Why do you shoot M?

[Luke_Miller]

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On 11/30/2024 at 12:40 PM, anonymoose said:

The rangefinder, in proper lighting conditions, is becoming really enjoyable to use except for when I'm holding it vertically (still figuring out ergonomics here). I'm not sure if this is normal practice, but I actually keep both eyes open and my brain has now figured out how to merge what I'm seeing with both eyes in a way that helps me focus the shot better. I'm also able to see even more of the scene with my left eye, then fine tune my framing with my right eye. In low light I'm finding it a bit of a struggle.

I can't seem to focus vertical shots either. So I focus while the camera is horizontal and then rotate to vertical to compose and shoot.  I have the same experience keeping both eyes open while focusing.  

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[anonymoose]

2 minutes ago, Luke_Miller said:

I can't seem to focus vertical shots either. So I focus while the camera is horizontal and then rotate to vertical to compose and shoot.  I have the same experience keeping both eyes open while focusing.  

I've tried to focus horizontal and then rotate to vertical, but I get poorly focused shots as a result of shifting the camera towards/away slightly during the rotation (at lower f-stops). I recently tried rotating less (~30˚ instead of 90˚) to pick up more edges and that seems to help, but I'd like to not have to do that. Oh well...more practice needed!

[SudaliuS]

The reason is quite simple. The older you get, the more you gravitate towards the classics. Classics are when fathers focused through a rangefinder. Everything else is the cost of modernity.

[lct]

14 minutes ago, SudaliuS said:

The reason is quite simple. The older you get, the more you gravitate towards the classics.

Good news! I gravitate towards the moderns, hence i'm growing younger 😄

[swatch]

M camera is the only camera choice as I don’t like someone or something hit my nose.

 

[lct]

4 hours ago, swatch said:

M camera is the only camera choice as I don’t like someone or something hit my nose.

Good thing you're not left-eyed 😉

[downstairs]

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Been an M user since 1958.  it is the only reliable tool left with direct manual adjustment for focus, aperture and shutter.   I'm sorry the M now has darkroom features that don't belong on a simple rangefinder camera.

[pippy]

6 minutes ago, downstairs said:

...I'm sorry the M now has darkroom features that don't belong on a simple rangefinder camera...

Many M cameras don't and that includes a couple of Digital versions where adjusting ISO, Shutter-speed, Aperture and Focus are still the only 'variables' open to the photographer.

The only advanced feature (the majority of) these current cameras have over, say, the M3 is TTL metering and, in the case of the M-A, even this 'improvement' has been left aside.

Philip.

[setuporg]

On 11/27/2024 at 11:02 AM, Photoworks said:

drinking is much easier with Q3

including spilling drinks on the camera

[erl]

1 hour ago, setuporg said:

including spilling drinks on the camera

I still prefer a stylish glass.

[algrove]

OP

Because it brings a smile to my face every time I use it.

[stray cat]

Because of something I saw as an impressionable youngster:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[algrove]

Brigitte Bardot. Wonder the year?

[lct]

1969 at Cannes if i remember well. I don't recall the name of the photographer.

[mondo79]

I switched from Nikon and Fuji to a Q2. Everything is similar in terms of the operating concept. The image quality of the Q2 convinced me of Leica. 

Then I fulfilled a long-cherished wish. I bought a used M240 and attached my old Summicron-c 40, which I still have from the analog days of my Leica CL (from the 1970s). 

And suddenly I had everything I wanted and had missed on all the aforementioned cameras (including the Q2). 

I have in the meantime swapped the M240 for an M11-P. A few new M lenses have also been added.

I don't take any better photos now. But I'm having so much more fun. 

 

Edited December 27, 2024 by mondo79

[Dazzajl]

8 minutes ago, mondo79 said:

I don't take any better photos now. But I'm having so much more fun. 

And that’s the rub isn’t it. The only real reason to buy a camera like the M11 is for the joy and the inspiration. 

[BruceRH]

6 hours ago, mondo79 said:

I switched from Nikon and Fuji to a Q2. Everything is similar in terms of the operating concept. The image quality of the Q2 convinced me of Leica. 

Then I fulfilled a long-cherished wish. I bought a used M240 and attached my old Summicron-c 40, which I still have from the analog days of my Leica CL (from the 1970s). 

And suddenly I had everything I wanted and had missed on all the aforementioned cameras (including the Q2). 

I have in the meantime swapped the M240 for an M11-P. A few new M lenses have also been added.

I don't take any better photos now. But I'm having so much more fun. 

 

I would agree, the M11-P is a lot of fun to shoot with, but the M10-R and my M-P (Typ 240) were also a joy. I still like my Q3, it's not going anywhere. 

[dkmoore]

Because anyone can point an automatic camera at a scene and take 200 photos per second. It’s much more fun to do it myself.

same with driving a manual. 
 

and it is the best looking camera ever made. 

Edited December 28, 2024 by dkmoore

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[otto.f]

On 11/28/2024 at 9:43 AM, Smogg said:

Any other camera makes me care about a lot of secondary things, about whether their automatic functions will work correctly to meet my desire. With Leica M I think only about what is happening in front of me and how to present it in the most expressive way.

Well said, this is the most specific and important difference with other options like Q or L systems. I must say however that the M9 has this ‘sticking to the essence’ more than the M’s that came afterwards where LV is an extra option that can be distracting. On the other hand it’s a great gain to be able to use R lenses and closer focus with the newest M lenses. 

[davysn]

Too old to carry the weight. I gave my son the full set of Nikon D3X cameras and replaced them with Leica M11+M246.I love the weight, quality and color of the photos from Leica. This camera is for 50+ people.