How much does lens size matter? Thinking of getting a Voigtlander to replace my 35mm 1.4 Summilux

[Smudgerer]

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no argument there.......F2 has always been a favourite, followed by the F4 just in case you needed to drive a nail in something on a shoot.

[spydrxx]

1 hour ago, Huss said:

I just hate the floppy/loose feeling of the film advance lever/action on every F3 I've used.  And the problem w my F3 is it is the P model, which has that waterproof rubber cap over the shutter button.  Totally ruins the feel.  Great w the MD4, but then again if I'm going to do that, I'll just use my F6.

The feel/crispness of my F2s are much nicer.

I sold my F5, just too heavy to cart around, esp. when on a long hike. I did keep my F4, although it hsn't seen much use in the last 3 years....I too grab a Leica usually if I'm shooting film.

[pippy]

1 hour ago, Huss said:

I just hate the floppy/loose feeling of the film advance lever/action on every F3 I've used...

 

1 hour ago, Smudgerer said:

no argument there.......F2 has always been a favourite, followed by the F4 just in case you needed to drive a nail in something on a shoot.

Having used, previously, Nikon F and F2 cameras for many years when it came out I couldn't stand the 'cardboard-rubbing-against-cardboard' feel of the F3s wind-on (nor, it has to be said, anything else about the camera) and, FWIW, I have actually had cause to use a Nikon F as a hammer....

As far as the OP goes? All I would say is Try Them Out and Make Up Your Own Mind before selling anything. Then, if all goes well, You Can Take Full Credit. If, OTOH, you sell stuff which you later realise to have been a mistake it will be All Your Own Fault and you can't blame anyone else. It's hardly rocket-science...

Philip.

Edited July 18, 2023 by pippy

[Huss]

8 hours ago, spydrxx said:

I sold my F5, just too heavy to cart around, esp. when on a long hike. I did keep my F4, although it hsn't seen much use in the last 3 years....I too grab a Leica usually if I'm shooting film.

The Nikon SLR I use the most is the F80.  Awesome camera.  Anyway, back on topic - the OP should use the lenses for a little while before making a decision.

[darylgo]

10 hours ago, Smudgerer said:

Don't sell the F3, for what you can get for it the loss of one of the finest cameras ever made it wouldn't be worth it.......

I've still got a few "classics" like the F3, ( the F3/f2/Ftn too ), that I'd regret selling if I did so. Just today I ran a film through a Pentax 6x7, another incredible beast of a camera but now one that I can no longer heft around as easily as when I first had a couple of them for work.......Oh but wait, I had assistants back then who probably retired early with back pain so that's moot now.

It makes me smile when I read so much here about how wonderfully Leicas are built, hand made almost, and sure that's partly true..........But cameras I used to work with like the F series of Nikons, ( up to F4's ), the 6x7 / 67 Pentax's, most Hassy's and some Rolleis were made just as well and sometimes much better than Leicas were or have been since. With my Nikon F2/Ftns I began to earn my living professionally back in the late 60's and onwards, they were probably CLA'd / serviced once, twice at most since new but with many hundreds of films through each of them they never failed me and I still have them to this date, still working just fine.

Keep yours..........I know I would.

 

Added:

PS.....I agree with you though regarding working with the M's and discreet small lenses, the M is great for work with lenses up to 50mm as far as I am concerned and can't be equaled but when you want to go longer that's where a SLR comes into it's own. Your F3 with a 105 f1.8 AiS, or a 135 f2 AiS, or even the f2.8 ED AiS is just magic to use.

The F3 Titanium is real titanium through the top and bottom plate, could withstand my weight landing on it with the tiniest mark.  Tough as nails, if not more. Imagine my horror when the M6 Titanium fell over on a table and dented, Leica coats their top in titanium finish, and used zinc metal for the top plate that corrodes leaving little pimples.  The Leica looks beautiful but I’d put that Nikon up against anything.  I can’t part with my F3/T or F3/P, the F2AS also, they look good not unlike the beauty of the film M’s they have an esthetic.  However, the most underrated Leica is the R4-R7 series, body design from the Minolta XD-11 but with finishing touches both physically and functionally of Leica.  

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, darylgo said:

I can’t part with my F3/T or F3/P, the F2AS also, they look good not unlike the beauty of the film M’s they have an esthetic.

Agreed, I often regretted selling my F2A and F2AS cameras. I handled the F3 Titan and Press cameras last week in the Nikon museum in Tokyo. Great cameras as well.

[Smudgerer]

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Hard as it is to tear myself away from the Nikon SLR discussion I'm going to go back to the OP's post I would again advise keeping the lenses you were gifted at least until you've had a decent amount of time to fully explore their possibilities and yes their handling too. There's a raft of alternatives out there if/when you do decide to make some changes in the kit............One of which you should perhaps consider as you do mention the 28mm focal length would be the new re-issue of the Voigtlander 28mm Color Skopar, size would definitely be right for you and the price whatever it turns out to be won't hurt either. 

Sorry can't help myself........But after reading HUSS's comments about the wind lever on the F3 I ran a film through my camera yesterday evening, and yes I do see your point, but only "sort of", there's nothing nasty about it for me, maybe if you are cranking film swiftly perhaps but then as you said just bolt on the motor drive, and "job done", but the rest of the camera and it's VF is just wonderful, almost as good as the VF's in the Leica R8/9's which in my opinion were the best ever produced in a SLR.

[ianforber]

I bought into the M system specifically for the small size lenses. I have the current 50mm Summicron but it’s a bit larger than I would like. I have the CV 35mm Nokton f1.5 which I chose over the smaller f1.4 version simply because the latter was too small and fiddly for my fingers. Had the 35mm steel rim been available at the time I might have considered it but the vast price difference would still have tilted me towards the Nokton. 

[Greenhilltony]

I always prefer compact lens than the bulky one, since I love the look of compact lens + M-body, and I don't want to see the bottom-right corner is blocked by the lens barrel or the hood. However I also value the ergonomics of handling, and that's why I exclude the Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35/2.5 from my list when I want to buy a 35mm M-lens.

[Huss]

9 hours ago, Smudgerer said:

Hard as it is to tear myself away from the Nikon SLR discussion I'm going to go back to the OP's post I would again advise keeping the lenses you were gifted at least until you've had a decent amount of time to fully explore their possibilities and yes their handling too. There's a raft of alternatives out there if/when you do decide to make some changes in the kit............One of which you should perhaps consider as you do mention the 28mm focal length would be the new re-issue of the Voigtlander 28mm Color Skopar, size would definitely be right for you and the price whatever it turns out to be won't hurt either. 

Sorry can't help myself........But after reading HUSS's comments about the wind lever on the F3 I ran a film through my camera yesterday evening, and yes I do see your point, but only "sort of", there's nothing nasty about it for me, maybe if you are cranking film swiftly perhaps but then as you said just bolt on the motor drive, and "job done", but the rest of the camera and it's VF is just wonderful, almost as good as the VF's in the Leica R8/9's which in my opinion were the best ever produced in a SLR.

Yes OP - try the lenses first!  If you sell, then try to re-buy later it will cost you!

My F3P is Ti as well as having better sealing than other F3s.  I had an F3 Ltd that also was Ti, but sold that as I never used it.

The VF in my R9 is waaaaay better than the F3!  The F3 has a hard to see in dim light LCD which just has +- in manual mode which is very imprecise.  The R8 and R9 has everything you can imagine as well as being very visible.  But that is comparing tech that is 'current' (in as much as an R9 is current) compared to something that is 30 years old.

What is amazing about the F3 is the physical appearance.  If that camera was sold now as a new film camera, it still looks completely contemporary. A remarkable piece of industrial design.

[graphlex]

Giorgetto Giugaro designed the F3.  I wish I’d kept mine.  If the ZF lenses had been available, I’d have kept it.

[Smudgerer]

Nothing wrong with the Ais lenses

[Smudgerer]

1 hour ago, Huss said:

Yes OP - try the lenses first!  If you sell, then try to re-buy later it will cost you!

My F3P is Ti as well as having better sealing than other F3s.  I had an F3 Ltd that also was Ti, but sold that as I never used it.

The VF in my R9 is waaaaay better than the F3!  The F3 has a hard to see in dim light LCD which just has +- in manual mode which is very imprecise.  The R8 and R9 has everything you can imagine as well as being very visible.  But that is comparing tech that is 'current' (in as much as an R9 is current) compared to something that is 30 years old.

What is amazing about the F3 is the physical appearance.  If that camera was sold now as a new film camera, it still looks completely contemporary. A remarkable piece of industrial design.

Yes the R8 and R9 viewfinder was in my opinion the best in a 35mm SLR VF ever, until one day I looked into the VF of an S series Leica at the Leica store in Washington DC, God Almighty what a revelation. I had to put the camera down and walk away knowing if I had stayed five minutes longer I’d have bought into something that was too way too expensive and something I probably would rarely use, just because of the viewfinder.

A good OVF cannot be equaled by any EVF, I’ve tried to like many of them but nothing comes even close to an OVF, period.

Most Nikons that I have owned were nice pieces of kit, I’ve an FE here that’s as light as a digital M and a joy to use, there is a mass of cameras out there that are just as good as the Leicas we rightly love, but they are mostly old, and mostly film cameras.

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Smudgerer

[graphlex]

25 minutes ago, Smudgerer said:

Nothing wrong with the Ais lenses

Nothing at all, except that Nikon stopped developing them.

[Huss]

20 minutes ago, graphlex said:

Nothing at all, except that Nikon stopped developing them.

But does that matter?  If your AI-S lens creates nice images that you are happy with, do you need a newer version?  Same for any lens

[pippy]

On 7/17/2023 at 5:17 PM, Urushi said:

I recently received an M10 and a bunch of Leica lenses as a gift but honestly...

Having reconsidered I have decided that the very best thing you could possibly do is sell absolutely everything you were given and stick with your M240 and 35mm Ultron.

You're welcome.

[graphlex]

6 hours ago, Huss said:

But does that matter?  If your AI-S lens creates nice images that you are happy with, do you need a newer version?  Same for any lens

 Well, my classic 105mm f2.5 made nice images.  It’s just that the 105 mm f2 AFDC made superb images. 
 

To be fair, I never tried the 85mm AI lenses. 

[Huss]

2 hours ago, graphlex said:

 Well, my classic 105mm f2.5 made nice images.  It’s just that the 105 mm f2 AFDC made superb images. 
 

To be fair, I never tried the 85mm AI lenses. 

Didn’t Steve McCurry use the 105 2.5 to take the pic “Afghan Girl”?  Widely regarded as a superb image.  I don’t think anyone looks at that pic and thinks “If only he used a better lens”.

[Smudgerer]

15 minutes ago, Huss said:

Didn’t Steve McCurry use the 105 2.5 to take the pic “Afghan Girl”?  Widely regarded as a superb image.  I don’t think anyone looks at that pic and thinks “If only he used a better lens”.

Right. The problem with that shot was that it could have been sharper, and the background bokeh isn’t that great either.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[pippy]

"Give us a Smile, Luv!"......

Philip.