I shelved the M10-P, for now.

[cesc]

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50 minutes ago, Smudgerer said:

This "thing" about digital being cheaper (?)..............Sure with film you have to buy a new "sensor" every 36 exposures, then there's processing and printing, yep there's costs there too for sure but here's my take on this. I read constantly on this forum of people going out and shooting hundreds or even more images a day on their digital cameras, something that just boggles my mind. The time and the waste involved in sorting through maybe thousands of shots per week has a cost, maybe not monetary but a cost none the less, it's numbing, plus all of which have to be stored somehow somewhere on mediums that can be frail at best, there's costs there too. Then there's depreciation. Digital cameras do have a higher entrance fee and a shorter life span than film cameras, ( I'm not talking solely Leica here ), so sooner or later you have a brick that is worth only what can be salvaged for repairs other than the electronics. You could also have the frustration of dealing with seemingly endless unresolvable firmware and electronic odd behavior problems, ( M11? ), and there's a price being paid there too.

I am not saying that one choice is better than the other, digital or film, just that with digital the ability to shoot endlessly "without costs" does have it's own price albeit not such an obvious one as buying a roll of film.

I have a close friend who's a well known and admired photographer, a photographic artist, with many books and international exhibitions of work to his name, he shoots with a Leica MP, his only camera, with a 35 'cron V3, so always with film, never digital and his processing and printing is also all "wet". It's all subjective of course but for him film has "soul", digital is bereft of soul. He was just playing around with my M7 sometime ago, a Leica M that he has never been that familiar and wanted to try out, and I with his MP, actually I finished the roll with the last two shots.........He was well pleased because that roll of film had been in his camera for more than four months, now he could process it and see what he had shot. 36 exposures over months, that I am sure contained more than a few carefully shot gems. 

Thanks for your reply. Could we have the name of the photographer you are talking about? 

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[Smudgerer]

1 minute ago, cesc said:

Thanks for your reply. Could we have the name of the photographer you are talking about? 

Thank you, but no I would rather not mention my friend's name, he's quite a private person and along with his aversion to "going digital" he, like me, is very wary of the internet swamp.

[cesc]

I was exactly interested in because of the exhibition and books. I also shoot film because I love darkroom printing, and I am always looking for artists that are still using this method. I totally understand your choice

[Smudgerer]

Thanks again.......I asked him but he confirmed that he'd rather not be mentioned.

[costa43]

On 8/6/2024 at 9:31 AM, hansvons said:

The only downside is that GAS wont have a chance and creative emptiness must be filled with work. 

 

This really rings true for me. I'm not sure it is a downside in my case but let's see how long it lasts. I've already stopped looking at new gear and started thinking about small film projects I can do for friends and family. 

[hansvons]

5 hours ago, costa43 said:

This really rings true for me. I'm not sure it is a downside in my case but let's see how long it lasts. I've already stopped looking at new gear and started thinking about small film projects I can do for friends and family. 

That was irony, of course 😉.

[ktmrider2]

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Have the same but slightly different dilemma.  I am traveling around the world leaving in mid Sept for 6-8 months.  The ever ongoing debate is which camera to take.  I am trying to just travel with carry-on so gear is limited.  I purchased a new MP in February this year and I picked up a Nikon Zf with 24-120f4 and 40f2.  Which to take as there is only room for one system.  My heart says Leica MP with 35/90 while brain says Nikon Zf with 24-120f4.  Will take the phone or GR3 as a backup with either system.  HELP!

[WvE]

8 hours ago, ktmrider2 said:

Have the same but slightly different dilemma.  I am traveling around the world leaving in mid Sept for 6-8 months.  The ever ongoing debate is which camera to take.  I am trying to just travel with carry-on so gear is limited.  I purchased a new MP in February this year and I picked up a Nikon Zf with 24-120f4 and 40f2.  Which to take as there is only room for one system.  My heart says Leica MP with 35/90 while brain says Nikon Zf with 24-120f4.  Will take the phone or GR3 as a backup with either system.  HELP!

I see your dilemma. It also depends, I guess, how comfortable you are with shooting the MP. My take would probably be the MP with only the 35 and the ZF with only the 24-120. 

[Smudgerer]

11 hours ago, ktmrider2 said:

Have the same but slightly different dilemma.  I am traveling around the world leaving in mid Sept for 6-8 months.  The ever ongoing debate is which camera to take.  I am trying to just travel with carry-on so gear is limited.  I purchased a new MP in February this year and I picked up a Nikon Zf with 24-120f4 and 40f2.  Which to take as there is only room for one system.  My heart says Leica MP with 35/90 while brain says Nikon Zf with 24-120f4.  Will take the phone or GR3 as a backup with either system.  HELP!

LUF heresy perhaps, but in your case I'd just take the Zf with the 24-120, soak up the experience of the trip itself and not clutter up your time away with decisions on camera/gear carry options. If you really really want film too I'd buy a decent condition Nikon FM2 with a fast short'ish prime and F-Z adapter so there could be some commonality in the gear plus a sort of a lens crossover between the two cameras, albeit one way.

[newtoleica]

I shot mostly film (mainly Tri-X) and wet darkroom printed for about a decade. I also always had some sort of digital alongside, past couple of years an M7 and an M10-P. in the spring I sold the M7 and all my darkroom gear, film and paper stock..... Why?

- It's always been all about the image, sure handling is important, but the difference between the M7 and 10-P is minimal. I can process a digital file to get exactly the look I was getting on tri-X.

- Printing has always been the final output for me and a used Epson P700 with Epson Traditional Photo paper gets me the look I want.

- so why all the hassle of developing the film and bringing it (and scanning either film or print or both). I found a lack of time was creating a barrier to doing anything much...

So I ditched the analogue and invest the time in working more closely with a full digital workflow. Compared with 12 years ago when I was unhappy with the digital printed output that is now no longer an issue.

[ktmrider2]

I bought my first Leica M in 1975 and have been using them almost continuously since so I would say fairly familiar.  I really enjoy the film M with a 35 and feel the M2 is the best viewfinder Leica ever made.  However, I am not blind to technology.  Mirrorless is so nice seeing the actual image in the viewfinder.  I can be almost mindless putting everything on auto and just checking shutter speed and f stop in the viewfinder before pressing the shutter release.

Both systems are great but for different things.  To keep it simple, Nikon Zf with 24-120f4.  Zooms have gotten so good I do not feel guilty about not using primes.  Jury is still out on which I will take.

[WvE]

My M10-P is still shelved. So far, I feel I've made the right decision by going back to analog with the M (besides the SL2-s). 

Yes, it all sounds cliche, but photographing with the MP feels much more enjoyable, it brings back the fun again (it's almost therapeutic 🙂). The smaller body, setting the shutter, the aperture, overthinking the shot more carefully, advancing the film, loading and rewinding the film, and waiting for the results. I'm also happy with the non-clinical results, it all adds up to the fun. And...no more hundreds of digital photos waiting to be edited.  

[Roy Bigsby]

I think more and more Leica shooters are feeling the itch to return to film. For many, the recently released M11-D will scratch that itch. But will it only be a temporary relief? With all the discussion and hype surrounding the M11-D, I get the sense that a lot of digital shooters are craving the analog experience. Perhaps, for some, the “D” will be a stepping stone back to analog M-bodies. If you have an M11-D, I bet you could easily trade it for a black paint M4. I know what I’d pick. 

[WvE]

I agree, especially if the M is going to evolve more and more as a (super expensive) high-tech digital camera, gradually drifting away from its roots. However, progress sells.   

[ktmrider2]

If I have learned anything about myself it is I cannot make a decision and stick to it, at least as far as photography and travel is concerned.  I was all set to travel the world with a Nikon Zf and a couple lenses.  Guess what, I just put it aside and pulled out the Leica MP.  Leica M's have been my first love in photography and travel since 1975.  I purchased a new MP back in March in Hong Kong.  Why did I purchased it if I did not plan on using it.

All my film is sitting in a freezer in Anchorage and I am headed out in three days and no one is at the condo.  So tomorrow a quick trip into the STL camera store for ten rolls of either Ektar 100 or Porta 400.  Have decided to just take one type of film to make life simpler.  My first stop is Maui for a week and then the Philippines for some diving.  Figure to continue westward in December to end up back in the USA early April, 2025 for taxes.  And for those interested, photography is not the primary purpose of the trip.

I really love the Nikon Zf but in the end I enjoy film more than digital and love the Leica form factor.  Additionally, the MP and two or three lenses is about half the volume of the Nikon Zf.  I guess when you pack a lens with focus motors and other electronics, they get big.

[Smudgerer]

6 hours ago, ktmrider2 said:

If I have learned anything about myself it is I cannot make a decision and stick to it, at least as far as photography and travel is concerned.

I love and relate to this more than I will ever allow myself to fully admit..........

[ktmrider2]

I am still going back and forth on the decision.  I cannot believe how much room the Zf and 2-3 lenses and charger takes compared to a MP and 2-3 lenses and film.  Of course the Zf lenses have focus motors and all sorts of digital magic (what happened to the aperture ring on every lens I have ever used except a 500f8 Nikkor mirror lens?). It is a really hard decision especially trying to do it with carry on luggage.

And what lenses?  Usually I travel with just a 35f2.8 C Biogon and 90f2.8 Elmarit M.  However on a trip to Hong Kong in Feb, 2023, when I purchased the MP I found a 50f2.8 Elmar  M that only weighs 6oz and a 21f2.8 Biogon.  If I am going to leave the Zf at home as well as the 24-120f4 S lens, I am very tempted to pack all four.  The MP with four lenses is still smaller than the Zf with 24-120, much less if I add 35f1.4 Z and/or 20f2.8.  The Leica and lenses will travel in a Billingham Pro, again much smaller than the Domke the Zf required.

And I still have the Ricoh GR3 as a backup so digital and lots of exposures is still an option.  I feel a little funky shooting some portrait sessions I have planned with a 28 equivalent.  We old school photographers think 85 or longer is the way to go.  

I need to put some marks on the black paint MP.

[WvE]

I will be traveling to Valencia this weekend, with only my MP and 35/50mm lenses, all stowed in the Peak Design Everyday Sling 3L.

Some Kodak Gold 200 filmstock in my pockets, it's all much more fun than digital. 😉 

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[IanH]

On 9/22/2024 at 10:01 AM, ktmrider2 said:

And I still have the Ricoh GR3 as a backup so digital and lots of exposures is still an option.

I find the Ricoh GR aps-c variants a great buddy to a film Leica (M2 with 35mm cron in my case). Both cameras are very portable and I enjoy the experience of using either. 
I have been very tempted to test a Ricoh GR film camera, although prices have shot up. Happy travels. MP and a small 35mm (35/2.8) would be my fave. 

 

[ktmrider2]

Update:  I left CONUS with the MP and 21/35/50/90 and well as my GR3.  During my week on Maui, I decided to lighten the load so I mailed the 21 and 50 back home.  I have traveled for years with just the 35 and 90 with either a digital M or film M and never thought I needed more.  I purchased the 21 and 50 back in February, 2024, during a trip to Hong Kong. I felt the need to carry them along which was a mistake.  So, I have been in the Philippines for five days and my photography kit consists of a black paint MP with 35f2.8 C Biogon and 90f2.8 Elmarit M.

On a side note, I left the GR3 on Maui by accident.  My friend will be shipping it to the Philippines by FedEx.  Cost was $190.  Leaving equipment behind can get expensive.

On a side note, a few years ago my friend and I tried to find the grave of Charles Lindbergh and were unable to do so.  Both of us were Marine aviators and professional pilots for over 30 years and wanted to pay our respects.  Lindbergh died in 1974 and is buried on Maui.  This trip we found it and it is in an amazingly beautiful setting behind a very old church on the Hana highway.