Analysis paralysis

[Creative Destruction]

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Hi

 

I’m a former Leica enthusiast, I’ve owned in the past M6, M9, M246, Q but a few years ago I moved to Hasselblad. I’m looking to move back to Leica but I need some outside input on lens & body selection. 

 

 

1. M10R or M11

 

2. 35mm steel rim or Cron or Lux (don’t have budget for APO)

 

3. 18 or 21 or WATE?

 

4. 75 or 90 or Canon 50 1.2? 

5. Viso, worth it or just live view. 

 

 

all of the above will be second hand. Any tips on what to watch out for when buying the above is greatly appreciated.

 

I shoot for fun not for a living.

 

Thanks…

[dpitt]

Not sure if I am the right person to give advice on the body since I am still pretty happy with my M9. Now I am carefully considering a M10, not a M10R because I am afraid the high resolution will pull me into the wonderful world of MF resolution and issues like DOF shrinking and accuracy of focus + camera shake going way out of what we are used to with the film Ms. The M10R is also out of budget because I like to invest in glass rather than digital bodies. Leica digital M keeps up its value reasonably well, but the Leica lenses, when bought and used carefully on the second hand market are as good as money in a savings account.

My advice would be to keep the lens small and light. Make sure you have at least one in the size and weight of the Summicron 35, Summicro 40C, 50 Elmarit, 28 Elmarit ASPH and so on. These tiny lenses are such a joy to use and even when mounted you hardly notice they are there.  My M9 is often carried with one of these mounted just tucked in a coat pocket. The M series is the only FF that is as compact as this, and has similar results.

My main reason to look for an upgrade is exactly the Viso/LV possibility. My old eyes need reading glasses now, so that has changed my use of the M9. It is either with adapted glasses (optimized for sharpness at 2m) or without and with adjusted viewfinder like my SL or TL2 with Visoflex (020). It would help mostly for use with 35mm and wider because with glasses the 35 mm frames and wider are not as easy to use. Having said that, buying the M10R or M11 to use it with Viso only does not sound like a good idea. Either SL or TL2/CL would then be my preferred solution.

Edited April 6, 2024 by dpitt

[BruceRH]

On 4/5/2024 at 9:23 PM, Creative Destruction said:

Hi

 

I’m a former Leica enthusiast, I’ve owned in the past M6, M9, M246, Q but a few years ago I moved to Hasselblad. I’m looking to move back to Leica but I need some outside input on lens & body selection. 

 

 

1. M10R or M11

 

2. 35mm steel rim or Cron or Lux (don’t have budget for APO)

 

3. 18 or 21 or WATE?

 

4. 75 or 90 or Canon 50 1.2? 

5. Viso, worth it or just live view. 

 

 

all of the above will be second hand. Any tips on what to watch out for when buying the above is greatly appreciated.

 

I shoot for fun not for a living.

 

Thanks…

I have an M10R and love it, but now it sits since I bought an M11-P. The battery life is much better and the sensor is also wonderful. I do not have any freezing issues, my M11-P is just as dependable as my M10-R. I bought the M11-P used for not much more than a used M11 FYI.

The 35mm Steel Rim is a very unique lens IMHO and one that will be with me for some time. It is really 2 lenses in one, dreamy wide open but sharpens quickly as you stop down.

No thoughts on item 3

I have a Voigtlander 75/1.9 and I love it but I also have the Leica 90mm Elmar f4 Macro which is nice, but for whatever reason, I tend to take the VM 75/1.9 more often.

Live view for when I use 21mm or if I want to raise the camera body to get a different perspective. I use a diopter for my older eyes and the range finder works just fine. No Visoflex needed for me.

I shoot for fun as well.

Edited April 7, 2024 by BruceRH

[Creative Destruction]

45 minutes ago, BruceRH said:

I have an M10R and love it, but now it sits since I bought an M11-P. The battery life is much better and the sensor is also wonderful. I do not have any freezing issues, my M11-P is just as dependable as my M10-R. I bought the M11-P used for not much more than a used M11 FYI.

The 35mm Steel Rim is a very unique lens IMHO and one that will be with me for some time. It is really 2 lenses in one, dreamy wide open but sharpens quickly as you stop down.

No thoughts on item 3

I have a Voigtlander 75/1.9 and I love it but I also have the Leica 90mm Elmar f4 Macro which is nice, but for whatever reason, I tend to take the VM 75/1.9 more often.

Live view for when I use 21mm or if I want to raise the camera body to get a different perspective. I use a diopter for my older eyes and the range finder works just fine. No Visoflex needed for me.

I shoot for fun as well.

I think I am going to go for the M11, I have no attachment to the baseplate and much prefer the battery, the sensor doesn't look too bad either. It'll mean saving on the non 35mm lenses but maybe I will look into the ZM and VM, these days they are often held in high regard. 

The SteelRim, this compared to the FLE first version? Do I play safe and go FLE or go bold and get the Steel Rim? I hear the build quality for the SR is a bit off.

[Creative Destruction]

14 hours ago, dpitt said:

Not sure if I am the right person to give advice on the body since I am still pretty happy with my M9. Now I am carefully considering a M10, not a M10R because I am afraid the high resolution will pull me into the wonderful world of MF resolution and issues like DOF shrinking and accuracy of focus + camera shake going way out of what we are used to with the film Ms. The M10R is also out of budget because I like to invest in glass rather than digital bodies. Leica digital M keeps up its value reasonably well, but the Leica lenses, when bought and used carefully on the second hand market are as good as money in a savings account.

My advice would be to keep the lens small and light. Make sure you have at least one in the size and weight of the Summicron 35, Summicro 40C, 50 Elmarit, 28 Elmarit ASPH and so on. These tiny lenses are such a joy to use and even when mounted you hardly notice they are there.  My M9 is often carried with one of these mounted just tucked in a coat pocket. The M series is the only FF that is as compact as this, and has similar results.

My main reason to look for an upgrade is exactly the Viso/LV possibility. My old eyes need reading glasses now, so that has changed my use of the M9. It is either with adapted glasses (optimized for sharpness at 2m) or without and with adjusted viewfinder like my SL or TL2 with Visoflex (020). It would help mostly for use with 35mm and wider because with glasses the 35 mm frames and wider are not as easy to use. Having said that, buying the M10R or M11 to use it with Viso only does not sound like a good idea. Either SL or TL2/CL would then be my preferred solution.

I saw a guy with M9 black paint the other week, I really miss my M9... 

[BruceRH]

11 hours ago, Creative Destruction said:

I think I am going to go for the M11, I have no attachment to the baseplate and much prefer the battery, the sensor doesn't look too bad either. It'll mean saving on the non 35mm lenses but maybe I will look into the ZM and VM, these days they are often held in high regard. 

The SteelRim, this compared to the FLE first version? Do I play safe and go FLE or go bold and get the Steel Rim? I hear the build quality for the SR is a bit off.

It depends on the look you are going for or like. I am happy with the build quality of my Steel Rim. Voigtlander lenses are excellent value with excellent image quality. The Zeiss 35/2.8 is also an excellent lens. If you get a Steel Rim, pick up a "normal" 35 for those times you don't want the glowy look. The Leica Summarit 35/2.4 is a great choice if you want to stay with a Leica lens. Take a look on FredMiranda for comprehensive Voigtlander reviews.