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Hi, I just got my first Leica camera and went straight for the king. M11


ManSter420

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I have this un-curable issue which cost a lot of money, because I always HAVE to get to the top without hovering around. (but shockingly, It saves me money compared to if I have to take steps to learn things)

Got lux 50mm and have lux 35mm coming. Thinking about getting Cron 28mm in case I go for trips later this year.

I am a super novice just want to venture new hobby. Hope to learn a lot from you pros

 

cheers 

 

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Welcome. Just take photos with  the two lenses you have and stop buying. 

Practice rangefinder focusing every day. 

use a minimum shutter speed of 1/125. 

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Well, if you got the money, why not enjoy it :) (But the current “king” would be the M11-P ;) ). I hope you get as much fun out of it as I do with my M10 and vintage glass. As a not-to-long-ago M-newbie, I fear that you built yourself a high learning curve, focussing with a rangefinder is something else and needs some practice. The Summiluxes and the high resolution of the M11 don't make that part easier. Maybe don't start wide open but stopped down, that'll help avoiding frustration with out of focus images at the beginning. And yeah, stop buying, go shooting! Actually, go shooting with only one lens, don't switch all the time!

And, another word of wisdom (I feel really old right now :D ) The “top” isn't the most expensive gear, but images that really satisfy your inner artist! I got some prints on my walls from the cheapest shittiest gear and they are still among my favourites. Actually, looking around, there isn't a picture among them that I took with my most expensive Sony A1 and G-Glass gear. Go figure ;) 

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Posted (edited)

ManSter420,   First, welcome to the forum.  You will find a good number of highly experienced photographers who will offer their sage advice to include myself.  Second, the two previous posters offered very good advice for you regarding the lenses and rangefinder cameras.  My advice after 50 years of photography and mostly with Leica, I suggest the camera and lenses are merely tools and a means to an end.  It is as it should be, always about the content of your photograph.  Master the tools and this will lead you to creating maasterpiece photographs that cause the viewer to; Stop, Look, Think and perhaps Feel something about that moment in time.  When you achieve this level of capturing your vision and moment in time, you should find satisfaction in your creations through the photographic medium.  As you progress through the various image threads in the forum, you will see many photos and then some real masterpiece photographs.  I always encourage my student clients to strive for the latter and share their masterpieces with the world.  Enjoy your new camera and lenses and above all, keep creating.   r/ Mark

Edited by LeicaR10
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Posted (edited)

My 2 cents: Buy light and small lenses with your M11. Think of how often you really need an aperture of f/1.4 or faster (even in dim light). My big mistake at the beginning was: Summilux lenses. I bought then twice: Now I still have the Summiluxes but I do not use them (too big and too heavy). Instead I use 21mm Super Elmar or Summicron 28mm  (I plan to buy an Elmarit 28mm) or even a 50mm Summarit (This one I could buy second hand just after it got clear that Leica was not offer the Summarits any more which is a big mistake in my view).

But of course if you want to buy Summiluxes and you need this fast glas then that if of course excellent too.

Edited by M11 for me
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I learned on an M6 - similar design to an M11. I only had one lens for a couple of years - an M35mm F2.

I would advise buying no more lenses. Two is arguably already too many. Just get used to the camera and practice with one main lens....maybe the second if you really have to.

Limitation is the mother of invention. My pictures went backwards in quality as I added more focal lengths, as I had stopped concentrating on the potential image and started fussing over which lens to use.

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Posted (edited)

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Welcome to the forum and have fun with your new camera. M means approaching photography slowly, the subject has to find you... I can also recommend that you engage in professional image editing at the same time. If I didn't do it for too long, it was a mistake. I'm looking forward to your first pictures.

For architectural photos, for example, I can give you the Tri-Elmar-M 1:4 16-18-21 ASPH. highly recommended as a supplement

Regards

Alex

Edited by lexffm
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13 hours ago, Sandokan said:

Welcome. Just take photos with  the two lenses you have and stop buying. 

Practice rangefinder focusing every day. 

use a minimum shutter speed of 1/125. 

Yea for real, I probably need to stop buying until I get hang of it

Trying to practice this mechanical operation feels . TY

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10 hours ago, Almizilero said:

Well, if you got the money, why not enjoy it :) (But the current “king” would be the M11-P ;) ). I hope you get as much fun out of it as I do with my M10 and vintage glass. As a not-to-long-ago M-newbie, I fear that you built yourself a high learning curve, focussing with a rangefinder is something else and needs some practice. The Summiluxes and the high resolution of the M11 don't make that part easier. Maybe don't start wide open but stopped down, that'll help avoiding frustration with out of focus images at the beginning. And yeah, stop buying, go shooting! Actually, go shooting with only one lens, don't switch all the time!

And, another word of wisdom (I feel really old right now :D ) The “top” isn't the most expensive gear, but images that really satisfy your inner artist! I got some prints on my walls from the cheapest shittiest gear and they are still among my favourites. Actually, looking around, there isn't a picture among them that I took with my most expensive Sony A1 and G-Glass gear. Go figure ;) 

yes I do agree. I should spend TIME with the gears not the money on them haha
cheers

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Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you have some great lenses coming. I second the advice to practice focusing regularly and to start at f8 and then move incrementally to f1.4. Do that each day and it should help you get the hang of it. What sort of photography do you do most?

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Welcome.  I'll suggest that you take some time to learn how to use the rangefinder before investing in too many lenses.  And cut yourself some slack as you figure out how to use it.  Some people acclimate to the rangefinder quickly. For others it takes time.  Peruse this and other forums long enough and you'll come across Leica owners who bought their camera precisely because of the red dot or that it was the most expensive but then end up selling it after they grow frustrated with the focusing mechanism or the demands the camera places on the patience and expertise of the photographer.  Put simply, it's a very manual camera, not a point and shoot.  But if you're patient, willing to learn, and (importantly), willing to put the time into post-production (get Lightroom or Capture One), you'll be creating some great images that are truly yours (rather than the product of an automated camera's algorithm) in no time.  

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Posted (edited)

I choose my aperture to suit the subject. I think F1.4 is over-rated. My first lens was an F2 and I was shooting film in low light most of the time.

I probably had my lens set at F2 a lot, but these days (with digital) I mostly use F4 to F5.6.

I'm amazed so many Youtube camera influencers are stuck at F1.4 for every shot. So little is in focus, plus it's a bit of a catnip scenario, where an average image can look better because of large amounts of Bokeh.

Edited by Chris W
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24 minutes ago, Chris W said:

I choose my aperture to suit the subject. I think F1.4 is over-rated. My first lens was an F2 and I was shooting film in low light most of the time.

I probably had my lens set at F2 a lot, but these days (with digital) I mostly use F4 to F5.6.

I'm amazed so many Youtube camera influencers are stuck at F1.4 for every shot. So little is in focus, plus it's a bit of a catnip scenario, where an average image can look better because of large amounts of Bokeh.

I concur, there was a time I was obsessed with summiluxes but I no longer think f1.4 is necessary in most cases especially on a newer M like the M11. 

Not to mention the extra heft on most modern Leica f1.4s. 

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15 hours ago, Cattoo said:

Welcome.  I'll suggest that you take some time to learn how to use the rangefinder before investing in too many lenses.  And cut yourself some slack as you figure out how to use it.  Some people acclimate to the rangefinder quickly. For others it takes time.  Peruse this and other forums long enough and you'll come across Leica owners who bought their camera precisely because of the red dot or that it was the most expensive but then end up selling it after they grow frustrated with the focusing mechanism or the demands the camera places on the patience and expertise of the photographer.  Put simply, it's a very manual camera, not a point and shoot.  But if you're patient, willing to learn, and (importantly), willing to put the time into post-production (get Lightroom or Capture One), you'll be creating some great images that are truly yours (rather than the product of an automated camera's algorithm) in no time.  

I took it outside and practiced on objects that are close by & further down
i got hang of this zone focusing by only using lens measurements by 'knowing' how far my targets are.

but this manual focusing does require a lot of practice and I am trying to open both eyes using RF 

(I shoot guns and use optics with both eyes open and its helping me kinda)

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18 hours ago, ianforber said:

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you have some great lenses coming. I second the advice to practice focusing regularly and to start at f8 and then move incrementally to f1.4. Do that each day and it should help you get the hang of it. What sort of photography do you do most?

mostly streetphoto and I frequently drive out to the west desert area just to drive.
i wasn't really a photo guy. Have had Canon before and this is my 2nd digital camera and trying to learn deeper

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Welcome to the forum.

I wish you a good time with your gear, but you should open your mind also for lenses of other manufacturers. The rule "you get what you pay for" cannot always be applied here. If you think about a 28mm, you should also take a look at the Thypoch 28/1.4. But as the others already recommended: Start shooting before buying more gear.

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Posted (edited)
On 5/29/2024 at 9:41 PM, ManSter420 said:

I have this un-curable issue which cost a lot of money, because I always HAVE to get to the top without hovering around. (but shockingly, It saves me money compared to if I have to take steps to learn things)

Got lux 50mm and have lux 35mm coming. Thinking about getting Cron 28mm in case I go for trips later this year.

I am a super novice just want to venture new hobby. Hope to learn a lot from you pros

 

cheers 

 

I just received my m11P yesterday and only purchased a Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH and a Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 Aspherical II MC to get me started as I learn this new shooting style.  I've been into photography for over 45 years but rangefinder shooting is a whole different animal so I know I have a steep learning curve ahead but I'm looking forward to it, but I won't be buying anymore lenses until I feel comfortable with this camera.

Congratulations on the new gear, now lets get out there and start shooting and learning.

Edited by AllenB
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Posted (edited)
On 5/30/2024 at 6:45 AM, M11 for me said:

My 2 cents: Buy light and small lenses with your M11. Think of how often you really need an aperture of f/1.4 or faster (even in dim light). My big mistake at the beginning was: Summilux lenses. I bought then twice: Now I still have the Summiluxes but I do not use them (too big and too heavy). Instead I use 21mm Super Elmar or Summicron 28mm  (I plan to buy an Elmarit 28mm) or even a 50mm Summarit (This one I could buy second hand just after it got clear that Leica was not offer the Summarits any more which is a big mistake in my view).

But of course if you want to buy Summiluxes and you need this fast glas then that if of course excellent too.

That's a great point and one of the reasons I went with an Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH, the size and weight appealed to me for travel and for general all around shooting.  Coming from an a7rv with an assortment of expensive and large GM lenses, which I still have, it was important for me to go in the other direction.  I also looked through my photos and realized that I very rarely shot wide open so the 2.8 will be more then enough for me especially for street photography. 

Edited by AllenB
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On 5/30/2024 at 5:59 AM, Chris W said:

Limitation is the mother of invention. My pictures went backwards in quality as I added more focal lengths, as I had stopped concentrating on the potential image and started fussing over which lens to use.

100% agree, I love my m11 but found it so refreshing when i owned a Q2 and didnt have to think about lens choice!

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