenario, but be aware of the crop factor 1,33, so your 35mm will become almost 50mm, and for color shooting a IR filter is a must. M8/M9 are  best below 1000 ISO, so even there the D810 would need to help out in very low light.

All in all the M8/M9 + D810 combination will give the best of both worlds and more importantly you will be able to learn what the M experience will bring for you without burning all your bridges behind you.

PS: If you go for the M9, it is very important that you buy one with a replaced sensor after 2015 to avoid issues with sensor corrosion.